And here’s another drawing done on her book in ink and pencils. Let me know what you think:)

Earlier in the week I had a little stall in the market, selling some of my art for Mothers Day. If you sell often at markets, you’ll know that they can be a hit and miss. This one in particular was so quiet and the rainy weather didn’t help much either.

But on the positive side of things, I found a lovely vendor who sells beautiful handmade journals. I bought a pocket sketchbook from her and I can’t wait to sketch in it.

Then I came home and worked on the Moleskine exchange project. This is Rowland’s moleskine from Italy with a bit of gnome magic added on his pages.

I hope you like it!

Besides making them as art prints, I’ll be making a 2013 calendar, featuring all the Little Mos in their star signs. Keep a look out for it, I’m positive it will make a beautiful gift for someone you love!

Now…I just have to think of my next project to embark on, ideas anyone?

A bit about Scorpio Mo:
She has a mysterious and magnetic personality, yet she keeps her deepest thoughts guarded. Her temperament can be intense at times but beneath her harden exterior, she is a gentle and intuitive child.

A bit about Gemini Mo:
She is a bubbly and whimsical child, easily fascinated with what life has to offer. Because of her dual nature as symbolised by twins, she is adaptable and flexible with people and situations. A Gemini Mo gets restless quickly and craves for knowledge and new experiences to satisfy her inquisitive mind!

A bit about Libra Mo:
She is a quiet child who enjoys being in a calm and peaceful environment. Her diplomatic nature means she is always fair and logical. Whilst a Libra Mo can feel pressured to make tough decisions, she just has to find the perfect balance to reach her inner peace!

Oh yes mum, we bought a tea cabinet the other day! Gotta love second hand furniture shopping

Last month we visited the Chilli Festival for the first time. It was quite a fun affair with rows of stalls selling chilli plants and chilli infused food like chilli sauces, chilli wine and chilli beer.

We bought some spicy condiments and a box of very fresh and hot mixed chillies. In the box were some Bhut Jolokias, Fatalii, Morugas and even the fiery Trinidad Scorpion!

I was really inspired after our day out to make my own chilli jam!

Chilli Jam Recipe (makes 1 jar)

1kg ripe tomatoes
250g caster sugar
6 hot chillies, sliced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cranberry sauce
2 tbs fish sauce

Firstly, peel the skins off the tomatoes and chop them up. Place the tomatoes and sugar in a saucepan, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Add the rest of the ingredients into the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat and let it simmer for 1 or 2 hours until the jam thickens. Don’t worry if your jam seems watery in the beginning. As you cook it longer, it will gradually start to get thicker. Adjust the taste and chilli heat to your desire.

Let the jam sit in the saucepan, in a cool spot for 5 minutes before pouring it into a sterilised jar.

This sweet chilli jam makes a lovely spread on sandwiches and crackers, served with cold cuts. Enjoy!

A bit about Taurus Mo:
She is sweet, loving and enjoys showing affection to those around her. Whilst she may be known for her stubborn streak and strong willed nature, deep down a Taurus Mo is a confident child, determined to act upon her hearts desire!

I thought you might like to see the insides of our moleskine sketchbooks when they are all opened up:)

As the sketchbooks travel around, the pages gets filled up with drawings and paintings. I recently completed two books and have another 3 books to paint. I feel like doing something a little different with my contributions this time. Stay tuned.

Good Moly! A stack of moleskine sketchbooks arrived this week from Olivier and it prompted me to work on the Moleskine Sketchbook Exchange this weekend.

First off, Jen’s book. Jen’s moleskine theme is “Pretend” and even though it sounded fun and simple, I couldn’t come up with any decent ideas!

And while thinking hard, I was imagining myself in a different place (I know, so bad of me!). I imagined if I could be anywhere right now, I would love to be sitting in a room with a pretty view. Before I knew it, I was painting my ‘pretend’ window.

A couple more leaves later (and a cat)…

I finished the piece with an Emily Dickinson poem. I think it’s a lovely poem that describes the first blush of the day. I hope you like it Jen!

Dawn
When night is almost done,
And sunrise grows so near
That we can touch the spaces,
It’s time to smooth the hair

And get the dimples ready,
And wonder we could care
For that old faded midnight
That frightened but an hour.