Cloud watching - the British Isles

I was at work the other evening when I went outside for a break and saw some clouds that looked a bit ilke the British Isles! Luckily I had my camera to hand and here they are. 

Seems I was pipped to the post though, as someone told me the Sun newspaper featured some clouds that looked like the British Isles the week before! Typical. Still, I love clouds and sky photos so here is the Sun version:

I have to admit, theirs is a bit better than mine!

The 365 Scientist - Days 55-58

Day 55

 

So after yesterday's moment of madness with the fire alarm, the 365 Scientist regained his composure and spent this morning learning about fire safety. I'm not sure playing with the fire extinguishers is a great idea, but looks like fun!

Day 56

 

Hey, can't you read that label 365 Scientist? It says smoking kills and here you are rolling a cigarette, and looking rather happy about it. That is very naughty behaviour and I expected better of you.

Day 57

 

Oh, the smoking was all part of an experiment huh? And today you're using nicotine patches to give up? That's OK then. Hope he learnt some important lessons about the addictivity of cigarettes.

Day 58 

 

Still on his fire and smoking drive, the 365 Scientist decided to test all my smoke alarms. My eardrums confirm that they are all in working order.

Dubious Science Fact 5

An individual blood cell takes about 60 seconds to make a complete circuit of the body.

In the News: Buzz Lightyear Carrot!

I just had to feature this story - a carrot shaped like Buzz Lightyear has been dug up from a vegetable patch in Henley-on-Thames!

There really isn't much else to say about it really - the gardener, Mr Williams, said; "I've grown carrots for about 10 years and there is particularly stoney ground where we live, so the veggies sometimes tend to fork. However, we've never seen anything like this, I couldn't get over how much it looked like Buzz."

My carrots are all funny shapes when I pull them up too, but I've not found a cartoon character one just yet. I will study them all more in future though, just in case!

The 365 Scientist - Days 51-54

Day 51

I picked up a bargain table easel from Lidl and the 365 Scientist set to work putting it together for me. The cutest little spanner came in the box!

Day 52

Ooh, what shade of hair dye have you chosen 365 Scientist? Natural warm auburn huh? Very nice.

Day 53

Looks like you've pulled! To celebrate the opening of my new shop the 365 Scientist spent the afternoon hanging out with 2 of my new creatures!

Day 54

 

Hey, what are you up to there 365 Scientist? You're looking a little guilty. You haven't pressed that button have you? I don't see a fire. 

Meet Eirene

My first listing in We Will Fly is Eirene. She was named after the spirit of peace and goddess of the springtime, as she is made of natural springtime colours. Eirene was one of the first of my newly designed creatures to be made.

The floral fabric is repurposed - it was from a selection of fabrics given to me by my mum who had been hanging onto them for many years, just in case they came in handy, and I'm glad she did! I love this fabric and it matches the green fabric so well. The lace on the wings is from some net curtain fabric I rescued from a charity shop. All other trimmings and fabrics were bought new, so she is a mixture of ages!  

Eirene loves the natural world. She can often be found wandering amongst the flora and fauna in the forest. I like to think of her as a creature you might sense when you're out in the countryside, but when you turn around you can't see anyone there. You might even see her out of the corner of your eye, but she won't reveal herself properly. 

My First Giveaway!

To celebrate the opening of We Will Fly, I've decided to host my first giveaway!

The lucky winner will receive a cute mini canvas complete with mini easel - it is entitled 'ascend 'and is hand-drawn and coloured using Promarkers. 

To be in for a chance of winning just leave a comment on this post, including your email address, before 09:00 (GMT) on Friday 17th September. The winner will be determined using the True Random Number Generator (from Random.org) and announced on  Saturday 18th September.

Good luck!

We Will Fly - My new shop is open!

I am really pleased to announce the opening of my new shop, We Will Fly!

Here you will find an eclectic mix of all my artistic endeavours - with handmade plush creatures made from mostly repurposed and upcycled materials, alongside my pencil sketches and artwork!
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My new style of plush creatures is quite different from the traditional Fur Will Fly plush, and after spending a lot of effort unifying my shop layout and photos, I felt I had to start a brand new place to sell these ones. The designs are so different, but I thought that a good way to introduce them would be to create a special 'crossover' plush - with characteristics of both Fur Will Fly and We Will Fly designs! She will be listed in my original shop shortly, but here is a sneak peek........

As for the new plush creatures, they are inspired by nature and by the range of beautiful, vintage fabrics I’ve acquired, and continue to hunt for. I wanted to make something quite simple but detailed, with a feminine dainty quality, without being too cutesy and sickly. Since most of the fabrics used are charity/secondhand shop finds, or repurposed from family and friends, my creatures are quite unique and even eco-friendly!
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As existing blog readers will know, lately I've been experimenting with journaling, doodling, sketching and lino printing, to name but a few, and I wanted to create a shop where I could include these items alongside my plush designs. The sketches and canvases are extremely personal to me, and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I only picked up my sketching pencils again a couple of months ago, after years of being too worried to do so in case I’d lost the ability to draw. It is only lately that I’ve realised that being creative in any way isn’t something to be scared of, and as long as you enjoy it you should just give it a go. I’m sure my style will evolve and I hope to try many other techniques too. I hope it all works well together, and that people enjoy taking a wander round.
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As I already have an established blog here, I didn't feel that creating another blog to share my We Will Fly items was appropriate or doable, so this blog will have a new joint banner and will be focusing more on all things creative, rather than solely plush items. I hope to incorporate my photography shop, Photos Will Fly, on this blog too, as this shop has been a little neglected. I think I started it without putting in enough effort, so I hope that by combining the blogs it will fuel my creativity and all my shops will benefit too!

To celebrate the opening of We Will Fly, I'd like to offer all blog readers 20% off everything until the end of September! Just send me a message, with the top-secret keyword WING, after buying your chosen items and I'll send you a revised invoice.

Dubious Science Fact 4

Every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the Earth.

Feature Creature Interview 2 - Plush Stomach

Here is the second installment of the Feature Creature interviews, and it's with Plush Stomach! To celebrate, don't miss the chance to buy him at a discount from my shop. Here we go.....

OK, it is the obvious question so we might as well get it out of the way first, do you have a  favourite food?

Toast! I love toast. The toppings are endless - some of the best include; Marmite, jam, butter, marmalade, banana, and peanut butter. Not all together of course, although I have been known to experiment. As a treat, I'll have a slice of brown toast with butter and Marmite, followed by a slice of white with lemon curd for pudding. Oops, could you hear me rumbling then? Time for a quick snack.

Do you have any hobbies?

I quite like singing, although I'm not that good at it. There are limits on the things you can do when you're a stomach, but you just have to accept things the way they are. I mean, I'd love to go skiing, but it's just never going to happen. 

Is there another plushie in the Fur Will Fly house than you feel a particular connection to?

Well yes, Plush Pancreas. The 2 of us are kind of inseparable. We do everything together and enjoy the same things. We can often be found hanging out together in the condiments cupboard. Best friends forever!

What is your favourite TV show?

I don't have a particular favourite show, but anything to do with food is a winner with me! I also enjoy a good police drama.

Why would someone want you to go live with them?

Because I'm fun, I love to cook and eat, and I'm always happy to share a midnight snack with someone!

So if you'd like to share a snack with Plush Stomach, you'll find him for sale in my shop here, and the price is reduced to $17 exclusively for blog readers for the month of September. Please convo me after buying him, with the secret code word FOOD, for a partial refund on your purchase. He looks forward to emptying your kitchen cupboards soon!