Watercolour pencils

I have no time to do anything crafty these days, it seems. My life is full of rushing here and there - packing, driving, working, shopping, feeding, cleaning... I feel just like a hamster in a wheel most days!

The other night I decided I would make an effort to do something just for me. I got out my long neglected pencil case and did a bit of drawing. It was fun!

Before I show you (cos it's not the greatest) let me just say that my five year old daughter says it's unfinished, "Where are all the people, Mum?" I have absolutely no idea if I will finish it, or even where I will put it. It was just nice to revisit one of my most favourite places in the world - even though it was only on paper :)

Here it is - my terrible painting of Pizza Bra, above a terrible print of a photo I took on my visit. I think I was a bit too careful with my shapes and lines, I need more practise so that I can make my drawing seem a bit less forced. Still, you have to start somewhere - and at least it is recognisable.

Can someone tell me how to rotate this image?!

Drawing was something I loved to do as a kid, I still love buying notepads and new pencils so it seems I must still long to do it.

I am going to make more of an effort to find some time for myself this term - even if it is just 20 quick minutes of drawing before bed. Who knows? I might even improve!

What did you love doing as a kid? Do you still make time for that special hobby, or have you outgrown it?

Shutterbag

Last year I was lucky enough to win one of Shutter/bag's lovely Safari camera bags.

I was so excited to be a winner and to have won such a gorgeous product to boot. When the bag arrived, I was not disappointed.

 

To begin with it was wrapped with care and when I opened the box, I could see I had a high quality product on my hands. Thick, strong leather with heavy metal findings and strong stitching - I knew this bag was built to last.

I loved that the bag separators were fixed in with velcro, so that I could convert this bag from everyday/nappy/overnight to camera bag with a minimum of fuss.

Here is my gorgeous bag, peeking out the window at the French countryside ;)

The only minus, that it was heavier than other bags I'd owned, was *really* a plus. I felt confident that this bag could protect my camera from almost anything.

For a few months, I put off using this lovely bag - knowing it was the most expensive one I'm ever likely to own and afraid I might tarnish it.

...but three weeks ago, it was time to bite the bullet. We were headed overseas on a bit of an adventure and I wanted something that would take care of my precious camera, be multi-funtion and survive the trip. While I was afraid it would return bruised and scarred from travel, (and budget travel at that) it kept its shape. The stitching stayed put despite last minute additions to the bag, the leather survived unscathed and the metal tags did not lose their sheen.

This is me, carrying my bag. Yes, I realise my kids are pushing the baby away!

Thank you Shutterbag - while I've won lots of competitions over the years (holidays, appliances, money) this is my favourite product. I love it!