goodbye 2010... hello 2011!

We've had a great Christmas despite all the flu bugs going round, I looked a little like Shreck on Christmas day (... although Sonny said I looked more like Princess Fiona so that was reassuring!)

Yesterday we met friends at YSP which looked so beautiful on a misty day it was like being on the set of Doctor Who! it was great just to blow the Cobwebs off and walk our Christmas Quality Street muffin tops off and breath in some fresh air!

We've had a fab 2010 and I always think it's so exciting when a new year starts full of good intentions, promise and positive actions!

So have a fantastic New Years eve and we wish you the happiest, healthiest 2011 filled with friends and belly laughs always XXX

3 days to Christmas and my mum...

...is in bed poorly sick with a cold bug!!

I always get poorly at Christmas, it seems to be tradition! As soon as I allow myself to relax the bugs say get her now!! I don't do poorly very well, I haven' got time for it! but I was up all night coughing and sweating! so today has been spent sleeping!!

So I'm leaving you with the big man himself by Skyla and signing off for Chrimbo to concentrate on getting better :)

I wish you all a 

 Fab Christmas 

and a happy healthy new year! 

Thank you soooo much for all your support, lovely comments and encouragement on my blog this year it means so much to me, and I've loved sharing your blogs and creative projects this year too!

have a good one Lisa:)xxx

4 days to Christmas and my mum read to me...

The legend Raymond Briggs ( I grew up with this Christmas film and remember crying my eyes out at the end! I love Raymond Briggs' work, the beautiful 'When the wind blows' and stunning 'Ethel & Ernest' all I can massively recommend you get in your life...along with 'Fungus the bogeyman'!)

Magical, 'The Snowman' which makes me feel so nostalgic and just like a kid again.

enjoy...

5 days to Christmas and my mum read to me...

Little Robin Red Vest by Jan Fearnley.

Kind little Robin has given all his winter vests to his chilly friends, which leaves him vestless on Christmas eve....

...but the big man himself comes to the rescue along with his missus and her knitting needles to create a special little red vest.

And if you look out of the window on a wintry day like today you just might see him in his little red vest!

Ahhhhhh, I love Christmas!

 We have a big basket of Christmas books which all get read on the run up to the big day. I read this to Son last night and it has become a Christmas classic in our house over the years with such gorgeous sensitive illustrations by Jan Fearnley, beautiful!

lovely ending....

...to my working year, this is my last piece of work this year and what a lovely last job to do!

A Christmas present for a little boy called Rueben based on this art work, and I've loved every minute working on it whilst listening to Christmas music and watching the snow start to fall again!

I've also been treasured with this artwork,

and treasured with this one! 

Which seems appropriate as we are forecast more snow just in time for the end of school tomorrow! 

Also I'm going to close my Etsy shop and Folksy shop tomorrow and will open in the new year so I can concentrate on Lil Sonny & Sky and the magical build up to Christmas!

Go careful in the snow :)x

Get your skates on!

We went to Christmas Adventure on Sunday with lovely friends, we went around an enchanted forest, a Christmas maze and then ice skating, fab wintry fun!

Sonny loved it, he had a bit of support with this little fella first then he was off!

It was a lovely thing to do in the evening with all the Christmas lights, very Christmassy!

and here's a better photo of 'Give us a kiss' which is now listed here & here.

Thanks again for all the lovely comments about this print, it's so encouraging, 

eeeee come ere and give us a kiss! x

finished!

I've added the last two colours to this, grey and red and now 'Give us a kiss' is finished! 

my last screen print of the year!

The photo's are not great as it's such a dark grey day here and no natural day light, so tomorrow I will take some better photo's then list in my shops!

I think it's turned out really well, I want to make this screen print look hand done and sketch like with lots of texture and movement. Let me know what you think :)

School loo's update... Week 2

Today I was able to go into school and continue project loo's!

This was the start,

and this is the progress by the school bell today...

slow and steady progress which will continue after Christmas.

It's sooo lovely to hear the kids reaction, Sonny was so sweet, I could hear him behind the door saying, 

"my mum is in those toilets painting because she's a proper artist" Ahhhh!

My creative space...

I did this sketch a bit back and decided to turn it into a screen print. So today I went into the print work shop to make a start!

Colour 1...

colour 2... 

on the drying rack...

colour 3! I've two more colours left to print which I'll do next Tuesday.

what do you think so far?

eeee she could charm the birds out of the sky!

20:20 Exchange...

Do you remember me taking part in the Hot Bed Press Exchange?

I did the above print, Lil fossil hunting on Runswick bay in a red hat, 20x20cm screen print, here is the initial sketch, and here's the screen printing process.

Well last week I received my exchange portfolio with a copy of my print and 20 others! It was great opening it up and looking at all the other work, very interesting and inspiring!

Here are a few of the other prints...

Emma Lawrenson

Jill McKeown

Katherine Anterey

Margaret Becker

Antonia O'Mahon

All the submissions have been put on flickr here

and here are all the West Yorkshire Print Workshop prints!

It's been fab being a part of this project and exciting to see what other print makers have created

beautiful animation and getting in the Christmas spirit!...

Lily has been writing about memories in her literacy at school. The teacher played this animation on the white board to the class and Lily thought it was beautiful. She was desperate to share with me last week when school was closed. 

It is beautiful, very haunting with an uplifting ending.

I love it when my kids are excited about what they have done in class and come home to share! 

and how fantastic that they can access fabulous resources at the touch of a button, amazing! long gone is the blackboard, eeee I feel a bit old saying that!

Ok, Christmas is definitely here! 

we love love love the preparations for Christmas,

we have a fur tree farm just down the road so Chris and the kids walk down, pick a tree, cut it down, pay the lovely lady who gives the kids treats and then walk back home and trim! 

magical, even more so with the early snow this year.

This is the tasteful tree by the fire, and then our lovely fab colourful one is in the kitchen with all the gorgeous home made decs.

oooo, and lovely chocolate every morning for breakfast,

Lil & Sky made this a year ago, it's so lovely when we get it out and fill it with chocks.

We've also been busy making garlands, they're really easy, just cut out large leaf shapes from coloured paper, old book Page's and vellum papers and then sew them all together and hang up!

OOOH I love it, I've overdosed on mulled wine, mince pies and the Pogues fairy tale in New York this weekend and loved every minute of it!

Hope you're enjoying trimming up and getting into the Christmas spirit!

Have a great start to your week!:)

snow time!

We've all been snowed in for 4 days, no school and lots of playing and sledging!!

I love it!

the photo's don't give it justice at all of how truly beautiful it is here! 

Living in a deep valley makes the views breathtaking and the sledging fantastic!!

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe in this wonderful winter land!