RaeK75

A bit about me....

I love learning new things, especially arty crafty stuff. I have 3 sons, 2 collies and live in the UK with my hubby. I enjoy reading, eating yummy things, walking in the forest and along seashores-I am a bit of a compulsive collector and come back with shells, feathers, sticks, pine-cones and stones that feel just right in your pocket.

What I'm working on....

Currently I am working on watercolour/pencil blobimals (blob animals inspired by Carla Sonheim) and a similar project using junk mail. Recently I've also discovered printing with Gelli plates (mine are homemade) and have become quite addicted-some good results too.

Other arty things I've enjoyed....

I have dabbled in jewellery making, mixed media canvases, botanical drawing, manga, knitting, crochet, mosaic making (my biggest so far has been a roughly 20ft by 5ft mosaic I worked on with a primary school where we got everyone in the school to join in. I've made tea light holders using resin and crystal chips, done embroidery and tapestry

42 things about me......

1. I enjoy sketching, macro photography, cream teas, gaming (mainly PC/ipad but some PS4and Xbox). listening to music-loud.

2. When I was at school I was told at 11 I would never be any good at art and so I gave it up and didn't really do much of anything for quite a few years. I am just now realising that maybe they were wrong and actually I really love creating and it's a huge part of me.

3. I hate tea (but I sometimes drink fruit and herbal teas), can't drink coffee but love the flavour, my first pet was a cat, I love owls and ravens, foxes and crazy imaginary animals, frogs, geckos, hares, owls-did I say owls-(in fact I quite like most animals except wasps, earwigs and daddy long legs).

4. I can not sew to a pattern and struggle to cut a perfect straight line but I still enjoy trying (my mom is great at this and she's teaching my 3 boys).

5. I don't really like to wear pink but I do like some in my Gelli prints. I love blues, purples, greys and earth tones.

6. My 'can't live without' watercolour colours would probably be sap green and Paynes grey

7. I love chocolate, but not white chocolate.

8. I love strawberries but not strawberry flavoured things.

9. The only way to eat bananas is fresh-not in a loaf or a cake or cooked.....for me anyway!

10. I like wine and cider and cocktails.

11. I love wildflowers and sunflowers

12. I love home baked bread and the smell of it baking.

13. I love hares but rabbits not so much.

14. I have a collection of feathers stuck in a green glass bulb vase which my youngest son and I collected over a year on walks-we add any we find now.

15. I can use Reiki.

16. I have a collection of crystals and gemstones that just keeps gently growing.

17. My mom taught me to knit.

18. One of my son's friends taught me to crochet.

19. I can do cross stitch but I don't really enjoy them (unless the colours are printed on and they are not too big) but I quite enjoy tapestry when I get into it!

20. I am not great at realistic portraiture (well I have never practiced it either I guess).

21. I like oil pastels on black paper and inks and water colour washes

22. I have 7 chickens

23. I am not much of a girly girl-I bite my nails, don't often wear makeup and I'm often paint or ink splattered.

24. I used to love climbing trees and still enjoy rolling down grassy hills and paddling in streams.

25. I am trying hard to create something every day-even if it's just a little part of something bigger and

26. I'm enjoying binding my own little artist books.

27. I like collaborative art and would love to join swaps like that.

28. My 2 Border Collies are called Sherlock and Watson....or their full names.....Sherlock Bones and Doggter Watson!

29. I have more books than I have room for in my house and my garage.

30. I home educate our 3 kids.

31. I like dragons and dryads.

32. I've recently come to the conclusion that the best fit for me in terms of religion is Pagan but I think it's all about how you live your life not the label you put on your beliefs.

33. I love the sea and rock pools.

34. I like folk art, especially houses and birds.

35. I have a shelf which holds shells, rocks, feathers, driftwood and things we've collected on our holidays.

36. I love sweet chilli hummus.

37. Autumn is my favourite season.

38. I am a pretty typical Taurean.

39. Willow is one of my favourite trees (sliver birch and hazel too) and I have enjoyed weaving sculptures out of willow.

40. I enjoy building dens in the forest and lazing under the trees in a hammock when it's warm and making hot chocolate using our Kelly kettle when it's cold.

Why 42....? Because it is the answer to the universe ;0)

Favourite music: depends on my mood,Bon Jovi, Metallica, James Blunt, Lady Antebellum, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Heart, Tim McGraw, Garth Brookes, are all on my spotify list.....I listen to all sorts though and often find I just really love one song by an artist. I also listen to bach, chopin, folk, lots of acoustic versions (never managed to teach myself to play the guitar).

Current songs I play a lot: Glitter and Gold (Barns Courtney); Take me to Church (Acoustic cover), Bottle it up (Sara Bareilles), 7 years (Lucas Graham); Love runs out (One Republic); Jar of Hearts (Christina Perri); Blind man (Aerosmith); Breathe you in (Dierks Bently); DOn't Wake me Up (Big & Rich).

Fav Books: too many; The Belgariad, anything by David Gemmel, lots of arty books.

Fav Movies: hmmmm.... Star wars-Return of the Jedi is my fav I think; ET,

Fav TV: Suits, goodwife, Madame Secretary, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost Girl, Code Black, Shades of Blue, Jane the VIrgin, Orphan Black, The 100, Switched at Birth, Grimm, Shadow hunters (like the books too), Quantico, The last ship

Fav crafts: water colour, pencil, printing (Gelli, lino, stamping, mono printing, leaf/flower), acrylic, mixed media canvas, ATC's Inches, Scrapbooking, jewellery making, mosaic, clay and ceramics, needle felting, felting, painting, memory boxes, bookmaking, decoupage, pyrography, polymer clay, made from found /natural materials,

Things that inspire me:
Carla Sonheim https://carlasonheim.wordpress.com

This is a link to my pinterest board which contains images that I've collected which might inspire a canvas which gives an idea of things I like... https://uk.pinterest.com/crystalsncrafts/canvas-ideas/?etslf=5194&eq=canvas%20ideas

My newest addictions are gel plate printing and blobimals..... https://uk.pinterest.com/crystalsncrafts/art-printing-gelli-plate/