It's a busy time of year...

    Yes it is. And, it's only gonna get crazier as Christmas is on the horizon which we all know means relentless shopping, card writing and overindulging in anything that can be indulged in! Bring. It. On. !!! So before I work myself into a frenzy in sheer anticipation of it all, let me share a wee moment of domestic bliss with you.
    Meet Mr. Webbs. He's a woolly pompom spider which Sadie and I made as part of her recent homework project. Isn't he cute!

    This is actually a modified version as the first face I gave him was a bit too scary according to Sadie and she asked me to make him a bit cuter (?) ! Anyway, she was happy enough to use him as an accessory to her vampire costume for school the next day.

    Here she is setting off for school resplendent in flowing vampire cape, spider in hand! I can't believe my little Sadie is 9 years old now. Time really does fly when you have kids eh! Sadly, her big sister is not interested in Halloween much these days - changed days indeed! So I just wanted to blog this little moment in time before Sadie gets too cool to be bothered too!


    On a different but related topic, I have decided with Christmas in mind that I want to make my closest friends a piece of mixed media art for gifting this year instead of a shop bought pressie. So, I'm currently nosying round You Tube for some inspiration and came across a tutorial for a quick acrylic painting that I really wanted to try out.
    As a first attempt I'd say I'm semi pleased with my results. The next time I try it tho, I think I'll either do a lighter background or a collage style with old book pages and try a smaller brush for the nest part. Also, I'll try chopping up the text in a more random manner and not in straight lines.
 

This tutorial is great! It's just so easy to follow and this link takes you right to it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9e4lckrg_A&index=24&list=PLXKApvc4qSPDqvKtTeckcubGuwr6kUF4k
Big thanks to Angela Anderson for permission to use the link to her video. I hope you enjoy it!

There are lots of great tutorials on You Tube and I can't wait to get stuck in to some more - they're great for tips and getting you started. I've never been confident around paint or easels but these A4 size canvas boards are a perfect size for starting with.

Get those paints out!!!
Happy crafting everyone.
Jak xxx