My daughter is living in London, has been there one year and will be there at least one more year. My son is living in Holland for at least 4 years, so of course I am missing both of them, although I know they are doing what they want to do and are happy, so that makes me happy! Anyway, I had created this background a while ago just using Portfolio watersoluble oil pastels and painting over them with gesso. This is one of my favourite background creating techniques, so quick, easy and satisfying!

My daughter works as a personal trainer in London and is being very successful. She has a strong Artemis/Diana archetype thing happening I think….ie she’s very focused (aims her arrow and off she goes), very outdoorsy and fit, and very independent, being quite happy with her own company and not really needing a relationship. I am very admiring of this (having always been much more of a codependent-must-be-in-relationship-or-I’m-nothing type of gal!) Sometimes I just look at her in wonder and think, “where have you come from, amazingly wonderful woman??”

For the top border I just painted some newspaper to tone in with my dress and cut it in a zig zag pattern, and I really like the effect. It gives a more energetic and focused edge to the page which was otherwise quite soft and floaty looking. Used my new alphabet stamp set that I bought in the Blue Mountains a few weeks ago, it’s a typewriter font.

I always thought focused had 2 s’s but my spell check keeps telling me no, so there you go, I was wrong!

I’ve discovered I need to add these pictures as medium, not full size as they take too long to load and you, gentle reader, might get impatient! But I gather that if you click on the picture you can see it full size, so that’s all good then!