Christmas is coming. . .

I was chatting to this little girl yesterday morning, who had just happen to wonder onto my page.  We were discussing what colour I should use for her coat, when these three robins crashed in on us and started chirping and tweeting on about finding the Christmas Star. Oh, let my tell you, they were in a right two and eight. They are looking for a special star to put on their Christmas tree. When robins get an idea in their little bird brains, they get quite excited and there is no calming them down. Not even with a nice cup of tea and crumb of Christmas Cake.

I left them to it and put my feet up for awhile...

 Then blow me, if I wasn't interrupted by this little dancer who desperately wanted to be on the top of my tree. I did point out, that she might not like having pine needles shoved up her jaxy. She's was quite adamant, till I stuck her up there. Since then she has been yacking in my ear to make her some reinforced padded knickers.  (Like I've got time to make padded knickers..)

So, what does a girl do when she needs a bit of peace and quiet?....she jolly well pops off to the North Pole to chat to a mate and his reindeer....  And that dear friends is my Christmassy Fun and Nonsense for this week . . .xxx

ps...Hope Christmas isn't biting you in the posterior.

Silent. . .

Strange how the world seems to hold it's breath, just before it starts to snow.  There's that eery silence, not a bird twitter, not a rustling sound in the hedges, just quiet, then those wonderful magical icy crystals start to fall.

It's not snowing here yet, thank goodness. I love the snow when I'm on holiday, not when I have to get to work... Hope your having Fun and Nonsense this week...xxx

Suffering to look pretty. . .

 Good Morning, or for me it is nearly good afternoon. Had a late start this morning. Mr Hollywood and I danced the night away, with our dancing friends at a Dinner Dance evening in a local village hall. After not dancing for nearly a year (Mr H has a really bad back) we did manage to do a pretty good  Waltz. Our ChaCha and rock were ok. I also had a lovely partner for the Paso.  Miss not dancing every week.  Father Christmas, if you are listening, Mr H needs a new back.  And I need new feet. Put my three inch sparkly shoes on last night...am so suffering now. It was worth it...I LOVE my shoes.  

They are way to pretty to leave at home.

These little girls popped onto my pages this week. Shame my buildings and perspective is so off. Need to work on that.  These girlies need to get home before dark falls. Home in front of a nice roaring fire, fluffy slippers and a warm cup of soap....

That's my Fun and Nonsense for today. I'm sharing it with Sunday Sketches xx

Chagall and 5 year olds. . .

 Last week, we took our school, all 45 pupils to a show. There were four musicians playing music whilst showing some very famous paintings by some very famous painters. (All from the last century and all dead, unfortunately). The show was fun and very quirky.  I loved it, the younger ones loved it and the older children said it was naf. They've crossed over to the darkside, as 8 to 10 year olds do. Am hoping to retrieve some of them but fear the dark force maybe to strong.

I was really inspired by Chagall's Blue Circus below. I'm thinking I will get my little ones doing their own Chagall Circus. Hopefully I'll get them started before Christmas. I have already started to tell them a little about Chagall. I'm determined to cram their 5 year old brains with art knowledge. It's wasted on most 10 year olds...

A little Fun and Nonsense xx

Flying South. . .

 Do leaves fly south for the Winter? Wouldn't it be great to hop on a cloud and follow quietly behind...

 During the week, I was sitting on a bench during my lunch break, sketching away when this leaf plopped onto my sketchpad... I had to draw it...and draw it...and draw it...still not finished drawing it. Can't quite get the colour right. So I used a different colour altogether...

 

That's my Fun and Nonsense for the weekend...xx

A serious note to my Fun and Nonsense. . .

 A serious note to my Fun and Nonsense.  These creatures were inspired by Carla Sonheim .  I do these when my mojo is on a tea break or has gone off for a jaunty weekend.

 I love the sillyness of them and as usual they have their own little story.  I talk to my drawings (it stops me going insane - yes I hear you saying, "She's barking"). I do it all the time. It all started when I began working at school with 5year olds.

Here is the serious bit. The first year I had a group of  6 children that could dive into a picture and travel to the Moon and stars and be back in time for tea. We had the most amazing adventures. I used to leap out of bed in the morning excited to go to work.

Then came the following years...oh boy. I thought the second lot was a blip, then came the third and now the fourth. No, my 5years olds had and have no imagination, not one drop. Most of them don't like colouring or painting and worst of all, most don't want stories read to them. They want TV and console games. QUICK FIX entertainment. Which is wonderful for just that, a quick fix, not their sole entertainment.

I could get on my soap box about TV being the babysitter and treating children like precious Little Princes and Princess and don't even get me started on table manners, manner in general etc.

Anyway my message is, if you have children around you. Talk to them, vocabulary is very important, play board games with them, they learn alot of social skills, sharing, taking turns, counting, losing. I make my kids play Rummikub - it's a difficult game for 5year olds, I change some of the rules to make it easy. In no time at all they get it and can play with older children and adults. They love it.   Make stories up about their drawings or yours or even cracks in the pavement....(looks like an elephant has walked along here).  Go for walks, bike rides. All this develops, language skills, social skills and imagination that will help them be interesting and happy adults.

For now, I'm that horrid evil classroom assistant, that has 5 year olds enduring mega amounts of colouring and silly stories. My plan is working I'm cracking some of them....mooowahahahahahahaa.

That's my Fun and Nonsense for today... Catherine xx

 

ps.  there is resistance...last year I had one Mum that came to me and told me to stop telling the children that Fairies exist. Father Christmas was OK.

My answer to that was:

Fairies, happy creatures and ordered sillyness RULES in MY CLASSROOM!

So there... :P

I don't speak dog . . .

 Good Morning, have spent most of my spare time this week working on my children's book. Have the start and finish (always good) now need to pull the middle into some sort of order and shape and flow. It all needs pulling together. That's the hard part and I keep being distracted. Earlier in the week this little lady popped up on my ink pot, distracting me and told me that she wanted to go live on my daughters desk. So off she went and I'm told is very happy.

Then these two strolled onto my page. They were chatting and woofing away quite happily. When I asked the little girl what they were talking about she said she had no idea as she doesn't speak dog. Ummm, I decided to turn the page and.....

this little girl shhh'd me and told me not to make so much noise as her babies were sleeping.

At that point I decided that it was best to turn out the light and go to bed.

These are not the pictures from my book but the little girl is my main character. She's popping up in my dreams and nearly everytime I put pen to paper...she definitely want's to be heard.

And I'm listening!

That's my Fun and Nonsense for this week...xx

And off to Sunday Sketches...

Christmas cards for sale. . .

These Christmas cards are now for sale at my Etsy Shop... Perfect to send out to special friends or frame and give as gifts.

Give a Little Fun and Nonsense this year...xx

And the Winner is. . .

 Good Morning.... thank you to everyone who took part in my little giveaway.  I popped all the names into the bowl and drum roll....... the name that came out was Giggles....congratulations to you.

 

 Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone... 

and hopefully a little Fun and Nonsense.. xx

Change. . .and giveaway . . .! ! !

 

Good Morning World... the sun is shining here...yippeee!!!!!!

It's a bit nippy out but that's ok...we have sunshine - oh I've missed you.

Yesterday I decided to give my blog a makeover (well my house has had a makeover, I've had a makeover in that I had all my hair cut off, have gone shortish - one loveable 7year old boy at school told me I looked soooo much better and it was about time and his friend standing next to him agreed. Out of the mouths of babes. I had to laugh).  

Vitton, the teeniest tinyest handbag dog wanted in on the new look blog and he brought his best mate along Pockets.

Vitton the teeniest tinyest handbag dog...

and his mate Pockets!

So I'm now the proud owner of two gorgeous teeniest tinyest handbag dogs...

And to celebrate I'm having a giveaway... 

All you have to do is Leave me a comment and Follow Me here on Blogger and share me and like me on Facebook.  I will put your name in the hat and the lucky winner will receive a set of my Christmas Cards

The Winner will be announced next Wednaday 14th November 2012

Look foreward to hearing from you all... Catherine x

Am sharing with PaintPartyFriday  see you there...

Teacups. . .

 Tea...best drink of the day. We all have our favorite teacups or mugs and this is mine. I use it every morning. It has to be that mug, no other will do. It's comfy, my hands fit nicely round it and keeps them warm. I know where the chip on the bottom is and frankly tea just tastes better in this mug.  It's about 10years old, fine bone china. I like a thin lip and it's got Scotties on it. I used to have a Scottie many years ago. He was my bestest friend, great dog.

The idea for posting about my tea mug came when I checked in on Tracey Fletcher King's blog this morning. Tracey has (I hope she doesn't mind me saying) an obsession with tea and cups. I'm sure she has more tea than Twinnings. My favourtie tea at the moment is Rose and Litchi.

What's your favorite cup/mug and tea?

That's my Fun and Nonsense for this wet grey miserable Tuesday morning...who has pinched the sun... I want some. Going to drink my tea now....xxx

Ouch. . .

I haven't had much time for artwork this week.  I had a mega headache that started on Tuesday and went with the help of horse strength tablets yesterday. A trapped nerve in my neck or back somewhere. Anyway all better now. This little girl popped out on Friday night. Not sure why she is sad. Maybe she missed the party, or could it be there are no more mushrooms to be found or is she just realising that going out in your slippers is not always a good thing....

 My little friends had a great time at their Halloween party  (hope to finish this, this week). There was lots of magic flying about and Delorez and the wolf ended up trapped in a bottle. As for the others, I think when they wake up, it's going to hurt. I've got lots of headache tablets on standby...

That's my Fun and Nonsense that I'm sharing with Sunday Sketches today. Saying a little prayer for all those affected by Hurricane Sandy....  Catheine xxx

Halloween. . .

 The party balloons are all ready. The ticks and treats carefully stored by the front door. Everyone is on there way. (You can't see in the photo but the little blue blobs are glitter. You can't have a party without some glitter. I've used a combo of Prisma colour pencils, watercolours and Micron pens and Posca pen White).

I think someone is sneaking out of the castle to come to the party...naughty naughty. (I bought some new watercolours yesterday - for her coat, this Deep Red by Windsor and Newton is to die for. Schmincke do the most wonderful gold glitter watercolour, which I've used on the hair, it is shimmering delight)

Ooooohhhh, he's behind you!  Run!!!!! (This little party goer is a combo of watercolours and my new Schmincke prussian green and Green Olive - Windsor and Newton Walnut and yummy Potters Pink. Prisma pencils and Micron pens).

I'm off now to get ready to welcome all my guests...hope they all get here in one piece!  Wishing lots of Fun and Nonsense this Halloween...xxx

Baby Bunnies. . .

 It's the first day of my two week holiday and I've managed to get all my washing and ironing done and cleaned the fridge. Thought I'd get the iky jobs done so I can concentrate on creating some fun in my art bunker.

I left you over the weekend with some WIP's in progress. This afternoon my little storm girl and I were discussing  what she is going to wear to the Halloween party, when all of a sudden three baby bunnies floated by burbling that they were off to the moon for a picnic.

They wanted us to join them. My chores are done, so why not I said. Storm girl and I grabbed our warm bunny suites and off we went. If you want to join us, you are more than welcome...

A little Fun and Nonsense this cold autumn evening...hope everyone is keeping safe from the storm on the other side of the pond....xxx

Hulabaloo and a right carry on. . .

 

Hello everyone, Halloween is nearly here and my sketchbook characters are in a complete tiz getting ready for the big day.  Characters are jumping from page to page, I never know where they are going to end up and let me tell you, they are being very noisy. Vitton the teeniest, tiniest handbag dog (a Fairy Godmother's bestest friend)  has been given the job of  rounding everyone up for me, for the big Halloween party.  It's a big ask for a pooch that is no bigger than a paperclip. 

Some of my characters are on lookout for him, some are grumbling that he hasn't been to visit them yet. One or two are moaning that they have nothing to wear. 

Let me tell you, being Fairy Godmother to this lot is hard work...

Araminta (above) is all upset. she left her special magic pumpkin on the page and now it's disappeared. Vitton remembers seeing Delorez her older sister sitting on a pumpkin a few pages back.

 

Delorez doesn't realize she's in need of some Fairy Godmother magic....if only she would study more, she would know this.....but hey, I'm letting her wait here

 

Some WIP's are waiting to be painted in and are getting a bit impatient... Vitton my wonder dog is flying in and trying to keep Miss Blue Cloud calm...I don't want to upset her and start a storm. We've had enough rain the last few days and I don't think my sketchbook could handle getting wet.

 

Miss Boo and Little Mo are busy getting the balloons ready for the big shindig.  Little Mo is wondering if Araminta would like to borrow her magic pumpkin.  Miss Boo is tutting and saying not to be silly, that pumpkin is far too small.

I decided to have a little fun with Delorez. . . A cat drawn carriage to go to a Halloween Ball seems quite fitting for a Little Witch. :)

That's all the "Fun and Nonsense" I could come up with for this week and I'm  sharing with Paint Party Friday and  Sunday Sketches this week... Happy Halloween Preparations....xxx

ps. I'm getting this in early....I have lots of Trick or Treating to get ready...:)

Join me on Facebook too