I've been a little shocked today.
I came back over to update and to perhaps add a few bits and whilst I was here thought I'd have a look-see at the blog-challenges to see if I fancied joining in one.

Most of them are gone! :O

This was a thriving challenge site not so long ago and unless there are a pile of new ones I know nothing about, certainly most of the ones in my side-bar (now removed) have gone.

So what do peeps now do for challenges?

The couple that have, possibly, survived are now 'invitation only'...? What's that all about?

Oh well, nowt I can do about that now - if anyone knows where to find any new ones - please just leave a reply in 'comments'.!

Here are a couple of recent bits that I didn't get time for yesterday.
                              
                                          Elf on a Toadstool

Liver Bird 3

Sleep-over at Nanny's

Modern Dance

 Cherry Blossom Girl (digitally painted)

 Watercolour Peel Harbour

 Gaynor Greaves' card made with my Eiglas House #1

 A Very Special Christmas Card.

 A Vintage Wedding card

 Birthday card

Christmas Card

Christmas Card made entirely from Freebies! :D

Birthday Card

Sadly -four Bereavement cards

My Eiglas 'Mermaid with a Shell Mirror' rendered in Copics

Same Mermaid With Shell Mirror, rendered in Prisma and Polychromo pencils.

As and when I make images I will endeavour to upload them, time allowing.

Hugs 

Ei

x

...so, no summer....

...to speak of after all...!

What a miserable summer we've had...!
About five days of sunshine - and those not all together! :(

Still, the garden has thrived with the rain and the chicken poo so can't complain... ;)

Been very busy this summer - between my new job and the chooks, and my volunteer work at Marie Curie - doesn't leave much 'spare' time for my crafts.

But I've managed a few new projects and I'm please how my drawings are coming on.

Up until now, I've tended to draw in black ink, as most peeps want to colour them themselves but I've coloured a few myself and enjoyed doing them.

My chooks have has an effect... lol!

Rooster Cockburn

Cocky Lochie

My Chicken Family

And I've just designed a fabric for my kitchen blind...!

I'm doing some curtains and cushion covers to match in with it.

And of course, my gorgeous grandbabbies have become victims too!

My lickle Ada...

and Elvie

Toby's birthday card featured someone - well - recognizable....

...and I realized I had a couple of dogs missing from my wall.

Kinder, the Weimaraner was inseparable from my son Rob when they were small so I drew them from an old photograph

My friend Teri Sherman had her first book published - a collection of Gothic colouring pages! It's on Amazon now at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gothic-Halloween-Scary-Adult-Coloring/dp/1941325440/ref=zg_bsnr_11357541011_42

so if you love colouring and like the more Gothic style of drawing get yourself over there! 

Here's a sample of Teri's work. I've coloured it in Prisma pencils, which is quite new to me - not used coloured pencils since school!

Teri's work can be seen at Delicious Doodles

I've also been making some digi-style drawings. Most of you will know - I'm not over-keen on the dysmorphic big-eyed girls which have been so popular in recent years - I really son't get the attraction of them and certainly don't have anyone on my card-list that would appreciate them so I draw slightly more realistic ladies - still in a graphic form but more 'normal'.

My 'Cherry Blossom Girl'

I have more which I shall update when time allows! 

Hugs

Ei

x

Fairy Gardens

Well, summer is here... allegedly.... lol!  So I've been in my garden playing with my chooks and also in mud!

The chooks destroyed my pretty garden last year and so I've been busy, with my lovely Hubby, Nic, re-planting it.

I didn't think to take 'before' pics - but trust me - it looked like the Somme without the charm!  Nothing green was left!

After several weeks of hard work it's starting to look something like a garden again.

Something I've wanted to do for months has gone and hooked me right up - Fairy Gardens!

We had quite a few casualties in the patio planter department but the broken pots were quite pretty ones so I was wanting to try to use them in a different way.

So I did this..... ;)

Number two - Ada's Water- Garden

Number three - Birdie Fairy Garden

Number Four - Fairy House Garden

I'm quite chuffed with all of them actually - especially the first one as I'd never done anything like it before and because I could keep my Mum's teapot, which got broken only a couple of months ago...

My 7 year old Granddaughter helped make the second one - she has a very artistic eye and made some lovely suggestions - I need to find a different pant for it though - not sure the Busy Lizzie is quite right in there!

Number three has a cheeky terracotta Robin on a nest - it became broken in the frost last year but i didn't want to throw her out and I'm glad I didn't - see - hoarding comes in useful sometimes! :D

Number four has a little house on it - and a little dish for a 'pond'! There are some fossils in there too.

I have more sherds so there may be more to come!

My little garden so far.....

Since these pics were taken, I've planted up a lot of patio pots and I'll take pics of those tomorrow.

We've also rescued an additional two hens so I'll get those on show as well - they've fitted in beautifully with my older Ladies!

I wish the summer weather would get a move on though... ;)