esterday my mum presented me with this beautiful knitted flower corsage! I first saw these flowers at the workshop last year, and now mum has the pattern and so I am the pleased owner of a very Julie Arkell accessory!

second week in Jan

ell I am still managing to paint a little sketch in my diary every day without cheating too much.... there is always something funny or amusing every day like the red car with a snowman on its roof whizzing by on the bridge, or John P carving 2 chickens for a lovely sunday lunch at the Pickersgills......but its trying to remember the details when I get home that is sometimes tricky!

coral

nder he heavy snow clouds in Molesey Francesca has been beavering away on a whole sketchbook using just one colour - coral! Here are some of the pages that she did using found and made textures and materials...my favourite is the knitting with hand dyed strips of chiffon....

coral

c3c3c3

orting out some old cupboards I found this gorgeous little cloth dolly that Francesca had made me while staying at my parents house years ago......thought it was very Julie Arkell like!
Have removed most of the Christmas decorations now, but had to hang on to this wonderful card sent by the very talented Becky who I met on the Julie Arkell workshop last summer. Check out her amazing blog crammed with beautiful whimsical photography...vintage fairytales

ew Years resolutions had me thinking about painting more instead of the more important things like being more organised, or being more thoughtful to others or having a cleaner house! and so because I am still in awe of 'today I saw" blog I will try to do my own version of an illustrated diary! Carrying around a sketchbook or camera every day so far though has taken up most of my energy! I shall have to develop that photographic memory!

ooh very excited to see my products in the window of John Lewis before Christmas.... had to have this cheesy photo on the blog to remind me to think about work more often!