8 out of 10 rabbits prefer:

Turns out he likes my car more!

Possible tenant?

The large gray rabbit was back in the garden this morning. I wondered if he had heard about the cottage for rent. But no, he was more interested in next doors' BMW.

And there in the wood

A piggy-wig stood! I am currently doing a 14 x 14 inch acrylic painting of 'The owl and the pussycat" which is rather detailed, and so taking a longish time. The main image is in a circle (inside the square) and I am using the corners to depict particular parts for the verse. It should be finished within a few days, but in the meantime I thought I'd post the sketches I did for the corner portions. They are supposed to have a sort of 2D ink drawing feel to them, and will be painted only in shades of blue.

This is kind of a portfolio piece for me. I'm trying to amass painted and drawing work, as still so much of my previous work is in stained glass. One illustration book suggested illustrating classic stories or fairy-tales, to show how you would interpret them, and I thought that seemed a good idea. I particularly like the imagery associated with 'The owl and the pussycat', so thought that might be an excellent place to start. Also, I would possibly hope to have prints and/or giclees on canvas made if it is successful, and open an Etsy shop when i have enough stock! So watch this space.

Tough times need creative solutions!

My parents are visiting from the UK at the moment, so we went to spend a lovely weekend in Santa Barbara. The weather was warm and the little cottage we stayed in was very cute, and a good time was had by all. On Saturday we visited a wonderful plant nursery in Los Olivos, which specializes in succulents (my favourite plants) and I found a little stone cottage.

Times have been tough, and everyone is feeling the squeeze of the recession. I've even noticed in our local (wealthy) town of los Gatos that people have started renting out spare rooms and back yard cottages, so I have decided to do the same. I will place the stone cottage in my back yard and see if anyone wants to rent it out. I already have many (many!) birdhouses available for lease in the front yard, so am hoping that word will get around.

I will have to post some pictures of the birdhouses, and I will, of course, let you know what happens with the cottage. It looks 'thatched' and very old english. I would be happy to move there myself, only it would be a little small, i think.

Talking of small: whilst we were in Santa Babs (my affectionate name for it) we visited a miniture pony ranch, as there were many new born foals. Some of them were just 21" high! very sweet. I'll post a picture, also - the cottage is currently on my deck in this picture, but will be moved to a new and private yard location soon. Let me know if you know anyone that might want to rent it!

'S' is for spring

A couple years back I made a small series of glass panels - sort of patchwork quiltyand very simple, that said 'A' is for Autumn. All autumnal colors and themes, and I sold them around pumpkin time. I don't even recall taking photos of them? (note to self : check photo files, just incase!)

Anyway, since then, some of the purchasers have been asking for similar panels for the other seasons, and have been asking for quite some time! So I have finally gotten around to making 'S' is for spring, and have managed to take a photo before sending them off to their new homes.

This week, the weather here has been surprisingly and incredibly hot - 104 degrees! (F) so looks like I'll have to get straight onto 'S' is for summer, at this rate!

Dusting off a few things

I think the last of the rain has finally gone for the season, so this weekend it was time to dust of a few things from under the house, and spend a bit of time in the yard. In just a few hours it looked much better and was ready for the summer. The hammock had been away since november, and it was lovely to see it again. I rarely actually have time to sit in it, but it really is the most wonderful place to relax, even if you just have 2 minutes. Cookie was very helpful with all the chores, and followed me around as I did them. She especially likes the hammock and helped me to make sure it was strung right by sitting on it as I was trying to chain it up!

Here she is when it was finally done right.

Loves me, loves me not

So much for posting this picture yesterday- I had no internet or phone all day! It's surprising how one comes to rely on these technologies so much, but rather than be frustrated, I decided to have an active day without distraction at my drawing board, and ended up having the most wonderful day! There was just one moment when I wondered how many toes an owl has (for a new project I've started) and the internet would have been helpful, but I managed - and had a very productive day. So, here is the picture I finished, which is the second in a series I have decided to do, and is called 'Loves me, loves me not'. The series doesn't really have a name yet, but for now I shall call it 'Bunny and Boo'. I'll post the first painting of the series again too, for comparison.

Endnote: When I showed my husband the thumbnail sketches for the 'Bunny and Boo' series, he laughed heartily. I was confused and asked what was so funny. He said "But this is you and Cookie" (one of my little dogs) and then said "you should put a note on these saying 'based on actual events' or 'based on a tue story'" I like that a lot. So,

'Loves me, loves me not' (based on actual events) Well - I do like cake.

'A stitch in time' (based on a true story) I also like tea (especially with cake)