bird ahoy

creating a mood

2011-08-31T11:59:00.001+01:00

I’ve been having fun with my camera, taking photos of my new pyrography necklaces for my etsy shop. The forest has been great for finding different textures and backgrounds. I completely lost track of time and it became like when I am drawing, completely focused on just one thing, all the stress of life melted away.

Trying to think up ways of putting across my feelings for these necklaces through the photos is hard but I think I’m getting there! I’m hoping to come up with a sort of formula to make the following necklaces quicker to put into the shop.

I’m not sure I can count the photography part as work because I enjoy it so much, and there’s the added bonus that Floss gets a walk at the same time.

I have noticed the leaves changing colour already and Autumn is definitely in the air. The smell of Autumn in the forest is so evocative for me. When I was four, my first night away from home was with school to a place called Fox Howl in the forest. I can still remember the ranger taking us on a walk to show us all the different types of fungi. It was all such a big adventure.

finished!

2011-08-27T12:30:00.001+01:00

I took a deep breath and polished the oxidisation off. I hope they’re pleased with it.

silver patina

2011-08-26T17:53:00.001+01:00

I’ve been making a keepsake for my god-daughter-to-be with silver metal clay. I took some photos after I oxidised the pendant with liver of sulphur because the colours that appeared were really beautiful. I can hardly bare to polish this back but the original idea was just to give it an antique finish and make the letter stand out more. I know it’s possible to keep patinas like this with some special wax but I think they eventually darken. Mmmm… what to do???!

sketchbook honey bee to thank you card

2011-08-10T15:51:00.001+01:00

I recently bought myself some new Triplus pens and they have completely changed the way I use my sketchbook. I just love them! I use them for drawing, sketching out ideas, trying designs for pyrography, list making and lots more.

I drew this bee in my sketchbook, the amazing thing about drawing is that you notice and learn so much more about the subject you’re studying. For instance, I never knew that bees had little claw-like feet and such hairy legs!

I scanned my drawing into Photoshop and after a bit of tweaking came up with this which I liked better for what I had in mind.

It was one day last week, we were walking Floss and got talking to a man outside his house who owns a chocolate factory (can you imagine how lovely that would be?!). He told us he keeps bees so he can use the honey in his confectionery. I’ve always been interested in beekeeping so asked him lots of questions and then as I was getting round to asking him if he sold the wax (thinking that it would be great to use on my pyrography being so local) he fetched us a jar of honey and wouldn’t take anything in return.

A thank you card! I hope he likes it.

And to think, that honey might have been made using the flowers from our garden! How ace is that? I’ve never tried local honey before. It doesn’t taste like any honey I’ve tasted before and it’s delicious.

Recently…

2011-08-04T15:57:00.000+01:00

A lovely sunny weekend exploring the honey coloured villages and towns of the Cotswolds. I wish I had some photos to show you of the magical cottage gardens we saw. There seems to be a big hollyhock fan club. They were everywhere. There also seems to be lots of old fashioned sweet shops with jars upon jars of goodies. I hope my dentist is not reading this.

Usually before I go away I do loads of research to make sure we’re not missing anything but this time we went without a clue of what we would find and left it all to chance. Very relaxing just wandering on a whim. It turned out that Hidcote was just down the road.

This huge garden is divided in lots of ‘rooms’ all with different characters. The mural below was a big surprise.

It’s hard to tell which is painting and which is part of the structure.

All in all a great weekend and there’s still so much of our fab country that I’ve never been too. Where is your favourite place for a weekend away?

A peek at what I’ve been crafting…

2011-07-26T16:31:00.001+01:00

I’ve been woodburning designs and patterns onto beads and making necklaces with my pyrography kit. For ages now I’ve been fascinated by tattoos, especially old school type tatts. I’d love to get one done (my mum is horrified by this even though I’m in my mid 30’s! Haha!) but I hate needles so it will take a lot of courage. I’m a big fan of The Cannibal Bonbon blog, her work is amazing! So maybe one day I will travel to Paris for a tattoo. Maybe! In the mean time I will play with some tatts on wood and I’ll wear one round my neck instead.

I’ve got lots more designs to show you, many of them are geometric patterns (another fascination of mine at the moment) and I’m working on building up a collection and putting them in my etsy shop. I’d really like to open a new shop with a brand new name for my pyrography but I’m finding it hard to choose one and I’m not sure it’s a good idea after building up some good feedback with Bird Ahoy. But now would be the best time to do it. What to do… what to do…?

Any suggestions would be very welcome! Especially for a name.

old red fox pyrography

2011-05-24T15:20:00.000+01:00

My latest woodburning.

Old Red’s a wily fox who likes nothing more than finding a quiet spot to sunbath. He knows that he’s less likely to be spotted if he follows the edge of the field and in any case, everyone knows that the edge is always the most interesting place to be with all the wild flowers, animals and birds nesting!

I have taken to hanging these little circles of English sycamore wood on the wall like mini artworks.

There is also a small slice of yew that I’m working on from the timber yard down the road. I’ve decided on a sleeping fox this time. Rumours of a mini festival being organised at the yard centred around wood craft with a barbeque and some live music have caught my interest. Sounds like fun! My friend asked if I’d like to show some of my work so of course I said yes! Better get cracking then!

Bye for now.

Where I would love to live…

2011-05-23T19:43:00.000+01:00

Marloes beach in Pembrokeshire.

We have not long come back from a lovely break which included in no particular order:

Lots of gorgeous beaches, some sandy, some pebbly, some rocky, some deserted, some with other dogs to play with.

Freshwater West

A boat trip round Ramsey Island which Floss seemed to really enjoy (her second boat trip ever!) We saw seals, razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, blackbacks, gannets and a buzzard.

Boat trip from St. Justinians around Ramsey Island

A game of rounders on Barafundle beach with Flossy’s tennis ball and a driftwood bat. Great fun, especially with our lightning-fast furry black fielder!
Over-sized food… in the form of a giant ice cream that Mr P accidently ordered to the amusement of the queue behind him. I laughed so much I cried and Floss somehow ended up with it all over her head as it dripped through the picnic bench. There was also a giant hot chocolate drank in a breezy beer garden at the Druidstone Hotel (a mad, arty, laid back place if ever there was one!)

Humongous hot chocolate at The Druidstone Hotel

Stumbling across an exhibition at a fab gallery in St Davids of one of our fav artists, Chris Neale. It must have been fate and a painting was somehow found room for in the car for the journey home.
A fab holiday house in Little Haven called Regatta Cottage. We fell asleep to the sound of waves breaking on the beach and there was a great spot on the terrace to watch the sun setting over the sea. It also had an ace shower in the ensuite.

Little Haven

Beautiful wild flowers everywhere, the bluebells and red campion looked so beautiful against the bright green of the cow parsley flower buds on the tall banks down the winding lanes.
Seaweed! On one beach in particular I found so many different types of different shapes, sizes and colours that I went a bit mad with the camera and ran the battery down!

A couple of good drenchings. Well it wouldn’t be a proper British holiday without it and as long as you’ve got the right clothing and a pub to dry off in afterwards there’s no reason not to get out there.

Looking out towards Skomer Island.

Strolling round the little harbour of Porthgain and eating fish and chips at The Shed.

Porthgain

Buying some sea thrift from the perennial nursery as a souvenir so I will be reminded when I’m in the garden.

Traeth Llyfn

I think my one ambition in life is to live here one day. Can’t wait to go back again soon!

exciting parcel

2011-04-18T16:01:00.002+01:00

It wasn’t my birthday, but it felt like it when this came through the post! Gorgeous wrapped goods from vintage squirrel! Look at that lovely ceramic button!!

And inside was the lovely woolly flower brooch I have had my eye on since I saw it in this blog post.

The only photo out of about 30 that I managed to focus on the flower!
I’ve been wearing it constantly since I received it. Thanks Katie! I really think you should charge more for them. I am very tempted to buy another in different colours.

lovely aberdovey

2011-03-21T15:41:00.001Z

Wanderlust led us to Aberdovey on the Snowdonia coast this weekend.

We travelled through the dead of night and found ourselves winding our way up the side of a mountain, bumping over pot holes, around hairpin bends to a little wooden cabin. The moon was so big and bright it lit up the whole of the estuary below and the hills beyond.

The next morning the sun shone as though it was summer and we ate our breakfast outside a cafe wearing our sunglasses and later relaxed in a beer garden overlooking the estuary. The golden sandy beach stretches on for miles, backed by sand dunes and with glorious views we walked and played with Floss, kicking her ball for her to fetch. It was so good to spend some time together.

There is nothing like exploring a new place to refresh your creative spirit.

a thoroughly English afternoon tea

2011-03-03T16:19:00.000Z

On Sunday Mr P treated me to afternoon tea at a posh hotel. When we arrived a table had been all laid out for us in a quiet lounge next to a large window overlooking over the gardens. We settled down on a comfy sofa and soon the table was filled with tea, cakes and finger sandwiches. After being on a diet (admittedly on and off but mostly on) since October and finally hitting my target weight, I almost squealed with delight to see mini chocolate éclairs and scones with clotted cream. The scones were so light they would have blown away had the window been opened! Everything was delish and we almost managed to polish it all off.

A woman who saw me taking photos offered to take one of the two of us and this was the result. Isn’t it posh?! We both had a giggle at it as it’s really not us at all. But a lovely reminder of an exquisite couple of hours away from the norm.

painted pebbles

2011-02-27T18:59:00.001Z

I got a bit fed up with the dust from engraving pebbles recently and decided to try painting them for a change. So much easier to clean up afterwards! The beautiful piece of wood underneath is a piece of yew branch that my friend cut and sanded for me. It’s so lovely that I’m struggling to take my pyrography pen anywhere near it, although my friend is insisting that’s why he gave it to me. I am ecstatic to have some local wood that has come from a tree surgeon who is very passionate about trees. He always tries to find the best use for every part of the trees he works with (if he can’t save them) and does his best to make sure the wood won’t end up in a landfill in 30 years time by becoming cheap veneered furniture.

Anyway, back to the pebbles… birds and foxes, I think my favourite is the owl. I’ve come to realise that if I draw them straight out onto the pebble without using my sketchbook they have more spontaneity and better lines. All these pebbles are quite tiny and I had to use a very fine brush.

Did you hear the good news about the forests?!!! I was so relieved to hear the announcement that after the immense public response our government have decided to drop their plans to sell our public woodland!!!!! How brilliant is that?!!! Thank you so much to everyone who signed the petition or wrote an email. People power really does work!!

toadstools

2011-02-16T15:47:00.001Z

Yes, I’ve been at it again and I’m still lost in the woods but with the mushrooms this time. I enjoyed trying out some more pen and ink type hatching on this woodburning. Although I wish that I’d made the toadstool a bit more jaunty looking. Maybe I’ll do another one. I’ve been using Danish oil on the previous woodburnings to finish them off although I’d like a more environmentally friendly oil finish if there is one. Any ideas?

If I’m not burning bits of wood with my pyrography machine or out walking Floss I’m to be found curled up somewhere with my new kindle, a present from Mr P. I downloaded Jane Eyre as my first book to read, never read it before and really loving it. Although it seems paradoxical to be reading a book written in the 19th century on an electronic device and I am feeling a bit sentimentally lost without the feel of paper and the smell of a real book, I also love the fact that I never lose my page, my arm never aches and it’s just so easy to turn the page or look up a word that I don’t understand, I can read in bed without waking Mr P up too. I’ve always been a bit of a night owl. Also, I love the random pictures of authors which appear when you turn the device off. Has anyone else got one?

Right, must go and walk Floss in the forest before it goes dark. Bye for now.

green deep woods

2011-02-06T18:57:00.000Z

Here is my latest offering… a piece of sycamore burned with a bird in the rain. I changed the wire ‘nib’ on the wood burning machine for this one. It has a sort of spoon shape and is good for shading.

The woods are on my mind a lot at the moment. On Wednesday the government, after a heated debate followed by a divided vote and then a further vote behind locked doors, finally opted to go ahead and sell our public forests and woodland. This isn’t the end of the road though, as the Save Our Woods campaign journey will carry on to the House of Lords and the House of Commons. You can still sign the petition here… it will make a difference. Over 450,000 people have now added their names! During the debate a number of conservative MPs also expressed concern about the amount of letters they were receiving from their constituents… write to your MP here. It’s made very easy for you and only takes a few minutes depending on how much you want to add.

on not knowing when to stop

2011-02-03T14:30:00.001Z

So this is how it is now.

And this is how it was when I should have probably stopped.

I don’t know, what do you think?

I just can’t seem to stop tweaking things sometimes and then eventually I forget where I started from.

I think I just wanted it to look older and a bit worn and not so pristine. Not sure if I succeeded or not without ruining it.

Anyway, these two squirrels are enjoying a cup of nut tea on a huge fly agaric mushroom! I used another piece of English sycamore for the wood burning, it’s a large key ring.

I got a bit het up before when I was reading the news. The pope’s visit last year cost the taxpayer £10m, this was for just a few days. Apparently that is around about the same amount it costs the government (after timber sales) to look after the forests for a whole year. No disrespect, but I know which I would rather have.

If you haven’t already signed the petition to stop the government selling our public forests, please sign it here. You can also email your MP. The website makes it really easy to do and call me sad but it’s quite exciting to get a fancy letter through your door with ‘House of Commons’ embossed on the envelope (not cutting the stationery budget then?).

Right, feeling much calmer now, which is good considering I’m about to get hold of that pyrography machine again!

a magical place

2011-02-02T17:55:00.001Z

On Sunday we spent a few tranquil but freezing cold hours on Llanddwyn Island (also known as lover’s island) on Anglesey. It’s a really special place and when you’re there you feel like you’re a million miles away from civilisation.

These tiny cottages used to be where the lighthouse keeper lived, I can’t imagine what that must have been like. Now they are all empty and one houses an exhibition of the island.

This is a very ancient, spiritual place. The view across the sea to the mountains of Snowdonia is really beautiful and the light is ever changing.

The only residents are the ponies who keep the grass down.

A really lovely place to be.
Strangely, I turned the TV on last night and there was a film on called Half Light with Demi Moore in it. She was standing in a red and white lighthouse and I said to Mr P that looks just like Llanddwyn but with a red and white lighthouse superimposed on it, and sure enough it was.

smouldering wood

2011-01-27T23:15:00.000Z

The first attempt using my new pyrography machine was so much fun and my hair had the faint aroma of wood smoke for the rest of the evening. It surprised me how slow the process was but I found it so relaxing and satisfying that I’m looking forward to doing another one. First though I can’t decide if I’ve finished this piece or not and I’m in two minds as to whether I should fill in the tree or not. I have a bad habit of always pushing things too far and then wishing I hadn’t so I’ve decided to leave it for now. What do you think?

It’s destined to be either a large key ring or a small wall hanging.

I used an idea from my sketchbook. All my ideas seem to revolve around the forest these days probably because of my daily walks with Floss. It seemed fitting to use a nature based idea on the wood which is a lovely piece of English sycamore.

This is the wire tip that heats up to burn the wood. You can make all sorts of marks and tones depending on how long you hold it on the wood.

Speaking of the forest, the government is planning on selling off our precious woodland. You can find out more about it here and more importantly, there is a public consultation starting from today that will run for 12 weeks until 21st April 2011. If the issue is important to you then please take the time to respond to it. You can find the document on the forestry commission website and it is possible to respond online. This is our chance to make our views known.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

silver tea party

2011-01-20T17:18:00.002Z

My mum loves tea and always makes it properly in a pot. It is always brought out on a tray with the milk in a little jug and a separate pot of hot water. It is their ritual at least three times a day. I think my mum would stop functioning without her daily cuppa.

So I decided to make a tea necklace. It took me a while to figure out how to construct a teapot from metal clay. I knew if I tried to make it straight from the clay that it would start to dry and crack before I’d finished it because of the short working time. So I made a prototype from polymer clay first. I spent ages getting it just how I wanted it and it was very fiddly being so small. When it was finished I realised that to make life much easier for myself I could make a silicon mould from it to create an exact replica (albeit a slightly smaller one with the shrinkage of the clay when it’s fired). That was a lot of fun! So I made a tea cup too.

The moulds were very easy to work with, the clay popped out without any problems, even with the very thin handles to deal with.

After firing and aging with liver of sulphur it looked like an old, well used teapot and I strung it with some crystals and a magnetic clasp to make it easy to take on and off.

I just wish the price of silver would come down. There are so many things dancing around in my head that I’d like to make but it is so expensive at the moment. I will have to start drawing them out in my sketchbook in preparation.

silver trinkets

2011-01-06T18:08:00.004Z

I wanted to make Mr P a very personal gift so I spent some time thinking about textures and things he loves and holds dear. There is a pair of leather boots that he’s very attached to that I will forever associate with him so I decided to make a texture plate using some polymer clay. I was really pleased with the amount of detail it picked up and transferred to the metal clay. When I aged the fired silver with liver of sulphur and polished it back, the texture really popped out. It was like magic.

I think Mr P likes it. It’s dangling from his neck as I type.

a new year’s list

2011-01-04T18:25:00.001Z

More…

blogging
crafting
laughing
fun
talking
loving
understanding
spending time wisely
making
photo taking
learning
celebrating
organisation
walking my wolflet
looking after my body

Happy new year to everyone! I hope that your year has got off to a good start.

I have a couple of new crafts that I’m planning on exploring more… the first is of course embroidery after winning that lovely prize last month, and the second is pyrography which has fascinated me for ages. Here are my first attempts at stitching (don’t look too closely!). Embroidered bags for Christmas presents.

I’ve had a go at stem stitch, chain stitch (this seems like a difficult one!), back stitch and french knots (which I’m not sure I’m doing as I should but they seem to come out like knots so I’m not complaining!). The motifs are adapted from the book Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray.

I also made a couple of fine silver trinkets as presents which I’ll share with you soon.

hibernation!!

2010-12-08T18:25:00.001Z

I've just been woken out of my temporary blogging hibernation with a jolt! I have won the most beautiful amazing giveaway at the Mimilove blog!! I really can't believe my luck!! As I just said to Karen, I haven't won anything for a long time so I must have been saving all my luck up for something really wonderful! If you've not seen Karen's stitching and painting magic before go and take a look, it's really amazing artwork!! And to top it off I won a lovely book as well so maybe there will be some stitchery going on around here soon too!

Here I have been braving the cold and ice of the forest every day with the wolflet. The freezing fog has created the most amazing winter wonderland, with mini icicles adorning every leaf, twig and branch.

These photos of the rose are from last week before the real deep freeze kicked in. Needless to say, the rose is now hibernating too.

I've just been cutting out a freezer paper stencil with a scalpel knife. I'm typing this while I'm waiting for the paint to dry on the t-shirt. I'm so impatient that I have to distract myself so I don't pull the stencil off too soon and ruin it. There are also some silver metal clay presents in the works too but I will post about that another time so as not to spoil any surprises.

Keep warm and snug wherever you are! I am off to celebrate my win with a hot chocolate!

planning a trip

2010-10-01T23:59:00.000+01:00

It's all excitment here as we plan a trip to Dorset, somewhere we've never been before. I'm dreaming about Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and all these other intriguing names of places to go and visit. We'll be staying in a very old, thatched cottage just south of Dorchester so all of Dorset will be within reach to explore. I'm in the middle of making a list of the best beaches, places to eat, pubs (especially dog friendly ones) and interesting places to visit so if you have any suggestions please leave me a comment.

If you've ever wondered how I package up my pebbles there's a great post at Vintage Squirrel with some photos. Thanks Katie! Katie has been making ace bird stencils on the wall of her loo recently and has a dog called Porridge who looks very similar to Floss but I bet isn't half as naughty. Floss snaffled half my lunch off the kitchen worktop yesterday. I only turned my back for a few seconds. That'll teach me to leave anything too near the edge!

fruit-ion... bead magazine and pie!

2010-09-23T00:15:00.003+01:00

Here's the article about my pebbles in Bead Magazine (issue 25)! It has been months in the making, so long ago that I thought it had been forgotten about and wouldn't happen, especially as Jean Power (the old editor who originally spotted my work on Etsy) left the magazine halfway through the process. But here it is!!! And I'm so pleased!!!

Mr P made me a lovely apple pie with some windfalls from the bramley tree I used to climb when I was a kid in my parents' garden. The pastry was extra tasty having cinnamon added to it and it was not too sweet, not too tart, just right. Loving the bakery typography! There's no mistaking it's a pie ;-) It's fab having a husband who can cook. It's a military operation clearing up afterwards but I find that funny and Mr P looks great in his stripy apron.

happiness!

2010-09-18T11:14:00.001+01:00

My little robin pebble made it onto the front page of Etsy this morning in a really lovely seasonal looking treasury. What a great start to the weekend!

My mum and dad brought me some sweet, delicious damsons and a bottle of homemade apple wine yesterday with strict instructions to drink it a little bit at a time in case it's like rocket fuel! It was so potent last year that one glass blew my head off. It is delicious and sneaks up on you because you really can't tell how alcoholic it is. I think a good weekend will be had. :-)

autumnal pebbles

2010-09-15T15:32:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I saw the most beautiful fly agaric fungi in the forest. They were HUGE! And so many of them! I've never seen so many in one go. That'll teach me not to carry my camera with me. I will have to take it with me later to see if I can get some good photos. So anyway, I decided to celebrate with a mushroom pebble.

This new bird pebble I think is my most favourite pebble to date. It has a curved line running all the way round it and I wanted to make use of it in my design. Really pleased with how it's come out. Anyway, into the etsy shop they will go.

The very exciting news I was talking about...! There is an article about my pebbles along with an interview in Bead Magazine (UK issue 25 - published today). I haven't had a copy in my hands yet but the proof looked ace. I can't wait to get hold of it so I can show my mum. I think she will cry!! They are also having a give away of 3 of my pebbles. If you see it please give me a shout and let me know what it looks like :-) I can't stand the suspense but I won't be able to get a copy until the weekend. Eek!

pebble offerings

2010-09-03T22:38:00.000+01:00

Feeling all autumnal here now, I was inspired to carve a squirrel onto one of my pebbles yesterday. The ideas are flowing at the moment so I am making the most of it. Hopefully more to come.

Have a great weekend :-)

the heart of snowdonia

2010-09-01T16:53:00.000+01:00

Photos from a refreshing trip to Wales we had one weekend recently. We're lucky to live close enough to Snowdonia to go for the day although we haven't really explored this area at all so after this natured filled walk I hope we'll be going again.

This walk had it all really... streams, waterfalls, rivers. Mountains, fields, woodland. I love these twisty gnarled tree roots. There was a rope swing over the water, an idyllic place to be.

And this tree within a tree.

This is Floss looking like butter wouldn't melt shortly before she snaffled Mr P's sarnie. Very naughty girl.

After Mr P had been lugging Floss over these ladder stiles (lovely aren't they?) she nimbly climbed over one herself which made me giggle. Ah it's so good to get out in the fresh air.

Can you feel Autumn coming? I can sense it waiting in the wings.

Something ever so exciting is happening in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to see my mum's face! I will keep it a secret for now although it is very difficult!

Now I'm off to carve some pebbles but I will be back soon.

silver metal clay adventures

2010-07-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

Major excitement here! I've just made my first ring using silver metal clay and it must be beginner's luck because it has come out pretty much exactly how I hoped!! I am beyond pleased!!

The gorgeous lampwork bead was made by the very talented Julie of Lush Lampwork. I'm not sure my work could ever really do it justice but when I saw the bead on her website I knew just what I wanted to make. The colour and texture reminded me of sea glass and the ocean in general.

I had seen a project I wanted to try in a fantastic book by Kate McKinnon and the ring is based on this. This is by far the best book I've seen on metal clay and goes into great depth about the material and working practices, and uses silversmithing techniques too.

The book helped so much and I learned a lot just from this one project. This was the first time I'd attempted to make a rivet which was exciting and just a bit scary when I had to cut the wire to less than 1mm before hammering it flat on the top. I made a little flower shaped washer with a dotty texture to go underneath.

There was a bit of guess work involved when it came to making it the right size for my finger. I thought that it would still be way too big after being fired, even accounting for the shrinkage so I just couldn't believe it when it slipped onto my finger perfectly! How lucky!! Definitely beginner's luck I think.

I have also fired the sage leaf from the last post. Here it is straight afterwards. It has oxidation on the surface which has to be removed with a soft brass brush before finishing.

I think I'm falling in love with the whole process. I just can't help but get excited about possibilities of this material! It is like alchemy!

trying to be sage

2010-06-07T16:15:00.001+01:00

I've finally found the courage to crack open that pack of silver metal clay!! I've been so worried about wasting it with it being expensive that it had stopped me from using it until I realised that I had spent more on books about PMC to learn how to use it because of the fear of ruining it!! Ha! So I thought this is a bit silly, just get on with it!

After planning for hours and hours what I was going to do with it I selected a sage leaf from the garden and finally taking a deep breath I opened the packet!! According to Wikipedia sage has been used since ancient times for warding off evil, snakebites, increasing women's fertility, and more.
Marvelling at how heavy it is and how strange the thought that it is almost all silver with a bit of organic binder when it looks just like clay. It rolled out beautifully, then I pressed the sage leaf into it, cut around it, smoothed the edges and left it to dry, adding another strip on the back to act as a bail.

This is how it looks now it has dried. I used quite a lot of clay and now I'm trying to pluck up the courage to fire it. The surface is quite bitty from the tiny hairs on the leaf and I'm wondering just how it's going to look after all the tiny silver particles have sintered together.

Wish me luck!! Eek!!!

peacock blue

2010-06-03T17:46:00.000+01:00

Iridescent shimmering hues of turquoise, blues and greens. As beautiful as the Atlantic on a sunny day.

I had been following them around, waiting and waiting, hoping for a display. I'd almost given up hope when this one came strutting along and shook his tail feathers right at me to everyone's amusement. I think he liked the attention.

It was taken at Trevarno in Cornwall. A really lovely place where they make organic soaps, beautiful gardens, hold the national daffodil collection (a whole field of daffodils - stunning) and have a gardening museum full of old advertising signs and tools. Well worth a visit if you like that gentle way of life.

ice cream dreams

2010-05-19T14:03:00.000+01:00

I thought I would share my favourite image from our holiday in Cornwall, taken in St Ives. I literally took thousands of photos while we were away (I love having a digital camera!) which is why I still haven't posted any up because it is pretty daunting to choose which ones! But I think I might try to group them together into little themes.

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I am now the age that I thought was properly old and grown up when I was a teenager. I thought that by this magic age I would have everything figured out, that I would know everything (ha!). I think that in reality I'm still that same person just in an older body! Well that's just me anyway. For my birthday celebrations I went to see Show of Hands (again!) at Band on the Wall in Manchester's northern quarter. They were brilliant as always and as it was such an intimate venue (standing room only) we got right to the front! The atmosphere was amazing!

Dreams for this year include:

Finding a way to help other people/animals/charities. This has been on my mind a lot recently. It probably wouldn't be worth me doing a sponsorship type event because I don't come into contact with that many people in my day to day existence. I wonder whether it would be possible to set up an etsy shop and donate all the profit to a worthwhile cause? Did anyone see 'blood, sweat and luxuries'? Really shocking and thought provoking!
Reading more. Have you discovered any good books lately?
Getting back to painting again and using up some of the craft supplies I have squirrelled away around my room like lino, sculpey, pastels, stamp making, resin, silver metal clay. Not to mention all the books I have on different crafts.
Working with PMC and learning to solder.
A secret one that I don't want to share at the moment.
Getting Floss a doggy passport and heading across the sea to Brittany. Would probably prefer to go without her but just can't bear the thought of her in kennels.
Lots of summer bbqs, get-togethers, gardening and veg growing.
Finding a haircut that suits me.
Learning how to deal with clutter better. I am a bit of a hoarder.
Making my time with Mr P really special.
Getting fitter and shedding the weight that seems to be creeping on when I'm not paying attention!
Making the most of opportunities that come my way.

I'm sure there are loads more now I've started thinking about it.

Playing frisbee fetch at Marazion.

Bye for now.

birthday wishes and a misadventure

2010-05-10T20:55:00.000+01:00

Look who's turned 1 year old today! And we are very very lucky to be able to say that because while we were away Floss had a major misadventure at Kynance Cove. We had been looking forward to exploring the beach all day, it's a quite isolated, wild place with lots of rocky inlets and a gorgeous sandy beach. We waited until 7pm because of the dog ban during the day but unfortunately by this time the tide was in so we decided to go up onto the clifftop instead to see the view.

Well we were just about up there when Floss saw a bird and bolted. Usually she's very good at coming back but not this time. We raced after her as fast as we could with Mr P in the lead when he shouted, "She's gone over the cliff! She's gone! She's gone!" I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. I felt sick to my stomach. And we looked over the edge. It was about 50 ft to the bottom. Then oh my god, there she was, swimming in the waves trying to scramble onto a rock that was jutting out of the water. The next hour and a half were the darkest minutes I've ever had to endure. Mr P ran to find a phone as there was no mobile coverage and I was left to watch her struggling, trying to jump onto a tiny ledge on the sheer cliff face and then falling off into the waves again and scrambling back onto the rock. The tide was coming in and the water was rising and I really thought she was going to drown while I stood watching helplessly. I have never felt so useless or so alone.

It seemed to take forever for Mr P to come back, the Coastguard on the way. But one of us had to stay by the phone. So I went as I couldn't bear it any longer. And there I sat with tears streaming down my face, praying and hoping and wishing, all my resolve gone. The Coastguard arrived about half an hour later and I led them to the cliff edge and there we sat waiting for a team to arrive that would abseil down to get her. They did an amazing job but my heart was in my mouth. The rock that she had scrambled on by this time had big waves breaking over it so I think she would have drowned had she not been able to jump from it to the cliff face. I will never forget the haunting echoing clang of metal being hammered into the clifftop mixed with the crashing of waves from below as long as I live. It seemed to go on for such a long time. A lovely man who later got a big hug, eventually abseiled down, managed to grab her collar and gripped her under his arm before carrying her back up to safety.

How very very lucky we are. A couple of metres to the right and she would have fallen on the rocks, thank god there was water there. We are so very grateful to the Coastguard. And we really can't believe that she is still with us. We took her to see the vet and there was not even a scratch on her. The next day she carried on as though nothing had happened at all while we were counting our blessings. She is our little wonder dog and I love her so much.

crafting birds

2010-04-15T15:16:00.001+01:00

Just a quick post before I go. The birds and berries design has proven to be popular. Here's the latest one which is destined for a lovely lady who makes her own jewellery. It's made with two holes to become part of a bracelet. I had to simplify the design to fit it into the space but I think it's come out really well.

I'm hoping to be able to post from Cornwall so with a bit of luck and a tailwind on our travels I'll catch you soon!

peaks and troughs

2010-04-14T15:46:00.001+01:00

Now, not to get confused, this isn't the Lake District like the last post but the Peak District, Shutlingsloe and Wildboarclough to be exact. We did a bit of driving over the weekend and it was interesting to compare the two places for they have many similarities but quite a different feel about them. They both have dry stone walls, moorland, rather large hills (although higher in the Lakes) and sheep (to Floss' eternal curiosity) but I've been trying to put my finger on what makes them seem so different. While both stunningly beautiful the Peaks seem somehow more desolate and wild, bleak even sometimes. The Lake District has a quainter, cosier more colourful feel and of course water. Lots of it. And it's just struck me what a difference that makes to me, reflecting the light, sky and mountains. Maybe it's the bracken warming up the Lakeland fells with its lovely shade of rusty orange for half the year. One thing's for sure and is the always the same wherever you go, walkers are a friendly lot, saying hello on passing.

In other news, we are heading off to a land of ocean, cream teas and pasties for a while so I will be pulling the shutters down on my shop for a couple of weeks. When you have been looking forward to something for so long it seems surreal when it is finally upon you. Our first trip away with Floss... I'm sure it will be a challenge but hopefully rewarding too! I stupidly got the dates wrong with regards to the dog bans on the beaches, I am kicking myself for this. So we will be getting up early to visit our favourite haunts (as the bans tend to run from 7am/8am til 7pm/8pm) and also hunting out dog friendly pubs and tearooms. Any suggestions please leave me a comment won't you. I can't wait to see the cottage, it looks beautiful and is tucked away down a lane with views over the ocean just outside St Ives. To hear the waves crashing and smell the coconut scent of the gorse and see the high hedges filled with Spring flowers, it's my idea of heaven.

over ambleside

2010-04-12T15:00:00.001+01:00

A few photos from yesterday's hot and sunny visit to Ambleside in the Lakes. After exchanging some trousers bought up here on Mr P's birthday a few days ago (yes, good excuse to come back!) and munching on some lovely sandwiches eaten in the little hideaway courtyard of the Apple Pie Cafe where Floss crunched on ice cubes, we decided on a short but steep walk up to an idyllic little spot called High Sweden Bridge. The views over Windermere, Ambleside and the surrounding fells were stunning, totally worth the effort and Floss enjoyed swimming in the stream under the quaint old packhorse bridge. What gorgeous weather we've been having here for the last week. Let's hope it continues!

dog whistle necklace

2010-04-09T18:38:00.000+01:00

More often than not I have a whistle round my neck these days and I thought, why not make it into a proper necklace with beads and a leather cord. So that is just what I did. I have a green whistle too that's waiting with my jars of beads to be matched up. I can see so many possibilities with this! I will have to get busy.

Floss is pretty good at coming back most of the time when you blow the whistle or shout her name. Further and further she runs now she's getting older (11 months now), and if it's twilight then she just goes crazy, sniffing out all the different animals that emerge when the light starts to fade. She's currently lying on her bed, having a dream. Her paws keep twitching and occasionally her tail wags! I like to think she's dreaming about squirrels and chasing sticks.

Look how grown up she is now compared to how she was.

We've recently discovered the joys of having a retractable lead. Walks are so much less stressful now that she has a little bit more freedom when she has to be on the lead. We had a circular walk around the Cheshire plain on bank holiday Monday starting near Beeston castle. You can just see it on the hill there behind the bridge.

Floss made me laugh when a black plastic bag caught in the hedge was fluttering in the breeze like a bird. She stood on her hind legs like this for about a minute trying to figure out what it was, reminding me of a little bear.

We wandered along the towpath for a couple of miles, soaking up the relaxed holiday atmosphere. Then we hurried home for tea with my mum and dad, finishing the walk in record time. I think I must be getting fitter.

Bye for now :-)

forest finds

2010-04-01T16:40:00.002+01:00

All little treasures picked up from the forest floor with the clouds swirling, heavy with rain and the wind whistling through the trees yesterday.

Precious solitude and a walk through my mind as well as the forest. I love the sky as long as it is doing something, anything. Anything but still and grey.

I had fun making compositions, inspired by Margie.

So beautiful for such an evil little thing, made up of these tiny hooks which all pull off and tangle themselves in Floss's fur, driving us both to despair. Exactly what it is designed by nature to do, to spread itself far and wide. I have even got one of the hooks embedded in my index finger. But the beauty is not lost on me, I brought a stem home with five attached to photograph, cursing them by the time we stepped through the door as they had disintegrated and hooked onto my bag, my coat, the car seat, my hat! So careful to put them in the bin rather than the compost. I think they are burdock and I don't want them tormenting me in the garden as well.

I have added a new poll to the sidebar... teatime!
Happy Easter everyone.

all by myself... don't wanna be...

2010-03-18T16:22:00.002Z

I have been playing with this personality test which is based on the Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typology. I found it particularly interesting because it suggests careers and lists famous people who share the same personality type as yourself.

Your Type is
INFJ

Introverted	Intuitive	Feeling	Judging
Strength of the preferences %
78	62	38	1

I came out as an INFJ and was reading through the description when I got to the bit where it said that INFJ is the rarest personality type, only 2% of the population have it, and suddenly I felt very alone.

Now feeling like a bit of a freak I read on to suitable careers for this personality type - web designer came up (which is closest to the path I have taken and something I'd like to learn more about) along with literature/writing, archaeology and counseling. Some famous people who have/had this type are Nicole Kidman, Robert Burns, Beethoven and Shakespeare. Although how they know that I have no idea! Fascinating! Give it a go and if you come out the same as me please let me know won't you?!

"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."
William Shakespeare

P.s. The photos are of Anglesey. This house looking over the beach at Rhosneigr is a holiday let. It was so striking against the blue sky and seemed wildly romantic.

the sea calls to me

2010-03-10T16:33:00.001Z

A few photos from our weekend wanderings. I would like to live in that house!

Sea Fever by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

weekend wanderings and giveaway winner

2010-03-01T14:37:00.001Z

Always trying to think of new places to walk Floss where we can let her off the lead for a good run, we spent an hour or so at Astbury Mere yesterday.

Although it was bitterly cold I liked it straight away as it reminded me of the seaside with it's little sandy beaches.

Floss decided that she's scared of swans. The swan wasn't scared of Floss.

Any sticks in the water must be fetched out and if there's bread around you'd better be quick before Floss eats it.

Now, onto the giveaway results...

I just want to say thank you to everyone who entered. It was fun reading through the comments with some clever and funny suggestions which I never would have thought of.

I'm using random.org. I have given each comment a number from 1 to 20 (if you commented twice your second comment will have a number but won't count if it's drawn). And the winner is....

Julie!

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...: Penelope, because she held so many keys, to Odysseus's heart, to patience and to being an amazing weaver. Even the hair is right!
xx
julie

Thanks for playing everyone! Julie, I'll be in touch.

new bird pebble

2010-02-28T01:25:00.002Z

A new robin pebble necklace that I've engraved. I need to take some better photos of this one and some of the others for that matter! The light wasn't great when I had my camera out but it has been so dull and grey here recently. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Memories of summer

2010-02-23T12:41:00.004Z

I found this pebble I'd carved at the bottom of my pebble bowl. I'd completely forgotten about it. It took me right back to sitting on the bench in the sunshine next to the strawberry plants, choosing a blossom to carve. I engraved the pebble right there in the garden. It's hard to imagine sitting out there in just a t-shirt at the moment. We had more snow a couple of days ago and it's still lingering!

I've been meaning to do this necklace design for a while! Sometimes they go round and round in my head until I put them down on paper or engrave them. As always, click on the pictures for more details.

Thanks for all your suggestions for names for my mannequin so far. It's been great fun reading them all. Still 6 days to go if you haven't entered the giveaway yet. Good luck!

giveaway & my new mannequin

2010-02-17T00:23:00.003Z

Hello, my name is ...?

I recently decided it would be a good idea to have someone to model my jewellery for me as taking a photo of myself wearing the necklaces has proved to be impossible! Unfortunately Mr P just isn't the right sort of model for the job (too much hair ;-)) so I came up with the idea of a mannequin and managed to get one from eBay.

Here she is just after she came to stay modelling my heart pebble (now sold).

I was just a bit too excited when she was delivered and couldn't wait to get her out of the box. I think this might be something to do with a long buried desire deep in my psyche from when I was a kid and all I wanted for my birthday was a Girl's World to put makeup on and style her hair like my friend had! Silly I know!

Well the poor love has been through an ordeal already (no I haven't been putting makeup on her!). I had to glue velcro to her head to keep her wig on and Mr P jumped out of his skin when he opened the bedroom door to find her looking at him :-D. But she's settling in now and has been trying lots of pebbles on.

All she needs is a name. Which is where I hope my dear readers will come in and help me. I thought to make it more fun I would do a giveaway.

All you have to do for the chance to win the ocean key pebble necklace shown in in the photos is to leave me a comment saying what you think her name should be. This lovely lightweight pebble was found by me whilst walking on the beach with my pup. I planned out a design in my sketchbook and then engraved it onto the pebble, strung it with grey cotton cord and finished with a pebble toggle. The necklace measures 20" (52cm).

I will pick a winner at random on Monday March 1st at midday. Ooh exciting!! I do hope you'll participate. The more the merrier!

tea for my valentine

2010-02-15T22:35:00.000Z

I organised a surprise lunch for Mr P yesterday while he was out. I've never whizzed round the kitchen so fast (though I made some of it in advance to hide away in secret spots around the house) and I had fun making it look special, my mum lent me a gorgeous tea set to make it all perfect, I hung up some bunting, lots of heart shaped food. I'm not sure who got the most enjoyment out of it, me or Mr P.

Hope you had a good weekend, whatever you did, if you celebrated or not.

Say it with pebbles

2010-02-14T15:00:00.000Z

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

sunshine blog award

2010-02-09T22:57:00.001Z

The wonderful Heartful Blogger has very very kindly given me The Sunshine Blog Award! I've put it in the sidebar. What a lovely award to win! Thank you!

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world - it makes me very happy to think that I inspire someone with this website. I know this isn't really following the rules to the letter but I'm going to list 10 blogs who inspire me, some old favs and some new-to-me. Some of them have already received the award.

So here goes in no particular order:

The Hermitage This is such a poetic, authentic, deeply touching blog.
Leanne Wildermuth makes incredibly beautiful, detailed paintings of people's pets. I love seeing the work progress through different stages to the finished piece.
Driftwood is a fab blog written by Tess who often makes me laugh out loud.
Shadows and Clouds is a long time favourite, always inspiring with beautiful photos and thoughtful words.
Julie Whitmore Pottery is a lovely new-to-me blog showing fantastic creations and the ideas behind them.
third bird Fabulous design blog from a wonderful textile designer, lots of contemporary patterns and inspiring posts.
the life and times of sticks and bricks If you love furniture makeovers, seeing poor unloved pieces made new and reworked you will adore this blog.
Sweet Designs never ceases to amaze me with the jaw dropping dessert tables that she creates along with her team.
Missed Connections A project of fantastic illustrations based on messages left by strangers on missed connections websites. I really love this concept!
mimilove Another new-to-me blog with fresh inspiring artwork... a mix of watercolour painting and embroidery. Lovely!

Hope you enjoy the links ♥

little fox pebble and the inspiration behind it

2010-02-08T18:14:00.001Z

Here's my new little pebble necklace, based on the sighting of the fox from my walk I wrote about in the last post (click on the photo for more details of the necklace).

I thought I'd show you the picture I took of the fox, although it's a bit blurry I was still so happy to get a photo of the little fellow. We were almost at the edge of the field when Mr P spotted him. I think he must have watched us all the way across, sat so silent and still. It really made my day ♥

weekend wandering

2010-02-04T00:40:00.000Z

Pictures from our amble through the countryside.
The walk included:

Friendly, inquisitive sheep much to Flossie's delight.
Floss being a good girl and not chasing any sheep, which might have had something to do with her being on the lead but all the same!
A glorious sighting of Mr Fox. I did get a photo but it was rather blurry although good enough to use as a reference for making a design.
Happening upon an ENORMOUS tree and the discovery that it was hollow and big enough to hide inside. How old must it be?
Floss falling through some ice, shallow but deep enough to give her a good shock. Now she stays away.
Watching and listening as a gaggle of geese flew round and round the lake.
A steep climb with a stunning view over the Cheshire plain and a beautiful sunset.

Ah I do love to play with my camera. I've become slightly obsessed with light I think.

Speaking of obsession I've been reading Twilight. I heard so much about it that I wanted to experience it for myself. Well I'm about halfway through I think, and this isn't going to win me any popularity contests, but I'm just not that enamoured by the characters and am finding it a little bit slow. It's aimed at a young age group (not that I've grown up yet!) so I'm not complaining. I joked with Mr P that the next DVD rental to pop through the letterbox would be Twilight because I hadn't finished the book and guess what... yep... I think I must have tempted fate. I've just watched it! And for the first time I have loved a film more than the book it's based on.

Good night all, I'm off to bed to dream of vampires.

a couple of nature inspired pebbles

2010-01-28T12:18:00.007Z

A new simple design, berry pebble necklace (click on the photo for more details) inspired by my walks in the forest with Floss.

And another leafy sprig pebble necklace (click on the photo for more details)... this one is very lightweight, dainty and flat... maybe I should have called it a spriglet!

Ta-ra for now as my nan used to say :-)

mini moo love

2010-01-27T13:22:00.000Z

So excited to receive a new box of moo cards this morning! I love the new style cardboard box, much better than the old plastic one, and prettier too.
And the tiny index cards!! Very cute and a great idea for keeping the best ones separate!

And now you can upload your own design for the back of the cards they're even more versatile! I chose to add another little photo to the back and keep the typeface the same as my shop and blog header. I do love them, I think it's genius being able to have a different photo on each card if you wish.

Now, back to work I must go or Floss won't get her walk in the forest.

new fishing boat pebble

2010-01-26T10:07:00.000Z

A little fishing boat chugging through the choppy waves. Click on the picture for more details. I've always loved boats in all shapes and sizes... now what to do next? I lost my sketchbook a few days ago and have been tormenting myself with the thought that Floss might have buried it in the garden! It has all my ideas and lists inside, sketches, doodles and drawings of this and that. Of course it turned up somewhere that I had checked at least 5 times. So relieved to have it back! :-)

Floss bags her first fell

2010-01-24T21:22:00.000Z

Yesterday we decided we needed some fresh air and a change of scenery so we went to the Lake District. Halfway up Catbells it became apparent that it's far better to have 4 legs than 2! The view was worth it though, you can see in every direction for miles as you walk along the ridge.

Then Floss decided to chase some sheep. Within a couple of minutes she was tiny at the bottom of the fell, the whistle had no effect and we were furious. Luckily for us there was no farmer around to shoot her. They were much faster than her but from now on she will always be on the lead when ever there's temptation. It's a shame as it's the first time she's ever shown any interest other than wagging her tail at them. Bad dog.

Here's our little terror at the top. I think it's safe to say that we won't be going back to Catbells!

Back soon with a new pebble to show you. Bye for now.

salt and mist

2010-01-21T11:52:00.003Z

There was a magical mist that shrouded the sea in mystery at the weekend. It seemed to suck the colour from the land.

Floss loves the freedom of the wide open space to chase balls and sniff at seaweed.

Where as some of us like to be chased by waves, I'm usually to be found beach combing.

The mainland was peeping through the sea mist.

After such a beautiful but monochrome day it was such a contrast and surprise to see these colours. We found a comfy spot on a rock and cozied together to watch the sunset. Does it get anymore beautiful?

Ah bliss!

Bye for now.

birds and berries and leafy sprigs

2010-01-18T11:58:00.003Z

Inspired by scenes in the garden recently, watching the birds looking for food, I engraved this little beach pebble with a little robin and some berries. The snow has finally melted here but I heard a rumour that more is on the way! To be honest I think I've had enough for this year now. Roll on spring!

Yes, definitely dreaming of spring. I've started making leafy sprig designs. I'm really enjoying pebbling recently as my friend likes to call it. Click on the pictures if you'd like to find out more.

I'll be back soon with a salt laden tale from the weekend. Bye for now!

snowy loveliness

2010-01-14T17:40:00.003Z

I must confess that all this snow might be my fault.

You see, back in the Autumn I made a wish...

... for my pup, Floss, to see snow for the first time.

And it has certainly come true with bells on!

Recently, Crystal from Bead Happily Ever After contacted me to ask if I would do an interview for her blog about creativity and pebbles. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! I feel very honoured. She asked some fun questions and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I never thought I would have so much to say. If you would like a look it's here.

Well I think it's time to make myself a hot chocolate and get cozy by the fire. Bye for now.

do you remember seeing snow for the first time?

2010-01-08T16:59:00.004Z

What's all this white stuff?
5 minutes later...

Floss looked so cute trying to catch snowflakes. She's been out there every second she can this week playing in the snow and trying to eat ice! I swear it looked like she was trying to build a snowman at one point.

Have a lovely weekend :-)

bursting with winter beauty

2010-01-06T23:26:00.004Z

I can't remember having this much snow since one winter when I was little and I rolled snowballs down the street to make a giant snowman.

I'm so glad we ventured out today. Everywhere was completely transformed.

Like a breath of fresh air, like visiting a brand new place.

All sparkling and pristine in the sunlight.

Floss and I walked until we were completely caked in snow. Sometimes it is so worth making the effort.

Happy new year everyone! May it be a wonderful year full of love, joy, inspiration, creativity and happiness!

new discoveries

2009-12-12T11:42:00.004Z

I was thrilled to find out this morning that I'd been included in this gorgeous treasury by illusio and that my beloved acorn necklace has sold.

As I've always been quite shy I've never been one for shouting from the rooftops for people to look at what I do, but recently I've been thinking that I should try and increase the views of my work. Just by chance and coincidentally I recently discovered project wonderful. Am I the last to know about it? It's an amazing way to increase exposure for your shop or website although it's a little bit addictive. You bid for advertising spaces on websites of your choice so you can experiment with who is the best audience. You can track the number of clicks and views for your placements. It's an exciting and interesting way to go about it and you don't have to spend a lot of money. It really does make it fun!

Have a lovely weekend x

Free shipping!

2009-11-27T17:51:00.004Z

Please forgive me for this blatant self advertising but I'd like everyone to know that there will be free shipping at bird ahoy etsy shop from now until Tuesday 1st December to anywhere in the world so if you've had your eye on anything now might be a good time to sort out those Christmas presents or treat yourself. I also love to do commissions so if something you like has sold or you have your own ideas please get in touch. Have a lovely weekend! Bye for now.

something i'd forgotten

2009-11-12T13:25:00.004Z

Not far from me is a beautiful forest. It has been waiting for me to rediscover it all this time. It is full of childhood memories, of sampling sweet chestnuts and kicking leaves.

How could I have forgotten how much I loved it here? Somewhere my imagination can run riot with an endless source of inspiration.

And now in it's magnificent Autumn clothes soon to be shed. I had forgotten just how comforting it could be to walk everyday submerged in nature, soaking in all the goodness.

I used to be under the impression that all the forest looked the same and I'm gladly mistaken. The different places, nooks and wide spaces, lakes and streams, hills and winding paths take me by surprise.
With the ever changing light it appears different each time I wander, always trying to lose myself. It's getting increasing difficult as the paths start to fit together like a jigsaw in my mind. But I love it here, it feeds my soul. The gorgeous earthy smells make me happy, walking in the rain is surprisingly good. All thanks to my pup who is becoming a lovely companion.

I have started making earrings again thanks to a lovely customer who made a special request. After our wedding last year when I made all the female guests a pair of earrings as a favour in the final hour, I fell out of love with the process. I'm grateful for the little push, something else I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed. I've also been experimenting with leaves, inspired by the forest, pushing them into polymer clay to capture the texture. What I'd really like to try is PMC, I like the idea of recycled silver. Maybe I will treat myself to a pack and have a play.

Bye for now, have a lovely weekend.

i've finally found it!

2009-10-22T16:55:00.004+01:00

Some of you may already know just how much I love the scent of lichen...

... it reminds me of places like this. I've often wished I could bottle it.

Well somebody has already done it for me! I'm currently sitting here typing getting wafts of lichen every now and again. I bought a set of mini perfume oil samples from etsy shop For Strange Women after being seduced by the natural ingredients and beautiful packaging, and yesterday I tried Moss & Ivy for the first time. After the first burst of powerful fragrance had faded I was left with my favourite scent! Lichen!!!! Total bliss!!! I just can't believe that after all this time I've come across it. Happiness in a bottle!

set in stone

2009-10-14T22:26:00.004+01:00

Here are a couple of custom orders I have done for people as keepsakes for their dearest ones. I think it's really sweet to add initials on the back. I like the significance of setting your love in stone. It reminds me of names carved into the bark of tree trunks.

most romantic place

2009-10-06T19:50:00.004+01:00

Voted the most romantic place in Wales it certainly lives up to its accolades.

Llanddwyn Island off Newborough Warren is the sort of place where you can feel a million miles away from home.

I had one of those moments, when you feel completely present and at one with the world, all my cares just faded away.

As we watched the sunset and the birds flying home to roost I found a couple of lovely unusual pebbles and some sea glass. One of the best kind of days. Smiles all round.

I'd really love to hear about your most favourite romantic place, please feel free to leave a comment.

a little bit retro

2009-09-26T10:24:00.004+01:00

Now it's past the event I can show you this pebble necklace I made for a friend's birthday. I thought she'd like a retro inspired design and this stem pattern was the result. I've decided to make another like this but next time remove the centre of the leaves for a simpler look.

Have a lovely weekend... we're off to the beach!

fresh air

2009-09-21T17:54:00.004+01:00

Autumn days are definitely here. I love the contrast of the slight chill in the air with the hot sun upon my skin.

Is there a more lovely place than the lake district to see the changing of the seasons? The bracken is glowing orange on the mountains now and the clouds mist the top of the peaks.

Floss enjoyed her paddle and thought it most unladylike to go in any deeper than her belly. She is 18 weeks old now and her character grows by the day.

I have another lino print in the works. I had finished one but decided that I didn't like it so it will stay hidden for now. Let's just say that the new one's inspired by one of the furry creatures that visits our garden. Which reminds me, we discovered a hedgehog last night! There seems to be more and more wildlife since we got Floss. I wonder why?

Wishing you lots of cosy Autumn nights with woodburning fires, hot chocolate and cinnamon apple pie. I feel a list coming on!

a little surprise

2009-09-06T12:50:00.004+01:00

Look what was swimming around in our pink trug which had a couple of inches of rain water in it!

A cute little newt! I think it's a common newt but I've never seen one before so I'm not 100% sure. There's no pond in our garden so it was a nice surprise. It has now been moved to safety away from puppy eyes!

Major excitement!!!

2009-08-23T11:40:00.004+01:00

I've just had a lovely surprise... I was on the front page of etsy again!!!!!! Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are all the lovely picks chosen by Fern of The Wellington Boot. Thanks Fern for including me!! You made my day!!

hand pulled prints

2009-08-19T16:18:00.004+01:00

What do you think? Please excuse the wonky camera angle... the image is a proper rectangle in real life. Rather than the usual white I chose some gorgeous coloured paper with a slight texture to print my carved lino on this morning as a bit of an experiment. The different colours go beautifully with each other. I'm thinking it would be lovely to have a set of different carvings on toning papers as a series.

The ink is still drying on this one... I love this olive green paper. I used the back of a wooden spoon as a brayer. I do have a fancy baren but my spoon is so much better! I don't know why that is, maybe it's because it's how I learned to do it. Maybe one day I will have a proper press... something to dream about. Or should I say, never lose hope ;-)

a new lino print in the works

2009-08-17T16:00:00.004+01:00

This is what I've been up to over the last couple of days or so, planning and carving a new block print. I think it's almost finished. I had designed it in my journal/sketchbook, it's basically a notebook I bought which has all different blue and turquoise pages and I tend to use it for everything... list making, rubber stamp thinking, to do lists, ideas when they strike me, designs for cards, prints, brainstorming... etc. This time when I was re-drawing my design onto the lino I completely changed everything except the bird about 5 times until I was happy, remembering to put the text so it read backwards. What I do is carve to a point where I can't bear it and have to make a print to see how it's looking, then carve a bit more. This is waiting for a test print to see if it's finished after I carved the top section away. Hope so!

floss goes to the pub

2009-08-06T14:12:00.004+01:00

I read that it's important to get your puppy used to everything you like to do!

We took her into town as well and can I just say that if you happen to be a single man looking for a partner then the best thing you could do is get a puppy! Every time I went into a shop I'd come back out to find Mr P surrounded by women!! Seriously, I've never met or talked to so many people since we got Floss, it's completely changed our lives! Not just that, but the world in general seems so different now we've got a dog. I look at everything in a different light. And going for walks is a real joy now we know we can let her off the lead and she won't just run away. She trots along merrily, stopping to sniff this and that and then runs to catch us up. Now we go for a walk every evening we realise what we were missing before when we just flopped down on the sofa. We never thought to go for a short walk. It was always about long walks at the weekend. Short walks just never entered into it. But we've found out it's so relaxing to go out before tea and discuss our days, get some fresh air and see Floss enjoying herself. It's fab!

I know this blog has been all about Floss for the last few posts and I hope you're not getting bored of it. My life really is centred around her at the moment but hopefully I'll have some other things to post about soon! Bye for now!

puppy's first walk

2009-07-28T11:27:00.004+01:00

So yesterday evening, a week after her final vaccination, Floss had her very first walk. It was a very exciting affair with so much to sniff and explore as we walked down the road to the park. Near the end Floss met an adult dog for the first time (other than her mother of course). It was enormous compared to her, a St Bernard I think! And she rolled over on her back and waved her legs around. I think I would have done the same!! :-)

Do you think she's grown? Each morning she seems to have got longer! I'm sure she's turning into a sausage dog!

In other news I've just discovered spotify. What a revelation! Love it! Currently listening to the first of a million kisses by fairground attraction. Have a good day. Bye for now!

Remember this?

2009-07-23T10:29:00.004+01:00

It has turned into this:

If you'd like to see what we're growing please click on the photo.

Before the weekend we'd only eaten 1 courgette and a few broad beans and someone said 1 courgette doesn't make a harvest! Well I'm pleased to announce that we've now eaten a beautiful head of broccoli, 1 very tasty rainbow carrot and 4 equally tasty round carrots. The round ones are called parmex I think and are marketed for kids so I couldn't resist ;-) They're beautifully sweet and softer than the rainbow carrot raw so good for salads I think, but cooked the rainbow carrot had stronger flavour. Really delicious! I know it's a small thing but we felt great walking into the garden to get them instead of getting in the car to go to the supermarket. Very convenient!!

As for the bed with the courgettes, this has failed slightly. It was supposed to be the 3 sisters method where the runner beans provide nitrogen for the maize and courgettes, the maize provides a support for the beans to grow up and the courgettes shade the roots of the other plants. The courgettes are doing fantastically well, but I'm afraid the maize hasn't grown fast enough for the beans so I think I will have to start it off sooner next year inside. We're really pleased with the courgettes so not all is lost and the broad beans are doing really well too.

Look what Leanne did!!!

2009-07-14T16:11:00.004+01:00

How wonderful is this drawing?!!!! I am so excited to have won Leanne Wildermuth's weekly giveaway !!! I now have a beautiful reminder of how Floss looked the first week we brought her home. It's only been 7 days since the photo was taken and already she has grown. I will be able to look back on this time and remember it fondly! The likeness is spot on don't you think? If you've never seen Leanne's work before go and have a look at her amazing paintings of animals with their gorgeous intricate detail. I've been a fan for years now and I'm really chuffed to have had a pet captured by her!

Floss is doing great. We went to a puppy party last night at the vets which is supposed to give them a positive experience before they have to go and have anything unpleasant happen there. Floss had a lovely time playing although she did get pinned down by her ears at one point by a jack russell puppy. One of the disadvantages of having big ears I suppose!! :-D

Well I'm off to give Floss her tea, so bye for now!

Pleased to meet you!

2009-07-08T11:04:00.004+01:00

This little puppy is the new member of our family! Her name is Floss and she is an absolute joy (with a bit of mischief mixed in!). I can't take my eyes off her for a minute when she's awake she's into everything!! I couldn't believe it when she climbed into this flowerpot, she makes me laugh so much and she's clever too. Floss has already learned how to stay and come in only one day!! I'm so proud of her. I think we're starting to understand each other!

Anyway, must go as nap time is almost over and I must take her outside. Bye for now!!

Just me, mr P and a load of wildlife

2009-07-05T16:57:00.004+01:00

10 things I love about Pembrokeshire (Wales)

the beautiful coast path makes for exhilarating walks, like Cornwall but quieter
the colour of the sea when the sun shines (my favourite colour as you might already know!)
Morgans in St Davids for fab food that tastes as beautiful as it looks, embellished with flowers
the artist Chris Neale, a lovely chap, you can visit his gallery on Thursdays
the abundance of wildlife... more about that in a later post
peace and quiet if you want it
naps on beaches and great places to settle down with a book
incredibly friendly and helpful locals
campsites that allow campfires (a long held dream of mine... simple pleasures)
the Druidstone Hotel... the most eccentric place I've ever eaten!

The most exciting thing ever is happening tomorrow!!!!!! I can't wait to post up about it!!! Until then, have a good start to the week. Bye for now!
p.s. I'm a bit behind with my shop update, apologies if anyone has been to look.

set sail with me

2009-06-22T17:14:00.004+01:00

A lovely day was spent with my friend who has a narrowboat. It is a work in progress, a labour of love. It's dusty and smokey and full of spiders, nooks and crannies. Chugging down the canal I watched out for canalware art, little floating gardens and enticing names like Margarite and Midnight. Feeling myself being sucked into this other nomadic world of friendly words, folk art and music, nature playing out everywhere. Walking along the towpath we passed a beautiful boat, the owner smiled and halfway down the side was open, displaying her wares. I gasped when I saw it all, painted in traditional patterns, castles and roses and handmade rope fenders. A floating studio, what could be more romantic? They were on their way to the folk and boat festival in Middlewich to see what they could sell. I wish I'd asked to take a photo. With the boat moored up by the pub (in the last photo) we sat on one of the benches while we waited for lunch watching the sparrows and robins hunting for scraps around the beer garden. Good times!

I will be back soon with tales of the camping trip we took to celebrate our anniversary (with a lovely stay in a country house for the day itself) so until then... have a good week!

One year ago today

2009-06-14T14:30:00.004+01:00

It all seems like a dream now.

And I still feel nervous when I think about it.

But we really did it.

Happy anniversary my gorgeous husband! You are the most kind, funny, generous and intelligent person and I'm so proud to be your wife xxxxx

drilled pebbles

2009-06-10T12:57:00.004+01:00

Some pebble pendants in progress. I've engraved a little wild strawberry flower on one of them since I took these photos. Sitting on the bench in the garden waiting for inspiration to strike, I looked down at all the tiny wild strawberries and white flowers and went to get my tools. Working on the bench in the sunshine was lovely. You can't beat this time of year.

salt laden tales

2009-06-05T12:50:00.004+01:00

So many things made our holiday in Cornwall special and memorable so in no particular order... a list!

Turquoise ocean on the Penwith peninsula and beautiful white sandy beaches.
Spotting the naked man on the beach from high up on the clifftop at Treen ;-)
Gorgeous fishing villages, full of quirkiness.
The powerfully evocative (and heart wrenching) atmosphere of 'the dry' where the minors would get showered and changed at Geevor Tin Mine. It's preserved just as it was left when the mine closed down in 1990.
My most favourite smell in the world - the white lichen which grows on the rocks all over the coast - please smell it next time you see any! It's especially fragrant when the sun's shining. I would love to know if anyone else shares my passion!!
Browsing through the galleries in Marazion, St Ives and Mousehole, oh and Fowey!
The arty souvenirs we've brought home with us... we fell in love with this Pure 3 Design lamp in the Porthgwidden Cafe in St Ives and decided it was too expensive but then found it for 50 pounds less in a gallery in Fowey and snapped it up!
Hooper and Shaw in Port Isaac - full of arty crafty handmade things (photo from their press site).
The view from the apartment over Porthmeor beach in St Ives - we could watch the surfers and there were two old ladies who went belly boarding together very early in the mornings - very inspiring!
Listening to the waves crashing on the beach whilst falling asleep - bliss!
Mr P getting stuck in a wetsuit whilst trying it on in a shop - I had tears streaming down my face I was laughing so much! We thought we were going to have to ask for assistance to remove it because it was so tight and it just wasn't budging. The image of him with it round his ankles will stay with me for evermore!
Watching the 'ansome Seth Lakeman perform at the M inack Theatre!!!!! We were running very late after eating fish and chips by the harbour in Mousehole and thought we'd have to perch ourselves on a rock somewhere right at the back but on handing our tickets to the usher she got on her two way radio and said "Have you got room for 2 more on the front row?"(!!!!!!!) Must have been our lucky day!! It was excellent and a fantastic atmosphere made all the more compelling by the songs which were written about the west country, the sun setting over the ocean and of course the theatre itself, cut into the rocks of the cliff and exposed to the elements.
Eating fish every night for tea! Lemon sole, dover sole, sea bass, megrim, john dory, cod, hake, mackerel, oh and a bit of crab too.
Lots of lovely walks along the coast path and the coconut scent of the gorse wafting through the air.
Cornish hedges so high and full of spring flowers, and the clifftops full of pink sea thrift, wild garlic and the like.
Catching the passenger ferry from Polruan to Fowey (and back!). It's not a proper holiday without some kind of boat ride!
Seeing Show of Hands at the Daphne du Maurier festival in Fowey - just completely fab live. Especially Phil Beer with his fiddle.
The lovebods we found in Marazion at the Avalon gallery (loads of gorgeous art and craft!!). We only discovered later that they were filled with lavender, what a lovely surprise! We picked up a lovely Ken Eardley jug here too.
Some scary reversing manoeuvres in the narrow country lanes - poor Mr P!
Spotting lizards, slow worms and even a snake on the coast paths! I don't think I've ever seen a lizard in this country before.
Drinking cider in my favourite pub in all of England, the Blue Peter in Polperro, last pub before France! Tucked away by the harbour this place has brilliant live music, is filled with characters (especially in the winter) and is very cosy.

If you've made it to the end of the list then thanks for sticking with me!!! I'm sure there are lots more that I've forgotten but I think I'll stop there before blogger has a tantrum!

Please share any of your loves of Cornwall, I would definitely keep them for next time... fave beaches, villages, things to do, boat trips, coast walks, gardens... please list them in the comments. All welcome! Thanks!

Can you guess where I've been the last couple of weeks?

2009-05-28T16:59:00.004+01:00

I'll give you a few clues...

Mmmmmmm!!

There's a naked man on this one if you look closely!! ;-)

Finally... a white cross on a black flag.

Have you guessed?

little onion pot

2009-05-12T11:38:00.004+01:00

A birthday present from my mum and dad. I fell in love with him when we visited an antique centre months and months ago, and they remembered and went back for him :-) I have a thing about making objects into little characters. I really want to play with some of these from paperchase. I am always seeing faces in things.

Tomorrow I am off on an adventure. So I'm signing off for a while but I will be back with tales to tell hopefully. Bye for now!

another year older

2009-05-08T08:31:00.004+01:00

Definitely more wrinkles than last year but no point obsessing over them! I had a lovely time on my birthday. For the first time in years we went to pizza hut for lunch where we had the tastiest pizza ever. Now usually I prefer thin base pizzas but this time we had a deep pan and ohhhhhhh it was delicious! I interrogated the waitress as to how they make them so tasty but she wouldn't tell me! Said it was a secret. I think it would be worth getting a job there just to find out!

The other real high point of the day was this amazing place. Tell me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure this is where they filmed the recent newspaper advert with the little boy pressing his hand up against the glass as a shark swims past. I tried to get Mr P to reenact it but he was too shy!

The tunnel where you can stand on the conveyor belt is amazing to go through. I loved seeing the fish swimming in shoals around us.

Mr P kept pretending to be eaten by the sharks. Can't take him anywhere ;-)

I laugh every time I look at this!

In the evening Mr P had booked a table at a swanky restaurant not far from where we live but we both admitted later that it hadn't been half as good as pizza hut! I know pizza is very calorific, but after eating onion soup which was literally a bowlful of cream with onion flavouring and gruyere I thought I would have to spend 3 hours on the dance mat the next day to burn it off!

So here I am, a little bit older. More comfortable in my own skin, more aware of who I am and that's it's ok not to be perfect and perfectly fine to make mistakes. It's all just a series of experiences, good and bad. I like to think when something bad happens that to balance things up something good will happen at a later date, especially when you have a run of bad luck. Like yin and yang. My french teacher used to say you make your own luck and I suppose that's true to a certain extent but you can't control everything. So that's how I deal with it. Incidentally I don't spend my life worrying that if things are great something will go wrong! That wouldn't work at all! Hopefully this will be a great year. There are some exciting things planned already!

Listen to me rambling on! Anyway, have a lovely weekend everyone whatever you're up to. :-)

a long weekend

2009-05-06T10:30:00.004+01:00

Well the weather was a bit pants for the bank holiday weekend but we decided to ignore it and make the best of it which resulted in us getting a bit wet but didn't stop us from having fun.

We've driven past the cotebrook shire horse centre loads of times and put it on the list of things to do one day... well that day was bank holiday monday.

We were expecting to see lots of shire horses but there was so much more there and the setting was so lovely. Like a rural idyll.

We were lucky to see the farriers in action. When they were putting the new shoes on the horse the smell of burning hoof was intense. Of course the horse didn't seem to mind but the poor lad with the horse's foot between his legs kept getting a facefull of steamy smoke. Bleurghh!!! The photo below makes me laugh... he probably needed a very long shower before his girlfriend would go near him!

Lots of different characters in the hen house. I would love to keep some hens! Definitely one day!

Lots of cute baby birds and bunnies.

And of course, lots of shire horses! Shire horses are such gentle giants. This one was having a bit of a stretch like a dog does and it made us giggle.

The pub next door has a lovely atmosphere and there was a cozy fire crackling away to keep us warm. It's a proper old traditional country pub, just how I love them the most. I giggled at the photos on the wall of shire horses waiting to be served at the bar!! I think we'll have to go back here for tea sometime.

As I love making lists, some other things we did over the weekend:

a day out in chester... window shopping mostly
a bit of gardening
feeling really really lucky to have a pair of redpolls visiting the bird feeders again
cake baking
drinking cider and dancing around to a great local band called the cheeky monkeys
chatting with friends
a spot of decorating
watching amelie... again!
planning a camping trip for the summer
getting excited about my birthday, more about this later!!

Bye for now!

my little friend

2009-04-23T19:06:00.004+01:00

This little robin has been keeping me company recently while I've been digging holes in the garden and then he enchants me as the sun goes down with his beautiful song from the sycamore tree.

show of hands

2009-04-21T11:29:00.004+01:00

I had the most amazing musical experience at the weekend at the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays. I lost all sense of space and time, found tears in my eyes and tingles from my scalp, across my shoulders and down my spine. The talent from the band we had gone to see was just incredible. How can three people be so talented to play so many instruments AND have perfect voices too? Not to mention funny as well. So.. show of hands are now officially my favourite band ever!

Thanks to David for the use of this great picture. Show of hands were originally just Steve Knightley and Phil Beer (what a great name!!) but for now they have Miranda Sykes playing with them.

We're off on a folk train tomorrow night... that should be an experience!
Bye for now!

tulips and teacups

2009-04-20T10:07:00.004+01:00

Happy monday to you all. Some flowers to brighten your day.

buried treasure

2009-04-17T13:12:00.004+01:00

Look what Mr P dug up in the garden!!!

I always hoped we'd find some interesting things when we started transforming the garden. Where we live there used to be parkland to a big house which survived until just before the second world war when the estate was turned into a British army transit base. Later on it was occupied by thousands of American soldiers prior to the D-Day invasion. We have worked out by looking at the old map that our house was built on the site of the old mess hut. I like to think that's why we have found this amazing old milk bottle. It's so old that the phone number has only 4 digits.

I find it hard to explain why I'm so in love with this bottle. Before this I could never see the appeal of archaeological digs, but now I think I understand the excitement of finding something hidden for years, waiting to give up its secrets. It's the mystery of how it ended up there in our garden, who drank the milk it held, who was the last person to touch it before we did, how long had it been buried there, how old is it, where exactly was the dairy??? What I can't understand is how a milk bottle from Timperley has found its way here. It's about half an hour by car. Why would they have been using a dairy so far away? Maybe somebody was visiting and brought it with them? Does anyone have any other ideas? Perhaps that is how it found its way into the ground here... because it was from a different dairy it wasn't rinsed and returned like the others. Well it's a mystery to me but such a lovely one. It's a very chunky bottle with a very wide neck. Perfect for flowers. And it makes me feel all warm inside that we have such a beautiful piece of history belonging to this place sitting on the dining room table.

I would love to hear about any treasures you have found. Wishing you a lovely weekend!

bird and branch pebble pendant

2009-04-15T18:50:00.004+01:00

A crafty post is long overdue so here is my latest carved pebble.

I've been making these for a number of months now and I think it is the natural simplicity of them that appeals to me and that I know their entire journey from start to finish. I love to make jewellery and for a while I was getting frustrated that the things I was making weren't as unique to me as they could be and I wanted to make something more original that would have a strong identity. I suppose I got the idea through carving lino prints and rubber stamps. I started to think about how could I use that process in my jewellery making that would allow me to use my drawings and designs to create something unique. I've been refining my technique and I think and hope I get better with each pebble.

Happy Wednesday to you!

susan boyle

2009-04-15T11:41:00.004+01:00

For anyone who missed this amazing performance from a woman on Britain's Got Talent, you must watch it! The audience had already judged her before she'd sang a note... well see for yourself. It's great. Go Susan!!!

yesterday...

2009-04-08T11:00:00.004+01:00

I spent the day making little cakes for Mr P but don't tell him! It's his birthday you see. Well they're more like muffins than little cakes really. And there were originally 6 and now there are 4 but, well, I had to try one when they came out of the oven to check they were baked enough (they were), then I had to try another one after I put the melted chocolate on to make sure that they still tasted alright (they did). Oh and did I mention that I licked the spoon and the bowl?! I'm just a big kid really! I feel sick now! Should know better really :-)

The mini cake stand is from a lovely lady on etsy. I love etsy!!

recipe for major muscle ache

2009-04-07T10:10:00.004+01:00

Take some scaffolding planks:

and a heap of stinky soil:

then mix in 4 people, 2 wheelbarrows, lots of hard work and add to this:

to make this:

and four very sore backs!!

I'm very pleased! It turned out that we had about 2 tonnes extra topsoil than we needed but the garden has never looked better. It's been completely transformed by it. All the borders look amazing now the weeds have been covered up! Only joking, we pulled them out first, honest. Now I just need to start sowing veg seeds, oh and a massage! Bye for now!

a thousand words

2009-04-04T19:44:00.004+01:00

If you have a moment please watch this short film. It's lovely and heart warming.
A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.
(found via swissmiss)

Eeek!

2009-04-03T17:35:00.004+01:00

When I looked out of the window I just stared in bewilderment and thought someone must have miscalculated!! Then I had a massive fit of giggles which lasted about 5 minutes. Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow! Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

sometimes i need to tell myself...

2009-04-01T18:26:00.004+01:00

It seems to be the hardest part.

postcard from sunny wales

2009-03-30T23:10:00.004+01:00

Hello! How is everyone? Thanks for all the lovely comments you've been writing. I love to read them. I really didn't think anyone would realise that I'd started the blog back up so I'm really thrilled!

I don't think I've ever posted a picture of Mr P on here before... well he said it was ok... this was us this weekend on the beach at Abersoch. Ahhhh the beach huts! Look at the lovely textures.

In contrast, the freshly painted huts at Llanbedrog which are all waiting patiently at the top of the hill to be put back on the beach again. They look strange on the grass, like something out of a kid's tv programme. Even more so when Mr P was hiding, sticking his head out from behind different ones and running around to make me laugh. But those colours! So pretty.

A good time was had and I found a few lovely pebbles that will probably be turned into necklaces. I have more photos to show you later in the week.

I'm so happy that British Summertime has begun here as now we have lighter evenings to look forward to! Yay!! It makes such a difference to life in general. So happy Monday everyone! Hope you all have a good start to the week.

all about books

2009-03-23T17:05:00.004Z

This lovely little wren, happily perched on my shelf reminds me of a weekend we spent in Hay-on-Wye a couple of months ago.

Whenever I visit somewhere new it's always a joy to discover a new art or craft gallery and I was delighted to find The Hay Makers. Exactly my kind of place! Full of lino prints and etchings and some totally gorgeous wire sculpture work of birds and animals. We bought the little wren because it had so much character but there were also beautiful hens and hares. Unfortunately I can't find the name of the maker.

Have you ever been to Hay-on-Wye? It's a unique little place on the England/Wales border famous for it's secondhand bookshops... For it's small size there are 30 bookshops to browse your way through!! That's a lot of browsing.

I think it drove Mr P a bit mad when we spent the weekend there a couple of months ago! He seemed a bit happier with a steaming hot chocolate in his hand!

Wishing you a lovely start to the week!

*Edit* A bit of digging around on the internet has revealed the maker of the wren to be Helen Kahan from Cardiff. I wish she had a website.

here i am...

2009-03-19T14:26:00.004Z

Hello people!!!

I have finally returned to this place which I used to love so much and it's about time I showed it some attention I think! I have missed all my blogging pals so much! My cunning plan was to leave it until the beginning of May and then it might have looked like there was no break given a short glance!!! Except for all that has happened in the space of a year... things that now seem as though I could have dreamt them. But that's for another time.

I had the best day yesterday.

The sun was shining and it felt so warm against my skin. I wasn't the only one enjoying it, the birds were singing and a lovely friend sat with me for a while and we had a cup of tea and shared some chocolate. I spent part of the day in the garden painting some old bookshelves a nice new colour for my workroom. I'll show you a before and after sometime soon.

Major excitement!!! I found out that one of my necklaces had been featured on the front page of etsy!!! That's never happened to me before and it was so exciting. It was this one.

Anyway, I will leave you with a link to a program on the bbc iplayer which had me totally engrossed yesterday. Oh how I'd love to go to Japan on a quest to find the meaning of wabi sabi... it's available for the next 4 days... take a look if you have chance.

Bye for now :-)

Taking a breather

2008-04-30T13:04:00.004+01:00

I have treated myself to an early birthday present. I am very lucky to already own a platter made by Diana Fayt and have been a huge fan of hers for quite a while now. When I read that one of her plates which had broken in transit had been transformed into lots of individual pendants by Juliet at The Broken Plate I thought 2 things... what a genius idea... and how can i get my mitts on one! I know I'm naughty wearing it before my birthday but it's just so beautiful. I really love it! There are more pendants available here and, even better, some of the proceeds go to an art charity. I'm planning on celebrating my birthday with a bbq over the bank holiday weekend. We've even bought some garden furniture for the occasion so please, please let the sun shine on us!!!!

In other news... The invitations are all made for the wedding with not a moment left to spare! Thank goodness that's over with!! Never again!!!! ;-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Escaping for a day

2008-04-15T20:25:00.004+01:00

Last week it was Mr P's birthday so we got in the car and drove all the way to the island of Anglesey in Wales where we walked miles down a beautiful sandy beach backed with pine trees to the tiny island called Llanddwyn. It's known as lover's island and is one of my favourite places.

We got lashed with rain but as soon as we set foot on the island the sun came out which was just so stunning because everything was illuminated against the dark sky. Soon, as the clouds cleared, we could see Snowdonia across the Menai Straits. Snowdon was covered in snow like you'd expect.

As you can see we took TONS of photos and now I'm having trouble deciding which ones to show you!

Yes that's me taking a photo of Mr P!

We had hoped to make it to this lovely lady's gallery in Beaumaris but ran out of time which was a shame. Hopefully next time.

I know we only went for the day but it really felt as if we'd been on holiday for a couple of days. A change of scenery really does you good sometimes, especially when you're behind on making wedding invitations and they're driving you up the wall!

Anyway, better get back to it! Bye for now.

snow in april

2008-04-11T12:10:00.004+01:00

Didn't prince write a song about snow in april? I could tell the light looked different in the bedroom when I opened my eyes on Sunday morning so I sprang out of bed to look out of the window. Such a surprise to wake up and see such a gorgeous change of view. Anyway, these gorgeous photos were taken by Mr P on Sunday morning. I love how the light reflects and bounces off the snow, illuminating everything. It was only there a few hours before it melted but it was beautiful while it lasted. Well worth getting up for!

Have a great weekend whatever you're up to! Bye for now!