Playing a house ........

I hope you've all had a very happy Christmas.
We continue to work on the new room.
The wood stove is installed, the electric sockets are almost all in place and I continue to be like a child playing with a new doll's house.

This wooden bear looked just right to have a special place in the room for Christmas, he normally sits on one of the beams in the bedroom but now he's next to a wooden Christmas tree.

I'll be able to show you more as things get finished meanwhile I'll go back to discovering things in boxes.
Next to find is the fabric I bought over eight years ago for the curtains.
Our barns are a treasure trove where I've stored things but  first I have to FIND the treasure  that I want !

Nearly there .......

So now the wreath is on the door made from willow, ivy and hydrangea heads from the garden.

The wood stove is nearly installed in the lounge, the Christmas tree is waiting to be dressed and we still have to wrap each others presents  but  ............  we're nearly there.

This will be a special Christmas as I am well, the lounge is so nearly finished and we are happy just to be together with Tortue, Pie and Samuel.

I wish all my friends who follow my blog a  Happy Christmas,  I love to read your news and I love it when you send your comments to me. Thank you especially to those who were so supportive when I had a stroke a few months ago, I am well and each day is a good one.

Christmas stars.

These stars hung in our farmhouse kitchen last year.

You can see the deep snow outside.

However  ****************

Mercury stars.


this year they will be hanging in our lounge.
This space has been totally transformed over the last five years by Mr P.
We have two new windows, a new floor with underfloor heating, no water comes in any more (we had our own natural water feature ).
This involved him digging up the floor and the rock to a depth of three feet by hand - three months of such hard work.


Now we have a beautiful space with lime walls, new windows, a granite fireplace which Mr P has built from raw blocks of stone.


These last few days we have started to bring in the furniture that has been in one of our barns for over seven years.


All so exciting, all so tiring but WONDERFUL !!!!!!


Soon it will be nearly finished and soon I will share some photographs with you.

Arts du Feu - Rennes.

A week ago we went on our annual visit to Arts du Feu at Rennes.

These pieces are like magical imaginary buildings.

This is an exhibition of wonderful crafts which all use fire in their making.

There are displays of ceramic, metal, jewellery and glass.

The quality of the work exhibited is excellent and each year we enjoy the visit so much.

What a beautiful form.

This year we bought each other pieces of ceramic which are now safely put away until the 25th !

We loved these pieces made from rusty metal with all its history of time.

Just love the texture and colour of rusty metal.

In my next post I will show you some more pieces that we really liked.

Music bunting.

Recently when I was busy making paper bags for a fair I thought about making some bunting from the pages of music too.

So I set to and made a template, then using punches and biscuit cutters I decorated the bunting.

The first line went on the bookcase in the kitchen and I was pleased with the look of them.
The line of pots on the top of the bookcase are cheese moulds, they have little holes pierced in the side for the liquid to drain out. They come from different regions of France.

The hare is one that we bought about ten years ago at a big ceramic fair, I loved it then and love it now.

The sculpture is by John Maltby, another favourite artist of ours.

Then onto the fireplace with the next row of bunting.
When the woodstove is lit the little flags move gently with the warmth from the fire.
The rabbit candle holders are ones I bought in France some years ago, they look so good when they cast their shadows onto the lime rendered wall.

The brown bear is actually a candle but I just don't have the heart to light it as then of course the bear would disappear !

The little metal figures are ones that Mr P bought me one year at Christmas, I like them so much that they don't just appear at Christmas .

The boy is holding a letter stamped with a heart and the girl carries a large heart and a candle.

Heart to heart ....

I just love old buttons, in particular pearl buttons.

I've been collecting them for years and they are kept in a box like special jewels.

I have  some of them still on their silver backed cards and I haven't yet taken any of them to use - I just love them just they way they are.

Whilst I was making the lavender hearts I thought of making some brooches using linen and adding  pearl buttons.
I like wearing brooches, they so often lift an outfit and also lift the spirit. A scarf often does the same.
So I set too and first made the heart and then sorted through the buttons and sewed them on trying to use different ones. Really special ones, like some I have that have three holes or ones with patterns engraved on them had to go back in the box !

I also made special paper bags using old sheets of music which I folded and glued and then printed a star with a sepia ink. I used the bags to package jewellery that I sold at the fair and also for hearts, especially the pearl brooches.

The lavender hearts are made of linen and some old 30's cotton that I bought at a troc.
I had some small pieces left from making some bags.

I bought the ribbon in the UK when I was there, and of course, they had their own buttons too.

The little tags I'd made myself, some of them using handmade paper collaged with a little heart cut from a stamp and some from card that I'd collaged with old pages from books and then added sparkle.

All of these little extras always delight me.
I was glad they delighted others too.

Foire de Noel.

Last Sunday I took my work to a Christmas Fair in a nearby village.

I'd spent as much time as possible when I came back from the UK to make some new things.

I used my lavender from this year's plants to make lavender hearts.
The perfume from the hearts just filled the air around my stand and proved to be a success with visitors.

I'd been busy knitting too making some scarves from some unusual yarns.

I sold a scarf like the one at the top at the last fair I went too. Its made from different cotton, linen and silk yarns with silk ribbon tassels.

Today I've been busy cleaning.

In an old stone house like this the spiders always seem to be ready to make yet another web when my back is turned.

So now the kitchen is looking festive and hopefully web free. 

In my next post I'll show you the bunting which I've made.

I was so pleased with it that I made some for a friend who was feeling a bit low, she was delighted.

A delight of a town.

Whenever I go to the UK I always try to go to a lovely little town near Shrewsbury called Bishops Castle.

This little town is just a gem containing all the kinds of things that I love, a treasure trove of wonder.

Friday is my day to go as its market day and that means that Rosie will be in the market hall with her treasures.

I don't think I've ever been there and come away empty handed.

Rosie at her stall at the market hall.

This time when I went to Rosie's I met this striking young woman called Rosalind Jana.

Rosalind Jana, a student at Hereford Sixth Form College, has just won the prestigious Vogue Magazine's 'Talent Contest'. The competition has been running for more than 60 years, and  attracts  more than 500  entries. Vicky Orsmond, Rosalind's English Literature teacher, said, "Contestants had to submit three pieces: a personal memory, a short feature article and an opinion piece. Their work was judged by the editor and to be the outright winner is a fantastic achievement."


We talked for a little and then her parents came into Rosie's too so I met them.
Rosalind is a young woman with what I'm sure will be a very interesting future.

Rosalind.

Rosalind really loves to wear vintage clothes and jewellery so she is also a fan of Rosie's, for her though she has the chance to visit quite often, for me its maybe two or three times a year.

Jewellery at Rosie's.

Rosalind.

Next is onto the second hand bookshop.
Whilst enjoying a large cup of coffee and a piece of homemade coffee cake I was kept company by the cats.
I am always pleased if they are around because the fluffy one always comes and sits on my knee.

The bookshop cat.

Here he is waiting for a lap to sit on.

Cat in a box at the bookshop.

The girl cat is a lot more reserved and she prefers to sit in her box on the window ledge so she can watch the world go by and of course enjoy the warmth from the radiator, typical of a cat !!

Faithfully waiting.

Next to meet was this lovely border collie who was waiting outside another cafe .

The deli at Bishop's Castle.

Then onto the deli which always looks so lovely.
I just love the baskets but as I've two at home like them I resisted.

Finally onto The Gallery which has an excellent collection of beautifully crafted items.
I love going there and talking to the owner, a lovely talented woman.

This is the clock tower on the market hall.

When I walk up the very steep road that leads up to it I always feel happy as I know there'll be delight waiting.

Market Hall clock, Bishop's Castle.

More beautiful things.

More beautiful craft work from Ruthin.

The shop is always filled with superb pieces.

These photographs were some of the things I really liked.

Ruthin has wonderful craft publications, always good to look on their site to see what's available.
One book on the work of Alice Kettle is becoming more and more valuable ( currently in excess of £75 )
as it is out of print now.
I was lucky enough to given one a few years ago as a Christmas present, I won't be parting with it !

Just loved this family.

A view of the shop with display cabinets .

Contemporary Jewellery at Ruthin.

One of my most favourite places to visit is the Craft Centre at Ruthin .

The quality of the work on display there is of such high quality and the shop has some wonderful pieces.

Last Monday I went to see their latest exhibitions and to share coffee and conversation with a dear friend of mine, Roger, who works there.

The first set of photographs that I took where of enamelled jewellery.

All the pieces were so different, hardly any containing the precious materials associated with jewellery but all of them to my mind so interesting and innovative.

I loved these pieces hanging in their perspex boxes like miniature sculptures. Such interesting textures and colours.

This little vessel piece looked to me as if it was from another time, maybe made to hold something important or maybe a potion, just wonderful.

This piece again, maybe from the future, like a tiny sphere that has passed though space and time.
It has certainly been in high temperatures and reminded me of a piece of raku ceramic.

Now to some of the brooches.
I'm a lover of brooches, and this one I would have gladly added to my collection but I don't think the pieces were for sale and I was happy just to look and admire.

Having said that each time I look at it I think how wonderful it would look on . A real statement piece.

Another two brooches by the same designer jeweller.








I sail back to France tonight, I am so looking forward to being home and having my husband hold me in his arms, three weeks is a long time but I've seen so many amazing things and spent time with dear friends and family.
There'll be more posts of wonderful inspirational things to share with you.

Later today I'm going to Buckfast Abbey in Devon, and inspirational place that has stood there for  centuries.