New Royal Bird Prints

Royal Blackbird & Royal Kingfisher

I've received lots of complimentary feedback about my little bird watercolour paintings I did some time ago, so ..... Drum-roll please ......

I now have A4 Prints of my Royal Blackbird and the Royal Kingfisher on 380mic Pulp paper. These will be available to buy from my online shop and through Facebook for £15 per print (inclusive of postage). I'll keep you posted once I've got them all packaged up and ready to go.

Magazine Mention ...

Oooo, We've been quoted in the latest issue of the 1625 Independent People magazine.  We hope our advice can help young people make their homes more enjoyable ‪#‎makeoversonabudget‬ ‪#‎upcycling‬ ‪#‎paint‬ ‪#‎revamp‬

Independent People - Spring Magazine - Room Makeover on a Budget

We help the Cash Pointers project team with assisting young people who have moved into their own homes to revamp and make the most of one of their rooms, we normally have a budget of just £50.  This can be rather challenging but it can do done.  Following the link above to read the full article on the Independent People Website

Room Makeover on a Budget

We completed another room makeover last week for 16-25 Independent People.  This was rather a challenging room as this was a joint house with six individuals to listen to and pull together a room from their shared ideas.  It turned out surprisingly well we have to say!  The room had magnolia walls (as most seem to have in this project), a dark blue carpet and two red walls, no furniture and no real central point.

The budget was £300, £50 per person and we had the whole kitchen come dining room to fill!  The house mates generally wanted to create a space that they could use, sit in and eat meals together.  Pictures on the walls to make it more homely and a space that they would want to spend time in.

BEFORE

The original room was bare and cold.  No warmth or comfort at all.  We were rather excited with what we could achieve with this room as it was such a bare canvas to start with.

 PROPOSED ROOM PLANS

The House mates at first were a little sceptical, strangers (me and the support workers) entering their home and supplying them with mood boards and money to decorate the room.  We discussed the budget and what we could do for them.  The ideas soon started to flow and after a few shopping trips to local second hand shops, we sourced many items for such reasonable prices!!

The dearest outlay was £50 for a red corner sofa from Gumtree!! £50!! We know, AMAZING!  We then sourced an amazing dropped leaf table from Sofa Project in Old Market, again for the amazing price of only £30.  I think a rather large part of the budget was spent on paint which was unavoidable really.  We refreshed the whole room (with most house mates joining in!), painting most of the walls white.  Apart from the previously red walls which we revamped with a lighter Coral, just to add a little warmth really.  The colour works really well with the dark carpet which we couldn't really do that much with.

IN PROGRESS

 

AFTER

The house mates all contributed images that they wanted to hang on the walls, it works really well as a collective and the mismatched frames add to the eclectic tastes.  There was a roughly attached panel in the far right corner of the room which is access to pipes etc, we used a wooden trim and black board paint to make this into a feature and a useful corner instead of an eye sore.

The cushion covers were made from left over Ikea curtain fabric.  Tying in the scheme of blue and coral.

The stools were also an Ikea find with vibrant touches to add a personal touch to them.  Paint pot testers were a freebie donated by local groups.

The black blind was removed from the kitchen and replaced with a light voile, tie backs were made from left over curtain fabric to tie in the scheme.

The finished room was rather a success.  We sourced everything from either, Gumtree, Freecycle, Ikea or high Street second hand shops.  The total coming in at just under £300.  We managed to provide the house mates with a room that is functional.  A table to sit at and enjoy meals, a sofa to sit and relax on.  The open cupboard that had mysteriously lost the doors were improved by hanging a cheerful curtain with a fruit design which the house mates can colour in themselves.

ITEMS SOURCED

Feature Wall Paint	Dulux, Coral Flair	1	£22.95
Drop Leaf Table	Sourced from Sofa Project, Old Market	1	£30.00
Frames	Mixed collection - 5 of frames sourced from Country Studio Framing, Old Market	1	£10.00
Stools / Chairs	Frosta stool, Ikea	6	£8.00
Light Shades	Regolit pendant lampshade, Ikea	4	£1.50
Curtains	Mossflox, Ikea	1	£20.00
Sofa	Red L-shaped sofa, Gumtree	1	£50.00
Picture hooks	Fixa picture hooks, Ikea	1	£2.50
Throw	Gurli throw, Ikea	3	£5.50
Inner cushion pads	from Ikea	4	£1.50
Curtain pole	Irja, Ikea	1	£1.50
Clock	Rusch wall clock, Ikea	1	£1.95
Material	Hemtrevnad, Ikea	1	£14.70
Fabric Pens	from Ikea	1	£2.00
Picture frames	Mixed collection of 4 bargain frames from Ikea	1	£4.40
Picture frames	Nyttja colourful frames, Ikea	3	£2.50
LED lights	from Ikea	1	£3.00
Wood Primer & Undercoat	Wilkinson’s	1	£7.95
Hemming tape	Ebay	1	£2.97
Wooden trim / Chalkboard	B & Q	2	£3.50

We also managed to source rather a lot of items for free from various locations.  I'd like to thank all of the facebook groups that provided paint samples and left over fabrics that enabled us to add the finishing touches to the room.  Bristol you are such a generous city.

To find out more about the wonderful work which the charity 16-25IP do follow this link - 1625ip.co.uk/What-We-Do

Sketch a Day Challenge

Day 67 - Spotty - 12.03.15 - Version One

1 - I was going to add more spots to this but rather liked it as it was. 30min Watercolour with Salt resist.

Day 67 - Spotty - 12.03.15 - Version Two.

2 - Attempted a larger A4 version. 40mins on this one, Watercolour with Salt resist.

Day 54 - Chickens - Watercolour

Day 58 - Lizard - March 2, 2015

Really enjoyed this one as very free as only had half hour before my class this evening. Not quite sure how I didn't fit him on the page though

Day 60 - Mushrooms. About 45mins, watercolour

Day 59 - Spoons - 50min Watercolour
This was rather tricky, didn't even attempt to make them realistic

Day 63 - Something Green - 40min Watercolour
Quite enjoyed this one, wasn't that regimented, tried to be loose and am pleased with the outcome.

Day 61 - Green - Watercolour and white pen - 1/2hr

 

Day 65 - Scissors - 20min Watercolour
Decided to restrict myself to less than half an hour today, I was surprised that I can actually produce something quite quickly. Might aim for 15mins tomorrow.

Sketch A Day 2015 - Day 56 - Mandala

I had no idea what a Mandala was when this topic was set apart from it being a round decorative image.....

http://timeavarga.com/

The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.

A mandala is...

An integrated structure 

organized around a 

unifying center

Longchenpa

I came across this website that gives a really good explanation of how to attempt drawing a Mandala ... follow this link to see how.  How To Draw Mandalas  

I didn't follow these guides and ended up with the following attempt....

Not quite sure I properly embraced the meaning and belief behind them.  I think I'll try again and use my favorite medium watercolour as that would be a lot more relaxing.  Or perhaps it would just end up the same = Uncentered, I do feel like my life is a little off center and disorganised :)

A different type of Magazine

I thought I'd share this lovely offer with you all.  

I took part in a fair last December Christmas at the Orangery​, and had the lovely opportunity to meet the Pretty Nostalgic Magazine​ crew.  

They are now offering a fab offer to have a nosy at the wonderful magazine they produce (only pay postage).  

The Pretty Nostalgic Society –Creative and sustainable living inspired by the past

Pretty Nostalgic is about hands-on living, heartfelt giving and mindful consumption.

Do you revel in nostalgia? Yearn for gentler, more civilised times? Would you rather live  a more hands-on, less commercialised existence?

Yes? – Then join us – the Pretty Nostalgic Society – the perfect antidote to the greedy, corporate, lacklustre and often unfriendly modern world.

We are a group of history and vintage-loving souls, who delight in our brilliantly British lifestyle. We try to live in a creative and sustainable way, enjoy crafting, making, baking, growing, sewing, brewing, preserving, foraging, upcycling and what’s more we love sharing our skills with others.  We are not about giving up technology and permanently time warping back to the 1940s (Not unless you want to of course!)

We feel that modern ways aren’t always good and that old-fashioned ways weren’t always bad; we strive to find a balance and to live in a way that makes us proud and fills us with a sense of achievement and pleasure rather than purely existing in an out-of-control world, dictated to by others, feeling unsatisfied and surrounded by mass consumer tat!

We are committed to supporting independent British makers, small independent shops and businesses and those who supply handmade, vintage, antique or upcycled goods and services. We want to put our hard-earned cash into the hands of those who deserve it!

WHAT AN INSPIRATIONAL TEAM AND MAGAZINE!

Week 7 2015 - Sketch a Day Images

Day 39 - Round
Tea Cup  - Pen and Watercolour

Day 40 - Love
Valentines Inspired tpoic for the day - Watercolour and Gold Pen

Day 41 - Bouquet
Heather and Lavendar - Watercolour

Day 42 - Penguin
Really pleased with this quick 30 minute Watercolour.  I've decided to try and be looser and quicker.....

Day 43 - Bread
Banana Bread Ingredients - Pen and Watercolour - 30 Minutes