Pumpkins, Walks and Pinterest...

There is a real chill in the air tonight...Even a frost this Morning...Sophia looked quite cold this Morning stepping out into that crisp, frozen air heading off to School...The sun was out and looked beautiful through the window as I washed up...Its funny how much I miss going with Sophia on the early School run. Now she's at big School she walks alone...its great she has her own independence now and loves meeting up with her friends. But I loved that walk in the early Mornings...and I miss it, sigh. When she was younger I loved looking at the ever changing seasons through the parks. And heading back along the canal...watching the ducks and birds...crossing the bridges taken photographs as I passed the parks sensory garden where lots of wonderful roses grow and vegetable patch. The beautiful colours of Autumnal leaves laying on the paths...And that early morning Sun light through the parks big oak tree's....bliss!. I do still walk a lot...Even though I do have the car now. Stevie Loves walking as much as I do. And we plan our weekends around places we can walk.

Back cosy inside the Autumnal cottage...A few pumpkins from the market square ready for carving out for Halloween...

I've needed a 'Happy' fix this week as my father's health has taken quite a knock due to catching an infection while undergoing his intense cancer treatments and my mind has been full of worry, luckily he has started to turn a corner but we are taking each day as it comes and trying to keep positive and strong for him...He cracked an old joke on the phone this morning and it made me laugh and think he must be feeling a bit brighter to do that! Yay...To take my mind off everything my go to visual fix is Pinterest, kazzyloves (click to view).

In the evenings when I have some spare time I love looking for Seasonal inspirational boards...Do you have a Pinterest account? Let me know the name.  Autumn really does it for me its my favourite board on there...

I adore, love and have a serious case of the wanties for that corduroy green jacket and woolly mittens...And dreaming over the little white house at the end of the garden...And my Pumpkin carving never turns out like the white painted pumpkin below...

(please look up original source on Pinterest.com, some photographs my own)

Myself and Stevie over half term while Sophia had 4 days with her father had a Autumn Comic festival in Truro which we sell our artwork and stevie's Comic prints at. And we also went for a few lovely walk around the lanes and village of HarrowBarrow in Cornwall. We met lots of friendly horses in the fields around the lanes.  The sunlight was quite warm that day... 

We also went to the beautiful little town of Ashburton in Devon. I love the Vintage shops there.

I've also been working on Christmas Drawings in pen and ink for my Etsy shop...I will show you in my next posting. Do check out my Etsy shop in link on sidebar.  Its lovely that my 'new' Well being prints were popular on Etsy , my Instagram and facebook...So I've had a quite a few trips to the post office to send off my prints to customers...I'm saving the money for travel expenses to see my father every little bit helps.

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~~****~~~**** Shop Update ****~~~****~~~

Well, Good evening my lovelies I hope as I type this you are all snuggled up with your loved ones...

Just a little Shop Update...I've been busy adding new art to my Etsy shop (Shop link in sidebar).

I have been trying to add a variety of artwork (all reasonably priced Prints).

I have been thinking a lot about 'Well Being' lately and mental health. It inspired these New illustrations...

( these images have been chopped slightly for Copyright)

I have a dolly in my cabinet and these illustrations came from her face...I've kept them quite simple and seem to have proven popular on facebook and instagram. I have put the details in their cardigans and jumpers...thinking of the fair isle ones I love so much....They are also inspired by my love of the seasons...Christmas with the Angel girl, mushrooms for Autumn, birds nest for Spring and my love of tea and flowers for Summer...I hope you like them too. I am listing them with 'No Shipping Cost' (U.K only), You just pay for the print...As a little gift from me to you.

***** just did a happy skip around the cottage...I'd only just listed them on my new etsy shop and had two sales!!!! 

~~~~ x ~~~ Yipppppeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! ~~~ x ~~~~

I feel like my Illustrations have taken a new and exciting direction this last year...I feel more inspired than ever...Please give me your feed back? I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas .

I use my Pinterest account to save/pin my fav and inspirational art, photography, home, seasonal, crafts and ideas from all over the internet...It always inspires me to see my boards... Do you have a pinterest account?

(link to Kazzyloves on pinterest in my sidebar)

Thanks for your feed back and lovely messages...

Happy blogging,

x   K a z z y   x

Goosey Fair, Toadstools and a Heron

Our little town next to Dartmoor holds a Goosey Fair in Autumn...Roads are closed and Children from local Schools like Sophia's get the day off (and my partner took the day off work)  during the fair...Its a very long standing tradition here...Obviously when it started many moons ago it was for the local farmers to sell live stock...

It does still have a smaller live animal market on the day.

But over the years (and taking to our elderly neighbour) it has changed quite a bit to a big fair ground comes to town with a ghost train, rollercoaster, merry go rounds, big wheel, stalls with candy floss and big lolly pops, honeycomb treats and all the sweets you could think of... Such a hive of activity ~Lots of outdoor market fairs and the long standing indoor traditional market...cake stands, artwork, pottery, bric'a'brack, books, honey, haberdashery, butchers, fruit and veg, Devon cream teas and pastries. Outside its more aimed for street markets with clothing, bags, christmas gifts, wreaths, flowers, chocolates, sweets, toys. Its a huge event. And great for local businesses.  I just love walking around taking in the atmosphere. Children laughing on the rides and families enjoying time together...We spend most of it in the traditional part of the Live market wondering around taking in the buzz and atmosphere of it all...where you can see all the varieties of geese, ducks, chickens, sheep and horses...Lots of home made cakes, jams, chutneys, honey, artwork from local artists and crafts people.  Enjoying Hot chocolates in the crisp Autumnal day...such a fun event!. Late into the evening you can hear the buzz, music of it all from our cottage windows..Distant joys of laughter.
And boy' my feeties ache...from all the wondering around.

(images of event from above and vintage photo of man with goose from Devon council website)

And I thought I would share our Mushroom guided tour photographs from last Sunday...We had such a wonderful day...The Nature reserve even put all the different varieties of mushrooms on the research table outside the nature reserve hut. It was wonderful to explore. I dont think i'd trust myself in the future to identify the edible ones!~ they can look quite similar some of the varieties. 

After being in a very busy part of the reserve we walked further into the woodlands crossing small wooden bridges over little streams...Sophia was looking at the fallen conkers and collecting beautiful coloured leaves.

We stocked to have a picnic by a bench and next to it was a beautiful poem by Ted Hughes...Its part of the poetry trail there.

Stevie spotted a beautiful Heron by the river...I quickly hid between the long hanging foliage and tried my best to get a photograph of it.  Sophia had a friendly Robin come and eat her crusts.

The Sunlight flooded the woodlands with magical dappled, flickering light...cobwebs looked sparkling in the light and bird song surrounded us.  An elderly couple had the most amazing telescope camera and told us there was a Buzzard on the low hanging branch~ It was amazing watching the Buzzard digest a small rodent.

Before we headed home we drove to the 'Devon guild of craftsmen' gallery...to look around the new exhibition there...Sophia created art work in the creative kids area of the gallery~ it was plates of food. And she made cupcakes with tissue paper, crate paper and embellishments. I looked around the gallery shop so many beautiful, inspiring prints, cards and books...We ended up having tea and cake in the attic cafe there too.

Home and cosy. The nights are really drawing in now...lots of candles burning and shepherds pie in the oven...

I managed to sort a little space with a 'new to me' cabinet~ A studio space. Where I can work away in the evenings and get a little more creative. As I seemed to always end up on the kitchen table. And by the time I got into a craft project or illustration someone's homework needed the table or dinner plates and i'd have to clear it all away again. So just under the attic space Ive made a little corner just for 'ME' ~ Yippeee!.

I was wondering around the garden last night...picking up rotting apples. And on the over hanging foliage on the back fence I noticed ' Hellebore flowers ' .  It must be from next doors garden and seeded in ours this year or carried here from birds or wind.?! . Such a delight!. I'm making the most of this wonderful warming Autumnal sunshine in the garden...By the time Winter arrives We wont be able to use this top part of the hill top garden as the steps are steep and made of flint and slippery during wet periods and icy in frost and snow.

My father's not had the best of weeks with trialling his new cancer treatment. His energy levels and strength seem low and causing him to feel quite depressive and so very tired. I really hate this cancer!. I so wish things will improve. At the moment its just on going 'backwards forwards journeys to London'  Guy's Hospital and the treatment is so intense. The Nursing staff and Doctor's are doing the best they can and I really take my hat off to them. We should all be Thankful for the NHS.

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Twelve Octobers...

My daughter celebrated her 12th Birthday...

Another big mile stone.

We are all full on cake.

Banners and balloons decorate our living room and cards decorate the mantle...

Twelve Octobers...

October is a beautiful month...Ive always adored Autumn time...

We had a lovely weekend. The weather was perfect...well, just how I like it with some blue sky but with a crisp Autumnal feel of warmth...We took a drive to the South Hams...found some tucked away places to explore...And sat by the river with a picnic. I had the most beautiful instagram message from my swapsie partner about the parcel box I sent to her~ She was so kind about my artwork and little gifts. 

I picked up 'the simple things' magazine as well...I think it was the cover that made me part with the £4.99 price tag...eeekkk!.  I just fancied something different...

As many of you who have read my blog for many years will know I grew up on an Island on the East coast of the U.K, It was very flat...not hilly like Devon. The sea was brown and muddy!, not turquoise like here...lots of marsh land, muddy channels weaving through to the causeway. Aveton Gifford along the River Avon reminded me so much of it and even had a road like a low tide causeway...As a child I used to get so excited about stepping stones across the water! Oh' the excitement!~ I think I still do.

I used to love that our Island got cut off by the tide...

A little drive back the other way towards Launceston we took a drive down a lovely old lane, grass growing on the track...To a house garden called Endleigh...with a small nursery and lots of wonderful out buildings.

I loved that they'd left it rustic...quite a joy to explore the grounds, gardens and nursery...

(Endsleigh garden house)

(I found this image on pinterest)

The sky was blue but it turn over cast by Sunday afternoon...

On the way back we went the scenic route that passes through Cornwall towards the Tamar Bridge to Saltash...In one of the many Charity shops I found a little Cabinet and have been painting it up this week...

I have gone for a 'sky blue' paint....needs another coat. 

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