Some Happy Times

Half term has been and gone, and I took the opportunity to lay down the paint brushes and have some heavenly time out.  Above is a mosaic, capturing some snapshots of that delicious week.  First off, a trip the seaside with my sister and her family; we went to the Norfolk coast and took a long walk on the sea front breathing in the deep gulps of tangy salted air.  The sea was like a mill pond, as calm as you like and dark silhouettes were framed on the shore line as folks walked their dogs, stark against the milky blue sea.

In the park, the aconites were a bright carpet of yellow and a cheery sight for a winter weary soul...there was also time indoors, leisurely breakfasts, time spent baking with my little girl and the acquisition of some new, shiny tins to put our freshly iced fairy buns in.  There were lots of sofa moments too where we just collapsed in front of the telly, where I crocheted or sipped hot, frothy coffee in my pyjamas.

I think we all need time out like this, time away from the computer, from work, from our commitments.  It's a chance to recharge, reflect and relax.  It was bliss.

Back to work though this week - paintings for the exhibition continue to emerge and I'm on with this one at the moment:

And I'm also on with some of these...

These Easter hearts have been a nice little diversion for me, and I continue to sneak the odd one in here and there between my more Serious Paintings.  I am currently offering these through my Facebook Page, so if you are interested in acquiring one for yourself, you are welcome to message me although I must hasten to add that they are very Limited Edition due to time constraints and so only a very small number will be made.

I have some extra time on my hands today, my little girl is at an after school craft club so I'm away now to take advantage of this extra hour, and get busy with my paint brushes again.

See you soon x

Colouring the Days

Yesterday I felt compelled to rush out and fill my house with blooms.  I don't usually spend too much on flowers, and will often pick up a little bunch of daffodils for a pound or so and be content to look at their sunny yellow heads.  But yesterday, overcome by a sudden need for colour, I went out and treated myself to a veritable armload of the things and plopped them in jam jars and vases around my house.

Candy pink tulips, indigo irises and a starburst posy of tiny, sweet scented narcissi.

I know it seems frivolous, but the satisfaction that these colourful visitors are bringing me is magnified and deep seated each time I see them.

Determined to make this a week of colour (to counteract the overcast behaviour of the weather) I also found myself some new threads...

Now I'm quite excited about these; you see I'm planning on making a necklace, but before I could start, I needed to unravel the rainbow skeins and instead of creating tiny balls from which to crochet from, I took inspiration from Pinterest here and did this:

 

Old style wooden pegs are the best thing ever for looking after your skeins of floss and embroidery threads.  I got very excited when I first saw that picture on Pinterest and was determined to do it myself.  

 

I shall share more about my necklace project with you soon!

In the meantime, we have been enjoying a snow laden weekend here...

Much fun was to be had out sledging, making snow angels and snowmen before retreating inside my Mum's cottage to be handed big steaming mugs of hot coffee and cookies.  I took mine outside, and went for a wander.  I do like how snow makes everything look so effortlessly beautiful.

  

 The seedheads looked particularly beautiful against the white snowy ground, and a recent vapour trail looked ever so much like a pretty garland against that bright, azure blue sky...

I must confess to liking being indoors at the moment though.  I like my cosy house and all it's homely corners and I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I have all this extra time on my hands now my Small is off being busy at school.  There are often too many hours in my day, but gradually I am fillling them with nice homely type things, such as tea drinking, crochet or like today, a spot of baking.  There is nothing more comforting to the soul than to have the aroma of baking in the house on a snowy day.

Todays bake was oaty cookies, enhanced with a generous scoop of chopped brazils and juicy sultanas.  I've already consumed three, and am tempted by a fourth...

On the arty front, I'm pootling about with my sketchbooks, contemplating a new painting and working on a couple of commissions here and there.  Here's one I recently finished, now safely in it's new home in Italy:

One last thing before I leave you (to dash into the kitchen to replenish my cookie plate) ~ a copy of Her Nashville came through the door just now.  Seeing it in 'real life' is all rather exciting I must say!

I hope you all have a lovely week, I'm so pleased you came to see me today!

Love Julia x x x

Delight~Full Living

Hello there!

I'm investigating Delight~Full Living today - those simple things or moments that can make our soul feel joy~filled.  It's easy to lose sight of Delight~Full Things in February, when the weather has been cold and dreary for weeks on end, and we feel as if the warmer weather might never arrive.  A succulent way of living is very necessary at this time of year and to me, this is all about happy feelings and finding pleasure in the ordinary. 

I'm going to share some of my ways of Delight~Full Living with you - read on!

 I like to fill my home with colour and my wool stash is a very pleasant corner of our home - the sight of all those colours make me smile and feel oddly satisfied deep down.  Wool to me is about comfort, about creating something snug and wearable or pretty and colourful for my little house and the people in it.

I have a very pretty rose polka dot oil cloth on my table now which is just the lovliest thing and sets off that Cornish Ware jug and happy yellow daffodils a treat!  This oil cloth is from Dunelm Mill.  It's very good and practically identical to the Cath one but at a fraction of the price.  Would you be able to tell the difference? 

Good stuff - delicious discovery, happy colourful mealtimes and pennies saved too!!

When the weather is fine, we take advantage of the sunny cold days and go outdoors.


Get yourself out in nature, listen to bird song...  

...look for new buds and shoots appearing in secret places...

...and discover new paths and magical rocks...

Have you any idea just how good for the soul fresh air and sunshine is?  Of course you have!!  Turn your mobile phone off, stuff it in your pocket and forget about it, take some good deep breaths and I'm sure you will catch the scent of spring in the breeze.

And of course, when you come home you could always bake something warm and tasty to eat!  Baking is one of my weaknesses that I indulge these days as a special treat - but eating something special once in a while enhances the pleasure of the moment for me!

There is nothing I like more than settling in a comfy armchair (or in bed) with a good book.  Book cases are magical places for me.  I'm an avid bookworm and absolutely adore the worlds that can open up within the pages of a book.  Here is my favourite bookcase - not just books on there if you look, but inspiring art cards, candle holders, vases and crystals which delight me each time I see them all together there!  Book heaven!

And you know that painting is also a very delight~filling obsession of mine...

Which reminds me - I have just released a new range of individual greetings cards which you can now find on my website.  I've been planning to do this for a while and I am so happy that it's all come together at last!  Creating is a very succulent pass time indeed and makes me feel marvellous.  If I don't do it, I feel strangely empty and detached.  


Good sea air, the sound of gulls, colourful fishing boats, crystal water on ochre sand...it's a tonic and an inspiration for me.  There is something about the coast the makes me feel intensley happy and content.

Whilst it's a little cold and too far to visit at the moment, I do like to order the odd brochure to look through of an evening and plan for a little holiday in the summer.  It is a grand feeling indeed to put the date on the calendar and count down the weeks and days until your departure!

And that brings me to camping *happy sigh* - camping is a random, fabulous and exciting thing that me and my family discovered last year for the very first time (well, since girl guide camp anyhow).  And already we are planning several jaunts, with summer weekends in Norfolk and Northumberland on the cards (fingers crossed).

 Well - if you've got this far, I'm impressed - it turned out to be a bit of a longer post than I first envisaged and I can think of many, many more things I could write about but for now I'm calling it a day.

I'd love to hear how you live in a Delight~Filling way, will you share with me?


Thanks for dropping in today, sending you bright pink hyacinths for your bedside table, hot chocolate and birdsong...


Love Julia x x x

Gently Bobbing Along

Hello.

I hope you are all well and will forgive my little absence - I meant to write last week, I really did, and then, you know how Life Happens and sneaks up on you, gets in the way of the nice normal stuff...

That's kind of what happened here :)

Anyway, in between the hectic happenings and early nights (necessary from all the hectic happenings), we have been doing some rather gentle nice things here and there...

There have been some genuinely lovely Homey Moments these last couple of weeks, those moments where you suddenly feel very cosy in your little abode and so very glad to be surrounded with your own bits and bobs, books and pictures, jugs of golden autumn flowers, and Stuff.

Ive noticed this feeling usually starts to happen at this time of year, like a Nestling in preparation for the colder months - I feel very happy pottering about in the house, baking things and just appreciating my little domain and it's little lived in corners; switching on my white fairy lights whilst cooking tea, lighting candle lanterns early evening...little things like that :)

We have been on slow jaunts, enjoying the ruby amber beauty of these warm autumn days...something so inspiring about those bright red leaves against a cerulean blue sky and the comforting feel of smooth, shiny conkers clustered in your pocket.

Did I mention we had been baking? After what seems like weeks of not doing any, Nigella seems to have worked her magic on us here and we are happily road testing all manner of delicious treats from her new book which I treated myself to whilst in Wales over the weekend (told you it had been hectic). Yesterday we made her Choc Chip Cookies:

There aren't many left :)

On the art front, I have managed to find snippets of time to create..

...I'm currently finishing hand illustrating some Christmas cards - here's a wee peek into my sketchbook as I played about with some seasonal images...

I'll be launching the first peek of these cards on my Newsletter - and I will also be offering one as part of a giveaway Im hosting on my Facebook Page ~ you are most welcome to sign up to either by clicking the links.

Thank you for bobbing by today - hopefully life will settle itself down a bit now and things can resume their usual happy pace which means more time for Blog Visiting and the like.

Sending you love, see you again soon.

Julia x x x

Happy, Sweet Days...

It's been a busy day in our little house. Well, for me at least as Ive been drawing for the most of it! New ideas are presenting themselves for paintings left, right and centre. Oh yes, Im having rather a time of it with old Mr Inspiration of late!! Ive also found myself waking up in the wee small hours, only for an idea to burst forth and bring me into the land of Wide Awake - at 4am this is not a good thing, and although it's exciting to have so many ideas to play with, I would be happier with a good nights sleep under my belt and the strike of inspiration at about 10am instead - preferably with a nice cup of tea.

But I don't suppose us creative types can pick and choose. Inspiration visits at random and I am always grateful for it, as it usually leads to something good.

As well as all this sketchy doodly activity, Ive also been busy with line drawings as you can see from my first picture today.
I have thoroughly enjoyed doing them. Here's a couple more for you to see.

Now what could this one be about...? Bedtime story? Homework in PJ's? Saturday morning comics? I'll leave it up to your imagination!

This one could be called 'A blustery afternoon' I think...


So, art wise, things are progressing. Things are also progressing quite nicely with the RR which has become a bit of a late night habit for me, something to settle down with last thing before bed. I don't think this picture does it great justice, we are suffering at the mercy of gloomy days here in Yorkshire and so the lighting is not so good for photographs. But you can get an idea of how its going I think!

Now, Im sure it's not just me, but cold weather and dreary days bring out the baker in me. We have been very busy of late, me and the Tiny Chef, creating all manner of scrumptious delights from Blondies and Brownies to Cupcakes and Sponges. And I have to say when Im not wielding a sketch book, or crochet hook, my mind is very fixed on deciding what treat to make next. And its not going to be much of a problem because yesterday our nice postie brought me this from the wonderful land of Amazon.

Oh people...for those of you who do not have this on your shelf, but who like to indulge now and then in these decadent little mouthfuls, then this is one to get. With things like Coconut Cupcakes with Pink Vanilla Buttercream and Caramel Cupcakes, Im rather overcome to say the least and it wont be long before these are given a whirl in our kitchen. Of course, I'll have to run it by the Tiny Chef first, see which ones she likes the look of best!

For now though, we are munching our way through generous slices of orange cake, the scent of the oranges in the kitchen when we were zesting and juicing was just like being in Seville! Oranges and lemons always remind me of warm sunny climes and are always happy little fruits in my mind. Is it usual to think of fruit in that way? Probably not. But thats me all over - ever so slightly bonkers!


Well, its about that time where I say 'Im off' and it usually entails a nice cup of tea and a bit of something sweet and naughty. But not today, having indulged in two slices of the orange cake already Im keeping away from the cake tin and instead Im going to announce that in the next week or two, I will be doing a little giveaway.

Yes.

And its going to be a nice one. Im telling you now, so that you can spread the word - more the merrier with these things methinks, so do pop back now and then as it will definately be happening sooooon!


I hope you have weekends full of sunshine and surprises - they're the best kind aren't they?! I'll be visiting your blogs as soon as Ive space for another slice of cake! So, thank you for stopping by today, it's lovely that you did!

Love Julia x

Pleasures and Treasures

Today, a parcel arrived. A very exciting looking brown box.
A couple of days ago, Rachael from the fabulously lovely 'Made With Love' blog sent me a delightful message to tell me that I was the winner of her giveaway! Woo-hooooo!! Very exciting stuff indeed!! And look at what arrived...the most stunning handmade cushion with a patchwork of vibrant red fabrics shaped into a heart...a gorgeous card and 4 little gifts, each carefully wrapped in pretty pink tissue paper.

Little helping hands were soon at the ready, I think the Little One thought it was Christmas come again!!

The delight of finding what was wrapped in these little parcels was beyond words - exquisite lavender hearts, hand embroidered...

...the most eye catching corsage, which I have the very jacket for it to adorn, and a gorgeous floral vintage keyring (a timely arrival for isn't mine just falling to bits??!)

Here is that stunning cushion, given pride of place in my most comfortable arm chair!

I am absolutely over the moon happy, the generosity of dear Rachael has blown me sidewards in delight - and you do find this in the world of blogging, that there are wonderfully talented people out there prepared to share their makings and doings with us, for no other reason than that its nice to do it, its nice to give - and its that generosity and loving spirit that has filled my soul with happiness this grey and miserable day. Thank you Rachael, very very much.


So, like I was saying, its a cold damp and dreary day here in Yorkshire. The fog occasionally swirls around the garden and we feel grateful when it lifts to reveal the trees on the opposite side of the river.
The Little One who is full of an awful cold declared 'Baking would be a good idea' and I had to agree. What better way to spend a morning stuck indoors amidst tissues and calpol than to bake something scrumptious!


So first of all, we peruse the recipie books...

Inspired by Kate Shirazi's Cupcake Magic book, work begins in earnest:

I don't get a look in with licking the spoon these days, no, that is a job reserved for the Head Chef. However, once they were cooked and cooled and a messy ten minutes of spooning jam into the middles had ensued, Head Icing Chef took over to finish these glorious little vanilla cupcakes with a swirl of rich buttercream...well, nothing else will suffice really when it comes down to it!

And here they are, in all their vanilla-jammy-creamy glory!

They taste pretty damn good too, even if we do say so ourselves!!


And so, on the Character Illustration front, you will be pleased to see that they are finally finished. She looks a bit different to the girl on my last post doesn't she!! I had a niggling feeling that something wasn't quite right with the face I'd done, and this is what its all about you see - to keep recreating the work until it feels right, until suddenley its a little person that has a character, and also, most importantly that you believe in it.

So at last, these little girls will be heading south. Im pleased to have completed them as it means I can set to work on a new painting now! I love that delicious feeling that settles upon me when a new idea takes hold. I like doodling in my sketch book until the idea ripens, and then the journey from sketchbook to canvas/paper is an adventure in itself, sometimes its an easy ride and other times its fraught with trouble and a great dose of perseverence is necessary.

So my next post will probably be about my next new artwork, an unfolding of the ripple blanket, which is rippling marvellously at the moment and providing a nice half hour of escapism here and there for me. It might be about the next baking project, or something completely different. And I hope you'll come by again, its lovely of you to visit me today and its lovely to have your company here - all of your comments make me smile and its a real gift to be getting to know so many nice people and discovering a world of hidden talent on your individual blogs.

And with that, its time to go! You know the routine by now don't you...its at about this time that the kettle goes on and a nice bit of sweet something is popped on a plate to be eaten slowly with a steaming cup of hot tea...simple pleasures...

They're the best ones.

With love
Julia x x x

Having Your Cake and Eating It !

Aha! A sneaky little peek at what Ive been working on - this is a little teeny weeny part of a painting called 'A Lovely Dream' and its still not finished despite 5 hours painting today (ah bliss indeed!). I am sitting typing with acrylic paint all over my hands, for me, painting is the equivalent to several hours at a day spa - it removes me completely from my normal world, I have no concept of time and Im able to lose myself for hours, becoming wonderfully absent minded and forgetting to eat etc!


So, today was a gift of a painting day, and talking of art I would love to pop in a mention about a little sale my fellow artist and friend Niki Jackson is having at her Etsy shop... I hope she wont mind, but Ive borrowed a picture of her gorgeous art to show off here - Niki works with mixed media to create whimsical yet thought provoking art. If you are curious to see more, you can check her out here.

This is one of Niki's art pieces - one of my favourites! :)


Anyway...yesterday saw a rather wet day descend upon our little house, and me and the tot were moved to do a spot of baking. Our first recipie being Cumberland Dream Cake which I had picked up on a postcard from Lucy's of Ambleside
This shop, for those of you have never had the good fortune to have ever visited, is an aladdins cave of deli-licious goodies. It is also a bistro, it is a cooking school - Lucy's is, in a word 'heaven'...anyway, I digress - this little postcard had the recipie of a fabulous little tray bake we nibbled upon with relish during our stay in the lakes, and after 2 years of the said card languishing in the front of a Nigella book, it finally got a testing yesterday and both me and little C declared it very nice indeed (and if you are a fan of walnuts, coconut and sticky sugary goodness with a crispy top then you would too).


The baking frenzy did not stop there. No, we moved on to make a vanilla sponge cake, with vanilla buttercream and (going into Enid Blyton mode here) lashings of Bonne Maman apricot jam in the middle. The tot was in her element licking spoons of cake mixture and the bowl of left over buttercream as I made the decision to be a bit more creative with my icing sugar sprinkling for the top (a quick dusting normally does the trick) and I made a little template out of a bit of card and it turned out like this!

Oh, we could hardly wait to finish our tea before slicing big wedges for afters! I feel a slice coming on right now, with a big mug of hot tea - very necessary after a morning of painting I think!! :)


Well, it seems as if I never stop doesn't it? Indeed I don't - well not at the moment anyway. Yesterday afternoon, mid baking, I had an appointment with a lovely man called Pete who owns a little cafe and who wanted to have a look at my art print cards. We had a chat and he said he would be very happy to stock my cards for me! I was delighted!! The cafe is in a very scenic area, popular with walkers and cyclists and people coming off the Woodhead Pass (one of the main routes over the penines to Manchester) and its often incredibly busy. He also expressed an interest in having a few pictures too, so thats something else to be thinking about!

This is a long post isnt it?

A little while ago I looked out the kitchen window at the pouring rain, and guess what I saw? It made my day - Mamma Duck and Seven little Babies swimming furiously against the swell (river's gone up quite a few inches and is boistrous and brown instead of shallow and calm). They looked like little brown pom-poms, all in a line - just delightful! :)

Im off to get that cuppa and cake, Ive rambled long enough!!

Sending love to you each, for a smashing weekend.


See you soon
J x