Fresh start

I'm back from my holiday and had a lovely time. Well I've been home for over a week but been back at work so this is my proper day off since coming home. I have been busy though. i bought a book, extraordinary sketchbooks and also looked at some of my other books. I also celebrated my birthday while on holiday, we spent the day watching whales on a boat, swam with some invisible turtles and the evening was spent at a wonderful restaurant with my husband and daughter, my son was home although was also due to travel before we got home. He got to spend mothers day with me so all was not lost.I got a voucher for Hobbycraft however I own half the stock that any hobby shops own and am trying to pair down what I own, so I didn't want to add to it too much but I did need some new paintbrushes as mine seem to have disappeared, I got some mid range brushes as I have one very good one although the handle was chewed by my dog when she was a puppy, it still works though. I thought the better brushes might make my painting a bit better. I also bought a new sketchbook, not that I needed another one but it was square and just the right size.
I have decided to make this sketchbook a theme and that will be about textiles, embroidery stitching, either my own or other peoples that inspire me. I hope to make it a colourful book thereby using some of my supplies, I may stitch or use any other media in it and I hope it will inform my further work. Of all the things i love doing I decided yesterday it is embroidery and drawing, so I hope to improve in both these areas.
This was sketched from my iphone from a woodland walk, I wanted it to be very free and loose but i think I need to improve my photography as it is skew whiff.
This was also drawn from my iphone and was inspired by a giant tortoise that chased my dramatic daughter whilst on holiday. I tried to paint the sketches but the ink leaked, i may try and use my coloured pencils on it.

I have no problem drawing and stitching but I find it a problem to keep going on the computer so have decided to post on my day off and try and read posts on that day or when free at work, it can be all consuming trying to read everyones blogs as it then stops me from doing any work to show. I hope nobody minds.