I wanted to drop in and let you know about my newest stockist, Gallery 52 in Brailsford, Derbyshire. It is a beautiful gallery near Ashbourne and has a great variety of gifts for everyone.
If you’re in the Derbyshire/Ashbourne area I definitely recommend a visit!
To celebrate Halloween, I thought it would be fun to share with you some great Halloween DIYs I’ve found via Pinterest. If you have a go at any of them please let me know!
These amazing bats would look great in any room.
I love these handmade blocks.
This banner looks fab and looks fun to make.
This wreath looks so good and simple to make.
and these have to be my favourites!
Whatever you get up to tonight, have fun!
Good morning! I am very excited to share my sixth interview in the series ~ the Inspirational Blogger Interview.
Over the few years I have been reading and keeping my own blog there have been certain bloggers who have made a huge impact on me. Over the coming weeks I would like to share with you some of these inspirational people. This particular blogger is one of the most inspirational people I have come across online. Her words and photography blow me away and I am lucky enough to own one of her beautiful painted pebbles (one of many types of art she produces.) Without further a do, this weeks interview is with the very talented Kelly Clark:
Hi, thank you for agreeing to take part in my Inspirational Blogger interview! First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started on your creative journey?
Hello Hello! I am Kelly Clark and I live in a little house sandwiched between the edge of the redwood forests and the surf of the Pacific Ocean in Northern California. I am passionate about art in its myriad forms, finding art everywhere and in everything. I have been making art, quite literally, from the time I could hold a crayon but it was not until college that the AhHa moment happened and I realized Art was a viable career. Not only viable, but the only career I could imagine dedicating my life to. I graduated with a B.F.A. from San Jose State University, emphasis in Oil Painting, which is still my most fervent love. But as I worked, I came to realize that the thing most important to me was not the medium I worked in, but the message I was trying to share. It is my joy to translate that which I see, feel, experience into a piece, and my utter delight when that piece finds the exact person with whom it resonates. On any given day you can find me in the studio working in paint, leather or metal, music on too loud, tea pot on the bench, bouncing around in my little hive of energy.
How did you first find out about blogging and what made you decide to have a go?
You know, I think the very first blogs I found were cooking blogs while running recipe searches online. I became entirely enamored with a few of them, checking in constantly for new posts, a woman obsessed, but never commenting! When my husband and I moved out of California, away from all of our family and friends, I decided to start my own blog as a way to share our new life. That first month I was a blogging fiend with no discernment! Within six months I had found other bloggers with similar interests and was hooked. I’m blessed to say several of whom I now call my closest confidants. It’s such an amazing way to find other members of your tribe across the globe.
Has blogging had a positive affect on your creative success and the way you run your business?
Ouph, HUGELY! I have met a great number of amazing patrons through the blog world, and forging personal relationships with many of them has blessed me to no end. But perhaps the largest affect has been in the other artists I’ve met via the blog. We’ve been able to share with and encourage each other on the business side of things, from dealing with creative blocks to establishing pricing structures, learning communally along the way.
How has your blog developed since you began?
It has come a very long way but at the same time, no so far from it’s roots. I write about what I know, what I see, what I experience, and of course, what I make. I write more than I did at first, as the blog reawakened my life-long love of writing. I take many, many more photos, dragging my beloved Canon, Pierré, with me everywhere. I just get so excited about sharing! I think that has always been my central motivation behind the blog, and one I am continually honing. There is just so much beauty in this life and I just want to spread that love around!
What has been the best thing to come out of having your blog?
One of the very best things that has come from my blog has been a renewed faith in and a love for humanity. One and a half years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I talked about it and all my treatments sparingly on the blog, but I tell you true: blog readers came out of the woodwork to encourage and come alongside me on my journey. They sent emails, cards, care packages. They truly became my support group, the people I knew were pulling so hard and so earnestly on my behalf. It was endlessly amazing. Endlessly heartening. They helped me make it through. THEY were the best thing that has come from my blog. Hands down.
Can you leave us with one piece of advice for anybody who is just starting out in the blogging world or who would like to improve their blog?
I know there is a slew of advice on this out there, but I would say this: Be the best human being you can be. This does not mean every thing you write must be cheery, or pretty or anything of the sort. Not at all! It means you strive to write from an honest place in your soul. It means you share with authenticity. It means you put out into the world that which you hope to receive. It means that you treat your readers, your blog friends and the writers you read with respect and kindness. And who doesn’t need a little more kindness in their life?
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Kelly again for taking time out of her very busy schedule and answering my questions.
I hope this post has inspired you to enjoy your blogging or perhaps start a blog if you haven’t already!
Hello there, well as promised I have a guest post for you today by the lovely Suzie Banks of Aesthetics and Gastronomy
I contacted Suzie asking her if she would consider writing a post for me about growing your own fruit and veg and she kindly said yes! So without further a do, here’s Suzie:
Unearthing my passion for fruit and vegetable growing
About 5 years ago, fed up with the limited and expensive range of organic fruit and vegetables available locally, I decided that the only way to get the variety and quality of produce that I wanted to eat, was to grow my own. Around the same time, due to illness I also made the decision to end my catering business. The timing actually couldn’t have been more perfect. I needed something to focus on and I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands, so creating a veg garden was an absolutely ideal distraction. And therapeutic too, which was an added bonus.
I love the anticipation of sowing the seeds and waiting for them to germinate. Opening the lid on the propagator on a spring morning to see what’s happened overnight still excites me. Seeing the tiny shoots pushing their way through the compost. Especially the beans, courgettes and pumpkins emerging with the large seed casing still fastened to the first leaves. And, it never fails to amaze me how a miniscule seed, like the tiny purple sprouting broccoli ones, can produce such a large robust plant in just a few short months.
There’s also the satisfaction of creating your own outdoor edible larder. Not only growing the fruits and vegetables that you most like to eat but experimenting with new ones too. Whilst you really can’t beat the flavour and freshness of just picked home grown fruit and veg, there’s more to it than that. It’s also about the sense of pride and achievement as you walk through the garden, filling your basket with a wonderful array of produce, that you have grown.
Of course it’s not always rosy in the garden but that’s part of the challenge. Slugs are a nuisance. The weather is unpredictable. Cabbage white butterflies are a menace – I’ve lost all my red cabbages thanks to their caterpillars this year. And as for the rabbits! And there’s no denying that it can be hard work, I’ve spent hours digging out evasive twitch (couch grass) roots. But, it is most definitely worth it.
I’ve also discovered that my two dogs absolutely adore eating raw vegetables – they go berserk over french beans. Barney, a 3 year old cocker spaniel, will literally eat anything but watching him chomping asparagus spears from the tip right down to the ground, whilst they are still growing, is priceless. (He doesn’t get away with eating too many though!)
Now I’m back working again I don’t spend as much time in the garden as I would like, hence it doesn’t always look as tidy as it used to – it aspires to be a Country Living style garden but doesn’t quite live up to these lofty ideals! However, it is an incredibly productive patch of land which really is the important point. So far this year, I’ve been enjoying asparagus, borlotti beans, french beans, strawberries, chard, kale, courgettes, white sprouting broccoli, pumpkins, squashes, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, pears, apples, beetroot, dill, coriander, raspberries, fennel and carrots. And still to come, there’s purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, celeriac, swedes, parsnips, jerusalem artichokes and not forgetting the brussel sprouts for Christmas lunch.
So, I think it’s fair to say that as decisions go this has turned out to be one of the most rewarding ones I’ve ever made!
I’d like to thank Suzie again for agreeing to guest post for me – I don’t know about you, but I feel inspired to get out in my garden and get creative!
I am very excited to share my fifth interview in the series ~ the Inspirational Blogger Interview.
Over the few years I have been reading and keeping my own blog there have been certain bloggers who have made a huge impact on me. Over the coming weeks I would like to share with you some of these inspirational people. This weeks interview is with the very beautiful Caisey Wiegand:
Hi, thank you for agreeing to take part in my Inspirational Blogger interview! First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started on your creative journey?
My name is Casey Wiegand, I am a wife, mama, artist (here), blogger (here), we own an art studio (here) and I do blog design (here).
I love painting and sharing our life through my blog…where you can expect pieces of my perspective on life, faith, kids, marriage, with touches of art, creative inspiration, projects and things I love along the way. I have two little ones with the hopes of lots more and am married to the love of my life!
My husband is the reason all of this has happened. He is big about pursuing dreams/ what God created each of us uniquely for. He gave me the courage to step out and try to make my dreams of being an artist as a full.time profession a reality, also our dream of creating”A Little Artsy”…we took out a business loan- put out wedding rings, cars, computers, everything as “collateral” to make a dream happen.
How did you first find out about blogging and what made you decide to have a go? How has your blog developed since you began?
In January of this year my blog had around 20 followers, I posted every once in awhile…really only our parents read it! Then I was going through some messy stuff in December and I read this quote by Leslie
“If you haven’t already gathered, or happen to be reading this blog for the first time in your life, I am a melancholy girl through and through. I find beauty in not only the beautiful things in life, but the bittersweet and sad as well. To me, there is something poignantly lovely about the human experience from its splendor to its grief. God created all our emotions, not just the happy ones, and for His good purposes. That’s why a good cry can feel so good. And hitting our limits forces us to look outside ourselves for a Savior. It is in the plea, when we’re at our end, that we can find that which is truly life-giving. Personally, my moments of deepest grief, deepest pain, have resulted in the most beautiful seasons in my heart. I’ve met God more intimately in those moments than in all the other pleasant ones combined. What isn’t completely lovely about that?”
In a moment where I felt alone, I felt heartbroken, angry…..I read this and suddenly felt like someone out in the world possibly understood. In January of this year with 20 followers I started speaking out on my beliefs. I started talking about mama stuff, some heartache, money trouble, csection scars, NICUs, my miscarriage, almost killing my dog on accident….and that’s not the half of it. I havent even gone down some of the REALLY tough roads of where I have been with my readers yet.
In a way it saved me. The blogging community pulled me out of a horrible heartache. It was like an online diary for me to work through what I was going through. Blogging has helped me immensely.
Has blogging had a positive affect on your creative success and the way you run your business?
DEFINITELY! I have learned so much through the blogging community!
Can you leave us with one piece of advice for anybody who is just starting out in the blogging world or who would like to improve their blog?
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Caisey again for taking time out of her very busy schedule and answering my questions.
I hope this post has inspired you to enjoy your blogging or perhaps start a blog if you haven’t already!
You know those weeks where everything gets a little too much? Well that’s what my last week’s been like. If you follow me on twitter ( @katemacandrew) you might have read that my beautiful cat William broke his tail last week 
We arrived back from our Yorkshire break late on Friday and when William came in for the night his tail was all strange. The poor little mite didn’t seem too put out but we took him straight to the vets and they confirmed what I had already guessed – he had indeed broken his tail and there was a 99% chance it would need to be amputated up to the break. So we took him home and made a second appointment for him to be checked over again. So yesterday I dropped him off to be checked over and the vet confirmed I’d have to leave him so they could carry out the amputation.
The operation went well but since he’s got home he’s been hating the cone collar (which is completely understandable) We tried to see if he could have the cone off until bedtime but he just insists on trying to bite and rip his bandage off. I just wish I could explain to him it’s all for his own good! I think it’s going to be a long couple of weeks…
Whilst I’m away in Yorkshire recharging my batteries, I thought it would be nice to plan another Daily Read post. Rachel Denbow’s blog is one I have found to be so inspiring and fun. Rachel is a wife and mother to two children and blogs about her young family and creative projects. Rachel is also part of the Red Velvet team and is a regular contributor to the A Beautiful Mess blog by Red Velvet’s Elsie and her e-courses are also available to buy online there.
Rachel’s blog Smile and Wave is definitely worth a look!
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I ran an Autumn workshop with an after school art group in a local primary school. There was quite a large age range so it was interesting to see the different results.
I managed to take a few photos as I led the children through the project:
They all had some great results and took a lovely picture home to their parents!
As this post’s title suggests, I’m off for a short break with my OH for a few days. We are off to Yorkshire again, one of our favourite places.
It will be time to relax properly and recharge my batteries before the Christmas rush. I have a Daily Read post scheduled for Friday so this blog won’t be left alone too long!
Have a lovely rest of the week xo
Over the last couple of weeks I have been very busy leading Christmas Card workshops for local Primary schools. It is so much fun sharing my enthusiasm for drawing and design with groups of young people. In these particular workshops I focus on taking them step-by-step through how to draw various wintery animals before they begin their final artwork. This artwork is then sent home to parents with the option for them to purchase their child’s artwork on professionally printed christmas cards.
Here are just a few of the many orders I have received back already:
This afternoon I am leading an Autumn workshop in which I will be showing the children how to make one of these 3D hedgehog pictures:
Can’t wait to see the results!
