Rocking My World... January!

Well! What happened there then? One minute I'm doing a wrap up for 2014 and the next... January is all but over!

So - what's been making my weeks that little bit more positive?

Well - there is one great big fat one that has pretty much over taken my whole January. I had my interview on the 14th. Talk about nerve racking and scary. The tutor was brilliant though and put me totally at ease. I kind of thought I might get in from some of the things he was saying but didn't want to cartwheel out of the uni and down the hill for fear of jinxing it.

Image source

So two days of nail biting and I got an email saying I had been offered a place but to waaaaaaiiiiit for official confirmation before accepting. Then a week to the day of my interview and I got the official confirmation! I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'M IN!!! Subject to a reference from my Maths tutor (which he has already promised me) I'm going back to school, tralala! This year - Art & Design, Access to Higher Education. Next year, hopefully the start of a Fine Art degree!! Who knows?

My friend Cas gave me this card... it is gorgeous and beautiful inside and outside just like her and I wont be putting it away this year!

That's not the only good news this month. Devvie has had three uni offers come through too. Two for Canterbury Christ Church and one for Chichester. She is over the moon and I think it's hit home how real it's getting too. For all of us! Scary, exciting times ahead!

Ruby has been getting little notes home in her school book about how well she is doing in her reading. Yesterday she came running out, waving her reading journal around, excited to tell me she has been moved up to Gold. GOOOOOLD! She was so excited! Cue much jumping around by us both.
But of course, this morning she now wants Diamond! So let me think what else has made us smile?

• Rainbows over the motorway
• Visiting Nanna in Hastings for the first time since Christmas
• Just Dance on the wii - none of us look remotely like any of the dancers but we are all busting dodgy moves of some description. Even Logey - it's his favourite game at the moment. But not Craig - he refuses point blank.
• Grated apple, chopped banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, hot porridge, all mixed together. My mountainous winter warmer breakfast of choice at the moment.
• Large white McDonalds coffee to warm me up on my way to Maths class. They do some lovely coffee they do.
• Hot water bottles. (Do you get the idea that I am feeling the cold?)
• Slooooowly getting organised. I'm waiting for it to warm up enough for me to do my yearly purge out in the shedio.
• Mum's daffs starting to grow again.
• Devvie lending me her Inktense pencils to try. 
• Wonderful friends and family

And that'll do me. How was your January? Did you blink and miss it? 

 I'm off to link up with Virginia - Thanks for stopping by today :)

We Interrupt This Broadcast...

...to say I am peed off with Blogger. Again.

I don't know what's happened to all my photos and I really don't look forward to going through every post to see what's missing.

Methinks that long put off move to another host is imminent. I'll keep you updated.

Grrr!

That is all!

eta: All seems to be sorted! I'm leaving this post up because someone else might have the same trouble and the lovely Anita posted the solution in the comments section. Thanks Anita :)

Little Mermaid Canvas

Evening all - thought I'd stick my head in and let you know I haven't done a bunk. The days just seem to be flying past. Can you believe it's nearly February already?

Here is another Christmas canvas I did - this one was for my lovely friend Cas, she has often admired a certain blue I'd used in our family canvas. When she hinted (with all the subtlety of a brick) at wanting a canvas for Christmas I knew I wanted to use a lot of that. When it got to the point of choosing a focal image I just kept thinking of water and mermaids. So that's what she got. I know she's partial to a Disney flick or two as well - don't tell her I told you though ;)

Acrylic Paints,

Oil Pastels,

Pan Pastels

Gilding Flakes

Modelling Paste

Pens, Pencil

Inks & Sprays

I was a little late in completing and handing over said pressie so instead of her opening it at home on Christmas day, she opened it in front of me last week. Talk about nerve racking! I think she liked it though. *Phew*

Thanks for stopping by today and taking a peep :)

100 Faces in a Year... So Far.

No... I haven't done a hundred faces this year already. I've done six. Which for me is quite good going - hoping I can keep the momentum I seem to have at the start of this new year.

I'm going to start a page tab at the top of the blog just to keep these all in one place (and so I don't lose count) but will still blog them. I hope you don't get fed up of faces.

Please excuse the terrible picture taking too - my scanner has given up the ghost so if anyone can recommend a good reasonably priced scanner/printer I would appreciate it. While I'm asking for recommendations - I have been saving up for the past couple of years for a new phone with good camera so that I can have a camera in my pocket (don't care about the phone capabilities as long as the camera is good.) My question to the more technically minded of you - should I just save up for a pocket sized camera? If so, which? Or are there any really good camera phones (that aren't stupidly expensive) out there? I have been looking at the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Samsung Galaxy Zoom but all the differing reviews are doing my head in.

And now back to the faces...

#2/100

Watercolour Sketchbook

Neocolour ii's

Fineliner

(Used this photo as a starting reference)

#3/100
Scrapbook paper collage
Washi tape

Here he is in my book next to a copy of the one I did for the Halloween junque journal.

#4/100
Watercolour Sketchbook
Watercolour Background
Gesso
Fineliner

#5/100
Watercolour Background
Gesso
Fineliner

#6/100
Watercolour Sketchbook
Neocolour ii's
Fineliner
Posca Pens

It's been great getting the practice in and also filling up my sketchbooks a bit - flipping back to the front of the sketchbook I am starting to see improvement so that is good stuff!

Thanks for stopping by today :)

What have you been up to? 

Mixed Media Sister Canvas

Good Afternoon to you. I have been waiting impatiently to share what I did for two of my sisters for Christmas. One of them took forever to reach it's new home - way after Christmas! One sister had specifically asked for a canvas. The other's husband had hinted last year that sis might like a little something handmade this year. So I thought... "Hmmm..." and they ended up quite similar but different. Which I'm pleased about - I think of them as two sister canvasses, if that makes sense - even though they are different sizes.

(Please excuse the picture quality. I was right to the wire getting them finished and then it was a case of making the best of dodgy Winter light and getting them wrapped ready to go... plus I am a crappy photographer!)

The first, I had noticed last time I was round Sister no.1's house that she had a few elephants dotted about so that was the route I went down...

Acrylic Paints,
Oil Pastels,
Pan Pastels
Gilding Flakes
Modelling Paste
Pens, Pencil
Inks & Sprays

The second sister I knew used to love wolves and Native American imagery and folklore so I hoped that was still the case. It's what I went with anyway...

Acrylic Paints,
Oil Pastels,
Pan Pastels
Gilding Flakes
Modelling Paste
Pens, Pencil
Inks & Sprays

As always when I am making a gift for someone, my nerves were shredded. It's different to when someone commissions you (although that's bad enough!)  - they're telling you what to do. But gifting a canvas is hugely personal as I don't want the person to feel obligated to display something they might not like... and I know I am not to everyone's taste ;) Which is why I generally don't make for family or friends unless they ask. Am I alone in that? Aargh.

Thanks for stopping by today :)

2015 Goals

Not Resolutions... Goals. ;)

Jo, over at Fiddlesnips, is wondering what arty plans we have for 2015. Here are some of mine...

I'm going to try and take part in The Documented Life Project which is free to participate in.

I have several classes still to finish - I made a good dent in them last year and hope to continue this year. I will not be buying any more online classes till I have done a good chunk of these. I will not. I will NOT. (But they are so tempting.) No - I will not!

I will be applying for a real life course as you know, fingers and toes crossed for me please.

Twitter Art Exhibit has a call out once again, so I'll be taking part in that. Great fun, a worthy cause and the chance to get yourself some affordable art too. It's in Norway this year.

I've lost count of where I was on my 40 Portraits challenge so I am starting afresh. I've seen the 100 portraits challenge floating around the blogosphere so am going for that in 2015. And, just to start off with a little cheat,  my first portrait was completed the evening before New Years Eve.. that counts. Right?

1/100
Done over the top of an inky page already in my sketchbook,
Oil Pastels,
HB Pencil,
Various paint pens,
White Acrylic paint

My word for the year last year was Organisation. I've really struggled to pick one word this year - then I came across Chris Brogan's site where he makes a point of choosing 3 positive words - I like that. So I'm going to try it.  I will be adding them to my white board with a list of plans and goals - that really helped last year and was so satisfying when I could cross something off.

My words?  Organisation (it steered me well last year) Imagination & Daily 

How about you - what plans have you made for this year? Thanks for stopping by today :)

Rocking My Year... 2014

Happy New Year lovely people.

I like to do an end of year reflection and it helps keep things in perspective. These are just a few of the things that Rocked my year... (Picture heavy)

2014 was the year of...

First lost teeth and first haircuts...

My first Comicon. I was only going for a day out with my sister. She ended up poorly but Devvie and I went anyway. We loved it so much we're going again this year. Jaw dropping art in artists alley. Amazing outfits, we met Wonderwoman - oh yeah and Superman and more importantly, met up with Sarah too. 

2014 was also the year that Frozen mania seemed to take over the house.

Awards... there were many. I'm so proud of my girls.

This was the year that these two stopped fighting and started getting on. It's freaky. I keep expecting an explosion.

Lots of art was done this year but in particular was the one we all did together. We finished our Family canvas and it now hangs in our living room.

I can legitimately say I've been exhibited. The Twitter Art Exhibit took place in Orlando and was such a fun thing to do. Can you see my crow just over that lady's shoulder? I'm taking part again this year - you can too - click here for details.

 I'm still seeing Silver Crow flying around our area, that does make me happy.

 We had some lovely weather this year that made for some gorgeous walks...

 I had a 3.5stone weightloss between May 1st and Christmas Eve...

May 1st - Start

A happy bunny a few months on.

And then a 6.5lb gain in the week that followed. Whoops! Christmas grub was enjoyed muchly but am very much looking forward to getting back on the Slimming World plan - it has to be said. 

We lost a friend, very suddenly and very unexpectedly. She lived life to the full and was doing something to get her where she wanted to be. She was such an inspiration and very encouraging to me in what I wanted to do. Because of her 2014 was the year I stopped saying "when." When the kids are older. When we have more time. When we have more money. No more. You just might never get that "when." So with the support of Craig I decided to turn my "when" into "now". We looked into art classes and degree courses. We went to open days. We talked and talked about what could realistically happen. We found out I needed a Maths GCSE to apply and I am now enrolled and struggling *ahem* doing that. 

The Maths Face

I've submitted an application to The University of Creative Arts to join their Art & Design Access course. I wasn't going to say till I'd been but I've shared the process with you all thus far... I have an interview, well, an "application event" which involves an interview and showing my portfolio. That's in a couple of weeks. I'm pooping myself. Hopefully they'll take me on - if they do it's a year course starting in the summer, two days a week. Though they say with the amount of work you have to do at home, you have to treat it like a full time course. If I can get on there and pass that, it sets me up for the next bit - the goal is then to do a part time Fine Art degree over 6 years. Part time because, by 2016 The Bear will be in nursery. Craig says he can juggle the business to help with dinners, picking up and dropping off the kids etc. He's been amazing in helping me plan this, propping me up on my wobbly moments (There has been so much social interaction. Scary stuff!) Telling me I'm good enough and can do it. Apparently if your circumstances change you can switch from part-time to full time after two years. So we'll see what happens. may come to nowt yet. Maybe not. Hope not.

What Superman really looks like

Phew - it's certainly been a year of change. 

There's so much more I haven't mentioned... but I finish with a smile on my face.

I'm so lucky to have the family that I do, including my Dad, Craig's Mum. And all you lot, you know who you are - the ones who are there. Just... there. You understand my social awkwardness and clumsiness and still. You're there. You dafties. I love you all.

I hope 2015 is an amazing year for us all.

Thanks for stopping by.