Birthday Doll

I started many creative projects back in 2010. One of the ones I nearly forgot to celebrate was the making of my first Star Heart Doll back in Spring 2010.

The story of my personal arts and crafts renaissance began in 2009 when I first watched 'Kirstie's Homemade Home' and got back into needlecraft and knitting. I also discovered the lovely craft blogs and dolls of Jess Brown, Tiny Concept and Emily Winfield Martin.

My arts and crafts journey took a step forward in 2013 when I took part in my first craft fair and started my blog.

I took part in 14 craft fairs in the twenty teens and hopefully my blog will keep going until at least 2023.

Get well soon with sympathy

Older customers at the craft fairs I attend have suggested that I create a selection of 'Get Well Soon' and 'With Sympathy' cards. They had reached a time in their lives where a lot of their friends and loved ones were either sick or dying. I created my own botanical flower drawings, backgrounds and lettering to use on the cards. My customers were right, they do sell quite well.

Garden Time

I am meant to be turning over a new leaf and spending more time in being mode and less time in doing mode, however, I do have quite a bit on my to do list this year which includes venturing into ecotherapy. I am lucky to live in London and have a garden and have decided one of the things I am going to do this year is spend more time in my garden both working and relaxing. Garden projects I have been working on so far have been

1. The front garden rose boarder

2. Solar lighting

 

3. Planters and succulents

4. More grasses

   

5. More garden furnishings

I'm not planning to do too much in the garden as I find mindful meditation (the art of non-doing) is better for my wellbeing, but a bit of garden time should be therapeutic too.

Lavender cats

After creating my lavender owls it was only a matter of time before I created my lavender cats. Maybe my lavender owls and pussycats should get together; they could 'sail away for a year and a day', 'in a beautiful pea green boat'.

Adventures in Theatreland

2019 was a very reflective year. One of the things I reflected on was the plays and pantomimes I had seen in London over the past 20 years. In the noughties it was mostly pantomimes in Richmond Theatre, then in 2008 I saw 'Phantom of the Opera' for a 40th birthday treat. The below list features 13 dramatic highlights; the plays I have enjoyed most from 2008 to 2019.

2008. Phantom of the opera. Her Majesty’s

2009. Snow White. Richmond Theatre

2010. Love Never Dies. Adelphi

2011. Wicked. Apollo Victoria

2012. The Mousetrap. Beck Theatre

2013. Peter Pan on Ice. Alexandra Palace

2014. Let it be. Savoy

2015. Hetty Feather. Vaudeville

2016.  The 39 Steps. Criterion

2017. Romeo and Juliet. The Globe

2017. The play that goes wrong. Duchess

2018. Cinderella. Harrow School Theatre

2019. The Twilight Zone. Ambassadors​

Five Healing Places

I have been reading a lot about rest, ecotherapy and mindfulness and have incorporated what I have discovered into five LMOs (Local Mindful Outings) which I have been trying to do on Mondays with my daughter. Below are pictures and descriptions of these five healing places, which I have been enjoying since late last summer.

1. The Walled Garden

    

I discovered the Walled Garden in August 2019 and consider it to be the first and most important healing place we visit. It is surrounded by a bigger garden area which has a cafe, lots of trees and a stream, which we also enjoy contemplating. We take our time in the walled garden, daydreaming and being mindful. This space often makes its way into a bedtime guided meditation.

    

2. The Memorial Park
 

    

I used to walk past this park wondering what it was like inside. When I did finally venture inside, in October 2019, I found it was quite lovely. We now go in here quite often, it has tall trees, a large pond, an art gallery, museum and a very pretty cafe with a lovely view, where we often enjoy a very slow cup of coffee.

    

3. The Lido

 

I forgot how great the lido and surrounding woodland area is, but now I make a point of regularly visiting them. It is good just to contemplate the vast stretch of water, the trees and the clouds. Our visits to the lido also include visiting the garden centre next door (and its resident cat), a walk through the woods and a slow coffee.

4. The Manor Farm

   

This recreational space features a barn-like library, a duck pond and a pleasant walk to the river. It is quite an open space and very countrified. It is a nice place to sit and contemplate the trees and the sky. Our visits here also incorporate a visit to the local church, graveyard and cafe.

5. The Gravel Pits

    

The Gravel Pits was the last LMO I discovered, in December 2019. It is a pretty place, with lots of trees and fresh air. The local Costa is also one of the nicest I have encountered, with an enticing view out of the window. It would be good if the place also had an accessible body of water included, like a pond or a stream, however we do often visit it when it's raining.

Our trips to the five LMOs are therapeutic for a number of reasons. They involve slow travel (by bus), walking, reflection, nature and slow coffee drinking, among other restful aspects. I would recommend anyone to find their own local healing place; a place to slow down, stop, pause, reflect; a place that enhances wellbeing for yourself, others and the world.

How green was my houseplant

   

Among my recent readings on ecotherapy were some eye opening articles on houseplants (Have they become friend and family substitutes? Why are they so popular with millennials? Are they bad for the environment?). 

My houseplants were all given to me by my friends and family. They were three and are now ten; 2 aloe vera, 3 spider plants, 5 jade-money plants. They do make me feel happier, as do my silk flowers, dried flowers and pot pourri. 

   

In January and February 2020 I had a major overhaul of all these 'natural elements' in my house. It was a bit of work but I have been enjoying the results and integrating my efforts into my mindful meditation practice.

ALF Books

ALF Creations has produced ten booklets since I started the project in 2007 with my young daughter Amy.

These seven booklets have appeared regularly on my arts and crafts stall.

The Magic Gallery: Pictures at an Exhibition
This story concerns a little girl called Grace and her adventures in the magic gallery. The animated pictures she encounters can be found on my YouTube channel, under titles like The Planets, The Tudors, Phoenix and Through the Seasons. You can find the entire film on my Vimeo Channel and also on homemade DVD.

The Need Fairy
Written by me and illustrated by Amy. this is a ghost story concerning a newly wed couple, Tony and Cleo, and the old house they have just moved into.

The Legend of the Dream Box
Amy's illustrated story about three little girls who climb a stairway to heaven and bring a box of dreams down to earth.

Still Life
A trilogy of my poetry selections that you can also find on Wattpad, Teenage Troubles, An Anatomy of Love and All Grown Up. Illustrated by Amy and Lorna Finnigan.

Something More
I created ALF's first book of poetry, 'Something More', in 2012. It is thirty two pages of poems and pictures by Amy and Lorna Finnigan, including Upside-Down World, Just Looking and A Feminine Embrace.

Of Dragons and Fairies
Amy's pictures and descriptions of imagined dragons, fairies and other creatures including the magical lands where they live.

Emotional Life
A selection of fifteen of my songs, lyrics and music, including Island of Happiness, Stargazing and Alive at Last. Many of them can be found on my LornaJHart YouTube channel.

The following booklets don't appear on my craft stall, but I have given them out to relatives as Christmas presents.

What do people do? 
Amy's pictures and poem illustrating the twelve months of the year.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Amy's illustrated retelling of the traditional Grimm's fairy tale.

On the Twelve Days of Christmas
A book of Amy's pictures illustrating the well known Christmas carol from twelve drummers drumming to a partridge in a pear tree.

The big book-to-film reading challenge of 2020

I had quite a few UK holiday plans this year, they are gradually getting cancelled or postponed. In the meantime I have decided to pursue more homely goals; sorting out our house and garden and catching up with my reading and writing, art and craft. My reading list this year centres around twelve book-to-film titles I have been meaning to read for a while. I have already read and reviewed the first three. You can find more of my book reading and reviews at Good Reads.

Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert

The Martian by Andy Weir

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Dune by Frank Herbert

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

The Duchess by Amanda Foreman

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

The Revenant by Michael Punke

Eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I really loved watching the film of this book on Netflix, so I was really looking forward to reading the book itself. Luckily the book did not disappoint, although I found it strangely lighter in many places than the movie. The first part is thirty six chapters on enjoying food in Italy, as well as some story background and an introduction to Liz, I found it quite delicious. The middle section, Pray, is set in an ashram in India and features a lot of reflection on meditation. The final, Indonesian section, Love, seemed less well-defined as the eat and pray sections, it was about finding balance. I found the whole book was a very enlightening read. 

The Martian by Andy Weir

I found this a difficult, but enjoyable read. It is very much like the film, so the story was easy to understand. The difficulty, I found, was the amount of mathematical and scientific language involved. Mars is a planet devoid of life, so anyone attempting to exist there, has a lot precise working out to do. All of this was explained in great detail in Watney's log. Even so, the book was still a lot of fun.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre

I found this a difficult film to follow and so I was surprised to find the book much easier to understand. Its quite old now, so I found it pleasantly nostalgic. Most of what I got from the book was a series of unusual characters having strange conversations with other odd characters in various interesting locations, in and around London. I think I got a lot out of reading it nevertheless.