New Year - Keeping the Dream Alive

I have done a little bit of tidying up in the Studio - this was the right hand side of my window cill - you could not see out of the window to my small back garden.... it now looks like this... (A little bit tidy and with the view back!).

I had a second lovely surprise on Christmas Eve - My daughter arrived 1/2 day early too!! I had the best Christmas with my two children (can you still call them 'children' when one is 22 and the other is going to be 25 on Jan 5th? To me they are still my babies!!)

Any way I had a tearful present unwrapping, but they were tears of joy at the thoughtfulness of my son. I may have mentioned to you earlier during the year that I have been planning a trip (by myself) to New York for June 2010 (the month when I reach the land mark age of 50). Well, with having lost my job at the beginning of December I realised that this trip may have to be postponed indefinitely or at least until I get another job.

One of the gifts my son gave me was a book on photographing New York with a card enclosing a large cheque and notes on flights for June!! Inside the card he had written: Keep the Dream Alive! - I am getting tearful just writing this! - We have agreed that when I do get a job, he and I will work out the best flights and hotels etc. for the trip whenever it happens. IT WILL HAPPEN!

I have decided that 2010 will be the year of Keeping the Dream Alive. I have many dreams and will work towards fulfilling some of them.

So to continue this I have started a journal for my trip to New York for whenever it happens. Yesterday I took some of the photos from our trip to NY back in December 2009 and printed them onto some cotton fabric. Added some tape on which I had embroidered stars and made a cover for journal. Gave the journal a title - 'Liberty keeps a journal too!' Here opened out to show back and front! The journal will contain notes on where I want to visit (I have already done all the tourist sites so this is more for textile related visits), what I want to see, what I will take (in the form of sketching, sticking stuff) and room for keeping notes, sketches (a diary) etc. I also painted a few of the first pages. (I will continue to paint them if necessary on the trip).

Now as the year closes I must get back to my current projects:

a) white on white bodice (which will be for sale)

b) Titania's costume continuation

c) Oberon's costume starting

d) Dandy Highwayman costume notes

and several other items!!!!

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR GOOD WISHES AND WISH ALL MY BLOGGING FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY, PROSPEROUS AND CREATIVE NEW YEAR - HAPPY 2010