Through The Wardrobe A Little Blue Dress And A Blue Moon

Stepping outside this morning I really wouldn't have been at all surprised to see Mr Tumnus walking up the garden path.

In fact, I was rather hoping I might?...
A fresh covering of snow fell overnight and how beautiful it looked once again. With weather such as this, you may have gathered by now, that I find it very hard to sit still and concentrate at my desk. So, just for a 'little' while, jobs inside came to a stand still once again.

Instead I went through the wardrobe so to speak, on an enchanting woodland walk.

Every step I took and each corner I turned, I captured it through my lens.

I took many many pictures and have lots of wonderful reference material for future paintings.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wardrobe, back home. Earlier this week you may have noticed a couple of new items listed for sale in my Etsy shop.

          Luna Fox with a Valentine heart 

And

A Hare Wearing A Little Blue Dress

And finally this evening, feeling refreshed from my walk. :) I finished my first painting of 2010...

I've named it 'Wishing On A Blue Moon' and it will be available to buy as a print later this week.

xx

White Magic And Rose Trees

Enjoying the warmth from my little radiator at my desk I sit. Listening to gentle music, planning ideas for new work and lists in my head of things that I hope to fit into 2010. All is peaceful. The children are back at school. Its their first day back. Titanium white touches new canvas.

                                                 

 Characters to breathe life into.

But outside a different tale was beginning. A whisper, a hush song, the gentle falling and gatherings of white bees.

That smell of cold and ice, travelled far from the north. She was finally paying us a visit.
By the morning the Snow Queen had painted her own canvas.

And what a masterpiece she created.

School was closed, my painting suspended, and off to find hills we walked. To sledge, with all manner of transport, toboggans, plastic feed sacks, dune boards, inflatable lilos, rubber rings and body boards.
What fun we had.

The Snow Queen has to be  my all time favourite fairytale.
I have loved it from the age of six, when I received this book for Christmas.

 I loved the illustrations, (By a lady named Pauline Hohly) especially this front cover.
And Jan and Gerdas window box gardens with minature rose trees growing in them.

Even now, whenever I see minature standard roses I always still think of the Snow Queens story.
There are so many beautifully illustrated versions of the story around now. I won't show you them all as you can hunt them all down online. But I do have this version here,  Illustrated by Errol Le Cain which I think is beautiful.

If you love the tale too you might like the quite recent BBC adaption featuring the music of Paul K Joyce.
I have both the cd and dvd and every winter, I listen and watch. (you can find it on Amazon through my link on the left side and find more about it here)

So, I have no 'new' finished work to show and school is closed again tommorow.
But we will enjoy the white magic while it lasts.
xx

A Quiet Time

Quiet days between Christmas and New year.

Card games for pennies, chocolates, burning pine cones on wood fires, sugared almonds, roast chestnuts, fondue, ginger wine ,visiting Narnia and catching up. 

Cold

Lingering ice

Cinema, Sherlock Holmes,orange lichen,

Thoughts and ideas for the coming New year.

Heres hoping for a peaceful and happy one for us all.

And remember to look for that little bit of magic in each and every day.

 As Mr Dahl once said...

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

***

x

Sparkly Inside And Out

In the dining room, on top of the piano, there are little birds roosting in a branch. Visitors for Christmas.

  The mistletoe and holly are up and there is an essence of magic about.

Peter Pan is enchanted with sparkles.

 Everything is ready.
Outside snow flakes, hug the branches.
The scene is perfect.

All thats left to do, is wish all of you a Christmas filled with love...

 

Peace

 

 warmth

and light

Merry Christmas!

xxxxxx

xxx

x

Stone Men And Winter Greenery

There is a chill in the air...

I have taken to wearing my hat and gloves.
At dusk here, the cottage windows glow, warm, welcoming with a twinkle of christmas. The skies have been clear and starry and the chimneys have smoky dragon tails of sweetest woodsmoke.

Shopping in Bath was icy and I felt as cold as the stone figures on Bath Abbey.

                                                                                                                    

In all the rush of Christmas they looked so still and wise and peaceful  gazing down from up high.

I'm always amazed by the detail on Bath Abbey and always have to stop and look. I adore the wooden door and even that looked cold too..

At least I was able to warm up with a mulled wine and lunch. Unlike the poor stone men.

Its been busy here with not much time for making wooden creatures or painting pictures. I've been stocking up on new supplies. Paints, canvas envelopes and other necessary bits and pieces and I had a bit of a rearrange of my desk and printer.
The house has almost finished being decorated. Just the holly, ivy and mistletoe to bring in now.

This holly is off of one of our own dear trees that is covered in berries every year. I picked it several weeks ago and it is in the greenhouse in a bucket of water. If I hadn't of picked it when I did, then I wouldn't have had any for Christmas decorating as the blackbirds and thrushes  have stripped the tree bare now.
The Ivy. Well there is plenty of that in the garden to pick.

The mistletoe. Oh how I would  LOVE to have growing on my apple tree! This beautiful bunch however I bought from the farm shop yesterday when we bought our Christmas tree.

Each year I try to get some mistletoe growing on the branches, but it has yet to work? Our apple tree branches are bare at this time of year. Just lichen.

This green man is keeping an eye on things in the garden, maybe I should get him to weave some magic over my mistletoe berries ;)

Hope everyone elses festive decorating is going well!?

And, I hear we may be in for snow this week!? I hope so!

P.S: Sorry about this large area in between the last picture and the comment place. I've just switched over to the new version of blogger and can't seem to get it? If anyone can tell me why I have this big annoying gap, please do? In the meantime excuse the odd things that may appear here and there while I get used to it! x
(Thankyou CJ It worked! :-) )     

The Bear Part 3

My children used to watch this over and over when they were small.
Here's a little reminder of how beautiful this film is :)
Take some time out and watch it from the very beginning with a cup of hot chocolate, perfect for this cold icy weather we are having.
x

A Winner Plucked From The Palm Of My Hand

Just a quick visit to announce the winner of the giveaway!

All names who commented were written on tiny sized pieces of paper and folded up. Then my daughter did the honours and chose one from my hand.
This is the name she chose.

  Congratulations Jeephpy! you are the winner of this pack of postcards

 Please let me know where to send them by emailing me. You can find my email by going to' my website' link on my blog and go to the contact section.

Thanks everyone for taking part we must have another one soon!  :)
xx

The Arrival Of Winter And A Little Giveaway

After so so much rain...
And now the sky is clear.
A twilight blue with the brightest of  winter moon.
 

It has suddenly got ice cold.

Much too cold for some....

There are those who prefer to stay inside in the warm, and are happy to just watch  from the window.
But when the light is like this, me, well I just have to be outside. If only for a moment to steal some of the magic and keep it for myself and share it with you....

I haven't been out much at all lately, still being held prisoner by my cough and cold. But today, I  heard Decembers icy fingers tapping at the door, so I wrapped up, with hat, scarf and gloves. Just for  a short while and to capture these elegant creatures in a pretty shop window.

Winter has arrived.
I'm looking forward to the first sparkles of frost on cobwebs.
Silent snowflakes and iced white sugar mice.....

Snow and  ice were on my mind when I did this little painting....

It was done for the online magazine New Fairytales and you can read the current issue here . They are raising money for Derian House Childrens hospice so please go and take a look.

And now because its December, the month of my birthday and because I have cause to celebrate reaching and passing 100 sales in my Etsy shop and 200 followers here (Thank you all )  I think it is time for a blog giveaway! Just leave me a comment If you would like a chance of  this bundle of 5 postcards with envelopes featuring my painting an Angel In The Woods.

The only rule is, you must be a follower of this blog.
I will pick a winning name out, from all of the comments on Sunday.
Stay warm xx