2023 – END OF YEAR REVIEW
As usual, it has been a pretty eventful year, both personally and generally. See the end of this post for the most important aspects of changing world events and what they mean for us all.
During the year, I have had various health issues to deal with as always, and plenty of creativity thrown in. My attitude remains upbeat and positive, and I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life and all the gifts that it has been my privilege to receive.
Health issues
Let’s get these out of the way at the outset!
Colorectal surgery
I’ve had sporadic contacts from the Exeter hospital regarding my parastomal hernia surgery – did I want to travel several hundred miles from home to have it done? – No… Are you still happy to remain on the waiting list? (several years on…) Yes… News that my surgeon has mysteriously disappeared and they don’t know if he’s coming back… Of course no-one will tell me what is going on. Latest news – I can be seen by one of his colleagues, to which I’ve agreed. Maybe something will happen next year. I’ve got an outpatient appointment towards the end of January, so we shall have to see. It’s now been so long that I’ve pretty much given up on it ever happening at all, and I’ve learnt to live with the problem, which really isn’t too bad compared with what other people have to put up with on the NHS interminable waiting lists.
Cataracts
At last something has happened regarding this ongoing problem. I had my eyes tested again in the autumn and they agreed the left eye was ready. I have just had it done, and hopefully the right one will be done early next year. No great improvement in my vision yet but once it’s all done and I’ve got new glasses, it should be a different story.
Breast cancer
Annual mammogram shows all continues to be well. I got gorgeous new bras from the Breast Unit as my original ones (2 years old) were showing signs of wear and tear.
Hair care
After over a year of using heirloom techniques to care for my very long hair, I can report that its condition is very much better – all the thin and balding patches have disappeared and there is plenty of new growth. This hasn’t grown long enough to incorporate into my plait yet, so that still looks a bit thin, particularly towards the end, but I am much happier with my hair generally now. It is very little trouble to keep up the regimen and a lot less work with the much less frequent washing. I have had a lot of favourable comments about my hair over the past year, many from total strangers!
This is how it looked in November of this year. It tends to kink up a lot more after it’s been braided.
Nothing much else to report – just a few minor aches and pains but hey, what do you expect when you hit 70.
Yes…
Milestone birthday
I had my 70th birthday in May. This is unbelievable to me. I saw a T-shirt recently which said, “It’s weird being the same age as old people.”
Technology, pros and cons
Blog
My blog went down a few months ago when I had to go “pro” in order to be able to continue to upload unlimited photos. I had to revamp the whole thing and it was a nightmare. In the end I opted for a different theme and after a lot of work, got it how you now see it, which is how I like it! For the first time I have a decent “home page” which gives a basic summary of what I’m all about, and I’ve got the header to work properly at last. I still have to get around to making it look nice on phones and tablets – I keep forgetting to do this, and it’s a total mess, so if any visitors are using these devices, please forgive me! The content appears OK, though, I think. It’s just the title page.
Laptop
A few years ago I got this Acer laptop, and would never get another. I’ve never liked it. The ports have got very weak and wobbly and our local computer repair shop says they are impossible to replace. Also the keyboard doesn’t always work adequately, skipping letters when I type at speed etc. There are various other little glitches with it which I’ve never liked; for example it’s a major operation to remove the battery. It’s also started running very slowly at times and I mentioned to my hubby that this is often an early sign of imminent hard drive failure, and he suggested that I got a new laptop before the event this time, to avoid unnecessary hassle, although I do back up absolutely everything! (Been caught out in the early days and got completely paranoid about this since!)
So – on the warpath for a new laptop, and spent considerable time considering the options. Eventually I settled on another HP – always had great laptops from them in years past, as it has plenty of ports (something many modern laptops fail on), touch screen, excellent visuals, great keyboard, heaps of RAM and storage. I even found a “used, very good condition” one on Amazon for 2/3 the price of brand new, and when it arrived, it clearly was brand new because it was in the original packaging with all seals intact.
However… the E key didn’t work properly! I only discovered this once I’d started setting everything up. Long story short – for various reasons I don’t want to return it, and the computer repair shop are now sourcing a new keyboard for it, and I hope to have it back in the New Year. Plenty of other stuff to be getting on with in the meantime so I don’t mind waiting.
Cables and ports
Because of the port problem on the Acer, this year I have invested in a couple of sets of new magnetic contact cables – excellent quality and great port savers! You plug a small button into your device (the kit comes with several different USBs, lightning etc.) and use the same cables for everything. No unplugging and re-plugging required. One set will only charge, so I am using this for the iPad and phone at night, and my rechargeable lamps during the day, and the other set will do data transfer as well, so really good for external hard drives. It’s a great solution. When I get the new laptop back, this will be a way of preserving the life of the onboard ports for as long as possible.
New colour laser printer
This year I treated myself to a new laser printer. Using more print-outs with my mixed media work, I needed water-proof prints. I gave my inkjet printer to my hubby and got myself a smart HP laser printer. It’s a joy. One of the great advantages is that, unlike my old inkjet printer, it will print on acetate and vellum – essential for my needs.
Creativity
The best part of the year, always, second only to my relationship with Jesus and with my hubby! This is what I love the most – so fulfilling, and expressive of the person that I am in so many ways.
Studio work
My creative work this year has been roughly divided between strictly studio-based, and working from the comfort of the recliner downstairs. The studio-based work has to be that way because that is where all my stuff is! When I try to do things downstairs, I find I am constantly up and down the stairs getting things I have forgotten, which is irritating to say the least!
Free kits
I’ve made up several free kits from Vectoria Designs this year – digital downloads with full video instructions. This young lady is so talented and designs absolutely gorgeous downloadable kits and is very generous with her freebies. Lovely vintage feel. These little books and folios make great gifts, and are quite interactive which is fun. She has used some intriguing design features which can be used in other projects – interesting pockets and fastenings, for instance.
“Forgotten Library” accordion folder
“Vintage Butterfly” mini-folio
A little book of encouragement
Embellishments and ephemera
I made a lot of these this year, for use in many projects. My stash is now well stocked, and I can dip into the various categories and generally find what I need.
Teabag embellishments
I made a collection of small embellishments from teabags, with book pages, images cut from greetings cards, machine stitching etc.
Miscellaneous embellishments
These ones were made for an album but any spares went into my stash. I made different coloured ones too, mostly using up some awful scrapbooking paper I had, improving it with stamping.
Die-cut embellishments
These die-cut and inked leaves were for another album project, but as always, I make more than I need, so that I have supplies ready for other projects.
Decorative strips
Inked kitchen paper – I save my kitchen paper which has been used to mop up ink etc., and use in various projects.
I made a lot of decorative strips, dipping into a huge stash of coloured card strips that had been given to me years ago.
Whenever I have printed out any papers for Vectoria Designs projects, I save the trimmed edges to make decorative strips.
When doing any paper projects, one always ends up with more strips of offcuts than one knows what to do with! On this occasion I coffee-dyed them, and laid them all out on the table, touching each other, and stamped them all en-masse. They make great embellishments.
Many of my decorative strips were completed with the addition of some double-sided tape on the back to create faux washi tape, so that they could be instantly applied to projects.
In addition, I made these ones, randomly stamping on coloured card.
Labels, tickets and other embellishments
Always good to have a big stash of things like this, so that one can dip into the stash when necessary, and never be short of a suitable embellishment.
Specimen slides
These are really fun to make. This year I bought a die set to make them – you can make them from scratch but it’s a lot of work, and the dies give a more professional result.
Details here.
Digital people
These are printables from the Graphics Fairy, which you can print out at whatever size you like, and as many times as you like, which gives them a tremendous advantage over other purchased paper dolls.
They make very interesting embellishments, creating a sense of narrative in journal pages and other mixed media work.
Storage for embellishments
I finally decided on the best way of storing my small embellishments, in CD sleeves in a small box. This post also includes details of other storage solutions in my studio.
Books and albums
My first love in the mixed media category. I love the interactivity of books, especially if you make them interesting and full of surprises. I have completed three main books this year, and have several more UFOs (UnFinished Objects) in the wings, waiting for those particular creative juices to start flowing again.
Recycled Paper-Glassine Bag Album
This was made from the paper bags supplied by our supermarket from whom I receive weekly grocery deliveries. For a while they were using recycled paper bags with a glassine panel on the front, and I had been saving these, thinking they might come in useful. Folding each one in a particular way has produced pockets and translucent windows, and each bag forms a single folio. All the folios were bound in a book whose cover was made from Amazon packaging material.
Lots of recycled materials inside, with plenty of interactive and fun elements.
You can see the finished album here, and many preceding blog posts will show the whole process from start to finish.
This was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever made.
Curious Cabinets mini-album
This is the smallest book I have ever made, and it is one of my favourites. It is highly interactive and has a real vintage feel about it.
Oriental-style album
This 8 x 8-in album is still a work in progress. I only have two or three more pages to complete but I’ve gone off the boil with it for the moment. It has many interactive elements and surprises, and has been fun to make.
Prayer Bible
This came about after following someone on YouTube. I bought a new compact Bible to use solely for this purpose, and made multi-coloured tabs for the pages on a theme basis. You can read about it here.
I have also started embellishing blank portions of pages with art work.
I had to do quite a bit of experimenting to determine the right surface treatment to prevent bleed-through on these extremely thin pages.
New equipment
Apart from those items already mentioned, these are the other main things I acquired this year, which have brought me the most joy.
This was a real sentimental journey, and I am thrilled to have found a replacement for my much-missed old sewing machine at last!
This has proved invaluable for all sorts of work, and for reading too, especially as my cataracts have got worse. It is compact and versatile, and I wonder how I ever managed without it!
This, along with the discovery of Collal All-Purpose glue, has completely transformed my glueing life! At last I have precision glueing with a glue that really sticks, dries clear and dries quickly, and no more clogged nozzles. I’ve waited years for this!
A superb replacement for my old sewing scissors which had become blunt and I was unable to sharpen them. These new ones are huge, heavy and razor-sharp – a dream to use!
Cards
Not so many cards this year – just a few for family and friends for special occasions. I had no need to set up another card factory as I still have plenty in my stash.
Wedding anniversary and birthday cards
Digital papers
I printed quite a lot of these this year, having acquired my colour laser printer. Many of them were for specific projects; some were digital downloads and the rest were ones I designed myself.
Subscriptions
Graphics Fairy
I have now subscribed to the Premium Membership section of this website, with a monthly subscription which gives me access to their whole vast collection of themed bundles, images, pdf printables and so on. It’s a wealth of material, and they are very free and easy about how we use it, adapting it as we wish, and so on. It’s an incredibly worthwhile investment. I don’t do a great deal of work with entirely digital downloads but love to include background papers, images and elements to embellish my mixed media work. They also have loads of excellent tutorials, both in Photoshop for creating digital work, and also on the practical crafting side. Lots of inspiration from artists who share their work.
Draw Awesome course
This link is to the first post on this – for subsequent work, please scroll up. All titled “Online Art Course.”
I have recently signed up for the online art course, Draw Awesome, another monthly subscription service. I came across this on a YouTube advert and after following the initial free tutorial, I knew this was going to be a quality course with excellent teaching, and so far it has proved to be so. There are twelve monthly modules, the first ones concentrating on different media, such as graphite, charcoal, coloured pencils and so on, and the latter ones concentrating on different themes, such as animals, landscapes and portraits. The projects within the modules are made available as you complete each stage, so that you do not get overwhelmed, and it encourages you to keep up the quite reasonable pace. There is also an associated private board on the public ArtKula forum, where members share their work, and give and receive encouragement. The teaching is top-notch, and I am constantly amazed at the stuff I am producing, finding it unbelievable that I can actually draw like this!
Here are some examples of work produced this year, mainly from the first module (graphite) which I have recently completed.
I am currently working on the second module (charcoal).
I find the most comfortable position to be working on this is sitting on the floor on a cushion, resting my back against the settee, with my new lap desk (Amazon photo below) over my legs, set at an angle for the sketchbook, and the iPad in the slot at the back, convenient for viewing the reference photo.
I run the teaching video on the TV screen. With my box of materials by my side, everything is to hand and I can get stuck in to the session.
Downstairs-based work
The sitting-room-based work is softer in nature – fabrics, embroidery and so on, and this is where I am now doing quite a bit of my drawing. These projects do not require so much variety in equipment and materials, most of which can be contained in single boxes.
Drawing
The Draw Awesome course work falls into the downstairs category.
I have also started a small daily (or almost daily!) sketchbook for practising basic drawing skills, and I am mostly doing this when I have not had a Draw Awesome session.
Embroidery
This year I have begun a Victorian-style apron project, making two matching aprons from old pure linen sheets from my stash. I have completed the first one, which has fern embroidery on the bib and pockets.
I am currently working on the second one, with a more traditional floral design.
I have begun work on embroidering the circular design on the bib.
Bonnie Baggies
This is an exciting new area for me, after discovering various people on YouTube who are making custom bags from upcycled and repurposed materials. On one of my rare shopping sprees I raided the charity shops and came home laden with exciting purchases – clothing which it didn’t matter if it didn’t fit me because I wasn’t going to wear it, junk jewellery, curtains, trimmings and all sorts of goodies. I already have a good stash of all kinds of trims and fabric scraps, and when we go to the summer fete in the village where we used to live, I always clear the junk jewellery box! This year I also ordered a couple of random bags of really cheap junk jewellery from Ebay and they conained some real treasures – no intrinsic value, but endless value in terms of chains, beads, findings, stand-alone elements which can be used for focal-point embellishments… These items can also be used to embellish books and albums.
So far these bags have all been hand-stitched, and if I bring a big box of materals down from the studio, they are a very suitable downstairs project to work on!
Neck purse with leather fringing
I have plenty more materials and ideas for further bags.
Outings
We have had a few interesting outings this year, one of the most unusual being a visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory and planetarium.
Devon County Show
A real pleasure to visit the annual show in Exeter again this year. Always lots to see and do – a grand day out!
Kitties
Our two girlies, twin sisters Lily and Ruby, continue to thrive and bring us joy. Unbelievably to me, they are now 6 1/2 years old. Still our babies, though! Lily, who adores my hubby and only gives me the time of day in terms of my being a convenient warming platform, sleeps for England and is a totally lazy lump, allowing her sister to wash her because she’s too lazy to do it herself!
She loves my hubby but she hates it when he reads books!
Ruby, on the other hand, is my baby and lies in my arms gazing into my eyes and purring her little heart out, while dribbling all over me! She is by far the more restless of the two, and she eats for England! She is very greedy and eats too fast and then brings it all up again – any human owned by a cat will know that sinking feeling on hearing the familiar sound… Ruby is the junior kitty and is best described as “cheerful.” A simple little soul who is less intelligent than her sister who dreams of opposable thumbs… They love to sleep together, cuddled up like two little beans in a pod, or so entwined that it is hard to see which bits belong to which kitty!
Ruby loves boxes. I tend to leave out a plentiful supply for her to use. She’s one who “thinks inside the box.”
Too small for me?
A good fit! Double insulation.
Beyond my personal world – “Perilous Times”
To conclude this (very long!) blog post, a heads-up on the times in which we live. According to the Bible, the Times of the End of the Age will be characterised by a variety of events, in politics and globalism, economics and commerce, natural disasters and diseases, and in religion, all described as “perilous times,” and all sharing one key characteristic – deception. At the top of the list of “signs of the times,” and being the key to everything, is Israel – land and people, which is the pivot of world history from God’s point of view. Until 1948 when the modern State of Israel was established, we had seen various predicted signs beginning, such as spiritual apostasy, wars and rumours of wars, increase in pandemics, and so on, but only since then, and increasingly in more recent years, have we seen a general convergence in these signs, and an intensification of them across the board. The Bible likens this to the birth-pangs of a woman in labour, beginning small and infrequent, and increasing in frequency and intensity until the child is born, which represents in this analogy the Second Coming of Christ.
Please read my page “New Life in Christ” by clicking the tab under my blog header for details about how this concerns you, and what you need to do in order to avoid going through the culmination of these events, known as the seven-year Tribulation. The page also explains why we can rely on the truth and authenticity of the Bible.
For those of us who have been following Bible prophecy for many years, it is clear that the end is now very close. In terms of world history, we are now seconds before midnight. The time to act is now, to get right with God and make sure of your eternal destiny.
What a great year it’s been for you in many ways Shoshi – particularly creatively and your health has blossomed despite some setbacks, your hair is SO long! What wonderful accomplishments, ever thankful to God for His loving care and bringing you safely through.