The Giveaway Post!

Hello!

 

I'm very pleased to announce a Giveaway today, it's to celebrate reaching over 5000 Likes on my Facebook Page! 

 

To say a huge thank you to all of you who support my art, and who like what I do, I've decided to offer TWO artist proof prints to you. 

 

These artist proofs are professionally printed images of Moon Fishing and Dream Haven.  They are printed onto high quality Hahnemuhle fine art paper courtesy of the wonderful Studio 61 Gallery printing department.

 

If you've headed over to my Blog from Facebook - a big warm welcome to you - while you're here you can choose to follow my Blog if you like by connecting with Bloglovin or by email, both of which you can click on in the sidebar here.  To my regular Blog readers, you are also very welcome to take part and all you need to do is leave me a comment under this post.

 

The Giveaway is open as of now - and it will remain open over the Christmas holidays to give everyone a chance to enter.  I will do the draw week commencing the 6th January, and announce the winner here.  Facebook friends will be directed back to this page to see if they're one of the lucky ones!

 

In case you're wondering why I'm hosting the giveaway here, and not simply on Facebook, well - I've read a lot of articles this last day or so about the protocol of hosting such a thing on ones page, and it does seem that there are some rather complex rules and regulations to adhere to.  So, in order not to offend or unwittingly make a mistake, I figured the simplest thing would be to share about it here.

 

Good luck to all of you who take part, and thank you once again for your amazing support, I'm in deep gratitude to all of you for making it possible for me to call this painting malarkey my job.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you, I'll be back in the new year to find a winner and share more of my work with you *exciting new things are on the cards too!*

 

Julia x

A Little Moment

I was in Bath a couple of days ago, we had met up with some friends and taken our children off to Longleat.  Before we went home, we stopped in this beautiful city for a few hours, and upon our wanderings we stumbled upon The Whistlefish Gallery.

You may or may not know that a while ago, some of my images were licensed to be sold as greetings cards by this art company, who have galleries throughout the south west of England.

I went inside, spotted the Christmas card stand, and suddenly, there they were.  Just like that, right in front of me amongst a collection of other festive images...three of my own wee pictures.

It's a rather lovely and strange moment seeing your work published and for sale in a real live gallery for the first time.  I've had real paintings in galleries and that is a spectacular feeling, but seeing your work printed as cards, and knowing that people might perhaps come in and buy them and send them to someone special, and to different little corners of the globe, well, that's pretty special.

Thanks to everyone at Whistlefish and Emma at The Paintbox for making one of my dreams come true.


PS - you can currently get 15 cards for just £6 - available in the shops and online at their lovely new website.

Glorious Golden Days

It's been a while since I last wrote a blog post, and since then we have been enjoying a beautiful Indian Summer here; honey tinged days warmed by the sun and brilliant blue skies above.  Sunflowers continued to nod their cheery faces at us from gardens still full of blooms but spirals of falling leaves and a nip in the air come teatime gently hinted that Summer was indeed leaving us, and yet it seemed to be endless.   

Then, just like that, it was Autumn.

A chill in the air and a wild wind arrived.  Like a travelling fair, Summer had packed away her glamours for another year and left quietly one night while we were sleeping.
A feeling of wanting to make the house cosy settles, I find extra cushions for the sofa, we light candles in the evening on the mantel and we put the eiderdown across the bottom of the bed for extra warmth at night.

We get out and about taking walks close to our home noticing the subtle changes in the light, the dusty green leaves turning crisp amber and gold, the flowers turning to sculptural seed heads (oh how I do love these) and the blackberries ripening in the hedgerows.  I like being outdoors, enjoying the shift of the seasons, and I relish the effect they have on all of my senses.  I love the scents and the colours of this season. 

I also notice how my grocery shopping changes, from crisp salad leaves and strawberries, to the rich sweet flavours of Autumn; butternut squash, mushrooms, parsnips and beets.  It's a time for hearty casseroles, chunky soups, warming and comforting flavours.

There is an abundance of apples in our neighbours garden and he gives us two carrier bags full, bulging with different varieties.  There is apple tarte tatin with thick, unctuous clotted cream and apple flapjacks for after school snacks.

We think the Summer Birds may have finally left.  As I stand on the back door early evening and search for signs of them, listen out for their familiar chatter I find empty and silent skies.  If anything marks a change in the season, its the arrival and departure of the beautiful swifts and swallows that swoop and dive above our river and over our rooftops each year.

With Autumn finally here, it's a busy time of year for me as I prepare for a Market Night.  I'm hosting this on my Facebook Page, so just like a real market you'll be able to browse and shop for Christmas goodies and gifts.  I'll share dates with you soon, but to be double sure you don't miss out, you're welcome to follow my page too.

I'm also putting together an gorgeous collection of cards for my Mailing List subscribers, which will be available at a very special price and exlusively to subscribers.  They'd make a fabulous gift, or a treat for yourself - why not sign up here to discover more?  The next e-zine will be published very soon, so don't miss out!
__________________________________

Yorkshire Snow, a limited edition print (run of 50), professionally printed on fine art paper, are now available on the website:

A Gift of a Day

Sometimes, life sends you a beautiful gift of a day, one that will be remembered for a long time to come, and recently we had such a day down by the sea at Robin Hood's Bay.

This little village is a cluster of old fishermen's cottages on the Yorkshire coast, which shelve steeply down to the slipway and beach.  Great cliffs sweep away to the left, and to the right, when the tide is out, the beach curves away in a crescent of sand covered with slippery rocks and enticing pools.

We parked at the top of the village and began our descent down, stopping at the little grocery/post office to buy drinks and chocolate bars.  Once there we set up our camp and immediately kicked off our shoes.  The little one was away with her net and bucket in an instant, off to catch shrimps and crabs.

It was a spectacular day, with blue skies and warm sunshine.  The good weather had enticed quite a few people down to the sands as well as an ice-cream van who had parked at the bottom of the slipway.
There is a wonderful tranquillity about this place.  You slowly become aware of the peace as there is no sound of traffic, only the gentle breeze soughing in the trees and the cry of the gulls overhead.  Even the sea was peaceful, as still as a millpond and streaked with jade, indigo and blue.

The day passed in a gentle and carefree way, searching the rock pools for creatures, making sand pies and eating delicious ice-creams.  It was unanimously decided that fish and chips on the beach for tea was quite essential.

Later that afternoon, we had a wander up to our favourite café, Swell, and had a refreshing drink sat on the veranda overlooking the wide sweep of the bay.  It's quite something!  As we left, we bought some special treats from the glass cabinet for our dessert later on - chocolate crispy crunch slices for us, and for the little one, a rich chocolate brownie.

After our refreshments, we wandered around the village a while...

There is something heavenly tantalising about catching a glimpse of the sea between buildings, that happy inducing blue stripe makes the heart soar, like discovering treasure I think!  There are also exciting little lanes and pathways to be found, lined with higgledy piggledy cottages that were frothing over with bright blooms in baskets and containers.  And it is up one of these very paths, hidden up a side lane down by the dock that you will discover a very good fish and chip shop.  Tempted in by the mouth watering scent, we promptly went in and ordered and then took the steaming parcels down on the beach.  Really, it's quite the best place to eat them I think!

There's absolutely nothing better than fish and chips, soaked in salt and vinegar, eaten at the seaside.  and with a view like this it was nothing short of perfect.

After our fish and chips, we sat a while watching the tide coming in.  It crept in quietly yet at a rather alarming pace, filling rock pools and coming right up the beach.  People, seemingly drawn by the change in energy began to wander down to the sands to enjoy the last moments of this beautiful day.  Gathering in groups, standing together and talking in low voices the sun slowly sank behind the sands and there was a quiet calm the likes I've not experienced before...it was almost as if people were wistfully saying farewell to Summer, knowing that this gift of a day was something very special and that ahead lay colder days. 

One last walk along the beach then, before it was time to head for home...

Goodbye for now, my favourite village on the cliffs...

...we'll be back again soon.

Inspired by the village of Robin Hood's Bay, this framed painting, entitled 'Slipway' is now available to purchase.  Please contact me for more details if you're interested.

Transition Time

 



School has started again, after a long, hot and languorous Summer holiday.

 

I am all of a sudden alone in an empty house, there are lots of things to do, things to be cleaned and tidied but right now, I am aware of a silence and a stillness that wasn't there before, and I'm taking my time to acclimatise to it.

 

In a way, I had dreaded this day arriving, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined.  There's plenty to do today as it happens, little chores to fill the little gaps, to keep me occupied.  In an hour or so the house will ring with the sound of her little being again as she clatters in through the front door, throws her school bag on the sofa and runs outside to play.

 

September to me feels a little bit like a January; a time of fresh beginnings, new projects and so forth.  I'm in the throes of planning a Market Night which will be hosted on my Facebook Page, where I'll be selling some brand new, fresh original art!  There'll also be some new art products that I'll be sharing with my newsletter subscribers very soon - you can sign up for yours here.

See you again soon.

Long Days of Summer

 

So the holidays are in full swing, the sun is mostly blazing and there are an abundance of butterflies the likes of which I have not seen before.  The broad beans are ripe and bulging in their emerald green pods, begging to be picked and cooked.  Lazy breakfasts laden with delicious fresh summer berries and nectaries atop a hearty dollop of thick greek yoghurt are enjoyed in PJ's with no care for time.

 

There is a trip to Norfolk, a stay in a caravan, a wander upon vast beaches.  We crunch upon the pebbles and spy on the seals on Scroby Island, then go for massive ice-creams which are eaten on the promenade under a lush blue sky so bright you squint to look at it.

 

There are times at home too, just crashed out on the sofa watching a DVD, sat at the table painting, in the kitchen making some iced biscuits.

 

But there is also a feeling that a little bit of structure to my days again would be nice.  I'm starting to miss my routine, my work.

There are frayed tempers, the little one is bored - we've been to the seaside, the play centre, met chums, been into the countryside...but sometimes, we need to stay home and ground ourselves.  Small people don't understand this, they want to be out and about all the time and doing exciting things.  Mummy is boring, she never does anything interesting.  I sigh. 

 

I read lots of Blogs in the evenings and see heaps of gorgeous photographs, of people enjoying this freak British Summer time.  It all looks rather marvellous, rather perfect.  My Summer does not look like this; my home is untidy, there are unfinished jobs stacked up on my desk.  I have a fatigue upon me which has descended and will not leave and I am running out of steam, running out of ideas on how to amuse an energetic, creative six year old child single handed.  I've mostly enjoyed the holidays so far, our trips out and about as well as our days spent busying at home, but these days are full of things, and I see less and less of my paints, which makes me feel empty and irritable.

 

I start to feel like the bad Mummy, the one who is secretly wishing that the children were back at school.  I feel momentarily selfish for wanting to scratch that creative itch, to bed down uninterrupted and create new paintings and start new projects.  For a second, I wish I was having a magazine style summer, complete with spontaneous picnics that bulge at the seams with just baked goodies, and to accomplish it all with a happy family, a happy smile and boundless energy; to not have those wants and desires.

 

But real life, it's not really like that, at least not all the time.

 

As a Mum, I often spread myself too thin without realising.  Since my daughter was born I have instinctively put others first and very often put my own needs on the back burner...I'll get to them later, they're not important, it can wait.

 

It can't.

 

Meeting your own needs, it's not selfish - it's necessary.

 

If we take care of ourselves, we have far more to give to others when needed.  If we don't practice self care we run the risk of burnout or illness.  Self care can be ten minutes in a hot bath without interruptions, it can be a walk in nature, sitting with your journal and writing down your ideas, your friend taking care of your offspring while you shop - whatever lights you up.  Self care promotes calmer, happier people, it replenishes our energy, it helps us to feel good. 

 

With support thin on the ground this summer, I'm really feeling the need of some solitude, some sacred time to myself.  It's become a deep craving, and when I feel the insistent nudge of frustration I know it's time to act, to do something for myself that will help tip the balance back to where things are happier and easier.

 

It's learning to ask for support, it's learning to say yes when it's offered.  I need to remind myself of this more often.  I don't have to do it all on my own, and it's good for my daughter to be around other people too.  Making time for myself teaches my daughter that it's important to take care of yourself, to make your own needs, interests and activities a priority too.  We don't compromise our love for our families if we don't give 24/7 - in fact, it teaches our families to see us as a whole person rather than some woman who irons the school uniform and provides a taxi service to the after school clubs.

 

So...Summer carries on in it's blissful, warm, hazy way.  The little one is busy, engrossed in her latest project...so I'm sneaking outside for five minutes to watch the dragonflies playing in the sun.



France

The hot Summer here has temporarily been replaced by a cool breeze and the whisperings of Autumn, although I do hear that we are going to be having another heat wave soon.

The memory of searing heat reminded me of our recent holiday to France.  We stayed in a beautiful village a few kilometres south of Le Touquet, and enjoyed hot, sun drenched days that were only cooled by the occasional mammoth lightening storms at night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being away gives me a much needed chance to forget about everyday things, to live simply from moment to moment and to enjoy the small pleasures that surround me: A chalky turquoise wave crashing onto the shore, the discovery of a sea potato, a beautiful sunset in a foreign land, new food and drink, school-girl French.

 

 

 

 

 

There is an awakening of the senses when we travel somewhere new, we see new things, taste new flavours, hear fresh sounds.  We feel alive, the world feels exciting and exhilarating.  I thought about how we easily take for granted the tiny miracles that are harboured in our own back yards, how we sometimes miss the beauty and the wonder that surrounds us as we swamp ourselves with the mundane and ordinary.

 

So I returned home, abundant with new enthusiasm.  I decided to once more start finding miracles and gratitude around me, in my day to day chores, my everyday ordinary moments.  The colours in a newly opened geranium, scarlet as a showgirl's lipstick and reminiscent of the beautiful flowers in those pretty French villages we drove through made my heart skip with delight.  I see chalk drawings on the back yard, colourful words and art from the magical mind of a six year old child that light me up and make me smile.  I see colourful washing billowing in a breeze against an azure sky, and seagulls overhead - yes, although inland we sometimes see the gulls wheeling above the village, but rarely hear them call.  Still, it reminds me of the coast, and I feel happy to see them.

 

I've taken most of the school holidays off this Summer to spend with my daughter; to wander and muse, to empty my mind, bake biscuits and lemon drizzle loaf cake.  There are random and spontaneous trips to the coast, picnics in the countryside, a weekend in a caravan, time with friends and family.  I know in years to come she'll be off galavanting with her friends during the holidays and way too busy to be spending time with her Mum. So I relish this time and the things that we do together and despite having the occasional urge to leap back into my creative zone and biz, I do my best to plan creative pursuits around her and with her.  After all, it's not long til school starts up again and we can muddle along quite happily until then.

 

There are new ideas on the horizon for my business too, born from stepping back, from simply stopping.  There are plans blossoming and it fills me with an enthusiasm for my art which I haven't had fully in months.

 

So the Summer wanders on.  The light in my kitchen in the early morning is tinged with the soft, shadowed hues of a lowering sun, and I sense that Summer will soon be leaving.  I stir my coffee and thoughtfully look out of the window at the dusty green leaves and slightly overgrown wildflowers on the riverside. 

 

Autumn is often a time for new beginnings for me, I relish this fresh start and look forward to sharing many new things with you all in the months to come.

 

 

 





Four Things

1 :: Having a wild weekend away with my friends from Facebook.  I've been in contact with these girls for a couple of years or so now, and am so blessed to have their friendship and support.  There's a whole load of wisdom and talent around that table, as well as fabulous senses of humour.  We went to Stratford upon Avon and enjoyed the hot weather, chilled Pimms, the River Festival and frenzied conversations and laughter.  Til next time girls :)

2 :: Loving the colours of my new Orla lamp, and a jug of hand picked wild flowers from down the garden by the water.

3 :: New wool supplies - fresh from the Yves Town shop - this is a bag full of cotton, and the colours are absolutely wonderful, zingy, fresh and rainbow infused.  I'm starting a little project with this, and I'll share it with you soon.

4 :: Paint and tea.  I'm on with some new work which is really lifting the spirits and making me feel happy.  I'm creating some special wooden block paintings at the moment for the Janet Bell Gallery, and I will have three of these to share with the subscribers of my e-zine on Monday at a super special price.  You can sign up here if you would like to be the first in the queue to have a peek at them yourself :)

Have a lovely weekend.  Til next time,
Love J x

What I did when I got tired of painting

I recently decided to take some time away from my work.  I've been feeling a little drained and a little lost of late and felt that some much needed downtime was necessary to recharge the batteries.

So the weekend before last, we drove down to Suffolk to see my sister and her family.  On Saturday, the forecast looked promising so we took off to the coast and went off to Felixstowe.  I do like Felixstowe, it's a lovely little town and is a nice mix of traditional seaside resort with it's pier, amusements and fish and chip shops and then up the far other end there's Felixstowe Ferry which is a tranquil and quiet little quayside that has retained an old world charm that is impossible to resist.

We started off in the amusements, the children had some pocket money and lured by the twinkling rainbow lights and exciting sounds within we spent a good hour dispensing two pences into greedy machines and enjoying some vigorous games of air hockey.  Fish and chips for lunch followed and we sat on the beach wall enjoying them as the children ran up and down the beach and had a fine game throwing pebbles into the little waves.

After lunch, the children went off with their Uncle for a round of Crazy Golf, and me and my sis and the other half wandered down the promenade, stopping for ice-cream.  After much frivolity on the golf course we decided that we'd drive over to Felixstowe Ferry to look at the boats.

 

 

As you drive into this little place, you feel a quiet calm descend.  There are old wooden huts on stilts by the waterside, and lines of masts and rigging that snap and tinkle in the breeze.  As we walked towards the little harbour area, we discovered fennel growing wild by the side of the road amidst poppies and wildflowers. 

There's a little fish shop by the quay too, and you can buy fresh lobster and seafood.  We treated ourselves to a pot of prawns doused in tangy vinegar and the children enjoyed an ice-cream each from the little van.

Wandering about these kinds of places makes me feel very happy and relaxed.  These places are very good for the soul.  There's not an awful lot going on, just the call of gulls and the odd boat sailing up and down, but it's nice to sit and watch, to not have to do much else.

On Sunday, continuing our relaxing theme we drove over to Wicken Fen.  This is a National Trust property and one of my favourite places.

An unspoilt landscape of reed beds and boardwalks lead you past hidden streams, where unusual birds call out to each other and people take the time to notice the profusion of wild flowers and insects.  Lazy lizards lounge on the warm boards, and when these walkways give way to soft grass, its a pleasure to slip your shoes off and walk barefoot on the cool green ground.

It was exceptionally hot, and many rests were taken along the way.

It was one of those lush, hot days that we ambled through slowly, finishing in a nice pub in the cathedral city of Ely before setting off home for the north.

While I was away, I was able to take some time to think about my work and other feelings of apathy that have taken over me of late.  In my last post I wrote about how much of an effort everything seemed to be.  I'm sure this happens to many creative souls; at some point they hit a brick wall and nothing seems to inspire anymore - and it's deeper than just the mojo disappearing for a few days - it's something, a feeling, that has grown over time and you feel that you've *lost* something.  I realised that the intensity of creating a body of work for an exhibition, and then carrying on to create a body of work for a client (all of which had taken many months) had taken it's toll.  It's not that I don't enjoy painting, I truly do - but I'd reached a point where I'd felt it was becoming mechanical and I was no longer looking forward to sitting at the easel anymore.

In a quest to find fresh inspiration we need to take time away from what we do.  We need to go off and do something different, something fun and forget about it all for a while.  We need to let time work its magic, and since then I've noticed the tiny little sparkle of new ideas being born.  I've made some time to write down my thoughts, and realised that there are some aspects about my business that don't work for me so well - I've decided to only offer a handful of commission slots for people from now on because it will free up the time for me to focus on new projects in the future.  I've also made a schedule for myself, kind of planned out my week in a loose fashion so that I can create work that I can sell for myself, as well as for my agent and galleries.

It's about realising that I need different revenue streams to flow side by side - finding ways to make a regular income alongside the jobs that don't pay out for a few months.  It's about keeping the inspiration bubbling, and keeping it fresh, and keeping my passion for my subjects alive and I know to do this I have to take regular breaks away from what I'm doing in order to let new ideas come through.

I had another amazing weekend away after being at my sisters which has further fuelled the creative fire, with a bunch of talented and inspiring chums I've met through Facebook.  We had a weekend in Stratford upon Avon...but that's another story which I'll tell next time.

Til next time,
J x

Home Girl

 

These last few weeks have been strangely tiring.  I'm not quite sure why...just in that 'everything feels like too much effort' sort of tiring.  I think it is possibly a culmination of things, of a rather intense workload, of commissions, housework, general family life and what have you.  Keeping all the balls in the air is sometimes a huge job, and I think these last few days, I've definitely dropped one or two.

I felt the need to stop, to just potter about at home, nap, dream, wander....I know better than to argue with these feelings and find these days it's best just to succumb and let go.

 

So this Saturday, there was just me and the little one at home, and seeing as how Summer had forgotten to set its alarm, and wild rain and winds randomly battered the windows, we decided to hunker down indoors for the day with not much planned at all, and see what unfolded.

 

There was some catching up to do on the chores front - oh my, being busy with some painting commissions and generally feeling rather drained has left me with little or no inclination to tidy up at all, and I'm afraid my house is rather topsy turvy because of it.  Ironing languishes in a pile at the top of the stairs, a feature I have been walking past and choosing clothes from these last few days with no plan to do anything about.  There are slightly dusty surfaces, and washing in the machine that needs hanging on the airer (too wet and cold to go outdoors, more's the pity).  Yet on Saturday morning, the one thing that had been niggling me most, was suddenly dealt with.  The toy corner.

 

Living in a very small house means that we don't have the luxury of a toy room as such, so there is a stash of toys that has seemingly grown out of all proportion behind the armchair.  On Saturday, we both sifted through this mess, and created a pretty satisfying pile of stuff that would be off to the charity shop, and also one that was destined for the bin.  I am now on the look out for a nice second hand cupboard to paint up so that the child has somewhere pretty to keep some of her smaller toys and games.

 

 

So, after the general effort of tidying was over, we set to baking some biscuits, and then I sneaked onto the sofa whilst she played with her Lego.  I found myself nodding off here and there, in between reading this book:

 

 

I haven't baked anything from it yet, but the recipes are very enticing.  Using lots of fruit and other seasonal produce (as well as chocolate, which is a year round staple), there is a tempting array of tasty, but healthier bakes and goodies to satisfy my sweet tooth without an attack of the guilties for indulging. 

 

On Sunday morning I nipped out briefly to bring in some groceries, and some summery blooms.  It's been a while since I had to buy flowers....

 

 

Before investing in these, I had been nipping down the garden, following the little path down the side of the river and disappearing into a fairy glade of frothy grasses and pretty wild flowers, and once there I would snip a few with my scissors and pop into my little Greengate jug. 

 

 

 

 

Ox-eye daisies, cornflowers, red campion, cow parsley and knapweed all grow in profusion down there, along with buttercups and forget-me-nots.  It really is pretty as a picture, but when I ventured down there this morning, the rain had made the whole place overgrown and inaccessible.  It had turned into the Wild Interior almost overnight, and my little path to the waters edge was a tangle of nettles and grasses which had somehow weaved themselves together to form a nasty, and painful passage.  So I gave up and came home again.

 

Still, a little bunch of cheap flowers from the supermarket are just as nice, and on the subject of splurges, I've also been in raptures with my newest little gift for our house.  I'm afraid I couldn't help myself, and I'm rather glad I couldn't because I bought a Real Painting from a very brilliant artist and I absolutely can't stop looking at it and smiling when I do.  I don't know if you are familiar with the art of Sarah Summers, but please do take a look - she is a most talented and inspiring illustrator, and I'm now the delighted owner of one of her original paintings:

 

 

See it?  That little square canvas on the right, sitting happily next to my print from Caroline Rose?  The colours really are wonderful, and I think the two pieces of art together are just glorious!  I get giddy just looking at them, I absolutely LOVE colour in my home, it really lifts the spirits and makes me feel good.

 

I actually have a Plan for this wall, I have a plan to adorn it with all kinds of colourful art and trinkets.  I'm very excited about it, because I do like to have little Home Projects on the go and I can already see in my minds eye how it will look when it's all finished.

 

So, this weekend, I have been soaking in the colour and the cosiness of my little nest.  Feeling happy not to have to do anything too pressing - apart from go to the Arena in Sheffield to see Rod Stewart on Sunday evening which was just a little bit brilliant.  Aside from that, I've been enjoying the quiet bits, just sitting and thinking...because I sometimes do that, when life feels a bit too much, when the tiredness takes a hold and I can't shake it off.  I sit and think what I might be able to do about it, to put it right again, to find my balance and what not.

 

 

Time in my little nest is very healing, it involves gentle pottering, deep baths and good reading books to take to an early bed.  I scour my recipe books for healthy, energy building meals, and go out into the sunshine to soak up some vitamin D when the clouds take it upon themselves to part.

 

I enjoy being at home, amongst my bits and bobs, with my little girl playing on the carpet, piles of old magazines to lazily browse through, and a stack of colourful cushions to doze on.

 

I have some exciting work on the cards at the minute too, I'm designing some lovely new work for Janet Bell's gallery on the island of Anglesey in Wales.  I shall keep you posted about this, but here's a little peek of the kind of thing I'm going to be working on:

 

 

Thanks so much for coming to see me today, it's always lovely that you do.

J x