bad day for giraffe

sketchbook monday

plait, a conversation in the post office and inky hand after printer malfunction.

17/52

wee baby j - watching big bro in the garden from his high chair vantage point. 
o-o - wearing wellies, clutching a stick and drawing chalky runes on the pavement to mark our route home.
last week this cheeky face, this lucky horse shoe and this yellow field caught my eye.
i'm taking part in the 52 project, you can see all my 52 posts here.
edit - wee baby j's bonnet is from this etsy shop. it protected o-o's fair skin on many sunshine-y days. durable, washable, reversible and un-pull-off-able, we've had lots of compliments (and enquiries) about it. VERY highly recommended. the knitted vest was made by my lovely mum using her adapted version of this free pattern. 

colouring

the sun has at last got his hat on and we are all a little pink, except poor m who, toiling at the chalk face does not see the light of day monday to friday. fearing that woolens will soon be confined to the wardrobe i tried to take a photo of o-o and wee j wearing their splendidly colourful knitwear (courtesy of great auntie g), this is the result... captures them, tho' not the garments, well. wee j is clutching piece of splintery kindling, his current favourite toy.

as you know, o-o seems to favour the performing arts over the visual. however, the posh german 'ferby' pencil crayons * i bought have prompted a new enthusiasm for colouring, the test runs of the lucky print providing a  handy canvas. 

* recommended; they feel nice in the hand and  the colours are strong, i'm throwing out all of our lidless felt tips!

sketchbook monday

notes from a lecture by typographer, designer, letterpress practitioner & cool gang member alan kitching. quick sketches for a friend's baby's birth announcement. 

16/52

wee baby j - bath-time peepo 
o-o - 'i'm a kangaroo'
last week this glamourous lady on the lake, this little old baby and this lamp caught my eye.
i'm taking part in the 52 project, you can see all my 52 posts here.

sianuska art & screen prints on facebook...

well, i'm over on that facebook. i'll be posting about new ideas, inspirations, giveaways & other secrets. like me, go on, i'll be your best friend... i know, i know, the fact that the facebook logo doesn't match the hair bobbles bothers me greatly too, i daren't tinker with it, i could get in BIG TROUBLE with zuckerbergitandsee.

introducing...the fellas

at the weekend, inspired by alan fletcher, we decided to make some fellas from bits and pieces found in the recycling box. i had to make my own to avoid turning into bossy mama (i need to have COMPLETE CREATIVE CONTROL).  o-o says his fella is a monster leopard, bush-baby with bite-y fangs, m says my fella looks like a mega merge of desperate dan, frankenstein, fergal sharkey, ronnie o'sullivan and giles brandreth. here are some photos of work in progress...

pleased with himself...

cheesy

cheddar is a gateway cheese. you soon end up on the harder (softer!) stuff. more conversations with the kiddo here.

sketchbook monday

cheesy feet, serge gainsbourg & jane birkin, red socks, brighton pier

sketchbook collection

15/52

wee baby j - the king of the swingers in longford park
o-o - very much enjoying an alarmingly speedy spin on the ancient roundabout with auntie luli and her lovely new beau.
last week this, this and this caught my eye.
i'm taking part in the 52 project, you can see all my 52 posts here.

and the winner is...

i went old school in the end and asked the lovely m to pick a name out of a hat. 

congratulations to you! and thank you everyone who liked, favo(u)rited, pinned and entered. i've been trying to sort out a facebook fan page for my art and i have given myself a terrible neck crick in the process. the fan page is here. please pop on over there and 'like', i'd really appreciate it.

sketchbook monday

a recent, rather monochrome spread for this belated sketchbook monday post. if it's not love then it's the bomb that will bring us together.

last chance to enter my print giveaway...

i'll be choosing the winner of my print giveaway tomorrow so this is your last chance to enter. pin, like or favourite the print and then leave a comment on this post.

maggie, maggie, maggie! out, out, out!

she's finally gone! mini sianuska and papa mike on a demo against thatcher's cuts, oxford road, manchester, may 1980.

pooh sticks

playing pooh sticks in the brook.

14/52

o-o - puzzling
wee baby j - outdoors at last! horse-y riding on dad round the mersey loop.

don't forget to enter my print giveaway...

not at home

we're heading north tonight in the mum and dad mobile (roof box, car seats, wheels on the bus CD on loop). here're my grandparents having a much more fancy-free time, my gran and a gang of her female friends stayed in a holiday cottage called 'not-at-home' a few valleys along from their home town. their male friends and sweethearts came to visit for the day, legend has it that they got there by swimming along the coast (as great aunt g puts it 'those were the days when men were men and women were grateful'!). my gran's pal elsie always used to say 'that was the best holiday i ever had lil' to which my gran would reply 'that's because we had youth on our side'. strange to think i am now (much) older than they were when this was taken. i've always loved this snapshot, aren't they fabulous? my gran is top right in the dark jacket and my grandad is the one smoking a ridiculous pipe.
i'll be posting my 14/52 photos but it'll probably be a little quiet here other than that. have a super week and don't forget to enter my print giveaway, i'll be picking a winner on our return.

no surprises...

me and m just worked out which social class we are using this calculator.

feeling lucky? print giveaway

my new 'lucky things' screen print is in my folksy and etsy shops now.
feeling lucky? i'm having a giveaway! one reader will win a print in the colourway of their choice. pop over to one of my online shops and either 'like' the lucky print or pin it to pinterest, then leave a comment on this post (or two, if you're keen and have pinned and liked). we're heading north in a couple of days so i'll pick a winner at random on the 12th of april (using some kinda internet wizardry? i'm sure such tools exist). best o' british luck!

i'm dedicating this print to superstitious people everywhere and especially to my gran's best mate edie who had a lucky beauty spot on her chin and always found four leaf clovers. that's edie in the mauve cardi (and me in the socks!) with tk and gran. good times... 

sketchbook monday

'teeth are well again, can eat like a lion'