INDIA!!

I really wanted to share my experience with you from the very first moment the plane landed. However, I properly underestimated the effects of the flight and I have, to be honest, spent a lot of my first few days, asleep! I have at least tried to do the sleeping by the pool - it would be a shame not to!

I have been here 3 days now and, wow, what an amazing place! It has a scent and an atmosphere like nowhere else I have known.

I have done some sketching and by the pool too, and, seeing as it is now officially December (though so strange to think of it being December in this heat!) I can show you this little Christmas girlie.

Happy December!

India!

I am so lucky to be going out to India in a weeks time. I hope to keep a daily blog to mark the trip and share my time there. Yipes - excited!

In the meantime, I have decided to have a week long pre-christmas sale in my Etsy shop before I leave. Just add holiday20 into the box at checkout to receive a 20% discount on EVERYTHING!!

I also wanted to share my new painting. Combines two of my favourite things - owls and eyes hehe!!

Happy Sunday!!

xx

Hello, hello, hello!!!

Wow, November??!! And, it is getting might cold and wintery here in the UK. Brrrrrrrrh!! Hats, scarves, gloves and hot water bottles have been brought back out of storage!


If you remember, I took part in the fantastic 29 Faces during September which was an amazing challenge and really helped me to practice my drawing skills. I loved it! When I came to think about what to do with them next, I decided that I liked some of them just the way they were and so, I have decided to turn some of them into limited edition prints, 'just the way they are'!

What do you think?

I was so chuffed with how they turned out that I decided to do some prints.

Hope November is treating everyone with kindness and fun!!!

xx

Look What Happened To Tilly!

Hello! I have had a yuck week. My two darlings have brought back germs from school and unselfishly shared them around hehe! We are all on the mend now though thankfully.

So, not much paint has been splashed around for the past week but I have done lots of drawing (I'll show you soon) and sewing. Look what happened to 'Clever Tilly' my drawing I did a few weeks ago.

I am really chuffed how she turned out. I might have a go at making some more in this style. Loving the Designers Guild fabric. Soooooooooo gorgeous to work with and sooooooooooooo 'touchy feely' now it's done. Yum - hehe!

Have a great weekend!

xx

Day 29

My final sketch for the 29 Face Challenge.

But, as there are 30 days in September and I originally set myself the challenge of a sketch per day, I am going to sketch another tomorrow. I think I am enjoying this challenge too much hehe!

Have a great Monday!

xx

Day 28

Does she remind anyone else of Kathy from Wuthering Heights? I am not sure if it is the whispy hair or her clothes but I think she definitely belongs in a period costume drama!

xx

Day 27

Happy Saturday!

Hope it's a good 'un!

xx

Day 26

It's Friday!!!!!

It had better not rain!

xx

Day 25

She looks to me like she needs a good hairbrush!

xx

Day 24

She was a very quick sketch but I like how she turned out. She looks like a happy little lady to me!

Happy Tuesday!

xx

Day 23

Cats Eyes

Although I didn't set out to, I think she looks like she has cats eyes!

She makes me smile and I like that.

Happy Tuesday!

xx

Day 22

I have had a lovely weekend. There's been lots of sunshineeeee!

Fingers crossed it lasts at least a little while longer.

Hope a good weekend was enjoyed by all.

xx

Day 21

I am not sure if she is a little Alice or perhaps a ballerina in the making.

Happy Sunday.

xx

Day 20

It's Windy Up North!

Happy Weekend!

I'm off out to lunch with my mum and my grandma. We don't all get together very often so I am proper looking forward to it!!

Cake - yuuuuuuuuuuuuum!

xx

Day 19

This little girlie really makes me smile.

Nearly weekend again!! Yay!

xx

Day 18

Yes, They Really Are Going To Make Me Wear This 

She seemed to me to be uncomfortable in the dress and it reminded me of my daughter whenever she was asked to wear a dress. A BIG NO-NO!! I jotted down at the side 'Yes, they really are going to make me wear this!'

Day 17

My Day 17 sketch that I did whilst taking care of a poorly boy home from school. Thankfully, he's on the mend now.

xx

Day 16

I really love how her eyes turned out!

xx

Day 15

It's been a lovely weekend.

Hope it has been for you too.

xx

Day 14

I hope that everyone's weekend is fabulous.

We have spent today painting in the interior decorating sense. Not the fun acrylics sense! Though now we have a bright and fresh kitchen again and it looks great, if I can say so myself hehe!

I have now stolen a few quiet 'me-time' hours to sketch my Day 14 little girl. The prismacolor pencils were calling again.

Happy Saturday!

xx

Day 13

Well, I got through Friday 13th relatively unscathed.

I didn't fly as I had hoped but I achieved some things and drawing this little girl and her bird made me smile.

It's weekend!!!!

xx

Day 12

Determined To Fly!

I slowly got back into the swing of things again today.

I still did not manage to achieve all I had intended to do but at at least I made a good start.

Tomorrow I am determined to fly and really get myself whipped into shape and knuckling down.

One more 'get-up' until the weekend!!

xx

Day 11

My Day 11 sketch. Still feeling a bit 'bleugh' but sketching is keeping me focused.

I wonder if it is the wet and cold weather creeping in. Brrrrh! I do love the Autumn months but I don't think I am ready to say goodbye to sunshine just yet hehe!

xx

Day 10

Contemplation

I am feeling a little bit quiet. I think this little girl sums it up.


I have spent a lot of time thinking about doing instead of actually doing today.


Hopefully, I can get myself revved up and raring to go for a more productive day tomorrow.

xx

Day 9 - Concentrated Awesome!

I'm Not Small. I am concentrated awesome!

'I am not small. I am concentrated awesome!'

I saw this, I can't remember where it was but it stuck with me. Being 'concentrated awsome' myself hehe!

I sketched her and could not resist the prismacolor pencils to add some colour to her face.

Happy Monday!

xx

Day 8

Owl Hat

This girlie is completely one on her own!

Yesterday I was discussing a friend's owl painting with her and then today this amazing hat appeared! I knew that I wanted her to wear a hat with an animal on it but I actually set out to make it a frog?!

Who knew? Hehe! It is fascinating where a drawing can lead you.

xx

Day 7 (A Whole Week!)

Thank You!

I have honestly been so overwhelmed by all the lovely things people have said about my girlie sketches this week.

Here in Blogland, the 29 Faces Challenge site and on my Facebook page; everyone has been so amazingly kind about about my funny little sketches.

So, this little Day 7 girlie is here to say 'Thank You'. I truly appreciate all the kind words and supportive messages that I have received this week.

XX

My Day 6 Sketch

Just Sitting

It's weekend!! There has been times this week that it seemed like the weekend would never get here!

I am so pleased it did.

I am going to be mostly sitting this weekend. No plans for tomorrow, which is almost unheard of lately in our house. So I am going to make the most of it with lots of sitting and sewing and sitting and sketching.

Have a great weekend!

xx

Day 5

Worse For Wear But Happy! 

This is a bit like how I am feeling today!! Not much sleep and too much to do!

Still smiling though - just!!

(However, the same might not be able to be said tomorrow if I don't get much sleep tonight ggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhh!!)

xx

Wednesday 4th September

Grumpy Cat

This is my sketch for Day 4.

The kitty makes me giggle!! 

This little couple came about after the madness of the morning school rush this morning. A second day in school for my youngest and first day at college for my eldest. 

One did not want to have to go and the other was 'NOT HAPPY' at not being able to find the jacket 'I NEEEED'!! Hehe!!

They both made it in time (the eldest with a different jacket!) and they both had a great day. PHEW!!! 

Tuesday 3rd September - Day 3

Rabbit Girl

2nd September

Mergirlie

I am not quite sure where she came from really. I sketched out her face and body and then bam, from nowhere, she became a little mercreature!


Thanks to Jenny's link on yesterday's sketch, I found the 29 Faces challenge and am going to try to link up. It will be great to share the month with them and to see their creations too!

Happy Tuesday! xx

September Self Challenge

So .... September!! Whaaaaaa??!! Scary, scary, scary.

I decided this would be the month I would set myself a challenge. I am challenging myself to complete a sketch a day for the month of September. Whatever else I may be doing, however I may be feeling I am setting myself this task.

Partly to focus my mind, partly to improve my drawing skills, partly to experiment and see where it takes me.

I got the idea from the lovely Jeanette House who began a challenge of  '100ish Paintings'.

If you click on Jeanette's name above there is a link to a fantastic video explaining the theory behind her challenge.

So... here I go! Hope you can share, even some of the journey with me.

Happy September - Happy Creating!! xx

1st September 2013

September Flower Girl

A 'Blah, Bleugh' Too Long Time!

Hello, hello!

Firstly, if you have popped by to read my wafflings and have stuck with me THANK YOU!!

It has been sooooooooo long and I have absolutely no excuses other than I have had an attack of the 'Blah'! It came without rhyme or reason and I managed it by throwing myself into sewing and shutting myself away.

I am embarrassed and cross to admit that my Blaaaahhh Lurgy sent me into a spell of feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't seem to settle to anything (though this is actually not that unusual for me, I am a bit of a flitter!), I just wanted to sleep and had minus zilcho energy, concentration or motivation.

When I first started to feel like this, I recognised the familiar symptoms of my delightful chronic illness. Joy, joy! But, after a few weeks of not being able to kick it into touch, it was either a very long flare up or I had slumped into a state a chronic bleugh! Not good.

Help came though from my wonderful friends Sunny, Micki and Michele who guided me on the right path away from Bleughdom. Thank you ladies, you are amazing!!

They helped me see that I fallen into a spiral of doubting myself and believing that I could no longer make people smile with my little girlies. Now, I am realising that if I can create things that make me smile then hopefully someone, somewhere along the way, will join in smiling with me too! And, feeling this way happens - to lots of us. The important thing is to get on those big girl panties and show up. These girlies won't bring themselves to life!

So now I'm back - from Outer Space..... (Ouch - sorry, hehe!!)

And, have been getting busy and messy! I did spend some time sketching and have LOVED experimenting with Prismacolor pencils. I have always dabbled with them but never used them for a complete picture.

Cuties but I am going to keep experimenting. Colouring with pencils is very therapeutic. It is a long process and it forces you to slow down. Great for me to do on a regular basis.

But, I can't abandon my messy mixed media for too long. Hope you like them.

Back SOON - bye for now xx

Painting Happy! ( = Happy Me!!)

Yippeeee - Very Happy ME!!! I have been painting very, very happy indeed!

I feel so incredibly lucky to have taken a new online course by the wonderful Micki Wilde of The Secret Hermit.

I have long admired Micki's soft, inviting and uplifting style. But, I have also been lucky enough to call her my friend too. She has through many a chat; advised, guided and prompted me to grow as an artist and now she has created this self-paced online art course and is doing that for everyone who wants to join in the fun!

Micki, is not only asking us create meaningful and very personal artwork but to let go of the constraints of perfection that we (I know I am certainly guilty of this) sometimes place upon ourselves and try to have fun and 'play' whilst we paint. 

She shows how to create some fantastic, freeflowing backgrounds and introduces techniques that she uses to such amazing effect in her own artwork. I am having great fun trying out some of these and getting very messy in the process hehe! 

And, those gorgeous, faces ...! Wow! It was so interesting learning how many different ways she has of starting and creating those whimiscal lovelies! I will stop now because I don't want to spoil it if you have joined or are planning on joining in the fun soon. If you want to have a look at what is going on, here is promo vid for her course.

  I hope that you all have a wonderful week.

 Paint Happy!! xx

Living In The Moment

Hey lovlies! I can't believe it is so long since my last post! Where has this time gone?

Oh, My Word!!

Life is moving way too fast for me to keep up. My lovely daughter is about to leave school this week. I look at what a wonderful young lady she has become and think where is the curious little girlie that ran into nursery not a care in the world leaving me in floods of tears because she ran into school with not a care in the world hehe! Where has the time gone?

More and more, it is becoming apparent to me that I need to live more in the moment and take stock of the here and now. If you remember, my father in law passed away recently. Very suddenly and without warning. I think this was the start of me really noticing the time whizzing by and me not being able to keep up.

By striving to live more in the moment, I am hoping to be able to slow some things down and appreciate much more the wonderful things in my life (before they all up and leave without a care in the world!)

I have been doing a lot of sketching recently. I have loved the quiet, focused, time-slowing time and being able to play and create new girlies. Here are some of my favourites that I am intending on making into paintings over the next few weeks.

This little girlie has already become my latest painting. I think her eyes are probably the biggest and most hopeful I have drawn.

Owl Was Somewhat Concerned (but she knew everything would be okay).

I am going to love and leave you with a fabulous piccie sent to me be the equally fabulous Stacy. She recently gave one of my Googley Eyed Girls a new home. When I listed her 'sister' on Etsy, she took a picture of them both together. It really made me smile. Thanks lovely Stacy xx

Have a lovely week! xx