ragamuffins

Homemade Cushion

2009-05-19T17:36:00.005Z

Inspired by a program on telly 'Kristies Homemade Home' I made the Bolster in the top photo to go with the cushions I had bought,(2nd photo).
It wasn't quite what I had in mind to start with,I was actually thinking light airy delicate pretty floral patchwork....
But after scouring all the charity shops and haberdasheries in Cork for pretty patterned cottons all I ended up with was an old wool blanket and the notion of dying it the colour of my couch.
Which as you can see from the photo didn't exactly go to plan either!
I recycled an old pair of brown cordroy jeans for the leaf motif.
They had been hanging around waiting for the weight loss miricle!
Anyway I think it's a good enough effort for my first homemade cushion and at least I finished it which was touch and go for a while.
I have a tendency to loose faith in projects halfway through!
So I now feel quite satisfied and comfy on the couch:)

Swine flu

2009-05-16T13:16:00.003Z

Just being silly!
Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Contagious'

Darling Starlings

2009-05-15T20:39:00.005Z

I have recently moved house from rural to more urban settings.
Luckily there is a small but beautifully landscaped garden with the new place.
But this post is about my new feathered friends, the street wise starlings.
They really are an urban bird, I never had them in the garden of the country cottage.
I do miss my blue tits and my cheeky robin but these guys are a scream.
Literally..
They always announce themselves with a rather raucous greeting.
It is almost like a challenge to Miss Tippytoes whose cat food they are coming to raid.
And they do have a very musical song as well when they feel like it.
I am able to stand in the kitchen with the door open poised with the camera but I find that the click of the camera startles them unless there is some other background noise to drown it out.
So as long as the radio is blaring or the vacuum cleaner is on I can click away without bothering them in the slightest!
It's all about what you're used to!

Penguin Parade

2009-05-12T07:17:00.004Z

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Parade'

Inspired by 'March of the Penguins'
If you're a penguin person this movie is a real treat, and if you're not a penguin fan you will be after watching it:)

Battle of the daisy dome

2009-05-08T16:06:00.005Z

take a closer look, it's not just a pretty picture, there's high drama going on:)
Caught this little crab spider defending it's territory or maybe even on the hunt for his dinner, apparently their venom is quite deadly if you happen to be knee high to a grasshopper!!

'Yellow' is the theme for this weeks Thematic Photographic
Check it out and join in, there's always great photos to be enjoyed over there.

Blades of glory

2009-04-27T22:03:00.011Z

These beautiful blades of glorious green are shooting up in a pot at the end of the garden.
Not having planted them myself I've no idea what they are, don't you just love a mystery!
Their sturdy structure combined with razor edges and delicate elegance have me enthralled.
There is something about them that satisfies my soul.
The photos do not do them justice but I just had to try to capture something of their character.

Walking with dinosaurs, Gordan's thespian dream!

2009-04-25T17:14:00.005Z

Gordan was delighted to hear about the "Walking with Dinosaurs Live 2009" extravaganza.
He loved theater and always dreamed of strutting his stuff upon the stage!
This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Illustration Friday's theme this week is 'Theater'
Gordan is done in acrylic on canvas 8" x 8"

Mohican blue tit

2009-04-23T22:29:00.003Z

This weeks Thematic Photogrphic is 'Round'
Check out other roundy stuff here

Pretty as a posy

2009-04-03T21:13:00.006Z

We had a few glorious hours of sunshine during the week, about a day and a half's worth!
Today was miserable, grey and wet.
So to cheer myself up I've posted a photograph I took on the sunny Wednesday to remind myself of the joys of spring and of the summer to come.
Forget-me-nots and primroses, nothing fancy but oh so pretty! No garden should be without them.
Have a look at what I did with my primroses last year, it's pretty cool:)

Narcissistic Kangaroo

2009-04-02T09:47:00.004Z

I just realised last night that I was actually a week behind for Thematic photographic
This weeks topic is 'Reflective'
I snapped this kangaroo at Fota Wildlife Park last summer. It reminds me of the story of Narcissus.

Windblown Sandpiper

2009-04-01T22:00:00.005Z

The lonely flipflop, at the mercy of the ebb and flow of the grey stormy sea, was a poignant reminder that Summer was over. But watching this little sandpiper, scurrying along the shore from one seaweed pile to the next with the wind playing havoc with his feathers, made me smile all the same.

Check out all the other 'Drab' entries this week at Thematic Photographic

Little green jug don't I love thee!

2009-03-31T10:06:00.004Z

I chipped my favorite little cream jug last week.
I can be so clumsy it's excruciating.You know those couple of seconds after an accident when you almost feel you could rewind and do it right instead of wrong and then reality hits there's no undoing the stupidity...excruciating.
I'm so fond of my little jug, I can't bare to throw it out .I bought it in a charity shop about six years ago, so it's any ones guess how old it is.
So this weekend I did a painting of it in watercolour just to immortalise it, and you know what, I think I'll be doing more work involving it. It has such a satisfying shape and delicate colour, no wonder I love it.

Vaguely Matisse style figure drawing

2009-03-30T12:47:00.006Z

I'm submitting these two drawings for Illustration Friday
This weeks topic is 'Poise'
The top one was sketched by looking only at the model, not at the page and done quite quickly.I love this exercise, the results are always interesting and funny.
And then I photoshopped the original in a vague sort of Matisse style
I did the second drawing from a photo of a fashion model in a magazine, I just liked her poise.

Incredible shepherding

2009-03-26T10:47:00.006Z

Found this over on creative evolutions
Isn't it a brilliant concept, is it for real do you think?

Thematic Photographic 'Drink'

2009-03-26T00:09:00.002Z

Spoon-full of water anyone?
Check out all the other 'Drink' entries this week at Thematic Photographic

Illustration Friday 'Subtract'

2009-03-24T16:20:00.003Z

Joshua's hair was really starting to get him down.

It was time to take action.

Wow, looking good, feeling great!
Take one messy matted fur-ball, subtract the excess hair, and voila you're left with one superdupper dapper dog!

Postcard collaboration

2009-01-22T15:19:00.008Z

This beautiful enhanced postcard was created by the talented and ingenious Jen of paintedfishstudio
I really enjoy Jen's blog and I particularly enjoy her pArty posts so when Jen suggested we do a collaboration I was thrilled.
The deal was that we would each enhance a local postcard anyway we fancied and send them to each other.
Jen's postcard is an exquisite collage, beautifully balanced and wonderfully quirky and all the more precious by the antiquity of the postcard.
As you can see below it is postmarked 1916 and not only that, it is of the Art Museum, Minneapolis, such an apt subject matter.

I love it.
You can see my effort over here

Crystalised Ragworth

2008-11-29T18:02:00.006Z

This morning was the first serious frost we've had here, so I wrapped up and snapped a few shots.
Don't they look sweet enough to eat, like crytalised candy flowers.
But wouldn't you know they're actually poisonous, so we'll give them a miss!
I'm posting it up for the topic 'Sweet', this weeks Thematic Photographic

Christmas Party Pals

2008-11-25T08:02:00.003Z

"Is the hat really necessary" grumbled Toby, "yes,"replied Josh "it's a Christmas party for kids, they'll love you in it"
"Well, I feel ridiculous, like one of the seven dwarfs"
"Alright, Grumpy, lets go and have some fun, or is it Dopey?"
"Please, at least let me be Doc"

The boys are working out nicely, now I just have to develop a background style, that's the hard part for me.
Please, if anybody has background tips or ideas, I'd love to know about them.

Opinionated Pals

2008-11-22T21:02:00.003Z

Toby was of the opinion that Joshua badly needed a haircut."I mean really, my dear chap" said Toby "you're looking rather scruffy, I can hardly tell if you're in there, I feel like I'm talking to a giant hair ball"
"Oh give it a rest Toby" Joshua replied "You know I hate going to the barbers, we're not all Dapper Dans like you, you know, and besides the grunge look is making a come back,so chill out dude."

Illustration Friday's topic this week is 'Opinion'.
These are two characters that I'm working on at the moment.
Joshua is the reincarnation of my Old English Sheepdog that I grew up with and loved dearly.He was a rogue and a slob and a real people person.
Toby is new to me, but he's definitely a another kettle of fish altogether! I wanted to create a contrast in the characters and have always loved Basset hounds, so he seems like a good choice.
Toby is very opinionated and Josh is very easy going, so they should rub along together nicely!

Broken Angels

2008-11-20T20:34:00.007Z

This is a photo of my work in progress from a few years back.
Thought it fitted well for the topic 'Broken', this weeks Thematic Photographic
These are the 'green' clay angels, green meaning they still have to be fired in the kiln, then glazed and re-fired, so basically they're still in the very raw stage and easily broken!

Sorry about the poor quality photo below, but at least it gives you an idea of how they finished up.

Row of Penguins

2008-11-16T13:11:00.002Z

I have a passion for penguins both the feather-back and the paperback kind!!
I'm always on the lookout in charity shops and car-boot sales to add to my collection.
They do seem to be getting scarcer, although you can still buy them in second hand book shops,but that kind of takes the thrill of the "Find".

Thematic Photographic this week is 'Rows'

Pretending to be wise!

2008-11-14T20:27:00.005Z

Illustration Friday's topic last week was 'Wise' and this week it's 'Pretend'
So I'm submitting two in one!
These lemurs are pretending to be the three wise monkeys!
See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

" Wisdom is a variable possession. Every man is wise when pursued by a mad dog, fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion."

-Robertson Davies

A streak of Red Squirrel

2008-11-06T20:42:00.012Z

I snapped this little fellow at Fota Wildlife Park
Unfortunately the red squirrel is almost as exotic in Ireland as are giraffes and cheetahs!
It was a thrill to get a glimpse of him and believe me that's all it was, they are so tiny and so fast, and perfectly camouflaged in the autumn leaves.
Well not perfectly 'cause they're like a streak of fire when the sun catches them.

Thematic Photographic this week is 'Autumn'

Popper

2008-11-04T12:27:00.007Z

He's a nice guy even if he is a bit vacant!
You know, the light's on but nobody's home:)
Well he's a popper, what do you expect!!?

Illustration Fridays topic this week is 'Vacant'
Acrylic on canvas 8" x 8"