This year on emuse

There’s been a lot going on this year on emuse!

In January I started the year by showing the photos I’d taken in Italy a few months previously, and I kept some festive spirit going in February by having a Moomin post-advent calendar! February was a month devoted to crystals, gems, geometric shapes, space, and the sky.

InMarch I created some brightly coloured items for my bedroom and made some jewellery. This was also the month that one of my all-time favourite shops, the Artstore in Glasgow, closed down - quite by chance I was there on closing day, so it was a bittersweet experience.

 In April I dyed my hair black (it's still dark now, but more of a dark brown), and went to quite a few exhibitions.

Ma May was a big month because I released my e-zine, Emma’s First Taste of Japan! I haven’t sold a lot of copies, but I really did enjoy creating it and those who bought it seemed to like it! My obsession with The Clangers continued when I made some Clangers birthday cards. 

I also went on a foraging walk, and foraging has now become a new obsession of mine – I’ve got loads of books on the subject now!

 June was a fairly quiet month, but July was all about jewellery workshops – I made a carved ring, a titanium ring and pendant, and two acrylic necklaces – a pair of birds, and a lightning bolt.

In August it was all about appreciating your town, by creating a Japanese-style souvenir stamp, and some illustrated maps, and generally exploring your environment.

 In September I again went to a lot of exhibitions, and in October showed some crafts based on teeth – because I’d recently got my braces off.

November was a very busy month, full of Blythe dolls and the big 50th anniversary events at the school where I work, which I helped to plan and arrange.

This is, in fact, a big year for anniversaries with my primary school turning 40 and my university also celebrating its 50th. 

And I did a little Cinque Terre inspired shed makeover, to remind me of last year’s Italy trip.

I also won a prize in a competition run by the National Galleries of Scotland, to create a self-portrait using objects.

The year was a sad one, with many celebrity deaths, of which the one that touched me most was Leonard Cohen, and a mad one in terms of politics. Sadly a former colleague and teacher of mine died in June, and another former colleague in December.

When December arrived I decided it was time for a bit of comfort and contentment, so I embraced the Danish concept of hygge with lots of cosy blankets and socks, candles, and endless cups of hot chocolate.