Where's it all come from?

Just a little philosophical thought... Don't you think it's utterly amazing that everything around us - buildings, computer parts, medicine, clothes, food, books, DVDs - have come from the earth itself? Even things that are manmade have still been made from things that were on Earth in the first place.

Maybe it's obvious to some, but I'd never really thought about where everything has actually come from until recently, then I got quite overwhelmed by that fact!

Children's Book Illustration

That's the course I'm doing! I've always loved to draw, but never thought I was much good, which is why I never took creative A-levels or degree, Well, I did start Design Studies along with Marketing and Psychology for my degree, but that's another story!!

I've also always written stories, although never seem to finish them. The last one I started was in 2007, which I aimed at 7 - 9 year-olds. However, I decided that the subject matter was really for younger children, so I'm going to rewrite it and make it into a picture book.

I've learnt lots on this course already, so hopefully I'll be a little better qualified to illustrate as well as write. I'm certainly not expecting it to be easy, but to have a book published is a dream I've had for so long, I have to give it a try.

Anyway, here are some illustrations from the assignments so far. The first exercise was a collage of wet-on-wet watercolour:

Using the same technique, the brief was to create a two-page spread about a tiny tree seed who travels through the seasons and comes to land in a field:

I got some lovely comments from my tutor about this one. I haven't submitted the next two yet, but the exercise was to use pen and ink to draw household squeezy bottles with a character. I did two, as I couldn't decide. Here's a fairy house:

And then I did a suncream bottle with a lizard-type creature:

I'll submit these when I've finished the second brief. Just on the painting stage at the moment... Has taken me ages to draw, although I have really enjoyed it! I'll post the finished piece when it's, well... finished!

Doing this course does mean my shops are becoming a little neglected though. I'm going back to teaching as well, part-time. It's so hard to fit everything in! I might start selling these illustrations though, depending on how they turn out. Mind you, that will probably mean another shop..!

How to Decoupage a Box

It was my Mum's 60th birthday a few weeks ago (on Mothers' Day to be exact) and I decided give her a handmade present, as I know she loves things I make more than anything I could buy. Well, that's what she says..!

I thought a keepsake box would be a perfect gift, so I had a look at ways I could make one and came across decoupage. This is basically where you cut out pictures and glue them to a wooden or cardboard box, before covering with layers of glue for a clear finish.

Anyway, here are some photos of the process:

Here's the cardboard box - just a plain brown cardboard box from Hobbycraft.


Then I needed to decorate it with paper, so I screwed up a piece of white A4 and then dabbed some brown pigment ink on it. The idea was to give it a kind of antique look... This was to cover the lid.


I covered the sides in pink and green paper and again, stained the edges with brown ink:


I wanted to use my own photos, so printed them on a laserjet printer and carefully cut them out. As well as the flowers, I used some family photos too:

Here's the lid covered in the screwed up and stained paper:


Then I arranged and stuck the photos on the top and sides. I used Mod Podge to do this, as I was following American tutorials, but I think you can use any PVA, which is probably cheaper.

And here is the finished box:



Once you've stuck the pictures in place, you just keep brushing over the glue, letting it dry, before adding another layer. I did about 5 layers of glue to give the box a varnished appearance. The idea is that you keep going until you can't feel the edges of the images anymore. My lid wasn't completely smooth as I'd scrunched up the paper, but it turned out pretty well!

A couple more pics:

A close-up. You can see a young Mum and Dad here! And myself and my brothers on my wedding day...


Oh, nearly forgot to mention the inside. You can just see the felt I used. I simply glued it to the sides and for the bottom I covered some quilt batting I had left over from my memo boards.

And this pic shows my grandparents and my mum when she was little, Tiggy, the gorgeous labrador we used to have and my two children.


So, there we have it; a very basic tutorial on how to decoupage a box. It's really simple and makes a lovely gift, so give it a go!

Beauty Product Review

My good friend Bettina writes fab blog Beauty Swot which includes reviews of many types of beauty products. She was sent some goodies from Superdrug's Simply Pure range for sensitive skin and asked if I could review them for her. I was only too pleased to help! Read the review here.



Look out for a tutorial on decoupaging a cardboard box coming soon!

Some fab Folksy Sellers!

I thought it was about time I featured some of the wonderful Folksy sellers who have included me (either Careford Creations or Folk of the Forest) in their blogs this year, some several times!

This cute strawberry notepad from Debbie of Crafty Mushroom is one of a set of 3, including an umbrella and a bird:



Next up is a lovely spring bag from Lynda of SimJaTa:



This beautiful heart suncatcher from Maria at PrettyBeautifulDesigns, would look perfect in a sunny window:


Next is one of the most stunning hairclips I've seen! Gorgeous dragonfly from Mirjam of Mirribeads:


I love things set in resin, like this pretty buttercup in a pendant from Gemma of DamselflyGemma:


And last but certainly not least is Linda from Uniquely Yours. Linda's featured my items a number of times - thanks again Linda! This is an ACEO of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. I went there when I was 12 so had to pick it for my blog! What an amazing painting!



Make sure you click on the pictures and take a look at all the sellers' other lovely items. You're bound to find something you want or need!

My new venture - Folk of the Forest

Well, after a looooong time, Folk of the Forest is finally here! This is my new Folksy shop, all about the fairies and elves in the forest.

You can buy an enchanting print, capturing a moment in the forest folk's daily lives, like in this Easter print here:

Or you can have your own little bit of forest, as with these toadstool earrings:


or flower wine glass charms:


Or you can share in the fairies' favourite things, with these raspberry fairy cake earrings:




I first had the idea for these forest folk years ago when I used to sit in my parents' back garden in north London. There was a little canopy made by some plants and shrubs and I often used to imagine a magical world hidden beneath them.

I didn't do anything about it until a few years ago when I rediscovered polymer clay and realised it was the perfect medium to make the little folk. And since then I've been working on this venture. The following year (2008) I came across Folksy and realised that I could set up a Folk of the Forest shop. It's taken me this long to get it all ready, but it's here now!

It's going well. I've already had a sale and am getting favourites every day. So fingers crossed for lots more sales!

Beauty products needed!

My old friend Bettina (that's 'old' as in been friends for a long time, not old as in old!) writes a fab blog called Beauty Swot,where she reviews lots of yummy beauty products interspersed with mouth-watering reviews of afternoon teas she experiences in top London hotels.


Bettina's currently on the lookout for wonderful products for oily, dry or sensitive skin. So if you've found anything that really works, just send Bettina an e-mail: bettina@beautyswot.com. She'd love to include you and your find in her blog!