Googly Eyes!

I saw this fantastic thread on Craftster, where objects had googly eyes added to them. It seems to me that this makes everything look better. I was inspired to dig out some eyes and join in the fun.
Some of these photos are from Doune castle of Monty Python and the Holy Grail fame. Nearby we saw these adorable lambs.
And the Op Art baby blanket... It is coming along, I have switched to the 80cm cable and am now about 15,000 stitches in.

Colour me bad...

MONO is a free paper which has visual essays. I picked up Issue #3 last week, featuring 18 Unassisted Readymades by John Stezaker. These were unmanipulated images from the golden age of Hollywood. I couldn't help but give them a revamp, not by cutting and pasting like many of Stezaker's pieces, but by adding a little colour.
A bad case of 'red eye' there!

Playing with my food.

Last week I heard someone say that if you can get to do the things you enjoyed as a child, when you are an adult - then life isn't too bad. With this in mind I did some vegetable printing!
Inspired by Geninne's fantastic wrapping paper, I attempted to make some paper for Mr Crafty's presents. In hindsight I probably cut my celery too close to the base, but I had to make sure the beasts were fed! And possibly blue paint with gold glitter isn't the most festive thing ever - but hey-ho, it was fun to do!
Things I like this week are: an article on Glasgow Yarn bombing, Twisty Foldy photography exhibition at the 13th note and festive dancing goats! Merry Christmas!

Code Name "Cyclist" (Radfahrer)

Harald Hauswald is a photographer who was once considered to be an enemy of the state. Living in East Germany he was followed for several years by the Stasi. Marc Thummler's film uses the text from the actual state security reports in combination with Hauswald's images to produce a very thought provoking film.
It is the mundane details that the Stasi recorded that surprised me, from how many tins of fish he brought to the number plates of cars going in and out of a drive. There was also a clumsy nature to the observations, losing their trail and being unsure of numbers. They also referred to him as the cyclist, yet he didn't actually own a bike! Hauswald sent many photos to the west for publication, and this led the Stasi to attempt to art critique his work, all of which is contained in his security files.
I was lucky enough to go to a showing of this film at the CCA, where Harald Hauswald and Marc Thummler were present to discuss the work. Hauswald spoke of his experiences - being followed by ten Stasi agents, being questioned and even arrested, all for taking photographs. The film is a good starting point to debate what is freedom of expression, and do we take these rights for granted?

Images taken from here.

The Enchanted Forest

As I child one of my favourite books was The Enchanted Wood, so when I found out The Enchanted Forest was in Pitlochry, I had to visit! We went on Halloween for an extra spooky adventure.
Beautiful colours and textures. And I even got to dance under a mirror ball!

Weimaraner photos and felt guinea pigs...

Today another trip across to the capital. Firstly stop was Paws Here, a pet rescue centre in Morningside. Today was their open day, which meant we got to handle some very energetic rats, stroke a few rabbits and cuddle a gorgeous lady guinea pig (don't tell the boyz!). I did my good deed and donated a dozen guinea pig Christmas tree decorations to help with their fundraising. Who wouldn't want a gp on their tree at Xmas?
Yarn lovers take note, Paws Here are having a on-line raffle with some great prizes: see ravelry. Lunch was spent surrounded by some pretty cool birdy prints from Pigeon Industries.
At the City Art Centre there are currently two photography exhibitions, the first is from William Wegman. Family Combinations is all about his weimeraners, these silky dogs trust Wegman enough to allow him to contort and pose them for the camera. The pictures are comical, sometimes absurd and the films (including some made for Sesame Street) are hilarious. But then you wonder how these dogs were trained? Do they ever rebel against their master? And isn't it slightly odd to be dressing a dog in a dress?

The other exhibition is from Edward Weston. Weston used powerful black and white photography to give new ways of viewing things. These bold images distorted my initial comprehension. What I thought was a bronze statue turned out to be a pepper, engineering parts were actually shells and steps were in fact sand dunes.

Wandering along the Royal Mile you can not help but notice the amazing buildings surrounding you. The light was still good enough to catch a couple of pictures.
Back at home, a quick practice at free motion embroidery. Using a scrap of lace that I had dyed, backed on felt, I attempted to outline the flowers, interestingly I think I prefer the back - though mind the birds nests!