The snow has .......

seemingly been here forever.

                                              Merry Christmas everyone!

Cold.......

cold and more cold......but very beautiful round here 

The days are getting so short now...

 .....there is so little daylight to work by! and my eyes are not up to the strain of permanent indoor lighting!

....still doodling though!

In the pink!

a moly X 25.....

....new entry ..... my section of Clare's book

check it out our whole moly exchange on this link

Addicted to....

doodling, photochopping....and multiples 

Miss Prim...

....and proper...

Been digging through the archives.....

to find some teacup designs.......must get drawing again!

and now ....

.....the male version.  I have an obsession for playing with the colour change facility in photoshop and find it impossible to decide which one looks best.  What do you think? 

Just signed up to ......

......another round of Moly X 25. - a group of 4 keen artists and illustrators across the UK, Australia and USA.   We are going to be circulating 4 Japanese folded moly sketchbooks and each adding a few pages of drawing/painting as we go.  Round and round till complete. Feel free to follow our adventures on our blog.   There is a whole moly exchange scene on flickr .......check it out here.  I am thinking of theme-ing my sketchbook as "people" or "faces" or "colourful characters".  Not quite sure yet.....

Colourful......

ladies......

Which one do you prefer???  

Just lately.....

.....its been so cold and autumnal it has been wonderful to spend days at home.   We just might be putting that stove on shortly!

November by the sea........

........not on the beach but at the Ladder Club!  It's a long way to go but in the end I decided it was too good an opportunity to miss.  So, in mid-November I shall be visiting sunny(?) Southend on Sea to attend a seminar run by Lynn Tait hopefully telling me all I need to know about how to start a greetings cards company.  Many moons ago I had grand ideas of using my photographs and photochopped sketches to make greetings cards, wrapping paper and stationery. 

(a couple I had in mind)

 It never quite got off the ground ..........but in my fantasy world, where every day is endless and there is time not only to do all that has to be done but all that you would love to do too, it is still a secretly harboured ambition.   So I am off to the seaside seminar to get some tips of the trade and insight into all that it entails....and one day  - you never know - my fantasy may become reality! 

Photoshop.....

.....is a great way to spend a spare minute or two...

and for playing about with colour

Shamefully old picture.....

.....of pot in my garden to try and remind myself of what my dry, overgrown, plantless garden used to look like.   Why are there never enough hours in a day to do everything that needs to be done and everything you really want to do?!!!

Nothing like a few...

....cheery flowers to brighten up your day!

Now isn't that better!

Holiday drawing....

...plus photoshop

she looks a bit mean and moody

There was plenty of time......

....to draw

and to take photos

Been on....

....my jolly-days

Supposed to be....

...hard at work creating textiles  BUT got a bit carried away sketching and playing with photoshop. 

the image is my own sketch but taken froma drawing done by danieltiller on flickr

Doodle....

....from last night watching the TV......

so many more things to do ...but I couldn't summon up the energy! 

The hottest .....

.....day of the year and the garden is blooming

....and my hay fever is raging!

The luxury of a day off work....

.....just playing

One more step.....

.......along the way.  Some of those little hearts now have posts soldered onto them.  I was ridiculously pleased with myself for having managed to do these without any help and without either melting the wire or buckling the silver. 

not quite central ....but it doesn't seem to matter when they are worn.  These still need to be pickled and polished.

A lazy morning......

.......but a productive afternoon.

but they still need filing, and polishing and posts soldering on.  I really enjoyed texturising the big discs and love the matt effect.