In print

I am so excited to announce that my Bottoms Up will be available to buy as prints and keyrings from Canine Cavern in approximately 10 days :) just visit www.carolynscaninecavern.com for more details....or drop me an email laneymead@yahoo.co.uk

Laney x

Autumn in the garden, the giveaway and the beadathon update.

 

What a beautiful afternoon.  So Autumnal, bright and colourful.  This is the view towards my back hedge and beyond, the willow in the foreground is around the chicken coop, still lime green, contrasted against the deep red and russet colours of the massive tree that stands over my glassy studio, you can just see the top of the roof.  Behind the hedge the fields sweep upwards, showing the lemon greens, dark greens and orangey reds of the trees behind.  The sun is out casting an autumnal golden glow over everything so that even my unkept veggie beds look nice!

 

 

Defi is here, in this picture to the right, he is basking in the sunshine, surrounded by the bamboo and now fading rose bushes.  We had the first frost last night, it was only a light frost but enough to start to turn the plants so the leaves are now hanging down, ready to drop in time for winter hibernation.

I thought I would use the sunshine to take photos of my giveaway for October.  The giveaway date is the 31st of October, all you have to do is put your name, a comment and a contact email address, in the comment box on any blog entry this month and I will select a winner at random to send the giveaway to.

 You can choose from any of the four drawings I have photographed here, from top to bottom, there is a graphite drawing of a Weinmaraner - those beautiful dogs with the light eyes, a coloured pencil drawing of our Izabel as a puppy, a coloured pencil drawing of a collie dog and a coloured pencil drawing of a spaniel.

All of these drawings are prints and have been mounted with a single mount and are in cellophane envelopes, the originals have been sold, back in the days when I did pet portraits.  I have been renewing my passion for my pencils, I used to draw so much before glass and got them out again.  My beads are based on my drawings and I have never stopped doodling, just stopped large scale commissions.

Finally.  What a weekend!  What a blast!  What a fabulous, exhausting but wonderful time!  Its was the beadathon.  Months of Jolene organizing us all into 24hours of continuous lampworking, making beads for Beads of Courage children and teenagers living with cancer.  The event was done, not without its hitches and laughter, and we reached our target...WHOO HOO..in fact we surpassed our target of £500.00 how wonderful is that?  All thanks to Jolene, we invaded her studio, we used her tools - and there are a few there that certainly got me wondering what she does on her own ;o) - it was a fantastic time and money and awareness was raised for a wonderful charity and cause.

Don't forget to leave me a comment, I love to read them.

Laney x

Looking back with Iz

 

 

I have been feeling a bit down these last few days, possibly even as much as week, I dont know why, the change in the weather?  Who knows?  I came on here to blog today, not really knowing what to blog about and found a button - I just love buttons!  its been there for ages but I haven't pressed it before, so I did.  Its the picture button 'from this blog' one.  Up came all these pictures I had forgotten about and they made me smile.

Before Defi came to live with us, it was just me and Iz (and the rest of the crew, the mogs, kids, hubby and chooks but the daily walk was just me and Iz) our walks were definitely quieter then! Defi doesn't like the car rides much, so we tend to go to the river now, which is just a five minute walk from home, but back then, Iz and I used to drive the kids to school (going back a few years both have now left school), then carry on to Dinmore Woods, near Leominster.  Only about 15 mins from us.  But Iz had lots of doggy friends there, some of whom I still chat to via facebook.  The picture above is one of my favourites of Iz and reminds me of the quiet watcher she really is.

The beautiful Acer trees turn to gorgeous reds and goldens in the Autumn.  This morning walking by the river, I was wrapped in a big fleecy coat but the sun was shining, I love Autumn, that snuggly in a big coat feeling but still with a cold nose, floating leaves and winter sunshine.  Its a beautiful season.

 

Before glass, I used to draw, and, like my beads, my favourite subjects were my animals, or any animal I saw, but mainly my animals.  I found these coloured pencil drawings of my Izabel when she was a puppy, I remember they took hours of work and were a real labour of love, just as she has been, growing from a bouncy puppy to a spoilt teenager and finally, now she is six, a lovely lady dog - ok lady might be pushing it when she rolls in mud and jumps in the river and stinks to high heaven, but she is, and has been, a definite labour of love!

Just lately, my artistic muse seems to have left the building and I have been floundering around like a fish out of water, perhaps I need to go back to basics and just make the things I love the most?  I think that could be a new plan!

 

I haven't forgotten about the give-away at the end of the month and I will find something this weekend to show off and give away, just leave me a comment below and I will put your name into the woolly bobble hat, for a chance to win....whatever I come with!!

 

Laney x