Cat stretch sketch

 I love drawing, particularly people and animals. I often draw cats, because we have a few of them and I find them a bit of a challenge - they never stay still for more than 5 minuets. Even when they're asleep. they'll stretch and turn and if they notice you are there they get up and want a stroke. As a result I have many unfinished drawings, but like the 5 minuet warm up sketches you do at the beginning of a life drawing class they're very useful to keep you quick and observant.
I'm planning some prints of cats so I'm drawing a lot more at the moment to try and find a cat shape / pose I want to cut into lino.

Hereford Art Market

I was a the Hereford Art Market this weekend, and had a great time! Bunting necklace were the most popular item again, one of my first designs from when I opened in 2011. I've been moving away from them because so many people make them now, even topshop had their own version (and who can compete with them?!) But on reflection, I think my items are different enough to stand up against others. They're decorated with my own hand drawn patterns and have a fresh colour combination, which is very summery.
I've decided I'll hand draw my other bunting necklace designs, so they all have my signature hand-drawn and handmade from start to finish style.

Bright Beads

I brought some pretty new bed sheets from ikea last weekend! I love all these colours and the modern stencil style print. They're similar to the colours of the matte glass toho beads I'm using at the moment to make necklaces. I'm working on a range of beady jewellery pieces based on tropical birds and plants. I've had loads of beads in a box for years waiting to be used, and this bit of sunny weather over the weekend has inspired me.

International womens day

To celebrate I've been looking at a few videos and reflecting on some articles I've read recently and petitions I have signed.  (See the petition that stuck with me for some time here - warning - not a nice story) There's still a long way to go before gender equality in so many different areas. Some are worse than others.

Happy times for us in the west, we can get educations!

This video is hilarious, I love their expressions. (Oh dear - I do love talking about kittens - there's no hope!)