“Good times, for a change…”

Today I was up at 7 and padding about the garden with bear feet, amazed and uplifted by the way sunshine was casting a new light on everything. Sunlight! I know its a cliché , so typically English to talk about the weather, but goodness its been grim, we deserve a break! Today the supermarkets will be full of people panic buying salads and sausages and charcoal for their barbeques and shirtless men will appear in the street clutching crates of lager. Tomorrow we will all be a little pinker.

My last post was pretty gloomy in places but almost immediately I had two outrageously good pieces of fortune. Firstly my son managed, with the help of this internet forum ,to mend my car! I had literally been worrying myself sick because I knew I could not afford the £300 that the garage had quoted me and I’m quite shocked by the fact that trained mechanics couldn’t solve a problem which Jake seemed to manage easily, my son is a hero. Secondly…remember my letter to the head of HSBC? Well he didn’t buy any of my work, or extend my overdraft and I know its just a trade price, corporate gift but look what I got….!!!!

It seems that the banks must apologize to people quite frequently and I’m looking forward to my next meeting with them when I plan to replace the orange ribbons on my boots with these and wear the “Sorry” card as a hair slide.

So yes, the sun has got his hat on and I’m going to see if I can find one so I can spend the day in the garden working on some embroidery and, if the fabric dries in time, doing some more cyanotype prints.The image below shows part of a floral print on linen which I made using Monica‘s katagami stencils.

Thank you everyone for all the kind and encouraging comments last week. Sometimes the internet can seem a hostile place and you’d be a fool to bare your vulnerabilities, especially if you’re still waiting for that great design/writing job offer to materialize out of the ether… The cult of “me” and that whole section in book shops called “misery memoirs” make me cringe slightly but  I have to say, some of my favorite blogs, the ones that I return to often,are those which have just the right balance between honesty, openness and creative interest; we’re all human after all and its sometimes nice to know you’re not the only one in  bad mood!

Art in the Shed is back for its third year next month, raising money for Street Child Africa . It would be lovely to see you there, why not make a weekend of it and escape the Olympic/Jubilee madness? Pitch a tent on Witchmountain and I might just make you a cup of tea.

Trade Secrets

Its a grim day today and I’ve finished the piece I’ve been working on so even though I’ve written loads this week I thought I’d go all school marmy and give you an insight into some of the ways I make my work. Look away now if you only stop by to laugh at my attempts at being an “outdoor type”.

So, in the previous post I showed you the kodatrace I’d drawn; I still have a bit more to do to it before screen printing but I thought I’d test it by doing some Cyanotype printing.First I had to prepare the paper and fabric by painting it with a special light sensitive coating (Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate). This goes on a yellowy green colour and needed to dry in a dark place before I could quickly arrange my drawing under a sheet of glass ( you can also use plants, feathers or even photographic negatives ).

Left in the sun ( this is the main problem for me , what happened to all that March sun?) the paper/fabric changes to a dark, dusty blue and then it is the moment of truth! Quickly run to the sink and rinse until the water runs clear…and as if by magic…

The rich cyan blue continues to develop as it dries and part of the fascination of this process is that it can be very variable and a bit hit and miss. Some of my experimental prints went a bit blurry because I’d put them on the table outside , on a cushion, under a sheet of glass, and they jumped off, blown away because the weather has been so wild.Anyway, you can get loads more information and instruction from this website if you want to give it a go. I’ve also seen this product which gives the same effect but in other colours… it sounds great but will have to wait until I’ve made my fortune and can do shopping again!

I’ve been using the printed fabric to do some hand embroidery which has made me realise how bad my poor old eyesight is getting. I’d really never noticed  until this year as I’ve always been massively shortsighted but now I’m having to peer over the top of my glasses to thread my needle and its impossible with contact lenses. Goodness what a depressing birthday treat… an optician appointment to get bi-focals, it’ll be a new set of gnashers next! There was an exhibition of wood engraving by June Crisfield Chapman when we visited The Bowes Museum last week , which was beautiful but it made me wonder how strong her glasses were and if years of reading ( and working at the pub) by candlelight have caused my downfall?

Now I just have to finish off this new cushion before putting the kettle on again. I’ve really enjoyed making this one and it will probably be listed on From the Wilde where Helen is doing a fantastic job promoting Witchmountain.Have a fabulous weekend everyone; I’ve been told I’m being taken somewhere for my birthday on Monday …perhaps its Specsavers!!

Don’t forget the giveaway competition, I’ll announce the winner when I get back so do leave a comment, you still have time.

Sweet Honey and Primroses

I’m drinking extremely strong coffee and eating a square of bitter chocolate with chilli as an antidote to the super sweet baking disaster that’s sitting on the work surface looking at me reproachfully. Honey and Rose cakes seemed like a good idea this afternoon but I was really only imagining what they would look like and forgetting that I do not have a sweet tooth; give me Marmite and salty butter any day! I imagined drippy white icing and crystallized rose petals,Jasmine Tea in the pink enamel pot, chipped vintage china and a jug of Primroses. Oh well, I got the Primroses.

It was a foggy day on the moors today and cold enough to justify lighting the kitchen stove and getting down to some serious Etsy listing, e-mail writing and  “fantasy business proposal” planning. Yesterday’s meeting with Vicky Trainor was a real pleasure and I’m going to take some of her advice about re-packaging things to unify the “brand”, emphasizing the “treasured” aspect and making the most of my extreme good fortune to be living in this very special place. I fully intended to sit with paper and pencils and draw today but you know how it is; I traveled from place to place on a virtual sightseeing tour, calling in on old friends and getting so full of ideas I could pop. A new discovery was the lovely Moon to Moon where I loitered on an imaginary beanbag, gathering inspiration for that fantasy business plan…

Anyway, you’ll be the first to know if it becomes reality. Now that double dose of caffeine and the re-discovered Joseph Arthur album I’m listening to has given me a bit of energy to tackle the drifts of icing sugar I managed to get all over the kitchen and goodness I may even do that drawing after all.Thank you so much for reading . x

Listening To : Joseph Arthur “Termite Song”

 

Hearts and Flowers

Good morning, I picked you some flowers to celebrate March. They seem to be a bit blurry but that will give you a bit of an insight into how the world looks through my eyes! Its been a beautiful start to the month, with the curlews returning right on cue ( well slightly confused by the leap year since they arrived on the 29th).This is probably one of my favorite moments of the year and usually coincides with me wrestling the willow house back under control. I just love the sound they make , so ancient and evocative.

So warm spring days have given me a little boost of energy and I’ve been setting up a production line of small treasures to take to the market next week. When I say production line…don’t get the idea that these are mass produced, in fact I’m thinking of writing a post showing all the different processes involved from start to finish. Bearing in mind that I had already designed and printed the backing and header card and drawn the flowers so, excluding that time consuming  computer part, it took me most of the day to finish and package only six. I was still sewing at 11pm and yet again agonising over the dreaded pricing dilemma. I know there are formulas to work this out by including time+materials etc. but its not always that simple and ultimately all depends on what people will actually pay. I’ll be testing this out at the Vintage market and then I’m looking forward to my mentoring session with Vicky Trainor ; on which note……

You’ll be wanting to know if you won the print? Well firstly I’d like to thank you for all the lovely and thoughtful comments, they certainly gave me an insight into how Witchmountain appears to others. Its the hardest thing to be objective about ones own work but equally hard to get honest feedback.Ok so I might have been devastated but I almost wish there’d been a few more negatives so that I knew what to change! So, the winner is….Trish. Thank you and Congratulations, send me your address and I’ll post your print on Monday.

Now I have to make coffee and luckily I made a big batch of spice biscuits yesterday so I feel a bit of virtual traveling coming on while I stitch bear hairslides . Here are some places I’m going to visit…kt40s blog, More Design Please, A Beautiful Mess and YelenaBryksenkova.

Listening to:-the Stationary Cupboard on Radio 4. I LOVE stationary! Ever since I was small and used to spend all my pocket money on novelty pencils and scented erasers in “Fielders” bookshop on Wimbledon Hill!

” In a little woollen box..On the peg of a small cloud…”

It always feels a bit like waking from a dream, when the snow melts and I have no excuse left for avoiding a trip in to “civilization”. Today I dashed out to post Etsy orders and buy some essential supplies (an assortment of coloured zips, some beer, some coffee and some avocado pears) before beating a hasty retreat from the half term madness back to my kitchen table where a large mug of coffee and a mountain of biscuits will sustain me as I write ( the biscuit recipe is from Daisy Cupcakes where Alison bakes the most gorgeous cakes you have ever seen).

Anyway my weekend was made perfect-despite the evil cold I was given as a present last week- by some fantastic atmospheric radio. I don’t think they could have imagined a more perfect audience for “Company of Wolves” than me in my isolated cottage, surrounded by snow and ice,embroidering a baby shoe and contemplating love, past and present. I was spell bound from the first lonely howl of the wolves and was considering bolting the door if it weren’t for the fact that I was waiting for Rupert to return from his climbing trip in Spain.These days I suppose I’m more likely to play the part of the granny who gets eaten up by the werewolf rather than the girl who tames him into submission, sleeping “sweet and sound between the paws of the tender wolf ” .

Clockwise from top left :- Ed Boxall, Julia Manning,Peter Gabriel”Ovo” album cover by Nils-Udo, Etsy blog, Birdsnest Stadium,Beijing by Herzog&de Meuron, Empty nest in apple tree.

This weekend I also started putting together some moodboards for inspiration. Always a favorite task at college, it is a wonderful way of gathering ideas for a creative project and ,as I said last week , I’ve been looking at empty nests in the bare winter branches and  thinking about the concept of nest building.It was lovely to discover the work of Ed Boxall whose beautiful lino cuts “Big Prints About Being Alone” have made me desperate to get lino printing again. At the same time I was painstakingly putting my collection of images together I was reminded about Pinterest and now have yet another online profile to maintain …only this one is for me myself, to feast my eyes upon a world of visual gorgeousness and I shan’t feel at all sad or lonely if nobody wants to  join me!

So, the icicles may have turned to puddles and the snow has been replaced by mud but I managed to get some good pictures of my latest creations while it lasted, perfectly wintery and in fact so cold that the cushions and purses were freezing to the table while I wrestled with my camera and crampons on the treacherous ground!

So now I have to leave you because I’m working on another bear cushion and I’m dying to rinse out the cyanotype fabric that’s been developing on the windowsill all day. I’m sure it must be time for another coffee too.By the way, if you forgot to go to the shops for a Valentine card (although hand made is ALWAYS best) I’ve put some of my old card designs on a page entitled Free Things, so all you have to do is print one off (or all three if you have a hectic love life) and maybe add a few extra buttons or sparkle to make it your own. There, don’t say I never give you anything!

I will be taking all my new creations to this Vintage Fair in March and I’m really looking forward to it as a few very good friends will be there too. It would be great to see some of you there…

A Girl in Winter

We are a funny lot, us English folk,we moan about the weather constantly, especially in Winter,yet I can’t ever remember snow causing so much excitement and anticipation. There was such an accurate advance warning and since it was the weekend there seemed to be hardly any of the usual doom and gloom about stranded motorists and travel chaos.Exchanging pine cones and seaweed for Twitter and Radio4,I was able to work out that I had just enough time to dash in to Helmsley for the paper and a quick rummage in the charity shops before getting back exactly as the first flakes drifted half heartedly down.

I  do so love being snowed-in  and with everyone away I was all alone in my little fantasy world…perhaps those footprints belong to a bear? Perhaps I will jump on his back and fly East of the Sun and West of the Moon? This stone in the field reminded me of a scene in The Owl Service and if I lined myself up properly my house was perfectly framed in the circle. The rest of the time I sewed and listened to murder mysteries on the radio, read the papers and baked bread, feeling all the while that I NEED this. In the same way that some seeds need to be left out in the frost in order to germinate, or that some people need to give up booze for a month; snowed-in-ness is my January detox ( in February).

Part of my feeling of outrageous contentment comes from working on something which I am actually really proud of. This cushion was a special commission and the brief was so open that I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I had to make a cushion that would really be a piece of art, for someone who wasn’t allowed to hang paintings on their walls.

I couldn’t have wished for more perfect conditions to photograph my newly finished polar bear cushion and I’m so pleased with it, in all its recycled wool and soft pom-pom edged glory! Resting on a piece of lovely vintage linen I found in the charity shop (along with a huge bag of assorted lace, tapestry wool and teddy bear fur) I think it sums up all that I love about Winter and also put me in mind of some beautiful mood boards and photoshoots by What Katy Did Next and Vicky Trainor,as well as Issue 43 of Selvedge Magazine.

I must leave you now as I’m supposed to be trying to make stock for this fair in March and I already have two new bear cushions waiting for their embroidery details,as well as a pile of purses and prints to finish. I hope you enjoyed the snow, if any landed near you, and I wish you a very happy new week from Witchmountain.

Reading:- The last chapter of “IQ84 ” Haruki Murakami  Listening To:- ” New Blood” Peter Gabriel, ” Odelay” Beck. Singing:- “Oh England, My Lionheart” Kate Bush (because I can when I’m alone!).

Happy Wedding Anniversary this week to the Tillyer parents, inspirational, unusual and generally wonderful.

 

Its All About Me

This is just a very quick post to point you in the direction of my fabulous interview with  the inspirational Katy over on kt40s blog ( including a very sensible self portrait/mug shot and talk of imaginary shops)  Always one of my favorite reads and so colourful, just what is needed in Yorkshire in November…

Really I do need to do some making and preparing for Fridays fair, so I won’t waffle on …oh,except, I should mention my desperate attempt to drum up some sales on Folksy. I’ve been offering a FREE GIFT worth around £10 to the first person to buy something from my little shop and plugging it mercilessly on Facebook… I can hear the tumbleweeds rolling past and the broken shutters banging in the wind…but this means the winner could still be YOU

Now, its definitely time to do some sewing and get the christmas cakes in the oven; the fruit’s been soaking in Brandy all night next to the vat of Sloe Gin so its smelling pretty good in here!(hic)

Prussian Blue and Ghostly Magpies

Today it has suddenly become night time without me noticing or getting very much done. All my good intentions for exercise and good diet have been scuppered by  visitors bearing biscuits, but nevermind, we all need a treat sometimes and I did swim yesterday. I found this picture in “The Tale of Mrs Tiggywinkle” when I was in the dentist’s waiting room on Monday… I was so excited because we went through Little Town on our last trip to the Lakes and my “stout little legs” just about carried me high enough to drop a pebble down the chimney! ( from Rowling End). Beautiful watercolours which are so familiar you almost forget to look.

As you can see I’ve been playing with the cyanotype chemicals , the main drawback being lack of sunshine! I do love the effect and might have to invest in a special light bulb ( presumably this might also save me from S.A.D. seasonal gloom too?) I’ve been using old designs which I’d previously printed on acetate  for making silkscreens, as well as plants and paper stencils. The magpie below was a first attempt, later ones have loads of detail, but I love the ghostly appearance of this one printed on cotton/linen.

I’ve also been turning my little owl into more purses and brooches in the hope that some frantic networking will soon turn in to customers. It was exciting to get an email to say I had been picked by the Found On Folksy blog, which was honestly the only good thing Folksy has sent my way so far! Another exciting venture is the Curiosity Project which I’m sponsoring, it looks fun and has been getting some good publicity.

I wanted to write something funny and witty but there seems to be lots of serious stuff to say. I will just quickly mention my favorite story of the week which is that Rupert , finding that he had no sweets when faced with a gang of tiny gouls and witches on Halloween, gave them each some cheese. Their disappointment was diverted by claims that cheese was brilliant for scarey nightmares and therefore the perfect Halloween treat, nicely done.I hope their parents don’t go round to complain ….

What I wanted to say was that this week I have also re- connected with two very special women who I’ve never met but who in tiny ways helped me through a low time in my life. Both “disappeared” for a while to deal with their own crises but its been lovely to hear from them again. Katy in particular is an inspiration and has asked me to be one of her interviewees on her lovely blog sometime soon! I’m flattered and nervously planning my answers.

And so, as we trundle in to November and the clocks hurl us in to darkness at tea time , I waved goodbye to the Walled Garden this week. The cafe is now closed until April but yesterday we had a final day of volunteering to raise money for Medecin sans Frontieres . A special Autumn Lunch raised over £2,ooo and I’m really proud to have been helping out. I’m going to miss the delicious salads we got for lunch,I’ve learned so much and definitely cook more interesting things these days!

I hope you all had a good Halloween and are looking forward to a cozy winter; time to fill up on pine needles and make sure the cellar is full of Jam! What is your favorite pumpkin/winter recipe?

Red Shoes

The Red Shoes

Day Three of my new leaf thing finds me up and about EARLY IN THE MORNING and already I’ve been for a walk! A sparkling October morning, dotted with berry jewels and gauzy spider webs.Finding my neighbour’s postbox too small to fit the egg box in, I had to go right down to the house and take the track through the fields ,immediately cursing that I’d decided not to bring my phone and therefore had no camera. Oh, and when I had to do a spot of impromptu bouldering , clinging to a drystone wall, I wished I’d brought my wellies and could just trudge through the muddy slurry that was threatening to be my morning bath!

Sneaking up on Basil

So, I must admit I’m feeling much more positive than I was on Monday and not a drop of butter has crossed my lips! My kitchen table is set out with the components of several new wallets, ready to be sewn up and printed as soon as I’ve stopped waffling on to you. Three small canvasses with cyanotype prints and stitch are drying on the windowsill and the coffee pot is beckoning.

Owl Box and Reflected Light

Yesterday I ordered some chemicals to make cyanotypes on fabric and I’m really excited about trying out the process when the package arrives. At the moment I’m collaging the paper prints I’ve made using Sun Print Paper but I’m hoping that I’ll be able to use the chemicals not only on fabric but directly on to canvasses.

Hedgerow Flowers, Shadows and Reflections

At the risk of sounding like a compulsive shopper I’m also waiting excitedly for the postman to bring my copy of the shiny new Haruki Murakami novel “1Q84″.Murakami famously gets up at 4am, writes until 9am and then spends the rest of the day relaxing and training for marathons! Obviously he is my new role model!

Now I have to confess, I spent ages writing this, this morning, only for WordPress to go a bit crazy and refuse to recognise me or let me publish it. I’ve also ruined my best and favorite shirt and got in a bad mood with the sewing machine….oh dear, sometimes I think you can start the day TOO positive.

I hope Autumn is good where you are and you have a good book to read?

Reading: “Moomin Papa at Sea” Tove Jansson   Listening to: Radio4 and a very loud buzzing coming from this computer……

 

“Jam Tomorrow…”

My kitchen windowsill reflects the changing seasons like a school nature table (do they still have these random collections of pebbles, conkers and bird’s nests?) and last month’s pastel, summer scented sweet peas have been replaced by the rich colours of autumn; butternut squash,the last sunflower and a collection of jewel coloured jam jars full of damson and apple jelly.The kitchen is also covered in jewel coloured splatters and I haven’t dealt with the jelly bag yet which looks like the heart of a large animal…

At the weekend I had possibly the prettiest setting for a market stall ever, as I took part in Helmsley Walled Garden’s Autumn Fair. Since I was a late booking and work in the cafe anyway, I was allowed to display my wares in the Vine House rather than the marquee and so spent a pleasant day under the grape vines, drinking a lot of coffee and chatting with interested passers by on their way to enjoy a fabulous vegetarian lunch.

The day was a success ,mostly because I sold a small painting, but I also learnt a useful lesson too because I realised that my displays did not make it clear enough that the necklaces were actually necklaces and not just small pieces of art or cards. More labels needed for my next outing then, which will be Designer’sMarketplace at Newcastle’s Holy Biscuit on October 14th. This event is part of Newcastle’s Design Festival , there’s loads going on so if you’re planning a trip to the Toon this could be the week to do it!

I’ll be giving a 15% discount to readers of Witchmountain so just say hello and mutter “the owls are not what they seem” under your breath to qualify!!

Well, I have some dull housework to do now and a bit of garden tidying before I can continue with a commission I’m doing for a couple who are getting married in October. I’m wishing my garden looked more like Helmsley and thinking yellow and purple must be the colours of the moment ; not a combination I would normally choose. Soon it will be getting chilly and I’m hoping some babies with chilly toes will be asking for some Witchmountain elf shoes for Christmas!

Reading : “One Day” David Nicholls and planning to take part in the Guardian’s Book Swap