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! ;)

New item on Etsy

This heart is about to be listed on Etsy , if anyone is interested?
Its handpainted and signed on the back.





Its been another glorious early spring day here again. I would have loved to be out in the garden, but sadly we had to go shopping for new rugby/football boots for school. Oh well, hopefully the sun will shine again tommorow.

Parcels and Toads

What a lovely surprise I had in the post yesterday!
A Parcel from Celia over at Purple podded peas.



A comment I had left on her blog had been chosen for ' a little something'
Well this little something was so gorgeous , I just had to share it!



These beautiful hare cards! I love them!
Sorry family and friends, but these cards will not be sent, but framed and put on my wall :)
Celia creates the most wonderful lino prints.So don't forget to stop by her blog and have a peep into her Etsy shop. (Thankyou Celia x)

Today the sun was shining and Spring had most definitely arrived.
How could I possibly refuse a day in the garden?



I captured the first daisy on the lawn...



Found the tiniest of toads.....



and disturbed his lunch!....



Then came indoors and listed this on Etsy......



Have a good weekend !
x

Castles and white stags

Its half term this week ,which of course means no school for the children, and if we're lucky, time to get out and go adventuring!
We all love castles in this household, so decided as the weather looked good, to venture abroad ;)
So, over the severn bridge we travelled, into beautiful Wales. Luckily for us, only an hours trip.
Our first stop was the magnificent ruined Caerphilly Castle.
So many stories and secrets of times gone by within its cold stone walls.





With the sun shining and a definite feel of spring in the air, we sat and ate our lunch in the same place soldiers had, hundreds of years before us.
Just a few miles down the road we continued on to our next port of call.
A very different but equally beautiful Castell Coch...





This castle was built on the site of the original Castell Coch by a hugely wealthy Victorian. Whom you can read about here.
A fairytale castle with beautiful windows...



Walls hand painted and illustrated with characters from Aesops Fables....





Starry painted ceilings adorned with birds and gold....




And woodland views...



A lovely day out! We are now looking forward to our next castle adventure......

In between times I've done these....

Some things that I love

A little while ago I was very kindly given this award.


Thankyou Julia at: East Of The Sun West Of The Moon.

To accept this award I have to list 7 things that I love. This isn't difficult to do, so I,ll play along...
I won't include family, as they know I love them already :) x

1. Sparkly things and turquoise green



2. Snow!

Don't worry!.. I,m not going to post another snow picture :) Although I could quite happily snap pictures and pictures of it as I LOVE it! And, I'm sorry but I can't guarantee that there will not be any more pictures of it this year ;)

3. Beautiful old doors and windows.

(These are from the gorgeous little fairytale cottage in the grounds at Stourhead in Wiltshire)




I would love to have a front door like this....



4. Notebooks.
I fill them with scribbles , sketches, ideas, lists, books that I must remember to read, music that I have heard and want to hear more of and snippets of stories that dance inside my head, that hopefully I can pin down into picture books one of these days not so far away.



5. My garden.
Especially in the spring when the air is filled with the scent of apple blossom, the cowslips are in flower and the lawn a carpet of daisies.



6. Birds and birdsong

I dare not imagine what the world would be like without a sky full of birds and the beautiful songs they sing.

7. The night sky

I could just sit and stare at a starry sky and the moon for hours.
Last summer we all decided to sleep under the stars. Not in a tent, but just on camp beds and duvets on the grass in front of the front door. I fell asleep looking at star filled heavens. Luckily it was a saturday night, otherwise the postman would have thought we were a little strange. Our neighbours did I think?

So, thats my seven things. I am supposed to pass the award on to 7 other blogs, but as there are so many wonderful ones out there , I don't know who to choose?
So I invite anyone to play along.

Now I really must get on. This week has flown by in the blink of an eye and seems to have been filled with domestic jobs and silly little but never the less important things that have had to be seen to, therefore I have very little to show for it creative wise which is quite frustrating, but I'll survive :)