In shady leafy places

Down at the bottom of the garden where sunlight is dappled through prickly holly branches. There is a quiet place. Our tiny piece of woodland. Several years ago whilst on holiday in north Wales, we visited Tyl Hyll the Ugly House, and here I fell in love with its enchanted leafy wooded garden, with its mossy covered stones and uncurling ferns. I have slowly since, bit by bit, been trying to recapture the feeling of the place here.


At this time of year our little patch of earth becomes magical. Transformed by pink ,white and blue bells, spotted leaves of lungwort and one of my favourite wild roadside flowers cow parsley.
We think it is definitely home to tiny people. Lets go and take a look.....


Two little houses fit for faeries.....



With faerie furniture....


Walls papered with petals and floors carpeted with skeleton leaves......



We (littlest hobbit and I) had a lovely relaxing time, making these during the two weeks off school. And are now rather hoping that something or someone might come and take up residence?....

The holidays are finished and it was back to school today. If this weather stays, I think I shall be working outside tommorow.

Miriam Stockley - Perfect Day ((HighQuality - rare version))

I hope everyone had a lovely Eastertime. We have had the most glorious weather here! Time has been spent outdoors, enjoying birdsong, flowers, grass snakes, slow worms, bats and shooting stars.
The days have been perfect!

Blue and Paws for Charity

I have been immersed in blue this week.
Blue paint for walls in the bedroom...

Blue forgetmenots in flower, in the garden......

Blue cornflowers that I have given a head start in the green house......


Blue beads bought with the intention of making myself a new necklace to wear....



A blue book I've been reading in the bath....


And the beautiful moon in a blue tinged twilight sky, last night's view from our garden.....


I do so love blue.

The children finished school for their Easter break, so not alot of drawing or painting of pictures has taken place. So, let me tell you a tale of something that begun a little while ago....

A couple of months ago a lady named Sara Harley contacted me and asked me if I would like to submit a picture of a cat or dog for a charity book called 'PAWS FOR CHARITY' It was to be produced in aid of breast cancer. I submitted my Magic Cat picture......


and a few weeks later was lucky enough to be chosen to be included in the book. Please stop by at Sara's blog to hear about the artists that are involved and of course to see the book which is available to buy at Blurb. It is filled with beautiful pictures of cats and dogs, and money raised from the book will go to a Breast Cancer Charity that does not use animals in their testing.

If I don't manage to get on here again before Sunday, then I wish everyone that stops by and reads here a very Happy Easter! x

Bits,pieces and snuffles and sneezes

As I sit here at my desk writing this post, this is what I can see out of the window in front of me......


Its a cloudy, misty kind of day today. I can hear the jackdaws upon the chimmney pot, rooks over in the big trees and other birds chirping their merry spring songs. I can hear the engine drone of a lawn mower as a neighbour tidys their lawn ready for the weekend and I can smell the sweet scent of cut grass drifting on the breeze.
Its been a week of bits and pieces and snuffles and sneezes. I've not been able to settle on things, since picking up a cold at the beginning of the week.
I began with sketching an idea for Illustration Friday, but didn't develop it into the finished piece, so never submitted it.

'Poise'


Then I decided to sketch some of the bones from the owl pellets.....



I didn't attempt to get stuck into the painting I have on the go at the moment,as I just knew when your not feeling your best, its not a good idea ( for me anyway :) )
I have lots more work to do on this painting which is on a 30x30 cms canvas.





I've been in the greenhouse enjoying the warmth through the glass and sowing more seeds. And,weeding in the garden where I keep coming across little treasures like this...



Another skeleton! This time skeleton of a holly leaf.
I did find another very special treasure, but that one will have to wait a while for a future post!?!?
The sun is beginning to break through the clouds now, and my cold feels much better today :) I think its time to go and put the kettle on.

Tiny bones, a hanger and a heart

Don't disappear when you see this picture! It is not what it looks like at first glance!
I was lucky enough to be given these rather strange looking objects a few days ago.
No, they are not fur balls brought up from one very fluffy feline!..... Any ideas?
I'll give you a clue... They come out of the most beautiful winged creatures!....
Some of you might have guessed that they are infact owl pellets.
Owls regurgitate these pellets after eating, to get rid of the things that they can't digest. When I was given the opportunity of aquiring some via my Dad, through a friend he has, whose job it is to ring owls and check their nesting boxes, I thought how interesting!



For anyone that might be a little squeamish. The pellets are totally dry, do not smell at all. Infact they felt rather soft, being mainly made of animal fur.



Pulling them apart carefully reveals just what this owl has been eating.....
Look carefully at the minute teeth on this skull...



The bones are so tiny I put a penny in the photograph to show just how small.


They are very fragile.
Isn't it amazing to see all natures detail in minature.






I didn't dissect all of the pellets, just three. I thought I would let the children have a go too.

I have also been working on some Owls this week. A hand painted heart and a hanger, that you can see here.....




These will be listed on Etsy shortly.

Little miracles

Isn't it amazing how new spring life is just bursting out everywhere!
Yesterday I made time to go out and walk again as the day was beautiful.It was even warm enough to make me want to remove my jacket.
You have to watch all the time with nature, otherwise you will miss it!
These horse chestnut buds have already almost opened.

When I was a child my Mum would always pick a couple of branches of these in tight bud which we called 'sticky buds'. She would bring them into the house and put them in a vase, so that we could watch the buds open into the horse chestnut leaves. A small miracle!




Even the hawthorn is almost out. Not long and the trees will be green again.



This spell of warmth has also woken the white violets.



In between enjoying the joys of mother nature, I've been busy this week painting a rather cold and grey picture on canvas that has been sat waiting and waiting for too long. Oh, and another painted heart.

Friday Magic

After sitting at a desk for a long time I crave being outside. There has to be a balance in everything.
This morning, just to get out in the fresh air, I took the camera into the garden to find a little magic on a grey Friday.









The bells arrived for the smaller hares and they are all complete and are gradually being listed on Etsy one by one.

I've also finished this...






I'm off for a walk now, to restore the balance!
Have a good weekend x

Waiting for bells

Back a few months ago, on a misty November morning I made the effort and planted these. I'm so glad that I did. Its always amazing when they flower and the perfume is wonderful!



I'm waiting for more bells to arrive. So the small hares have come to a halt for the time being. The two large ones though are complete and will be listed on Etsy shortly, along with the small thrush below.



I know I said that I might name the hares (and it is a lovely idea) However I have since decided against it. The reason being after giving them a name, I found myself umming and ahhing over whether the colours were right for the personality etc. Thinking they needed individual items hanging on them which suited each.
This all takes valuable time, so I think the naming of hares for the time being will be placed in the hands of whosoever their new owners will be.







And so for the blog giveaway!
Thankyou to everyone that left a comment and for of all your well wishes for the blog birthday. All the comments were numbered and the lucky one picked out was number 14 from Pamela and Edward!

Vote Earth for Earth Hour 2009

I'm going to be turning my lights off for Earth Hour. I hope you all will too!

Almost ready

They are waiting patiently for me to adorn them with magical jingly things and bits and bobs of buttons and beads.
They all look slightly different. I think I might give each one a name?

Have a good weekend everyone x

A Bit Of Thinking

Over the past few days I have been watching clouds, and thinking....



Painting hares and thinking some more.....



Then I suddenly thought..... I have missed my blogs 1st Birthday!!!
February the 29th just slipped by and I forgot all about it.
But of course it didn't did it! Because there was no February 29th this year. I hadn't realised that I had began the blog on a leap year!
So, really it isn't 1 until another 3 years time?!.....
Oh well,I think I'll celebrate anyway....



I know everybody is dreaming of the warmer days!
So, here is a spring/summer themed giveaway. Leave me a comment, and the lucky one picked out of the hat, sometime over the weekend, will get these 3 cards illustrated by me.

A grey and dusty day

I always find it strange how one day I manage to fit a mountains worth of work into a few hours, then wake up the very next morning, just a few hours after the 'productive explosion' and the day just slips like silk through fingers and I seem to drift along and flit from this to that , as if I were a butterfly.
Today seems to be the latter.
Its grey and quiet today. A fine soft drizzle is falling and the temperature has risen enough to stir some of the harlequins from their winter sleep.



Only a few remain now, as most have already moved on.




Time is ticking by and we are only a few days away from March. Well, to me March means Spring! The March hares have all been cut out and are waiting patiently to be painted. And of course, I suppose I must do some Spring cleaning!?



The house is in desperate need of a clean. As you may have noticed from the photographs, it is all very dusty!

What I need is a little fairy angel to help me! ;)