Day 7, Website learning curve and some art!

So what should have been an easy day of reading blogs and writing my own blog turned into something else entirely.

One of the blogs I follow since joining the blog-along, has a “blogs I follow” link – “Wow that looks cool” I thought, “I wonder if I can do that” closely followed by “Oh that’s exciting they have me listed, but why is my page not linking properly, and why isn’t my picture showing?”. This then followed several hours of frustrating times of trying to work out whats wrong with my website, a steep learning curve into our managed website hosting system (my IT Manager had to go to his day job office today, and so I had to do it alone!) after several attempts to resolve I couldn’t, so I decided to chill and do some art.

Firstly was to play with my master board/sketchbook I created yesterday following a newsletter from one of the Sketchbook revival artists Helen Wells and add more things to it.

April
April
april is made
april is made
of such wonderful things
of such wonderful things
sunbeams and tulips
sunbeams and tulips
and butterfly wings
and butterfly wings
April Sketchbook

A comment on one of my earlier days posts reminded me that I enjoyed Book of Days last year, and I haven’t finished all the classes, so I chose one to do and getting my journal only to find I had already started it and I just needed to get back into the zone and finish it. Iris is a great teacher, she has a really unique and free way of working. I found that I deviated from the class a little, but it makes my piece mine right?

Our son decided he wanted to sit in Dad’s chair today and “be all professional and keep you company“. No problem but what will you do? “I’m going to respond to the ladies that sent me a comment on my first page, and maybe write a new page!” OK great, just let me know when you want help and I shall be there. I’m really pleased to say he needed very little help and the page uploaded without problem. You can see it here and he would really love it if you were to read and comment on it.

I then moved onto another Book of Days piece, I completely got into the zone with Sarah Trump and playing with watercolours to create a fabulous background before adding more detail. Its pretty much finished.

Hubby got home from work and we all had lunch (I know, all this by lunch time!!). The kids are now off playing Roblox for the afternoon, Hubby is on a zoom meeting and I’m back on trying to fix the website issues. Its funny how many things I am actually finding wrong, but its also good because it means broken links are being located and fixed. Fortunately The IT Manager has been giving me assistance from the other side of the room and we think we have fixed it all issues we know about. It also means that one of the blogs I follow is getting a high traffic flow today, I hope you don’t mind Cheryl, but I thank you for highlighting the issue without you realising it! Now if you could just tell me how to add that “blogs I follow” side bar that would be awesome!

As for the rest of the day – I just need to go and read some blogs and comment on them, finish the crochet I started yesterday from the crochet summit (I made notes and now cant get back to the video as I am not paying for VIP access, so I’ve got to work out how to make a matching mitten without a pattern…anyone any good at reading/making patterns??), do my April page in my notebook – and you know sort out an evening meal, socialise with the family, get the boy to scouts…. it’s all go around here!

Disclaimer: 

All opinions expressed here are my own.
I paid for any products discussed.
I received no payment and I am not affiliated in any way with any brand mentioned herein.

Barn Owl

This species of owl is 36cm tall and has a wingspan of between 80-95cm. The barn owls mainly eat field voles, but they will also eat bank voles, shrews, mice, rats and small birds. they live for 20 – 25 years. The barn owl is very recognisable, with a white, round-ish face with brown wings. The female barn owl is the same, but has a darker shade of brown and has black spots.

2 little barn owls!

The reason that I have gone for this owl is because, when I was younger, I went on a school trip, and I held a barn owl on my arm. Ever since, I have loved all kinds of owls. I personally think that they are absolutely beautiful and majestic creatures.

Let me know what your favorite owl is in the comments and the most common one will be the one I do in my next post!

Day 6, Effy’s Blog Along

I genuinely have no idea what to write about today. The commitment to the blog is I post daily and read and comment on three others a day. I’m sure I’ve done more than that every day but they are all so interesting and diverse I don’t want to miss them. I feel that I don’t have much to say that’s interesting, so I’m wondering what to write. So as it’s still morning, I shall write my “to do” list and see what I can tick off when I come back here later. I have just read a blog posts about lists which inspired me to do this – Sorry!!

  1. Hubby is back WFH today. He has had a week off with us and its been lovely. A week of lazy days, the four of us plodding around together has been so wonderful but getting up at 6:30 am this morning was a bit of a challenge! I told the kids not to make an appearance until at least 9 am today. I dreaded going doing stairs to see what Mouse related mess there would be, but actually the cat & the mouse are ignoring each other. The cat is asleep, the mouse is nowhere to be seen, the peanut butter in the makeshift trap is firmly still in place.
  2. Quick visit to the supermarket for essential supplies at 8 am. Blimey its cold out there. We live close enough I could walk there and back with my shopping in 11 minutes (hubby timed me). Despite the brilliant blue sky and sunshine it was super cold and I noted that two cars in the car-park had obviously driven through a snow shower. That was a shock, but looking at the sky there was definitely a snow cloud heading this way.
  3. Write my postcards for my WAY group and get them sent out today.
  4. Do my daily art spread in my journal. I’m testing three notebooks and I really like today’s one the most so far, the Pitt Pens flow nice on the page. My doodles are a bit “babyish” but I don’t mind, I’m creating something for me!
  5. Package up my clothes returns parcel. I hate buying clothes online, especially jeans and ordering in a closing down sale is a bit of a gamble – it didn’t pay off and they need returning. The curse of the long legged woman strikes again! Darn, I wish I could order a “regular” pair of jeans just once and they would fit my legs!
  6. Have a website argument with the returns company, and schedule the collection / return multiple times so now I’m confused and don’t know if they are collecting or if I have to walk to the drop off centre!
  7. Read 3 blog pages & comment (think I’ve done 6 today…)
  8. Place an order for Nespresso Coffee. I cannot believe we have left it so long before ordering, we only have enough for 2 cups! Fortunately we also like tea (a lot) so we wont go thirsty.
  9. Daughter has just watched the final episode of Resident Alien, like us she is sad its the final episode. It’s been such a great series, though we are all happy they have commissioned another. We do love Alan Tudyks’ acting (we are introducing the Kids to Firefly as well…).
  10. Son is now released from Self Isolation , we got super lucky its happened at Easter as it hasn’t really bothered him – YAY he can go out – he is super excited, so to celebrate he is just going to play on the Wii…!
Daily Spread

Still to sort out

  1. Make some bread.
  2. Early lunch needed as hubby has a 1 pm meeting. Hmm what shall we have to eat today. (oh its 11:55 I better go and make it..!)
  3. Check the potatoes – can they be planted up yet?
  4. Do an art class, but which one – Wanderlust? LIfebook? Awesome Art School, so many choices.
  5. Ephemera – I have so much loose ephemera, I need to sort it out and make some journal pages from it, maybe watch a YouTube video to “remind me” what to do

Disclaimer: 

All opinions expressed here are my own.
I paid for any products discussed.
I received no payment and I am not affiliated in any way with any brand mentioned herein.

hello

Hi, I’m owlsowner one of Donna’s 2 children. every now-and-then I will be putting a fact about owls on this page. I will also be sharing any art that I do with Donna. I also might be doing art with my sister, who will also be doing things on this page, and if I do then I will share that as well. I am also doing colouring at the moment so I will be putting that up as well. I don’t really know what else I might do to be honest.

Day 5, Today is an Art and Snow Day

Today started nicely, waking up and saying morning to hubby, realising I had overslept, but that’s OK its a bank holiday and we can relax for the last day before he goes back to working from home tomorrow. Off he goes to make the coffee and pretty soon the unexpected chaos of the morning begins! Hubby calls for help. Apparently we have a “visitor” courtesy of our cat! Its alive, healthy, brown fur with two big ears and a tail – the visitor, not the cat. He is big, black & white and disappeared as his “job is done”. Queue the next 45 mins of the two of us, in our PJ’s trying to catch said uninvited visitor. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, he is now MIA and we have a makeshift trap waiting for him, thanks to Melanie on Snowpiercer, hubby put together this fun item that is now adorning our lounge…

We decided there was no point going back to bed, so everyone is up “early” today. Well, before 10am is early for us on a holiday!

Breakfast had, kids and husband off to play on various devices, I decide to catch up on a quiet art day.

Item 1 – A master-board. I caught part of a Facebook Live from Jolene last night, so today I finish it off this morning. Who knew several layers of watered down acrylic could give so much fun! I have 1 finished board, and 3 more than need doodling

Item 2 – Photograph the crochet blanket I’m making. Its the “calendar blanket” tutorial from Jayda in Stitches This is such a great way to learn to crochet (the american named stitches) and takes me just an evening in front of the TV usually. Last night’s TV accompaniment was Top Gear and Castle.

Item 3 – Continue making my two “Donna” Fabric journals. I really enjoyed making the last one from Willa’s course. This time I’m going for it alone, trying to remember all the “steps” and actually also trying to remember it’s OK not to do the same, as these are mine and they are therefore unique to me! I have two on the go and it feels like a little production line. Not really sure what I will do with them at the end, I might keep for myself or maybe launch a selling page somewhere. There is a market for them, but the question is are mine good enough to sell…? Hmmm

  • Two “Donna” journals
  • An idea of the pages

Item 4 – Do my April 5th doodle page for my challenge. Today its the Mindful Giraffe notebook and Pitt Pens. The paper doesn’t really like the Pitt pens, they are pitting as I layer the colours which is disappointing. The spread today however is very much showing the weather. We’ve had snow on and off all day, little fluffy flakes that have done nothing, interspersed with rain clouds, sunshine and its pretty chilly and windy. So different from yesterday!

Item 5 – write this blog for day 5 of Effy’s blog along

Item 6 – Post the blog and read at least 3 other blogs and comment.

Item 7 – Just realised I meant to make slow cook sausage casserole dinner today…. oops, sausage and chips it will be then!

Item 8 – Teach the youngest how to use the blog, can’t wait to see what he comes up with for his first blog page!

Disclaimer: 

All opinions expressed here are my own.
I paid for any products discussed.
I received no payment and I am not affiliated in any way with any brand mentioned herein.