Browsing category

Creativity

Browse Subcategories :

Modern fairytale painting

Artist interviews

Handmade business

January planning

the insta retreat review

gratitude journaling

Browse Recent Posts:

Leatherwork course at The Cherry Wood Project

September 2, 2016

I’ve never done a craft course before, but I chose leatherwork as my interest in it has developed through my pyrography and making small pouch bags for Oshun Creations. I didn’t really know what to expect, but gave my camper a fresh MOT and off I went for my first weekend away in it this year!….

Monthly Memoir – August

August 31, 2016

The very sad truth of the matter is that if I am writing this at the end of August, that pretty much means that summer is over. The leaves on the willow are mostly yellow already and flowers are sparse in our garden. It’s been a lovely summer, but a very busy one so I’m making a note to be more prepared next year. It began at the beginning of June with frantic sewing of bottle bags for Glastonbury Festival; then I just had a week to get ready for the three week American road trip; then I had two weeks to fulfil two custom orders for Oshun and get ready for my stall at the New Forest Fairy Festival; then I had two days to catch up on housework before my parents came for a a few days; then I had four days to make a mermaid wedding dress ready for a photo shoot in Cornwall. Which brings me up to two days ago! I’ve still got a couple of Khaleesi costume orders to make, but once those are done I can calm down a little. Oh and then it’s my daughter’s eighteenth birthday party. I’m hoping I get one or two days to relax before Christmas! ….

Using a Prism for Flower Photography

August 19, 2016

Playing with light is a photographer’s dream, so what could be better than creating magical rainbows and mystical haze?! Chris had seen some of the effects that a prism could make, so he bought me one to play with. How to use a prism in photography? – it is simple enough – you just hold it in front of the lens, and have a play with what you get. It gives an original look to photographs, and I think works particularly well for flowers. I think it would take a fair bit of practice to actually predict the results and know how to get them though. I discarded many photos because they just looked plain weird, or had too much rainbow or too much glare from sunlight. I tried it first with a bunch of flowers on my table, just to see what it would be like; then I took all my photography gear to Lytes Cary Manor to photograph their gardens, and particularly the apple blossom. This is the result….

The story of a potter – Stephanie Edwards from Poundsgate Pottery

August 11, 2016

I’m another crafter who likes to listen to audio books while they work – the only problem is that time passes too quickly then! If I had a little more time and a little fewer hobbies already, I would definitely have a try at pottery – it looks like so much fun. Stephanie’s is also a little more quirky than the generic bowls and plates you might find at a craft shop. I talk to her about what it’s like to run a craft business….

The story of an artist – Sue Clyne

The annoying thing about having a stall at the New Forest Fairy Festival is that I never have time to have a good look around everyone else’s! There are so many interesting creative people, and artist Sue Clyne definitely has a stall worth visiting. Her paintings are so interesting, I could stop and look at one for a long time! It was fascinating finding out more about her and her work….

The story of a log wood carver – Paul Rook

I’m often amazed at the patience involved in some crafts, and wood carving is definitely one of those. Paul Rook carves amazing-looking pagan Green Man faces into logs and they must take him hours! He told me more about what he does and how he started the craft….

The story of a wood carver – Martin at Lady Oak Wood

When I was a kid my Dad let me play around with a chisel and a piece of soft wood and I loved carving patterns into it. When I grow up I’d love to have another go! Martin from Lady Oak Wood tells me in this interview how he is inspired by nature and I totally agree – I love working with natural materials, including wood, and one day, when I’m not so busy with other things, I seriously would love to give wood turning and wood carving a proper try. It was interesting hearing more about it….

Monthly Memoir – July

The whole of July was pretty much about our holiday in America. The few days before we left were spent frantically researching where we were going, and the few days after were spent unpacking, washing, and trying to get over jet-lag. We had three weeks away and began in New York, getting the AmTrack train down to Washington DC, picking up a hire car and driving to New Orleans via Nashville and Memphis, and then following the coast East to Orlando to spend the last couple of days in Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios. Wow! I’m exhausted just remembering it! We covered ten states of America (New York, New Jersey, District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.) Phew! ….

The story of a crystal crafter – Blackbird Beauties

When I was little and often went to Cornwall in the Easter holidays, I would always look forward to going to a particular shop in Padstow that sold crystals and semi-precious stones (now a bag and shoe shop) and I still have the three that I bought with my pocket money! I can completely understand why Catherine Wilson of Blackbird Beauties describes herself as “crystal nuts”. I asked her more about this, her handcrafted items and how her business came about….

pink alarm clock - a short story about Kurt Cobain

Here’s a poem / piece of writing giving you an insight into what goes on in my mind at night….

The story of the photographs – Glastonbury Festival 2016

You are probably aware by now that this year’s Glastonbury Festival was quite a muddy one! Unfortunately I can’t find anywhere to buy camera cases that fit my Panasonic Lumix GM1 when it has a long zoom lens attached. So, as I have a sturdy leather case for the kit lens that came with it – 12-32mm (24-64 equiv) – I decided not to risk damaging my others. It was a good decision because the cover did get quite a bit of mud on it! However it means my photography was a bit limited this year. Not just by the lens, but unless you were there, I don’t think you can ever understand what it’s like to try and get around in that thickness of mud. It is almost up to your knees in places and sucks you down like it’s superglue, so even just taking a few footsteps to the right to get the best angle simply isn’t doable, let alone running to the most photogenic field when the sun sets! So I didn’t get as many good photos as I would have liked, but here are the best ones….

Monthly Memoir – June

What a tricky month June has been in the world of politics. I think it is a real shame we left the EU, but just as I thought we might be ok, Michael Gove puts himself forward for the leadership. I think I would have to leave the country if that happens! Anyway, for me it’s been my busiest month of the year, as I was making cup carriers and bottle bags to be sold at Water Aid stands at Glastonbury Festival. I’m not entirely sure how my sewing machine coped, but in the end I delivered two hundred and seventy-five altogether….