My new...If slightly deranged new hobbie?

Well hello there!

This post isn't a review, nor a tutorial, but basically just me documenting how insanely proud I am for accomplishing this slightly insane task. But over the last month I have been preparing a dried butterfly for framing, and I've loved every minute of it!

For a little bit of back story as to why I would ever decide to do this. My boyfriend loves all things nature and I had got him some ready to mount butterflies for his birthday a year or so ago, but sadly when we moved out of our flat they broke. So of course...I decided it would be nice to prepare and mount one of the butterfly breeds that got damaged all by myself. I'm all about the DIY at the moment!

The butterfly arrived in a state called 'Papered' which meant it had to be 'Rested'. A process which involves leaving the specimen in a moist environment for 1-3 days to allow it to rehydrate and become workable. Otherwise the butterfly will be far too fragile to work with.

Post Resting. As you can see the wings have started to relax and come away from the body.

After stretching the wings out, they should be pinned in place using strips of tracing paper which folds the wings flat without damaging them. The butterfly should then be left in a safe warm place and allowed to dehydrate again for at least one week (depending on the size of the specimen). I had to leave mine for almost 2 weeks.

Post Drying.

Set in the frame mount. This is by far the scariest moment as the specimen is now dried and has become fragile again. But once the butterfly has been secured into the mount. Congratulations! You have your own mounted butterfly!

If you would like to give this process a go:

            I use an amazing Online Insect breeder : Lepidoptera Breeders Association

                      They provide a wide range of butterflies and moths as well as beetle specimens in both live                                         and dried form. So if you're feeling creative, check them out!

            For a full tutorial on how to get your head around this process: The Insect Company

                      Simple step by step guide through all of the stages. One tip from me though, make sure you                                     have all your supplies BEFORE you start the process.

            For the frames (which I had searched for for AGES): IKEA of all bloody places!

            Any of the equipment or materials you need can be found on Amazon.

I hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I have.

H xx

            

Winter Graduation 2013

A bit late I know...but this happened a couple of weeks ago!

I FINALLY got the chance to Graduate from Leeds College of Art, only 5 months behind all of the other Universitys both in England and back home in Northern Ireland. So I had to wait absolutely ages to be able to wear my 'Harry Potter' gown and pretend to cast spells and stuff... But I do have to say I got rather attached to mine, ever the mortar board that make my ears stick out! So I was very sad to have to give it back by the end of the day. I could have bought it, but then I'd get a name for myself as the crazy lady who wears a cape 24/7. 

Overall I had a really enjoyable day. Was lovely to be able to stand beside my friends from the last 3 years and celebrate what we had achieved! Almost makes me want to go back and do a masters... jokes... an 8000 word dissertation was bad enough!

H x

New Housey

So apparently while I was away studying, my parents decided to put our family home on the market as it was too big for its purpose (or so they say...I could have easily moved all of my junk into every room) and it finally sold a couple of months ago. So in the meantime while we wait to find our little dream home, or dream fixerupper we have been living with family (love them...but oh my days can they be frustrating).

BUT anyways, ranting about my family was not the reason for this post. I decided to make a few posts on design ideas for our new house. And even though we may not have found it yet, that in no way, shape or form is going to stop me from deciding how I will be decorating the various rooms of the house.

We have been looking for houses in little seaside villages along the coast of the Ards Peninsula, so I would like to subtly reflect its surroundings in the new interior.

Enjoy

H x

The Inspiration Diaries: 2

Now you could say that I'm a traditionalist. I have certain views on how I want my life to be (white picket fence, 2 children, 1,000,000 animals) and that is no different when it comes to architecture and design.

If I was given the choice, I would much rather visit a converted barn, or a temple from the beginning of time. So when it came to starting Uni, I had to learn to start appreciating 'Modern' architecture. And I think that it is only now beginning to start working on me. I now give second glances to buildings which I normally wouldn't, I start to appreciate the construction elements of how they came to be, that's right...I now understand (and am maybe starting to like) contemporary architecture and design.

So let's begin shall we? Here are just a sample of my new likes and tastes. They're not groundbreaking just yet, but give me a chance. Baby steps.

Award Winning Architects SAOTA design FIRST CRESENT. A minimalist home, commanding a 270 degree view of Lions Head, Camps Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the living spaces of this home are highly transparent to take full advantage of these views.

Who in their right mind wouldn't want to live here?

My next choice has a refreshing combination of old and new architecture. But it hasn't been through together in a slap dash way, and thankfully has been able to retain the original building integrity.

With all the converted spaces of today, this London residence, a former water tower, is a pretty exciting one to share!  In 2008,  Leigh Osbourne and Graham Voce bought this 99 foot tall crowned with a huge steel water tank tower for £395,000 and converted it into a luxury home.  The brick building itself is quite beautiful, and mixed with the modern and clean interiors, the cool quotient on this one definitely sets the bar for these types of projects.  Loving the choice of stripes everywhere as well.

So there you have it. My baby steps towards my eventual love of contemporary architecture. Stay tuned for more updates!

Winter Placement 2013: Seacourt Print Workshop

So...another reason for why I have been a very bad blogger recently...I have been lucky enough to find myself a paid placement in the Arts field to see me through until I find something a bit more suited to what I studied at University.

But until then, I have hit the ground running and been taught numerous traditional and modern printing techniques! So far I've been taught Dry Point, Collagraph, Salt Etch, Woodcut, CAD Etching, Cyanotype and Screen Printing. So definitely a crash course in all things print!

I've also had the opportunity to put what I've learnt into practice by being able to take part in educational courses in the various techniques.

Here are a few examples of what I've been getting up to!

Free Range 2013

As you will already know if you have read any of my previous posts, I was chosen to exhibit my final year's work in London during the Summer at Free Range. So here is just a little catch up of how the exhibition  went and some of the other students work which was completely out of this world!

If any of you have ever, or actually never, been to Free Range, the variations in the quality of the work/presentation and content was actually astounding. I was dubious before the show started that my work wouldn't in any way measure up to the other exhibitors, but I was happily surprised that my skills seemed to plonk me right in the middle. So for me, that was a win!

And here is some of the work which in some shape or form left me a little bit flabberghasted!

César Manrique: Jameos del Agua

Sooooo... over the summer my boyfriend and I took ourselves off on a little trip to a quiet little place in Lanzarote. It was our first holiday away together and we wanted to actually be able to say that we had seen things other than the beach etc.

So when we were told about César Manrique, and the resort which he designed within the natural volcanic landscape of the island. Within the 'jameos' or volcanic sink holes, he designed a resort to include an auditorium, restaurants and a natural lagoon.

The resort opened in the 1960's and soon became a sought after destination for the rich and famous. Sean Connery being one of the many who were lucky enough to experience the resort in its hey day. Due to this, we decided to make it our mission to sit in every possible place just so that we could say we had sat where the greats had once sat.

The resort has now been converted into a centre to house the scientific findings of the volcanic landscapes which surround it. But have kept all of the original features and now allow the public in to witness the place in all its glory.

I for one am jealous that I could not experience it in the same way that others have done in its history. But it is still an amazing place to visit and experience. Especially the underground lagoon and auditorium.

César understood his landscape which he wanted to work with, and with that understanding he was able to create unforgettable spaces, all with an eerie sense of magic that leave you wanting to explore every last inch!