Day 2 of fourth year,

And today was the day to grab a tutor and discuss my proposal for this year: will it work? Am I on the right track? Have I already started to wander? AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH, I have to have this meeting very soon 🙂

Frances came round to me this late morning, all went well. Yes, believe it or not I had already wandered off from a project which was staring me right in the face. As always I couldn’t see the wood for the trees, as some would say.

Time to get focused and stop thinking about extra and non-important things which are floating around my head. Things which I think are project things BUT totally are not.

Now to the project idea:

‘Having fun with things again’, is and always has been the tag line for the project.

In it alone are a few key words which I never really saw:

FUN and PLAY.

So from this I will look at visual research which will convey these looking at colour, yarns, manipulation and layers. Perhaps looking at word association: twist,  fold,  cut,  tear,  join,  connect to name a few. And then I thought perhaps I could play and look at words associated with ‘fun and play’: under,  over,  bounce,  jump,  catch,  throw,  up,  down etc.

The end collection for this project will be for children, getting them to play, touch, do and have fun with things. So i will be doing some BIG research into the games, toys and products out there already for children. I am also thinking of perhaps looking at how children play and learn through the act of touch. This research  will inform me throughout the whole design process, learning all time about what might and might not work.

Notes to one self:
* when looking and thinking about visuals: 
see --> analyze --> think. 
So look BUT really see what it is you are looking at -->   analyse why you saw it and what is it that is the real interest -->  think how this complies to the project. 
* KEEP FOCUSED: explore --> shape --> make --> structure. 
So exploring all the time through my research and visuals --> look-ing at shape, change and simple manipulation --> look at the making processes --> finally how all these things and how they make up the structure.

So I believe my idea is to create a fun, tactile, interacting collection for children. The research for this collection will be looking at the products currently out there in the market and at how children play. The visual research will come from the words associated to play, fun and manipulation of a surface 🙂

'Lets have fun with things again'.

Thoughts for writing my final year project.

You can see that I really really really am back: the queen of post-its:

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I am having to write my proposal brief for this year for Monday for Frances. Perhaps time to think BIG but also I must STAY focused and NOT go off on tangents. It has really helped me as it always does to post-it all over the wall. Now time to have a wee break and write the brief tonight and let the thoughts flow at the moment 🙂

Mummy forgot the cake….

It was daddy’s birthday a few weeks ago and he was the special 30. I decided for a wee treat that we would go away for a night and leave Lochlin at Nanny’s, so he wasn’t there the morning of daddy’s birthday on Monday. Lochlin also had nursery that afternoon as normal everything Monday-Friday so didn’t see daddy till tea time.

Lochlin decided Tuesday morning that we would bake these and mummy had to go and buy a carrot cake:

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So that daddy had a birthday cake surprise even although it was a day late, I think Lochlin believes a birthday lasts the week 🙂

I am back!

My head is no longer muddled, live is less of a ball of stress and live is starting to look up BUT it’s going to be sssooooooooooooooooo busy this year: buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz 😉

Monday 3rd Sept 2012 at 3pm first meeting with Frances and Andy in the L4 studio as a 4th year, it wasn’t as bad as first thought. It was grreat seeing some of the textile girlies again 🙂  It is grreat to be back and time to get my teeth stuck into perhaps one of the most important briefs in my live 🙂  Note to self this MUST be written for Frances for next Monday.

Before that afternoon:

0715 I fell out of my bed and landed on the laptop, it was time to matriculate on-line so that I could gain access to new modules and timetables. But that didn’t happen for a few hours as the modules were still grey and locked which was a bit of a grrrrrrrrrrr moment.

0845 I heard Lochlin wake up and then: ‘Mummy, you are in the living room already’. Almost as if to see oh, I can’t wake you this morning that’s not fair.

0940 I left the house alone to head to my last nappucinno till January as uni is now calling. I love being at a nappucinno meeting the new mummies and babies and talking clothe. I just loved using real nappies on Lochlin and love passing on our grreat experience with clothe.

1205 leave nappucinno and head to train station to get train at 1237 to Dundee from Perth. Get into Dundee in time for a meeting at 1315 with my new paired reader and a wee tour of the main library. Really Viv, why were you ever scared of the main library???

1345 have a wonder round djcad till our meeting at 3pm and had some time in the media lab. THAT’S IT WE ARE BACK 🙂

*** So that’s fourth year began AND I am a final year: a wee bit scary.

*** Lochlin has started pre-school nursery again and is loving it. He’s not a baby any more, he will be 4 in January.

*** This is probably that thing I have been most stressed about over the Summer hols: We move house in mid-October. I can’t wait but the house being full of boxes and having to keep on top of Lochlin’s mess can be a little GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR. As when our agent puts the flat on-line we will have to let new tenants to be in to have a look.

It’s an end of a chapter…..

In a wee while we will say bye bye to our current home (where Lochlin has done a fair load of firsts) and hello to a new chapter. Lochlin is excited about our new home : I will have stairs like Granny S, a garden to play in like Granny bum bums and a BIG room to play in.

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It feels funny seeing my home like this all out on display. I was asked by our agent to take pics for her for this month, I just hope I have done the property justice. This reminds me a project we had to do in 2nd year at uni in semester2: looking and seeing. This was when we were paired up with another student and we had to analyse them through pics they sent us. I wonder what these would say??

A typical Sunday morning last week….

Another monster, this time made from mega blocks. Why make houses and castles as we would normally when we can make this…

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I just loved making this with Lochlin, he kept adding the blocks at the top to be ears.

When The Olympic Torch Visited Perth in June 2012

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Okay, I never got a really good image but at least I got something and I can say I was there. The first image is Alex with his ‘torch’. As you can see Lochlin found this funny and just loves being with his friend. It was an interesting day out so it was 🙂

How some books can be inspirational…..

I found these in a discount book shop and completely love them. There is inspiration everywhere: making knits tight fitting, getting inspiration from images and put into knit samples, looking at where wool comes from and how living on a farm can be so inspiring.

A wee book on crochet as I will be doing this soon in placement, so thought I would do some homework. AND of course a couple notebooks so get me started in September, AARRRRRRGH: 4th year here I come 😕

Is this really on my doorstep…

Lochlin and I went to feed the ducks 2 Sunday’s ago which is something we always did but we haven’t for a while. But who can believe this is just up a path from the back of out flat in North Muirton….

And then you can back to this….

I really can not believe all of the beauty you have just seen is just behind these roof tops.

Inspiration really could be any where……

…….

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On holidays at the in-laws and we were in the garage getting bits to put up a swing gym thing and all I could see was a richness of visual info. Who knows this could be the beginnings of my fourth year project.
I am away to use my camera to look at: shape, texture, pattern and perhaps colour. Mum has said she will give me a lift to the harbour in town too so perhaps I will find structure and also a little more colour and pattern.
You have probably guessed at the moment to garage has everything in it but a car but the are doing up the house at the mo.