Happy New Year!

May 2011 make you jump for joy!

Time To Re-Stock!

I've not been entirely idle over the Christmas break.  I have painted yet another jellyfish - I do enjoy painting these - which is now for sale in my Etsy shop.  There is a slight difference with this one - the background is a rich turquoise achieved using some cheap but very effective paints I picked up on Etsy a few weeks ago.

It is also time to begin making some more little knitted pets for sale - most of them were re-homed over the past month, so my shop is looking a bit short of woolly creatures at the moment. Numbers will be built up soon, once I've shaken the lethargy that has crept up on me since Boxing Day!

Things I Didn't Get For Christmas..........

Now I had a pretty good Christmas, got lots of good presents which I really like and can make use of.  But there are two things which I really, really, REALLY hanker after and just cannot get hold of because I live in Britain.

Don't ask me why, but I really want to drink my cold drinks out of a jam jar with a handle.  I saw it in a movie once and it took my fancy big time.  But can I find one in the UK? No, they are rarer than hen's teeth.  If  I buy one from the US, they either come in sets of 12 (I assure you, I am the only person in our house that yearns to drink out of a jar, so 12 is just silly) or the postage is astronomical.

The other thing I am after is a bit more practical, and that's a Sharpie Liquid Pencil.  I see them on American websites, they have been there for months...but here in the UK? Nope.  I have asked in every art shop I've been in over the past months and check on line every so often, but they haven't made it across the Atlantic yet.  I don't want to go to the expense of getting one sent over and then discover I hate the thing and will never use it. I just want to try one.

So like the glow-in-the-dark silly putty I hankered after for years as a child, these two items will just have to remain on my wish list.  Maybe next Christmas......

Was It Something I Said?

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and received everything you wanted.  This was one of my presents....yes, a tiny shred of ripped wrapping paper.  Who stole my present?  We searched through the massive pile of discarded paper and all around the living room, but no present that matched the label.  I was pretty sure I hadn't upset my big brother recently.

Turned out he had had a bit of an Amazon delivery disaster and had to change things around a bit - the present is somewhere in the postal system - phew!

In the meantime, I have plenty to keep me busy!

One More Sleep..........

I didn't think we'd be ready in time, but it's Christmas Eve and apart from wrapping presents, we are all ready for tomorrow at last.  What with the disruption due to the snow and the general mayhem on the roads and in the shops, it was a bit of a close call!  A big Thank You must go to the postman who delivered our three late parcels yesterday evening - that's all the gifts safe and sound.

I've even managed to knit some last minute wristwarmers for someone who came home with no gloves last week.  There's another pair on the needles but I think that's a bit ambitious unless I just don't sleep tonight!

In one of the parcels was a late birthday present for me from the lovely Sybille over at Magpie Magic.  She'd made me this beautiful mobile from some of my favourite things - shells, feathers and seaglass.  It found a home within minutes - I'm very pleased with it!

On our dog walks this week we have been interested to see the amount of rabbit footprints in the fields.  You can see where they have been, where they are going, and what they have been up to.

I think they must have had a few bunny parties judging by the state of the snow here!

Finally, I'd like to wish all of you who stop by here and all my wonderful customers who have either bought things from my Etsy shop or commissioned paintings a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous and Happy New Year.   

Last Minute Crafting....

Just finished this as another last minute Christmas present.  I saw something similar on the internet, but this is my take on it.  If you fancy an elephant tea-cozy, do get in touch, I am open to offers!

Look at the chips on that teapot - perhaps I should ask for a new one for Christmas!

Socks and Violence.....

Here are the socks.....they are a Christmas present for someone, only just finished in time.  The violence nearly came about when I started them last week in a different yarn, worked hard for three nights and then discovered not only did I not have enough yarn left to complete them, but the shop where I bought it no longer had any more.  Luckily in my stash I had a couple of balls of this soft pink and grey and was able to start again using the first grey yarn as a contrasting heel and toe.  Note to self - always CHECK how much yarn you need before you start a large project!

Anyone need one large grey slouch sock?

I'm not doing very well with the Christmas preparations, it's all a bit skin of the teeth at the moment.  We did manage to put the tree up and decorate it yesterday.  Stacie is waiting for Santa already....I hate to tell her that he's not going to bring either Robbie Williams or Matt Cardle to put in her stocking!

A little Christmas puzzle for you - can you spot the Soggibottom bear in this picture?

'I Suppose You Think That's Funny...'

Lots of dogs enjoy the snow....not mine.

We had a bit of snow this morning and as usual had to walk rather than drive to get the shopping as the roads were a mess.  Christmas could consist of IOU's this year.......

Final Wave...

Now I can say this is finished.  I've darkened some bits, added a bit more intensity to the shadows within the spray, generally titivated, and cropped a couple of inches off the bottom which balances the whole thing better.
It's been bugging me for days but I haven't been able to do anything about it until today.  On to the next one....

Thank you for all your birthday wishes - it was on the whole a pretty good birthday.  If you are a Narnia fan, I can recommend the latest movie.  We enjoyed it thoroughly and even shed a tear at the end when........no, you'll have to see it for yourselves.  Christmas shopping wasn't so much fun - too many people, too much stuff, sensory overload......so we got a few bits and went home to a nice cup of tea and a mince pie instead.

One more day of term to go - I spent my morning today helping children to make a snowman, a party hat, and drawing I don't know how many Santa in his sleigh pictures for colouring in.  If I had any sense, I would have done just one picture a couple of weeks ago and photocopied it! Never, ever, tell six year olds that you can draw.....

Happy Birthday to Me...........

Another year older, hopefully better.....

Just opened my daughter's present to me (have to admit I chose it then had it whisked away and hidden for a fortnight) - how cool is this book?  Guess we all know what I'll be doing over the Christmas hols....

We're off to see the new Narnia film today - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was my favourite book of the Narnia series as a child, I must have read it a hundred times, and I am so looking forward to seeing it brought to life.  I may be physically over the hill, but mentally I am still ten.......

Rolling Along On The Crest of a Wave.......

I think this is finished - not too sure yet, I need a day away from it in order to come back and look at it with fresh eyes.  Perhaps it needs a bit of cropping of the bottom edge.  I am very happy with how the curl of the wave and the spray has come out - it was such a change to be spontaneous with my painting and literally go with the flow.

This piece involved my favorite components in painting - water as a subject matter, watercolour paints, a fairly limited palette - I used Indigo, Sap Green, Turquoise, Viridian Green and Violet - and complete freedom from the constraints of a commission.  Hopefully over the Christmas holidays I will get the opportunity for a bit more of this kind of work.  Although commissions would be nice - have to pay the bills as well!

Hurtling Towards Us Like A Freight Train.........

....that's Christmas of course!  I cannot believe how fast it is approaching and how unready I am all of a sudden.

 Now that all outstanding commissions and preparations for Xmas fairs are over, I have been able to complete this scarf.  It is knitted in Bergere de France Coton Fifty in a soft sage green.  It's a nice length, could be used as a light wrap in the summer as well.  I just love the stitch pattern in this - very effective and almost looks as good on the wrong side as it does on the front.

I shall be putting this up for sale at today's Christmas Fair, after which it will be going on Etsy.

My daughter has been at it again at college - here is a selection of her handiwork over the past term -

 She has also squirrelled away some wrapped packages for Christmas Day - I can't wait to see what else she has produced.

There is a similar post about her work on my other blog - excuse the duplication!

I am about to close my Etsy shop for the day - I will be at Tavistock Infant School with my wares this afternoon and would hate to sell something on Etsy that I have already sold there.  Business will resume as usual this evening (GMT).

Big Break-er

A couple of weeks ago I got a very exciting (to me anyway) commission to paint the illustration for the tin of a new collection of Derwent water soluble pencils.  I got the nod today that it has been accepted and will go ahead, together with a tutorial on 'how I done it'. 

This is not the painting that will appear on the tin, it is a totally different one using just water colours, no pencils. Whilst I really enjoyed the paid commission, it was quite tricky to get a loose flowing effect using pencils, so I had to have a go afterwards with just paint  for my own enjoyment.  There is still a lot of work to be done on this, but it is so exciting to be able to work in a free fashion after months of highly detailed pet portraits. Commissions are very much a double edged sword - it is a dream come true to get paid for doing what I love most in the world, but on the other hand, you have to do what your customers want, and if that means a steady stream of dogs, cats and horses then so be it. I'm certainly not complaining, just savouring the opportunity to do something completely different.

Due to the snow, the Christmas Fair at Tavistock Infant School  was cancelled last Friday but has been re-scheduled for this Wednesday, 8th December at 2.45.  Let us hope nothing dire happens this week!

Cabin Fever Sets In..........

This seemed a good idea at the time..........

Three inches of snow outside and I'm already getting depressed - I have a Christmas fair tomorrow, I wonder if it will still be on?


Further To The Above.....

So, a few inches of snow and schools are shut -  you people in places where snow is measured in feet not inches must think we Brits are wimps!  At least it gives me a day to get on with a certain VIP - very important painting!

We went for an early morning hike as usual.....it's very pretty out there.
'Hurry up!'

Lots to explore and sniff....

....but not much fun when your feet end up looking like this!  Poor Clovis, I had to de-snowball his feet about five times before we got home - he wouldn't do well pulling a sledge!