Star Wars: Defend and Protect Painting

With my health this last year, large paintings have simply not been possible for me. However, with recent small improvements and a huge kick of motivation, I decided I wanted my husband to have this piece of artwork for Christmas! I began in October, and had it finished at the beginning of December, which felt amazing! I'm afraid most of the progress pictures were taken on my phone, but I thought you'd like to see the stages nonetheless.

I did not design this, I based it on this wonderful poster by Mike Kungl. I knew how much my husband would love seeing a hand painted version of this poster on his wall every day, and couldn't resist making that dream a reality. I take no credit for the design!

Felt Ball Garland

Another idea I mentioned in my Christmas Craft inspiration post was strings of felt balls... And oh, I love the splash of colour they add to the tree!

I considered making my own balls, and may well in the future, but just didn't have time this year!

I threaded a random colour assortment of 1cm and 2cm balls on to clear thread, and I do love how they look on the tree. More are needed :)

Cranberry Garlands

So happy to have tried making these at last. They look lovely on the tree, different shades of jewel like reds, their shiny-ness catching the lights... I think these will be a staple of our Christmas tree decoration for now on, and I really appreciated the internet tip of using dental floss for easy threading!

3D Snowflakes

So, err, I got a bit behind on blogging again, woops! I have been sharing lots of sneak peeks over on my Facebook page though, so do pop over there for more!

 [For those wondering, I have a vast (read: hundreds) collection of cuddly toys. Included in this picture are a Pudsey bear and a dinosaur made by my Mum, a teddy made by my sister, and a cuddly bee and a little artist made by me in my knitting days!]

On my previous Christmas Craft Wish List, you may have noticed these 3D Snowflakes by IngThings. Well... I got round to making some! And may have slightly fallen in love...

For now, I just have a few brightening up our bedroom, but one day... Oh, one day I can imagine a year round feature wall of these in all different sizes, it would be so stunning. The husband and I have wildly different styles, but now and again they meet in the middle, and this is something we can both agree on! :)

Christmas Banner

You may remember earlier this year I made a series of Happy Birthday banners? Well while I was at it, I also made this Christmas banner! It was lovely to pick out an assortment of wintery colours and textures of paper and card - some shimmery, shiny, sparkley, mottled and textured...  Basically what my winter wonderland is filled with :) I was tempted to do another in red and green, and I still might, but not quite yet...

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook V

Inspired by some graffiti I saw on a Blackpool tram.

Printing with bubble wrap!

Printing with plastic bags (inspired by Alisa Burke), and silhouette found here.

See my previous sketchbook posts here (includes details on materials used), here, here and here. And like my Facebook page for more sneak peeks!

Felt Patchwork Christmas Stocking

After making my husband his Star Wars R2D2 Christmas stocking last year, I decided to make my own personalised stocking this year :)

You may remember seeing sneak peeks of this earlier in the year, piecing together the patchwork and these detailed sparkly sections.

The back is made from white fleece, and the front is made from a patchwork of felt. The different elements on the front involve beading, sequins, felting, hand stitching and ribbons.

I love it so much, and can't wait to (hopefully!) find it on Christmas morning...!

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook IV

See my previous sketchbook posts here (includes details on materials used), here and here. And like my Facebook page for more sneak peeks!

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook III

See my previous sketchbook posts here (includes details on materials used) and here. And like my Facebook page for more sneak peeks!

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook II

See my previous Sketchbook post here, inludes information about materials used.

Baby Card

It's always useful to design a gender neutral new baby card! There have been a few new additions to the family recently, so this has been very helpful :)

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook I

For those wondering, the sketchbook is this one from the wonderful Pink Pig Sketchbooks whose sketchbooks I have been using for many years. I've used my standard watercolour and acrylic paints, a variety of felt tips (mainly Stabilo and Berol) and my favourite drawing pen is this, the Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 Extra Fine in black, although the V7 can also be useful for larger areas! I've also just bought this, Uniball Paint Marker Extra Fine in white, which I'm currently experimenting with!

Sparkly Scribble Cards + An Update

So, I am still alive! After a perfectly average cold in July I experienced my first physical and mental health relapse in 5 years. It's been a tough few months, but things are slowly improving. I've been sharing a lot of my in progress sketchbook art over on my Facebook page, so why not go have a look? :) And hopefully you'll understand if I'm not replying to comments or posting overly regularly atm! I do read and appreciate every comment :)