London and Lyon

I'm back in London, after spending the weekend+ with my daughter, her husband, and his family in Lyon. I haven't taken many photographs because my son-in-law has a new camera and he's snapping away at everything, and he's promised to send me his shots. But, until I get them, I've decided to put up some of mine here.

The opening shots are of London's King's Cross station ...

King's Cross St Pancras

a detail on a column

It's cold, and the leaves are turning to yellow and gold - except in this
little alcove

And now, on to Lyon:

The view from atop a hill, looking down on Lyon

We arrived at the basilica just as the bells pealed for the start of mass. So, we didn't get too much of a look-around inside. The outside was magnificent enough, I feel, to not make me feel too bad about missing the inside.

These details - above and below - are for me, and my doodly-art ;)

A sneaky pix of the inside while mass was being sung. We were there for about
five minutes. Brought back a lot of old memories of church-going-times for me.

The clear-blue skies of Lyon, on Sunday, were amazing.

It was tough getting down the huge steps; but a lot tougher climbing back up
to the top.

Roses, and rose-hips, growing right in the centre of town

A decent shot of the basilica, atop the hill, from Vieux Lyon

A pouffe, and some back-scratchers!

We have this black-and-white pouffe at home. It's supposed to look like a big, fat football, and it's just so  bleah.

So, the other day, I decided to doodle all over it.

I also have a bunch of back-scratchers - made of bamboo - that I'd bought to give away to a couple of friends. Yes, I decided to doodle on them, too!

It would be safe to deduce that if you have any blank surfaces around, you should hide them from me, and my doodling pens!!! :)

Here are the pix:

Jolie, and her cushion, sharing the picture with our 'new' pouffe!

I've included many sides here, because each hexagon got a different doodle :)

And, here are the back-scratchers. Perfect for those hard-to-reach places
on your back!

Those 'hands' give a mighty fine scratch! ;)

Another view of them, on my so-very-untidy worktable.

Daisy bento box

Recycling again. This time, a bento box - a gift from my friend Emily who asked that I please don't return it to her!

So, I've painted it for a friend I am planning to visit next month, and it will be filled with my sugee (semolina) cake. This friend is someone I've known for almost two years or so now, but we've only ever written to each other, or spoken over the phone. We'll be meeting for the first time next month, and I hope she'll like her present.

The design is not my own - it is Ros Singleton's and you can find it on her blog. It is so simple, really - and because daisies are one of my favourite flowers (and so easy to get all wrong), I have been in love with this design for the longest time.

I don't use a pattern. I just look at her design, and then paint it freehand.

I've only just finished  the box. I'll need to double-coat it with topcoat, and then leave it to cure/dry.

I didn't use any special paint - just ordinary acrylics, which may not prove the best choice, but I've been having problems with painting plastics, so I think I'll just topcoat this and tell my friend not to wash it too often. And, certainly not in a dishwasher. The topcoat will keep it safe: fingers crossed ;)

The bento box is made of shiny, black plastic. Does NOT photograph well :(

 See that little sprig of forget-me-nots on the bottom? That's there because my basket was a little off: tilted to one side. I added the flowers to hide it. Shhhhhhh...!

Two views of the sides of the box:

I painted a small motive all around the four corners.

A lazy susan

... of one-stroke roses, rose-buds, make-believe flowers and forget-me-nots.

Sitting on my kitchen table... it measures about 15 inches/39 cm across - so,
it's one of the larger projects I've painted.

Shot taken in the evening, with the lights on

... and in natural light

above and below: the requisite close-ups

The background is sprayed-on blackboard paint. I've not painted on the topcoat yet - because it has a light gloss, and the light bounces off it and messes up my shots.

Framed!

This is the first time I attempted painting something along with a frame for it as well.

Here are some roses I painted . . .

. . . and when I'd finished, I used the colours left on the palette to add little bits of interest on the frame.

You can see the deep red on the left corner; it's also on the upper right corner.
I also put some green on the the bottom right, and on it's diagonally opposite corner.
This way, I hoped to pull the whole thing together.

The whole caboodle is finished with two coats of Mod Podge, which gives it a nice soft sheen, and protects the surfaces as well.