Kites are fun - my new blog!

I'm happy and rather excited to introduce to all of you my new blog! Kites are fun! I don't want to say to much about my hopes and plans for it but I will say that I hope for there to be regular illustrated articles and a few extras thrown in now and then. I've written and illustrated the first 'article' about swimming in the heat, so please do take a look and let me know what you think. I'd really love for you to follow along. I think it's going to be a fun journey, so do come join me!
Love from Jill x x x

Heavy Pencil - tonight

Tonight I'll be going to the ICA, here in London, for some Heavy Pencil drawing. The super talanted Marcus Oakley (top picture) has invited our Daniel (middle) and our Colin (bottom) to draw to the sounds of 60s and 70s music tonight. I can't wait to watch them all drawing strange little animals with hats on and people with patterned skin. If you fancy coming along it's free. It would be lovely to see you there. Details of the event are here.

Looking out the window

On Friday I wrote a little list of little things which would make me feel good that I'd like to do over the weekend. One thing on the list was 'take photos of the view whilst travelling'. I took th epictures of the clouds whilst on the train back to London and the photos of Kings Cross Station whilst on the bus to Euston Station.

Fancy a Match?

I just had to show this table football which I saw in my favourite Liverpool charity shop this weekend. Look at the label, it say "Derby Match Game". For those of you who don't really know about Liverpool or don't live in England the two local teams in Liverpool wear Red (Liverpool) and Blue (Everton). The best part about this table is that they only want £6.50 for it. If I lived in Liverpool and had a big house with a games room I'd totally buy this and place it next to a duke box.

A pretty little lady

This is the hand sewn item which I said I was inspired by when making the little acorn purse. My friend Karen made it and I think it's so pretty. She's really very skilled with her neat little stitches. She's going to be starting her own shop soon aptly called My Mum Taught Me To Sew and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. The little lady is now placed on my bedroom door, doesn't she look welcoming?

Things to Make and Do

This weekend I'm off to Liverpool to visit my Grandma and my Grandad. Grandad will make me eat three almond slices in a row and Grandma will tell me exciting stories. Here's a list of things to make and do this week. My theme this week - Feeling Girly

1. Make your own pretty underwear and make it look elegant like this.

2. Make a bunch of these sweet flowers and hand them to your friends.

3. Brighten your home with cut out bouquets

4. Sort out your wardrobe and your style so you look good in Spring

5. Work out how to fold beautiful star shaped love letters (and tell me if you manage!)

6. Take up a little hand sewing project and make a lovely cushion

7. Make some more pretty hair clips

8. Fill your weekend with cups of tea, reading books, homemade biscuits and a little bit of making and a little bit of doing. Enjoy x

photo by pony tail

Standing at the bus stop

I was stood at a bus stop over the weekend, after my little visit to the postal museum, when I noticed;

the view to my right and the view to my left
It made me smile. I love how in London everywhere you turn you'll see a different view.

Stamps and more stamps

My trip to the Postal Museum was a bit of a let down. It isn't the place which has lots of objects, it just has books and photos. Still interesting but not what I was after. The place with objects is in Essex, England and only opens once a month. I'm wanting to do a series of drawings relating to the Royal Mail. Here's a few photos of some stationery I recently made to write a letter to a friend . Like I don't have an entire box of letter writing stationery under my bed that I could have chosen from......

Things to Make and Do

Hello Everyone,
Tomorrow I'm spending the day at the Postal Museum in London with my sketchbook and I can't wait to be inspired. I'll be going to see Nowhere Boy tomorrow night and I'm sure it will have me yearning for my home city. Here are some things for you to make and do over the coming week;

Forget making these pretty hair clips for children, I'd rather make them for myself.

Fancy making something very simple? These snowflakes are beautiful and delicate.

Don't forget Shrove Tuesday. If you haven't made the skinny pancakes before (not the American ones) then here's a recipe. Pancake race anyone? See you there.

I'm wanting to make some cushions and keep thinking of this granny square.

Speaking of granny squares could you make one of these? I know I couldn't.

Some girls carry manicure kits other girls carry crochet hooks!

I keep thinking about making my own clothes and I'm inspired by this shop.

Make someone special their very own charming mail box.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Picture from a Royal Mail flickr group

Once I made: a little cat clutch bag

I made two of these little bags for friends at Christmas. I used handles I had picked up in charity shops and a cream and a blue linen. They were very simple to make.

Wondering to work

Do you fancy keeping me company whilst I walk to work? I actually took a lot of photos on my way to work this morning but I selected only a few.

The pond was iced over with a light sprinkling of snow on it.

This old shop on the corner of the Lane was being painted today. I snatched a photo before the sign is gone to.

This big old wall would have surrounded the gardens of the house I work in.

We've arrived! There's the house. Thank you for keeping me company :)

One last note, when I was greeting a group of school children who were visiting the House, a little girl of about five said to me 'you have a really nice house and a beautiful garden'. I told her I didn't actually live there but she wasn't interested.

Feeling lucky

When Emma Bradshaw posted her list of things to do before her next birthday and it included going to the Albion caff and visiting Columbia Road flower market I had to pause and think that I am actually quite lucky to live only a bike or bus ride from both. The funny thing is that if I was to write a list of things to do before my next birthday it would include country pub lunches, bonfires, camping trips and nature collecting ( just a few of the things Emma does often). Oh well, we always want what we can't have : ) These photos where taken on my first visit to the caff on my birthday last July. We went for breakfast which to be honest I wasn't too pleased with. However, we went back for dinner another time and my disappointments where long forgotten, my fish pie with purple sprouting broccoli was fantastic. Also, I agree with Emma, the finishing touches look really great - the knitted tea cosies and beautiful tin lampshades.

A room with a view

It's a pretty good view from the office window : ) After working there for a year and looking back on my photos of snow and special sunsets I think there's certainly worse places to work. But my favourite part of the day is my walk to work. I was inspired by Stepanie's post and keep wanting to do my own.

Hand made sketchbooks

I've been busy at work this week, what with making lots of giant fruit and nuts from felt. Ialso had fun teaching Thursday's drawing and painting class. We were making our own sketchbooks and I made these examples to show. The children's own sketchbooks were actually much more interesting than mine but I didn't get good photos to show you. They have now taken them home and their first assignment is 'draw a place which is special to you - real or imaginery'. Lets see what they come up with.

A little acorn

Whilst making the big acorn I was inspired to make this little acorn purse for my little neice. I have to admit that I took 'inspiration' when doing the sequins from my friend Karen. She sent me a lovely hand sewn sequined item which I will post a picture of very soon. You can see the purse goes round your neck and the lid is attached to the string. I was really pleased with it. I was thinking of making some for my shop. What do you think?

Sewing fun

Some of you may have seen that I was making a big acorn as a resource for the children I work with. I'm actually making a whole load of different fruit and nuts which grow in the park I work in. These two aren't finished yet, I'll be putting smiley faces on them.

Working With Children

Here is another little book I've made for a children's workshop. The theme of the workshop is World War II and the class of visiting children will be studying items from an evacuees suitcase. It's not as neat and well finished as the other one but i'm still pleased with it, considering I made it in an afternoon. I photocopied the booklet and each child was given one to work in.