Getting Ready for Christmas

Christmas Lantern Candle Dec 2013

Only a couple of days before Christmas.  Work has finished and I have had a couple of days rest to prepare for the final Christmas push.  Of course I have way more plans for Christmas preparation then I do have time or energy, but that just seems to be part of the season.

Christmas Lantern Angel Dec 2013

One year I decided that it was all too much and I would be calmly organised and not over eat at Christmas.  Big mistake, the last minute rush, the over indulging and all that Christmas madness makes the day, so now I just know that I will never get done what I had planned and that I will end up snoozing on the couch on Christmas night like a happy over stuffed walrus, knowing that all Christmas traditions have been faithfully adhered too.

I made this Christmas Lanterns for the staff at work and a friend filled them with all sorts of Christmas coloured lollies.  So much fun, I love my new paper cutting machine which makes all this so easy.  It will be cutting its little heart out this season.

Christmas Lantern Reindeer Dec 2013

Having been following the blogs of all my northern hemisphere friends, looking at the snow, frost and the lights against a cold winter sky, I thought what makes it feel like Christmas for me here in the sunny southern hemisphere.  So I know Christmas is coming when we have the office breakup parties for the year, the weather is getting hot (both on the same day this year it was 40 C, 104F on our breakup day), we start to be able to eat dinner outside and have BBQs, Summer holidays are here and the days become long and lazy.  We have to wait until after 9pm to go and look at the Christmas lights, so it is dark enough to see them.

We faithfully follow many of the winter traditions, but over the years we are gradually creating our own.  Our Christmas dinner still has turkey and ham, but you will more often see seafood and mangos, the summer berries are at their height so plenty of fresh raspberries, currents, and blackberries with ice-cream and pavlova.  To save our houses getting too hot, we will have BBQs out doors and a Christmas swim at the pool or beach is all part of the day.

Christmas Lantern Santa Dec 2013

This year in my household, we will have two Christmas dinners as we juggle the different family commitments.  One will be prawns, lobsters, mangoes, avocados and fresh berries and ice-cream.  The second will be the full traditional turkey, ham and plum pudding.

So I hope all the Christmas preparations are going well and you are embracing the madness.  May your Christmas be merry and bright and most of all fun and full of love.

Karen

 

Waratah 1

It has been a while since I have done a coloured pencil drawing of a flower, so on my mini holiday I decided to draw a Waratah that I had bought for my office. It is so nice to have flowers in my office at work as I spend so much time there it makes the space so much more pleasant.

I have really enjoyed doing this drawing, it was so nice to work with the familiar. I tried to give the flower more space on the page, I do like a lot of white paper to show and too give the subject room.

I did the under painting of this picture with my Sennelier inks and really liked the results, so I think I will do another just in ink, it gives such a fresh look.

I have added some more pictures of my holiday to share with you, it has been a lovely time away, very relaxing and rejuvenating. I will be ready now for the final rush up to Christmas and the summer holidays. Combining Christmas and the summer holiday break as we do in Australia makes for a very busy time.

This is my holiday studio, such a lovely view down to the valley.

This is one of the beaches on the Great Ocean Rd, I added this one for you Jennifer Tan.

This one I couldn’t resist, a Australian farmers Christmas scene, I drove past and had to come back for a photo, just to get into the Christmas spirit.

Karen

Breakfast with my new friends

A beautiful morning and another hot sunny day ahead, perfect holiday weather. I had breakfast on the deck with my new friends. Some lovely King Parrots dropped by to see what I had to offer. The first one (on the railing) was happy to have a snack and leave, though he was tame enough to eat from my hand.

The second one was much more discerning and hung around for a bit of culture. He was very interested in my drawing and sat behind me and watched over my shoulder and kept up a commentary on my work, even coming over for a closer look. He even liked my music and thought Bach flute sonatas were just the best and sang along with them. What a special morning moment!

Mini Holiday