A walk in the woods....

Today I have finally listed my very first item for sale on Etsy.... yey!!   Only one, but there will be more added over the next few days.  I spent the morning, which was beautiful, walking through woods with Scout the dog, taking pictures to use in my listings....

So far, just the wolf is listed... the others will be on a.s.a.p.

It was beautiful just walking through the trees, all just a stones throw from where I live.  How lucky to be able to stroll along and enjoy it all.  I came across this growing on the trunk of a birch tree... now I have to get a book to see if I can identify this particular fungi.... it was very pretty.

Scout enjoyed herself too (although she got very hot)!

Right, now I'm definitely going to sit down and finish an EDM - hope to post at the weekend! x

Treasure everywhere....

Hi there... no new artwork I'm afraid, which is very frustrating.  I've been having a busy time in the 'day job', I was ill for a couple of days last week  :o(  and, I'm fighting the husband every evening to get a go on t'internet (as we fondly call t'world wide web here in the wilds of West Yorkshire) because he has been busy nearly every evening working on assignments for his Social Work stuff.  He wins - his work has to take priority at the moment, but hey, here I am having a sneaky half hour catch up (before I have to leave him with the machine, in peace again).

I am however, just about ready to list some items for sale at last on Etsy, just photographs to take now and hopefully I'll get that done tomorrow.  This has led me to spend some time browsing the wonders of other peoples Etsy shops and oh the stuff I have found (and wish I could afford!!) - I thought I'd share some with you here.

Polar Bear wood carving by Sandra Healy

Well, I can't deny the polar bear obsession at the moment and I think this guy is lovely - and I'm sure the piece would be really tactile too.  He could have a spot on one of my shelves anytime.

'A three legged dog bit me' by Paul of Navarone

I just love the humour behind this one, and the 'bumf' that Paul of Navarone has put down as the blurb for the piece really amuses me!  Very 'Pythonesque'.  I see that he is based in Glasgow, say no more, my husband and his lovely family are all Glaswegian.  I think there is something in the water.....  :-)

'Beetles and Weevils Collection No 1' by Golly Bard

OK - this is just plain cute!

Last but not least.......

Birch bark cuff, Plumberry by Bettula

I think this is just lovely, and so original, birch bark is just beautiful, have you ever looked at it closely?

So, there you are, just a few pretties that have taken my fancy recently.  A bit of virtual window shopping.  I should do this more often. 

Be back soon with my own online shop news hopefully and an EDM I've been trying to complete for a few days!

xx

Drum roll.....

..... I just interrupted my husband during his stint of gardening so that he could pick the winner for my giveaway!

..... and the winner is......

Yey!  Thank you everyone who joined in this bit of fun.  It's lovely to be sharing something finally.  Now I must send an e-mail to Revelle and ask her to pick her pic!

Back soon with lots of new stuff, I'm having a very productive day so far..... x

Dance to the music

A quick post of a picture that represents something I need - inspired by the EDM group challenge:

Yep, for me it's music...  I always have it playing and, since I saved up for my first Sony Walkman (1983 - remember?) I've always had a selection to take with me whenever I'm out and about.  My husband and I finally upgraded all our music systems a couple of years ago - we'd been running on a system made up of elements of my old Hi-Fi set and his, both well over 20 years old  :o) ...overnight we changed this to the best new digital stuff we could afford and also bought a really lovely new turntable because we have hundreds of albums still on vinyl (which we still regularly play) as well as all the CDs and digital downloads.  In fact we are about to start digitising all the vinyl so we can upload it to our iPods.  Oh my little iPod how I love it!!  I carry it everywhere with me, play it in the car; plug it into computer speakers when I work alone in the library in school holidays etc,etc.

This is a very quick sketch, rough around the edges but it conveys the message well enough.  The album it is set on (I had been listening to) is 'Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes' by TV on the Radio if your'e interested - great played loud!

I never properly learned to play an instrument, though can play lots of them by ear, but I just can't get beyond the most basic sheet music.  My husband is a musician though, he plays a bass.  Played bass, he hasn't been in a band for a while now.  When I first met him he was in a band called The Keep.  Amazingly a video of them playing their song 'Sit Down' has turned up recently - filmed back in 1989!!!  Where did the time go?

I will be making the draw for my giveaway on Saturday.... do leave a comment at this post if you haven't already - if you'd like the chance of receiving one of the items!

TTFN, L x

First ATC swap....

Just wanted to share my first ATC swap with you.  I am a member of UK Handmade and a lovely lady called Kella set up an ATC swap group that I decided to join.  I have never done anything like this before but, ever up for a creative challenge I though it would be a great idea.  The theme for the swap I joined was 'songs'.  This seems to have been approached from lots of angles, I've have just noticed on the Flickr group that one lady has done 'the dawn chorus'... well you can't really get much lovelier music than that can you?

The card I received was from Jane who makes the most beautiful crocheted items and her 'card', I don't really want to call it that because it's made of the most gorgeous golden silks and velvets and beads, is inspired by the most recent album by Corrine Bailey Ray...

Lovely isn't it?

I had to send my ATC to Kella (check her beautiful craft work here) this time.  I think I have mentioned the group Eels before, there isn't an Eels album I don't like and many of their songs I absolutely love.  So I chose, without even realising I was chosing to illustrate yet another Wild Thing, the Eels song 'I Like Birds':

On the back I collaged lots of astronauts and a rocket launch, an auto-car and lots of little birds which I then covered with a layer of tissue paper with my details written on in bestest, neatest handwriting...

I loved making this and can't wait to have a go at another!  Keep an eye out now for the little sparrow - he'll be turning up in jewellery very soon!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post to be entered for the giveaway!  Ta ta for now, x