New New New

As normality takes hold, I am making some progress, my to-do list even has some ticks on it! Glory!

Let's see, well, I have restocked my etsy shop with a few plates, here's a glimpse at a couple.






I have added a couple of new things to my vintage shop.






I have an(other) list on the go, of things I want to make and do this year, ideas are coming! I am even sort of up-to-date with my 365 project on Flickr. So that feels pretty good.



The next post will be my 200th and I'd like to celebrate that with bells and whistles and more importantly a giveaway. So hopefully I'll sort that out over the weekend, stand by for further announcements!

Oh and I am offering 10% off any purchase from le petit boutique via Tea for Joy - you just have to put the code, teaforjoy in at the checkout and voila!

Happy weekends!

hello blog, a nice book and scenes from my studio *and a reminder*

I am being rather shamefully neglectful of my blog at the moment, I'm still reading all of yours and commenting too, but almost a week has passed and I haven't been here at all. I think it's largely because of the blog camp 365, it's turned into a diary of sorts, and maybe that fools me into thinking I have been blogging when I haven't. Anyway, it's hardly cataclysmic or earth-shattering, it doesn't matter at all come to think of it, but still, I don't wish to seem neglectful.





This week has been rather momentous in its own way, Iris started kindergarten and it went wonderfully and very smoothly.

I have made a couple of plates..





Sharpened all my pencils...



And packaged up a couple of orders and carried on with my latest overwhelming obsession, which is to rid this house of all unwanted and unnecessary items, and to that end two bulging bags of clothes went off to the charity shop, it's a good feeling. We're getting there.

Anyway, I have hardly done any thrifting lately, but I did find this lovely book called Make Music - a book of musical experimentation for young people, published 1967. Aren't the illustrations a treat?











Right I'm off to eat a delicious-smelling aubergine and broccoli laksa and what's more, I duly promise to show up here a bit more often.

*ALSO* just a note to say this is the *LAST* week of the sale in the shop, I will be adding all *NEW* things early next week. So go bag some bargains!

Cut Paper and Some Junk Shop Finds

Inspired by my previous post on Brian Wildsmith, I have made a start on a collage.



It's not finished and it's not that refined, I did it whilst Iris was doing some painting beside me so it was quite hard to concentrate fully. Anyway the colours are rather joyful and delicious. Even while severely muted by Blogger (just why does that happen?)



I also had a quick trip to the junk shop at the end of the week and found a few nice things. I haven't been buying much lately, a combination of it being January = having no money, a lack of car boot sales and the weather has meant that there hasn't really been much of a market on Saturdays. I'm bound to make up for it later in the year. Even though I have vowed to curb my magpie ways a tad, as I've been having a massive clear-out this week which has been very cathartic and satisfying.

During my clear-out, I re-found this lovely little enamel ladybird pin which I've had since I was 11 or thereabouts.



Junk shop necklace.



Nautical wrapping paper.



A fine hand-made pin cushion in teeny tiny patchwork.





Tiny turtle buttons. Only two though.



Oh and a super-big THANKS to everyone who left a comment on my interview over at Tea For Joy.

And yes, that was my big reveal, some of my plates are going to be stocked at the Paul Smith flagship store on Floral Street, Covent Garden. I'll post some pictures when I can!

I'm Back and A Petit Sale

Hello, have you missed me? Well, I've certainly missed you.

The internet has been broken for the last week or so, since the wild weather of the previous post. Darlings, it has been HELL.

Actually, it was fine, I spent all of last week making things for the Winter Fayre at Monkton Wylde to raise money for our kindergarten, so in the end I had plenty of time, with no distractions, to devote to that.

I made tiny felt hearts for the visiting Snow Queen to give to the children. Which gave me ample opportunity to practice my fairy stitching. You know, really tiny perfect stitches. Hmmm. I achieved partial success.





Look at this example of real-life fairy stitching. I found some embroidered linens at a charity shop last week and was so amazed at the level of work, care and detail. Lovely, eh? Oh, I wish fervently that I could sew like this.





So, back to my rather more haphazard brand of crafting - I also made a batch of mincemeat (very delicious), some dried fruit truffles (I'll be posting the recipe later this month) and some reindeer food. I'm sure you all know what that is. No? Well, it's the traditional recipe of oats and glitter, reindeer love it.

But this new week, I have to turn my attention fully toward Iris's third birthday, which is on Saturday!



I have a birthday crown and Bambi (current obsession of hers) card to make, presents to wrap and then on Friday, the mother of all cooking and baking sessions ahead of her party on Saturday. It truly is the calm before the storm! I am steeling my nerve.

So, I hope to be back a bit more this week - but until then I am happy to tell you that there's a 15% sale in both of the shops for the next two weeks or thereabouts. Orders will be shipped promptly so there's still time for a bit of Christmas shopping!

For le petit boutique and all the vintage goodness that lies within - add this code at the checkout - LEPETITCHRISTMAS and the 15% will be automatically deducted.

And then over in the etsy branch - I will refund 15% via Paypal.

Lastly, I was really thrilled to see that I had been featured over at A Beat My Heart Skipped (thanks to The Mad House for tipping me off) and as it turns out, one of my plates was featured in their Christmas Gift Guide last month! Double the warm glow!

November Skies and A Shop Update

What a wild weekend.

For weather that is. It's been very rainy and blowy and then rainy again and properly cold. We made the most of the wind by taking Iris to fly her kite yesterday morning.



Then in the afternoon, I watched the pinkly-tinged clouds canter over a silhouetted hill. It was beautiful.









Oh and I've added a few new plates to the shop. Go see!

New Plate Preview

Thanks for all your encouraging words regarding my last post.

The good ship creativity has yet to dock, but in the mean time, I have been practicing my Photoshop skills (negligible) and submitted a couple more designs to envelop.

This is newly approved and called blue mountain.




I also collected some newly fired plates from Flora's kiln - (do check out her sweet submission for Folksy's Upcycle Christmas Competition).

Excitingly, I used fancy gold decal on some of them. I bought it a while ago and have been intrigued to see how it turned out. Luxe! Shiny! Actually, it's not that shiny, it's got a nice pearlescent quality though.



Firing plates seems to require nerves of steel and a certain amount of magic and/or luck, a few from this batch just didn't make it, even though they're all from the same set (the tadpole-ish ones) more or less - I have no idea why.

Anyway, luckily some did! And here they are. They'll be in the shop soon!

Untitled

This is a post about, well, nothing really. And therein lies the problem.



I'm feeling distinctly lacking in inspiration. It's quite confounding and discombobulating. I don't know whether to do some more plates, or some more designs for envelop or whether to jazz up the shop a bit. I am cast adrift.



So, I sat at my desk and moved/straightened some piles of paper around, then I tipped all these shapes out and moved them around a bit.



I looked at the wall and my clutter, ahem, treasures.



Then I gave up, and came downstairs again. Maybe tomorrow will be different?

New Plates and More Screenprints*

I am feeling a little under the weather, which is annoying as we're meant to be going to a party this evening, and I had plans to be extra-productive over the weekend. But now, I'd just like to crawl into bed and wake up right as rain on, say, Tuesday. Not much chance of that.

Here's a few more screenprints that I am working on. I have been collaging onto them. I'm going to add some to the shop in the next week.







I also have three more fired plates in the shop.







Well, I had better dash, I have about 15 minutes to transform myself into a glamorous party-going creature.. Aiiiiiiii!

*Update* - Finally! Some new vintage in the Big Cartel branch of the shop - taster below..