its been so long since I posted anything...

This has to have been the busiest year of my life!! and I turned 50....here are some of my latest addiction instagram - pics of the last 5 months...Norway with the family,Fin in his smart suit posing... Paris with my lovely Francesca and then Rome for my birthday...a wonderful time...

Still working on the kiddie's book illustrations...this one above is for "this little pig goes to market..."- a collection of nursery rhymes.... I have drawn them out as pencil drawings, scanned them into photoshop where I have deleted the backgrounds so that they can be coloured in illustrator and so be more controllable...well that is the theorey!

found this litt

found this little bracelet / wrist band that I made a couple of years ago at the wonderful les soeurs anglaises workshop with the fabulous pantry violets...need to go back to this raw stitching...not sure if I can stop making such commercial stuff!maybe I need another week of stitching with like minded women!

our trip to Norway

In

2012 is a big year for our family, my folks 50th wedding anniversary, my lovely Fran's 21st birthday, and fast approaching my 50th! (eek!) so we all went on an amazing cruise to the Norwegian fiords....breathtaking scenery and some beautiful stops in Bergen and Stavanger.....

I have been working on a set of illustrations for the Little Red Riding hood which is probably the most illustrated fairytale that ever was!....has nt made it any easier though,- I have drawn the images, scanned them into the computer and then using illustrator programme I have added the colour....

I have just returned from he most amazing 3 days in Paris! I went to visit the fabulous Maison et Objet Fair which was as wonderful as everyone had told me...then a couple of mad hours racing round Paris in sweltering sunshine then in pouring rain. A delightful lunch with Sam - La Petite Violette in a superb cafe in the Rue des Rosiers was the icing on the cake! We even squeezed in a whirlwind trip to the Musee D'Orsay....stunning

!

puzzle ball

have just made this puzzle ball out of scraps of gingham...took me all evening to figure out a pattern and then to make it up, but the result is a very tactile and groovy, squishy ball that children can throw, squash or simply dribble all over...

Oh dear this poor blog is being neglected as the day job, the evening job and then the extra part time job eat up all my time....will try to post some more creative bits soon...in the meantime, despite having too much to do, I sneaked off to Oxford with my fabulous BBC chums for some overdue inspiration and enlightenment! Christine took me o the amazing Pitt Rivers Museum, what a treat, and how come I have never seen it before...V&A eat your heart out.....( the reason they are both pulling such funny faces is that it was pouring with rain!!!

Our annual pilgrimage to the RA summer Exhibition...requested this year by our eldest....funny to think we used to drag her around art galleries kicking and screaming when she was little.....and this year there were a fair few bunnies in the publics' paintings! Top Hats snapped in Jermyn street...love London...

Had to share this all with you...Youngest son turns out to be a great painter! not bad for a 15 year old who says he does nt want to do art!!

Another visit to the factory....sweltering temperatures, delici

ous exotic food that I have not had to buy, prepare or cook, amazing toys and fun with the instagram app...looking forward to coming back to London though...just in time to toast the Queen!

Spanish book club weekend

wonderful 3 days in Spain with my book club...staying at my folk's villa, beautiful deep blue skies, hot sun, tasty fresh fish and great company........who needs books? Thank you mum and dad!

birds and cups

Here are some paper collages that I did while in Spain...2 days of cloudy skies and a bracing wind was enough for me to get out the scissors and the glue stick....thought the tea cups would make a nice tea towel?

more garden bracelets for spring..

ore bracelets for the Etsy shop which has been sadly neglected for far too long...these 2 bracelets are not the usual bangle style that fits all wrist sizes, these fasten at the wrist with a little bobble button and so fit snugly instead of twisting around..will be in the shop tomorrow.

La Plaza Nueva Granada

ow here's a sweet coincidence.....Saw this beautiful cardboard model of the Santa Anna church in the toy Museum one rainy morning in Bethnal Green...and then here I was at the real Santa Anna church in the Plaza nueva during Easter week!

gorgeous Granada

Thought I should post something rather than the gaping hole that this blog has been in 2012...Semana Santa in Spain is amazing to be part of and this year we went to the magical Granada and saw some truly beautiful sights.....