Christmas Tiptoes In...

Before I go any further, I had better warn you that this post includes some rather gratuitous pictures of Father Christmas and Reindeer.  It also includes several mentions of the 'C' word and if you shudder at the mere thought of it in November then do feel free to depart and come back again next time! (I won't be offended - honest now!) ;D


Being in the art business though, I seriously have to keep up with what everyone else is doing (or get left hopelessly behind) and so, I'm going to give you a quick peek into the festive part of my gallery!


Some of you may already know that my little Christmas Card Emporium is now open - I haven't liked to shout too loudly about it up 'til now because a lot of people are (quite rightly) allergic to All Things Christmas until at least December the 1st but now Bonfire Night has passed, I thought I'd just let you know what's in store...

Christmas Cards are available both individually and in packs of eight...each one is created by hand, titled and signed by myself.  The individual cards are presented in a cello envelope, and the sets are finished with a festive red raffia bow and tag.  10% of all my card sales go towards the Down's Syndrome Association which I am so pleased to support; my nephew Oliver who is now 5, was born with DS and it is a pleasure to be able to give something back to such a wonderfully supportive organisation. 

You can find out more about the DSA here.

My Christmas card shop features the return of some popular designs...

...and also my newest one; Christmas Kiss...

There's also free P&P for customers within the UK but I do ship worldwide too!


I'm really pleased to have my cards and prints in several lovely shops already this year, including the gorgeous Andrea Willis Designs in Scarborough, and The Rowan Tree in Devon.

(Andrea's gorgeous shop)


And on the subject of Christmas, my original paintings and fine art prints would make a wonderful gift ~ sign up for my newsletter to receive an exclusive discount!  

You are welcome to visit my online gallery by clicking here, and you can sign up to receive my newsletter by clicking here.


Thank you so much for visiting me today, and if you've got this far then thanks again for putting up with so much Christmassy~ness! 
Next time, light permitting (it's been dank and awful and photographs nigh on impossible to take) i'll be sharing not one, but TWO Ta~Dahhh moments of the hooky kind with you!


I do hope you'll drop by to take a look!


Sending love
Julia x x x

Head in the Clouds

Yuck. I have been struck down with a head cold. I am languishing in a fuzzy cloud at present and I therefore apologise for any untoward ramblings that might unfold as this post progresses, but I wanted to chat to you, and say hello, and show you another blatantly Christmassy picture of what Ive been up to this week...all of those who are offended by little bearded chaps in red suits, do look away NOW :)

So as the fair draws ever nearer, I am now working like a desperado through the fug of a cold printing up my Christmas cards. I am putting together some boxes of A6 size cards, 10 to be precise which are all individually hand titled and signed. I feel at this point that I have to say to you that whilst the cost of them might well be a tad dearer than what you might pick up in WHSmiths, I am donating 30% to the Down's Syndrome Charity. And they are splendidly handmade.

And there are only a certain amount of them...which makes them a bit extra specially special don't you think?

Anyhow, yes, Ive decided (after trawling Folksy and Etsy and other artist's and illustrator's websites to get a feel for what these things might sell for and being cross with some for not charging enough for what is lovely work that has obviously taken time and effort to produce, to being downright shocked at 8 cards for £16.00 which made me gasp out loud) - to charge £10.00 per box, and you can buy them here.

Look - all hand titled and signed!!! You don't get that in M&S! ;)

So, before the fog of the head cold descended, sometime over the last couple of days I found time to make some stitchy Christmassy decorations, and here is one for you to see:

He is made to a very simple pattern (which I made myself which means it has to be simple!) from lovely Tilda fabric and felt and beads. You will find him at the Candy Cane Christmas Fair, along with various festive relatives who will hopefully be emerging over the next couple of weeks!

Last night, I took out my Big Blanket. The one that I began several months ago after being inspired by Lucy at Attic24 (naughty woman, she's responsible for a total wool addiction and a birthing of crocheted cushions and the like sprouting up all over our house! Bless her, don't know what I would have done without her to tell you the truth!). Anyway, there I go again - I told you it would be like this today, absent minded wanderings!

Well anyhow, out it came - there were 15 blocks in all sewn together in 3 columns with one block over and I sat and looked at it and suddenley I didn't want to be making just more blocks anymore.

No.

Total change of plan.

After an hour of un-knotting and frogging (I think thats the correct terminology for unravelling reams of sewn together crochet isn't it? Please correct me if Im wrong!) I decided to re-stitch in a big square of 4x4. Here's a bit of it to show you what it looks like:

Instead of making a Big Blanket of blocks with an edge all around, Im going to edge my 16 blocks with a few colours and then go around with lots of individual summer granny squares and then edge those. And I think Im going to join as I go, which I have found to be much simpler and faster than the tedious and often mind numbing job of slipstitch sewing along the backs.

It makes the whole Blankety thing feel exciting again. I must admit to having felt a little tired of it, and for a few weeks now, despite having topped up some depleted wool stocks and being mildly excited by the prospect of getting into it again, it remained shoved in a bag under a chair.

I will keep you posted with photographs when it gets to the interesting bits!

So, thats about it for now. Im off to get a drink and take a couple of paracetamols...there is a Craft Candy meeting tonight in town that I am meant to be attending - I desperately want to go, to see everyone and hear all the news before the fair etc, but I feel a nap coming on and its already almost quart' to four!

Onwards and upwards....

By the way, did you know that there is an idea that the common cold is the cure for overdoing it? Its the only way to make our little bodies stop, sit down, sleep or rest isnt it, so that diagnosis makes perfect sense to me, but at the same time it is highly annoying when you have so much to do...but then again, I suppose thats the whole point...

I know by now some of you will be thinking Ive totally lost the plot, got a terrible fever or worse so Im going to cut my ramblings short and go for a cuppa! Thanks for stopping by, see you again soon!

With love

Julia x x x

After the rain

A stunning blue parrot tulip just in bloom...see the irridescent ring of blue deep inside the flower?

This is for each of you...

THANK YOU to all of you for your lovely comments on my blog of late - and to apologise if I haven't yet had the chance to call in on you, I do so enjoy reading your delicious blogs and often spend far too much time than I ought to devouring favourites and finding new ones. Please know that I treasure every little thought you take the time to write, and that you stop by and read what Im writing...well, I can't express how nice that feels :)

Ive been a little bit busy these last few days, on Sunday though, we had a little ride out into Derbyshire and discovered a little car boot sale at Bamford, before driving on to Castleton (so pretty) and having a rather spontaneous lunch in a nice old pub. It started raining heavily as we were finishing our meal, but on leaving the pub it had eased off somewhat and the sun was smiling weakly through turbulent white clouds above the Winnats Pass. It was one of those lovely moments where you dont mind getting wet - big, fat ploopy blobs of rain splattered on our heads and into the little stream and the air was warm and still. I splashed in puddles (water in the crocs and soaked rainbow socks but caring not a jot -the little one shreiked with delight and held her palms up to catch the drops.

On our return home, I couldn't help but take a picture of this:

Isn't that just beautiful??

And down the garden, spring is bursting out all over the place, thanks to the daily downpours and odd storms we keep getting.

This week finds me making up lots of cards for the cafe, and also (hurrah!) my table at the Candyfloss Summer Fair! Yes, I received the email Id been waiting for to tell me I could indeed take part so now I begin creating like a demon for that - its not til the 18th July so quite a bit of time to get prepared and for any of you who can make it down, its going to be in the Long Gallery at the Millenium Galleries in Sheffield. For more info, you can click on the Craft Candy link there in the side bar and find out all about it.

Talking of cards....

I have just set up a special offer on my art print cards, where you can buy a selection pack of 5 cards (135 x 135mm size) for the lovely price of just £8.00 (individual cards this size are usually £1.95) There is also free P&P with this offer. I print all my images onto archival matte paper, (which is then mounted onto a high quality white card)with archival inks so you might even put them in a little frame, thats if you dont send them to all your friends! :) The other thing about these cards that Id like to mention, is that 50p from the sale of Each One goes to the Down's Syndrome Association. My little nephew Oliver was born with Down's Syndrome and it makes me very happy that I can help to support them after all the help and support they have given to my sister and her family.

If you click on Little Red, the link will take you to the page.

The website had had a little overhaul of late, and Im hoping if you visit, you will find it easier to navigate.

Last but not least....

Today, I was delighted to see that Id been given a blog award from the lovely Mel at 'A Country Dream' Thank you so much dear soul, it was very thoughtful of you to send that to me and its very much appreciated! (happy jigs of joy :)

To keep the joy a-flowing, I would like to send this award out to the following 10 (as say the rules):

Cariad in Crete

Cocoa & Blankets

Garden Nymph

Heartshaped

Kaylacoo

Linden Grove

Muddles & Magic

Suzy's Vintage Attic

The Ample Cook

The Vintage Artist

That wasn't easy! I wanted to pick all of you.

I hope the sun is shining on you today, its cracking the pavements here (when they're not flooded). Im looking forward to a spot of crochet this evening to unwind, working on two websites tires me out, and Ive got to conserve all my energy-oh yes, the nephews, sis and her hub arrive at the weekend, it is my little girl's 2nd birthday next tuesday and there is a little party to arrange, cakes to be baked (here we go again :) so I need to grab the little moments of solitude when I can this week.

Sending pockets of tranquility to you, rainbow coloured buttons and iced peach tea.

With love

J xxx

Shabby Chic Inspiration

Last week we returned from a trip to Suffolk to find a bit of a leak under the kitchen floor (it was pouring out through a crack and down the cellar stairs!)so we promptly departed to my folks' house while the kitchen floor was excavated and new pipes laid....!

Due to the fact that there was no internet there, I spent many an afternoon when the little one took her nap, browsing through various magazines and drawing furiously in my journal, mostly ideas for new Christmas cards of which you can see the results of one here!

Id been rather taken with this faded aqua green handmade paper that I found in our art store recently and felt it would enhance the shabby chic style lettering I wanted to use for this design. I was very inspired by some of the nordic Christmas style decorations I saw in some of the magazines, and liked the simplicity of the ginghams and spotted fabrics that were used. I've attempted to recreate the effect of fabric here using watercolours and watercolour crayon, edging each letter when dry with tiny stitch marks made with a very fine liner pen.

The finished card in all its Christmassy glory!

I recently decided that I would like to make a contribution from each card that I sell, to the Downs Syndrome Association. Im very lucky to be blessed as being Aunty to a very special little boy, Oliver, who was born with downs, and this charity has been a huge support to my sister (Ollies' Mum) and surrounding family. Ollie is pure sunshine, the bonniest little chap and you can't help be be bowled over by this happy little person when you meet him!

This card is for sale at my Etsy shop right now, for £4.50 (includes P&P).

Sending sparklers and catherine wheels to light up your November the 5th!

Julia x