” 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So, the icicles may have turned to puddles and the snow has been replaced by mud but I managed to get some good pictures of my latest creations while it lasted, perfectly wintery and in fact so cold that the cushions and purses were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.

 

“Up The Hill Backwards”

I’m thinking of changing the name of this blog to “Which Mountain” as I seem to be spending as much time going on about my days in the hills as my days in the studio ( * for studio read kitchen table ). I hope you don’t mind? Anyway, I have finally found a good use for Twitter; the ability to find out from locals whether it is worth the drive from East to West. A good weather report on Friday evening turned us in to a fast response team, dashing over to Keswick for breakfast,then to Rannerdale to climb Whiteless Pike.

Oh, I wasn’t feeling at my best and it felt like the hardest yet but goodness, its always worth it when you reach the top! My photography skills let me down though; its impossible to capture on a mobile phone camera, the amazing beauty  that unfolded on all sides.We ate chocolate cake on the summit and almost lost the flask, like a Morris pattern missile, hurtling down the steep ice slope. As Rupert fitted crampons to his boots I began to fear I may go the same way as the flask, despite the ice axe I was given to use as a miniature walking stick!Wearing 80′s style legwarmers and some secondhand boots, I still behave like a toddler tackling the stairs and prefer to go on all fours, sitting down occasionally.

A beautiful, beautiful place and I would love to return in the Spring when Rannerdale is full of bluebells- preferably with a wicker hamper full of picnic , a tartan rug and sketch book! I shall wear something floaty and totally unsuitable shoes…

Talking of sketchbooks, mine is off to New York tomorrow.I’m spending the rest of today making prints, photographing and generally getting ready to part with it.I’ve really enjoyed this year’s book and while it is sad to know I may never see it again I do hope we will meet again in London at the end of the year.

These prints have been made on Khadi paper and stitched together on the sewing machine. They will be a limited edition available in my Etsy shop soon. I’ve also made a miniature version of the book, for myself, which I wish I’d done last year. I love books and feel inspired to do another very soon; I’ve also been looking into finding a way into freelance illustration…

So, don’t forget the giveaway competition ends on Wednesday. Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and new followers. Have a good week where ever you are. Just one more thing,if you live in the United Kingdom and have fond memories of school trips, enjoying the outdoors, building shelters, falling in water, getting muddy and having midnight feasts you may be interested in signing this petition to save Outdoor Education Centres  . Joking aside, the emphasis here is on education and the vital work these places do, inspiring children’s learning through interaction with the world around them;encouraging self awareness and building self esteem. Saddly,I missed my school trip…where did you go?

Mostly White

Just now I took a walk outside , to feed the animals and see if I could get the heating boiler to work.Suddenly the marshmallow pink and vanilla sky turned back into a gray blizzard; so I’m going to have to run up and down the stairs a few times to get some exercise instead! Anyway, I did get the boiler working ( boiling water poured over the bits of the oil pipe I could see) and also fell flat on my face in waist deep snow because “somebody” had left a hosepipe lying around, back in the days when you could still see the ground.

I’m a little worried that I’m enjoying my enforced solitude too much. It may be hard to re- adjust when I have to return to reality. Miraculously the “not going to work= not getting paid” problem has been solved for the moment as I’ve just found out that my Witchmountain Bear picture has sold at the Zillah Bell Gallery in Thirsk. The picture, a detail of which is shown on the banner for this blog, is one of my favorites so I hope it’s gone to a good home.Its hard not to be sentimental about some of the things I’ve made ( like this) since they were not really made to sell( ha ha! its not as if that is usually a problem so I can’t complain!)

Right now I’m making things for Christmas presents…(lots of lumpy knitting to look forward to folks!!) since my Etsy shop is SO FULL and sales are slooooooow, well, stationary more like!Don’t forget you have a special Discount Code  and there are new things being listed every day. Don’t forget the Designer’s Marketplace at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle this weekend , well worth braving the snow for and of course the Winter Exhibition in Thirsk.

As a little Thank You to those who subscribe to Witchmountain and support me with such kind comments, I’m going to be sending out a little treat between now and the new year, just e-mail me your postal address and keep on the lookout for the postman.

“Love in a Cold Climate”

I’m feeling a bit giddy with excitement.Being snowed in is something that actually makes me feel safe and energized. Despite being a very sociable person the isolation and solitude make me feel so contented; introspective yes, the smell of snow reminds me of how sad I felt last winter, but thats ok.I’ve never seen snow like this in the ten years I’ve lived on Witchmountain…so still and silent, with icicles framing the window ( look at the lace patterns in the snow!) and great caps of white on every fence post and branch. The heating boiler has broken but the stove is keeping the kitchen toasty.

Yesterday Lindsey and I managed to get to Middlesbrough for the Designer’s Marketplace, THANKS to David and his 4×4. There was some beautiful stuff for sale including Helen Steven‘s new ceramics and Claire Baker’s textiles and accessories.I sold a small painting with huge emotional significance but that’s probably a good thing. Unfortunately we all had to pack up early due to crazy snow, before I could do all my shopping.

So today I have been slowly listing things on Etsy and hoping that the virtual world will save me, since It looks like I won’t be going to work in the near future and therefore will not be getting paid…

I have created a special discount code for readers of Witchmountain which will give you a 20% discount in my Etsy shop. Its a nice idea the team at Etsy have recently come up with. Anyway the code is “WITCHMOUNTAIN1 ” prices are all in GB pounds now, I changed it only because it made book keeping easier for me. I hope it doesn’t deter US customers?

I’m thinking I ought to spend a little time with my sketchbook this afternoon as I only have a few weeks left before it needs to be posted back to the Brooklyn Art Library.Tempting to try and make some mince pies as delicious as the ones Lindsey’s mum made yesterday, hmmm, lots of Brandy I think!

Meanwhile I will leave you with this picture of a beautiful little girl called Martha with her new Witchmountain slippers, isn’t she gorgeous! ( Her mum kindly sent me more pictures later which I have used in my shop, THANK YOU! A supermodel at the age of 3months!)

(Reading: “Birdsong” Sebastian Faulks. Listening To: the silence where the hum of the heating boiler ought to be)

Walk Unafraid

Well I seem to have been wandering around lost in thought for the past few days; not somewhere I recommend spending too much time, the inside of my head! Today, a fresh fall of the right kind of snow ( the sort that clings to every branch and freezes the inside of your lungs) seems to have given me a little more motivation, thank goodness. Realizing I have only 5 days left before I need to start uploading images to Poppytalk Handmade and have yet to finish the batch of brooches promised to the March Hare Gallery, drove me back to my favorite sketchbook for a bit of inspiration.

It probably seems crazy to be getting my inspiration from a place I’ve never been and an animal I’ve never seen when I’m surrounded by the beauty of the North York Moors, HOWEVER, since this PoppyTalk thing is meant to be all to do with Vancouver I’m hoping my mild (ha ha) obsession might make sense to someone! Right now I’m just feeling slightly smug about the fact that i’m sitting here surrounded by gorgeous snow while the organizers of the Winter Olympics are having to fly snow in to Vancouver because there is none on the ski slopes!!

Anyway, back to the grindstone for me.Caffeine and a small Jura should help the creative process. x

( I haven’t forgotten about that anti-valentine giveaway, just trying to decide on a thing to give…)

Solitude

Another day of solitude and snow, coffee and catching up with some abandoned projects.This piece is one of the ones I started some months ago; I had originally intended it to be part of a set of 6 but as it turned out the set has already been broken up (one is in the Saltbox and another waiting to see if the lovely gallery in Ripon wants it…).

I also spent a bit of time listing some new things on my Etsy shop and wishing I’d taken the photographs outside while the sun was shining, in between storms. There was an amazing crash of thunder and huge flash of lightening this evening and the sky has been falling down ever since! I hope I never grow out of it, this childish excitement that keeps me running to the window to switch on the outside light and wonder at the ever deepening drifts.

Inside I’ve resorted to putting coal on the stove, as the logs aren’t going to last  till the thaw, and  eating my christmas treats, including this delicious bear  from Betty’s.I can’t sleep at night because I can’t wait to look out of the window! Last night I peered out at 3am and saw the yellow half moon hanging low in the sky as I scratched ice from the inside of the windows and the ponies stood,breathing out clouds,covered with blankets of snow.

North

The obligatory December cold bug has got me this week but I’ve been busy trying to do something about the imminent festivities;making a few bits and pieces and hanging up the mistletoe ( the birds will get some berries even if there’s no kisses to be had).

I’m snuggled in my pyjamas as I write; listening to the wind whistle and the snow scratch at the windows.Today we’ve had the first proper snow…I keep jumping up to put the outside light on,so I can look out into the dark garden and watch it falling.First Snow is always so exciting and magical, making the world look clean and new.Hmmm, don’t quote me on that when the car’s stuck and the fire won’t go and we’ve run out of milk!

I made these two purses today and I think they are my favorites so far ( the pictures are SO dark because there’s just no light these days). Now I have to decide if they’re going to be Christmas presents or for sale… I was supposed to be going to talk to someone in a gallery in Ripon tomorrow but the weather may have foiled that plot.I did leave two new pieces at the Saltbox on Tuesday and suddenly wondered if I really wanted to part with one in particular that I’d been working on,off and on since June…

Well time is ticking by and despite too much coffee I really should sleep soon.Tomorrow looks like being a good day for cake and mince-pie baking with the help of a cozy stove and pink enamel coffee pot! x

Happy Mondays

Monday on the mountain and I stayed huddled by the stove all day with Lindsey, making more purses, watching her finish her final travel journal for Minor Project and of course, overdoing the coffee.One moment the sun was blinding and the next the sky was dark and sinister, hurling hailstones and torrential rain.The floods last night mean that Sara is still stranded on the other side of the River Swale and then it began to snow! Polar Bear weather…

Anyway, today’s is only going to be a short post as I need to keep on sewing while I’m in the mood. The stall on Sunday needs to have SOMETHING on it after all.Until next time, when I hope to have more to say! x

Snow

The snow has almost gone now but this was my “Little House on Witchmountain” last Thursday. Its been a while since we got such deep snow; Sara took the batteries out of the TV remote and managed to get these pictures before the camera gave up the ghost again.

In between struggling to think up some Spring designs ( not easy with the snow hiding all sign of green), I managed to make these little shoes for my niece’s new baby daughter Chloe.

I think they’re really cute but I haven’t tested the pattern on an actual baby so I hope they fit. How big are baby’s feet, I can’t remember?!

Its been quiet on the blog lately so it was heartening to get a lovely comment from Solomon, a Hand and Lock prizewinner who had stumbled upon Witchmountain while looking for work by Maria Lavigina.Have a look at his work on the Hand and Lock website.Thank you Solomon.