all true about my new desk : )

but also apply to how I feel about lots of new stuff I’m working on, or another example would be a commission I recently finished : ) The recipient now has the bag, so I can show you some nice images!

The brief was to make a bag for a man, which was easy to use, adjustable strap, padded, with pockets, and not fussy, no overwrought detailing! Also the colours to use were olive green, and brown if possible : ) But I did want to include some pattern, so I used some of the Mid West Modern range by Amy Butler for the lining,

It has a magnetic clasp to keep it shut, and has in the main body of the bag three pockets.

On the outside of the bag it has a zipped part,

which is also line in the lovely Martini fabric : ) It has come together really well, and both the person who commissioned it, and the recipient of the bag are really happy, always a great result!

I don’t think I will be making this bag normally, but I will accept commissions for it, so if you are interested, just drop me a line, and we can go from there!

Hope you are having a great weekend, I’ll blog more about ours tomorrow!

that is how our spare room/sewing room now smells!

Yesterday William and I went to Ikea to sort our some desk issues, with my earnings from Open Studios : )

We came back with a pair of these,

adjustable trestles, with storage underneath, so somewhere for sewing machine covers, sewing machines and irons to sit, and then on top of that I have one of these, a nice solid piece of pine, so nice, at the moment I don’t want to even put my sewing machine back on it!

Having this will really help, as I have started to get back ache when cutting out, and it is nice to be able to stand and work sometimes as well. We used to have a great farmhouse kitchen table which was great to stand at and work, so having the ability to change height is fab!

Also the top is longer, so more room for cutting out!

My old desk has gone to the boys to use, as they now need a normal height desk, so tomorrow will be tidying and organising in their room, joy!

Hopefully new piccies tomorrow, probably taken on some still clean pine desk!

as you may have seen in posts throughout the years, we have quite a reasonable sized garden with a crazy hill in it, the crazy hill puts me off the whole garden, which is a shame, maybe next year……………

The one redeeming feature about the hill are the four trees which grow on it, three are pretty ones, and the fourth, produces these,

the most wonderful, totally seasonal english fruit, the joy of a perfect Victoria plum : ) I love them, they are so so perfect, and last night I fought with the wasps for this bowl full. We would have had more, a branch was broken off the tree which was heavily laden with fruit earlier on in the summer.

So we have our crop, Edward and I have already eaten half of it! It is now I wish we had an old apple tree or such like, but there is a bramley apple tree next to our office, and I’m going to look for some fallers tomorrow : )

Open Studios is now over for me, I was really pleased with how it went, so much nicer to be with other artists. Caroline and Penny made me feel really welcome, and I would love to do it with them again next year (hint, hint!)
I really enjoyed doing the felt making demos, and I’m going to be looking at making starter kits! Shame I didn’t think about that before I did it!

Ah well, another week ahead, haircuts, sorting out the boys room, and working on new ideas, so new stuff to show off soon : )

by the the beauty of someones art is wonderful, and even though I have many prints and quite a few original pieces in our house, it is always fantastic finding someone new!

I discovered Anna through the power of Twitter with the help of Laura and Lucie : ) Through their comments I found her blog and her shop, and came away with this,

not the best of photographs, you can see it better here, and a little close up,

When I saw this on Annas blog, I fell in love, and then I realised it was an original watercolour, not a print as I had originally thought, and that was that, I had to have it!

So now I have it, and it will be on our half landing wall as soon as I get to Ikea and get a frame! And then I will have to get another so it doesn’t get lonely! Please go visit her blog and her shop!

Now something else that arrived in the post,

lovely green shades of linen, mmmm so lovely, can’t wait to use it, feeling quite creative, but not having the time : ( Next week maybe : )

Open Studios this weekend, then a week and a half before term starts : ) Then before you know it, Christmas will be here!

or two : )

this is the pile that I created over the two afternoons at Open Studios, they are all pieces made from the blended wool that I have to normally make my corsages.

I have also used it though in some of my bag designs, and my new pouches. I would like to tie the felt and linen together more, and the combination of textures is great.

I’m at my ‘proper’ job today, so having been woken up at 5.30 today a perfect opportunity to get in an early morning blog post.

Hopefully tomorrow I can show you some sneak peeks of the commission I’m working on : )

they feel funny, like a bit shiny, polished even. I don’t know if other wet felters get this, but I guess after spending three hours yesterday felting, and another three today it is understandable that something odd might happen to the palms of my hands!

Well a week off now : ) Today was really good, more visitors, more sales, and it was sunny, so everything looked even better : ) It is lovely being in Penny and Carolines studio, a totally different feeling than being at home, and so much light! Also being with artists/crafters from a different discipline helps too, makes you see things in a different light.

Having said that though I have been looking through some of my Flickr favourites and looking at the fabric pieces in there, and I jst wanted to share a few with you, don’t do enough of this anymore, so this is a bonus post!

this is by Marty Jonas a fibre artist, I love the colour and shape in it, simple and really striking, I do love blues and greens though : )

this is by Jude Hill I love the softness of the colours, the feeling of warmth, even though they are quite cool colours, and her blog is full of her work made from the most lovely fabrics, the way they are put together, tiny pieces is fab!

and lastly,

I really love Cathys work, and would love to get a piece of her work, soon, maybe Christmas (you reading this John!). Have a look at her blog and her Flickr, because there is so much beauty there, I want to be able to touch them, feel them, I know that is wrong, but that is what I would like to do!
She also has an Etsy shop, empty at the moment, but I would say keep an eye on her blog.

So I hope you like them as well, tomorrow, well it is another day, and another bag, a commission, so fingers crossed!!

We are open for business : )

This is my area of the studio,

It is quite overcast here today which is a shame, hopefully it will clear up!

So just to remind you we are open 10am to 4pm Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th and Saturday 22nd, and I will be doing wet felting demos each afternoon, between 1pm and 4pm. If you want to come and see us, this is the Hampshire Open Studios link, we are under Andover (pg 35), and this shows where we are!

Hope to see you there!!

they are finished!

hard to believe I know, the white on the top has burnt out a little, but at least it gives you an idea, all 18 of them!

and you can see my new Moo mini cards, which I’m using as swing tags, yay, very pleased with them.

These pouches will be making their appearance at Open Studios this coming weekend, they will be £8 each, all are fully lined, come with my handmade felt embroidered on the front, and of course a little button tag, a bargain!

I will also have been hard at work on some embroidered felt art,

a little more,

and a lot more,

I have really enjoyed working on these three companion pieces, they will be sold individually in oak deep sided frames, and each are unique, and never to be created again, of course!

We are open 10am to 4pm Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th and Saturday 22nd, and I will be doing wet felting demos each afternoon. If you want to come and see us, this is the Hampshire Open Studios link, we are under Andover (pg 35), and this shows where we are!

So now, back to get more stuff ready for setting up tomorrow!

oh yes, all mine : )

I love Kates beads, I know she is my sister in law, but they feel so nice against the skin, and this one has so much depth to it, just lovely.

If you like what you see above, her Flickr stream is here, and her shop is here, I have found always to keep an eye on Flickr, because if not you go to the shop and it has already sold!

You know those pouches, well you are saved from ‘another’ image of linen and felt, but good news, they are almost complete!! a piccie tomorrow.

Here is something else I want, I’m sure I can find a space for it, soon : )

Also meant to say I have re-listed these today : )

I know, good grief, you must be bored by this!

but you can see the progression of my work : )

I was hoping that I would be further forward that this now, but there you go, things got in the way, like a screaming 7 year old : ( But all calmed down, and wasn’t ‘too’ bad for the rest of the day.

I’ll leave you with something that made me smile, it doesn’t make you smile, then you are a ‘hard’ person! Go see it here : ) It is very gentle, so don’t worry!