I had a goal of painting eight of these placemats and I've reached it! But I have twelve placemats I could strip, so I might keep going - I really like making these. (You can read my earlier blog about how to make them.)

Here's Lederhosen Panda (which my StudioTeaBreak co-host Alison Diamond said would make a great name for a band):


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Following on from yesterday, another painted placemat:


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In my last blog post, I showed photos of the painted merchant chest and table, but I have quite a lot of paint left over. I'd put a box of old cork-backed placemats into a bag to take to the charity shop, but I had a thought that I could refurbish them to brighten up our table and found this useful blog post about stripping old mats. Here are the ( Read more... )

Over the past decade, I've had very little time to focus on where Stuart and I live, it's pretty much been a rough crash-pad for going off to the studio or work-related events. But Lockdown has given us a bit more time to get our acts together, and it's no showcase now, but there are a few more nice things starting to turn up. Here's one of them, ( Read more... )

Do you have any cardboard boxes lying around? Taking the Herne Hill Kids' Lit Fest Challenge and turn them into bicuity drink coasters! They're a bit like beer mats - you'll need to replace them after awhile - but make a batch of them and they'll last you a good while! Fun gifts, too, for parents, grandparents and neighbours.


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While Reeve & McIntyre have been on our book tour, we've had the joy of being accompanied by a big plump flying pony, created by the excellent Chloe Applin! I know a lot of people who read my blog love to make things themselves, and I thought they'd be interested in hearing a little bit more about Chloe and her toy-making experiences. Thanks for ( Read more... )

I made a real hat! Usually I buy hats in charity shops and add extra stuff, or use pre-made bases. But this time I made the shape myself! It's not perfect, but I'm very pleased with how it came out.


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Whatever you think about today's holiday, it's a great day for DRESSING UP. (I think my best-ever childhood costume was a home-made chicken outfit.) It's also a great day for drawing spiders! Here's one I drew for a project - which I'm not allowed to talk about yet - but this might or might not be the African trixter story god Anansi.


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Last night I made a totem-like figure, then used it to inspire a drawing:


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Today was International Draw-a-Wallaby-with-your-Eyes-Shut Day. (See yesterday's blog post.) And some people on Twitter did just that! Yay! :D


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