Merry Christmas

I know it's a little bit early but due to me being heavily pregnant (and could pop at any time), I'm wishing you all a Merry Christmas - now! I have looked into my Chrismassy archive and found something I did a few years ago, to give you all festive cheer :) I hope for snow just like this!

Also here is a gorgeous photo from my dear friend Joani's blog Plow Your Own Furrow which is sure to get you in the Christmas mood. She always has some really artful arrangements that capture the seasons perfectly. Her photos are just lovely.

She is also an amazing supporter of my work and after a recent promotion of my Woodland drawing I have added it to my Society6 shop :) I have been terrible with shop updating and getting prints sorted this year so these are LONG overdue!

Woodland - Silverpoint on prepared paper 2012

As you should be - Water colour and pencil crayon on Collaged papers

Both are available from my Society6 shop here alongside some of my collage series.  I hope to put some more in soon but this is obviously dependent on whether baby will allow this!

So here is to a very Happy Christmas and New Year - I wish you all a safe and happy season. Here is to a great 2013 for everyone.

I shall be taking a short break over the holidays so this may be my last post for a while. See you all in the new year.

xoxo

Shop update

Just Dropped in to say that 'Deer Under Stars' is now available to buy in my shop now.

Oh yes, and Issue 5 of 91 Magazine is out now!  You can see my Vintage Lover's Guide to York in there.

Hope everyone is gearing up for Christmas :) We have our tree up already (I know - it's only early December!) and i'm slowly making the rest of the house just as festive.

More Deers...

Deer in a Hoop :) Transfer, vintage fabric, paper, jewel on cotton

Made this for baby's room, but i'm thinking I might put it up for sale with the picture I showed you last week. What do you think?  I did some staging of them both and they made me feel very Christmassy, must be the fairy lights.  I L.O.V.E Christmas and this year we are in a the new house. We have already planned where we are putting the tree and i'm getting some Pinterest inspiration for decorations. 

FYI - My Christmas Pinterest board is here if you want to share in the holiday love.

On another decorative note, we are starting to decorate our bedroom and baby's room in the coming weeks - obviously very excited.  I will share our progress as it happens.

Happy Wednesday to you all xxx

Where did the summer go?

Hello,

It's been some time since I was here on the old blog but we moved house and lots of other crazy things happened along the way.  Summer just flew by and looky here, we are in October!!!!  We are settled in now (mostly) but my studio is still in some hot mess, so work has been but a trickle since my last update.

Issue 4 of 91 Magazine is out and proud with my 'Vintage Lover's guide to Berlin' in it!  This was so fun to do but we moved right in the middle of me making it and then didn't have any interweebs for what seemed like forever. I don't have a finished digital image to share as it is on a different PC, but go over to the magazine here and peruse it - honestly this edition is cracking!

I have very kindly been asked to contribute to Issue 5 so will let y'all know when that's ready to roll.

Hot from the studio is this mixed media piece - I have just called it 'Deer' as I can't really think of any fancy names.  It is a mixture of pencil crayon, acrylic, graphite and vintage paper on canvas board.  I prepared the board ages ago but only just felt like this was the image to use it for.

Deer - Mixed media 40x40

Here she is on my drawing board - the sunshine just came out at the right moment. Below is a close up.  The original will be available to buy soon.

Deer - Close up

This week I also discovered a new technique of using fabric and paper with the ability to draw, transfer, silver point and stitch on it.  Like, all my favorite things together - no longer do I have to choose between them.  Oh, I couldn't order supplies fast enough!  When I have had a few good trials I shall reveal more. Needless to say I am excited :)

Lastly I am very happy to tell you all that I am 6 months pregnant!  It's not been easy so far, I won't lie, but we waited so long for it to happen that every day is a gift.  I've had some scary moments but this bambino is a fighter! Deer is actually a gift to my baby - not in a literal sense but as something I created to will us both on to the finish line.

I hope you all had a great summer and are enjoying the approach of autumn.  I for one can't wait for cosy nights in, brisk weather and fiery changing hues.  Hot chocolate anyone?

xxx

91 Magazine & Jubilee celebrations

H e l l o  campers!

Issue 3 of 91 magazine has just been released and it is sooooo beautiful.  Well done to everyone involved. I am very happy that my little Illustration is just nestled in there between the loveliness. You can read it here!  Not too shabby.

Another piece of news is that I had a commission for a painting which i'm really pleased about. I shall reveal all when it's done.
Hmmmm what else....oh yes, We have also just received news that we are two(ish) weeks away from moving to our new house woooo!  Our garage is bursting with boxes already but sadly there is still mucho packing to do.
Unless you live in a cave, you won't have been able to escape the preparations for the Queen's Jubilee. Everywhere you go there is Union Jack bunting up and down the land.  There is also the happy occasion of a  four day weekend (thanks HRH).  Do yo have any plans?  I will be going to my friend's celebrations on Sunday which I'm looking forward to as she always throws great parties.  I might pass on the flag themed outfits I keep seeing everywhere though....
I hope you have a wonderful weekend  - where ever you are in the world :)

xxx

New Illustrations

Well Spring has officially sprung in Derbyshire and we have lots of lovely things going on here at Violet Lake Studio.  After months of being in a dormant state it's suddenly all go, go go!

I have been working on some commissions for two websites which is most exciting, a project for the Alzheimer's Society (more about that soon) and finally people, I thought it would never happen BUT....we are moving house! woooohoooo! It is early days for this so shall update when it's a bit more official.  I'm trying to be all calm and detatched like 'yeah, whatever' but it's all a lie *throws open the new John Lewis furniture catalogue enthusiastically and makes list*.  Good thoughts people, good thoughts.

OK, so work wise this is what I've been toiling over...

Here's a piece I created as a test commission for a lovely web based magazine called '91Magazine' which  is just a delightful read from start to finish.  Definitely my kind of magazine. It is based on the map from Issue 2 as per the brief. Fingers crossed they like it!

The other illustrations are for a website called 'That Special Dress' which is an uber stylish dress hire company.  I am a tinesy bit biased as it is owned by my sister but I think you will still agree it is fabulous!  It was a family affair in design - My sister and I spent a while hammering out ideas that would compliment the site but still in my style and my other half did a good deal of the designing/ digital wizardry. 

The 'how it works' page changed its look slightly, so the one on the site is a bit different - but I love both.

I think we did pretty good considering it was a fairly new venture for us all.  You can see more of my work on a sticker and some flyer's but you will have to order a dress to see those :)

The dresses are all lovely and I will certainly be wearing a few for some special occasions I have lined up this year.  However my favourite item is the Tracey Reece Fairy Tale Cape which is just so gorgeous you would never want to take it off!

That is all for now, hope you enjoyed the pictures :)

Spring

I have a memory of being about seven and waking up in my tiny, cosy bedroom, to sun gently peeking in over the tops of my curtains. My alarm clock was the sound of the cheeping (squawking) baby birds nesting close to the air brick.

It would only ever happen at this time of year, around Easter, and it signalled the start of spring. It wasn't just the sun, it was the quality of light, the colour it tinted my ceiling. It quietly whispered 'winter is dead'.

Then I'd throw on one of my 80's outfits  - something similar to one of these outfits (my sister had a hedgehog toy like the girl on the front row also, which I believe it was a puppet) and play in the garden.

Now whenever I see the sun just peeking over my curtains, I think of that delicious memory and know everything will be waking up again. It's a bracing kind of feeling that makes you glad to be alive.
I had that very experience this morning and it made me so happy. Sure, the weather can still be terrible in spring, but I always savour those sunny mornings. Sadly I can't go into the garden to play today but I will pretend I am.