Dear Santa...

Though I love my two dogs dearly, I would still love to get a pug and a bald cat or just an ordinary cat as i've never had one. I seem to like wrinkly looking animals:)

Wish List...

Some beautiful artwork for my beautiful future home.

Some skills and courage in my work.

Stories and Whatnot...

Again my computer lacks the knowledge and kindness to let me upload my photos...but someday...it will...

Today I swapped a drawing for some ceramics. The drawing was of a ceramics student dressed in burlesque. The event was called Abit Sketchy; hosted by two ceramic students who are raising money for a stall in London. I swapped a drawing for two of Anna's baby dolls arms, which you can find on her website:www.wix.com/almurfin/a-muse

At the moment I am working on the Macmillan Prize project, where I have to write a story and illustrate it and create a dummy book. I think the winner might get their story published or be able to illustrate for kids books. I think my sister might be helping me out with my story...it's going to be about a piece of paper that's discarded and flies and turns into a boat etc. At sompoint when the project is done, I will upload pics of my sketchbook work.

Been doing quite a bit of origami at the moment.

I watched Alice In Wonderland the other day.

I love the blue caterpillar. How adorable is he! With his little monocle!...A-DOR-ABLE!...

And I looooove the Cheshire cat!...And Stephen Fry's vouce goes wonderfully with the beauty of the cat! I just wanna sniggle his face!...

Anyway. That is all I can muster today. I'm too hungry to write more.

Live long and prosper.

WORK?

Today I must work, work, work! as I have a project to have in on Tuesday: RePackage: where we had to buy a product for £1 and repackage it to be retail it at £2...AND...I have a stall at next Friday's book fair. I'm excited but a bit nervouse. Should be great...if anyone finds my work any good. Going to do some of my usual styled drawings of objects around my house as apparently i'm no good at drawing people...probably true...but objects...HUZZAH!...

One of the books I am making for the fair is on my little trip around Preston and taking photos of the old and derelict buildings and anything that I thought was pretty.

For the Re-Package brief I have to repackacge a mascara. I have a few ideas but need to get it done.

And then there's the work for my elective...the neverendingness!

Today I hope to go to NEXT and my boyfriend buy me something...as he said he would...heh...and then i'll work and then watch Jurassic Park...or Battlestar Galactica. It's great to be a geek.

Oh, yeah! I also got a new tattoo last week with my sister...we got Mordez Moi...which means Bite Me in french and we got it on our neck. We love vampires you see...always have...always will...especially the romantic kind...the ones with grace and beauty that suck you in, rather than the ones that squeal and open their mouths too wide...they're still fun...but it's nice to be romanced by a film or book.

I'm such a big girl ...ha!

Merry Christmas One and All!...

Here in England it has been snowing for a good few days...maybe about 3/4. It hasn't snowed today but we shall see!...I made my first snow angel yesterday. It felt pretty f'ing good!...

It is now the early hours of Christmas day. 4am to be precise. The pups have decided to wake up and i'm knackered from helping my mum wrap presents. I still get my mum to make a stocking up for me to put at the end of my bed. I LOVE IT!...I hope to be in my 90's and still getting a stocking full of presents. I just love reaching down the bed and feeling a lumpy bumpy stocking. The pure excitement!...Argh!...

So far I have given my mum her presents. I think she was pretty chuffed with them. I got her a cookbook, Pinocchio on DVD and some chocolates:)...my boyfriend and I decided to give a 2 presents to each other and wait to give the rest till tomorrow when he comes home. I gave him the Usual suspects on Blu-Ray and a Bop It! (He's wanted a Bop It since he was a kid!) I thought it would annoy me but it's actually really fun!...He gave me the Jurassic Park book and a teddy of Carol from Where The Wild Things Are! I love them!

Tomorrow, for the first time ever...I will be making THE Turkey...and a pavlova. I'm a vegetarian so the turkey isn't for me but I thought it would be nice to give my mum a break, plus, I love the look on people's faces when they like what i've cooked/baked. Turkey feels funny. I respect the beautiful dead bird. I hope to have some lovely taxidermy birds in my own little library one day...just watching me read.

I should go to bed now as it is bloody late...early. I need to brush my teeth and get warm...I was going to read some more Jurassic Park but I think that can wait till tomorrow. The puppies are yapping. PLEASE SLEEP PUPS...SLLLLEEEEP!...I am shaking with the cold and excitement.

Tomorrow i'm going to walk my dog and wish strangers a Merry Christmas. I'm also going to cook and bake and give and recieve gifts. I hope all of you out there have an amazing Christmas. May your gifts be magical, may your families be warm and loving. May there be smiles draped in Turkey and alcohol. My love to all you wonderous people...R.I.P to all that have passed, you will be remembered. Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Snow Covered X-Ray hands...

For the first time in about a year or more, I have a cold. It sucks. I keep losing my voice so when I try and say thankyou to someone in a shop or shout my dog to come here I just squeak and people think i'm the old lady from Poltergeist...maybe I am.

Today James and I decorated our 3ft tree. It's 3ft so that our pups can't devour it or our presents...it's up on some drawers. It looks very cute I must say, with candy canes and little wooden snowmen and trains...and the strange clear but unclear baubles, and the fairy lights peeking out between the green, snow covered tinsel. I do love getting ready for christmas.

ALSO...Today it snowed. I can't describe how happy it made me feel. I felt like a little kid with a giant grin and a look of amazement. It's amazing how snow effects people...at uni people were running from their classrooms to take photos together in the snow. I took photos of them with my Lomo Diana F+ in black and white. Hope they turn out pretty. I love black and white photos...It may not of snowed enough to make a snowman...but the cold is here...I thought it was here before...but now it is bitterly cold...it makes me want William Duvall's scarf...

A few days ago me and James saw Florence and the Machine at Manchester Apollo...I was rather annoyed as tall people got in my way...as per usual...I wish I had long legs...like flesh stilts...I felt wront typing that but it felt right enough to be kept in this entry. Florence has an amazing voice...and she's so beautiful.

Before that we saw Alice In Chains again at Brixton Academy. We got right to the front and they were AMAZING!...I waved to Mike during one of the slow songs and he mouthed,"hiya" to me...he's a lovely guy...I just wanna give him a giant hug!...and William Duvall's voice is amazing...it just seems to howl at my soul and makes my soul dance like it's ice skating...if that makes any sense at all?...

I have only just finished uni properly today for christmas. I always take in a deep breath and then do a big sigh...like some kind of ritual. I stayed up for 30 hours the other day. I got worried the other day thinking that i'm nicest when I haven't had enough sleep.

One thing I must say is this...Audrey Tautou is so beautiful it makes me want to take my face off...i;m not coming across sane but I doubt sanity exists anymore. She is beautiful though. I wish I was her as Amelie...though I would like to think that I have some little quirks like Amelie. Though I feel like I look like a troll sometimes.

Some other things that make me happy...

Alicia Bock... Her photos seem so dreamlike...I'm a bit mad on birds at the moment...so her photos of birds flying just make me so happy.
Kate Wilson...I love her little drawings. Her little birds amuse me and I love the tea stained paper and colour points.

Brandi Milne...Everyone should know this lady. She's not just an amazing artist, she's so lovely too. This is one of my favourite pieces by her. I think it is called, "Candy Thief". I just the love the colours and I love how she uses different languages in her art. Muchos Love lady!

I'm quite excited for christmas and for entering competitions. Now I have now work to have in for uni, I can feel my inspiration and need and want to draw come back, like my extremeties warming up from the cold. I feel awake and though i've put on weight from working and not working out...i'm happy. I've made a few books tonight and can't wait to sell my books at the bookfair in January!!!...Going to get some photographs and drawings done over christmas for them...a little hint on what one of them will be............................be careful where you fall asleep!...

Anyways...I have gone on enough...so Fare Thee Well, few followers I have!

Yawn and mad Love...

Today has been much better than yesterday was...as I was extremely angry...i'm a very grumpy lady at times you see. Due to "the evil one" in my family mostly...or just because of the silly little things that bug me.

Today has been better because last night I got to hang out with one of my best friends and her boyfriend and my boyfriend and watch a bunch of films and pig out. We then came home to be greeted by our puppies and then I got to freak out while the door creaked in the wind (as we had just watched Paranormal Activities and I was convincing myself there was a demon outside my door)...anyways...TODAY!...I got up and took my daily 11am photograph for my project. I then got mine and James' breakfast and spent time with the pups. I walked Bruce and we bought the pups a giant bed so they can all snuggle up together. We then pigged out a bit and I did a bit of photography using my manual camera. I bought a Lomo Diana camera...which is my tutor's fault as he mentioned the Lomo Diana on facebook and I thought, "Ooh what's one of those?"...and I fell in love instantly with the turquoie and black plastic camera. I can't wait for it to come.

I have also been exceedingly busy recently. The other illustration students were'nt kidding when they said that second year would be harder.
WORK TO BE DONE:...Publishing/Food Writing elective...I have to interview people and collect recipes and history on them for a book my group are making on Lancashire food. Illustration: Re-do 2 projects and try and make a good A1 poster for the library on the subject TIME...
I keep doubting my illustrative abilities due to everyone in my class being so talented!...I am also making some books to sell on a stall at my university and I am writing a 2000 essay...
PERSONAL PROJECTS:...Still putting together a box for my friend and talented artist Brandi Milne and I am going to draw a picture for each member of Alice In Chains, one for Florence from Florence and the Machine and a picture for Jimmy Carr...just incase I meet them after seeing them.
It is soooo COLD here! It's horrible...it makes me want to stay in bed as it's awful getting out of my warm bed in the mornings! God bless layers!...
Hopefully I will be getting a new printer tomorrow...which should help with my work...research and printing on things that the local printers wont dare to print on...I am magical ;)...
Anyways...it is about 3am so I should go say goosnight to my dogs then look foward to getting lots of work done tomorrow...
I can't wait to go to Manchester on Wedmesday aswell...going to the museum and going to draw stuffed animals...mummy's and insects and do a bit of christmas shopping. So much to do...argh!...