An old fashioned Sunday

Today, Easter Sunday, reminds me of what Sundays used to be like before the changes to Sunday trading, where everything got busier and busier and faster and faster.  There is hardly any traffic on the roads, all but the smallest shops are closed, children are playing on the park, I even saw a toddler enthralled by the croci.  Ok so it helps that the sun is shining, and that everybody is coming out of hibernation after the cold and prolonged winter, but it's a great reminder of how things used to be, and it was great for the little business man too.  It's hard to compete with the lure of the supermarkets, the shopping centres, and town centres, but  sourcing things locally, I've heard a rumour that the "shop local" campaign is spreading, lets hope so, and then everyday can be a bit like Sunday

Metal Hipopotamus

I love doing craft fairs, I get to meet the nicest and most interesting people.  I've previously made friends with a shepherdess and a Well Dresser.  Yesterday I was sitting next to a wood turner.  Like me, she was made redundant from the Council where she worked, and like me, she took a long hard look at her life, and decided to make some changes and start to earn a living by doing the things she loves. She sold her house, and bought a canal boat, she now lives there, and is a mile away from even a corner shop, and a long car drive away from the nearest town, so if she hasn't got the things she needs, then that's it, she has to without.. She keeps herself warm and toasty with a wood burning stove  She has kingfishers outside her window, and is woken in the morning by the ducks nibbling away at the algae on the boat.  Because she's always moored there, the wildlife completely ignore her, and in her words, regard her as a Metal Hippopotamus.  

"Delete as Appropriate"

I've had a productive Sunday - sorted out press releases for the open studios event, gone for a run, made flap jack, and finally finally finished my "delete as appropriate" gift tags.
I had the idea way before Christmas, to have "TreeHuggery" gift tags where people could select the type of day they wished to give their recipient, but the wording was actually harder to organise than the design; we're such hippies that the kind of day that we would wish to have, probably isn't the kind of day that most people would wish to have, but then....even though  it's just a bit of fun, I didn't want to "sell out" with what I put, and I wanted to keep it true to my beliefs....
so in the end, the message on the reverse reads

Hope your day is filled with....
(delete as appropriate)
a.. Blue skies
b.  Love and laughter
c.  Scrummy cake
d.  All of the above

people have already commented, that they'd go for option C

 

 www.treehuggery.co.uk

Seascape

I've been working on a textile piece called "White Horses", which I've just had converted into giclee mini print cards.
Surprisingly, for someone who loves working with trees, the seascape piece has really captured my interest, I'm currently working on a textile piece of close up pebbles, and think my next degree piece might even have a seascape theme.
Here's my "White Horses" card - those damn pesky horses, get everywhere!

White Horses.  Seascape mini print card by TreeHuggery

Spring is here

Spring definately felt like it had arrived this weekend; I had a lovely run followed by a beautiful trip up to Holloway in Derbyshire to collect my new mini print cards

Autumn Leaves, mini print card by TreeHuggery

Then yesterday, the lawn had the first cut of the year, I picked some of the leeks for tea, planted onion and garlic, and then later on started framing the first of a new lot of originals.

Study for Sierenes.  Original wall art by TreeHuggery