Blowing The Cobwebs Away

A few days spent in rainy Penzance staying with my sister, helped to blow away some of the Autumn cobwebs in my mind.
And of course, lots of fun was had with cousins!





Now back home and its Halloween.
Few braved our long dark garden path to the sweet treats that were waiting.

Ghosts with wings

Superstition and Magic surround owls like a velvet cloak. Their call on a moonlit night can send chilly shivers up a spine.
There are far too many tales to tell relating them to macabre predictions and witches and wizards. I love to hear all the tales and half forgotton beliefs, but just as a lover of all birds the owl holds a special place in my heart.
I particularly love the barn owl, with its distinctive ghost like appearance, it was described as a bird of death by William Wordsworth, and gave rise to legends of will o the wisp and jack o lantern which both spirited away travellers and children.
With the 'spooky' time of year just around the corner, I decided to make this barn owl hanger......


Adorned with jingly bells and an antique cut glass crystal to make magical rainbows. It will be flying over to Etsy. SOLD

Sadly barn owls are in decline due to loss of habitat. If you would like to help or find out more, then pay a visit to The barn Owl Trust a charity dedicated to conserving barn owls.

Lost in the midst of mist

Yes, more drawing, cutting and sanding!
Three, dare I say it..Christmas... (ssshh) commissions and orders of Polar bears, magpies, owls, reindeers.......



Inside my head it is foggy. Obscured by clouds of wood dust. And yes, could this be the reason for a somewhat blurry photograph? ;)

Wooden animals are following me into sleep, where I run through misty forests......

But in the garden this morning everything is bright.
Yesterdays raindrops sparkle in the sun, treasures of a fairies jewel box.



Time for a mug of hot chocolate me thinks!... then back to more sanding!.....

Bonkers for Conkers

We love conkers! or if we call them by their proper name, Horse chestnuts. Even though the children are getting older, they still want to go and collect conkers and get excited about finding them, especially the one's that are still enclosed but just beginning to peep out of their green spiky shells, which I think look like elf hats. I love the colour of them and their rich waxed wood appearance. We went to collect "just a few to string up around the porch" but came home with a basket and carrier bag full! ( this is NOT all of them in the picture)
I asked " What are we going to do with them all??"
The reply I got was "Plant them" :)
I think we will be giving away young Horse Chestnut trees from our garden gate in the near future. About 300 or more!!

The Autumn sunshine brought us a visitor........

When we had searched for him back in the holidays by the river, he was no where to be seen! And now here he was, glittering lace wings displayed, almost on our front doorstep!

And finally a sample of some of the finished hangers that I have been working on. Some will find their way to Etsy, others to a little local shop.

Sugary

For Illustration Friday.
Just sketching sat on the doorstep in the sun, and this character sprang to life.
A bit late, but never mind.

A beautiful day

What a beautiful day it has been today! Blue skies, warm sun on my arms, and bees and butterflies, enjoying the last of the lavender and michelmas daisies. One thing that I always look forward to this time of year, is the sun low enough in the sky to shine through the crystals that are hanging at my window and decorate the room with little dancing rainbow lights.
I have collected old chandelier crystals for many years. All of them were bought from car boot sales for next to nothing. They are strung up on fishing line at two windows and I've still an old cigar box full that have yet to be added.


As winter approaches, there is even more of a show. Today, just a few rainbows.


If you gently move them, they dance around the room. Many crystals have been chipped over the years by little hands wanting to see the 'fairy rainbows'. But that doesn't matter, as they are still beautiful.

Prints for sale on Etsy!

I've finally got around to putting some prints for sale on Etsy. Something I've been meaning to do for a wee while.

Its been a bit of a frustrating last week, not being able to settle finishing things off as fast as I would have liked. We have had workmen in and out, fitting us a new central heating system. It still isn't finished and the Electrician is coming back on Tuesday. (Groan) Still, must not grumble, hopefully we will be all snug and cosy this winter.

In between interruptions, the wooden creatures have gradually been coming to life.





Some of these will also be finding their way over to Etsy very shortly.