Buried Treasure

Seth at the Altered Page is running a new project called Buried Treasure. All we have to do is re-publish a post that we might consider treasure. So I have chosen my post on my Nature Journal.

As I can no longer cut and paste the text into Blogger you can visit the above link to read what I have to say on the subject.

Help the Hyena Researchers!

The students of Michigan State University's Holekamp Lab have their very own hyena blog all about their studies and life in Kenya. As a huge hyena lover I have been reading it for the last few months and have learned so much about life out there. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite blogs and I eagerly await each new post. The photos alone are wonderful.

Unfortunately the students rely on two clapped out cars to do their research and they are asking for suggestions on how to raise money to pay for a new one. They have a possible grant of $15,000 but a new car that would deal with the Kenyan terrain will cost three times that. The down side is that they have to find the other two thirds of the money by the 15th July. Michigan State University are in the grips of the global financial troubles and cannot donate so if you have suggestions for raising funds or know someone who might be able to help with a donation (do any millionaires ready my blog?) drop by their blog where you will find contact details and hopefully the safety of the researchers and the ability to spend more time researching the hyenas will be assured. Here is the link to the original post.

Fungal-Mouse

Certain members of my family have named this piece Fungal-mouse due to the two toadstools in the background. Its official title was An Autumn Woodmouse - very boring if you ask me but I hate giving my paintings titles. The unfortunate thing is the exhibition demands it so I have no choice but to call it something. Luckily it is my final piece to be exhibited this year so I can relax a little now. I was still working on it at lunch time today and it had to be handed in tonight at 6.30 GMT. So, now that is done I can sit and read and catch up on all the things that have had to go by the wayside over the last few weeks. Here's hoping I get a sale or two.

BEADS!

This is what 120 beads look like. I was lucky enough to be asked to make a batch for someone who wanted them for their own art project. Great fun and a great opportunity to see what it was like to make so many in one go. Phew! The batch consisted of 60 pink music beads with gold tips and a special order of 20 music beads in blue, 20 in peacock blue/green and 20 in green, all with silver tips. I am happy to make special orders for anyone looking for specific colours of beads so I was so glad to be asked.

Making an exhibition

At long last I managed to come up with a few paintings for the exhibition. I still have more work to do on some but these two are now complete.



This little coal tit comes to my garden during the autumn and winter to get fed. He (or possibly she) is one of several that come to the feeders, pick out the seeds they like and spit the rest on the ground for other, ground feeding birds to get.

These guys are frequently seen in the field opposite. During the warmer weather some of them can be seen stretched right out in the grass sunbathing. You can't help but be inspired by their cute little faces.

Calling all journal writers

If you enjoy journals and creating your own pages you might like to take a look at Seth's latest blog entry at The Altered Page. It is about Barron Storey's latest exhibition in New York. The pictures of Storey's journal pages are amazing. It blows my mind to think of all the work that must go into them. If you like what you see there then you might like to take a look at Barron Storey's own blog for yet more stunning pictures. Thanks for the introduction, Seth.

And then the sun came out!

At long last I can see the sun. For most of June we have had dull grey skies and rain. We even had hail on one occasion. But it is still better than some parts of Scotland - the Highlands had two inches of snow earlier in the month!





Here are some of the cards I promised. The little one above is only a couple of inches tall by four inches long. Makes and ideal gift tag or thank you card for those who don't want to write alot. The others are Father's Day cards and a birthday card.


Note the Scooby Doo decoupage! Who, of a certain age, doesn't love Scooby Doo?



This one is made using Crafty Individuals papers and collage images. The company is very helpful, had great craft items and is British! I have heard they ship abroad very quickly too.

This is a RubbaDubbaDoo image with DCWV Taj Mahal papers and lots of jewels. There's that Indian influence again!

I have been busy - really!

Despite the lack of blog updates I have been working hard. Not only did I discover that I have just a few short weeks to get work ready for the local art exhibition but I had a host of cards to make for various birthdays and celebrations and swaps to work for. Phew! Here we are at another Friday and I just don't know where the time is going. I am also contemplating signing up for another Open University course. I've got to keep those grey cells in gear. So far it is between theoretical archaeology and Darwin. Both appeal so it turning out to be quite a decision.

Because some of the cards I have made are for people who might be reading this blog I can't show them right now. But I can show you a few of the other things I have been working on. Two journal pages (front and back), some inchies and some silk beads. I'll put some of the other cards up later.

Simon Says Stamp challenge

The Simon Says Challenge blog is hosting an animal themed challenge this week but with a twist. If 100 people sign up for the challenge then Simon Says Stamp will donate $25 to the Humane Society of Delaware County Ohio. Regular readers of my blog will know of the plight of local animal shelters all over the world right now and this is a great way to help out while having fun. What's more, Simon Says Stamp will host a prize draw for all entrants and one lucky winner could get a £25 shopping spree in the Simon Says Stamp store. I have used this company several times and not only are there prices great but there is great customer service and fast dispatch and delivery - even to the UK.

So, this is my entry to the challenge. It's very simply done - some Basic Grey paper, some Penny Black stickers, a few home made glitter drops (made with UTEE and glitter) and my own quip. We've all heard of letting sleeping dogs lie but the mouse is certainly taking advantage of the sleeping cat.

Etsy update

I have been updating my Etsy store this week. Lots of new beads are instore with more to follow. I have also branched out to make polymer stamps. They are all handmade and most are from my own designs. The original idea was to produce stamps of my pen and ink animals. Unfortunately I have had difficulty producing the fine lines on the stamps so have diversified into bolder designs until I can figure out how to sort out the problems. The stamps are deeply etched, giving a good stamped impression that I am pretty impressed with. What really clinched it for me was, while many big name polymer stamps 'give' under pressure thus leaving a slightly blobby images if you press too hard, these stamps don't and do not need as much pressure to give a clear image. There are a few designs up right now but I am hoping to add more this week.