swishing

Swishing is a relatively new term: for those who haven’t heard of it before (where have you been?!) it’s really just a well-organised clothes swap.  Usually a fairly upmarket one, so hopefully you come away with something you really like . . .  pre-loved, but good quality and stylish. 

The rather fabulous www.swishing.org tells you a lot more than I could about swishing.

Stockton Heath Children’s Swish:

This one is new to me: a children’s swish!  What a really, really good idea!  It’s sometimes hard to keep up with the speed at which children grow - I remember one day looking up at my then teenage son and thinking “How did you get up there?  I’m sure I was looking down at you last week!”  He’d noticed it too - he said “Hi Shorty”!

So, the Stockton Heath Children’s Swish, quite cleverly named Thread UP . . . with the Kids, takes place on Friday 17th September at 7pm at Stockton Heath Methodist Church Hall, Walton Road, Stockton Heath, Warrington, WA4 6NL.  Advance tickets are £4, on the night it’s £6 (proceeds are in aid of the church redevelopment fund). 

To buy an advance ticket, or for more information, phone Julie on 07802 466043.

buy your advance ticket now

If you finish the night by taking home a bagful of children’s clothing - as well as recycling some of your own kids’ clothes (or maternity clothes) - that £4 advance ticket sounds like a real bargain!  You’ll be doing your bit for the planet too - this is quite obviously a very environmentally-conscious way to shop.

OK, the rules of the Children’s Swish are these:

• Bring along at least 1 item of maternity wear or children’s clothing/shoes etc (up to age 12) that you would be happy to sell on (not jumble!)
• Browse the stalls, have a drink and have some Me time!
• Wait for the Swish to open and take as much as you like FREE!!

I’ve been invited to have a stall with my hand-painted gifts at the swishing event, along with other people selling items.  If you’re also planning to be there, you’ll find books from Usborne, cards from Phoenix, a photographer, gorgeous nappy cakes as well as some (much tastier!) real cakes and treats, oh . . . and other stalls selling handmade lovelies.

I’m sure a very good evening will be had by all!

a perfect fit

The August bank holiday Monday with these perfect blue skies

blue skies and marquee before the customers arrived

the well-trodden grass

well trodden grass

and the promise of a good day out

gorgeous setting

with a variety of attractions

birds of prey

could only mean one thing . . . yesterday at Gawsworth Hall was a busy day for all us stallholders. 

I enjoyed personalising gifts for customers.  Among other things, I sold quite a few first day at school frames

first day at school photo frame

a few fairy clocks

fairy clock

some wine o’ clock clocks

wine o clock

and lots of mini masterpiece holders for all those little budding artists out there

mini masterpiece hanger

It was exhausting but lots of fun - and I still haven’t unloaded my car.  I’ve an urgent order to start first, though, so unloading will begin as soon as some paint needs a bit of drying time! 

I love the way my days get ordered nowadays by paint drying!

A three day craft fair is a bit exhausting, a lot of fun and a great place to catch up with old friends and make new ones.  This weekend’s fair at Gawsworth Hall is no exception.

Saturday (yesterday) saw a fairly quiet day for all of us, probably because the weather wasn’t particularly friendly: heavy showers may well have put a lot of people off but the customers who did brave the weather were happy to spend their money on the many stalls.  There was a lot of evidence of early Christmas buying (I’m extremely impressed with the high level organisational skills these people have!).

Sunday (today) was busier after the rain stopped somewhat suddenly at lunchtime, when we were blessed with blue skies.  Monday promises sunshine and blue skies (although I’m not holding my breath) so hopefully we’ll have a busy day tomorrow.  I’m not very good at standing still and doing nothing - talking to customers and, even better, personalising items for them there and then makes the time pass much more quickly for me. 

It was nice to see some new stallholders.  I loved the applique cushion kits from www.picklepatchdesigns.com

cushion kit from Pickle Patch Designs

I also loved these ceramics from Carol of Conway Ceramics.  The stall was full to bursting with my favourite colour . . . blue.  When Carol’s website is up and running I’ll add a link to it.  I’m sure you’ll love her things too.

original unusual blue ceramic vases

Of course, it was great to catch up with the lovely Rama from Veggie Delite.  Rama specialises in the most amazing Indian food.  We ate her food at home this evening - as quick and easy as a takeaway, but deliciously home cooked and authentic.  I can certainly vouch for her mango chutney too!

mango chutney to die for

Rama does meal kits too:

Indian meal kits from Veggie Delite

Like some of our visitors at the fair this weekend, maybe you’ll also be tempted to do a bit of early Christmas shopping . . . and if there isn’t a craft fair near you, the internet is increasingly becoming the place to find handmade and unusual gifts. 

And, best of all, it won’t matter what the weather is like.

This is one of those things that most of us don’t need:  a small bolt does the trick in our house - and maybe yours too.

do not disturb hanging sign

But people have asked me for these signs on several occasions now, for various reasons. 

One family didn’t want a lock on their toilet door because of their young children.  Getting locked in a loo when you’re only two or three can’t be much fun for any child - or their inevitably stressed and panicky rescuer!  However, you do really need something for when your visitors want to “pay a visit”  (being interrupted can’t be much fun either … especially if your age is somewhat more than two or three).

Another family living in an old cottage said the position of the door was too awkward to accommodate any type of lock.  And yet another didn’t want to drill into their lovely, ancient door.

I make these signs individually to order, so you can specify any wording you like.  If you need more information, do have a look at the website www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk or email wendy@1stuniquegifts.co.uk

Oh, and if you’d like a different picture, that’s ok too.

If you’re in Cheshire and looking for something to do on the upcoming bank holiday weekend you could do a lot worse than stopping by Gawsworth Hall.

Gawsworth Hall Craft Event

I’ll be there as part of the craft fair that’s there this weekend, which is always a good show (it includes a food marquee too!) - but there’s so much more to see besides.  As well as the fair, there will be birds of prey, realistic combat displays, chainsaw carving displays and have-a-go archery.  Tea rooms and tours of the hall are also available. 

The fair is on for three days over the weekend: Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August.  If you want to come when it’s quiet for a bit of serious browsing of the many stalls, Saturday is probably your best bet! 

You’ll find more information here: http://www.creativecrafts-online.co.uk/html/latest_news.html

All we need now is a little bit of sunny weather.  What do you reckon our chances are?

If you’ve been paying attention these past few days you may remember that I said this unassuming path

path

led to lots of lovely things…

The path in question is a long, wide path made from crushed seashells, running the length of Llanddwyn island

path

which is just off Newborough, in Anglesey, North Wales.  You can reach the island most of the time from the beach at Newborough, although it’s sometimes cut off at high tide. 

My photos really don’t do the island justice.  It is well worth a visit - you’ll have to pay £3 at the barrier at Newborough to allow a car through.  There’s adequate parking as well as toilet facilities and picnic benches next to the car park - but nothing else aside from an abundance of trees, sand and sea.

Don’t do what we did.  We went when the sun was nearly setting one night (we thought it’d be a lovely place to watch the sunset). The machine took our money but didn’t let us through, so we decided to walk.  We trudged a long way but it was getting dark, so we ended up turning back.  It was only when we went back the next day we realised how close we’d got to the beach: another corner and we’d have seen the end of the long and winding road and the dunes leading onto the beach! A pleasant walk, but it was dark by the time we got back to the car.  As night fell, the cutest baby frogs were hopping all over the road under our feet - it was a minor miracle that only one of them was sadly squished underfoot.

Once you’ve parked in the clearing of the wooded area, it’s a gorgeous walk along the long, wide, beautiful and mostly empty beach

Newborough beach

Newborough beach

and across to the island

llanddwyn island

And here’s a sneak peek of the tiny island in photos. 

Gorgeous, empty beaches

beautiful beach

beach

sweeping beach

beach and lighthouse

waves on the beach

another beach on llanddwyn

beach and rocks

a wealth of history

cross with lighthouse in the background

ruined church

Surely there aren’t houses on here… I can see rooftops peeping over the hills…

rooftops

Yes, unbelievably - a row of tiny cottages right at the end of the island…

cottages

originally built for the pilots who guided ships… but now only one is lived in, by a volunteer ranger. What an amazing job in an amazing place!  I can only imagine how exhilarating it must be to live here.  A long trek to the shops if you happen to run out of milk though!

Wild ponies live here too (they seem fairly well used to the visitors!)

wild ponies

and wild flowers

wild flowers

daisies

heather

Sigh. How wonderful it would be to live somewhere as spectacularly beautiful as this

llanddwyn

There are some fascinating snippets about the history of the island here: http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/llanddwyn/

It’s certainly a place I’d love to visit again. 

With a picnic next time!

A lot of what I paint is done to order and is quite personal to the buyer as well as to the person they are buying for.  Lots of commissions are variations on a theme - and one of my biggest themes at the moment is the Volkswagen campervan.  I love the campervan and hope I portray its fun, happy, carefree side in my work:

pink campervan canvas

red white and blue campervan painting

campervan wedding canvas

I love to hear the stories behind the purchases, and one of my most recent commissions was The Band Wagon:

The Band Wagon

LouLou who commissioned The Band Wagon (above) is a jewellery maker with her own blog and has shared the story behind her purchase here: http://loulousluxuries.blogspot.com/2010/08/band-wagon.html

She emailed me pictures of her boyfriend’s semi-acoustic guitar (learning that semi-acoustic guitars even existed was new to me!) and amp (I had no idea what this would look like until I saw it!) which helped me make the picture more personal.  I came up with a sketch first, which I emailed to LouLou for her to check… at this stage the customer can request changes to the design, and payment is only made when they are happy.  The couple are now considering buying three more paintings of the same image in different colours to make a Warhol-esque display.  I never cease to be amazed by my customers’ ideas - I just love, love, love them!!!

If you have an idea of your own you’d like me to develop for you, feel free to email me: wendy@1stuniquegifts.co.uk or have a look around the website for more ideas: www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk

Thank you so much LouLou for your blog mention - as well as the review you provided on Google Maps.  Customer reviews are so very important for small businesses, and I’m always immensely grateful to people who take the time out of their busy day to provide one. 

You can find me on Google maps here: http://bit.ly/da5Kdv and read my customers’ reviews or even leave one of your own.

I mentioned recently that we were going away for a few days.  After our day out in Anglesey not long ago, we decided it would be a lovely place to stay for a few days, exploring its beaches, coves, scenery and little towns a bit further.

We didn’t do much research before booking to be honest.  But the customer comments on www.tripadvisor.co.uk about the place we chose seemed some of the best… and the pictures looked nice on the website.  We hoped it’d be a nice enough place to recharge our batteries and relax a little.

We certainly weren’t disappointed. 

www.theoutbuildings.co.uk  is a place I’d be happy to thoroughly recommend to anyone.

the outbuildings

The approach to it is down small, narrow lanes

narrow lanes

past an ancient burial chamber

ancient burial chamber

and past fields of sheep

sheep

and up its own long driveway (or road? Hard to tell the difference!)

outbuildings approach

Converted from old outbuildings, as its name suggests

the outbuildings

with a fabulous attention to detail

planter

attention to detail

The bedroom was absolutely gorgeous with a four-poster

four poster bed

beamed ceilings

beamed ceilings

a delightful and stylish mix of new and vintage accessories

old and new

 a welcome tray of tea, proper coffee and some delicious handmade cakes!

welcome tray

I do apologise for the lack of a photo of the handmade cakes…hmmm, I wonder why that is?  They did disappear rather too quickly.  Speaking of handmade (which I often do), the soap in the hotel-standard bathroom was also handmade. 

Gorgeous views which would be hard to beat anywhere from the windows front and back

view from rear window

Breakfast was served in the large, airy kitchen, situated in the same building as the accommodation.  To begin with it seemed slightly odd, but was in actual fact rather fabulous, to share one big farmhouse table with the other guests (there are only four rooms here).  One of the other guests said it was nice as it made you talk to other people - we probably wouldn’t have got further than discussing the accommodation and the weather had we all been on separate tables.  Conversation flowed along with the coffee and tea - in fact on the second day, we were so engrossed in conversation with another couple I thought we’d have to be forcibly evicted.  We weren’t, of course, but I think the dishes had been washed and the kitchen unobtrusively cleaned around us while we talked!  Which was all rather nice, of course. It’s always a luxury to be served a meal without having to lift a finger.  The food was pretty good too!  My only slight disappointment was that soya milk wasn’t available for the cereal, but there was plenty to eat anyway so I didn’t really miss it (although now I’ve mentioned the fact, I’m sure it’ll be available for future guests!).

I’ll add a few photos of around and about Anglesey over the next day or two so if you’re interested in the area, it mght be worth checking back.  This unassuming path

path

led to some of the most stunning scenery, secluded coves, wild and rugged beaches, pretty wildflowers, historic monuments and even some wild ponies!  A place we’ll definitely return to.

More soon, with pics!  For now, I’ve got to get into the studio and paint like a madwoman to make up for my few days off.  If your order has been slightly delayed by my little holiday I can only apologise.  As is typical, I’ve been inundated with orders while I’ve been away!  I’m also at a farmer’s market/craft fair tomorrow at Fir tree Farm, St Helens: www.firtreeshopandcafe.co.uk which is course lovely, but takes even more time off my painting and making. Ah well, normal service will be resumed shortly, I’m sure!

For more information about The Outbuildings, visit their website here: www.theoutbuildings.co.uk - oh, and please don’t tell too many people.  I wouldn’t want it to be fully booked next time we want to stay there (although I’m sure it probably will be!).  If you do decide to visit, it’s a place you’ll always remember: definitely not just a B&B, more a comfortable, luxurious, home-from-home with attention to detail and high-quality finishes - you’ll not find a comfier bed anywhere! The owner’s home is next door, but it didn’t feel in any way we were encroaching on their privacy - or they on ours.

farmhouse and the outbuildings

I really didn’t want to give the key back.

The personalised first day at school photo frames continue to be popular!  Of course, it’s the time of year when children all over the country - indeed all over the world -  are starting school for the very first time.

first day at school photo frame for twins

I made this one recently for twins - like all the others, it makes a great keepsake!

Of course, if you prefer, you can have the frame for just one child

first day at school photo frame

You can order yours here: http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/handpaintedpictureframes.html or email wendy@1stuniquegifts with any special requests.  These are all hand-painted to order here in our little studio, so we can respond (almost) immediately to (almost) any changes you’d like to specify. 

All frames are safety-glazed in acrylic (this makes it lighter to post if you’re thinking of sending abroad) and come with a standard cardboard backing with a fold-out stand for displaying on a shelf, mantelpiece or windowledge.  We can of course do landscape or portrait format.  Our standard format is portrait, just let us know if you’d prefer landscape.

We try to get orders sent out as soon as possible, it’s almost always within 7-10 days, and can sometimes be much sooner.  If you have a date you’d like it for, just let us know.

We ship to anywhere in the world - P&P isn’t likely to be much more than UK P&P and we can let you know by email: wendy@1stuniquegifts.co.uk

first day at school photo frame

One of the best things about working for yourself at home is that you can eat what you like, when you like.  Of course, one of the worst things about working for yourself at home is that you can eat what you like, when you like.

When I first played about with the idea of working from home, I envisaged making lots of lovely fruit smoothies, carrot and apple juices and health-giving salads at each of the various breaks in my working day.  For a long while, it was more like coffee and cake or cheese on toast.  Perhaps I had to go through the whole “eat rubbish and feel like…well, rubbish” experience to appreciate that to feel alert, healthy and happy I need to actually consume food that’s a bit more on the healthy side.

I struggled for a while to oust the cakes and caffeine, and although they are not fully relegated to the dustbin they are now taking a back seat and appearing on the menu much less frequently.  It’s a shame the coffee and cake are part of my header on here.  I don’t think slices of watermelon or chunks of cucumber would feel quite so welcoming and homely somehow. 

This morning I made a smoothie with raspberries, strawberries, banana and soya milk.

smoothie

Why haven’t I been doing this more often?  It is soooo delicious…and definitely healthy!  Peppermint tea has always been a favourite, too, as has lemon and ginger tea (with a spoonful of honey, of course!).  They are between them starting to make the caffeine redundant.  About time too.

The other advantage to healthy eating?  More energy. More motivation. Fewer headaches. It all adds up to increased productivity and more work time as well as me time.  Me time is a bit lacking at the moment but an upcoming couple of days away (already booked and paid for!) should soon redress the balance, even if only temporarily!  Hopefully I can continue to eat mostly good food while away on our little jaunt!

I stumbled across this blog a few days ago www.edibleperspective.com and I love the ever-so-slightly obsessive looks at diet and food - this is one of the things which really got me thinking about my own diet and I’ll be checking back there often for ideas and reminders.  If you have even the slightest interest in food (and let’s face it, we all have to eat) you may enjoy it too.

Let’s raise a glass (of fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice?) to healthy eating - and the energy, positivity and good health it promotes. Cheers!

carrot and apple juice