Daydreaming My Life Away

Illustration Friday: "Suspense"; ふあんしん fuanshin

2012-02-03T23:12:00.001+01:00

Sometimes after I've gone to bed, I remember something I just have to do and, trying to not disturb the cats (or they'll wake and play the rest of the night, keeping everybody else awake too), I don't turn the lights on. This, however, can be a little treacherous as there's often one or two creatures lounging on the stairs and I've often had to use my ability to stop midair and stay suspended for as long as it takes to grab hold of something that'll keep me from flattening a cat.

And speaking of stepping on cats, remember I mentioned IKEA the other week? Well, one of the things I got there, was a white bathroom mat for my black cats. They used to love lying on the black doormat, even when I kept stepping on them (in full daylight!). This new mat eases my consciense a little, and they get fewer bruises.

I found a treasure in my mailbox last night ...

2012-01-24T13:09:00.000+01:00

Yes, in my actual mailbox, not my email inbox!

A while back, I participated in a "art forward" event, hosted by Isabelle Cardinal and was so incredibly lucky as to win! And look, just look at the beautiful art pendant she's sent me! To really make this stand out and make everybody notice it, I'm going to wear all black today, nothing must detract from the art! ... sigh ... I know you can't hear me but I'm humming all happy like right now :D

Illustration Friday: "Twirl"; ひねくる hinekuru

2012-01-22T12:54:00.002+01:00

... Let's play a little game of word association! Right, here we go:

When I think of "twirl" I think of flirting; when I think of flirting I think of summer and summer leads to wasps.

I once squashed a poor wasp inside my sandal and got stung, the whole top of my foot swelled horribly. The next day, beause I could no longer get into the sandals, I went barefoot. And stepped on a wasp. This was way before I even knew there was such a thing as veganism but still, "serial killer" was never an aspiration of mine ;)

Wanna know who's name I picked in the giveaway?

2012-01-18T11:47:00.000+01:00

I let the first bitemark decide and the name of the chosen soggy piece of paper happened to bear the name Maša, owner of HEARTin Handmade:3, full of lovely crafty, vintage inspiration and giveaways! Congratulations, you can expect a package any day now :)

San Anton, saint of the animals

2012-01-17T23:40:00.000+01:00

Local events! I've never been to one of these happening but not for lack of wanting (although I wouldn't be able to trick, threat or bribe my cats to come with me anyway) but because I never hear about it until I read about it in the paper the day after. Click the image if you want to read it.

Aww, my Bella looks exhausted! ... I wonder what she's done today to be in such a state?

7 things about me: nr. 7 - mid life crises (+daily outfit)

2012-01-15T20:26:00.006+01:00

Enjoying the bleak winter sun.

I had my first crisis when I was 12, my second and hopefully last, when I turned 16.

What's odd though, is that my mood swings now are greater and more frequent than when I was a teenager. I get dips of moodiness every hour it seems, and the most effective trick to combat that is by listening to music. Now, I can't have music on in the background when I work because if a song I don't like or don't feel like listening to at that particular moment comes on, I have to turn it off immediatelly or risk a fit of despair and waste ten minutes calming down by listening to something else really loudly.

But when I need a pick-me-up, I put on something funny like this:

a voice like this:

cute and incredibly catchy:

or hauntingly beautiful:

And if I need a laugh, there's always a subbed ep of a Korean game show somewhere online:

and then I cuddle Bello for a bit:

Illustration Friday: "Prepare"; じゅんび junbi

2012-01-13T23:38:00.001+01:00

I'm not much for preparing things beforehand, I just do a quick last minute packing and wing it, basically. I'm usually a pretty laid back sort of person - the only thing that can unbalance me is the heat and sun and since there's not much of that right now, I'm pretty cool.

I don't have a poster bed but I've always wanted one and some day I shall have it. ... sometimes I get the urge to build myself one but I don't even have the space to saw the planks!

Skipped IF this week ... but here's a sketch of sunny skies

2012-01-12T19:29:00.001+01:00

... and I guess you could say the tree is grounded (this week's IF topic). ;)

Future ideas for the shop

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000+01:00

I've been playing with air dry clay beads lately, painting them and glazing and just testing different things. In the end I made something I think I'm pretty satisified with! :)

Now all I have to do is put some makeup on and pose for photos. :o

The rain season's about to begin, so I'm trying to ge the most out the winter sun at the moment:

It's that time of the month again ... it's giveaway time! :D

2012-01-10T11:17:00.000+01:00

And what have I got for you this time? Well ... I was thinking of doing some craft but I didn't finish it in time (but I'll give a preview in the next post) so I'm doing a print giveaway!

As usual, all you need to do is visit the shop, pick out your favourite, come back here and tell me all about it. How does that sound, not too much work, right? ;)

If you'd like, you could also stop by my Facebook page for easy updates on future giveaway.

Well, that's all folks, good luck and see you in a week! :)

This giveaway ends Tuesday, January 17th.

What I wore today, 5 jan 2012

2012-01-05T22:15:00.002+01:00

It was hot hot hot today and I was way over dressed for the beach. But it really was a lovely day, summer in the air, soft nearly century old tango on the car stereo and a walk among the promenade cafés.

And back home, Bello's found the box again.

Making a day out of it

2012-01-04T22:35:00.001+01:00

You know, I've been living my whole life practically next door to IKEA. Until now that is. Now, I have to plan and take a day off and make lists of all the things I need - no more just popping in for a browse!

And one can complain and be irritated about it (which I frequently do) but there's nothing to be done about it so why not enjoy the weather and take inspiration from the view!

I don't know why I never post my sketches here but I will try to do better. I think I mentioned once that Illustration Friday is my only excuse to post - I'm a bit shy about my doodles otherwise - but I'll use the blog itself as the excuse from now on. If I can keep it up. ;)

Bollhusgränd, Swedish streets

2011-12-30T19:09:00.000+01:00

Bollhusgränd is an alley in my hometown of Stockholm, Sweden. This is actually a drawing I made a while back but I was reminded of it only yesterday when I borrowed an online audio book and the main character happened to live on that very street.

( And I just listed it in my Swedish shop!)

Bollhus means "ball-house", as in a place for ball games. The name comes from the early 17th century sports buildings situated approximately where this street is now. It was however also used as a theatre.

But speaking of ball houses, look at these delightful tree houses:

Illustration Friday - "Highlight"; ハイライト hairaito

2011-12-30T17:32:00.002+01:00

Can you tell what this is?

Let's get a broader view ...

Hmm, how about this then:

Still having trouble? Well, I'll just have to tell you then! ;) They're sunny highlights on a wave, from a little sketch I made yesterday of my morning walk beach view. Right after visiting these guys:

... or gals - time will tell!

What I wore today, 28 dec 2011

2011-12-29T00:23:00.000+01:00

I don't have the patience to try things on properly, usually I just throw things on top of what I'm wearing and try to measure what's removable padding and what's my actual shape.

Don't let Valentino fool you - he's on a diet!

And Bello found himself another shoe box. Oh alright, I found it and emptied it just for him. ;)

An atypical morning in my house

2011-12-24T23:01:00.002+01:00

It started out as usual, though, with a morning walk with Ido and Emil.

When the boys had tired of smelling the morning air and headed back for breakfast, it was still dark enough to catch the fairy lights in the lemon tree.

After that, it's time to feed the ones that roam the streets all night.

And take the long route home, by the beach:

When I get back, Bella has found herself a nice shoebox to disfigure.

Only after that, it's finally my turn to have breakfast, and try the porter bread with raisin I made last night:

Usually at this point, I'd get up to the studio and continue with whatever painting or other stuff that needs to be done but, I'm taking the day off, just for today. From here on, it's just lounging about, eating, playing, sleeping - like any regular cat. ;)

Did you know that in Sweden, in the olden days, we too had something akin to carol singers. They were youths dressed in goat masks (and other, often frightening costumes), going from house to house, singing or putting on plays, earning food and drink in exchange - to take away and be consumed at feast gatherings in the weeks after Yule and New Year. There was also a popular tag-game where you had to, unseen, place a straw goat in a neighbour's house, perhaps with a cheeky rhyme attached to it, and wait for the goat to be returned in the same fashion. I'm not too familiar with the English Christmas holidays but here, our Yule and its aftermaths lasts for about a month, and during that time, the straw goat would go back and forth continously. I don't know if there was some kind of punishment for being caught, though.

Anyway, all these (and more!) different traditions were eventually bundled up into the predecessor to the modern Santa (which still isn't quite the American Santa, not yet anyway), with the goat giving out presents and so on.

All that's left these days is the little straw version sitting under the Holiday tree.

One much larger goat is the one they put up in Gävle (city in the north of Sweden) every year. unfortunately it has also become a tradition to burn it down. I read once that there are official bets on how long the goat will survive; if it burns before the 13th of December, a new one is erected.

(photo source: gd.se)

Getting presents isn't so much fun these days - if I need something, like art supplies, I'm much better off buying it myself; if there's something I really want, it's usully espensive art supplies, in which case it'd be rude to put that on the wish list! ;) But I still like giving gifts and since in this house the only ones to recieve presents are the cats, here's me making some last minute catnip toys. And since we exchance gifts on the eve of the 24th, they've already been enjoyed and destroyed.

And as for what I wore today - a soft peachy pink dress my Mum made for me many eons ago. But it's still in good condition so why not. And as you can see, pink and yellow seem to be the couleurs du jour!

Well, to all of you who still have celebrations to look forward to, I wish you all a happy and fun holiday! :)

7 things about me, nr 6

2011-12-21T14:46:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time, I had long hair and used to wrap slim strands of it on pipe cleaners. It took me a couple, three, four hours to finish at night and along while the next morning to get them out again. But the result was a fabulous afro! or rather, it would have looked fab on somebody else than me, but I loved it still!;)

What I wore today - the return of the bangs

2011-12-16T20:40:00.000+01:00

Yes, the issue is again my hair ... I've been letting it grow lately and, being a bit lazy about it, I let go of the bangs as well. But as much as I liked that look, it also meant I had to keep using products to get a bit of a curl in, because straight fringeless hair on me makes me look like a bimbo-bitch. Sure, playing the bad gal may be fun for a while but when she needs makeup every day and a "proper" wardrobe not to look completely boring ... nah, not me. I'd rather look my comfortable, versatile usual me any day. Except for those days that I don't.

Illustration Friday: "Sink"; しずむ shizumu

2011-12-16T17:08:00.002+01:00

She suddenly got the sinking feeling all would not end well.

But is it a giant bee or a tiny girl? Things out of normal proportion are almost always either creepy or fascinating and the line between the two is often a subjective one.

Illustration Friday: "Separated"; はなれる hanareru

2011-12-09T17:46:00.000+01:00

Fusing the one you want to be and the one you are, can be a bit tricky but when you manage, it really does feel like a great achievement.

What I wore yesterday - zombie eyes

2011-12-09T11:13:00.000+01:00

That's what you get for sitting at the computer ALL day.

Things I draw when I should be doing proper painting ...

2011-12-07T23:09:00.001+01:00

I really like drawing the figure, all those angles and deliciously squished, fleshy bits. Whenever I'm in Stockholm I try to either take a class in life drawing or attend of those open night events at museums and art schools.

Right now I'm into fairytales, dark woods and summer nights. I'm thinking this girl might be a forest spirit or a princess combing the stardust out of her hair or ... or ... I think I'll have to get to know her a little better. ;)

Illustration Friday: "Brigade"; りょだん ryodan

2011-12-02T20:56:00.000+01:00

The first thing that popped into my mind when I opened up Illustration Friday's front page this afternoon was ... The Beatles! You know, Sgt. Pepper's and all that jazz. And when you think of The Beatles, who doesn't think of the Abbey Road crossing?

Now, this is obviously not supposed to be the four Beatles characters, just giving you an insight into how this drawing came to be.

Besides, I think the two at the back are flirting ...

Jag vill ha en egen måne (I want a moon of my own)

2011-12-01T00:01:00.004+01:00

Sitter mitt i natten och ritar läxan som skall in i morgon. Men uppgiften är svår att förstå och huvudet är tungt. Så jag lägger undan det tråkiga och minns Ted Gärdestad istället ...

(feeling tired tonight, so drawing in Swedish. Sorry)

Illustration Friday: "Round"; まる maru (circle)

2011-11-25T18:49:00.002+01:00

(click the image to see it larger)

Is Fenrir about to break free from his shackles?

This was a piece made for school - the theme is perspective. Acrylic and marker.

I was watching the news and as always there're nothing but bad news - the economy, the wars, the climate ... if the world is to see its end because of our doings, we certainly seem to be getting closer by the day.

Fenrir is the wolf that in Norse mythology is destined to kill Oden, the head of the Asa gods and he is bound with a magical rope made from "the roots of the mountains, the rumbling of the cat, the tendons of the bear, the breath of the fish, the beard of women and the spit of birds". But when Ragnarök ("the end of the gods") arrives, the foundations of the world will shatter and free Fenrir.

Fenrir , his brother Midgårdsormen (the serpent that lies in a circle around the world, biting his own tail), the giants and all creatures that are seen as "evil" will be led in battle against the Asa gods by Loke - also Asa but from a mother of the giant race and father of both Fenrir, Midgårdsormen and Hel, goddess of Hel (hell).

Fenrir swallows Oden whole but is killed by Oden's son. Midgårdsormen is killed by Tor but Tor dies from the serpent's poison.

The world ends in fire.

And then it rises again, new and beautiful and the surviving gods gather to reminisce of the good old days. The sun, who was eaten by another giant wolf, had a daughter and she now follows in the footsteps of her mother.

The human race survives, but so does evil. And so it goes round and round, in a never ending circle.

Here's a more peaceful image from this morning, it's Emil enjoying the autumn sun:

What I wore today, 24 nov 2011

2011-11-25T00:05:00.000+01:00

And as you can see, my hair's grown quite a bit - it is actually past my shoulders now! :D

And the winner is ...

2011-11-21T22:44:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Bohemian Sin, who's also got her own Etsy shop of fabulous freestyle jewellery art! I'm snatching a pic without permission to post here one of my favourites, Autumnal Bangles:

My everyday crushes + 7 things about me, nr 4.

2011-11-20T21:08:00.005+01:00

Well, I did say I was going to explain my latest burst of energy and it's all got to do with ... well, small everyday crushes, really.

This particular crush is Chinese calligraphy. My art professor was in Madrid earlier this year and happened to bump into the Spanish President of the Chinese calligraphy association and asked for a private lesson. She filmed it and brought it back to us.

It was amazingly inspiring!

The next couple of hours we did nothing but train our strokes. I used watercolour and a watercolour brush - which works nothing like a Chinese brush but I couldn't find a synthetic one so I had to make do with what I had - but it relaxed me better than yoga! I've not been this de-stressed since before the summer.

Example of large brush calligraphy:

Now, our professor had us do an excercise at the start of this class. Each and everyone of us had to say something about ourselves and then we'd all interpret that with one single stroke.

I can never think of interesting things to say at occasions like this and by the time my turn came, my mind was blank. And you know what blank minds do - they make you blurt out things you wouldn't have said normally. Not anything revolutionary mind you, just something that at the time made me sound like I should be on anti-depressants (not to make light of the issue - we all walk closer than we should to the border sometimes) and made me wish I had gone with something like my favourite colour.

What I said was this: "I enjoy a lot of things but I have no passions".

At the time, I was really stressed and had been for a long time and that always makes it difficult to concentrate enough to enjoy all the little miracles the way they deserve to, so in some ways what I said was true.

But what I meant was that I have no major hobby or interest (my family, my cats, my painting are all part of my life and don't count as what I would call passions) - I'm too cynical and too fickle to be part of a fanbase of any kind.

But I do have many tiny crushes every day, some are new finds and some of them are old re-found ones. My lastest (this morning!) re-found crush is the tv-series The Professionals - the one from the early 80's. I must admit I was a little reluctant when first introduced to it - the gritty London studio sets weren't exactly glammy but, being an Anglophile (as well as a Francophile - see the fickleness?;), I gave it a shot. And I fell like a pine, as we say in Sweden.

Anyway, this morning I came across this little reminder, and it brightened an already sunny day:

(Mind you, had I been around at the time, I might not have disagreed with this reviewer!: http://dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/reviews/p/professionals_s4.html)

On to the 7 things about me, but staying on the subject of crushes:

One of the things i miss now that I don't live in a city anymore, is the innocent flirting on the metro! You know, a smile as you sit down with all your parcels and look up to notice you're opposite a really cute guy. Yeah, I'm due for a nice, two station platonic crush.
I suspect I may be a bit of a social butterfly.

What I wore today - wet clothes

2011-11-19T12:44:00.000+01:00

Despite the weather, I'm having a huge burst of energy this week! I'm getting all sorts of things done. Like this drawing - it's my third this morning (plus shop updates, printing, cutting, stamping, cat entertaining ...) and it's still only 12:42.

It all started last week ... but more about that in the next post! :)

Illustration Friday: "Vanity"; きょえい kyoei

2011-11-18T15:33:00.000+01:00

Do you ever get the feeling there's a little bit of vanity involved in our blogging, facebooking, twittering etc etc etc ..? ;)

my reality

2011-11-17T14:28:00.001+01:00

We're discussing and experimenting with different kinds of perspectives this week at school.

One of the types of perspective is value perspective (not sure if that's the correct English translation for it but you'll probably get the idea if you look at the drawing), and I made a doodle here that somehow seems perfectly logical to me ...

... speaking of dreams

2011-11-17T13:41:00.004+01:00

Rubin Pingk left an interesting comment on a previous post that reminded me of my unusually active dream world this week:

Dream nr 1.

A road movie set somewhere in Argentina. I'm travelling with this guy called Macri, a very real person and celebrity in Argentina, not because he's a movie star but because he's from a successful business family, became the president of legendary football club Boca Juniors and then mayor of Buenos Aires. I know him as "Weasel-face". He's the only Argentinian celebrity I recognise, so that's probably why he showed up. On the other hand, I've not been reading or listening to any news from Argentina in a few weeks so why the dream is set there to start with, I've no idea.

Anyway, we stop at a bar and I go looking for the lavatory - which I find, but the problem is there's no door and I really do prefer a bit of privacy. So, I go looking for another room. And I find it, and another and another but there's always something wrong with each one and I end up getting lost in a labyrinth of toilets.

Eventually I find a cleaning lady and she leads me back to the bar (apparently I've got a greater capacity to "hold it in" than I thought because it doesn't seem to bother me that that I had to leave with unfinished business). But Macri, my road movie partner, is nowhere to be seen. He left to search for me.

This is where the dream ends.

And now I think I remember something that could explain the setting - a couple of days ago, my Mother and I were commenting on how all the Argentinian comedies we've watched in the last few years, were more noir comedy dramas than Dumb and Dumber. Sounds plausible.

Dream nr. 2.

I'm a sailor, in white flares à la Gene Kelly & Co. and I and my buddies have been arrested for breaking and entering. But we're offered a deal - we could get a lighter sentence if we agree to put our safe-opening skills to good use as midwifes. Yes, apparently those two professions have more in common that one would've thought.

This was a short dream and my only possible explanation for it is that I watched Glee last night.

Shoo away the November gloom! With the help of a little giveaway :)

2011-11-13T10:13:00.004+01:00

Well, not to gloat or anything but .., truth be told, my November's quite sunny and lovely. ;) But wouldn't you love coming home one afternoon to a set of cards filled with sunshine in your postbox?

The giveaway is for four (4) cards of your choice (white envelopes included - note that this does not apply to all card sets - check shop for details). The images above are just samples, check the shop for a full selection! And remember, should you find a print I haven't made into cards yet, I'll be happy to make some for you - and it doesn't have to be four of the same either!

Just leave a comment here about which ones you'd choose, and also - if you like! - join my facebook page for future giveaways and news.

Well, that's all, I think ... oh, and good luck! :)

The giveaway ends next Sunday - 20/11-2011

Illustration Friday: "Stripes"; しま shima

2011-11-05T20:38:00.003+01:00

My striped cat Valentino has been feeling poorly this week, not eating or wanting to play or go belly up for a rub.

The vet couldn't find anything wrong with him but I suspected constipation (or at least hoping it wasn't anything more serious) and tried giving him the most liquid patés I could find, and force feeding him water.

But the days went by and nothing happened so this morning I went to a Swedish store and got some "messmör", a kind of sweet milky spread that I hear has a tinge of caramel taste - I remember it being very popular in kindergarden but never tried it myself.

I'd been hearing this rumour about messmör being a miracle worker on constipated cats and thought it couldn't possibly hurt to try before calling the vet again.

A couple of hours later I hear someone moving about in the litter box and I rush out all excited to catch any news.

I arrive just in time to see my no-longer-so-fat boy covering up a big healthy pile of produce.

This was my reaction at the scene:

art school homework and 7 thing about me, nr. 2

2011-11-03T22:49:00.000+01:00

This week's exercise is all about using colour in a composition, using a few figures against the backdrop of a wall or room. I used my sister and myself as models and a ginger cat because I chose red/yellow as the main theme.

Whenever I draw children I always seem to be drawing us rather than just any anonymous kid (which might be why there are never any boys around!) and I was reminded of Belle's photo from a few weeks back, of her and her daugher on skates. I mentioned on her blog that I had a photo just like that, but I've not found it yet. My photos are all boxed up in no order at all.

But here's one of my favourite photos of my dad and his father.

Perhaps it's beause I never met him that I don't call my father's father "Grandad". I've actually no idea what he was like as a person but judging from the photos, I do (want to?) see a sense of humour there.

What I wore today - a tight fit! 3 nov 2011

2011-11-03T14:46:00.001+01:00

Some days work isn't working and I get a suspicious feeling it's doing it on purpose.

Wore skin tight jeans today. This is how I put them on:

Keeping it small, and boating in Alicante

2011-11-02T13:45:00.001+01:00

I made some small 12x12 cm (4.7x4.7") frames to be covered in canvas later today. I also glued the little left over stumps, thinking they could perhaps be turned into mini mini-paintings!

But speaking of something else, the Volvo Ocean Race is in Alicante! So obviously, a trip down to the water was a must.

And since we're on the subject of boats and such, there's a replica (of sorts) of the Santísima Trinidad visiting the port of Alicante. I say "replica of sorts" because what she really is, is a restaurant made in the general shape of the original - she wouldn't be allowed on the Tall Ships' Race! Or maybe she would, what would I know.

Santísima Trinidad was the largest ship of her kind (with 140 guns!) but finally fell in Trafalgar, 1805.

What didn't happen last Tuesday

2011-10-30T16:35:00.000+01:00

I went to the post office and because there's an election coming up it took me an hour to send one parcel. After 40 minutes of going slightly mad, I decided to snack on some chocolate covered peanuts I'd bought just before. The packaging however, is not consumer friendly and because of past experience, I decided to open it inside my bag and save myself an embarrassing situation.

I then drew this picture of what could've been.

ACEOs? Thinking about it ...

2011-10-29T15:04:00.002+02:00

So I'm constantly being told to paint larger and I am trying to but somehow the other day I just got fed up with everything and decided to embrace my love for the petite rather than being so negative about it. And ACEO's are perfect for such things! I'm not really familiar with the ACEO universe but I really do like the idea and I'm now trying to decide which shop to list this one in ... Is Etsy the "safer" bet? I'm not sure what kind of market there is for such cards in Sweden so, hmm, I guess I'll start out on Etsy. But the next image will go up north!

Etsy For Animal's (EFA) charity of the month for October:

2011-10-29T14:47:00.001+02:00

October is almost over but here's a reminder of this last month's chosen charity:

Founded in 1979, The Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) was Baldwin County Alabama's first animal advocacy group. BARC! remains the only county-wide animal rescue resource. This 501(c)3 not-for-profit is run as an adoption agency rather than a shelter. BARC! relies on volunteers to foster animals in their homes until they are placed with their adoptive family. The goal of the organization is to "eliminate the number of abused and abandoned pets through spay/neuter, education, rescue and adoption."

BARC! does not receive government funding and are not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States. The organization relies soley on the generosity of individuals, foundations, grants and annual events to help homeless and abused animals. This makes BARC! an ideal candidate for the Etsy for Animals Charity of the Month Program!

And while you're at it take a look at the team's latest treasury:

'National Cat Day -- Team EFA Cotm' by susanneedlehands

Cats, most people either love 'em or hate 'em, but once they've been there for you in hard times, you'll see their diehard nature. These animals don't give up on anybody.

After Dinner - cat ... thoseparasolda... $8.00	Unique Feline Box s... brizel4TheAnim... $59.00	Czech Glass Buttons... theanimalsmagi... $6.00	Cat ACEO - Smiling ... LolaLynn $5.00
Halloween Cat Penda... TheClayPony $15.00	Tabby Cat blank not... artchicnj $5.00	Cat Lovers Pendant. EllaQuaint $5.95	Flying Kitty Black ... kittyempire3 $20.00
Scarf / Black Panth... susanneedlehan... $45.00	Catnip Toys Red Pi... ShaggyChic $7.00	Sammy the Sun-MEOW-... Gheegles $45.00	Royal Blue Velvet P... catcalls $18.00
Vintage-style Cloth... thebluewindmil... $15.00	Itty Bitty Darjeeli... yarnmiracle $18.00	Puppy Kitty Barking... BarkingDogBlan... $25.00	Art Bookmark - Cat ... oceloteyes $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Illustration Friday: "Scary"; こわい kowai

2011-10-28T22:03:00.001+02:00

I've had one recurring dream in my life so far - and by recurring I mean I re-dreamt it once only.

The dream starts with me and my mother walking down a street. My sister's walking ahead of us and for that reason that is never apparent but always very real when in the dream, it's very important that I catch up with her and it annoys me that she won't wait up no matter how much I call out to her.

So I walk faster, on this street that turns into a pier.

The first time this is where the dream ends.

The next time, as we're approaching the end of the pier, I'm close enough to physically make her turn around. But when she does, her face is a skull.

My dreams are kind of boring in the sense that I'm always aware that I'm dreaming (unless it's something so everyday that I confuse it with reality and don't know which is which when I wake up!) so even though I understood that this was supposed to be scary, it was more confusing. To this day I don't know what to make of it. It is the only dream I haven't been able to desipher.

Beautiful beautiful Bello ...

2011-10-28T18:55:00.001+02:00

... is what I call him. Well, in Swedish. I turned the camera on him and caught him licking himself. Since I am a bit of a prude, I tried to distract him. A tickle on the chin is always good but really, you only need to look at him and he'll get purring!

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/center&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

It's a pity the sounds didn't get through properly because he does has the loudest purr! Not as loud as Smokey, though -he's got the Guiness world record in that category!

Following up on the fair - on Etsy

2011-10-28T17:47:00.001+02:00

Do you remember this watercolour? I made it for Illustration Friday a couple of years ago and it proved to be my hands down most popular design at the fair last Sunday, so I'm now adding it to the shop!

Nowadays I do three and sometimes four cats at once. There's not much walking on my part.

... and what I wore to the fair, 23 oct 2011

2011-10-24T22:02:00.004+02:00

The day started with the packing of all the little last minute things I make, like these pinwheels which were made with regular coloured paper, decorated with stamps and drawing.

Pinwheels are really easy to make (see photo below!) - all you need is a square peice of paper. You make one cut from each corner into the center (leaving a centimetre or two in the middle) and make a hole in each other corner. Bend one corner towards the middle and put a tack pin through the hole from the back of the paper. Do the same with the other corners, tucking each under the previous one, and finally put the tack through the hole in the middle of the square, pin the whole thing to a wooden stick and you're done!

But make sure to make the holes just a tad larger than the pin so that the paper spins freely in the wind! :)

But back to the day:

Early morning and artists are setting up their stations.

And swiftly moving on to demonstrations:

My parasol's the orange one, right in the middle of the square of San Miguel de Salinas, with the church in the background.

From this angle you can see the children's area in the foreground, at this stage they've only just started.

I didn't get to see the finished work but here's a closeup of what they were up to:

I too had a little children's corner, with stamps and pens and stuff to make cards:

A couple of hours in, I'm starting to feel really grateful for that parasol ... but I could've done with a pair of sandals instead!

My view of the stall. Cards prove popular and several designs sell out!

And my neighbour is finishing off his watercolour:

End of the day and almost end of the business cards ...

And as for what I wore:

Perfectly fine in the morning but unbearable once the sun was properly up!

PS. For all your artists on the Spanish Costas, if you're not already on the www.costaart.net mailing list, you really should be - this is how I find out about everything arty going on here! And the person behind the website, Martin Robinson (who was at the fair yesterday) is just as lovely as can be! :D

I'm going the the fair!

2011-10-19T15:00:00.001+02:00

Yes, there's an art fair (San Miguel de Salinas) coming up this weekend - in celebration of international artist day and Picasso's birthday - and I'll be setting up a booth there!

So, this past week I've been preparing little things like these gift bags I made from regular envelopes, using Etsy's How-Tuesday instructables.

The original idea was to use decorative tape but since I didn't have that, I carved out some old erasers I did have lying around, added handles and a little businesscard - musn't forget the marketing! ;)

Super busy week has Valentino exhausted

2011-10-18T22:53:00.001+02:00

Well, not Valentino as much as me, but tomorrow's almost free and I'll be able to post a couple of photos of the things I've been up to and will be doing this weekend!

Illustration Friday: "Scattered"; バラバラ barabara

2011-10-14T14:49:00.002+02:00

There are moments, days, eons when you feel completely your own and separate and at the same time taken apart, all your shades scattered and dissolved.

I can't decide if that's good or bad or both.

Getting back on track

2011-10-12T21:02:00.001+02:00

Well I know I said I'd play around a bit constructing my own foot-tickler but it's been a super busy week and then three street cats were poisoned - two kittens and their mother - a third kitten has been to the vet and is now hopefully on the mend, at least she had something to eat this morning (the extra soft, expensive paté - I'm starting to think maybe she's not as sick as she lets on ... ;) so we're hoping for the best.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to start and finish a drawing for Etsy For Animals' monthly challenge (I'm not sure how realistic that plan is ...) and finally getting that fan working!

Illustration Friday: "Contraption"

2011-10-07T20:33:00.000+02:00

Did you and your siblins take turns scratching each other's backs when you were little? My sister and I had a timer. Just to be exactly fair.

What I would need these days to tickle my toes is a feather pinwheel and I got all excited thinking about constructing one - until I came upon this drawing of mine, made earlier this week for school:

And I thought of all those movies of hot, clammy summers where the only air condition available is an old, just barely running fan that doesn't do much more than blow tepid gusts in your face if you get close enough (I've got one of those myself). And one thing they always have - as sure as tumbleweeds blowing in westerns, these fans have plastic strings attached to the protective meche. I think they're there so that you'll know it's working but those strings could actually be put to good use against the soles of my feet! I'm going to try that tomorrow and post photo evidence of the result!

Headband giveaway winner announcement! :)

2011-10-05T21:00:00.000+02:00

And the winner is Derry Smith, whom I know nothing whatsoever about other than that she's a very cool Betty with a nice Warhol-esque blogger avatar and will soon be recieving a package from sunny Spain. ;)

Illustration friday: "Hibernate"

2011-09-30T23:17:00.002+02:00

Dandelions are not the first of summer's bloom to fade but they are one of the more visible - when the yellow fields turn white, I know we're headed for winter.

I may be an optimist in general but unending rows of sleepy, grey winter days bring out a melancholic streak in me even as the first scents of spring arise and with that the promise and threat of a brief, uncertain summer.
With the heat decreasing, I'm feeling full of energy, but as the nights grow longer and mornings darker, I'm having an increasingly harder time leaving the hibernating den that is my bed!

Etsy Giveaway!

2011-09-27T15:07:00.003+02:00

Morning, old and new blogging friends! It's time for another giveaway and the rules are oh so simple - just "like" my Facebook page and leave a comment about it here on the blog!

Don't forget to leave an email or some other way for me to contact you when you win. :)

The giveaway ends next Tuesday 4/10.

The white plastic bird, with its wings slightly raised as if in flight, headband has been varnished and rests on a 3 mm silver plated metal headband.
(Should you not be a member of the Facebook community, feel free to post this giveaway on Twitter, your own blog, website et.c. instead! And then come back here and post the link :)
This giveaway is open to anyone, where-ever you live as long as it is on Earth or you're willing to come down here to pick it up yourself. ;)

***

Hej, god morgon världen! Vill du vara med i utlottningen av mitt fågel-diadem? Det enda du behöver göra är att "gilla" min Facebook Page och komma tillbaks hit och lämna en epost-adress eller något annat sätt för mig att kontakta dig när du vinner! :)

Utlottningen avslutas nästa tisdag, 4/10.

Diademet består av en vit fågel i stadig, lackad plast med vingarna svagt böjda som om hon flyger. Själva hårbandet är silverpläterad metall, 3 mm brett.
(Om du inte har konto på Facebook kan du istället twittra om den här utlottningen, dela med dig på din egen blogg eller ngt annat forum, men glöm inte att komma tillbaks hit och posta länken!:)
Utlottningen är öppen för ALLA som vill.

***

Hola, te gustaría ganar esta diadema? Solo tenés que "gustar" mi Facebook Page y volver aquí para dejar un comentario y tu e-mail o otra manera para ponerme en contacto con vos cuando ganes! :)

El último día para entrar será el próximo martes, 4/10.

El pajaro blanco está hecho de un plastico duro y está tratado con un barniz acrilico. El diadema está plateado y tiene una anchura de 3 mm.
(Si no tenés cuenta en Facebook, siempre podés mandar el enlaze de este sorteo via Twitter, tu propio blog u otro foro - y volver aquí para contarmelo!:)
El sorteo está abierto para todos, no importa donde vives.

Thank you and good luck!

Nancy - ThoseParasolDays

Athena checking out the goods.

What I wore yesterday

2011-09-26T14:23:00.001+02:00

Barbeque in the garden.

Valentino eyeing the contents of the grill:

Bello dozing off after a big hearty meal:

Work in progress

2011-09-23T19:37:00.000+02:00

Here's something for the upcoming giveaway next week, what do you think? The design still needs some work but all in all, I think the idea is set!

Illustration Friday: "Ferocious"; たけだけしい takedakeshii

2011-09-23T19:14:00.001+02:00

Cats are part of the ferocious family, I think that's pretty much clear to all of us! Even the most docile of cuddle-bumps turn nasty at the prospect of a hunt. I may think they look adorable but I'm sure their victims don't ...

Bello may look a bit like the evil twin sometimes but that's (most of it) actually due to a scar he got in a fight and that left the upper lid of his right eye kind of slanted and mean looking:

His left eye sort of adjusted to match the other ... ;]

Classical painting workshop

2011-09-12T13:40:00.004+02:00

I signed up for a painting workshop this summer. The technique was "classical", although we didn't have months or even weeks to get it done, so the idea got very much condensed!

The four days we had to produce something were packed! But the weather was lovely and the morning light coming in created a lovely atmosphere.

Day one started with the priming of the linen, a pencil sketch of the model and a quick colour study:

We then went on to work on the actual stretched canvas. Painting in thin layers is not how I usually do things and there were times when I - along with everyone else! - despaired and thought I'd never be able to finish ... but the teacher was very good at his job, very patient and very inspiring and in the end I was quite pleased with what I'd made!

This girl here had her easel right next to me and I couldn't help but admire the way she handled her lights and colours. One thing we noticed though, was that she'd actually managed to paint herself rather than the model!

I had so much fun during the workshop but we were all quite exhausted afterwards!

And once it was over it was a race against time to get it dry enough for transport back to Spain. We used water soluble oil paints, which I'm not too familiar with but it did dry in a couple of days and it was rather practical having to deal with water and soap only so maybe I'll give it another try!

A Swedish sojourn, part 2

2011-09-11T19:31:00.002+02:00

Do you remember, a while back, I told you about the beginning of this trip? That day ended dark and windy.

Well, very early next morning I took the train north and stepped out into a Göteborg filled with the clouds of a classic summer storm. The palm house (Palmhuset) almost right next to the train station looked sleepy, tucked away in the mist.

But the air was warm and promised a better outlook for the day, something which this gentleman seemed to have taken to heart:

And as you can see, by the time I got to this statue, a mere 10 minute walk from the first photo, things were clearing up quickly!

Anyway, I wasn't here to do sightseeing and was cooped up indoors for the better part of the day. When I got out again, the sun was beating down and I had to strip down to my bare essentials trying not to jump in the moat to soak (yes, the town has a moat!).

On my way back to the station, I walked through the gardens of Trädgårdsföreningen, where the palm house is situated:

There were odd installations outside ...

They were rose bushes being prepared for the rose festival starting the next day.

The last image of Göteborg, the moat, right outside the train station.

Well, almost the last:

All throughout the day, I'd been seeing an unusually high amount of black tees and tattoos but thought that perhaps there was a bikers convention in town or, who knows, maybe Göteborg is naturally a city of hard rockers? But when I got to the moat, the station gates opened and the city was literally inundated with - what I was to find out -ticket holders to that night's Iron Maiden concert and probably the Big Four event (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) 48 hours later.

I don't usually get to see rockers travelling in group so it was quite a thrill seeing so many of them in one place! I make them sound like a rare species ...

I don't use my mobile phone for anything else than as an alarm clock and so I do not have all the little extra gadgets like a camera but that day I wished for one - digging out my regular digital camera and asking for a pose is not quite my thing. ;)

Anywhoo, back onto the train, the final leg:

By now I'd been travelling for two days already and the novelty had worn out.

Now it was just a question of transport.

A small station somewhere between Göteborg and Stockholm.

21:15. Less than two hours left.

22:20, Västerås. 40 minutes left.

23:30, Gullmarsplan, Stockholm, waiting for the final bus home.

Seven things about me, no. 1; Illustration Friday: "Boundaries";きょういき - kyouiki

2011-09-09T16:45:00.002+02:00

Why is it so many of us can't resist a challenge? Or rather, why won't we?

But of course it's not all challenges that get us thrilling, most stick to one area and don't wander beyond that; I for example couldn't care very much less about competitions, in fact, if the challenge is wrapped up in a competition, that's a sure way of getting me to lose interest.

But if we're talking museums, public buildings and areas and juicy green lawns, that's another matter altogether! When I see Mona Lisa and David, I want to get close and touch what the artist touched, I want to lean against ancient pillars and sit on graves; if there's grass, I want to walk on it.

A while back I was tagged to do a "seven things about me" challenge and I've been trying ever since to come up with something beyond my favourite colour and what I usualy have for breakfast. As I still haven't come up with seven things, I'm going to take it one at a time, starting with number one:

Once in my life, I've fallen for an actual dare: a friend and I, at perhaps the age of twelve, were walking to school one day when we passed a field of stinging nettle and I happened to mention that nettles didn't bother me. She of course didn't believe me and challenged me to walk through the nettles. I, very sure of myself, did just that, and it was no big deal.

I can't say for sure that I wouldn't have done it had I not known beforehand how I'd react, after all, given the right moment and the right mood, we all do really stupid things sometimes ...

Illustration Friday: "Disguise"; ふんする funsuru

2011-08-29T13:18:00.005+02:00

First day off and what better way to start than by joining IF again, right? ;)

The thing about us humans is that if we're not careful, we see only what we want to see and there's not a mirrir alive that will correct us on its own accord!

I've always loved playing dress-up, I never saw it as disguising myself but of course the line between disguise and pretend is a fine blend.

There's a historical society in Sweden called Gustafs Skål (named so after a king from the late 1700s) and I've been subscribing to their newsletter for several years now. Not that I'll ever get around to making my own dress or joining their parties or even go to a meeting but just watching their costumes makes me salivate. That and the carnival of Venice.

In other not so interesting news, I'm playing around with the blogger layouts but it's not letting me choose my own background so I'm stuck with this rather clean-and-simple-but-not-quite-me blue background. We'll see how long I can stand it before I turn everything chock pink no matter how badly it clashes with the images! ;)

Keeping my head above water

2011-08-03T22:55:00.006+02:00

Just a little explanataion for the lack of updates lately - I've been busy! It's the good kind of busy but it will keep me occupied at least for the rest of the month. Hopefully I'll have a really nice giveaway for you when I get back! ;)

A Swedish Sojourn, part 1 // Resan genom Sverige, del 1

2011-07-27T20:23:00.086+02:00

My Swedish sojourn was in reality not a very extensive one (three cities and not much in between!) but since I normally take my non-stop flight straight to Stockholm, I took the opportunity to use my camera to the max!

First stop Malmö Airport - Sturup.

Sturup is a delightfully small airport with the Swedish nature right outside its doors. This bright yellow building

was the background for the aiport shuttles going into Malmö and Lund. I chose Lund, simply because I'd never been there before.

There were only two of us waiting in line - a lovely woman from Thailand who'd been living in Sweden for (I think) seven years already but still wasn't confident about her Swedish so we conversed in English.

Sturups flygplats. Gul plåt mot blå himmel, hur svenskt kan det bli? ;)

View from the airport bus.

The very picturesque train station in Lund, with its bicycle garage underneath.

Det går ju rykten om att det skall byggas något liknande under nya Odenplan - jag ser fram emot det!

I know that in Japan there is (was?) a train named Super White Arrow. That sounds just like a comic super hero to me!

In Sweden we stick to celebrities.

Recently one suggestion for new names was Zlatan after the Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, currently playing in Milan. But apparently the rule says that only deceased personalities are allowed to lend their names for this purpose. Let's hope we don't see Zlatan's name on trains any time soon!

This one I saw here, in Lund, has been named after the fictional character Kurt Wallander (played rather interestingly by Kenneth Branagh, I thought!), the main protagonist in a series of crime novels by Henning Mankell.

Views from the train to Ängelholm.

And this is my first stop on this journey. Ängelholm is where a friend of mine lives, right by the water.

Ängelholm was once known as a seaside resort and that is evident in the houses that still stand today; many are old "doctor villas" used only in summer or originally very spartan summer cottages nowadays worth a lot more than most modern houses.

Får dock säga att de fantastiska glasfasaderna på många av dessa nya /renoverade palats såg ganska trista ut - utifrån. Inifrån har de givetvis en makalös utsikt över vattnet!

I had arrived in a sticky hot Sweden that morning but as night approached, storms set in.

Apparently, Ängelholm has the same problem with sand dunes as we do here on the Costa Blanca and started planting (as early as 1739 and witnessed by the botanist Carl von Linné) pine forests along the shores to protect the town.

The first line of trees is a gnawd windstruck mass, growing straigther and impossibly tall as the forest denses.

And that ends day one!

Charity tote for Nynäshamns Katthemsförening

2011-07-24T09:45:00.002+02:00

Nynäshamns Katthemsförening in Stockholm is finally getting a cat shelter and are now in the middle of the actual building of it! A friend of mine who's also a sponsor of the shelter, asked me to make a couple of bags with the shelter's logo and a few of the cats that have already found new homes, to be used in their own shop. Here's what I've come up with so far:

It's only a prototype and will need final approval before I get any real work done.

I also added a little zipped pocket, for those cat snacks!

BTW, it's nearing give-away time again! I just need to figure out exactly what I'll be giving away...

Stay tuned ;)

Illustration Friday: "Perennial"

2011-07-22T18:09:00.002+02:00

I may be living in eternal Mediterranean summer now but my body and mind are still stuck on the four seasons! So every year around April when in the North the first really warm (and sometimes last!) days of spring and summer arrive, I get the urge to bare my feet and wave my toes to the world.

I was in Sweden a few weeks back, in the midst of a heat wave and every day before I got on the bus and as soon as I got off again, I took off my shoes and went barefoot everywhere! It felt like heaven on earth.

Nobody calls her Sauron anymore

2011-07-15T12:28:00.003+02:00

My sister's cat's name was once Sauron, but that was a long time ago and now she's more known under a multitude of other names and nicks. The one that comes closest is Sau.

Sau doesn't take to new things easily and that's why this brand new bed is still (as of three days ago) waiting for its test drive. There were other beds in the shop and it took a while to pick The One.

Another strong candidate was one that stood on legs and looked like it could sit on the back of a Harley, black and chromed and a really nice faux fur cusion peeking out. Perfect for a black cat.

One that probably will find its way into the house sooner or later is this minty cool pEI-Pod:

But back to Sau, here she is in motion, and a little bit of my sister too:

Illustration Friday: Stay; ざいりゅう zairyuu

2011-07-08T20:03:00.010+02:00

I was pretty in pink today, picnicking on an island with my sister and her friends. Most of us agreed we wouldn't mind staying a little longer!

I signed up for a painting workshop this summer - it finished yesterday so one of these days I'll show you what came out at the end of that week!

Sweet kittens and playmates

2011-06-27T19:09:00.004+02:00

A new kitten in the park. She was only around for a few days so perhaps somebody fell in love with her and took her home. Let's hope they don't fall out of love.

Parque Molino Del Agua, La Mata

One of the 7 new kitties in the park.

What I wore this week, 19/20 june 2011

2011-06-27T17:12:00.001+02:00

Waiting late into the night for a delayed flight.

The thing about sticking to a more relaxed way of dressing is you can get away with sitting on the floor without looking odd. Of course, seeing a well pressed suit doing the same, is much more fun.

2011-06-26T11:59:00.002+02:00

I took my sister shopping and this is what I wore. Only, I realise now that I've actually drawn my sister - the stance, the attitude, everything is her, not me!
Everything but the slim short-hair-bun.

What I wore this week, 23 june 2011

2011-06-23T18:28:00.002+02:00

My sister's visiting and I'm not getting anything done! But I am having fun and that makes up for all the things I'll have to catch up on eventually ;)

I didn't get in the pool today but I watched my sister through the lens from my spot in the shade.

I've been wearing mostly beach wear this week.

Cats in trees

2011-06-14T22:40:00.000+02:00

I don't climb trees much these days but I do grab the opportunity when I see it.

The giveaway has a winner!

2011-06-14T10:57:00.005+02:00

First, I offered Valentino the job of picking a winner but he just wasn't interested.

I turned to Lily instead - she's always up for some fun:

Congratulations Julie! :) Julie picked the A While by The Window print as her favourite, let's see if she's still intent on that one! :)

Even with the job finished, Lily decided to go for over-time:

No shade in sight...

2011-06-13T19:29:00.000+02:00

With the new banner and all, I felt more sunny pictures were required.

Illustration Friday:" Swept"; そういん sōin

2011-06-12T15:16:00.001+02:00

Bella pretends not to notice when her big plume-like tail sweeps a tabula rasa, but I think she secretly likes it.

How to sign a painting

2011-06-11T11:51:00.004+02:00

Beside the fact that I can't seem to photograph my paintings so that they appear something like in real life (bright, pure colours - in this case red - are specially troublesome), I still haven't figured out how to add my signature so that it doesn't look added on but rather like a part of the painting.

One artist that has managed that is Justin Taylor (below)- of course, he uses only his last name and no year - I'd like to be able to do something like that eventually!

Actually, this (first image in this post) self portrait of mine - "Esquinas" ("Corners") - was delivered in person today, to a lovely lady from Switzerland who got it as a present for a friend. She'd just arrived, after driving down - in one day! I've done it myself so I know what a literal pain in the a$$ that is but, like she said, if you need to bring stuff, it is really the easiest way - unless you want to pay for the transport, of course.

Most of my sales seem to be bought for somebody else... is that to be interepreted in some particular way, or should I just be glad that someone liked it enough to buy it, even if not for themselves? Hmm.

Here's a little detail I like to send along to my customers; it's a notebook, very simply done with six cut printing paper strips, folded in two and stiched in the middle to make 12 pages, inside one of my folded notecards! Really, so simple and quick to make but so pretty!

These have all, at some point, been made into notebooks:

June Giveaway under way!

2011-06-05T19:10:00.006+02:00

So, it's time for a new giveaway but this time there's just that little bit more work involved...;)

Now, it's not as hard as you may have feared; it's just a question of being interactive and sharing.

So what do you have to do to win your choice of jewellery, print or cards in my Etsy shop Those Parasol Days, you ask? Well, let's have a look, shall we?

1. Tweet this post - check left hand column for button.

2. Like me on Facebook (pressing the button doesn't commit you to really like me;) - see link in left side column.

3. Find your favourite item in my shop and post it here (I'd do it all on Facebook but I'm a little scared of their rules!).

4. Now comes the fun part: share a photo of your pet or other hairy favourites (partners, clogged sink, the lovely, juicy peach you had for breakfast this morning... etc) - by tagging the Those Parasol Days Facebook page in one of your own Facebook photos.

5. If you're NOT on Facebook, do the same right here on the Blog - minus the pet photo (but if you want to link to a photo, I'd love to see it!).

6. Remember to leave an e-mail address (or a link to a blog/website with a contact form).

The giveaway ends Monday 13th of June 2011

A package destined for the land of a thousand lakes

2011-06-02T15:28:00.001+02:00

This week I meet a lovely lady from Finland who told me of her summers in the old family house that has its very own ghost, an aunt who doesn't like strangers and makes sure in every way possible that no-one cuts down her trees. She also told me of she covers her body with a special honey made for the sauna (Bastuhonung in Swedish, don't know the Finnish name. BTW, the lady in question is fromt the "Swedish" part of the country and speaks Swedish with a lovely, soft twirl in her words that reminds me of Moomin childhood stories!), and it melts and soaks the sking something wonderful!
The house is situated by a lake and although I've never been past the city streets of Helsinki, I imagine their lakes are not so different from ours and if they aren't, it must be like magic spending one's summers there.

You know, like all countries have their own romantic view of themselves and the land they live in (England's green and pleasant land...for example), so do we Swedes. We call it naturromantik, and it's a sort of hunger and longing for the countryside, so matter how little we'd want to actually live there, and I'm plagued with it too.

Here's a short video from the Finnish tourist bureau; it looks so much like Sweden - and this just after my sister blogged about her day at the Woodland Cemetary (Skogskyrkogården) in Stockholm - I've got such a pang of romantic longing for midsummer lakes, forests and archipelago cottages that I feel I'm going to burst!

But I know how to remedy that - with a swim in the pool, smelling the pine trees toasting in the Spanish heat. ;)

Anyway, the reason I met this lady at all, was that she bought two paintings of mine! As they had to travel with her, I released them from their frames and rolled them together.

Unfortunately, I'm all out of the mailing tubes I brought from Sweden and I've been unsuccessful in finding new ones here (I've looked everywhere - the only office supply store I know of, paper shops, book stores, any place that isn't exclusively fashion and food), but luckily there was a recent trip to IKEA and now I've got large sheets of lovely sturdy cardboard in storage! So I made my own tube - not round, but it did what it was supposed to do, and even Lily was kind enough to add a personal touch to the package:

Fototriss del 138: Ljus

2011-05-30T23:35:00.001+02:00

This week's photo-challenge is "Light"

Bländande heta sommardagar, i svalka innanför ett skyddande metallhölje.

Blinding hot summer days, from inside the cool shelter of an air-conditioned metal hull.

Efter en lång, torr, het dag ute kan tanken på en bit hemmagjord isglass (mer hemmagjort än så här blir det inte!;) få en att lysa upp som en sol!

The thought of a homemade popsicle -freshly pressed orange and lemon, no added sugar, can't get more home.made than this! - can shine like a beacon welcoming you home after a long, dry day out.

Och tillslut, en dag drar sig mot eftermiddag med dess svalka och dess drömska, lata motljus.
And finally, the day turns to afternoon with its shade and its dreamy, lazy backlight.

Besök Fototriss för fler bidrag!
Check out Fototriss for more entries!

Och apropå coolstuff.se (ingen aning om att denna sajt fanns!) så tycker jag - som har haft mitt hår osnaggat ganska länge nu - att en Wiggystyle

ser ut precis som något jag kunde behöva!

Do pets really extend your life?

2011-05-30T22:48:00.000+02:00

Because with all the worry, all the trips to the vet to check that whatever's the matter, it's nothing too serious; their habit of waking me too early in the morning, of having me wake up with crooked bones because I didn't want to disturb the cat snugging my feet, or the one behind my back or the third sleeping on my face; any extra time I may have gained over the years, is too quickly gobbled up by these bloodthirsty little monsters! ;)

Here's the last of the cats we managed to trap and this was a fierce one! He's ever so calm and cuddly normally but once he was inside the trap, I was almost afraid he'd rip the metal cage apart! However, he did calm down once we'd gotten him into the car.

Here he is after the operation, still a little sedated.

On our way home to release this cat we call Blanco (although a lot more ginger than white, he's still the fairest of them all), a tiny black dog crossed the road, obvisouly trying to get our attention. We stopped, gave some company, food and water and sent the car back to the animal shelter we'd just left. They came back with a cage and a leash; the dog was terribly scared but with some brute force we finally managed get him inside the cage and hopefully, eventually, to a loving home.

I have no pictures of this as I'd left the camera in the car that went in search for help and once they got back, there was no time for any camera sessions.

Events like this definitelly do not add to my life span.

But the day was not over: there were two housecats at home waiting to go to the vet to get their shots - they've both got chronic conditions that need regular extra care.

Actually, the day is still not over - I've got to spend time with the other cats as well, or they'll get cranky!

But with the throwing away of some cardboard boxes, they at least got an unexpected toy today:

All in all, I'm just glad this week is over and I can get back to my painting again. ...well, that sounds a little self-centered! Ah, but I'm going to indulge myself in some selfishness for a while, recharge the batteries and so on and so forth, etc, etc... Just one more post and I'm off! Perhaps I'll see you all again for next week's IF! :)

Cat-trapping - one day left

2011-05-29T22:50:00.001+02:00

Well, there has been a cat (and dog!) neutering project going on this week here in Costa Blanca, organised by Los Duendes (and tierhilfecostablanca.com) in Orihuela.

The road to get there is long and winding and the view is spectacular:

Around the river Segura and wherever there are cultivations, the vegetation looks rich and lush, but in the spots in between...

But anyhow, we trapped a few cats (not as many as we'd have liked as many of them were still feeding their litter) and here's one of them, chilling in the car before the operation.

He wasn't too happy to see (and hear!) the dogs:

... but he was let out again this morning (still too groggy last night) and seemed pretty laid back about the whole experience.

One more day left - if I could trap just a few more ...

Here's one of the two (originally four) little kittens found in Parque Molino del Agua in La Mata a few weeks back, still looking for a new home:

A walk with Valentino

2011-05-22T22:54:00.000+02:00

... doesn't always involve actual walking!

So I was left with plenty of time to play with the camera - guess what this is:

Yes, it's my iris, and my hand holding the camera, caught in the reflection.

And here's my Valentino, Tino, Vale - he listens to many names - enjoying the warm evening air:

A productive day, at last!

2011-05-22T22:41:00.000+02:00

We had election day here in Spain today. Not being actually Spanish, I'm only allowed to vote locally, so that's what I did!

Having done my civic duty et.c. I got started on a photoshoot for this ring that has driven me nearly mad the last week! Whatever I did, no matter how perfectly I cut the image to fit the tray, there was always an ugly shadow along the edges. In the end I fixed that by painting the bottom of the tray white, making sure I covered the edges properly, and so, last night, finally, it worked. Now the ring is in my Swedish Signerat shop. I may add it to Etsy later.

Illustration Friday: " Soaked"; ずぶぬれ zubunure

2011-05-20T22:29:00.001+02:00

Last summer I was walking Emil, my blind cat, by the pool, when something suddenly spooked him and he jumped in the wrong direction right into the water. As he was on a leash, I simply hauled him up again. Emil shook himself and resumed his morning promenade, as if he hadn't just gotten completely drenched.

Actually, as long as it's not about getting an actual shampooed bath, none of my cats mind water; rain is nothing to them, and garden hoses and dripping taps are there only for their amusement.

However, I doubt any of them would be as happy in the shower as this kitty below!

My latest favourite photo of Emil:

A cat and a garden hose

2011-05-18T17:44:00.000+02:00

A little sketch I tried out for a painting I planned to start today but didn't. Why didn't I? Because I've been busy all morning and now I'm off to learn German - yes, I'm starting yet another language. Let's hope I get past the beginner's stage before summer starts; with the amount of Germans living around here, I should be able to get some good practice in!

Streetcats of La Mata

2011-05-14T11:44:00.002+02:00

WARNING! Disturbing pictures ahead!

But, to reassure you, all stories ended well!

We'll start with a nice photo of this lovely white/light yellow cat below. He's almost recovered now but about a month ago, he had huge bald spots and so scruffy it was difficult to tell if it was "just" his fur falling off or some actual injury - his pink skin made it look as though it was raw or scalded.

Even though he's quite friendly, catching him to take to the vet turned out impossible. Instead he was fed extra vitamins (vitamins that are only available an hour's drive away! Living in the country can really suck) and apparently that did the trick!

Just below this photo, you'll se how he looked before the treatment.

And now on to the next story, that happened around the same time as the one above;

one morning, coming around to check on the cats as usual, here's what we found:

a bloody stone and what looked like pieces of flesh (below).

Of course, we panicked, thinking one of the cats had been attacked! And then when we saw the actual cat... I couldn't bare myself to take a photo of that.

Anyway, hurrying to get get the car, putting the cat and her kittens in the bag, rushing to the hospital - I haven't checked but if there are grey hairs on my head, it's because of events like this.

In the end, what had happened was that she'd come down with mastitis which had caused her teets to actually explode, leaving actual holes in the flesh.

After all that was cleared out, the biggest problem now were her kittens but in an amazing stroke of luck, someone offered to take in the whole family. They're all doing well now.

Just as we recovered from that incident, someone dumped four kittens in that same park. They're still here, trying to find new homes:

Anyhow, let's end with something nice: my blind cat Emil - also a rescue from the same area - enjoying a walk outside. There's no action in this clip, nothing at all happens, but as with any parent, anything my baby does, is a wonder and amazement to me ;)

But oh, those summer nights...

2011-05-14T09:46:00.000+02:00

Now that summer's almost here and nights are getting warmer, there will be opportunities for late night swimming - an amazingly relaxing experience.

A little pastel drawing. Retro swimsuits are lovely but oh so expensive, or not available outside the US, meaning the shipping will make them expensive. Not that it matters, really - as feminine as I want to be, I always end up in shorts anyway!

Illustration Friday: "Safari"

2011-05-14T00:54:00.002+02:00

Jean is the local Guide of The Dunes. Here he's waiting for his client to recover from the lunch he had earlier.

Did you know that when the troops of Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, having marched for three days without water, reached the Nile, they were so overjoyed at seeing water that some of the died from drinking too much? And those who feasted on the watermelon crops, got dysentry.

Years ago I happened upon this story while researching the history of the Rosetta stone and found myself enthralled by this French occupation that left the accompanying scientists and artists literally stranded, building new laboratories and and workplaces for themselves. The Linda Hall Library has a little on the background history and some wonderful illustrations (mainly portraits of the members) from the publications that followed the expedition.

This reminds me of a book I've been wanting to get every since, it's by Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti who, a contemporary of the occupation (1798-1801), wrote a journal about events in Cairo at the time. Parts of this book has been translated into English and I think it would be interesting to read that point of view as well. I'll bump it up on my endless book wish-list!

I left the details of the holes on the paper because I thought it gave the image more of that travel journal feel. I'm rather pleased with that actually but I had a hard time figuring out where all the awkward looking limbs of the camel were supposed to go!

What I wore today, 12 maj 2011

2011-05-13T19:11:00.000+02:00

... Umm, do I look butch in this picture? :o I'm pretty sure I didn't in actual real life! ;)

Winner of the May giveaway picked!

2011-05-09T16:08:00.001+02:00

Thirteen entries.

One winner: Amber!

Congratulations Amber!

While waiting for your prize, here's what the camera caught this lovely morning:

Fototriss: "Drömma"/"to dream"

2011-05-08T22:19:00.001+02:00

Drömmar om sommardagar vid havet, fårade snäckor och släta stenar smakar salt.

Dreams of summer days by the sea, shells and soft pebbles taste of salt.

Blekta minnen, verkliga nu. Då?

Faded memories.

Alice, Alice, var är du?

Ett foto taget genom en spegel. Motivet är jag själv, i samma utstyrsel som självporträttet på väggen bakom.

A photo showing the reflection through a mirror. The subject is myself, wearing the same outfit as the self-portrait on the wall behind.

Check out other interpretations at Fototriss!

Illustration Friday: "Beginner"; しょしんしゃ shoshinsha

2011-05-06T22:03:00.000+02:00

I like being a beginner at something, sometimes because of the possibilities that learning something new opens up the mind to, and sometimes because there's no pressure to achieve.

When I and my friends were about 15 or 16, we would do our girls' nights out at pool halls, just hanging out, playing our version of billiards - without rules.

One night, a guy came up and offered to teach us how to play properly.

We never played again.

Now, that sounds dining-with-the-fishes-ominous but really it was just that we, complete beginners, played only for fun and as soon as rules and score-keeping were introduced, the fun was lost.

Guess what this symbol is:

It's a car decal much like our "L" sign to indicate that the driver in question is still learning to drive.
This Japanese version (the Shoshinsha/Wakaba mark) has to be displayed for one year after obtaining one's licence.
There's also one for elderly citizens - for people to show extra consideration, perhaps?

what I wore today 5 maj 2011

2011-05-05T23:07:00.001+02:00

When I don't paint with oils, I don't bother with putting on a coat. This here is me drying a rather large painting - it had to dry lying down as the paint otherwise would run and that's not the effect I'm going for.

last night's experiment

2011-05-05T15:01:00.000+02:00

I took out the little metal tray that holds the eyeshadow:

I cut out an image and tried it out for size:

Sealed it, glued it to a ring base and hey, it works! I'll try doing a pendant next time.

Fototriss; så här ser det ut där jag är, 11

2011-05-04T19:27:00.003+02:00

This week's challenge: This is how it looks where I am today.

Morgonsol har guld i mun. ...eller nå't.

Morning sun.

Vid lunchtid blir det plötsligt hett.

Lunchtime turns hot.

Då söker man sig gärna till skuggan.

Everyone's looking for shade.

Se efter var andra är idag: http://fototriss.blogspot.com/
Check out other people's entries: http://fototriss.blogspot.com/

Crafting new ideas? Or goofing around

2011-05-01T18:44:00.000+02:00

Crafting, fiddling, actually making things, is something I really enjoy. At the moment, it's something I do in my spare time, on breaks from my painting, but I would love to be able to make more eventually.
Here's something I made this week:

It's a necklace made out of air drying clay and acrylic enamel. I didn't have a proper chain at home so I just tried some cord.

In the end it's perfect for me!

Now all I have to do is develope the idea into something I can put on Etsy.

Etsy Giveaway, ends 8/4 2011

2011-05-01T18:33:00.004+02:00

Well, my personal account on FB was getting too cluttered, so I'm starting a Facebook Page specifically for my Etsy shop. And to start things rolling, I'm doing a giveaway!

Here's what you have to do to win 1 print OR 4 cards of your choice:

- "Like" my page on Facebook.

- Go to my Etsy, look around, find something you like, "like" it on Facebook OR tweet it and then come back here to tell me all about it!
- Don't forget to leave an email address.

- That's it. :) Only one entry per user.

The giveaway ends Sunday, May 8th - see the countdown clock in the left hand column of this blog.

Good luck! :)

This is how Bello likes to sleep:

What I wore today 29 april 2011

2011-04-30T01:25:00.001+02:00

Illustration Friday: "Lesson"

2011-04-30T01:10:00.002+02:00

I used to like school; I did as I was told and I was good at what I did - I was never scolded by the teacher.

Except for once, and I was completely innocent. That made me so angry I actually surprised myself and started to wonder if I really was such a good girl as I appeared; if I hadn't been a good speller and understood mathematics, could I have been one of those pupils that sat in the back disturbing those in front?

In the end, I didn't bother trying that theory out because I knew, even then, that it wasn't the actual schoolwork I enjoyed but the free time to do other things, like reading storybooks or drawing, that finishing quickly allowed me.

Valentino, put your heels on

2011-04-28T12:40:00.001+02:00

Valentino is a big beautiful macho boy.

But watch him trot daintily across the room and you realise he should be wearing a pearl necklace and a handbag.

Valentino må vara stor, stark och stilig men har du en gång sett honom trippa sin väg genom ett rum, inser du snart att han egentligen är en liten tant.

Etsy For Animals: Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Why Animals Matter

2011-04-26T16:20:00.001+02:00

Etsy For Animals: Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Why Animals Matter

Click the title to read it all!

Illustration Friday: "Bicycle"; じてんしゃ jitensha

2011-04-22T16:48:00.005+02:00

One day when my sister and I were out biking (we were about 10-12 years old at the time), goofing around - not using the bike properly - my sister actually fell off and hit the ground hard.

We laughed our heads off and continued on our way.

By the next day, her arm was still hurting and our parents started to think that perhaps this wasn't just her usual complaining, and that a quick checkup might not be a bad idea.

A few hours later, they returned from the hospital with the arm in bandages! Aparently she'd actually cracked a bone.

I felt a little guilty that no-one took her seriously, but on the other hand, neither did she.

She says her arm still feels odd sometimes.

Speaking of bikes, I do love the clutter of a mass of bikes parked outside the tube station in the morning, but I can't help but marvle at these storage towers:

And here's a very pretty music video named Jitensha/Bicycle: