Open Studios North Fife Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th April & Monday 1st May 2017!

Open Studios North Fife is this weekend and I have been incredibly busy preparing for it. 

New framed originals plus a large range of items printed with my art work as well as lots of textile jewellery and felt accessories will be available.
You can find me at Venue 25
64 Commercial Road, Ladybank, Fife, KY15 7JS
10 - 6pm each day
Full details and map on the website here

I have been excited to see how my felt artwork looks printed onto box canvases and can honestly say I am delighted with the results! The prints retain the textural and tactile look of the felt and it's hard to tell that they are not originals. 

I have four sizes available.

20 x 20 cm at £20

20 x 30 cm at £30

35 x 35 cm at £40

and

50 x 50 cm at £80

20 x 20 cm Box Canvases £20

My wee collie dog picture featured above proved to be very popular earlier this year so I have made another, again on a background of Shetland fibres. I think it looks like the sheep have got themselves over onto the headland and are thumbing their noses at the dog!

'Ba Ba Baa-Baa Baa'

£95

My son was home from Ireland for a week during the Easter break so we hived off to Skye for a few days as a family. It was a wonderful time spent together and we enjoyed incredible views out over the sea from our accommodation and were enthralled by the April showers changing the light every five minutes.

This simple felt seascape came out of my head the day we got home as a result.

'Sound of Sleat - Light on Water'

£125

Another new original is this piece below. I purchased a pile of hand dyed Shetland Fibre from The Wool Shed in Orkney earlier this year. I ordered by phone so had to trust what they sent me and I was not disappointed! The colours are stunning and I put lots of them into the background here.

'Lambing Time'

£345

I'm pleased to say that this design works especially well on a cushion cover. I have my cushions professionally produced. The image is printed onto suede effect fabric which retains the soft feel of the felt but is durable and practical as the cover can be zipped off and washed.

Cushions £38 

(Open Studios Special Price. Normally £40 online)

I also made the original artwork for this wee coo using the Shetland fibre. Now available as a mug, card, canvas print and shopper bag.

Mug and Gift Box £8.95 (Open Studios Special Price. Normally £9.95 online)

Cotton Shopper Bag £6.95

I sold out of nearly all my felt sheep jewellery during Edinburgh Yarn Festival last month so I have been very busy making more. I think I will be burning the midnight oil this week to have as good a range as possible ready.

New to my range of brooches are these mustard and grey Harris Tweed birds with the Celtic heart beads. Quite a different colour way for me to use but I had the tweed in my stash and felt sorry for it always being passed over in favour of my favourite purples and blues.

Harris Tweed Bird Brooches

£12

I have also made lots of lots of my textile and resin jewellery. 

Textile and Resin Pendants

£26

I have 16", 18" and 30" chains in stock.

Earrings, Bracelets and Shawl Pins also available.

I nearly sold out of my textile trinket boxes at EYF as well but have been able to make a new stock of all sizes in time for Open Studios. Probably not as many as usual so it's first come, first served.

I'll leave you with some photos from our recent visit to Skye. 

We found this little stream and pool near Loch Shianta. A most enchanting spot.

Loch Shianta - The Healing Loch with it's incredibly blue water. We just love this place but have never been when it's warm enough to put more than a hand in the water! I'd love to swim in it.

We love the Quiraing and always take a walk here when we visit Skye. 

Mossy wall in The Fairy Glen. Another most enchanting place.

The Fairy Glen with it's grassy tors and hillocks.

Love the colours and textures of this lichen stone.

The view from our accommodation at the Dun Flodigarry Hostel. We love the Staffin area and the Trotternish Ridge and the hostel provides great family accommodation in this area.

And lastly, the view back to the mainland and the Trotternish Ridge and the Old Man of Storr with a dusting of hail stones and snow.

If you are interested in any of my new work but can't make it along to Open Studios, I will be doing an Etsy Shop update next week, probably Wednesday 3rd May.

A Quick Trip to The Isle of Skye!

Our school holidays were quite early this year, first two weeks in April and since I spent the first week working really hard to get stock made for the Makers Market on the 5th, we decided to take the children up to Skye for most of the second week.

 It takes us about 5 hours to drive straight there but we stopped a few times on the way as the scenery between Fife and Skye is just stunning.

Eilean Donan Castle above is always a welcome sight. You know you are close to Skye when you see this iconic castle.

It's been three years since we were on Skye and it was really great to see all the sights again. Here is the Old Man of Stor taken on my phone as we drove up the Trotternish peninsula. Not a great photo but it's not easy to stop at the side of the road here.

We were making our way up to The Quiraing, a fantastic geological feature in the north part of the island, and we just had to make a stop at Mealt Waterfall and Kilt Rock.

The Quiraing was looking resplendent in the Spring sunshine.

David took the photo above on our 'big' camera and I took the one below on my phone. Life looks a lot greener in my world! hahaha

That's my son being a 'Quirangatang'. 

I always think that photos taken looking back along the ridge look really impressive like you have hiked all the way up here but really it's a very easy walk. You can drive up to the top of the pass and park then walk along the foot of the cliffs on a relatively easy path!

The last time we walked The Quiraing we went from the top all the way to the bottom then got a lift back up for the car. This time we just walked to the middle and explored the main features. Below is known as 'The Prison'.

Another walk that we enjoyed was up to the Fairy Pools in Glenbrittle. We had been here before as well and just loved it. The water flowing from the Cuillin hills is such an unusual shade of turquoise and all the little water falls are so enchanting.

We must go back in the summer time and go for a dip! My daughter stuck her toe in and assures me that it was absolutely freezing. Well it would be as there was still snow on the hills!

We stayed at the Skyewalker Hostel at Portnalong again. I blogged about this great hostel 3 years ago and it is still just as good if not better! You can read that post here 

There are a few oddities around the place to keep you amused.

We got mixed weather on this trip, mostly good. The thing about Skye though is that the weather can make the scenery look even more dramatic.

Below are the Cuillin brooding beneath a dark cloud. I'll be using this as inspiration for a picture for next years calendar, without me in it of course.

I love this little crofters house below.

We did get one rainy day and spent it going round galleries and cafes etc.

I was delighted to bump into my friend Emma at Skyeworks Gallery above The Isle of Skye Bakery in Portree. I had no idea she'd be there and found her running a workshop on how to make a textile wall hanging. 

Here is Emma with some of the pieces produced during the workshop.

Emma and her husband have a beautiful studio in the south part of Skye. You can read a full post about it here

As the rain was just not letting up this day, we decided to put on our boots and coats and walk to Talisker Bay and just get really wet.

It was worth it. The bay looked very dramatic with it's black sand, big black boulders and rugged stack standing our against the grey sky.

You'd think I'd taken this photo in black and white!

The next day was lovely and sunny again and we took a little trip over to Raasay but I'll write that up in the next post.

Really busy getting ready for Open Studios which is in TWO WEEKS! Read all about it over on our website here