Thursday 21 June 2012

Neon splashes this week x

It's been a busy week...getting into the swing of being back at school and planning some super short projects to do with the boys as there are only a couple of weeks left until the end of term.  My lovely assistant Poppy pointed out that I seem to have a bit of a neon addiction going on which I hadn't noticed but on reflection I can see what she means...


I've been wearing my lovely gorgeous spotty blouse from Whistles.  I had a slight disaster with a bottle of fluorescent yellow ink so had to whip it off mid point through the day and dash to the dry cleaners...not very sensible to wear silk blouses in the art room!


Inspired by the wonderfully talented Jill Bliss and the equally splendid Sania Pell...I decided to combine florals with fluro and got the boys to produce fine liner contour drawings onto marbled backgrounds.


I was really pleased with how enthusiastic the boys were and they produced some really beautiful study sheets incorporating lines, dots and patterns from the Jill Bliss nature drawing journal that I bought earlier this year.


I only had two lessons to teach my year 4 boys before school is out for summer so I needed a quick fix...they had been looking at op art and colour for most of the term so I decided to buy some big bright tubs of hama beads so that they could create op art inspired coasters or multi-coloured crazy creature key rings. This idea was met with a few cheers and the boys produced several designs on squared paper before getting their little mitts on the beads...


I had a little practice and was really pleased with the results...I think I will be buying myself a large tub of hama beads over the summer to make some cool coasters...it was such fun and they will look fab on my wooden trunk coffee table.  Anyway I'm sure you will agree that dear Poppy was right, it has been a bit of an unintentionally neon week! 


Tuesday 12 June 2012

Something tiny to make you smile x

I was just having a tiny little browse on etsy, well maybe my tiny browse was more like half an hour and yes you're right I do have a to do list as long as my arm but it's nice to escape into the magical world of etsy every once in a while, right?  My wander through the virtual shopping streets was richly rewarded as I stumbled upon the wonderful world of Misako Mimoko, magic and happy handmade loveliness made by the wonderfully talented Eva Monleon...



Her exquisite, quirky work really does make me feel happy...who could fail to feel cheerful with one of these cute little nuggets pinned onto your jacket and scarf. They are absolutely adorable!


And here is another one...


Wouldn't you just love a whole family...to brighten up your dresser top as well as your wardrobe..?!  Thank you super talented Eva for a wistful few minutes, I hope to buy one of your happy little faces very very soon x


Back to work in the rain and remembering special sunny afternoons x

So the time has finally come...to go back to work after a wonderful year off with my little boy.  I am a whole mixture of emotions; excited, nervous, sad to be living my precious little one and the gift of spontaneous living and the return to order, structure and timetables! I was flicking through some photos on my phone and it made me remember some happy sunny moments over the last few months...


Playtime on the green, when 'daddy' had an unexpected early finish...


A long and leisurely walk down the King's Road to Pimlico to buy apple juice and yummy avocado and tomato salad from Daylesford Organic to eat in the sunshine in Orange square.  Did I appreciate these splendid moments as much as I should? I hope so as I miss them dearly and keep them close to my heart today especially on a packed tube with wet feet and a dripping umbrella...


Another early dinner on the green...


And lunch on the terrace with a couple of friends...when it didn't matter what time it was and the afternoon could drift into evening as the babies pulled all of the mint leaves off the plants and tried to eat soil when we weren't looking...Thank goodness for my iphone, so I can keep my pocket full of happy snaps for when the day seems long and drizzly...see you all soon x