Merry Christmas to all

Advent Baubles, 2012 © Frances Tyrrell

Five years of Advent baubles!  I started posting these in 2012, for fun and to celebrate the season with friends.  The first year was a miscellany, a bit of something from my book illustrations and card art, and also one of my ornament designs - a stork for a royal baby.

Fairy Advent 2013, Illustrated Fairy Gazette © Frances Tyrrell

It was all fairies for 2013, art from the original Illustrated Fairy Gazettes as well as the larger editions with Templar Publishing UK.

Birds Advent, 2014 © Frances Tyrrell

A flock of fanciful birds for 2014, with new art and many from my books. 

Huron Carol, Advent 2015, © Frances Tyrrell

 The beautiful Huron Carol was my choice for 2015, the nativity in a northern setting. 

Woodland Advent 2016 © Frances Tyrrell

 The Bears and friends made merry for Advent 2016, from Woodland Christmas (Scholastic 1995) and Woodland Nutcracker (Key Porter 1999). 

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Daffodils

Daffodil Fairies, The Illustrated Fairy Gazette

"Daffy-down-dilly has come to town, in a yellow petticoat and a green gown."  Every spring, when Ontario is still in freezing weather, I bring home the little pots of mini-daffs and other bulbs to brighten the windowsills.

Mini Daffs and Muscari

 They look so pretty, it leads to paintings.

Mini Daffs in a Mason Jar, watercolour

Even the smallest blossom merits a portrait.

Mini Daffs and Paint Water

One idea leads to another -  flower teacups like these.

Flower Teacups, Daffs

And so on, to a garden of teacups on my RedBubble shop. 

All from a pot of daffodils.