Challenge Gillian

At the beginning of the year I challenged myself to do one drawing every week in an attempt to spark my creativity into a regular pattern. Four weeks in and I have managed to keep up with my challenge with four completed pieces. The puppy in the post below is one of them too (though he hasn't scanned as well as he could have). This hasn't been about producing finished pieces of saleable work but just doing it for pleasure and I think that has been what has kept me going. So often I have to paint and draw things that have to go up for sale but I am always pressured into finding a subject that people want to see. These pieces are about trying techniques and expanding my skill - especially in the case of the graphite pieces. The flower and butterfly were drawn in pen and ink and then coloured using water soluble coloured pencils - something I haven't done outwith my card making. Hopefully I can keep it going - for another month at least.

Awwwwww!

I have added three new paintings to my Etsy store. It seems that rabbits have been playing a large part in my painting recently. One is similar to a paintings I did last year. This time I added some branches to the corner as added detail. The second one I did last year but revamped it a bit. Not sure if it has worked or not. It seems a bit green to me but critics ( i.e. my family) seem to think it looks fine. The final piece is called Heavenly Peace. I don't know about you but I sure wish I could sleep like that.

New beads!

I have been hard at work this weekend making lots of new beads and filling orders from my Etsy store. This has been my best January ever in terms of sales and I am so grateful to have so many wonderful customers. When I started selling my hand made paper beads I never really expected to sell any. It was just another in the long line of sales possibilities that I 'gave a shot'. I have been so very pleased with the outcome though and have met some lovely, supportive people through the experience. So to anyone who is wondering if they should try Etsy I can categorically say that it has been a success for me.

Here are the new beads that I have listed this week - including some new polymer clay beads. The photo really doesn't do these beads justice though.

Demise of the snow

Yes, our snow is slowly melting. It looks so sad out there - dull, grey, muddy and wet. By the time the snow stopped falling we had the best part of 20 inches. It was amazing - just incase you hadn't discovered how excited I was about it. So to cheer myself up I am posting a few more photos of the snow before I get back to the creative stuff.

Wendy Vecchi

I have been inspired by Wendy Vecchi recently. I came across her work when she did a guest spot on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog and I just had to find out more. Her grungepaper flowers just make that bit of difference when you need something floral. I'm not one for really pretty, pretty styles of crafting so this suited me quite nicely. Let me tell you, the style is beautifully mucky. Lots of ink and paint all over the grungepaper. Or maybe that's just me. Fun, at any rate.

Glorious!

We had the most spectacular sunset this evening. It seems that sunsets are always at their most magnificent here when there has been snow. I don't know if there is any reason for that though. The snow depth is currently nine and a half inches. Amazing! We are now in our thirds week of having snow lying on the ground with snowfalls nearly every day. That hasn't ever happened in my lifetime - as far as I know. Usually, if we get five days of snow lying that can be considered out winter. Now the count is on to see how much longer it will stay around.

SALE!

Yes, I am having the first ever Etsy based Gillian McMurray sale. Over the next few days I will be listing some items in my sale, from beads to magnets to some art. Some items are up to 50% off. All items are handmade by me so if you want to try and snap up a bargain then drop by my Etsy store and take a look.