Kirstie and Kirsty sitting in a tree

Hi folks, thought I would stop by and write a quick post while the OH cooks tea and I have a few minutes! Things are typically manic here, trying (without success) to make some stock for upcoming fairs - and other things just keep getting in the way!
I have added a few new festive lines to my Folksy and Etsy shops, including Christmas Tree Garlands...

...eight co-ordinating trees strung onto a length of bakers twine,

some Scandinavian-inspired toadstool decorations...

...and some Mistletoe robins on cinnamon sticks which were so popular last year.

Also some driftwood Christmas cards...

...in 3 quirky designs...

I have also squeezed in some custom orders including this parrot for a little boy's new pirate-themed bedroom!

And the title of this post? I was most surprised, yet thoroughly delighted to find a little photo of me in this new publication!

Here I am on page 95! The photo was taken at the Royal Cornwall Show - but there was no mention of any book! In fact, if a friend hadn't tipped me off, I may never have known!
So that's enough excitement for one week! Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovely people! xx

Festive Decorations

I know, I know, it's still ages away! But I've signed up for a couple of fairs and I'm determined to be organised for a change! This year's new design is this cute little mouse, which is designed to hang on the tree from his candy cane!


Like so!!

The cinnamon robins are back once more, this time made from linen...

and with an alternative breast colour!

Penguins have returned this year too, also in linen!

Did you notice, the penguins and the mice have the same basic shape? I used the same pattern and tweaked it a little. All decorations are available in my Etsy and Folksy shops.

Anyway I hope you like my new offerings for 2011!
A warm welcome to all new readers - have a great weekend!

Hello Autumn

There has been a definite change in the air over the last week or so, and the start of the new school term means that summer is over once again. The next few months are usually the busiest for me, so I am trying to cram in a few new pieces before I get wrapped up making robins and penguins - plus a different Christmas design for 2011 that is in the pipeline!

I had a lovely commission for a customer a couple of weeks ago: she wanted 9, yes 9, hanging jellyfish for her little boys room. The only specification was no pink...so I could really go to town!

I had plenty of bright fabric to choose from...

And here is a shot of them finished!
While it was most enjoyable using a vast array of colours, when I chanced upon some gorgeous cotton lace fabric on eBay, I knew I would like to have a go at a neutral one...

And here it is: has a kind of vintage look to it, wouldnt you say? I used cotton lace trims and (get this) sequins as well as satin and organza ribbons. Very dreamy! If you fancy having a go at making your own jelly, you can find a tutorial here.

I have been thinking about doing some mixed media pieces, combining driftwood with painted canvasses: here is my first attempt....

What do you think? Hoping to do some more (I have a bit more time now that the boys are at school).Speaking of which, my baby started a few days ago! He was most excited (long may that last!) Here he is on his first day...

....with the obligatory too-short fringe!
Have a great weekend lovely people!

Holiday (Phase 2)

Back to work this morning after a lovely fortnight off - and as promised, here are a few snaps from the second part of our camping trip - this time in beautiful Herefordshire.
Steve and I did some canoeing here about 12 years ago - and wanted to return to do it with the boys.
We arrived early at Symonds Yat, and were greeted with this fantastic view...

Even Herbie seemed impressed!

We went during the week- as it gets pretty busy at weekends.

We took a lovely stroll in the Forest of Dean...

And (a highlight for me) as we were so close to Ross on Wye, we had to pay a visit to Baileys Home and Garden! What an inspiration! Unfortunately photography was prohibited which is such a shame: the website is nice, but it doesn't compare to seeing everything together in one amazing place!

I found time to do a bit of work at the weekend. This driftwood and slate piece - as yet unfinished, as I think it will look better in a box frame.

Another beach hut picture...ever popular!

And a primitive driftwood boat - the two bits of wood were already nailed together when I found it, so I just needed to add a few decorative touches!!

And finally, we had a freelance photographer here for the day on Friday! He took lots of pictures of the house, some of my work, and some of us - including some shots down the beach collecting driftwood! Hoping that we might get a bit of press! We had a good tidy-up in preparation - and re-arranged the shelves in the lounge. The old sewing machine had been hidden away in the loft, but we decided it was handsome enough to display: what do you think? (This is one of my photos - his were much better. I promise to share them once we get copies!!)

Have a great week folks!

Hello Campers!

We're back (albeit temporarily) from the first part of our little camping holiday.... and where better to stay than right here in Cornwall? I'm not going to bore you with zillions of holiday snaps, but I've put a few in collage form - just in case you'd like to have a little nosey!

This one is of the scenery - just check out the colour of the sea...just like being abroad!!

And this one is a few colourful snippets which for me sums up our stay...

We actually stayed at Sennen which is near Land's End. One morning we glimpsed a yacht race from our campsite - with the Scilly Isles in the distance - and it provided the inspiration for my dad's birthday card which I made this morning...inbetween about a dozen loads of washing!

Next we're off up to Herefordshire to do a bit of family canoeing on the River Wye...so if you don't mind, I'll share some more photos on our return!
Have a fine weekend folks!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

The title just about sums up how things have been over the last couple of weeks - and that's how I like it (I'm easily bored!) I'll share some images of the things I've been working on, shall I?

2 'secret' collages. This one was commissioned by a friend - for his wife's birthday (it's their beautiful house in Cambridgeshire).

The second one was a gift for my mother-in-law's birthday. It's a small collage of Kastro on Skiathos where we all went on holiday last year.

I was delighted to be asked by Lucy of Attic 24 to make a driftwood sculpture for her (click on the image and you'll notice the number on the door.) Her blog is an absolute joy - if you are not familiar with it, firstly where have you been? and secondly get over there right away!! (unless you wish to finish reading this post first!)

I've also been making some brooches! It started off with this owl which I made for Herbie's pre-school teacher...

Then some foxes...

And a peacock on request!

We all went to a little girl's birthday party yesterday so I made her a matching card and brooch set!

I love making these stitched cards: last week I had fun creating this one...

and I was looking at it and had an idea - which led to this!

Quite pleased with this cheerful design - I'd like to see how it looks as a print, but I think it will work really well as a printed greeting card. What do you think?

Phew! Well I think that's quite enough for one post! The weather has been glorious here for the first week of the school holidays - long may it last! Guess where we're off to today?

Yup - to 61A of course!! Have a fab weekend folks!

Handmade cards

click on image to enlarge

I was a naughty girl yesterday! Despite having outstanding orders, I fancied making a couple of new children's cards - and once I started, I couldn't stop! I showed them on my Facebook page, and an interesting discussion ensued: the old dilemma about how much to charge! Always a tricky one... and I'm not going to get into it again here! No-one will ever get rich making cards! BUT, let's just say I had a fabulous day, it was fun to create some new designs and use some scraps from my ever-growing fabric collection!
Most of these have been snapped up already, but I've put a framed a few and popped them in my Folksy shop. Which one is your favourite?