Hare Preservation Trust

If you care about our wildlife, and our Hare Population, take an informative trip over to Annette's Blog,
http://dragonhouseofyuen.blogspot.com/
its well worth the trip. :)
There is also a link far left sidebar below in the Blogs List to Dragon House of Yuen Annettes Blogsite, don't miss out on The stunning art photography of Sean Hunter and Annettes own Artworks.
Image available as card set in Artwolf on Etsy

Pyewacketts Halloween Party Giveaway

Just pop over to Pyewacketts to enter the giveaway to celebrate Fanciful Twists Halloween Parties.

and The winner has been drawn.......

Autumn Treats for Christmas-Sloe Gin

You have time to collect the last sloes and make some wonderful warming liqeure drink in time for Christmas, and its really simple.
Dont be put off if you dont like the taste of plain gin, sloe gin tastes nothing like it.
First pick some sloes, fruit of the blackthorn bush, Picking late, in October means the sloes will reach their maximum ripeness - and flavour.
Sloes picked late rarely need pricking with a pin this is usually done to the early collected ones August,early September which are very hard and will produce a dryer sloe gin.
You will need.....
1 lb or 2 of Sloes, depending on how much you want to make.
Granulated sugar
Gin
Funnel
Empty Bottles
Gather and wash your sloes remove any stems,leaves, and badly squashed fruit.
Turn out on an old clean towel or similiar to dry, (sloe juice will stain clothing).
1. Fill your bottle with sloes to half way up the main body of the bottle.
2. Pop a funnel in the neck of the bottle, and pour in enough sugar to come to the top of the sloes level.
3. Fill the bottle to the top with Gin.
4. Screw on the Lid
5. Give the bottle a shake to get the sugar disolving.
After care...
Turn the bottle up and back gently a couple of times,just once a day, for a week with the later ripe fruits.
((2/3 weeks with the early(as they are more resistant))
Then after that just once a week for the next few months.
A week or two before Christmas, Strain your sloe gin through a coffee filter into a clean bottle.
You can now taste the decanted Sloe Gin, Keep or store to Christmas or beyond.
There are recipes on the internet to use the decanted fruit waste too, but only with the late ripe gathered fruit, the early is far too dry.

Note; If like Jen you live somewhere that doesn't have sloe bushes,
You could always this quickie Recipe by trying flavoured vodkas, a Polish Favourite.
One Lemon or orange peel, The coloured zest part only, none of the white pith. Popped into vodka to seep away for 24hrs or 36 at most, leaving longer will make it too strong.
(You better taste after 24hrs,! its a tough job but someone has to)
Then add a small amount of sugar to your own taste. Thats it..

Update; 7th November, I strained my two bottles through the coffee filters which removes any residue of fruit pulp, and results in a lovely clear Sloe Gin. After a bottle slipping out of my hands and covering me in pink sticky gin, I still managed to have 1 .1/3 litres of Sloe gin decanted and safe ( probably would have been 1 .1/2) if all had gone to plan. During the filtering I went through about 5 coffee filters in the process, wet them with water before pouring the gin through, pouring carefully, most of the sloes will stay behing in the bottles, and you can shake them out childs money box style to clear the bottles, once washed you can pour the decanted gin back into the bottles. I have it on good authority The Sloe Gin is definately up to standard, so I had better hide the full bottle, for Christmas.

Halloween Cat

Sneak Preview of latest Halloween Wand, Witch's Cat.

These are all lovingly sculpted, sanded,painted and sewn, and a true OOAK (One Of A Kind) pieces of Art.

They all come signed Thrice, for Luck,underneath the head, and down the wooden baton and on their own unique label Tag.

Vintage Halloween Greeting Style Art

I was given the opportunity to view some of an elderly friends postcard collection, along with many local vintage views were some charming Whitney little witches, these were beyond cleanups, so I decided to redraw them trying to keep to the original style as much as possible. After going through the Kate Geenaway style redraws, which is much similiar to what I would probably do, I think I managed to 'get it' right. They are bit different, but hopefully not too much. I hope to do tags and maybe cards for Etsy with them and possibly sell the originals eventually when I've scanned them to satisfaction.

Two new Batons, Wands

Two new batons, or as it says on the vintage emphemera reference I found (after I'd made them), Witch wands.

The text reads;
Ride a Jack Pumpkin at Twelve-O-Night,
with a Witch's Wand as a Horse,
The Wicked Creatures Flee at the Sight,
and Die, of sheer Remorse.

' Goody Witch Raven' & 'Nevermore Raven',

both on Etsy soon.

Ice Bear Project, Art in The Service of The Environment

Now back to more serious stuff, but Art raising conservation awareness in the form of a melting ice sculpture of a Polar bear.
Danielle Barlows Blog where was where I first saw this fantastic project highlighted
http://daniellebarlowart.blogspot.com/ Please pop over to her blog and read her post too, its a great blog too..

Renowned sculptor Mark Coreth is creating a life-sized sculpture of a polar bear out of ice for Trafalgar Square this December and then for major cities across four continents.
As each Ice Bear melts it will leave a skeleton, a pool of water and a powerful environmental message.
The Bear will be exhibited at ground level, so that everyone can reach out and touch this inspirational and iconic symbol of the Arctic. The Bear in the Square events will have a lasting impact on whoever experiences them.
FIND OUT MORE,On the Art and The Expedition Clips etc. on The Ice Bear Project Site
http://www.icebearproject.org/index.html
Sculptor, Mark Coreth will finish carving the bear from a huge block of white ice during the morning of Friday 11th December.

Byzantine Raven ArtDoll

Here he is all Finished ready to go onto Etsy in the next few Days.
'Byzantine Raven' , resplendant in lusters and metallic Golds.

This little thief of time was inspired by the Martin Brothers Grotesque Pottery of days gone by.

Three Jesters Batons,Snowshoe Hare, White Wolf, & Digger Dog

Here are The Three Finished Jesters Batons. You might have seen them in the early stages on The Pyewacketts Blog, any way ....UPDATE 8TH SEPT; They are all up for grabs on Etsy,... Now.

They are a One of a Kind OOAK, made in a modelling medium are completely 3D, and have delicate details and shading that unfortunately shows more in real life than in the Photographs, (Bright Sunshine didn't help). They are all mounted onto wooden Batons are signed underneath the heads and down the baton handle. They all have removable jesters beribboned collars/ruffs, and of course will bells on !

Snowshoe Hare, White Spirit Wolf, and Digger Dog

Raven Pastel Mixed media ' I Conjure Thee'

'I Conjure Thee '
Summoned through the Mists of Magic, Time and Space pay their obedience and homage to the Spell. The favoured Raven starts to assume his earthly form once again.

Mixed media, and Pastel work, complete size 11 1/2 square, framing to approx 9 1/2 inch square

Now available on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29691621

SORRY CONJURED AWAY TO A NEW ROOST

Raven, Magpie Cartoon Art

Here are three new mixed media bird cartoons
'Raven Time'

'Raven Air'

'Friends'
All three are now on Etsy, and will frame (visual area, showing) to approx 5 by 6 inches

Update these three are now on Etsy. 21st August

Wild Horses and More Blog

Carrols Blog 'Wildhorses and More' raises important issues of welfare and care of duty to the wildhorse herds in America Please pay a trip to her Blog and lend support with comments clicks and any way you can.


Update; Carrol has just left a comment that they are in the process of fighting to save 120 of their own wild horses from being sent to the slaughter houses, Thank you for the update, the more people know the better these practises should be exposed.



Thank you Carrol for the piece on Whoa Team and my Welsh Stallion Painting.

Carrol...PhotographingNature.etsy.com

http://wild-horse-and-more.blogspot.com/

Jersey Tiger Moth

This was the first time I had seen one of these, and have found it to be a Jersey Tiger Moth, The photo one of many I took with its wings closed it refused to open them except to fly away, it was a chilly day,. The colouring was very beautiful on the upper side of the wings a pretty Light Burnt Orange with creamy spotting. This was the info I found on it....

One of the most attractive of the Tiger moths, this species was until recently restricted in distribution to the Channel Islands and parts of the south coast . On the mainland it is commonest in south Devon, but colonies have recently appeared in Dorset and the 'Isle of Wight', and it has also been found in other southern counties. It now seems to be expanding its range quite quickly.

It flies both in the daytime, ( I took the photo at lunchtime) when it can be found feeding on various flowers, as well as at night, when it is attracted to light. The main flight period is July to September.
The hairy larvae feed on a range of herbaceous plants including nettle (Urtica)... (probably why it likes my Garden!!)

Cowes Week's Friday

Cowes Week's Fridays Attractions include a free display from the Red Arrows,we are fortunate as we live in the Area, and able to get stunning views of their Displays. With even more thundering fly pasts as they line up and fly low right over our house top roofs, heres just one of many...

As you can see, some are so close you can see the pilots..

Fireworks later tonight, when darker, after 9pm...

New Treasury on Etsy PORTRAIT of FOUR PAWS

Many Artists/Artisans and Creators of works that are members of The Etsy Whoa Horse Artists Team, will happily accept commisions to create a piece of Original artwork of your own pets, and animals.

This is a commission I completed many years ago of a 'Fishtailer' dog, I was told they were American/Canadian dogs originally used by the native americans for helping them catch fish. The lady who owned the one in the picture later commissioned a double portrait of her daughters two dogs, also Fishtailers, they had their Mountain rescue red official crosses on their collars as they were both used in mountain rescue on Mountains and Moors.

SARDA Search and Rescue Dogs Association( A Registered Charity)

A job which they loved and were very good at too.