Jill Butler Design

I started this painting a couple of months ago....

 ...and got rather overwhelmed with the amount of work it was going to take to finish it.  I put it aside. But, I've picked it up again...

....and have decided to tackle it in bite sized bits....

...just a flower a day... Jill xx

I have a few small paintings now for sale in my online shop.




These are small acrylic paintings...just 13 cm x 13 cm and painted on hand sawed pine boards, They are part of the collection of paintings I completed in last years 100 day project.   On the back is a string loop so that they can be easily hung on your wall.



Jill xx

I'm having a stock clearance sale!

Sets of 4 printed calico coasters were $25 and are now only $15 Sets of 2 printed calico placemats were$32 and are now only $25






All of these products are made of hand screen printed calico, mounted on a wooden base, backed with felt to protect your table, and are sprayed with scotchgard for waterproofing.
If you are interested in buying please go to my online store.These are the last of these products in stock.
New products will be in store shortly!  regards, Jill xx

I sat down in the garden after lunch today and practiced drawing roses.  This gorgeous plant produces great blousy blooms. I'm feeling very rusty in the drawing department so, doing these roses presented quite a challenge. Note to self...must do more drawing!!





Jill xx

...a Sunday afternoon project.

Jill xx

Not terribly much! 
I've finished the pile of coasters that I started last week. Now I just need to package them, photograph them and load them into my shop. I'm thinking of making little calico bags to hold each set of four. I'll play around with that idea over the weekend.

 I've also printed a couple of daisy placemats and have started to varnish them. I always apply 4 coats of varnish to my coasters and placemats.

Jill xx

A month ago I found this cabinet beside the road with a sign on it...'free'. It had a rather dark varnished, so last weekend I sanded it back and painted it white. Only the top coat to go! It'll be perfect in my bedroom.

I've also been creating some gardens around my cottage. I've planted impatiens in the garden under my fruit trees (they're just tiny dots of colour right now), and would like to have a variety of daisies brightening the corner below. I also plan to paint the old garden chairs. 
So hopefully this rather dull corner will be a lot brighter in the future... 

So...todays blog has really been a bunch of  'before' photos. Hopefully some day soon I'll be taking the 'after' shots. Jill xx

Friday night was spent around a friends kitchen table making pom pom decorations. 5 women...food, wine and masses of laughter...a great way to start the weekend!
Here are the two I made, hung in my kitchen and on my deck.


Jill xx

...varnishing.
I am playing with the idea of making teapot stands. (Another project that has taken the back burner for a while). I printed the wood a few months ago and yesterday decided to continue making them. Yesterday I painted the edges white and today I am varnishing them. Then all I need to do is back them with felt so that they don't scratch any table they are placed upon.
. I'm also going to varnish the coasters I printed the other day as I'd like to put them in my online shop next week. Jill xx

...just a little celebration of spring. I hope you have a lovely day. Jill xx

I put aside my hand painted hydrangea screen for a while, without quite finishing it. I think I was a  little nervous about the hand paintedness of it as opposed to the computer generated designs I have printed in the past with their concise clear cut edges. So it 'rested' in the corner of the studio for a while, until I finished it last week. Funnily, now I quite like the fact that it has a bit more of a hand made look. 
I have made a first print...white on grey cotton. A cushion perhaps?

Jill xx

Yesterday afternoon I did some screen printing. Here are some coasters drying off before I start applying coats of varnish. At the moment I'm liking the fresh white ink against the wood. Jill xx

This afternoon as I sat in the sun on my deck and sanded some coasters, preparing them for printing, I thought how much I love the hands on earthiness of being a crafts-person.

Jill xx

Last night I got sick of seeing my unopened, unused new visual diary sitting on my desk. The pages were too dauntingly white and perfect, so I decided I needed to just scribble something to make it imperfect and mine.
Jill xx

Not quite sure where this is going, but I've mapped out the basic pattern and filled in some colour. So...now I'll get back to it and see what happens....
 Jill xx

Jill xx

....I have been painting.... Here are some pictures of my work in progress.



Jill xx

Jill xx

When the weather is fine, and I have free time, I tend to get out into the garden. But with the weather being so miserable lately, I've spent a lot more time indoors, where other interests have beckoned.

I've already mentioned doing a bit of bead work. Well, I've also done a bit of sewing. Last night I made a top from some fabric I've had for a few years and hadn't got around to doing anything with it.


...and I've begun knitting...for the first time in a couple of decades! Seeing all the lovely work done by fellow bloggers has put me in the mood. A couple of weeks ago a friend gave me some wool. So...I'm knitting a scarf. I'm slow and unpracticed, but I'm enjoying doing it. The simple pattern means I can just do it here and there, without much thought, just enjoying the meditative quality of 2 pearl, 2 plain, 2 pearl, 2 plain....


As I write I have done about 25 cm. It's going to take me a while. By next winter perhaps? :)
Jill xx