Sunday Sketches

Hello and oh my I've made it to another Sunday Sketches post.  It's been a bit too long but let's not dwell on  that....at last I can unveil the finished Octonaut's Banner.

I decided not to paint 'Happy 4th Birthday Ollie' on it as after all the work that went into it, I thought that Ollie would like to hang it on his wall.....which he has done.  So lovely Jim found the Octonaut font and created a separate banner with the words on which I must say looked good.

This was a real challenge for me (a labour of love) as I've not painted such a huge long piece of work before and it was difficult to find places to lay it out.  I've certainly learned a lot from this should I ever be mad enough to offer to do this again (although I fear I already have....).

Above are some shots of each piece of the banner as it was over 6ft long.  I decided to scan in and print off the characters faces, logo's and the inside the Octopod and stuck those on to give a more realistic effect.  The rest was all painted in acrylic paint on wallpaper....a remnant of the cottage renovation.

 And here's the birthday boy himself!

Please join me in visiting the other Sunday Sketchers.....there is always such a variety of artwork to see.

Happy Sunday to you!

Helen xx

ps....I think if you click on the images you get a larger version which may help when viewing the banner.

Branding

The other day at work one of my suppliers came to see me.  It was, I suppose his annual visit and being the lovely supplier he is, he bought me in a present.

When I saw the box the first thing I said to him is that this company has really thought a lot about their brand.  Inside this exquisite box were two of the yummiest cupcakes I have ever had the pleasure of tasting (lovely Jim and I shared them).  But before I even knew what was in this box, which I must say was ideal to carry home on public transport, I was already won over by whatever the product must be.  I knew I was going to like it.

Branding is so important to any business and after having been the recipient of Bea's of Bloomsbury's products I am certainly going to be looking at mine.  It's on my to do list and will be something I address.  

We have to think about how we want to be perceived.  What we want or customers to feel and also, what type of company we are...traditional, funky, modern, contemporary.  When I saw this box, I knew the product would be quality, carefully made and come from a beautiful environment.  It oozed everything I would want in a brand.

Well done Bea's of Bloomsbury for not only creating the best cupcakes I have ever eaten, but for creating a brand that goes with it.

Happy cake filled Friday xxx

Doodling

Sometimes it's good to doodle and let your pen wander as your mind does the same.  I wonder what an analyst would make of my fish, swimming with a heart he caught.  Who knows.....

Hope everyone is well.  I will post up a picture of the finished Octanuts banner soon.....I completed it in time and Ollie loved it and the rain stayed away for the party which was the main thing.

Sorry it's a brief post but I have to dash.  I aim to blog more again now that a few things have settled down, so watch this space.

Have a great Thursday xxx

Paint on my hands

It's been a while since I have posted and painted.  Both of which I have missed.  Let's just say that right now I have too many stressful things going on in my life and I am hoping that very soon they will come to an end.  It's affected my blogging but more importantly my painting time.

Little Ollie was 4 yesterday and I promised to create an Octonauts banner for his party this weekend.  As usual I have left things to the last minute so I am now frantically painting like mad in every spare moment.  The best thing is that I have had paint on my hands and felt it on my fingers which I find so comforting.  It's been just what my soul has needed.  Plus I have been listening to Absolute 80's as I paint and singing rather badly.  Why is it that belting out a great song that brings back great memories makes you feel so much better.  I apologise now to my lovely Jim.  He had to wear his headphones last night to block out the wailing noise coming from my studio.

I hope you are all having a good week and not letting the rain dampen your spirits.  Although right now as I type this, the sun is shining!

Take care ~ Helen

Happy Monday

Daisy and I made cakes yesterday.  Lots of them.  We decorated them with buttercream and added lots of sprinkles. 

It was just what I needed - some creative baking time, watching Daisy select and individually place every type of decoration on one cake, and then pick one to devour.

The simple pleasures in life are amazing.

Love and peace to you all

Helen xx

Let us eat cake

I have too many things going on at the moment so the best thing to do is eat cake I say!

Happy Friday xx

The return of the blogger and a weight update

Wow I can't believe my last post was the 29th April - just where has the time gone.  For me it's just whizzed by and has encompassed so much.

I am going through lots of journeys at the moment and one of them is my day job.  People have been made redundant and we are going through a massive restructure.  Believe it or not I am a part qualified accountant (story as to why I am only part qualified will be shared another time) but suffice to say it's a far cry from being creative.  So by the time I get home from commuting into London, I can be pretty much done in.  Which has been the pattern of late.  So much so that I was completely and utterly exhausted and came down with a throat infection.  A week at home sleeping and because I can never get away from it at the moment, working in between sleeps, has helped me get back to normal.  It's a pattern of mine that I need to break.  I exhaust myself which in turn forces me to rest.

I have lots of other things going on right now that are taking up my creative time, and I won't bore you with them, but instead I wanted to share something positive.  I am not sure if you recall this post whereby I declared my intention to lose weight.  Well I am delighted to say that since Christmas I have lost 2 stone!!!  YUP!  28lbs of me has gone and boy am I feeling so much better.  And I have decided to be brave and share a picture that was taken of me just before Christmas.  It's hideous and really made me want to lose weight.  And when I look at it, it spurs me on to keep going.

And here is me now, taken with me being 2 stone lighter!  Look, I have a chin and a jawline! Amazing.....I knew it was in there somewhere!

I still want to lose more weight and will keep on this journey.  The good news is that I am cooking up some really tasty dishes which I promise to share.  I will be the guinea pig and if I think they are good I will share them.

Well thank you for stopping by and not giving up on me.  I am not going to beat myself up for the lack of blogging and creativity, but instead do what I can to rectify it.

Have a lovely Wednesday and I will leave you with this quote that I have just found.....enjoy xx

Love is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench when there is plenty of room at both ends - Anon