Please come visit my new website/blogsite!

I've been very quiet here lately but if you visit my new *shiny* website you'll know why! As my new site was nearing completion I had all my old posts transferred across. I didn't want to do any more and create more to do!

The above image is the commission I have recently completed - I had so much fun doing it! I began with a photo I took of the client's children and then included my artwork within the scene: a fox, frogs and butterflies - the animals the kids wanted there! It was then printed onto a large canvas ready to be hung on a wall - it looked great on a larger scale!

More information about this and how you can have your own commission can also be found at my new site ...

www.inspirednaturally.co.uk

Please take a look and let me know what you think :)

K

Painting update

This is my progress of Smudge since my last blog entry...about 4 and 1/2 hours of painting so far. I am pleased with my progress considering how busy I've been with other things!

It's been cold around here again and we had at least 2 inches of snow yesterday. I'm looking forward to Spring!

It's going to be a short post today, so much to do and little time to do it in!

K x

A new painting & other things

Smudge

Lots of things have been happening since I last posted, one of which is a new painting I'm working on; one that is very close to my heart and is just for me. The beautiful photograph above is of my cat Smudge who sadly passed away last November. I always meant to paint him and now I can look at pictures of him without getting too upset I thought now was as good a time as any to paint him.

The above picture is where I'm at so far - after about 3 hours of painting. I'm just beginning to get the layers built up, creating texture because Smudge had such wonderfully thick and soft fur and I want to try to capture that.

I've also started on a large commission for someone (incorporating my photography and artwork) and this is going to take a lot of my time up!

I have also designed a brochure, showcasing my art workshops for primary school children and am in the process of getting these printed and then sent out.....only time will tell how it all goes!

Hope you are all well,

Happy Friday!

K x

Another Challenge...

As many of you know I am a keen runner and have worked towards running a half marathon on two occasions. This year I wanted to set myself a similar challenge. I am automatically entered into the Great North Run this year and next (after securing membership status) but just before Christmas I signed up to do the Playtex Moonwalk for Breast Cancer, a marathon in which participants walk the route overnight. I have been training for these two events since the end of last year and am excited about both.

Just this week I decided this wasn't enough! After much thought I decided I wanted to complete another event to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Charity, perhaps to supplement my other training - and for that reason I have just signed up to complete the Great Yorkshire Run, a 10k run in September. (Seeing these events on my screen has made it all seem much more real and I'm really going to have to work hard to do these events!) I have an online sponsorship page for collecting funds over on the side of my blog to make donating easier for friends and family.

This year is going to be very challenging, not only fitness/running wise but also professionally. I feel like I am at the edge of a cliff with a parachute, waiting for the right time to jump and enjoy the ride! I have my school workshop brochure to complete and artwork to produce amongst other things! It's hard work trying to start/continue running your own business.

Phew! I think I'll finish there,

Happy Thursday to every one

K x

A Happy New Year to you all!

For lots of people the Christmas holidays has been a time for relaxing and enjoying the fresh winter weather - my end-of-year-break has been no exception! Just before Christmas day I went on a (very) slippery walk around a local lake and spent time watching the birds attempting to get either into or out of the water from their ice covered surroundings. Despite the coldness of the weather, generally it has been brilliantly sunny which has enabled me to go on numerous walks which has been great!

This was taken in a carpark on the way up to Yorkshire - can you see the heart?

Between Christmas and New Year I went for a short break to Yorkshire - I love it there at this time - the weather is always more extreme - in some places they'd had 18 inches of snow over 4/5 days! The picture below is of Helmsley covered in a frosty blanket (Helmsley can be seen here in warmer times)

Whilst in Yorkshire I went for a long walk across snow-filled fields and saw hare, rabbits and pheasant to name a few.Walking 3 inches deep in snow certainly gives your legs a workout!

Now, I'm back home and ready to start a new year. I'm not one for New Year's eve myself but I do enjoy the newness feel you get when it's the start of another year, a new month and this time a new decade. I have put my calendar up and started to make a mental to-do list or wish list of things I want to complete this year. I hope to continue sharing my journey here and to be a bit more frequent in finding the time to blog - I don't know where the time goes during the week!

So for now, a Happy New Year to you and lets make 2010 one to remember! :)

K x

Fairs and Tote Bags!

Phew! It's been so hectic here recently! As promised I'm back and have lots to show and tell. I've had three fairs, all in the space of two weeks so haven't had chance to stop and take breath! Below are my new tote bags! I have 5 different designs, all taken from my original artwork: frog and fly, dragonfly, wren, hedgehog and fawn. The first 4 designs are available in both a thinner cotton or a thick/heavyweight cotton and the fawn bags are available in the latter. They are now available in my shops and so far I have had excellent feedback! They are also washable so perfect for daily use. I am a big fan of using fewer carrier bags and these reusable tote bags reflect this perfectly.

Frog Design

Wren Design

Dragonfly design

Fawn design

Hedgehog design

I hope you like my new additions to my collection! I am looking forward to getting more feedback about them and designing new ideas for other products in the future.

The Artist and Designers fair went well despite the torrential rain and difficulty getting there! Sunday certainly saw more people visit and I didn't go home disappointed so all in all a very positive experience. (On a side note though I never anticipated for it to be so tiring!!)

For now I'm going to sign off.....still a few more presents I need to wrap!

K x

Work in progress

I have been very absent lately, but for a good cause! I have been working frantically on new designs and products to have ready for the Artist and Designers fair 2009 at Buxton's Pavillion Gardens. If any of you are around the Buxton area this weekend 5th and 6th December please do come along - I think every one will be in for a treat with lots of goodies on offer from lots of exhibitors!

The above image is of one of the new prints/card designs I have for the fair and which will soon be available in my online shops. I also have some exciting new tote bags! I will blog about them as soon as I have some photos of the final product!

For now I'll sign off....lots of final preparations to be done!

K x

Autumn fun

Outside in the first leaves of Autumn

A perfect Autumn afternoon

Autumn is by far my favourite month. Not only is it my birthday month but I love the colours, the fresh air and the difference in light - everything seems to be so much fresher at this time of year. I've been making the most of the fresh air and have planted some ornamental cabbages by the front door - they add instant colour and apparently become more colourful the colder it gets!

In other news I've been busy with my school workshops, I will be working with the oldest group of children this week and next. This time it's a bee we're making and learning about. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with. Below is a photo of a few of the dragonflies I made with my first class of children. I think they all did a fantastic job.

I'm going to leave you with a sneak preview of one of my new prints which will be available to buy nearer to Christmas and at my stand at Buxton Pavillion Gardens first weekend of December...

K x

Back again...

The image above is myself and some of my family in Newcastle, the day before the GNR '09

(I'm on the far left next to my Mum)

As promised I'm going to update you on everything I've been up to so far! But first I wanted to say sorry for being absent so long. As my last post explained I've been so hectic lately and then to top it all off no internet connection for nearly 2 weeks! So here I am, back again to start blogging again! It's been far too long!

The GNR was fantastic this year, it was a wonderfully hot and sunny weekend and it was made extra special because my three younger cousins (all in the photo above) took part in the junior runs on the Saturday. I am hoping to take my running more seriously this year and keep training on a regular basis, rather than taking a break like I did last year. In more running news, I attended a Running Coaching Course this last Sunday and hope to one day use this to run or help to lead running clubs, either for adults or children.

My art workshop have been going really well on a Friday morning. I have enjoyed engaging with the kids and seeing what they can achieve. I have enjoyed seeing their finished products and the excitement the children have when they see what they can do!

Children paper-mache - ing their dragonfly models

Me demonstrating

Also, whilst I was offline I was featured on Kelly Rae's blog as part of a giveaway. I only wish I had been able to tell you all before it had happened! The lovely Emily of Art - n - Sewl has won one of my prints! I hope to have other giveaways soon which I will let you know about!

More soon!

K x

Everything comes at once!

I am touching base very quickly just so you know I am still here! I have been feeling under the weather with flu-like symptoms which, on top of starting a new job, getting into teaching on a Friday and trying to juggle artwork, has all been a bit hectic and meant I've not had chance to update here. I will tell you all about my trip to Newcastle, the Great North Run and everything else in my next entry I promise!

I'll leave you with the stunning view out of the farm window we stopped in in Newcastle, the morning of the Great North Run...

Exciting news

I noticed this rose flowering in my Mum's garden and just had to take a photo of it - it smells beautiful! I can tell Autumns on its way, the air smells different and the evenings are starting to draw in. I'm looking forward to taking photos of the changing colours.

As i mentioned in an earlier post I have been working on some school workshops. I went to meet with a local Headteacher (with whom I have spoken to regularly over the last few months) with a workshop outline after discussing the school's requirements. I am very happy to announce I am now the school's resident artist, delivering my workshops to each class during Friday mornings. I start this week! I am both excited and nervous but can't wait to start! The picture above shows the dragonfly I hope to guide the children to make - over two Friday classes. I will let you know how it goes!

This week starts the beginning of another new job for me in Matlock which I am very pleased to have got - it's difficult times at the moment and I think most people are glad of any extra money they can make.

And finally, only a few more days to go until I'm off to Newcastle to run the Great North Run. I am soooo excited! I've only got little runs for training this week, so my body's having a break until its put through its paces on Sunday! I hope to capture lots of my weekend away to share with you all when I get back.

Will post again soon!

K x

Back again

It feels good to be back home, even if it meant leaving the view above behind. (which I think you'll agree is stunning). This weekend trip was a short break from work and I feel very much inspired again to create and to press on with my plans for the art fair I'll be attending in December and also for the school art workshops I'll be taking between now and Christmas (more on that when I have all the details).

The two images above are of a small, quite famous Yorkshire village, Hutton le Hole. It is a beautiful village and I love walking around it once the tourists have all gone back home!

Another village I enjoy walking around is Helmsley, a small market town. The stream running through it is particularly pretty but I was sad to see there are no ducks this year. I'm not sure when I'll be going back but hopefully between now and Christmas - the countryside always looks so different during the Autumn and Winter and I love trying to capture these changes with my camera.

More soon!

K x

Random Updates

I've been working on a workshop for a local school with a view to creating an outdoor display. I have come up with an idea and the dragonfly above influenced my ideas - hopefully in the next few weeks it will all come together!

In other news, I unfortunately missed out on enrolling on Susannah Conway's Unravelling e-course BUT I will have the opportunity to try again in January! I have long admired Susannah's work and blog and will look forward one day to experiencing her unique way of looking at the world around us!

In running news, training is going well and I completed my longest run (11.5 miles) on Saturday. It feels good to be really back into running, especially after all the set-backs I had with my foot injury at the beginning of the year. I got my Born Free running shirt out yesterday and will soon have to iron on the letters I asked to be sent to me so the crowd can cheer me on! If anybody is going to the Great North run in just under 3 weeks time look out for a girl in a Born Free top with 'Mini Me' on the front! (one of my closest friends called me that years ago and it just stuck!)

Hope all is well with you all and happy September!

K x

A dream come true...

The colourful photo above was taken at the Eden Project and sums up my feelings right now - bright and cheerful!

I just had to blog today, a dream (which might not seem like much to some people, but means so much to me) has come true today. Let me explain...

One day in 2006, a day like any other, I found, quite by accident the online world of Etsy. And it was here that I found the shop and artwork of Kelly Rae Roberts. Ever since then Kelly's journey to becoming an artist has been something I have followed and been greatly inspired by. Kelly's work resonates with myself and indeed, with so many other people as well. It was Kelly's blog, detailing her story in detail that spurred me on to believe I too could live the creative dream and follow my heart's desire - to become an artist. After leaving university I began to take both small and HUGE steps to realising my dream. One of my goals was to contact Kelly and become a sponsor - something I had never done before. It would be the understatement of the century to say I was delighted that Kelly agreed and now I can be found amongst so many other talented artists on Kelly's site. Thank you Kelly :)

That's all for now!

K x

Promised new prints!

The two images above are now available to buy in my shop! Please go take a look! :)

Back home

After a lovely long weekend away in sunny Yorkshire I'm now back home getting on with catching up with my work, emails etc. The few days I had away were just the ticket for recharging my batteries after a very busy week! I thought I'd spend this post sharing with you some of the things I got up to:

The heather on the moors is stunning at the moment, this is the time of the year it turns purple. It looks like a purple carpet covering the rolling hills. Unfortunately the purple colour doesn't last long so you need to make the most of it while you can!

We made a trip to an RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs, a huge spectacle awaits, with over 200,000 seabirds there between April and August.

The photo above shows both adult and younger gannets as they bask in the sunshine and fly off to find food. They are a very pretty bird and we were able to see lots of them, amongst other birds, at various viewing points around the cliffs. Earlier in the year it is possible to see puffins and their young which sounds fantastic!

We also visited Rievaulx Abbey, a nearly 900 year old abbey with beautiful surroundings and gardens.

It was a brilliant break and we were also lucky enough to see a barn owl one evening and two hedgehogs looking for slugs!

Now I'm back I'm busy catching up on all aspects of work, I'm still running and swimming and also trying to find some time to relax! I'm also going to be adding some new images to my etsy shop and continue to add my work onto my new UK shop, folksy.

K x

Running Number!

My running number has come through the post! Seeing your number and reading the race information pack makes it seem much more real now...not long to go now until we leave for Newcastle! I'm keeping to the training program and trying to fit swims in on days I'm not running. I know I'll be nervous nearer the time but excitement definitely cancels out any worries I have!

In other news, I'm still getting to grips with twitter, I can't believe how easy it makes keeping in touch with people! I'm also busy working on things for my shop, researching and talking to people amongst other things. Busy, busy, busy! :)

K x

New shop for UK buyers!!!

I have been wondering for a while if I should open another shop, alongside my Etsy shop. After feedback from friends, family and people I've met whilst promoting my work I have decided it would be a good idea to offer my work in GBP for my UK buyers here at home!

After searching for just the right place I found Folksy - an online market of all things handmade based in the UK. It has a huge selection of beautiful work and very talented people.

For buyers here in the UK, the website address is www.folksy.com/shops/inspirednaturally

Hopefully this additional shop will make it easier for people to purchase my work, wherever they are!

In other news, I finally succumbed to Twitter! You can find me and my ramblings at www.twitter.com/KateMacAndrew I can't believe it's taken me so long to find out what all the fuss is about! :)

K x

Holiday continued...

Whitby was one of the main places we visited and the weather was both hot and sunny. The cooler sea breeze was a welcome relief! A statue of Captain Cook, a famous seaman, is situated at the top of a winding path down to the shops and coastline of Whitby - an unexpected guest found itself in my photo as I took a picture of the statue.

The Whitby Abby, the place where Dracula is meant to have landed, looked altogether less sinister in the sunshine.

The Yorkshire moors themselves looked as beautiful as ever as we drove to and from where we were stopping and the sunsets were a real treat.

On our way home I noticed a heart-shape within the clouds and managed to get a snap before it disappeared.

Back to business now - hoping it wont be too long before I'm back! I'm spending time now designing new images, I've got a few things I want to get done and I've also been accepted to exhibit in an Artist and Designers Fair in Buxton but more about that nearer the time (don't want to mention Christmas just yet!)

More soon

Happy Sunday everyone!