This one has been FULL- along with all the “normal stuff”, I’ve been working hard at getting paintings to a point I’m happy with for the impending Athy Art Group Annual Exhibition (only 2 weeks away, eeek)

I’ve been working on them for ages and ages, layer after layer; the odd sanding when they just ground to a halt… I’m using cartography (reproducing maps), old aerial photographs, my own reference photographs and drawings… I’ve been using maps in a small way for a long time, and aerial photography just excites me beyond belief (I know, I know: get a life) 

Another recurrent obsession has been Art Dolls for some time, and I’ve been working on these two (We were doing work on frogs and tadpoles the other day, and the boys thought it would be inspiring to turn these into Art Frogs. But no.)

And in the middle of all this making, creating, frogs, astronomy and natural disasters, I’ve fallen behind on my assignments for the Lineanograta Illustration course ( Sorry Julia!!) I have to post one for last week, and get moving on this weeks one…

(Ideas for assignments that never quite come to fruition. But I’m working on it)

And finally, in those “spare moments” (what? what are they?!), I’m working on a whole new set of illustrated and photographic cards and stationery

I’m hoping within the next few weeks to have a set of photographic/recipe cards, vintage inspired, illustrated and seasonal cards.

Sooner, of course, if I can just find another few hours in every day…

It just doesn’t happen. 

And you know? That’s okay with me. I have my time to do what I have to do at night, and I have accepted that if I want to enjoy the equilibrium and relative peace and happiness on a daily basis in our home, then thats how things are going to be for some time! And besides, the kisses, cuddles and hilarious one-liners that I am privileged to have and hear make it all worth while

Today was a case in point… a friend of mine has had a very worrying diagnosis, and I dreamt of this painting for her last night… and began to paint this morning…

In between playing jigsaws

sorting letters and making words

 painting and gluing together 

(as well as lunch, snacks, dinner, reading for hours, armchair-counseling and all the other things that involved my boys who have a complete embargo on my photographing them for this blog. “Someone” might see them y’see)

The tidying up sometimes takes longer than the playing!!

But I finished it this evening… and am so pleased with it!

I’ll post more photos later in the week… and see you tomorrow when I join Ginny for Yarn Along!

I’ve been taking my millions of photos as usual, waiting for the chance to write a post, and so when I sat down to check emails and my RSS feed this morning I spotted that my our “Michaels Easter Chicken Tutorial“

had been featured on The Crafty Crow!! You cannot imagine my excitement!! I have had The Crafty Crow on my blog feed since the start and have been endlessly inspired with fantastic ideas, and have found so many of the blogs that I now follow. Put simply, I am beside myself with delight (and Michael is very chuffed too!!)

And since shortly I will be going back out to talk to my seedlings, I’ll just post a few pictures of what has been going on around here…

My mother bought this water-game for the children, who, in sun and rain, have been pumping water into the canals, talking hydraulics (this has generated more discussion on rivers, canals, tsunamis and water tables than you could ever imagine) and generally sloshing around with very wet socks!!

their Lego mini-figures have been working the waterways!!

The hive is, literally, buzzing… the smell of honey when you stand near it!! Yesterday, in the warm sunshine, hundreds of bees were flying in and out laden with pollen. Fergal and I decided to add on a “super” which is an extra box that goes on top of the beehive separated by a wire grid, which is a “queen excluder”: this is to stop the queen from going up and laying eggs in, what will hopefully be, frames of honey by the end of the summer!

(and luckily we did add on the super, as the bottom box was almost full of honey when we lifted the lid)

The field beyond the beehive is full of dandelions, and on almost every flower there is a bee foraging for pollen

And more willow cut to continue our willow fence!

I love these warm, spring weekends!

It is covered in lichen; the boys remark on how it is a sign of the purest of air everytime we come here!

Yesterday the talk was of when the weather will be warm enough to go swimming…

not long now we hope!

We used air-dry clay and rolled them between two boards so they would be of even depth.

(The boldest smallest had her own clay to crumble and squish)

They look surprisingly “together” having survived a few assaults by the youngest… They should be dry tomorrow and we can paint and assemble them, and add them to our mantle village!

Also, it snowed again today… a few photos, it looked so lovely! The header image was from today… and do you like my blogs Christmas colour scheme?!