Gifts in the post

I want to show you what I've received in the post recently! The cutest tuxedo cat card from Laurel with kind words for me and sage advice for Tia the cat after that little minx returned from her recent extended walkabout! The card even came with a matching detatchable bookmark ! I really love that envelope too - so prettily decorated. See that magpie postage stamp? It's from one of Laurel's original paintings! Thanks so much Laurel, you always find perfect things to send!

all artwork copyright Nicky Linzey

I am so lucky! Just when I needed cheering up having undergone some dental surgery last week, a package arrived from afar! As soon as I saw the postmark on the front of the envelope I knew it would be from Nicky! I'd been expecting this one for quite a while and it was definitely worth the wait - just look at what was inside....

artwork©Nicky Linzey

This is the illustration Nicky created created for Ripple . I was so happy to purchase it and will be having it framed to hang in my studio! The colours are so beautiful, don't you agree?

Poppies card©Nicky Linzey

She sent me this stunning poppy card too - love poppies!

handmade book ©Nicky Linzey

And as if that isn't enough... a wonderful little handmade book containing prints of Nicky's illustrations inspired by her visits to the beautiful Devon coast.

all artwork ©Nicky Linzey

Can you hear the waves and smell that sea air? This little book transports you to the coast, doesn't it? Thanks so much Nicky, I'll treasure it all.

If you've not yet met my talented blogfriends Nicky or Laurel where have you been? Do pop in to say hi - I guarantee you'll enjoy your visit!

Illustration Friday

©Caroline Soer 2010

Caught red handed in the old cookie tin - a family of mice enjoying a feast of double chocolate chip cookies!

My submission for this week's Illustration Friday - 'Double''. I used watercolour pencil, gouache and ink for this one.

Seems to me someone didn't put the lid back properly, did they? An open invitation to the little mousies, who've just been disturbed mid-munch! If you would like to get a closer look at their expressions, click the image, then click again.

Illustration Friday Breakfast /Diary

©caroline soer 2010

" " " " " " Inched along to the Nasturtium patch " " " " " "

©caroline soer 2010

chomp chomp - breakfasted like a king - chomp chomp

©caroline soer 2010

zzzzzzzzzz - Snoozed the afternoon away in my hammock - zzzzzzzzzz

I'd drawn out this little sequence for Illustration Friday 'Diary' last week, but didn't get around to colouring it or posting. As luck would have it, it fits the bill nicely for this week's this week's word - Breakfast! Watercolour with ink and watercolour pencils.

Weekword

Rose and Lychee Tea ©Caroline Soer

I'm playing along with 'Weekword' again. The word this time is 'flavour' and as I'm such a fan of tea I thought I'd share a cup of my Rose and Lychee with you! I quickly worked up this little pink illustration morning - it's watercolour and ink with a little pastel and gouache. This tea is really delicious - it has such a delicate flavour and aroma. It comes from the Boh tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands - you can read about our visit here.



Here's a peek into my tea cupboard - there's rose and lychee in the pink and green packet! As you can see there's quite a variety of flavours - I have over 20 different teas! I don't drink coffee at home, just tea, without milk or sugar. Rooibos or Earl Grey for breakfast, lemon grass or camomile mid morning, peppermint after lunch, rose and lychee mid afternoon, with jasmine after dinner! Oh, and then there's spicy marsala chai (find out how to make here) and ginger too; white tea, green tea, black tea, liver detox, skin purify - so many flavours, not enough hours in the day! Slurp! What can I pour for you? If you're still thirsty here's my earlier tea party post.

For more takes on 'flavour' pop over to see Aimee at Artysville where you'll find the list of participants this week! Aimee will be choosing someone to hand out the next weekword on Monday - why not join in?

Illustration Friday - Giant

Dahlia - watercolour ©Caroline Soer

Here is my 'giant' Dahlia for Illustration Friday. I made this watercolour sketch some years ago during a weekend workshop devoted to painting large scale. This is A3 sized - a big departure from my usual format!