appreciate = robert farkas

i adore foxes
and i'm a bit obsessed with them of late
i suppose it's their dash of fire in the depths of winter that attracts me
i see them rarely as i live in rural area and they have more places to hide
and this painting captures that ethereal quality 
vulpes vulpes by robert farkas

my weekend = winter clouds

i know i live in a beautiful place
see

i rarely look at it with jaded eyes
but sometimes it can even take my breath away
everything about this view is wonderful:
the sea, the clay and sandy cliffs nearest, the chalk cliffs further off
but the clouds...
it was a bitterly cold walk with a biting north wind but it was worth each numb finger

this photo is taken with my samsung mobile

made = sister style tote bag

my eldest sister loves making crafts and appreciates them as birthday gifts
she loves butterflies too, hence the detail
i simply used a bought plain tote and fabrico fabric pens and drew everything free hand 
you can see the colours i chose were muted, after all, it IS autumn

I am really pleased with how it turned out
and the most important thing - she loved it!
my only tip: don't drag your hand across the wet ink it WILL smudge until its dried

my weekend = wet wool

this is nature's own decoration

beads of water glisten and bring life to something disgarded
it is so pure
who would need gaudy trinkets with this nearby?

paper + card = robin christmas card

christmas is just over a month away
where did that year go?
my family have now come to expect a handmade card
sounds fine, doesn't it?
but when you have a MASSIVE family like mine, and you work too, it can get down to the wire
i've often posted them knowing that they will arrive after christmas, not good

here how i did it:
i drew a bird template on tracing paper
then just transferred the image to my plain brown card
i went over the pencil with a black ink outline
i used my thumb to apply some red acrylic to give the robin his red-breast
when that was dry i put a tiny amount of glue on the red breast and sprinkled on some red glitter
i had recently bought the embossing label maker
the embossed merry christmas gives it a little extra something
it's light hearted, QUICK and effective
perfect

appreciate = kamilla marant

there's always a piece of me that's outside in the wild
even when i'm inside at work i feel that my soul is wandering in the mists or in the woods 
fox by kamilla marant captures the cunning slinking nature of the foxes beautifully
with a modern, angular twist

my weekend = the cold sea

the sea is so dark in winter

it is forbidding and mysterious and yet has an imperious beauty

it looks as cold as it must feel

not that i tried