Advent Calendar December 2nd

My own version of an advent calendar to keep myself amused between now and the 25th. I wish I had a way of making the pictures hide behind little doors! This is a beautiful spherical tree in the environmental centre. It is from the snowy time in February.

Angels And Handles

Angels for advent. Handles from Antony's house. On the door of a little building in the garden.

On the door to the lean to at the side of the house. This door is a front door from another house with number 39 on it.

Gorgeous old plastic handles into the front of the house-these are just right for your hand and so warm and smooth feeling-perfect!

Sunday

Sunday started well as I found a lovely package hidden in a folded up copy of the TES (Times Educational Supplement) that I had not opened until then. The paper had been folded in half and fastened with elastic bands, thus hiding the package! It contained a beautiful notebook and card from Yiota in Greece. Her blog Shells, Bells and Flowers is lovely. Thanks Yiota!

I love the stamps.

The book is full of beautiful watercolours of birds. I love it!

Later in the day we visited my brother in his new little house. It was owned by a 96 year old lady and is decorated in a 1960s/70s way. It is quite sad as lots of her things are still there-she has moved into a home now. Antony has got quite a job ahead to clear it. I really like it and took lots of pictures. So many old scenes to be preserved. There is a lovely ruin of a cast iron, boat shaped greenhouse in the garden, and a grape vine with lots of grapes. A lot of everyday household things were left behind, and I have kept some of them as the family don't want them and it seems a waste to send them to the tip. Things like an old pair of weighing scales and an enamel bread bin. Antony found a great DIY magazine from 1968 which is so interesting. I will show you some of that in the week.

I liked this. I will show some more house pictures later in the week.

Awards

I was catching up on Mary's blog today and was touched to see she had given me an award, which made me remember another award given to me ages ago by Sonia ( on my birthday in fact!) and which I failed to accept-oh no! So thank you to Sonia for the Deborah award and to Mary for the Making smiles on faces award. This is Deborah's lovely blog here. For the smile award I have to share five things about myself.
1. I thought I couldn't cook, then I could, then I couldn't again and resorted to going to McDonald's. (this happend last night-I had a complete cooking disaster (three things burnt-thick black smoke burnt) -which was most disappointing as last weekend I had nothing but cooking success.
2.When I went to McDonald's (which is pretty rare) I kept my pajama top on and wore an odd selection of other clothes-I was hungry and wanted the 'fast' aspect of fast food. It is a drive-in and it was dark. The girl who takes the orders was also the one who takes the money-I was impressed by her multi-tasking and her polite manner.
3. Every weekend recently, there has been a sunlight window in which to take photos. It is short lived and so, whatever I am doing, I stop, whip out the camera and photograph whatever I need to that week.
4. My Chinese star sign is the snake.
5. My zodiac sign is Libra and I have Virgo rising. I have endless discussions about these things with my friend Clare. It is all fascinating!

I would like to pass these awards on to lots of people but have chosen three of them today-I am usually a bit reticent to pass them on as I worry about leaving people out but I will be bold! I have chosen people I have not passed awards on to before. ( I think)
I will pass the smile award to Amy of Sweet Sweet Life as she makes me smile almost every day with her amazing showcasing of great artists. Thanks Amy!

I will pass the Deborah award to Lynne and to Janine-thanks for being my friends!

Thanks to all my friends-I love this world we share!

In other news (that phrase always pops into my head when I am writing the blog-it makes me smile somehow-as if my life is so terribly interesting!), I watched 'New Moon' this week (loved it-I am an overgrown, middle aged teenage girl! Slightly selfish Bella appears a little less selfish in the film) , a film about Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst where it appeared she had just been dropped off in 17th Century France from a shopping mall somewhere in America and given the right costumes-most strange film-I quite enjoyed it though. Today I watched 'Coco Before Chanel' which was lovely-most interesting and beautiful.

Winter, Views, Make-Up and Happy Thanksgiving!

VIEW This is a view of downtown Austin, Texas. Isn't it lovely? I bought a couple of cards from the lovely Sonia and she included some other goodies, including this picture. Thank you Sonia!

The cards I bought are lovely and for a very good cause. Visit Sonia to find out more and to see her lovely work.

MAKE-UP

This is my collection of eye shadows and blushers-which mostly stay unused in their bag. I don't wear a lot of make-up, and day to day just a lip stain and a clinique soft and shimmery eye shadow. Both of these have usually worn off by about 9.30, after which I am bare-faced!
I am tempted by the pretty colours and, dare I say it, the pretty packaging. I love bourjois things in particular. The reason they are all over the table is that they were being sketched for the second to last page of the sketchbook project book. I have one more page to go, then the cover and a little index type thing and I am finished. I really enjoyed it though it will be good to have time to do other things.

I messed around with the colour, contrast and brightness of this one and really like it.

OTHER VIEWS AND WINTER

Winter, because it is finally very cold, after a long unseasonal mild patch, lulling us all into a false sense of security. I think all these pictures look wintery, unlike sunny Austin!

I worked at home this afternoon-my PPA time (planning, preparation and assessment)

I get half a day a week to cover all that-not a chance! 10 hour days, work in the evenings and Saturdays often too-gripe, gripe! This weathered looking house was on my drive home (when I waited at temporary traffic lights ('Tis the season of temp'ry traffic lights, fa la la la la, la la la la)There was no one around guarding the scary looking ladder.

This pub picture was taken later, as I was driving home from somewhere else. It is called The Bugle Horn and is in Charlton village. It looks like a coaching inn straight out of Dickens. I have never been in there though as I feel it may be slightly dodgy.
Scary night view of the woods on Shooter's Hill.
Christmas House, picture number one-as there may be more as the merry day approaches! They are big on Christmas houses round here. Andy and I have developed our own tradition of going on a night driving tour of them. Such fun! We love the moving ones the best-Santa on little trains was popular last year!
Last but not least-Happy Thanksgiving to you all-another benefit of the internet is sharing in festivals we don't celebrate here!

Julie's Doll

A while ago, Julie at work approached me for doll advice. Not many people there know I make dolls, only really my nursery colleagues who are very nice about the ones they have seen! Julie wanted to make a doll for her friend-more a stuffed kind of toy I suppose. I told her how I make cloth dolls and rattled on about it for a while. She listened and went off to think about it. A little while later she came back to me and just asked me to make it for her! This is her initial sketch idea. She wanted it to have three heads, be in the colours of the Jamaican flag, and portray the proverb Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Below is my sketch-and, contrary to my usual approach, I did actually follow it pretty much exactly!

I wanted to make it stand on its own, so I made it with a flat bottom and weighted it with ceramic cooking beans.

I got the idea for the shape of the heads from Junker Jane, (artist Catherine Zacchino), who's dolls I love. I like their square heads and I love her use of fabric.

I felt a bit bad about the see no evil head, so I made his blindfold seeable through!

The three wise monkeys commonly associated with the proverb. I can't do monkeys, hence the square heads! I have had this little plastic version since I was a child. It was given to me by my Gran. My favourite thing on the doll is the button headphones!

It was fun having a mini commission. Julie's friend liked it apparently.

Book Doll, Shadow Shot Sunday and Clowns

I have finished the book doll. I called her Muse as I felt very inspired to make her and it happened easily. Sometimes, even if enjoyable, making things can be hard so it is lovely when it is not! There are shadows here and more to come! Visit Hey Harriet for more shadows.

I decided not to paint her at all as I like the writing and scraps of picture. She looks more as if she has a nose in real life than in the picture. I used a Russian text book on her dress, cut out eyes and mouth from the same photo in a Sunday supplement, a cut out necklace, and brown paper from Anne's envelope on her arms. The flowery part of her dress is from birthday wrapping paper. Her hair is the same packaging shredded paper that I used for Edna's skirt. The cover of the book is a stamp from Candace.

Earlier, I went outside to take something back to the shed. The garden is so messy-I have not done anything to it for about a year and it shows. I swept up loads of leaves and pulled up a few weeds. I noticed some fungi growing in a pot with Rosemary in it. I picked a piece to have a look. It has a beautiful structure underneath-which reminded me a little of the book doll's skirt!

I have also been trying to finish the poor clown doll. I have made him a jacket, jumper and now tiny trousers-which are far too short-the hazards of being too lazy to measure properly.

I was quite negative about clowns a while ago here and since then keep coming across lovely images of them, not looking at all disturbing or sad. Clowns have got together to prove me wrong! This picture is from a magazine last Sunday and is from work by an artist called Paolo Ventura. His work is amazing-he has created the life of a fictional Italian clown through painting, model making and creating miniature sets then photographing the whole thing. It is called Winter Stories. There is a limited edition book which I would love-perhaps I will save up!

This clown looks so sweet. He is not at all disturbing and looks very happy. This harlequin lady is from the vintage ephemera site I mentioned the other day. I love her dress and her collar.