Day Off

I had such a great week last week, I managed to sell quite a lot of my own art work, five pieces to be exact as well as a lot of my handmade brooches, both textile and painted. It feels so good when that happens. When other people who aren't family and friends look at your work and like it as much as you do, enough to pay money for it, it feels amazing. What's more overwhelming are the comments i get from people saying how beautiful and unusual my art is, i love being able to tell my customers, when they ask, about how it's created and what materials are used etc, this is what is so nice about having my own shop/gallery and what makes all the obstacles that we had to work around to get it worthwhile.

This is currently on my work table, with a few other bits and pieces. Last year i did a series of mixed media collage paintings called "Happy Thoughts Angels" about 12 pieces on recycled cat food boxes. The "Happy Thoughts" theme came from a damaged vintage book i found of the same name. It contained all sorts of happy thoughts quotes and i used them in the collages. I sold a few of these before the shop opened, as i put them in the window and people knocked the door and asked if they could buy them, I have a few left so i've decided to collage them onto the wood panels to hang in the shop. This one (below) i'm re-creating from scratch onto a wood panel, it won't be exactly the same, but it's already sold.

(This is the original one placed onto the wood panel - not finished yet)

I created this for my new blog banner (I may even do a new blog) i've had the old banner for a while and I need change in my life every so often...

"There seems to be some sort of a pretty wilderness out there...."
Detail...

Detail...

Now... I have to show you this it's really exciting. I did a Bird Swap arranged by Lisa on http://www.noodlebubble.blogspot.com/ . My swap partner was Emily Burt http://www.handmadebyemily.blogspot.com/ in Brighton and i got this gorgeous owl, it's so beautiful i love it, thank you so much Emily and also thanks to Lisa for arranging it all, it was good fun.

www.folksy.com/shops/handmadebyemilyshop

"A wise old owl sat on an oak;

The more he saw the less he spoke;

The less he spoke the more he heard;

Why aren't we like that wise old bird?"

One of the things I have to get used to about living in a rural area is that it's difficult to find art suppliers of any consequence. I know i can buy on the internet but when it comes to brushes i have to touch and feel them before i know what will work for me. I have some old favourites but ended up using some of them for painting the intricate parts of furniture for the shop fittings (i.e. around glass on the cabinets) and now i can't find them. I got quite depressed at not having decent tools to work with and i ended up getting some cheap ones form a DIY store to try and make do, but they were impossible to work with, so i ended up going to wrexham yesterday (we were going anyway for something else) in search of an art store, not an easy task, we couldn't find one, and in desperation i ended up in Llangollen where i found a very small shop with a limited range of supplies, but at least i managed to get a decent selection of brushes. They were resonably priced and now i can start painting again.....yaaaaaay!!!!!!

nice...nice...nice...

.....so i prepared some of my smaller wood panels as these have already sold really well.

OK, i'm off to my work room now for a bit of creative therapy and then a nice hot relaxing bath.

Doodles and dreams....

I just have to show you this, i bought it on Etsy from my lovely bloggy friend Micki, The Secret Hermit http://www.thesecrethermit.blogspot.com/ I fell in love with it when i saw it on her blog, she's an amazing artist, please have a look! I've decided (when i can afford it) to start my collection of original art. It's a Moleskine notebook with Micki's beautiful painted illustration on the front with a beautifully written "Doodles, Dreams and Roaring good Schemes"...perfect!!! and signed by her on the back. It came beautifully packaged, thank you Micki, it's a real treasure, i love it.

This is another piece of original art i bought recently from another bloggy friend, Viv Sliwka, Hensteeth http://www.hensteethart.blogspot.com/ - I met Viv at one of her vintage shows in Ludlow recently, such a lovely lady. I love all these wonderfully talented people i've met and i feel honoured to own a piece of their art.

This is my new window display in the shop! Not brilliant, but it's difficult as the window lets in quite a bit of light. I'm limited to what i can put in there as it's right next to the counter and i didn't want people in the shop to have to look at the back of things. The chair i got from the recycling place and painted it a gorgeous duck egg blue and put the pitcher jug and some tea towels on it. I've had really nice comments about it. I'm currently thinking up my halloween and christmas display (hoping my clever sister is going to help me with ideas!!!).

Some different stock in the shop. These cards are gorgeous, they're 3d and are delicate little teapots and tea cups. There are some really nice cards around these days, all very contemporary and these seemed a little old fashioned at first, but people love them.

Gorgeous boxes:

Ribbons galore

Tibetan Bangles

Jewellery Boxes

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day" - Elwyn Bookes White

Aberdyfi

What a fabulous night and day away. It was such a nice thing to do and we feel so relaxed considering it was such a short period of time. Aberdyfi is so lovely but we arrived too late on the sunday evening to catch the fish and chip shop, so ended up in the spar with a sandwich.

I even managed a paddle in the sea!

but avoiding the jellyfish.

This was our B&B

...The room

...and the gorgeous view from the room.

Barmouth

On Monday we headed out on the coast road to Barmouth, never been there before and wasn't sure what to expect, but we had such a pleasant surprise it was gorgeous...and we finally got our fish and chips! ...although i never quite got to finish mine as a cheeky seagull swooped down and nicked it !!!!

I found the most amazing ice cream parlour

Gorgeous chandaliers

Of course we couldn't not have a knickerbocker glory!!!!

Beautiful Beach

This was on the drive back to Montgomery through Berriew when we had to stop to

let the cows pass by

just before i go away...

Thought i'd tell you that it's official that the friends and relatives of Montgomery Town Councillors are "upset" and "indignant" by our comments about their colleague in the local paper regarding his lack of response to our difficulties in setting up the business - how dare we speak up, and newcomers too, the cheek of it!!! it would seem we can't be in their gang anymore!!! Not come across this sort of behaviour since infant school!!! It's been suggested that we "de-personalise" the situation...in other words say sorry or perhaps admit we were wrong in speaking up.

Wondered if anyone could recommend another pub! tis gutting really as this one was within walking distance!! Ha!!!

"The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals and have no hope of rising in their own self esteem

but by lowering their neighbours"

- William Hazlitt

Happy Friday!!!!

I had a little opportunity to create some art recently, although not much as i've not had time to spend in my art room and i need my supplies around me for my paintings. These are "works in progress". I love creating these pieces on wood, i lose myself in the moment. Creating the patchwork backgrounds give me a sense of peace and nothing ever comes out as i planned, so i'm more inclined not to bother with the planning process any more. When i do get time to work on these i shut myself off, put on a Jane Austen audio book and sit thinking about things for a while, it could be five minutes or it could be hours, but whilst thinking i start to gather little treasures around me, i have an obscene amount of found elements to play with. My favourite supplies are my stash of wallpaper samples which i've been collecting for years, i use small pieces in my work and sometimes alter them, i love the different textures and the colours and patterns that are available. I love this piece (below), i started it recently, i love assemblage, for me it's like being a child again, although your art gets taken more seriously!!! Gavin found me a stash of these wonderful old french magazine papers (see background), they're just amazing, they have the most gorgeous images in them, the paper is old and yellowy and very brittle but when glued onto the wood they take on a colour and texture of their own which, amazingly, is different on each piece. Also, my wonderfully thoughtful man (not saying Gav again in this post, as i'm in danger of sounding like Charlotte Church!!!!) found boxes of these old watch faces for me on ebay, they're all different shapes and sizes, i think they look fab on this piece which has a few, unintentional, Alice in Wonderland elements to it, so it may end up being a take on that eventually, but who knows and thats what always appeals to me when doing assemblage art.

And...

...these are some fabric brooches i "tried" to make recently, pretty enough but i'm not that pleased with them. I'd like to know what you all think, as i was going to put some pins on the back and sell them as brooches or bag charms in the shop. Unfortunately, i'm pretty bad at sewing and creating with fabric, i will persevere though, but i need a break from it at the moment.

We've decided that we need a break, probably before we have a breakdown, we're officially exhausted and stressed to the hilt. We can't go far as the shop is open six days a week, so Gav's booked us into a nice B&B near Aberdovey for Sunday night, we're off at five as soon as the shop closes, heading straight for the beach to have fish an chips and...well...er...who knows after that!!!! At least we can have a nice relaxing day all of Monday, then back in the evening to open up again on Tuesday!!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone, It's the Montgomery street fair this Saturday, lots of stalls etc, hope we don't get too cut off as we're round the corner!!!

xxxx