Waste Another Day

Project baby room for Juliette is well underway (which is good because she's almost 4 months). It's definitely an indulgence on my part, to create the perfect little space for her, but also, because it's a 'little' space, it's a project that seems achievable. I'm not at all into any sort of 'theme' - how do you choose a 'theme' for someone else, what if I chose ducks and she hated it! But I did think it important, for me, and for her to make a calm space, with some beautiful images. I painted the walls white on the top, and a sort of milky coffee/mocha colour on the bottom half. In the white space I'm going to fill the walls with pictures, that I've found, that mean something for me and her. I thought it would be a nice idea to buy some prints that weren't necessarily 'nursery' prints, and that she could have in her room as she grows, and we move around, and then when she leaves home - why am I even talking about this! - she can take them with her. That's the sentiment. Knowing I'd be inspired, I turned to Etsy. This is the first print I chose for her room created by Doubleparlour in San Francisco;

The colours are beautiful, warm and muted, but moreover the message is key 'Waste Another Day' a wasted day, in the most beautiful sense of the word ('waste') is what I hope she has time for in her childhood and in her adult hood, and what are some of the most sublime memories
of my own childhood. Really it's the beauty of childhood, no agenda, and nowhere to be, I hope she can waste many a day, daydreaming in a tree like this. Isn't it lovely?

Next I choose this print of a woman and her baby, I made a treasury on Etsy, called Tales from Africa, and I stumbled across this print while looking for pieces form my treasury.

Afrikards

This doesn't need a lot of explaining, it's about the bond, and closeness, your baby, flesh on flesh. It's probably also mildly about my part time obsession with the beauty of Africa and reading African novels, the three books I read while I was pregnant with her were: Half a Yellow Sun, I dreamed of Africa (amazing), and A Thousand Splendid Suns (although the later is not really Africa, well, it depends if you're looking at a political or geographic map). Anyway, the next two pictures for the walls, are going to be paintings I'm going to do myself. This is quite scary as I haven't picked up a paint brush in about 8 years, but I'm hoping she'll be a patient critic, I haven't exactly got it mapped out in my mind what I'm going to paint yet, but one is definitely going to be of a loggerhead turtle, I've had fun researching this, if you want to chill out for a few minutes, check this guy out, now that's the life.


In other news one of my new hinge bracelets, (Sun Showers Gem Cluster Hinge Bracelet) was included in a treasury called Champagne on Sunday, it's a really lovely mix, and Lottie Designs has really captured a feeling, and not just colours. I'm thrilled to be a part of it, which so many other stunning pieces. Well done Lottie Designs, what an eye, it really is an especially gorgeous collection.




I'm now covetting those amazing little hand embroidered baby shoes by Friendly Cloud. How cute are they? Definitely going on my wish list. Bye for now. X

Little Dolls from Nova Scotia

Thank you very much, Jenny an Artist from Nova Scotia who featured my Pearl Woven Circle Necklace on her blog. It's one of the greatest things about Etsy, that you can encounter people designing and making all sorts of wonderful things. Her dolls and very cool, so thank you Jenny.

I was really pleased with the simplicity of the design of that piece, and it's small cousin has been a best seller for me for quite some time, here they are featured together:




I'm busy making some new pieces that I'll post here later today. I'm brimfull of ideas right now so trying to ride the wave.

Who knew strawberries had flowers?

Not me! After a day in the studio working on new earrings for autumn/fall I walked across the garden to the house to see that our strawberry plants have sprouted lovely little white flowers! This is the first time we're growing anything in our little patch of earth, so this is very exciting, and a big learning curve. The white flowers seem a strange precursor to the fat red fruit that's coming, but here they are:


The bok choy has been amazingly easy to grow, and it's sooo good looking, it's going to be a stir-fry summer for sure.




Having come in to check the computer I found that some lovely person has included me in their Etsy Treasury called A Day in the Garden, how fitting. It's been a garden day all around the world. She used my Green Goddess earrings, which really do fit with all the beautiful green tones of a summer garden.


And so begins my blog. A diary of my craftsmanship and jewellery creations, from my little garden studio in Northumberland - possibly the nicest Greenest land in which to be living when the sun is shining.