ARTYADVENT: 24th December

CHRISTMAS MAKES AND BAKES.....

Hellooooo ArtyAdventers!  I have been neglecting you!  

Thank you for your kind messages that you sent in the absence of ArtyAdvent.  Fortunately I didn't meet an apocalyptic end on Friday, although there's probably still time yet!  I  did eat far too much cake and mince pies, just in case The End came........and fortunately The End didn't come.

So - where the hell have I been, you ask!  Well........I have been very very busy trying to finish off, and  actually, start from the very beginning and finish, the Christmas gifts I've been making.  O yes, why be prepared when you can leave it all to the last minute and have a whole load of stress.  O yes indeedy, it just wouldn't do to have had everything made gradually, in a more gentile atmosphere, free of stress, a few months ago.  Hell no.  So I've been partaking in some extreme sewing, painting, drawing and quilting.

And I have to say, it's not like you see on the santa films - all the wee elves going into overdrive to get all the christmas toys made!  That's all just made up nonsense.  It's not real. 
I am all the elves.  It's just me! 

But what IS true of course, is that all elfs need fuel to frantically make all these lovely makes!  And so, today's ArtyAdvent is a HUGE slice of cake.  Which I made myself.   

There was a bit more of it earlier.............some of it appears to have disappeared!  I presume so that you could all see better my lovely granny plate!  I do love a lovely granny plate.  They look so good with an almighty chunk of cake on them!

And of course, no ArtyAdvent would be the same without a close-up:

What a splendid continental shelf sized cake this is!  It calls to me.........come eat me..........I'm delicious..............eat me eat me eat me........You can see that I've aleady given in to temptation!  And I can't concentrate on all the extreme and rapid fire sewing and painting and drawing and quilting and so I have to go and eat some more cake.

I hope whatever you do today you get some time to eat some cake and relax.  Even if, like me, it's in between frantic creativity!

I will post pictures of all the makes after Christmas, so as not to spoil the surprises!  There won't be an ArtyAdvent tomorrow but I will be back at the end of the week with pictures of the Christmas Makes for you to see.

I wish you all a very merry, peaceful and joyous christmas, folks.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 21st December

Well hellooooo ArtyAdventers.

Today marks a very special day.  It is the winter solstice today - the shortest day of the year and longest night of the year.  At 11:11GMT, the sun will be at its furthest point from the earth.

The solstice is also known as yule.  Yuletime celebrates the birth of the Sun God and the rebirth of the sun.  Love, creation and rebirth are significant at this time. 

Today also marks the end of the Mayan long count calendar, which has an apocalyptic end.  Doomsday!

Many believe that there will be devastating earth activity such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, major storms.  Some believe that there will be an almighty alien invasion.  Others believe that the enlightened will ascend into heaven.

I guess we'll find out soon enough what, if anything, happens...... 

And so, given that my time here on earth may be finished in just over an hour, I'm away to consume as many cakes, crisps and confections as I can.  O, yes, well, just realised that I do that anyway.  So I guess no, I'm not doing anything unusual to mark The End!

Thanks for stopping by.  See you tomorrow for more ArtyAdvent. 

ARTYADVENT: 20th December

Hellooooo ArtyAdventers. 

Some days it's kinda hard to get into the Christmas Spirit.  Today is one of those days.  Not necessarily a grumpy day, just a kinda dunno-whit kinda day.

So here's a self portrait of me looking festive.  Reindeer ears and a santa jacket.  Ho Ho Ho.  And yes, I am smiling.  That's me smiling...........!!!!  And that's as smiley as I'll get today............

It doesn't get much more festive than this.  Does it?

Har!

See you tomorrow for some more ArtyAdvent, when I'll hopefully be in a more festive humour..............Don't place any bets right enough.........

Ha!

ARTYADVENT: 19th December

Helloooooo fellow ArtyAdventers.  I hope you are well today.

Today's ArtyAdvent features a lovely angel created using mixed media - watercolour, acrylic and pencil:

 

 

Here's a couple of close-ups:

 

 

 



I will definately be creating more of these angels.  This one came out lovely! 

I believe there are angels among us, and that we can be angels ourselves.  From acts of kindness, or strength to get through hard times, I believe we have assistance when we need it.  Sometimes we don't recognise them, or appreciate the gestures or guidance at the time.  We might be too harrassed, too busy or too fuming to notice.  But they are there.  Always.

See you tomorrow for some more ArtyAdvent.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 17th December

Hellooo dear ArtyAdventers. 

After Saturday's rant, I thought today we should have something more colourful!

So, for your delectation we have a lovely quilted wallhanging, full of bright colours, a cheery santa and snowman:

This is quite an almighty quilt, being about 1m wide and 130cm tall!  It's a printed panel that I have quilted.  I got the panel from Las Vegas years ago.  It's really quirky and festive!

I hope you continue to enjoy ArtyAdvent.  Please do keep your comments coming - they keep me going!

See you tomorrow for more ArtyAdvent!

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 15th December

Well, dear ArtyAdventers, today is GRUMPFEST:

Need I say more?

It's a rather grey day today.  And today is, in my opinion, the start of the decline of our fellow humans acting in peace and love and sharing these sentiments with others, at least until closing time on Christmas Eve. 

Folks will be starting the Christmas Run on the supermarkets, in the shops, on the roads. 

The debates over what to cook, bake, make on Christmas Day are probably nearly finished and a decision, unanimous or not, reached.  Folks'll be stocking up on all sorts of foodstuffs - to feed the 5 thousands guests they're having over on Christmas Day or Boxing Day - and also to ensure they minimise the chance of starvation for the 2 days that the shops are shut.  It can be touch and go on those 2 days.......

The supermarket sweep begins today.  It's like a scene out of the olympics, only with all sports being done in the one venue.  Folk hurdling over shopping trollies, display stands and small children.  Folk bulldozing their way through the throngs.  Folk pole-vaulting to the ice cream cabinet.  Folk rowing their way over the sea of heads to get to the bread isle.  The scrabble for the brussel sprouts.  The scrum for the turkeys. 

And not only will the shelves be cleared of vegetables, poultry, meats but folks are also going mad buying things that they don't usually eat and probably don't like, but it'll look good on the plate and folks'll be well impressed.  They won't have seen anything like it in their lives.  They won't have tasted anything like it in their lives.  Taste sensations!  Visual feasts!  Tuck right in.  You's had better tuck in.  You don't know what I went through to get those dauphinoise potatoes braised in pomegranite juice with a sprinkling of chocolate all the way from jupiter.  Tasty!

And of course, folks'll be hitting the high streets and shopping malls to collect, or, if they've not been that organised, hopefully purchase the very gift that will stave off an early death of a friend or loved one (the I'll-die-right-off-if-I-dont-have-this gift).  And woe betide the person who gets the last one on the shelf, the last one in the shop, the last one in the country.  They'll be mobbed by the Angry Disappointeds who didn't get to that shelf, or shop or had the forsight to hijack the delivery truck on route to said shop.

And of course, the roads will be busy - folk in a goddarn hurry trying to overtake and run off the road the folk who are just out to get some fresh air, or who are a bit lost and don't know what lane they're meant to be in.  And not forgetting the other folks who are just doddery, doddering along, in la la land, completely oblivious to the chaos and impending doom around them.  And yes, these FreshAir Folk  and the Lost Ones and the Dodderers were ALL born for the VERY PURPOSE of slowing down the Hurry  folks.  They know fine well what they're doing.  O yes they do.......

And the car parks - well, that's an experience all unto itself.  O yes indeedy - peace and goodwill to all EXCEPT the horror who just nicked that car parking space that you've been sitting here patiently for, holding up all the traffic for, cos you NEED to park in THAT VERY car park space.  No other parking space will do.  None.  It HAS to be THAT one.  Why should YOU walk further to the store than them in the red car?  

Ahhhhh, the joys. 

Peace and goodwill to all........who, exactly, and for how long....?????

Bah humbug. 

I'm staying in bed..................

ARTYADVENT: 13th December

Helllooooo ArtyAdventers.  I hope you are all well.  I have been inspired by the wonderful skies at night - the stars are so bright.  So for today's ArtyAdvent we have a collection of stars, created using watercolours:

 

 

Here's a close up:

 

 



I love a bargain and got a HUGE set of Sennelier watercolours for a ridiculous price and have been wanting to test them out for ages.  And boy o boy are they lovely paints!  It took a whole load of restraint and a bag of crisps (o, and a crunchie) to restrain myself from eating them!  The colours are sumptuous!

This painting took a while to make today, as I was building up the layers of colour.  Some folks reckon that watching paint dry is a rather boring pass-time.  I absolutely disagree!  I love watching all the colours blending and flowing across the paper and seeing how it all turns out when it's dried. 

DID YOU KNOW...

Stars start their life as clouds of dust and gas that accumulate to form a mass.  This mass is mostly hydrogen.  Gravity causes the masses of hydrogen to collapse inward towards its core, which results in nuclear reactions - the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium which releases huge amounts of energy.  This is partly why stars are seen to "shine" in the sky. 

I believe we are all stars here on earth, that we all have a light to share with the world.  And I hope that ArtyAdvent is helping to add some light to your life!  And so, Dearest ArtyAdventers, may you all Shine Bright.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back tomorrow with more ArtyAdvent. 

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 12th December

Helloooooooooo fellow ArtyAdventers.  I hope you are well today. 

I've been wanting to experiment with paper cutting for a while now and reckoned I'd give it a go today.  So, for ArtyAdvent today, we have a paper cut white dove. 

 

 

 

Turned out rather well, I think!  I used a mixture of cutting out and adding on!  Here's some close ups:

 

 

 

This wing was made by cutting out shapes:

 



 

 

This wing was made using 2 layers.  The bottom layer is part of the bird template.  On another peice of paper, I cut out shapes and adding the layer on to the wing:

 

 

 

The texture on the body was created using a mixture of cut out shapes and shapes that were cut and folded back.  This gives a nice effect at the tail:

 

 

 

It's quite big - the dove measures around 32cm.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

The dove is very symbolic.  In some religions and cultures, it is believed to represent the Divine.  It is historically associated with peace, joy, hope and purity . In art, the dove symbolised celestial messengers.  In the Mediterranean, the dove represented Mother Goddess, fertility and creation. Some cultures believe that the dove represents the return of the soul to heaven. 

 

I hope this little bird today brings you peace and joy in the spirit of the season.

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  And thanks to those who are sending me comments - all of them brimming with kindness and very very lovely. 

 

See you tomorrow for more ArtyAdvent!

 

Wendy

 

 

 



 

 



ARTYADVENT: 11th December

Hellooooooo fellow ArtyAdventers!  I hope today's ArtyAdvent warms your soul, given the FREEZING temperatures outside!!!!

Today, we have a peice of textile art for you to enjoy.  I painted and quilted a rather lovely winged purple heart! 

The wings are wee mini quilts, with a quilted spirally design and painted over with sparkly paint.  You can see some of the sparkles over on the wing on the right hand side.  The heart is painted a beautiful irridescent purple and is stuffed, so it really sticks out!  The wingspan is about 30cm.

This winged heart represents where I'm at today.  I have wanted to make more art, be more creative and put my art out there for the world (and beyond) to enjoy.  No mean feat and actually quite a scarey thing to do!  Making these ArtyAdvent artworks has given me wings.  And from your feedback and comments, it's having the same effect on you too!  I know that for some of you, ArtyAdvent is one of the highlights of your day.  I am so pleased that it is! 

The more artworks I'm creating, the more ideas and inspiration I'm getting!  I'll admit to giggling with glee when these artworks have been completed, and also when I've posted them on this blog!  I've laughed out loud at some of the ideas I've had.  Sometimes, I'm lost in thoughts for whole chunks of time, thinking about how I can develop an idea or theme or try something else out with the materials.  I've got a wee notebook with me at all times, so I can jot down ideas, inspiration and quick sketches, so I don't forget. 

Creativity is good for the soul!  It gives you wings.  So no matter what you do today, take some time and be creative.  Create your own artwork, doodle or sketch.  Create your own noise - sing, laugh, rant.  I can be VERY creative when ranting - some rather floral language can be used!  HA!  Create your own movement - shimmy on down to the bus stop after work!  Slosh your way through making tonight's dinner.  Just be kinda careful trying to eat, sing and dance all at the same time!  I've tried it. Disaster ensued.  And I STILL can't get the tomato soup stains off my good white shirt.  Although that was maybe SLOPPING, rather than SLOSHING!!! Ha!  Still, in the interests of safety and maintaining a white shirt, probably best to avoid sloshing whilst eating tomato soup!  HAR!

See you tomorrow for some more ArtyAdvent.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 10th December

Hellooo dear ArtyAdventers.  Welcome to today's instalment of art!  Today for your perusal we have a lovely snowman created using mixed media - inks, acrylics and pencil - on a collage foundation made from newspapers.

I really like the paint effects you get when working on the newspaper collage background.  The snowman measures about 30cm tall by 28cm wide so he's quite big!

Here's some close ups where you can see better all the layers of paint and ink and pencil :

There's no snow left outside.  It's all melted away.  There's lovely blue skies, and if only it was 30 degree warmer, it would be a really nice day! 

Well, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed today's artwork.  Feel free to leave any comments.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow for some more ArtyAdvent.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 9th December

Hellooooo ArtyAdventers!  I hope you are well today.  Thank you for following me on this artistic journey through advent so far. 

I hereby admit to a new addiction - snowflakes!!!!  Inspired by last week's ink painting of a snowflake, I am dreaming up new ways to create snowflake artworks.  They are such wondrous, fragile  and temporary creations of nature.   

So today, I present to you Dear ArtyAdventers paper snowflakes!  O yes indeedy. 

The last time I was set loose with paper and scissors to make these wondrous creations was when I was a wee girl.  Probably early primary school.  I have memories of making paper snowflakes in nursery, although admittedly it was about 400 years ago!  Or so it seems. 

I can't tell you how much fun this was!  Tee hee.  I felt like a wee girl again!!!!!  Such a simple idea, such a simple process and yet they look rather good!  Here's the 3 I've made so far.  I say "so far", because I could (and probably will) be making these into infinity!

And mucking about with the arrangement, the lighting and taking close-up pictures with the camera has given some rather stunning results:

 

 

 

 

I have used decent, white paper for these snowflakes. I love the effects of the white paper snowflakes on the white paper background.  Some aspects of the snowflakes look sky blue in the pictures!!!!! 

If I remember right, the paper of choice at school or nursery was tissue paper - not very robust!   And the ultra thin paper mixed with PVA glue was a cocktail that could only end in disaster.  The snowflakes that did survive my hacking away with scissors and my heavy handedness were quite pretty!  Maybe......

Well I for one am well pleased with these snowflakes!  

I hope you enjoyed today's ArtyAdvent.  Thanks to those who have given comments - they have really spurred me on!  Feel free to leave comments on today's ArtyAdvent by clicking on the "no comments" link at the bottom of this post.  

To make sure you don't miss any ArtyAdvent, you can join me by clicking on the icons to the right. 

I hope you'll join me tomorrow for some more ArtyAdvent.   

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy  

ARTYADVENT: 7th December

Good morning ArtyAdventers!  I hope you are all still with me and not frozen into icebergs! 

Today we celebrate MERRY GOTHMAS!  Har har.  O yes indeedy.  We have a most gothic christmas tree complete with skulls and purple bows - what ELSE would you decorate a tree with?  This gothic masterpiece was created using inks.  Har!

 



 

I am a huge Tim Burton fan and seen his retrospective exhibition in LA a couple of years ago.  It was absolutley amazing.  As well as artwork, the exhibition included some of the models and sets for his films including Jack Skelington (my favourite!).  Check out his website at www.timburton.com

It's tradition in our house to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at Christmas! I know it off by heart.  The Oogie Boogie Man song is just splendid!  We seen Frankenweenie at the pictures a few weeks ago and it was brilliant.  Shot in black and white - quite unusual!  But the storyline and visuals were amazing.

I hope you enjoyed today's alternative christmas celebrations!

Join me tomorrow for more ArtyAdvent!

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 6th December

Good morning ArtyAdventers!  Today, for your delectation we have the just-finished Christmas Quilt!  I started this quilt years ago and was doing it a little at a time.  But now, lo and behold, 'tis finished!

 

 

There are 2 blocks used here.  One block is the pinwheel block and this is made by sewing together "mini blocks" of 2 triangles which are sewn to make a square. Four of these mini blocks are made which are then sewn together to make a larger square.  Here's a close up:

The other block is the patchwork squares block which is made up by sewing 4 squares together, and then joining 4 of those blocks together. 

Here's a close up of the squares block:

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

This quilt measures 54 by 62 inches - so it's quite big!  There are 224 traingles and 448 squares!!!!!!!!

 

 

And so, Dear Guest, all this talk of maths is starting to affect my 'elf, so I'm going to have to go and have a slice of cake - a LARGE slice of cake - to recover!  And frankly, I'm not caring how many squares or triangles it's made of.  I'm just going to eat it!  Har!

 

I hope you enjoyed today's ArtyAdvent and hope you'll join me tomorrow for some more festive inspired artworks!

 

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 5th December

Good morning ArtyAdventers!  I hope you are all well.  Today, for your delectation, we have a BIG FAT CHRISTMAS PUDDING!  This was created using inks and acrylic on a newspaper ground. 

 

 

 

I should say something about the scale of these artworks.  This BIG FAT PUDDING is about  22cm diameter.  It turned out rather well, seeing as I literally couldn't wait for the paint and ink to dry before adding more!!!!

 

And you can't always see all the layers from the final image, which does lose some of the finer detail of how the whole image is composed.  So here's some close ups:

 

 



DID YOU KNOW....

Christmas pudding originated in the Middle Ages and it was more of a thick soup rather than the rotund puddings we eat today.  It started off a mixed meat dish - with poultry, rabbit, pheasant and partridge.  Later, sugar and fruits were added, such as lemons, candied oranges, raisins and apples.  In the late 1500s alcohol was added to the recipe and because of this, the Puritans banned it, as it was considered ungodly!

Christmas Pudding became traditional in the UK in the more recent Victorian times, when it took on the "pudding shape"!  Often trinkets and coins would be added to the mixture - perhaps not so good for teeth!?!?!   Thankfully Greggs don't adopt such stupidity - can you imagine biting in to a roasting toasting steak bake only to have yer gnashers broken by a trinket?  I don't fancy that!

I myself am not a fan of the Christmas Pudding.  I am very partial to pudding.  And I do like Christmas.  But not both combined!  I do like drawing them though!  Although I nearly did eat this one, because some of the colours of ink and paint that I used are my absolute favourites - phthalo blue, magenta, purple! VERY edible colours.

I hope you enjoyed today's ArtyAdvent.  Thanks for stopping by.  You can leave comments by clicking on the "no comment" text at the foot of this blog.  (PS I still don't know why it asks for no comments!?!?!?!?!).

As for me...

All this chat about puddings has got me hungry.  I'm off now to find something proper to eat.  Paint and ink are not really that nutritious!  So I'm thinking it's Crisps O'clock, swiftly followed by Galaxy O'clock.  The galaxy being a chocolate galaxy, rather than an outer space one!  Although I'd probably give an outer space one a go, right enough! 

I hope you'll join me tomorrow for the next instalment of ArtyAdvent.

Wendy

ARTY ADVENT: 4th December

Well good morning ArtyAdventers!  Today for this fourth instalment of ArtyAdvent, I am posting one of my addictions - owls!  Today for your delectation we have a lovely lino cut owl.  This is my first foray into lino cut printing and am already addicted!  It turned out rather well I think!  The printing ink is a gorgeous shimmering lilac, but the shimmers don't really come across too well on the computer!  Maybe one day!!!!

 

 

DID YOU KNOW....

 

 

Relief printing is the oldest form of printing and is traditionally made using woodblocks with lino and other materials being used in more recent years.  Woodblock printing was first form of printing, originating in China.   The artist first draws the design onto the woodblock, then carves out the areas of the block that they don't want to be coloured. Ink is then applied to the remaining, raised surface, and the image is printed on to paper or fabric. 

 

This technique was widely used throughout East Asia, for printing fabric and papers. 

 

Ukiyo-e is the best known type of Japanese woodblock prints which were produced between the 17th and 20th centuries, depicting landscape.  Hokusai was one of the most prolific artists of this time.  The Great Wave is one of his most recognised designs.  

 

Woodblock printing was widely used throughout Europe from the 15th century and totally transformed the publishing industry. 

 

As for me...

I'm off to try out some more lino cutting!

 

I hope you enjoyed today's ArtyAdvent.  If you want to leave a comment, click on the "no comment" text at the bottom of this post.  I still don't know why it says "no comment", but it still does!

 

Thanks for stopping by.  See you tomorrow.

 

Wendy



 

ARTYADVENT: 3rd December

Welcome Dear Guest to the third instalment of ArtyAdvent.  In honour of the first snow of the winter, we have a lovely snowflake, created using inks.

DID YOU KNOW...

Snowflakes start life when water droplets in the earth's atmosphere freeze.  As the droplets freeze, the water crystalises to form ice.  Temperature, humidity and air currents influence the size and shape of the ice crystals.  Although each snowflake is unique, there are generally 2 forms: six-sided hexagon and needle.  The colder the temperature, the more intricate the structure of the snowflake. 

Water is clear, ice is clear, yet snow appears white.  This is because snowflakes have so many light reflecting surfaces that scatter the light, making the snow look white.

William Bentley, from Vermont, was one of the first people to photograph snowflakes, in the early 1900s.  You can see more of his amazing photographs at:
http://snowflakebentley.com

So there you go.  That's this week's dose of science!  I can't guarantee that tomorrow's ArtyAdvent will be so intellectual!  Ha!

I hope you all enjoy the snow - some of the scenes here are very christmassy!  Especially the hills....not that I'll be trekking out....I'll just view it all from the cosy living room.....

Thanks for checking today's ArtyAdvent.  See you tomorrow.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 2nd December

Welcome Dear Guest to the second instalment of ArtyAdvent. 

Today we have a lovely quilted panel, in traditional colours of red, green and gold.  The pictures of the angels, snowmen, santa etc are rendered in an olde worlde style.  This was a really quick and easy wee wall hanging.  All I had to do was quilt around the pictures.  Simples! 

 

 



The log cabin pattern is a very traditional pattern.  Strips of fabric are sewn in sequence around a central square.  Here's a close up for you to see:

Double click on the pictures to see a bigger version!  Also, if you want to comment, click on the "no comment" link at the bottom of this post.  I don't know why it says "no comment" to comment, but it does.  Oddities indeed!

DID YOU KNOW...

This is a very traditional patchwork design.  It is very popular in America: the strips of fabric represent the log cabins of the prairies and traditionally the square was red, representing the hearth.  Usually a mix of dark and light fabrics were used, the light representing the sunny side of the house and the darker fabrics representing the side of the house in the shade.  Strips of fabric from old clothes, sheets, and even sacks were sewn together.

By varying the placement of the light and dark strips, and by arranging the blocks in different ways, you get quite a choice as to the overall layout of the final quilt! 

The earliest signed and dated log cabin quilt in America was found in the 1860s.  But the log cabin design has been used as decoration even earlier than that, by the ancient Egyptians.

I was fortunate to see the Quilts of Gee's Bend Exhibition in San Francisco.  This was a collection of quilts made by over 40 African American women from 4 generations, from Gee's Bend, Alabama.  Many of the women worked as slaves on the plantations and their story - the poverty, their treatment, their resourcefulness and their strength - is absolutley inspirational.  After working for over 15 hours a day, and then tending to their families, the women would get together late at night, to make quilts, sing and pray together.  Using old clothes - mostly denims, sacks and sheets, the women created what they could from what they had.  There was electricity or proper road into Gee's Bend until the 1960s.   

Here are some links to find out more:
www.tinwoodmedia.com
www.auburn.edu/academic/other/geesbend/home.html


You can also google "Gee's Bend Quilts" and you will be able to see images of these amazing quilts. 

Well folks, that's all for today.  I hope you'll join me tomorrow for the third instalment of ArtyAdvent.

Wendy

ARTYADVENT: 1st December

 
Dear Guest

Welcome to the first instalment of ArtyAdvent. We start the festive proceedings today with a cheerful robin, complete with obligatory stripey socks, created using mixed media.

DID YOU KNOW......

British robins mostly tend to stay in this country, even throughout our not so sunny summers.  Some migrate to southern europe during the winter - mainly the females.  And who would blame them?  They are rarely seen during the summer because they moult during this period and they withdraw from public life.

They eat mostly worms, but apparently they have a rather sweet tooth and, like me, are very partial to a slice or ten of cake! 

Robins are symbols of rebirth and renewal.  Robin tells us to start enjoying life!  So it's no wonder we start the festive proceedings with Robin! 

As for me........I will not be migrating to Spain today, or anywhere else so exotic for that matter.

I will be spending today hunting down the christmas decorations that are packed away in various boxes in amongst god knows what, and gathering together the christmas quilts I made a few years ago.  I'll hopefully find the tree and set to putting it up, along with a few illumitions.  Well, maybe more than a few illuminations.

Apparently I am barred from purchasing any more christmas lights.  The house is ablaze with the things!  Thankfully however, I managed to make a few purchases before said prohibition was instigated, so thankfully there'll be a few more watts added to the lighting situation!  My house is probably visible from outer outer space!  

In the meantime, I wish you all a happy 1st December. 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the second instalment of Arty Advent!

Wendy