May 2016

May has been all about our holiday to the magnificent Ardnamurchan; our first visit and we are smitten.

April 2016

We've been out for more danders with our wee lad cat Monty who has emerged as a lover of strolling! There are more pictures of his exploits over on instagram! Our friends over at Loaf vegan B&B have had the most wonderful Spring visitor recently, check out visit 1 and visit 2!

I've really enjoying making bezel set sea glass stud earrings and a big thank you to everyone who has been buying them.

Our garden is blooming and I can't get enough floral joy just now, tis wonderful!

March 2016

March brought a new stockist; you can now find my jewellery in the fabulous Creative Recycling Gallery, Chorlton, Manchester.

Our own Spring Exhibition got off to a flying start with fabulous work on show and all sorts of spring happenings on the windows, there seem to be more bunnies and daffodils with every passing day!

When not at the gallery I've been making new jewellery with lots of lovely blue and white sea pottery which will be off to stockists soon.

February 2016

This month I have been...

 ...gazing on nacreous clouds which stunned as all making an appearance over the eastern borders on the 2nd Feb, many thanks to Ruth Birkitt for the photo.

...listening to the wonderful Songs of Separation

...making my first bezel set sea glass bangles.

Blue Sea Glass Ring

New blue sea glass ring, this unusual triangular shaped piece of blue was a joy to set and this one is available directly from Coldstream Gallery.

January 2016

2016 started with a bagpipe accompanied (really!) stroll along Cocklawburn beach, a time to refresh and prepare for the year ahead.

Our first task was to tidy our workroom and it is now rearranged with extra storage and I've moved all hot work to one area. This is great as it frees up space on my main bench and I've been enjoying using the Efcolor enamel stove Rich gave me for Christmas!  Little stud earrings were the first experiments and I've a head full of how I'd like to use these cold fire enamels in my work.

We've had storms, rain, wind, floods and even snow which has made getting back and forth to the gallery not such a pleasant drive, however, one Sunday did allow us to get out for a bright walk in crunchy snow.

I spent some Christmas money on Daughter's new album 'Not to Disappear' which was released this month; it is wonderful, 'Doing the Right Thing' has walloped me since first hearing it last year, a song expressing much of what is a shared and difficult experience for many of us.

Ethical Engagement Ring

Recently I was emailed this fabulous photograph...

... from a lady whose partner had secretly commissioned me to make an ethical blue sea glass engagement ring for her.  He really wanted blue to echo her love of surfing and painting the sea. When we went to look for some blue, a rare colour round these parts, I stepped onto the shore and declared loudly 'Come on beach, this is for LOVE!' Laughing, I took one more step further and this piece was right at my toes, perfect!

She said yes!

Squarescapes at Coldstream Museum

As well as working at Coldstream Gallery and teaching, Rich has managed to produce a fabulous set of his squarescapes ready to exhibit at Coldstream Museum at the end of March, it is going to look brilliant! Do pop in to Coldstream Gallery to see us after!

Coldstream Gallery Spring Clean

Our new venture at Coldstream Gallery kicked off last November and we've really been enjoying it. The Winter Exhibition was a gorgeously varied selection of new work from local artists and we were delighted with the reaction; thank you so much to everyone who showed work and visited and purchased! 

The Winter Exhibition Window

The gallery has traditionally closed for a winter break in February so we decided to stick with that arrangement to allow us the chance to freshen up the space. Our first job was to clear out the gallery and store away any remaining work before tackling the walls with filler and sandpaper.

Ready to paint the upper gallery

It was then time to get painting! It took three weeks to repaint over the walls and we are very grateful to our mate Karen at Loaf B&B for helping us out. The start of the process was relaxing and meditative, however, it soon developed into manically dancing along to 6 Music and we even scheduled our tea breaks around tea time theme time!

We spent a fair amount of time up ladders and gathered the shin bruises to prove it. As the walls became ever brighter and whiter we felt it was all worthwhile; features of the building were becoming more apparent and we hoped it would give us a fresh look for exhibitions.

Eventually, we got all the decorating and tidying completed, new work came in and the Spring Exhibition opened on the 3rd March. Visitors have responded well to the new look and the new exhibition and it's lovely to chat with people again rather than just wave a paint splattered hand through the window!

This is what the gallery looks like now!

Bright and light and airy

New sofas for the tearoom area

And, yes, Rich did draw in the window again...

2014

Molly cat made it onto the mural at The Chain Bridge Honey Farm

Wintry Holy Island

Monty joined us as a teeny wee lad

My beautiful sister with her siblings just before getting married

Discovered a fabulous local flower farm

Lynne and Carl's wedding day

Hester continued to be an essential workshop companion

Finally met a Goldsworthy

Holiday neighbour

Rich setting up at Coldstream Gallery

Visit to my folks resulting in finally seeing the Wallace grin toy in action

Spittal rainbow

Rope twists kept coming this year

My Nana's 90th Birthday; thanks to our lovely neighbour taking my wedding dress across the Irish Sea we got a photo of us together in the frock

Gorgeous Suzie's wedding, here with her fab siblings

Day out in Dublin with my brother

Beachy family photo shoot

Sea glass, patterned ring bands and fancy bezels, yes!