Switching

Since discovering that it cost the same to get a book from amazon US vs that of a local bookshop here which has an extremly limited supply, I have been a good source of income to amazon over the last year. It has been a source of irk that while I spend more than needed for free delivery I never qualify because I am not based in that country. I have a similar problem with amazon uk who is nearer. However I buy from the US over the jump hope and a skip UK because the shipping from our neighbour is more than the cost of the books, while from the US it is a reasonable 50% of the price. However I have been recently directed to a new shop (for me) which now ships internationally (well to my home is international enough) for FREE. So of you are not US based and wish some english language books check out http://www.bookdepository.co.uk

I have done my first order with them and if they work out I will no longer be an amazon customer:) for I can't figure how come amazon can't give anything for free to us international buyers.

Update - 17 March
Hooray! the books arrived within a week.I'm definitely a customer now :)

obsession

We have mouse. It has a butter fetish. The dog is hopeless. He carries on in the middle of the night like a banshee when the fox comes to eat its chow. but the mouse...hhmph. Watched the fox yesterday hunting mice and wondered if I could possible domesticate it.

out west

The Bride Finder by Susan Carroll

I picked this book up twice. The first time I read the first 2 pages and put it back down saying "Oh no what did I buy here" and then picked up a more predicatable historical romance. Then this week I came to the end of my present selection of enjoyable yet run of the mill romance books and I picked this book up again and gave it a start to relax a bit before bed - well I had bought... 4 hours later I was still reading and had to force myself to put the book down to sleep. The next dayI did nothing but finish the book.

The author's use of words brought such rich images to my mind's eye, that as I read the words disappeared and a movie unfloded before me.

A truely wonderful book. If you like historical romance with a touch of gothic, and some humour, you may enjoy the Bride Finder.
available at amazon.

Aplabet - butterfly and flowers

While I like to create alphabet graphical script, I must say saving them individually is a real chore.

well we are all sick, so got to go attend the monsters.

Little peacock

This is a set I really enjoyed making- little peacock however I think of it as my little peacock :) It will go up on the site in a couple of hours.

I'm not sure what I will get done for next week as I fear we have chicken pox and colds - nasty cough and snot little monster 2 has and it is looking like monster moo 1 is starting to cough, and myself - a little stuffy and itchy.

lace designs

For a while I have wanted to design some lace. I think I may have succeded (I hope) in this wish. Here is snap shot of the result of one of the designs using Drawings embrodiery effect, with the clipart design in the background.

I guess in a way that the gargoyles from Hercules (Disney) are cute so has the sphynx cat has sort of grown on me. I still think they are rather ugly and I might use them as a base for a gargoyle or chimera, but I also find there is something majestic in all that ugliness... go figure. Anyway a new single exclusive on the site is this one. I hope to do more in the future when the mood hits. I still have my stretching cat to do lol - the sketch sits here on my desk - I hope the little one does do not decide to "draw on it " like the side of house.

Well off draw cute owls

Cat research

I am not a cat lover, but I am doing some research on cats and I looked up umpteen pics in our local advertising internet newspaper(?) and it was brought home to me that I am uncultured when it comes to cats. I looked at all various breeds with pedigree and ribbons, was actually scared when I looked at the sphynxes and could only think that they must have a woOOonderful personality, and what I liked was the common tabby - big and orange please.
Anyway I found this blog which might be of interest to cat lovers out there http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/

note: This is not my photo, and is most likely a really lovely specimen of the breed.

The origins of this is sort of confusing, he is a little natty dread boy I had sketched a while back, whose result has been most likely influences by my wanting to do an ethnic character, a pea character, and then fifi's world and the green giant coming somewhere into play in my mind as I made him. So after all that ramble please meet PeaWee. I hope to have him out next week.

p.s Yes I am still working on the cat. But my back/hip hurts and can't sit long at the pc.

Hoping to get up this week on site a set with thimbles - yes these are thimbles. Here is a little preview of one them. The back one is the clipart and the forward ones are how it should look when embroidered.

Save Now

dogs

Getting ready to shut down and the kids are busy in the background keeping noise but not fighting, so just unwinding doodling some dogs. We went to a dog show last summer which besides my youngest trying to run up and hug every dog insight and the oldest contemplating following, we managed to see some interesting animals before the lure of the trampolines and ice-cream took hold - much to my frazzled nerves relief.

Still working on the cat. I think I got the basic swirls and lines worked out but...

I had originally began a series of cogs designs but it was not working and it has ended up as swirls . Anyway they have been giving me gurka. Here is cat swirl which I am working on at the moment. It is really a work in progress for it is not working out :( I figure I got to X the tail and change the middle, and face is reminding me of some type of horror movie ....hmmm