March blew away with the Dancing Daffodils

And  all of a sudden the frothy blooms of Spring arrived...

While outside the greening is in the midst of it's merrie dance, I have been busy working my way through my 2017 list of things to do. Most of March was taken up with making a new website. A job that had been years overdue and one I felt I could put off no longer. It's strange how days just float past you and merge into one another while you are so wrapped up in doing something. Before I knew it March had blown away along with the dancing daffodils. But with moments of my temper rising along with the sap outside I finally emerged from the other side and have a brand new website. The biggest change was the renaming. So instead of the old Karen Davis site, I am now officially
'Moonlight and Hares' It seemed a natural progression as many customers tell me they look for me under that name. So here it is... www.moonlightandhares.co.uk

It isn't completely finished yet, for instance I still have a shop to add. For now the shop button takes you to the Etsy shop but I do plan to get a separate one on the website as well.

Now April is here and the hedgerows are busy with birds feeding their young in secret nests. The apple blossom's divine fragrance perfumes the garden. New life is everywhere and the earth feels warm in the mild weather we have had.

The snakes head fritillaries and the sweet white violets have waved their sleepy nodding heads goodbye and now the cowslips and forgetmenots have arrived. The bugle is stretching up through the moss and ground ivy, lily of the valley, cow parsley and red campion are already blooming.
Over the Easter weekend we visited our local bluebell wood. A step into Faerie land...

It's so peaceful, no distant hum of car, just a blackbirds clear voice across the hazel tops, gentle woo wooing of wood pigeon and my own boots on last years beech leaves. Then the quiet is suddenly broken with the bark of a muntjac deer and we see it scamper lower down in the woods and a startled pheasant escapes into a clearing, fearful of who we are. The ransoms are beginning to come out. I take some leaves for a garlicky pesto for tea. In the meadow beyond there are cuckoo flower dotted in the damp patches.

Back in the garden I think I had a fleeting glimpse of a white hare, his two big long back legs showing as he leaped through the hedge. I believe he left me this... ;)

 My paint brushes haven't seen as much action this past month but I did do a couple of paintings.              'Replenishment'

A small canvas on the theme of recharging by starlight and moonlight. And...

'The Quiet Glade'

A unicorn for 'National Unicorn Day' a little while back.  Both of these images are available now as prints in the shop

Back in March whilst working on the website, I also did a little designing with my images for a set of magical nature notebooks which should be ready and in the shop quite soon.  I do love notebooks myself and have bit of a mild obsession with them and often can't resist buying another small book that I probably won't use for another year or so as I still haven't filled up my other collection of notebooks! 

It was fun designing these and I am already planning another set. 

That's all, I think, for now... I shall leave you with some raindrops on apple blossom and Mr Blackbird with his children's supper.

Don't forget for more updates in between blogposts you can find me on Facebook and Instagram. :) 

X

Hello February

Here we are with the first month of 2017 gone by in the blink of Jack frosts icy lashes.

Two new works that reflect my hibernation mode this January.
Ideas that began before Christmas, a continued theme from the 'natures treasures' smaller gold pieces that I did. These were put aside while the busy Christmas period was in full swing.

                                                                 'Fox Chestnut'

'Transformation'

I've taken January to gather my thoughts, plan, reflect and enjoy slow time, as well as do my tax return. The sleepy bear in me has now woken up. Outside there are signs that Spring is on her way and in the garden the snowdrops are out to greet Imbolc.

My new holly mug is still in use though, I was pleased to get this one half price in the sale at the end of December. 

I didn't make any new years resolutions,  instead prefer to make lists of little things to do.  Here is a glimpse of some of the things that are on this years...

Paint the wardrobe
Plant the yew tree that I have growing  in a pot. 
Buy a large easel
Pick up more litter
Upcycle some clothes? (sewing is not a strong point)
Put some wallpaper on a wall
Visit more art exhibitions
Go for more long walks
Go on more adventures
Find an old pine table for the dining room
Embroider something? 
Do a lino cut  (haven't done one for many years)
Organise photos
Create new website
Plant asparagus
Sort out all possessions using Marie Kondo method ( link to the book I read in the side bar)
Spend less time on social media. 
Blog more

What about you? Are you a list maker or resolution kind of person?

This image below, Aurora Hare was a small painting I did over the Christmas period. I've made some cards available in the shop using the image, along with the winter fox picture that was on the last post

Happy February! 

May the ground be covered in snowdrops and sky with flurries of snowflakes. Well, just a few. 

I will leave you with a poem that I wrote during hibernation in January. I'm no poet, but do like to 

have a play with words sometimes and felt brave enough to share. 

Star song

Lay your head down
On a pillow of flowers
Or a cold stone 
Listen  
A heart beat rises up from core, through rock
Through mineral, animal and vegetable
Pushing up from tiny cracks, to rise up to the light. 
It sings.
Can you hear? Do you feel?
Something Ancient. A pulse. 
Your Mother. Your Father. 
Earth. 
A song rising up through stem of grass and root
The notes are made of leaves and bones and old stars
Its chorus a symphony heard in the bark of fox and the bleat of a lamb.
And it's words are the dreams of the raindrops that fall 
Breathe
There is no ending
Passing the stardust back and forth forever.
To dance on the wind and swirl in the wild salty seas.
Castor and Pollux make up your laughter 
Orion sparkles in your tears. 

Karen Davis 2017

(Apologies for the tiny font on this post, but Blogger is up to tricks)

Old Cards For Sale

The other day I tried to get into my wardrobe. No, I wasn't trying to get to Narnia, just trying to access my clothes. It's not really a wardrobe, more a cupboard and is very awkward to get into at the best of times as you have to bend your head awkwardly. It would be perfect for a hobbit in fact....  Anyway I noticed that the cupboard has managed to become filled with clutter, you know the way things do! But not only my clutter, it seems I have accumulated everyone else's too. Hmm?  I started to sort some things out and found a bag filled with old cards. These cards are greeting cards that I did for a publishing company years back. I can't sell them on Etsy because they were produced for a company, so I wondered if anyone would be interested in buying any? It seems a waste just to let them sit in a cupboard?
If you are interested send me an email or message me your email address and let me know which ones you want and I will invoice you via Paypal. I'm afraid I can only accept Paypal payment.

Price  £5.00 for a pack of six mixed cards  P&P £2  (P&P for any extra add 50p  per pack) UK postage. For anywhere else I would add on extra.

Pack 1

A closer look... All designs were painted between 1996 and 2003. In fact, if I waited a bit longer I suppose I could sell them as vintage on Etsy. :-)
White fairy angel hares with wings, and hare and friends festivities. The white hare has been on my journey with me for quite a while.

These are all 7x5 in size.
                                              SOLD OUT

                                                      ~*~

Pack 2  
Angel designs.                         SOLD OUT.
Size 4x7.5

The cards are mainly blank inside, but a few of the Angel one's have 'Seasons Greetings' written inside. The design wraps right around and continues on the backs of each card.
There are a limited amount, so I will sell them on a first come first served basis.
                         ~*~
I'm  trying to fit in as many wooden bits and pieces before Christmas as I can. These pendants were finished last night, and they will be listed in my Etsy shop later today.

Have a great weekend folks.  I'm off to bake a cake now for Husbands birthday today.
 X