On a cold and icy note

Last night temperatures dropped incredibly one again! However, despite this we got out and about. The skies were clear and although it was freezing, we did at last have some blue skies instead ot the incessant grey. So, for the first time in ages, I have added some photography to my wordpress blog!
Meanwhile talking about the cold, this wildlife art fits in quite well.



There is a current cull of seals is Scotland right now so I thought that this one was topical! Have a great weekend everyone :)

A New You

It is my final week on my course this week. It was very varied and whilst I am not exactly "new" (I am sure Andy will be glad about that), it has been informative and I have enjoyed it a lot. I have met some wonderful people and tried some new experiences. Throughout the time we have had a go at Pilates, Zumba and walking for fitness. We have covered healthy eating, cooking and creative writing followed last week by some crafts.
There was a whole day spent on Eco Chic (making new from old) and not only was it good fun but we were shown examples of how people used to make do and mend with exhibits from a museum in Ludlow. I made a little kneeling blanket for when I am out and about with my camera, it will easily fit in my camera bag and protect my dodgy knee a little when I am using the macro. Just don't look too closely at my lines!



On one of the days we had a talk from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and I am sure you can imagine that I enjoyed that one. In fact we also had a practical session where we made fat balls and a nest box.



Impressive eh? ;)

We did some teabag folding which is very effective for cards and decorations at little or no cost. Sadly, I think my efforts got a little squashed!
Working on practical things for a change also inspired me to pull out the beads for the first time in a while at home and get those pliers working again...



I am almost sad that it is coming to an end but, I have taken away just how much you can diversify in a different environment. For anyone in Shropshire that would enjoy something like this, details can be found in the ACE magazine from the Gateway. This one was held in Shrewsbury but, further venues are planned. Incidentally, I will also miss the lovely lunch!

Photoshopping Tigers

I think it was Christmas when I said that I have been playing with various backgrounds in photoshop and now it is February!
I completed this Tiger in pastels from a lovely photo by Gary Jones from Paint my Photo.



I took another photo of a very distressed piece of paper and then grunged it up a little more using various techniques. Then I played using two different layers and overlaying the grunged background over the top of the tiger. I found a pretty good tutorial on Youtube for this....I went on to play with the styles and eventually chose burn for this one.



I quite like the effect although my tiger on the drawing pad looks a little dull now ~ I think I may have to give him a background for real!

Meanwhile, I only have one more week on my course left. We have covered many things which has been very informative and enjoyable. However, with so many things ongoing, I do seem to be losing track of time!

Shall we dance?

I started my course last week and had my first ever Zumba lesson. It was a lot of fun, I think I enjoyed it so much because of the music. However, it reminded me of a few things that I have not yet posted. We went over to Cannock Chase in December so that Andy could try out a new lens combination. So here are a few from the day....



....well this little coal tit could easily be doing Zumba!!!



Some birds are always easier to get a crisp photo of than others and for some reason Great Tits always work for my lens.



Nuthatches are a little more problematic but that is because they move so quickly. I have so many out takes of these little birds. We cheat a little now and lodge the nuts in a little more. Then they come and take them away to bury them in another branch somewhere for a rainy day!



Finally this blue tit is just too cute!

We have so many less birds in the garden this year but think it is a result of a warmer winter. Looking around yesterday and the bulbs are coming up, there are buds on the trees and I saw my first daffodil out in a garden today. Nearly snowdrop time in the woods too ......

Skywatch Friday -Morning Sunrise

It has been a little while since I did a Skywatch Friday. This is a morning sunrise from earlier this week.



As you can see it was a frosty one! The sun has appeared so big in the sky that I couldn't resist a few zoomed in shots.



Into the fire so to speak.





There have been some gorgeous skies over the UK this week so for some of those and others from around the world, check out the Skyley Blogspot

More Wildlife - Leopard

I cannot believe yet another week has gone by.....
I thought I would share another wildlife piece with you. I am really enjoying myself right now with my art and this was based on a wonderful reference photo. Yet again I am working in mixed media, it seems to be a theme right now.



I had great fun with the fur but not quite so much fun with the spots ;) The wonderful things is that working on such lovely creatures and really studying them up close is fascinating.

As so many of you asked about the tops last week, Andy did manage to sneak in a photo.
So here it is from Nomads, modelled very badly!



I think it reflects an arty person rather than an office worker! My course is now booked and starts soon, it is very aptly called " A New You" :D

Moving On....

Having now been back at work for four days, Christmas seems like a distant memory already. The weather has been pretty grim too with terrible gales and rain sweeping the UK. It makes for awful driving conditions so I am really pleased that the weekend is here :D

I have been working on a few things but, thought that I would share this one because it is light and bright.....I am looking forward to Spring!



I have been combining different things lately and this one is using both coloured pencil and pastel.
Meanwhile, I am now in my last three months at work so am busy hunting down courses and training for all the changes to come. It looks as though I have found at least one suitable thing that looks like being a lot of fun as well as educational. I am hoping it works out. I don't do News Year resolutions, I find that they can be a source of failure..........instead I am setting myself a few aspirations. One is to spend a little more time in the garden, another is to open my mind to even more creativity and the final one is difficult to put into words. I think the easiest way is to say that I would like the things that I do, wear and say to express myself a little more.......I started off by treating myself to a couple of tops that I really, really love but would never wear to work! Now, I had better find cheaper ways of expressing myself LOL