New Year Catch-Up & Mum's Stuff & A Foxy Journal!

Well!

We're a few days into 2014...almost time for those Christmas decorations to be boxed away for another year. Did you add any decorations to your collection this Christmas? As previously blogged, the decorations that mum and I have tend to find a way to stay out on display SOMEWHERE! And surely festive fairy lights are an all-year-round bright and cheerful addition to ANY room?!

I'm in the process of making some new journals - some for my newly re-opened Etsy shop, and one for me. I've not filled LAST year's monster of a journal yet, but that's not a bother really, as I will be finding bits and pieces round the house for a while that still need to be added ... I'll keep you updated with the journals as they're completed.

I did make a lovely one (one of my favourites ever, actually) for my awesome friend. I included pages from favourite story books, bright and colourful to encourage him to experiment with the awesome artistic ability that I KNOW he has. Can you tell that I know he's reading this post? Ha. I made the book using coptic stitch, with sturdy covers, with a good selection of papers. I hope he's inspired - everything he's made so far is bloomin' awesome!  I didn't have a lot of time to take photos before I posted the finished item, but I took a couple to give you an idea:

 

The book is roughly A5 size and really quite chunky. The fox was sketched out and painted with neocolor II pastels then cut out and pasted down with tacky glue. I added some shading and detail, as well as the star, and then gave it several layers of lacquer, allowing each one to dry before adding the next.

The fastening is made with two sturdy waxed cotton bows (or knots - whatever's preferable), finsished with hand-painted porcelain fox beads. We both love foxes - all animals really - so I enjoyed hunting down these little treasures to add that perfect touch. NOW ALL HE HAS TO DO IS USE IT!!!! *grins*

For new year, mum and I exchanged pictures - we're both going to run out of wall space VERY soon at this rate! I wanted you to see the GORGEOUS piccies that she gave me... here's the first one:

AWWW!!!! How lovely is that?! I see some similarities between mum's art and mine - things that I've picked up subconsciously over the years. The spirals, for example. I LOVE adding spirals to my work - lots of swirly lines, and I think I've developed that from loving the way mum decorates her art. I also VERY much like making lollipop flowers and looking at this I am struck by a couple of journal pages I did a couple of years (ish) ago -

See? I think it's funny and cool that things like this sink into the brain all by themselves.  I like that my art has part of my mum's influence and arty gifts wrapped up in it.

The second AWESOME piece that she made for me is a gift from my three cats - two of whom are chasing angel mice and stealing heavenly bacon in the afterlife now.

This is my mantra - the Green Lantern creed. Did I mention I have no life?! Ha. It reads:

"In brightest day, in blackest night

No evil shall escape my sight;

Let those who worship evil's might

Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"

Well....it means something to me anyway!! If I ever get a tattoo it'll be the Lantern Creed, spiraled round Hal Jordan's (favourite Lantern... shush....) lantern logo. Shush again!  It meant so much to me that mum went out and found this and made it into this awesome art for me. I'll ba hammering more nails into the wall this week. Not sure, but it's just possible that my home is held up solely by picture nails!

The piccy I painted for mum is in lieu of the Christmas/New Year/next bloody millennium gift that I STILL haven't finished, due to artistic brain-freeze. ***Pthlll**(*blows raspberry*):

 

 This is little Daisy Shroo, wishing on her star. Sorry it's a bit blurry - the scanner appears to be angry at me! Mum's very fond of Daisy.

SO that's today's bundle of catch-up! Hope you've enjoyed it. Is there anything you'd like me to talk about or show you in my blog (keep it clean!!!) ? If so, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to accommodate. I'll be back soon with the first instalment of the '12 Books Of Christmas', the anthology I put together for mum for the big festive day. Sneak peek -

Sending out love and hugs to everyone in blogland  - Shroo :) xxx

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***Additional: After loooooooong hard thought, I've decided to add this post to the Inspiration Avenue challenge to show work that expresses joy through art. Specifically, I want to enter my mum's 'hug' picture - it's so beautiful to me, and as I've said in the post, I see now how much her joyous style has influenced me, for which I am unutterably grateful. Head on over to INSPIRATION AVENUE and have a look at some of the beautiful work exhibited on the blogs that are linked there. ***