Small Art, Hearts on Canvas

I came across these sweet little canvases on easels and fell in love with them, they are an ideal size for popping on a desk or shelf.

 A lovely gift for a valentine, the red and purple go so well together.

Painted with acrylic paints and varnished, the varnish will protect the painting from dust, UV rays and yellowing. Plus it adds a layer of shine that somehow, almost as if by magic, brings out the vibrancy of the colours.

 Do you like the painted water droplets? I accidentally dropped a spot of water on the canvas and liked the look of it so painted these droplets on. That's the nice thing about painting, there are no rules. 

 This second canvas has a rich red heart on a golden bronze coloured background.

The little easel is really sweet, made from wood and is a great way to display this small piece of artwork.

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I hope you've enjoyed seeing my little heart canvases.

Jan 💖

White Unicorns

Firstly I'd like to say a big Congratulations to Victoria on her wedding announcement over at Lucy Blossom Crafts,   I wish her lots of fun and no pre-wedding stress while organising such a wonderful event.

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Meanwhile, I managed to pick up a couple of small canvases that came with their very own easels, they're so cute and perfect for a shelf or table top and perfect for a couple of Unicorns.......

A White Unicorn with a Silver Mane on a lovely sky blue background.

 Painted around the side of the canvas and finished off with a shimmer of sparkle.

 A Prancing White Unicorn on a peach background.

The mane is painted with silver and gold coloured paint and finished off with a shimmer of sparkle.


That's it from me at the moment, I'm sharing this post over at the linky party at Lucy Blossoms Blog

Jan x

When it Rains look for Rainbows, When it's Dark look for Stars

This is a great inspirational quote, and who doesn't like a colourful Rainbow or  twinkling Stars?

It can be displayed on a stand

It's a great little canvas to hang in a child's room or a nursery, can you see that I have continued the painting around the sides of the canvas?

Vibrant Rainbow Colours

The rainbow, clouds and raindrops have a sparkly shimmer, it's really difficult to catch the sparkle in the photo's, if you have any tips I'd love to know.

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Another great quote, the stars on this painting are also sparkly.

It can be hung on a wall

Sparkling Silvery Stars

I have put these canvases in my Folksy Shop but don't forget that I can also do something similar on request, either BIGGER or smaller, I can paint these on paper, canvas or wood.


This post has been linked up to the linky party over at Lucy Blossom Crafts, I hope you can pop over too.


Jan x

Across the Fen, a painting.

I haven't been doing anything new on the crafting front for a while, mainly because I've been trying to get organised for an exhibition at a local Art Gallery. Hopefully, I'm nearly there. I'm a bit of a 'last minute mollie'. I try to get organised and stay focused but you know what it's like, life takes over. 

This is one of the paintings I'm putting into the show, it's painted using acrylic on a 16 x 20 inch canvas.

Across the Fen

Acrylic Painting on Canvas

Detail of Windmill in the distance

Don't forget to pop over to Wendy's Blog and join in the Handmade Harbour Linky Party

Bye for now.....

Jan x

Toadstools & Butterflies

Hello all, I've had a lovely week,  I hope you have too. I know a lot of the country has had some really bad weather this week but here in this part of Suffolk has been quite lucky, we have had a bit of rain and a couple of windy days but mostly it has been quite nice, not as much sunshine as we should have this time of year and not as warm as we'd like it but fingers crossed that it will improve for the rest of the summer months.

I had a lovely canvas order this week through my Wow Thank You online shop as well as a double Name Plaque order.

Name Canvas

Name Plaque

Name Plaque

I'm linking this post to this weeks Handmade Monday over at Handmade Harbour. 

I think I've managed to get around all the blogs that took part in last weeks Handmade Monday Linky Party, and I would like to thank everybody who left comments on my blog. I love to get comments and I love leaving comments for others but sometimes I don't always manage to get around everybody, my apologies if I have missed anyone out.

Take care and wishing you lots of sunshine wherever you are

Jan x

3 Canvases for Lucie

Hello all, I hope you are enjoying the weather as much as I am? although I'm finding it hard to get as much crafting work done as I need to. Too much time in the garden and not enough at the kitchen craft table.
Last week I finished a commission for a set of 3 canvases.I hope you like them, I'm glad to report that the customer loved them.

3 canvases for Lucie

These canvases were requested by a lady who contacted me through my facebook page. The message read....
"Hello. A friend of mine bought my daughter a door plaque from you last Christmas and I really love it. It's my niece Lucie's birthday coming up and I was wondering if you could make ........."


The client said she got my details from the label on the back of the plaque, it goes to show how important it is to include contact details on or with your work.


These canvases measure 8 x 8 inches and are 1 inch deep, great for standing on a shelf or equally good for hanging on the wall depending on your preference.

That's it from me for this post, I know it's only a short one but I have my Mum visiting for a week or two, or three and we are enjoying having a bit of quality time together, plenty of chatter and natter, sitting in the garden enjoying tea and cake.
I'm linking this post to Handmade Monday over at the Handmade Harbour Blog so don't forget to pop over and check out who else has joined the Linky Party.

Wishing you all a great week and lots more sunshine

Jan x

Small Canvases

Hello fellow bloggers and welcome to my contribution to Handmade Monday hosted by Wendy of 1st Unique Gifts, I'm a bit later than usual with my post this week and would like to show you a few of my Swirly Tree paintings.
If you look closely you can see a caterpillar and a snail in the grass, a dragonfly and a bee on the wing and a ladybird (ladybug) somewhere in the picture, these canvases are quite small, only 7 x 5 inches and I have listed one in my Folksy Shop HERE , I've also put a couple of these on display at Brandon Country Park along with the paintings shown in my previous post. 

Swirly Tree and Daisies

Swirly Tree on Canvas

The painting goes around the sides of the canvas.

Although at first sight they all look the same and even though they all have the same elements, tree,daisies, toadstools and creatures, each has been painted individually and has slight differences.

Black & White Swirly Tree

I decided to do a black and white version with just one bit of colour, this has the centre of the daisies in yellow, I also done another with the red of the toadstools and ladybird being the only colour.
Unfortunately, I don't know if it was a blip with the camera or more likely a blip by me but that photograph didn't turn out and the picture has already gone to it's new owner.

I really enjoy painting these, they go really well with my Fairy Doors.

If you haven't already been over to see Wendy I hope you can pop over and see what she has been up to with Theo Paphitis of Dragons Den fame.

I read all the blogs that take part of the linky party but it may take a while before I get around all of you.

Wishing you all well

Jan x

A Canvas for a gift

Gosh, the week has gone by so quickly, there have been a few frosty starts and some lovely sunrises, I keep telling myself that I need to get out early and take some early morning photos but I peep my head out of the door at something silly o'clock and dive straight back into the warmth.

This week I thought I'd show you a canvas I painted in December. A few weeks before Christmas I was contacted by a customer who had previously bought one of my Beach Hut Magnets, she had also seen one of my Beach Hut Canvases. I was really pleased when she ordered one as a present for her Mum.

The beginning of the canvas

She chose a 8 x 8" deep edged canvas.

The start of the detail

The canvas is painted using Acrylic Paint.

The finished Canvas

I was really pleased with the finished painting and more importantly, so was the customer, I hope you like it too.

I have linked this post to 1st Unique Gifts so please pop over and say Hi to Wendy and check out all the other great blogs that take part.

Wishing you all a great week

Jan x

Family, Awards and Handmade Monday.

Wow what a busy couple of weeks I've had, some ups and some downs. 

On the up side I had my daughter and grandson to stay with me for a week and that was great fun. The house seems so quiet now they have gone back home. 

My mum,bless her, was in hospital for a short while, things improved and so they allowed her home, after one day at home she had a dizzy spell, blacked out and fell on some steps and was duly carted off to hospital for another week, she's back home again now and doing well. (Fingers crossed)

Out for a stroll

Another up is I have been awarded the One Lovely Blog Award by my fellow bloggers so I would like send my thanks to the following people.

 Helen @ Raindrops and Roses  

 Dorset Girl and

 Anna @ Puppyfly Boutique  

Here are a few guidelines that go along with this award

Link back to the wonderful people who gave me the award

Share 7 random things about myself

Pass on the award to 15 deserving, newly found or loved blogs.

Ok, the 'rules' say random, so they don't have to be profound, witty or interesting although it would be better if they were at least one of the three, but hey, whose to say what's witty  to one person would be dead pan to another, so I'll just plump for random and hope for the best.....

1. According to my children and my husband I cannot carry a tune and anyone who has ever heard me sing agrees with them.
2. I hate feeling cold. 
3. As a child I wanted to have the ability to become invisible, I'd still like to, just think of the fun I could have.
4. My favourite  re-reads  are the 'Clan of the Cave Bear' series of books by Jean M Auel, the 'Duncton Wood' series by William Horwood and 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens which I read every Christmas.
5. I don't like ice in my drinks.
6. My first job was as a 'Window Dresser' in a Fashion and Bridal Shop.
7. I think it's really difficult to think of 7 random things. Ok so this last one is cheating but it didn't say anything in the rules about not cheating.

Below are the 15 blogs I have chosen. I hope you pop over and have a look. These are all blogs I enjoy visiting, some I have followed for a while and some are quite new to me but they are all worth a visit.

I don't know how the number 15 came about and I feel it is a bit of a high number so if I have passed this award to you and you don't yet follow 15 blogs then I'm sure nobody would mind if you do less, after all the rules are more guidelines than 'law'. These awards are a great way of discovering new blogs or as a way of thanking the writers of those blogs we enjoy visiting, but most of all they are fun. There are no 'do's or dont's' about these awards, they are not compulsory and I understand that not everyone likes to participate, I picked the following because I enjoy them not because I expect them to do anything. I hope you enjoy them too.

Dearest Jackdaw

Former Glory Seat Weaving

Goblin Dreams

Its a mistry design studio

Minervas Crafts

Ooak-fairy-fae

Weird-Wood

The Princess Prudence Diaries

Young Designs

Silver Paw Jewellery

Sew to the Sea

Polly Kay

Owl loves Panda

Jewellery BeBe

Beautiful Things by Claire

I have a bit of a catch up to do with my Plaque Orders, as with all of my Plaques this one can be done in any colour requested and can be painted and hung either landscape or portrait.

Now it's time for a bit of a blog catch up, I'm off to read all the wonderful blogs who are participating in 1st Unique Gifts' blog hop, You can find it here at Wendy's blog so why not come along and check out what everyone else has been up to.

Before I go I would like to thank Kirsty at Ladybird Beads for featuring a Personalised Canvas of mine, I hope you take the time and pop over to her blog.

Bye for now, I wish you all a good week.

Jan x

Green Man Canvases for Handmade Monday

Another busy week, I don't know where the time goes, it just seems to be flying by.

Let me take you back to last year, I had a a few canvases in a local shop and they sold quite well, a couple of them were of the 'Green Man', well last week I received a pleasant phone call asking if I could do another one, so I got to work and really enjoyed it so I painted a couple of extra ones too and thought I'd try them out in my Folksy shop, I hope you like them.

Oak leaves with pairs of acorns

Leaves painted around the sides of the canvas

Sycamore leaves and paired seeds, or 'wings'

Painting continues at the sides of the canvas

I also finished the beach themed canvases that I posted about in the previous 2 posts, they are only small, 7"x 5" each. I'm not to sure what I'm going to do with them yet. 

I painted them for fun because I had the paint out for a commission and the blank canvases where just an odd 4 that I had laying around for the last few months.

I may put them in my Face Book album and see what happens.

I'd like to say a big thank you to Wendy at Ist Unique Gifts for hosting Handmade Monday, please check this out as it's a great way to hop around the blogs and another big thank you to Linda at  Uniquely Yours for including one of my Plaques in her blog. Linda does a wonderful job of showcasing some of her Folksy Favourites.

Thank you for visiting

Jan x

Two new Plaques

Hi all I hope you had a good week. 

I have another couple of my Plaques to show you this week.

 Girly colours were needed for this one and I don't think you can get more girly than pinks and lilacs.

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Previously I have painted this Dad's Den Plaque in various ways, sometimes painted with a pint of Lager or a Guinness but this one is a G&T with Ice and a Slice.

The nice thing about painting these Plaques to order is I can change the wording and the picture to whatever the customer wants. This Dad's Den Plaque has been ordered for Fathers Day.

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In my previous post I showed you a little snippet of a series of small canvases I'm painting, well I haven't finished them yet, I was planning to do them over the week-end but found once again that there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. I did manage to get a smidgeon done on Friday afternoon and hopefully I'll finish them in the next couple of days.

I'm off to start having a look at all the other wonderful blogs that take part in Wendys Handmade Monday.

It's great to see what all you other crafters are up to. Don't forget to leave a comment if you can as we all appreciate visits and comments.

My Fairy Doors

Hi all, I hope you are enjoying this brilliant weather we are having, apparently (according to the weather forecast) it is going to be a great week-end. I have been a busy bee today, this morning I priced up, bagged and tagged some more of my Fairy Doors and taken them to my lovely local gift shop.

These are my medium sized Fairy Doors, they are approximately 4" x 3" and every one is different.

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These ones are my Small Fairy Doors, these ones are just 3" x 2" and are really cute. Fairy Doors and 'anything' Fairy has always been very popular, they are loved by children and adults alike.

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This is my latest commission Plaque from an order taken at my last craft fair.

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This afternoon I decided to start on a series of small canvases, I've only gone as far as the prep, a bit of a bitty sketch and the first bit of paint. Here is a sneaky preview.

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To finish off and just for the fun of it,  I thought I'd pop in a couple of snaps taken last week while enjoying an outing with my wonderful grandson.

Have a great week-end all

Jan x

Brandon Park Canvas

I hope you all had a great Easter, I had a great time visiting my Mum, my Daughter and my Grandson.

It is just a quick short blog today as hubby and I have been in holiday mode for the last couple of weeks, although I did manage to get a couple of commission plaques done. Today I thought I'd show you the canvas that makes up my blog banner.

The unfinished painting.

This first picture is before I painted the flowers in the foreground.

It is of a small lake in Brandon Park not too far from my home. 

The canvas is 16”x20” it is not very big but a lot bigger than the name plaques you usually see me doing. 

When I decided to take the plunge and start a blog I had no idea what was involved in setting it up, I just followed the instructions. When 'asked' to upload a picture for a banner I had no idea what 'look' I wanted so I went into my picture file and asked my hubby to 'pick one' and this is the one he chose. I cropped the photograph and added a lens flare effect at either end, it was all done in a bit of a rush, but turned out ok. 

The colour of the photograph isn't brilliant, this is something I need to work on. The painting is brighter in 'real life'.

Now Easter and my holiday is over  I need to catch up on some orders, I have a few Beach huts to finish off, the new ones are not done with magnets like these ones but have sticky pads on the back, I have an outdoor Fairy door to varnish  and oh, I almost forgot,  I have a laundry basket to sort through.  So in between the sawing, painting, varnishing and housework, I'll grab a coffee and have a look at lots of other wonderful and interesting blogs.

Why not join me in the Handmade Monday blog hop and pop over to see  Wendy at Ist Unique Gifts,

I'd also like to thank Diana Jessie for the mention in her great blog dianajessie, my plaque is the 6th picture down.