Happy Halloween

With each year that passes Halloween becomes more of a tradition here, our house was no exception with family parties, pumpkins, fake spiders-the list goes on. When I was a child the focal point of the season was Bonfire Night with treacle and toffee apples.

I do love this time of year with its abundance of fruit and berries. It has been a good year for apples this year and my little Malus Gorgeous has been on top form. This tiny crab apple tree produces fruit no bigger than a large cherry. We never try to cook them, preferring to leave them for the birds to enjoy.

I made this little study with coloured pencils.

We went down to London to visit The Royal Miniature Society's exhibition at the Mall Gallery to see this years annual exhibition. I was thrilled to have five pieces accepted. The exhibition is now closed but you can still see the whole thing on their website, many pieces are still for sale and would make lovely gifts for Christmas perhaps? My work is numbered 229-233.

I made some new greeting cards from the artwork created for the miniatures, some are in my Etsy shop and there are more on the way. 

A quick hop over the border into Wales enabled us to use the facilities at the Print Centre in Wrexham. I managed to finish two editions, one intaglio and one linoprint. It was suggested that I try hand colouring some of the dry point prints and found that using water colour pencils worked well.

The Halloween print at the top of this post, the drawings, cards and prints all found their way here-https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/acornmoon

"Can it be True?" BBC Competition.

August came and went in the blink of an eye and now it seems we are almost into autumn. A new term for those returning to school and great excitement for a certain little boy who starts school tomorrow. How I wish I could be a fly on the wall!

I seem to have been very busy with one thing and another. I have redesigned my website in order to make changes and updates easily without having to ask for help. I made it on blogger, better the devil you know, it will be a work in progress.

A box full of ‘Can it be True?” book samples arrived followed by some rather exciting news. Those of you who listen to BBC Radio 3 Breakfast might have heard about a new Christmas Carol Competition. Listeners are being asked to set the words of a new version of “Can it be True?” by Susan Hill to create a new Christmas carol. If you are musically inclined you might like to enter, details are available here-

I took this photograph to give you some idea of the scale of the book. As you can see it is Christmas stocking size.

I hope to have some of the Christmas books for sale soon in my bookshop, maybe in the next few days. It seems a bit too soon to think about the festive season so maybe I will leave it for a while, not wanting to wish away the last of the summer.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary by a trip to Bodnant garden, which is probably the most beautiful garden I have ever visited. With panoramic views of Snowdonia, wooded glades, waterfalls, lily ponds, terraces and rose gardens all combine to create an earthly paradise. We have seen the garden before but not for some years now and noticed many improvements, we hope to return soon.

 Are you looking forward to the next series of Downton Abbey when it returns to our television screens soon? I love cosy Sunday nights with a new craft project, a glass of wine and good old Downton. I am hoping for lots lavish interiors and posh frocks and people looking wistfully in the mid distance whilst opining that "times are a-changing".

You may have noticed that I have been playing around on the Spoonflower site. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this website, it is a print on demand site for textiles, wallpapers and wraps. I thought I might try out some new ideas and make available again some designs that have been retired. Like my website this is another work in progress activity. At the moment I am waiting for some samples before deciding what to do next.

Sometimes it seems that I have so many projects on the go and hardly any finished but I am pleased to report that I finally managed to complete the miniature painting I started in the summer. Now what shall I paint next?

Enchanted October

“Retard the sun with gentle mist; Enchant the land with amethyst..” October by Robert Frost

October here in my neck of the woods can be magnificent, golden sun on autumn leaves, misty-moisty mornings clear to reveal blue skies, the smell of wood smoke, all is magical until the dreaded turning back of the clocks. The extra hour in bed is welcome; the dark evenings are definitely not!

Before the clocks went back we did manage to fit in a few grand days out. We drove a short distance over the border to Wales and visited Chirk Castle; driving through early morning mist and heavy grey skies it was rewarding to find ourselves in an enchanted place. The mist evaporated to reveal the castle and gardens in all their glory. I was particularly taken with a small tower, which put me in mind of Rapunzel. Chirk is a National Trust property and you can read more about its seven hundred year history here.

The gardens are truly beautiful and are filled with tall clipped yew trees. You can wonder past herbaceous borders and through woodland walks and on a clear day there are great views of Shropshire and the Welsh hills.

Work has kept me busy but I did manage to finish the hare painting that I started in the summer. A whole season has past and at times I thought the progress was more akin to a tortoise than a hare, I thought I would never finish it.

I bought a Canon iP4950 which produces incredibly detailed prints, the printer itself was very reasonably priced but as with all ink jet printers the cost of quality inks are almost as expensive as the actual printer and I am restricted to A4 size.

It did used to be the case that dye based inks had no longevity and could not be regarded as archival in the way pigment inks could but the new Canon Chromalife 100 plus inks are now expected to have an album life of 200 years or more. I did consider buying a pigment based printer but had to take into account the fact that they have a tendency to dry up if not in regular use. Forgive me if I sound like an advert for Canon, I assure you I am not being paid to say all this.

You can see the finished print here in my Etsy shop

There has been a little time to play and I enjoyed attending a book-making workshop with artist Louisa Boyd. The concertina books we made concentrated on paper surface manipulation techniques, including, cutting, scoring and piercing. Lou had pre-prepared the images we used and explained how she had used Thermofax screens to print her designs. As with all good workshops I came away buzzing with new ideas and a determination to do more screen prints. Lou also showed us some of her hand bound artists books and I encourage you to see her highly individual work for yourself here-

and she has a Facebook page here.

Busy as a little bee.

I know I promised to write more about the Lake District but time has run away with me once more so forgive me if I fast forward into July. In between rainstorms of epic proportions we have tried our best to catch a little sunshine and keep on top of our little garden, which is lush and green with all that rain! I have had spells of working non stop, to meet deadlines for projects whilst trying not to neglect my family, house and garden and trying to find time to devote to making books to replenish my shop and some just for fun. The apple sketches are made up part of recent packaging project albeit a little out of season.

I made a brown leather long stitch notebook for my husband and a single section notebook for my mum. A needle book for a friend, based on a tutorial by Tiny Happy that you might like to try out yourself here? I also made a wedding guest book for my Goddaughter and had some left over for a miniature.

When the sun did decide to peep out from the clouds we visited nearby Erdigg, which is located in Wales. It seems strange that within a short drive from our home we can be in a place where “garden” is also called “yr ardd”. This eighteenth century country house has a very warm, friendly atmosphere and you get the sense that it housed servants who were valued and well looked after. I loved wandering through the formal gardens and enjoyed the walled gardens with their herbaceous borders and of course I had to take home a plant from their shop; a purple salvia.

We noticed some newly fledged swallows in one of the buildings, if you click on the photograph you can just about make them out, perched on a cartwheel. One of the buildings housed an impressive array of wood working tools and I thought how much my dad would have appreciated those carefully honed chisels. I think I have inherited his love of tools and woe betides anyone who uses my little hammer without replacing it! We treated ourselves to a cream tea and sat outside in the sunshine, a rare treat indeed.

Later we chatted to the beekeeper who told us how difficult the rain and cold has been for the bees. They will not fly in the rain or cold and this will have an effect not only on the honey yield but also on the fruit and flower crops, as they depend on bees to pollinate their flowers. He showed us the inside of the hive and explained how it worked. I had not appreciated the structure of the hives and how they start as a man made form. This is made of bees wax in the shape of a honeycomb; the bees then build their incredible complex structure onto this, just as they would in the wild. The queen bee is confined to the lower compartment, her size prevents her from entering the higher levels; this is to stop her laying her eggs in the honey. Please correct me if I am wrong: I often am!

Strawberries.

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did. ” William Butler

No doubt, like me, you will have been feasting on fresh, ripe strawberries, maybe even eating them at Wimbledon? Nowadays strawberries are available all year round, or so it seems, but there is something rather special about eating a homegrown strawberry in July. Is it my imagination or do they simply taste better when they have had the chance to mature naturally?

Strawberries have inspired artists and designers over the centuries, there is something rather irresistible and satisfying about that plump, red, heart shaped berry with the tiny, decorative seeds dotted around its middle.



This “Strawberry Thief” design by William Morris will always be linked in my mind with this time of year. Maybe because it was one of the first textile designs that I studied as a schoolgirl and needed to apply that knowledge to summer exams!

Morris was said to have been inspired by the sight of thrushes stealing fruit from his garden at Kelmscott Manor. It presented him with many problems during printing, which he finally overcame, although it took many attempts and several years to produce the desired effect, which used a red alizarin dye, and a yellow weld combined with indigo blue.
I think I love it the most of all of his designs and my heart still skips a beat every time I see it.

"Watercolour" Tate Britain.

Today I would like to share with you some amazingly beautiful images courtesy of an extraordinarily gifted artist called Rachel Pedder-Smith.

I first came across her work in London recently during a visit to Tate Britain’s “Watercolour” exhibition. The exhibition features so many and varied artists whose work spans 800 years. There are medieval manuscripts, maps and botanical illustrations alongside works by Turner, Ravilious and Samuel Palmer to name but a few

I was immediately drawn to one painting in particular and that is how I discovered Rachel’s work. Her bean painting has everything I most admire in a work of art; it is inspired by nature, shows incredible artistry and attention to detail and has an overall marvelous sense of design. I am sure you will be smitten too! In the bean painting you are presented with something familiar, maybe even humble and everyday and yet you see it through the eyes of the artist who transforms each legume into a visual miracle. In the world of modern art we often hear the overworked saying about “challenging our preconceptions” as if that in itself were enough. I would say that this piece by Rachel does just that, it presents us with a selection of natural objects and through her skill and observation of the artist takes us to a new level. She makes us not only look but actually see.

As William Blake would say
“To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

You can see more of Rachel's paintings here on her website which also has a shop selling cards and prints.

You can learn more about the exhibition here, and now I will leave you with this beautiful image, Samuel Palmer's 'A Hilly Scene' (c.1826 - 1828). Tate. The exhibition runs until the 24th August, see it if you can, you will be enthralled.

Best wishes and good health!

“Happy New Year everyone and Good Health”. I have had hardly any time to catch up with your news so please forgive my tardiness. Our Christmas has been dominated by worry, over the health of family members and concern caused by the cold and all its complications. We did manage to enjoy ourselves despite these difficulties and had lots of our younger family members to stay, including our lovely grandson and great niece, both of who are walking, talking and generally charming all and sundry. Now I have to catch up on getting the house back to normal, catching up on laundry, larder replenishing and work whilst continuing to visit my frail and elderly parents.

I choose this new illustration to start off the year, I have brought the lemons, you will find hot water in the pot, now you need to add some honey, stir well with the spoon provided and help yourself to a piece of cake! I hope to catch up soon.

Bluebells and Barthomley

It is so hard to stay indoors when the bluebells are in bloom. For a brief spell, before the leaf canopy gets too dense, sunlight dances on the woodland floor and the bluebells take center stage.



This little woodland is only a mile or so away from our home but as yet, remains an area of great tranquility and natural beauty, despite being so close to the town. As you can see we took Ted for a walk over the May Bank Holiday, as usual he chose his walking stick with great care and attention. (Click for a closer look.)

The weather was bright but cold and before too long the rain started in earnest, there was only one thing for it, we headed for the pub where a roaring fire awaited us. You can see more of this old inn in Barthomley which dates back to 1614 here. It is the sort of pub where dogs are welcome but we decided to take Ted home first as he had got rather wet in the rain, he did not seem to mind too much as he snuggled into his new blanket.



The water colour illustration above is taken from “A Book of Days” which sadly is now out of print.

Work in progress

I have been testing out my new Christmas present brushes, there is nothing more inspiring than new equipment! I have posted the work in progress so you can see how I paint. I took lots of photographs of hens and cockerels when I last visited Chatsworth. (A great place to poultry watch!). Some of these showed good close up details of the head, some of the tail feathers etc. I suppose the final painting has selected the best references from over twenty shots.

First of all I make a drawing in pencil on water colour paper, here I am using a tinted Bockingford. I then do a colour wash base before adding the final details. many tiny brush strokes over many hours. As with all my work, I am not 100% happy with the outcome, I have learnt to live with my shortcomings and hope to do better next time!

For Auld Lang Syne.

At the stroke of midnight we sang a few verses of “Auld lang syne” and raised a glass to friends and family, old and new, near and far, in this world and beyond. Sadly now, so many in the later category, however, one of my New Years resolutions is “Do not dwell on the negative”, so instead will remember our many blessings, not least hearing our grandson chuckle when we pulled crackers on Boxing day. Another resolution is “Try to waste less”. I do not have a very good track record for keeping such intentions but I can but try!

So I hope that you will join me in a toast to The New Year, and drink a cup o’kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

December activities.

The weather has now turned, today has been frosty and bright, a welcome change from the damp and dreary days of last week. I have been busy in much the same way as most people, trying to organize shopping and present wrapping, card writing, housekeeping, working and party going.


I bought some mistletoe at the supermarket and decided to do some studies of it before it dried up too much. I had forgotten how nice it is to draw a subject just for pleasure.


My poor garden has been sadly neglected but I did manage to trim the overgrown Virginia creeper and made a simple wreath out of the twisted stems. I saw a television show about bird feeding, which was rather alarming, until now I have been hanging up fat balls for the sparrows but it seems that they can injure their feet on the nylon mesh! I have now purchased a fat ball holder and the birds seem to like it.



Tony and I have now consumed three Christmas dinners, not all at the same time I hasten to add! The most recent one at Keele Hall, a rather grand old house which now belongs to the university in Staffordshire. There was a huge log fire, carol singers, a library decorated in Victorian splendor, all of which proved to be a good excuse to change out of my usual dog walking attire!

Robin Redbreast.

I have just returned from the printers with a box of newly printed Christmas cards after much deliberation. The usual dilemma, do I print on demand just enough for my own needs, expensive but easy, or do I bring down the cost per card by printing in quantity?

I decided to bite the bullet this year and go for option number two. I will probably send or give most of these cards myself but I have saved some for the shop, so if anyone is interested please have a look here.

The design features our native robin, one of my favourite birds. One like this lives in my garden and appears every time I start to dig, which isn’t very often now the weather has turned chilly. When the weather turns really cold they fluff out their feathers and appear to be spherical though I haven’t noticed them doing that this year...yet.

All of which is a good excuse to include this traditional rhyme-

The north wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then poor thing?
He’ll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing
Poor thing.

(and who could blame him?)

By the way, thank you to all those who have entered my fabric giveaway. I will be back on Monday to draw two names out of the hat.

Work in progress.

I started this new collection of farm animal designs for Makower ages ago, well about ten months to be precise. The collection includes chickens, sheep, cows and pigs and an assortment of flowers such as poppies and buttercups. (definitely no giant hogweed!) I am told that this particular fabric design pictured here on my desk, has now been printed so I guess it is safe to show you.

The first photo shows the design in its early stages, that is the creative, fun part. Next comes the more challenging part, that of working out the repeat. The artwork also has to translate into eighteen colours, that may sound like a lot but they soon get used up trying to achieve shaded effects, for example, a leaf with four shades of green counts as four colours.

I am really looking forward to seeing what people do with the fabric, maybe I will even see some of it made up into a quilt on someone's blog one day soon!

Thanksgiving wishes.

I would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving if you are celebrating this week. We do not have this tradition here in Britain but I know plenty of people who will be getting together for the holiday, so for all of you, have a good one!

“O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness” William Shakespeare

October Illuminations of Nature

This illustration is my offering for the month of October, it is part of a series of work entitled "Illuminations of Nature". This piece was inspired by the poem "To Autumn" by John Keats. (You can click on the image to see more detail).

I chose to include a jay because I love their colours, in particular, the tiny blue, stripy wing feathers. When I was working on "The Acorn's Story" I found out that jays play an important part in the life cycle of an oak tree. The jay will store away acorns rather like a squirrel, in crevices and sometimes it will bury them beneath the earth, these sometimes germinate if conditions are favourable, providing of course that it doesn't decide to eat them first!

Down the Lane

There is a distinctly sultry feeling about today, a warm if not damp afternoon. The lane were I walk my dog is full of hawthorn berries, bright red and abundant. Bindweed climbs and clings, through the hedgerows and blackberries glisten like the tiny, beady eyes of a wood mouse.

The painting below is from my children's book Down the Lane. The wood mouse is a figment of my imagination, he is sitting in an abandoned bird's nest. I did read somewhere that they sometimes make their nests in empty birds nests. Everything else is exactly the same down the lane today, except for the swifts and swallows who seem to have taken their leave.

I am busy working on a new fabric collection for Makower UK, they manufacture fabrics for the quilters and crafters. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to show you what is on my desk right now as it is top secret! I did create a Hedgerow collection which is pretty much over now. The industry demands a rapid turnover of new designs, still, I mustn't grumble as it keeps the wolf from my door. I have seen a few fabrics on various websites but the warehouse at Makower in Henley-on-Thames has been out of stock for some time.

If you, or anyone you know has made a quilt or sewn a project using any of my fabrics I would love to hear about it. So far I have designed four collections; Nestled in Springtime, Hedgerow, Christmas teddies and Herb Garden. The later is about to be launched and I am waiting to see the strike offs. I thought it might be nice to show some needlework on this blog. I am the world's slowest quilter, despite having amassed a collection of printed samples.

August "Illuminations of Nature"

On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the world and meet the sky;

And thro' the field the road runs by

                  To many- tower'd Camelot;

And up and down the people go,

Gazing where the lilies blow

Round an island there below,

                 The lady of Shalott.

This decorative illustration of mine was inspired by the poem "The Lady Of Shalott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This poet also inspired many of the Pre-Raphaelites, maybe that is why I like it so much. It is part of a series of twelve paintings, one for each month. I completed the work over several years in between commissions. (I can't paint as fast as I can blog!)

If you click on the illustration you will see it more clearly.

"A cuppa" interview with artist Patricia Papps

The beautiful artwork featured below is the work of Patricia Papps

I have recently come across the rich and decorative work of Patricia Papps through my art dealer Books Illustrated. I was particularly drawn to this beautiful artwork and decided to invite Patricia around for "a cuppa" in order to get to know something more about this very gifted artist. I know you will love her work as much as I do, why not join us for a cuppa too?


Q1) How do you take your tea and in what kind of cup do you like it served?

I like my tea with only a little milk and quite strong. I sometimes have green tea which is very refreshing. I love flowers so china decorated with flowers, particularly wild flower designs are my favourite. They remind me of summer days while drinking a nice hot 'cuppa' in winter. I often use mugs for tea and my favourite mug has comical cats on it. I am mad about cats.

Q2) If you could choose anyone, past , present or future, who would be joining us for tea.

I think William Morris would make very interesting conversation as he had such a lively mind and he was interested in so many things. His work is a great inspiration to me. It is his wonderful harmony of design that really appeals to me. The German artist Sulamith Wolfing is also a huge inspiration. I really love looking at her mystical and lovely work. The pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolists have also influenced me and it would be difficult to choose just one to invite for a 'cuppa'. Perhaps Waterhouse as I love his beautiful ladies.

One the biggest influences on my work has to be the ancient Egyptians. I have been particular drawn to their art and have produced a range of paintings based on Egyptian myths. They did of course inspire a whole art movement in the West - Art Deco - the art and design of which particularly appeals to me. I don't think they drank tea in ancient Egypt! But it would be interesting to invite one of their talented anonymous artists of that era round for a 'cuppa' to find out how they trained and what their working methods were etc.

Medieval illuminated manuscripts are also a great source of inspiration for me. I love looking at all the detail in them. My 'Language of Flowers' paintings were very influenced by these so perhaps we could invite a Medieval artist monk round for tea and have a good chat about miniature painting and spiritual inspiration in art.

Q3) Tell me a little about your background in art and design.

I didn't start out initially as an artist as I lacked confidence in my work even though I loved drawing and designing. I took a secretarial course and worked as a secretary for a few years but realised I had made a big mistake as I wasn't at all happy. I went back to art school and attended the life drawing classes at the college to brush up my drawing. It was there I met my husband the illustrator and artist Andrew Skilleter who was also 'brushing up' his drawing. He was working as a freelance illustrator and he really encouraged me to develop my work and 'do my own thing'. He introduced me to commercial illustration which was something I knew very little about as most of my training had been in the 'fine' art area - oil painting and the like, which didn't suite my style of work at all. With Andrew's encouragement I got a folio together and went to see publishers in the days when one did walk around London and actually went and see art directors with a folio. It is very different today. I soon had commissions which was so exciting and fulfilling. That was quite a long time ago! I think my real training and learning about art and design has come with the work - there is nothing like a commission to focus the mind and create ideas and inspiration.

Q4) Where are you based and does it influence your work?

I live in the heart of the Dorset countryside, near Wareham, on the edge of Wareham Forest and we are surrounded by trees and countryside. It is very peaceful and beautiful, and very tranquil. We have only been here a couple of years and before that we lived in a busy town. I am more relaxed and focused out here I think and that is definitely have an effect on my creative work.

Q5) What have you been doing/working on today?

I am working on a fairy painting although the wings have become very impressive so I think it is becoming an angel. I love painting fairies and angels for they are such great scope for the imagination and as they are very involved with nature I can use my love of nature and wild flowers to decorate the paintings and illustrate special meanings for the fairy/angel.

I am also working on some ideas for a series of Celtic paintings focusing on Celtic Goddesses and heroines. I have so many ideas at the moment there are not enough hours in the day!

Q6) I hope that you have brought along something wonderful to show us, what is it?

Yes, a ball of wool! I am a knitting addict when I am not painting and I am fascinated by the texture and colours of natural yarns. This particular ball is from a rare breed of sheep, the Blueface Leicester, that is bred in the North of England. It is very soft and cosy and the natural colour of the sheep. It makes wonderful warm garments. The whole process I find wonderful from the spinning of the wool from these beautiful animals, and then the designing and knitting process of producing a garment or a knitted work of art. I love natural hand dyed yarns as the colours are so beautiful. Each ball or hank is unique with a blending of different shades of colour - they are a work of art in themselves!

Thanks so much for joining us Patricia, I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future and hope that your work finds an appreciative audience. You can see more of Patricia's work here on her website.

If you are interested in purchasing her original artwork you will find it here at Books Illustrated

Walking with Ted

As I have enjoyed visiting my guests' blogs and glimpsing everyday life in countries near and far, I thought you might like to join Ted and I on our morning walk. You will need your Wellington boots and a winter coat today as it's a bit chilly and damp under foot.

Within a stone's throw of our door lies a couple of fields of fallow land. The path you see in the photograph has been fashioned by feet; dogs, people, rabbits and foxes have all helped to keep the path closely cropped. The middle of the path is mainly grass and tiny clover leaves, on the margin the plants grow longer and more luxuriant; buttercups, clovers, vetches give way to ox-eye daisies, ragwort, thistles and grasses Every day is different, the fields team with life as the wild and diverse plant species attract many varieties of birds, animals and butterflies. The path reminds me of an embroidery and the field - a firework display, in the sense that one beautiful display is replaced by another spectacle throughout the year.

We often see toads and frogs, not today - we found huge, black slugs enjoying the damp grass. On the bindweed tiny banded snails clung onto the tendrils and leaves. One summer Ted came across a grass snake and adders have been spotted near the stream.

I don't normally take my camera with me which is just as well, everywhere I look there is something wonderful to photograph, very distracting and time consuming when there is work to be done!