Getting ready for Somerset Arts Week

I had a bit of a panic at the beginning of the week after receiving an email from the lovely Susan at The Little House Of Art in Glastonbury asking for pictures of my work.  The time has gone so quickly.

I was actually surprised when I put all my paintings together, they have been building up gradually and a lot of them are in the final stages. This is the small paintings I am working on and there are also some big canvases.

There is actually only a few weeks left before I pick the ones I am going to exhibit and get them framed.  The canvas ones will remain unframed as I like the painting to carry on around the edges.

This painting is ‘Floods Across The Blackmore Vale’. This is how it looked during October last year, the leaves changing colour, and the fields water logged from all that rain.

This is ‘Misty Morning’ A gorgeous autumn morning with the sun coming up and mist spreading out over the Blackmore Vale, making it look like we are looking out to sea.

I am feeling a little less panicked now, and feel I will be ready. The Somerset Arts Week brochure is out and there are some great places to visit during September.

The Exhibition runs from the 21st Sept to Sunday the 6th of October.

I will also be running a couple of workshops Nr Glastonbury as part of  Love-Local  at Middlewick Holiday Cottages at the foot of Glastonbury Tor.  There will be 1 scrumbled Crochet Workshop and 1 Needlefelting Brooches, they have workshops going on throughout the Somerset Art Weeks so its worth having a look at there website. http://www.love-local.com/somerset-arts-week-workshops/

A beautiful summer walk and some crazy coloured sheep.

We had a lovely picnic on Sunday with a walk up Castle Hill in Mere.

It is only 20 minutes from our house, but I forget its there.

Tony and Arthur took a short cut up the hill while I walked around the edge.

This is the same hills as the view from our house.

The colour of the grasses against the sky were amazing.

It really felt like a lovely ‘escape’ when we got to the top.

We had a picnic, then did quite a lot of cloud watching while lying in the sun.

It was so peaceful, I will be going back a few times over the summer holidays I think.

Now for the colourful sheep! Influenced by my Toft Alpaca visit

and the colourful talk by Kaffe Fassett.

I am making a few different garlands and these have been designed to go

on one called ‘Counting Sheep’. I will also make some into Keyrings

and will have the patterns for sale on my website very soon.

They have been crocheted with Rowan wool cotton.

Time to make the garland now.

Have a good week T x

Gathering fruit for jam making.

One of my friends let me loose in her fruit garden, there was to much fruit for her to manage. In return for allowing me to pick some she will get a few pots of jam. A great exchange when you have fruit but no time for jam making I think. It would be great if there was a facebook page for people with spare fruit to post for pickers rather than watch it just fall off the trees. I love a bit of bartering 🙂

A visit to Toft Alpaca and a colourful talk by Kaffe Fassett.

What an amazing day!

I left the house at 6 am and got to Toft Alpaca Manor 9 ish, I did end up on the 303 going the wrong way at one point! due to going around the roundabout wrong at Newbury. I managed to find my way back along a tiny lane, luckily the roads were fairly quiet so I got away with it.

We were greeted by the gorgeous colourful Alpacas.

Dyed especially for the event with animal friendly dyes that fade gradually and the Alpacas will be back to their normal colour in a week or so (quicker if it rains).

The food was fantastic, coffee and danish pastry to start the day served by very happy people. I was on my own so quite nervous to start with, but I shouldn’t have worried. Everyone was lovely and very chatty, I met some great ladies. One group of local ladies had recently finished making a knitted garden which sounded fab. (I am so hopeless with names I think I need a dictaphone when I’m out and about)

Lots of people were interested in my scumbled bag and it got lots of compliments and oohs and aaahs and how did you do it’s 😉

In the morning there was a walk around the Alpaca farm.

where I managed to take a few pictures.  Most of the day I spent chatting and forgot to get my camera out.

Lunch followed the walk, with yummy colourful cupcakes for pudding.

Then it was the talk and waiting for Kaffe Fassett to come in the room I could hardly breathe. I felt like a teenager going to see there favorite band. It was very strange. I have admired his work for a very long time, and never thought I would get to meet him.

The talk was very funny and so inspiring. It was weird because I felt tearful and totally overwhelmed. It made me feel normal !

I have days where I am embarrassed about my house being higgledy piggledy, with bits of old wall paper and carpets from the past still visible, rooms that still need painting and a crazy colourful kitchen. These were the things that Kaffe liked and photographed the character of a place. I have turned down 2 interior photographers this year because I don’t think my house is ready to be photographed, but looking at the photographs that Kaffe was showing I could see what they have seen. (though it still does need a lot of work doing to it!)

The talk has also inspired me to keep going, we all have days where we wander if we’re on the right path don’t we? Sometimes its just a chance meeting, being in the right place at the right time that can take you to the next level. I am lucky that I have been able to experiment and make what I like all I need now is that lucky break 😉

 

When the talk ended we were all able to go and get our books signed..120 of us! poor Kaffe. Everyone was very excited to meet the man himself. I could hardly talk when I got mine signed but did ask him about crochet and showed him my bag. I probably mumbled and ran away quickly. He has just written a crochet book for Rowan so I will be looking out for that when it is published.

I bought ‘Knitting With The Colour Guys’ by Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mobly.

There is so much beautiful colour inspiration in this book.

I love the photography in it.

How exciting to have it signed to. Ya 🙂

It was the most fantastic day and the Toft Alpaca team were superb led by the very lovely Kerry. Congratulations to Claire also on organising the Kaffe Fassett talk.

I am sorry I did not take many pictures the wool all looked very yummy as did the mulitcoloured macaroons at the end! I was either to nervous or talking to much lol

Have a good week everyone. T x

 

 

 

Freeform Crochet Bag and a visit to a Kaffe Fassett Seminar.

I am getting very excited about going to see Kaffe Fassett at Toft Alpaca in Dunchurch, Rugby tommorow. Its nearly a 3hr drive for me to get there so I will be leaving pretty early in the morning.

I have a new bag to wear to show my love of colour, its one I have been working on in between other jobs for the last 2 months.

I have mixed together knitting, scumbled crochet and weaving. There are little scraps of vintage fabrics woven into gaps, unusual yarns crocheted onto the surface and some ceramic buttons by Tony’s mum along with a mixture of others.

I have admired Kaffe Fassetts work since the 80’s when I used to do a lot of intarsia knitting.

I love love love all the colours he uses and the way he paints with fabric,yarn and texture.

I’m also looking forward to meeting lots of other colour loving people. Its going to be a fun day…and I have heard even the alpacas are sporting a bit of colour 😉

Hanging Owl New design.

After being so inspired by looking at lots of lovely Owl pictures I designed my own. Double sided this looks great hanging in a tree or hanging in the kitchen as I have done 🙂

Colourday Owls Owls and more Owls.

I am seeing so many Owls around and about I thought I would share some.

Apparently ancient cultures believed the owl offered protection against evil spirits and ill health.

Here’s a few colourful happy owls. If you click on the photographs it will take you to the source of each one. There are some very talented artists and makers out there!!

I love these boots!!

Owl dress by Orla keily for people tree.

 

 

Retro folk art owls.

colourful crochet owls.

Owl by Ashley Percival

There are soooo many more around all cute and colourful.

 

Have a great weekend T . x

Facebook Giveaway Draw for 2 embroidered felted brooches.

Last week I decided to celebrate reaching 700 likes on my Facebook page with a giveaway fro 2 people to win an embroidered and felted brooch.

So here we go the time has come to put all the names in a hat and let Arthur pick out 2 winners.

 

and the first name is….

The first winner is ……Kathryn Hawieson.

The second winner is….Connie Kleckner via Gill Pinkney Felt

Congratulations to you both xx

My facebook page has now gone to 816…so I think there may be another giveaway when I hit the 1000!!!

Thanks to everyone that entered, you have all been brilliant xx

 

Painting One View. Greenhouse.

I spent a lovely day out in the sun painting with friends.

I am suffering for it tonight though..I’ve gone a bit red.

It was so nice to be out in the sunshine we didn’t want to stop.

After about 4 weeks I feel like I am starting to get back to my old style and am really enjoying it.

I think this one is actually finished though I may be tempted to tweak it slightly after looking at it over the next week.

Colourday Shocking Pink, Bright Fun And Funky.

I love the colour pink its such a fun colour and makes me smile. I have been noticing lots more shocking pink around from furniture to clothing. Here’s just a few of my favorites.

How gorgeous is this door?

and just to show how much I love shocking pink here’s a glimpse inside my house, the ‘Happy Kitchen’

If you click on the pictures it will take you to the Source.

Have a great weekend T x