My Toolbox

Every aspiring folk artist rapidly collects a set of useful tools, such as pencils, liner pens, scissors, rubbers, cotton buds, cocktail sticks, sponges, masking tape and much more.

I've gathered my bits and pieces into a box that was orginally given away free with those part work magazines. This one once held art materials - one pen or paint collected every week if you continued to buy the magazine (which I didn't - I just wanted the box!)

On the basis that no self-respecting folk artist leaves a surface unpainted, I've painted "Lizzy finds a treasure" by Lydia Steeves on the lid of the box. I'm not a fan of twee, but I do like whimsy, and Lydia's collection of animal patterns definitely falls into this category.

The box is painted with Americana Decoart acrylic paints, using a wet on wet technique to create a "blotchy" background, and then following instructions, including remembering to shade and highlight to bring life to the painting.

Christmas recipe folder

I collect recipes from the web and magazines, as well as having a shelf full of cookbooks. Christmas cooking is special, and I have so many different recipes for stuffings, cakes, pies and great ways to make sprouts edible, that I decided I needed a separate folder.

This is a standard file, painted black, with a simple holly and Christmas rose design, passed to me by my teacher, Maggie Curtis.

The lettering is again the cane candy design published in PaintWorks December 2009 magazine by Margot A Clark.