Paintings - and pretty things

It has taken a while to finish this little painting. I've had the magazine to put together this week, and as it's the holidays too,  spare time has been in short supply. The thing I most enjoyed painting in this picture is the granny blanket under the picnic hamper. I may not be able to make one, but at least now I know I can paint one! It took a long time, using a very small brush. There were a few false starts with this picture. I had a prototype which I quite liked, but just as I was inking in the details, a huge black ink blot appeared on the end of my pen and plopped on to the paper, and it was back to the drawing board....

I use an old fashioned nibbed pen and Indian Ink. This ink is a really true black, but if you make a mistake, you have to forget any rescue measures. You really need to begin again.
We had a lovely family trip to Cambridge on Tuesday, my sons, my mum and me. I found a few small treasures along the way, including this beautiful book from Oxfam. I love this cover.

I saw this beautiful card in a gallery shop. I have been an admirer of this artist for a while. She is based in Cambridge, and makes these fantastic collages with recycled magazines. Emma Bennett Collage. She makes notebooks and mugs and sells via a website www.emmabennettcollage.co.uk Well worth a look, I think she is brilliant.

This is called Cambridge Cows. Aren't the colours gorgeous? They are even better in real life, not quite as dark as is showing here. 
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. We're still having some mild and sunny weather here.