uplifting. original. affordable. art ;)*

 

 

Hiya everyone! I just though I'd drop in and let you all know that my etsy shop is back up and running! I've had a bit of a rethink and decided to freshen up the shops look and feel, with focus on affordable, original art as opposed to one off bits and bobs. I'm very excited about a new series of flower illustrations I'm currently working on called WILDflowers - please do drop in and have a wee look! And I'm creating a whole collection of sweet little birdFOLK. There shall be more listed over the coming weeks so come on over ;)

 

P.S I'm instagramming and pinning like mad these days - are you? I'd love to keep in touch! Pinterest>> http://pinterest.com/mrshappyheart/pins/ 

Instagram>> http://instagram.com/tanyamcclelland 

 

P.P.S Oh and Charlie Boo says hello! He is now 2 and a half can you believe it! Xxx

the paintbox is out again....

I'm using the same rowney paintbox i've had since i was 13 or 14! perhaps its an heirloom in the making ;)

I've had a dabble with letraset aqua markers here too and the playful splattering comes courtesy of Charlie's old toothbrush. Its a softer look for me as usually I like my colours big, loud and in yer face ;)

Crayon/Oil Pastel/Watercolour Resist

This is one of the simplest techniques ever! Just doodle with crayon/oil pastel, brush on liberally with watercolours and let the magic reveal itself. Very therapeutic for yet another rainy day! ;)

the long goodbye...

We've finally completed the sale of our house in Ireland. This weekend we packed up the rest of our belongings, said our final goodbyes and returned 'home' to York. I'm a little cocktail of emotion today, relieved, exhausted and just a tad overwhelmed by the finality of it. Our hopes and dreams were tied up in that little house, and i became a wife and a mother there and i know that i may never return to live in Ireland. Now its time to move on and get things back on track, Yorkshire is my home now and i plan to make it lovely ;)* 

"Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you"

peekaboo : : self portrait on a plate!

What started out as a simple colourfast experiment on an old plate soon took shape, sprouted wings and actually became 'something' that i'm quite chuffed with! I used my trusty sharpies for this but I'm sure i should have used porcelain paint instead. Ah well, I'm not going to eat off it just glance at it from time to time. I might try my hand at creating one of those fancy shmancy plate walls i've been seeing all over pinterest. Which will mean lots more rummaging at car boots and thrift shops seeking out battered old plates for my project, the more retro the better. Sounds like fun to me! :)

meet the twits from Looville ;)*

Go on give it a go! Grab a toilet roll out of your recycling pile, squish down the top to create a nice owl or pussy cat shape, then tape to secure. Drape your critter in colourful tissue paper and brush on some watered down mod podge, sprinkle with glitter and let dry. I doodled a bunch of accessories on white card so that we could change up their outfits to match their 'mood' (yes a loo roll can have moods, you heard it here first!). Use double stick tape for this or foam tape squares which we found pretty handy for beaks as you can prop their spectacles. Great fun for a rainy day in with the little man ;)

gettin ready for dads day! ;)

a little present we made for Da, i may be recycling a few more cereal boxes from now on. A very simple recipe for this one if you fancy having a go...

---> take a cereal box, paint it white, let your little one doodle on it then smoosh and smudge the colours around with a baby wipe, trace hands on tissue paper, cut out and adhere (plain old pva does the trick) let dry then write your special message on top (i picked up this one on pinterest, thanks to DoodleLove for the inspiration)

i finished off by wrapping straws with magazine strips and fixing to the edges. I then added a  little detailing with marker to finish! tadah its done! Now we need a heap of fudge to make his belly smile too ;)

Catch you next time! x

more examples of cereal box art