OOh I have been naughty

sorry for not blogging - time just gets away from me. Been working with hubby in the garden as the weather has been unseasonably warm - in the 70s crazy times.

Then in between working on commissions, even though I have still been getting headaches I soldier on, if I didn't' wouldn't get jack done..
So this post might actually be brief, as not totally pain free as I write this - think it will be more about the pictures.

Completed 3 of the Seasons that I have been commissioned to do and some other pieces too.

 SUMMER

 SPRING

 WOOD NYMPH

 WINGS

 GARDENIAS

WINTER

I spent some time this evening uploading photos to have some Moo cards made - if you would like 10% off  your 1st order let me know as I have an e mail with a voucher that I can pass on to friends. I chose 100 images of my art to have them made in to the cards - didn't think I would get to a hundred to be honest, lol, just shows I have been creative.

Jan de Bellis who won the prize giveaway chose the picture I call Dreamer and Jodi Ohl the Poppies.

Thats it for now as my head is not co-operating, Thanks for dropping by x

The luck of the Irish

So who had the luck in my Giveaway, who won the prizes??? Well here is the picture with all the names randomised by Random.Org

THANK YOU for taking part and visiting my blog, I do appreciate it....I  did the main draw which generated the top 3 to get prizes,
Jan you need to let me know if you would like the Poppies or A faces picture...
Once you have decided it will decide which prize Jodi Ohl will get and the final prize is for Miss BZ... that prize is a vintage item, which I did photograph but which will not upload, so tomorrow I will re-take the picture so she can see her prize.

Dont despair if you didn't win a prize in this draw - you might just get a little surprise of me sometime soon for being supportive, who knows!

Just had to say I was amazed after my last post to find that someone wanted to commission me to do a series of paintings for them - I know I have written about this on Facebook, but Facebook can't be made in to a book so I am writing about it here so it is recorded when the book is printed lol


So exciting and thrilling for me and the response to my surprise at this was unreal too...that's it, that is all I am going to say but totally, totally amazed and thrilled

I am out of here....winners will need addresses, that is all
Love you all

xxxx

2 more days

till the Giveaway draw on my blog...don't forget if you want more chances to win you need to have entered a comment on any posts since the draw announcement....1 extra chance for each comment, one comment per post. GOOD LUCK

Work has been progressing in the garden of the new home. Stuart and I have replaced the balcony from our bedroom so it is now ready to sit out their safely on sunny days.
We have put up a new fence so the dog has his own space to run free. Cut down trees that were rotten and yesterday we had 20 railway sleepers delivered to create borders for plants...will show pictures when they are in situ.

So I mentioned in a previous post about going to the Village Craft Cafe on Saturday...well I contacted the organiser to tell her how good I thought it was, and get this, my e mails have my blog address as the signature line - she visited and e mailed me to ask if I would be interesting in selling at the Craft fair.

This made me chuckle, and I did feel flattered, but you know as much as I enjoy my girls, my flowers I just don't think people would buy my pictures...so I doubt I will take her up on the offer. The only way I would is if I were to incorporate the images in to some other piece...so we shall see, never say never.

Talking of my pictures, done a couple this week...

First one was a self portrait, wondering if I should call it this or a self likeness, probably the latter. If you are on Facebook you would have seen it, if not I share it here now

The BEST compliment from my husband was - "You should frame that,  and hang it" I was well chuffed when he said that..hasn't said it about anything else lol.

Then I was inspired by memories evoked on a Facebook group I belong to for Forces Brats.. made me think of childhood and so I created this piece.

The images were from the Toodles and Binks range.. which is part of Stamp Galaxy, run by Kay. I have mentioned in previous posts that I don't love stamping on my pictures - I stress about them not stamping correctly, you know incomplete images, blurry etc...but I just thought as it is a dream of childhood that it wouldn't matter if there were inconsistencies with the images as they were just part of the background.
I then used some Windsor and Newton Iridescent Medium to was over the black area and the stamped images can you see it here?

This medium works well with water colours - so I was thinking if you can't afford Twinks it might be worth investing in a bottle of this stuff as a little goes a long way and you can create your own shimmering paints..

Well that is it for this post - don't forget, if you have taken the time to visit today and since the draw announcement which was posted HERE and you leave comments you name will be popped in to the draw for each comment, just trying to give you more chances to win...

Take care, have fun with whatever you are doing...

Till next time, Thanks for visiting
(p.s. the headaches have eased a little, but still there, but not so fierce)

Headaches have kept me away

Boy oh Boy, can't cope with waking every day with a headache and then going through the day with one - arrrghh so frustrating, so if you have dropped by to see if I have posted, apologies.

I have not let it stop me having a life fully, no siree, the show must go on, or in my case caring for the family.
I did have some me time too, there was a new Village Craft Cafe at Borough Green Village hall this Saturday. Met Kay from Stamp Galaxy  there, she is often published in Craft Stamper Magazine. Anyway I was telling her about how I have stamps but don't use them too often as I worry about not getting a crisp image, so she kindly invited me to go and spend a day stamping with her...will be taking her up on that offer.
For a first outing for the Craft Cafe I was really impressed with the whole event, and I am glad it will be a monthly outing for me.

On the creative front what have I been up to? Not as much as I would have liked but since my last posting I have these to share with you

This is done with caran d'ache, pastels and stamps and was a new direction, trying to capture a different pose for my girl.

This was a fairy created in pastels, trying to put the wings on from a side view, another challenge, what is life without a challenge.

I have to confess, I find it difficult to do great faces when they are small, trying to work it is a challenge, not one I intend to give up on, but it is a challenge.

This is for the 6 brave soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan, so sad that they will no longer be around to be a part of their families lives, I just hope that they did not die in vain and peace can come to pass in the region.

and this is what I created today, so there you are, and there I am up to date with my creations.
Tomorrow I will be sharing the gifts that have lifted my spirits in the past week...till then have fun wherever you are and my life be good for you xxx

Here I am, better late than never

Monday, Monday so good to me...well normally, it is the day I generally do catch up from the weekend. That was all well and good and going well till Stuart decided to come home early. He bought a chainsaw as there was a couple of trees rotten that needed to come down in the garden...so hey ho boys and their toys had to come out to play - TODAY!!!!!
I ended up being a labourer for lumberjack Stuart, not complaining about the work, bit like a work out really and lots of wood ready for the wood burner - so result on 2 counts.

Anyway I might have mentioned before that my best time for creating is as my lot walk out the door, 6.30 and I am ready to create for a couple of hours, sometimes it is productive, other times not so.

Sharing with you a piece I worked on last night as I watched Real Madrid and the piece that I worked on this morning before my plans for the day were changed

Ready for this...

Now over on Facebook I belong to a group called British Forces Brats, it is for all those who had parents in the Forces - it is a wonderful group because the people on there we all understand each other and our past lives... and believe me it IS different growing up as a Forces Brats, all the moves and having to make new friends etc.
Anyway the reason why I am telling you about this group is because one of the members Jason Bridgman is such a wordsmith, he writes the most beautiful poems reflecting on our lives and he visited my FB page and penned these words for my picture - Ian has called her Estrellita

"As she gazed at the stars with the moon in her eye,
bathed in the light of a clear lunar sky.
Earth's daughter was kissed with the simplest of things -
if we wish to the stars, may our wishes have wings"

Beautiful words Jason, Thank you....

 This girl needs more working on... not happy with her, but hey ho we all have days and pieces that don't work straight away. her nose definitely needs removing, and reworking so that is what I will do; think it is good to share that which makes us happy and that which doesn't - its good to look back and assess - so I will leave her for a while...

(Don't forget for an extra chance to win in the Giveaway, leave a comment)

Giveaway

THE GIVEWAY IS OPEN TO EVERYONE - DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE I WILL MAIL TO YOU IF YOU WIN - GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.

Okay I promised to announce a giveaway today and true to my word I shall.
I have a couple of items to include...little things as a runner up prize, I am unable to post pictures today as weekends in my house are pretty much no go as far as getting things done craft wise, it's family time, but I will post in the week.

Today Stuart and I went for a run out to the Woodman pub in Ide Hill.

A pleasant couple of hours with friends from the TVR Club. While there I was thinking about the Giveaway and what to offer, well this is one of the items

A Poppy painting I did with H2Os...done in a Strathmore Journal, one of the smaller ones, just checked on size it is 5.5 x 8 inches.
I am also going to create one of my ladies - not sure whether it will be Pastels, Pencil or Caran D'ache - but it will be done especially for this Giveaway.
The Draw for the Giveaway will be on the 17th March - St Patrick's day...so not too far away. To enter you will need to leave a comment on this post and then as a bonus if you comment on posts made on subsequent days up until the 17th March for each time you comment you will get put in to the draw again, so that way you will increase your chances of winning.

I will not be including comments left on Facebook, you have to return to the blog to be eligible.

So that is it, hope you join in - have fun wherever you are, here in my corner of Kent it is a grey miserable day, so this way I hope to spread a little sunshine...
Thanks for visiting xxx

PAN PASTELS

Okay you know what it is like you have supplies that you have but have never used - I was like that with my Pan Pastels...I had them in their boxes waiting for the courage to use them. I decided to watch a few videos on the Pan Pastel site; having done so I decided to bite the bullet. I took the Pans out of their boxes and put them in to palette trays - and hey presto ready to go...

Just look at all those delicious colours, mouth watering.
Anyway with some trepidation I sketched out a girl, I made her big as this was the first time I had used them and thought that using the sponges etc in small places might prove tricky. This was the end result...

Now over on Facebook  have a friend, Ian, from Alberquerque, NM he pointed out that the eyes could have more depth and pointed me in the direction to do so, I heeded his advice (he was an art teacher) as he is very talented and changed her eyes, look at this picture and see the difference darkening the bottom lid and the edge of the iris to see the difference it made...

See how it makes the eyes more realistic and gives them depth, a great tip and one I will use now in my art.

I was so amazed at how much fun I had creating this lady called "Giselle" - Ian likes to name my ladies. That of course I had to play again.

I had a fairy come to mind so I started work on her - I have to confess that there is a lot of rubbing out, amending and so on till I get to the point where I am happy with the sketch, then it is time to start adding the colour.
My fairy turned out like this - she is called "Angelique"

I have to say I love her - and hey I was so surprised at the comments on Facebook; I am now starting to believe in myself.
I had the BEST comment from Christy Sobolewski... she wrote

 I have always been able to pick out your work from a sea of artists. That is something to be proud of. I'm just glad you are creating more! So good to see that!


Seriously I can't begin to tell you how my heart soared when I read that - it told me that I had my own style, and yes I am so proud of that. 
The support I have received is beyond...and I would like to THANK YOU, all of you, who comment when I post to FB - it means the world.


And so I shall share here my newest creation, all Thanks to those delicious Pan Pastels, she is yet to be named as she is not on FB yet, do you want to see her? Here she is...

This piece is called "Penny for your thoughts"
Thanks for dropping by, the next post will be about a GIVEAWAY - I would have done it sooner but I believe some people have not been able to leave a comment, I shall use this post as a tester, if it works again, and I hope it will I will post details next time around, THANKS again