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These are fabric works made by French artist Louise Bourgeois. I think they are beautiful. They remind me of spider webs and umbrellas. Louise was known as "Spiderwoman" because of the giant bronze spider sculptures she made. I was lucky to see one in New York many years ago.
Apparently you can visit her townhouse - which has been preserved just as she left it - in Chelsea, New York.

The images are from the book Louise Bourgeois: the fabric works by Germano Celant. 

Further images of her work here.

Reading: The first bad man: a novel by Miranda July

easter in the forest

These decorations were inspired by Evie Barrow's easter garland. I cut out simple shapes (eggs, flowers, carrots) from my granddaughter's drawings, glued them onto card and hung them up with string. Although she did the drawings over several weeks and then I did the rest, it felt like a project that we'd done together. I'd forgotten how much fun doing arty things with children can be. I used to make stuff with my own kids all the time and it's so nice to be doing it all over again.

Reading: The life-changing magic of tidying by Marie Kondo

west

This is Muriwai - a wild, west coast beach famous for its black iron sand. We visited on Friday hoping to make the most of the last of the warm weather with an autumn swim. I wasn't brave enough to get into the cold water. So we sat on the clifftop looking out to Motutara Island and ate a picnic lunch and watched the surfers.

Reading: We three go South : the 1890 diary of Ethel Richardson's trip to the Sub-Antarctic
Viewing: Judy Millar : the model world showing at Te uru Waitakere contemporary gallery
Watching: The Americans season 3
Eating: feijoas - fresh from our trees

the lawn

completion

This play mat for my granddaughter isn't a fancy quilt. But I'm sharing it with you because it's finished and it's the first thing I've made in ages. I whipped up the whole thing in a day - using what I had. The top is made from left-overs from a giant duvee cover that I cut down to fit. The backing and binding is a purple cotton that I'd had in the cupboard for years just waiting for the right moment. And the wadding is a quilted mattress protector - doubled for extra thickness. Everything is machined and simply quilted "in the ditch". And I rounded the corners so I wouldn't have to mitre. (Why doesn't everyone make quilts with rounded corners? It's so much easier). But the binding needed to be folded over and hand stitched on the back. For months I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Finally I worked on it while watching the semifinals of the ICC cricket world cup (New Zealand vs South Africa) on television. It was such a thrill. New Zealand won. And I finished the quilt. Mexican wave!

Reading: French milk by Lucy Knisley and Not my father's son by Alan Cumming
Viewing: Billy Apple: the artist has to live like everybody else showing at the Auckland Art Gallery

pink

pink rabbits

This is my granddaughter looking at some board books I bought for her - Counting and Colours by Finnish illustrator and designer Aino-Maija Metsola. See more of her work here. We love these books. We love the brilliant colours and funny drawings and there are loads of flaps to lift and close.