Filling the Well.

I have been feeling a bit flat lately - distinctly lacking in motivation. I finished my last job about a month ago and promptly fell ill with a nasty virus which dragged on for quite some time, leaving me rather tired and listless, unable to do anything requiring focus and energy. However it is not all doom and gloom as I had rather a jolly time drinking coffee and watching too much TV namely 'Homes Under the Hammer' and 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' which I absolutely LOVE! (Jeremy Brett is superb as Holmes) However, all this came to an untimely end when I embarked on some serious home improvements which saw me camping out in the living room surrounded by all the c**p from bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. I also set myself a stupid schedule of unrealistic targets (sound familiar) with regard to what I could get made for the upcoming Wee Green Market. For some reason I felt really resentful at the amount of work I was doing sewing wise, exacerbated by the withdrawel symptoms of trying to wean myself off the bloody TV!
Luckily I had arranged to go over to visit Caireen

for lunch in the midst of this chaos and after talking to her I realised what the problem was - my creative well needed filling - it was bone dry! I just needed to give myself permission to take some time to spend doing something to energise me. 
Caireen takes herself off for Artists Dates which is a great way to encourage creative thinking. An Artist Date can really be anything that you enjoy - a visit to a gallery, a walk on the beach, a walk around town just 'noticing' things - really anything at all. After lunch and a gentle walk up the hill to see the bluebells I started to feel more human, more like myself. The next day I took myself off to town to visit Mandors to get some bits and bobs I needed to finish some new project bags that I had been working on. I had intended to go there and go straight home to get on with more sewing but somehow, after wandering around fondling various fabrics I found myself trotting off to the GFT to pick up their latest brochure. The GFT is a lovely Art Deco building and it has a lovely cafe which has a great ambience so of course I had a wee coffee while I was there. Then it struck me that there is a large TKMaxx at that end of town so off I went 'just for a quick look'. An hour later I emerged with this pretty printed linen summer top (£14.99)..........

and some scented candles at £4.99 each (a bargain in my opinion)......................

After all that shopping I needed another sit down and as luck would have it, I was really close to Waterstones which has a cafe with a mezzanine floor right next to the Art and Craft sections -
the perfect place to indulge in my favourite pastimes of drinking coffee, reading craft books and people watching!
I came across these fantastic books....................................

which I spent an enjoyable half hour flicking through- they are fantastic books - so inspiring and deserving of a post in themselves! (when I got home I ordered them both from Amazon - £23.00 for both books incl P+P!) I finally headed home 3 hours later than intended but feeling relaxed and happy for the first time in ages.
I want to be clear that I am not advocating spending money to make yourself feel better - I was feeling better because I allowed myself to wander about for a while instead of beating myself up about the fact that I 'should' be at home making things. I was also inspired by the books I had been looking at and was in a really positive mood. I readjusted my plans for what could be achieved in the time I had left and spent a couple of very happy hours, free from the resentment I had previously felt, finishing off these...............

The next day was the Wee Green Market - I had a great time catching up with Lynn, Rebecca, Isobel and her sister Mairi. I covered my costs and bought some lovely locally produced food.

The olives and oil are actually from Kalamata but the people who farm the land where the olives are grown live locally. They inherited the farm from their family and have been producing and selling in Greece for a few years. They are now selling here too and believe me their oil is delicious!
After the market a few of us headed over to the pub for some lunch and spent several hours hatching plans to take the Wee Green Market further afield. I headed home around 6pm through the gloamin' (or magic hour as it is often referred to - that time of evening when the light is 'just so') with a huge smile on my face, filled with that great feeling of contentment that comes from spending time doing something you love in great company. I am so grateful that the Wee Green Market exists - it is such a great mix of food and crafts - we are totally spoiled!! Thankyou Jacqui for spending so much time and energy to make sure it happens every monthx

The recipient of this months Sew Hip is........Fancy Elastic. Please email your address and I will send the mag to you.

Comments

[monica]

I totally agree with you! Sometimes it's vital to take a breath, look around, get 're-filled'.

Essential stuff.

Good for you and glad you're feeling better.

[caireen]

that is one gorgeous top... and against the stained glass, so bohemian! hark at you with your kalamata olives!..it'll be the Joan Baez cd next (quite a good idea actually!!) XXX

[Rebecca]

Mandors, and TK Maxx, so conveniently placed by one another...! 2 of my favourite shops in town. I was in Mandors last week, and was filled with inspiration. They have such a gorgeous selection of new material!Rx

[Bella Bheag]

Sometimes all it takes is the simplest of pleasures to lift the spirit. I often say that it really doesn't take much to keep me happy, and it really doesn't! Glad you are feeling happier these days. Bags are great! Will email you re expanding our WGM horizons. BBx