As well as producing my own art for our newly decorated walls, I'm also in the market for picking up pieces here and there to inject some life and personality.

I've just discovered the talented Eloise Renouf on Etsy today and bought this print, that is just perfect for our colour schemes. I can not wait for it to arrive. I am also thinking I'll have to buy this one too. I think they'll work really well together.

Whilst I was in a buying mood today I bought this tiny (it's only 10 x 10cm) canvas from my friend, Tara. I love Tara's work and it's not going to be long before there isn't a room in the house without a little touch of Tara.

That's where the buying has stopped for today, but there are quite a few more that are on my wishlist...

I simply adore this mixed media piece by Rachel Austin. The colours are just perfect and the design is so appealing

Another newly discovered Etsy artist today (am I spending too much time on Etsy, do you think?) is PrintmakerJenn. Both these next 2 are by Jenn and again, both the colours and the designs are right up my alley and would work perfectly in my house.

And finally (for now), one that is a little different, at least in design, but certainly not colour, another British based artist. I love this black and white screenprinted cityscape by Karolin Schnoor and the zesty green of the trees peaking through is just genius.

The only reason I didn't buy any of these was that I couldn't decide between them and would have ended up having to buy the whole darn lot. I've a feeling, I'm not going to be able to resist any of them for much longer...

Thanks to all those that have posted/tweeted/emailed about book recos. I have a list of some fab new reads that is going to last me well into 2011 and beyond. And I hope you have all picked up some new titles too. Thanks for playing ;-)

Enough slacking now. It's back to business. The business of my wall-hanging.

My starting points, as you well know, where the inclusion of the Orla Blossom and a patch of my screen print. Oh and plenty of grey fabrics.

I had in my mind that I would be doing some brick piecing with the fabrics, so this week I've started doing that. I am quite conscious that I don't want this to be a quilt as such, so I have pieced the strips together with raw edges showing. I won't really know how this is going to look until I get further in. I do want these strips to be a backdrop for everything else that is going on, so nothing too dramatic there. Just lots of beautiful greys.

This was going in a whole different direction last night and then had a rapid U-turn when I caught sight of one of the cushions on my bed. Made over a year ago and still I love the Social Climber Flower appliqued on, so I bravely cut out a large section and positioned it to see how it looked. I'm quite liking the inclusion and am thinking a few smaller pieces dotted about may work too.

Still a long way from being ready to hang on the wall - particularly since I am awaiting delivery of more grey Kei dots - oh grey Kei dots, how I love thee - but it's slowly beginning to come together.

Next to my Bed

A different post for me today...

I have several projects on the go which aren't ready to show yet. I could show you how my wall -hanging is coming along, but it's definitely a work in progress, so that needs to wait for another day. I'm working on some christmas gifts, that also can't finished yet, so they also need to wait for another day.

In the meantime I thought I'd share another of my great loves with you...reading. What, you thought I only crafted? You didn't know I could read? I love reading and always have a pile of books by my bed (and under it too), so I thought I'd tell you about what was currently there.

First up is an amazing book that I have just finished, "Alone in Berlin" by Hans Fallada. It is an incredibly powerful book, set in wartime Berlin, depicting the lives and fears of ordinary Berliners.

Next up is "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky. Another brilliant wartime based book, this time based in France, that has a poignant history of it's own. It was almost lost forever and only discovered by the author's surviving daughter years later.

Let's have a light one next! We went to see Harry Potter 7 on Saturday, which was brilliant! I almost stayed at home and let Matthew take the children, but decided I wouldn't be a kill joy and would join in the fun. I'm so glad I did. It is definitely the best to date and since I hadn't read this final one, when we got home I had to grab it from Sam's shelves and dive in to the point it was left and find out what happens.

So Harry usurped the next in my pile waiting to be read - "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. This is the latest by the author of one of my favourite ever books - "The Poisonwood Bible". The reviews aren't quite as favourable for "The Lacuna", but when one of your favourite authors brings out a new read, it would be rude to not at least give it a go.

As for this little pile above...

While I was in Sam's room sneaking off with Harry, I spotted this trilogy that I'd bought him a while ago, that have been likened to "A boy in Striped Pyjamas". I'm not sure Sam's read them yet, but I want to give them the once over to see if they are suitable for Noah too. Like me, my boys are serious bookworms.

So, do you have a passion for reading? Do you always have a pile of books on the go/waiting to be read/finished and can't bear to be put away just yet?

How about playing along? Just put a link in my comments and post what is next to your bed...I'd love to hear what's there.

These are the views from my studio this morning.

Out of one window I have this truly misty winter scene...

and out of the other, above the mist, the sky is as azure as can be.

Both are dramatic, beautiful and inspirational.

But I wonder which one will prevail through the day.

I wonder what kind of day it will turn into.

As you know we've done a lot of work on the house and are thrilled to bits with it all, but when you step into the hallway, it all looks a bit grey and bare (although seeing it here makes it look rather serene) and in need of something hanging.

So, I have a plan. I have an old canvas, an old very large canvas (it's 130 x 80cm) that I want to cover and hang there.

It's going to involve a piece of my screen printed fabric, a few of these embroidery threads...

...a section of an Ebay purchase of a matching Orla fabric piece to the wallpaper in the room next door...

...and lots of my favourite grey fabrics.

I'm going to try and be really patient (I can hear you laughing from here) and plan this design carefully and take my time with it. it's a large piece, in a prominent position, so it needs to be just right. I have lots of different ideas that I want to play around with before I actually cut into anything. But I have an idea of the one I am actually drawn to.

Watch this space.

I have just seen this on my lovely cyber friend Kylie's blog and loved it so much I just had to post it here for you all to read...

...enjoy xx

My pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap is finished...

...i sewed the strips of fabric together and then appliqued the hexies in place...

....a finishing touch of embroidery was added...

...and an envelope opening back using my favourite new striped linen and it was complete.

All that's left is to send it off to my secret partner and hope and pray that she feels the same way about it as I do.