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02 Jul 07:16

Making waves

by kirsty
Oh dear, it has been such a long time since my last post I think the only thing I can do is to show you in pictures what I have been up to...with a brief explanation underneath. It will take me a week to write otherwise!!

"Making Waves"
I decided to piece all my odd bits of blue driftwood together to give an impression of waves, so this piece is quite deep. I particularly like the curvy piece at the very front.

This chunky boat is basically one piece of wood which was the end of a huge hunk of wood. Most of it was burnt, but I could see it could still be salvaged. A found weight has been used for a buoy...and I mananged to bend a bit of an old chisel around the mast to make a flag.

"Herman The Whale" - as soon as he is properly finished, he will be going into my shop.

Almshouses with postbox....now living in sunnier climes in Australia!

Customers are always telling me I need to include some knickers on my washing lines.....!!

A large free-standing piece ready to go off to an exhibition here

"Houses on the Lake"

These farm buildings have rusty tin roofs....the smaller one is actually an old hinge.

A custom-made key rack for a lovely customer!

Cottages in rich, autumnal colours

Tiny welsh cottages

Houses on a jetty

And finally!! That dreaded word again.......*whispers* Christmas

Q: When is a plasterboard screw not a plasterboard screw?

A: When it's a Christmas tree!!

And this postbox is actually a floorboard nail with a lick of red paint...and a dusting of "snow" on the top!


Both of the above designs are available as printed Christmas cards on my website.

Phew! If you have reached the end of this marathon post, then well done, and thank you for reading my ramblings!!
Best wishes to you all.

02 Jul 07:12

A big round-up!

by kirsty
 Gah, I had such good intentions of keeping this blog up to date, but I have failed miserably!!
This post will mainly be lots of images with brief descriptions, so congratulations to anyone who makes it all the way to the end!!
Firstly I need to say a MASSIVE Thank You to all of you who donated to my Comic Relief raffle (see last post). 


This was the total on Red Nose Day - and there are still donations trickling in. A fab result - thank you, and congratulations to Annette Knight who won the driftwood cottages.


A couple of commissions from recent months: the one above was a dream come true for me as the customer wanted a large piece (this one was approx 80cm wide) but incorporating all the items I love to make: cottages, a caravan, bike, lamp posts and bunting! I have had several requests for similar since - it’s fun to work on a larger scale!



This customer wanted a pub and washing line!


And this one an old-fashioned telephone box.


This one was for a florist who wanted something springlike for her wall! Click on the picture for a better look...


Another commission: Gone Fishing.

I have 2 exhibitions on the horizon (my excuse for neglecting my blog!)
The first is at Baxters Gallery in Dartmouth, which runs for 3 weeeks, starting on May 24th. The exhibition is called "Smile", so hopefully it will make you do exactly what it says on the tin!


This piece is based on the iconic "Boatfloat" in the town.


 This jolly sailing boat on the waves will be heading there too.


 I will also have a few pieces at the "Worn Away" exhibition at Unit Twelve (May 30 - Aug 31st), including this one, entitled "Pier At Night".




I love the barnacles on this piece!

I am also frantically making for the event of the year, The Contemporary Craft Fair, which celebrates its 10 year anniversary this year!


This piece, called "Esplanade" is probably the longest one yet - and was tricky to photograph, so click on the photo for a better view!


This one I made recently, using this gorgeous piece of oak, which must have been part of a boat. The original copper nails go all the way through to the base, and I had no chance of getting them out, so I decided to incorporate them into the design and create some trees!


Another peaceful fishing scene...


A lighthouse made from an old armchair leg and metal drawer handle for the roof...


 ..and this pretty little number - more akin to the Scottish Highlands than native Cornwall -  was inspired by the bottom piece of driftwood, complete with gorgeous heather coloured paint.


I have also made a few smaller, quirky one-offs...


This whale....
   

....tractor


...and plane made from an old fishing float and metal strips.

Nearly finished!!

I just have to tell you about an amazing workshop I took part in at Cowslip Workshops last weekend! It was run by Edwina Bridgeman who is one of my most favourite artists. She creates amazing art from found objects and junk, and I found her to be really inspirational. You can see her website here, but I recommend you look her up in Google images as there is a whole range of her fantastic work there.
This was my attempt - I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out!


Add caption
Well done! You made it to the end of my epic post!! 
I thought I would leave you with this sweet picture of my partner and youngest son, who are collecting plastic from our local beach. There is something very exciting in the pipeline re this, but that is another story!
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, hopefully I will be back again before too long! xxx
02 Jul 07:11

Butterflies.....

by kirsty

I shall be packing up the van tomorrow and heading off for the event of the year, The Contemporary Craft Festival! This year should be extra special as they are celebrating their 10 year anniversary. Hope some of you can make it - if so, come and say hello! (I'm very friendly!) 







Hope some of you can make it - if so, come and say hello! (I'm very friendly!) 

02 Jul 07:04

All the fun of the fair!

by kirsty

It seems a bit of a blur now....this is my stand at the beginning of the show


and a little snap of me selling my wares (thanks Lyndsey James Photography!)

It was such a great event: the sun shone, visitors came in their droves, and there was the usual excellent array of crafts.
The highlight of my weekend though was doing a swap with the amazing Katrin Moye. She chose a few of my houses and I eventually decided on these beauties!!


I was exhausted by the end of the 3 days (thanks to all of you fellow bloggers who came and said hi, it was so wonderful meeting you!), but after a few days of taking it easy, I was back in my shed, doing what I love best!




This piece, named "Harbour Street", is my new favourite. The base is a great bit of curved hardwood - once part of a boat - with the original nails still intact....perfect for tethering a few boats to!


Finally, I just want to say thanks for such a great response to my last post! There is still time to enter the giveaway - you have until the evening of Saturday 22nd. Good luck!
22 Jun 13:19

Daryk gera taip, tarsi mestum į šulinį

by Arba..Arba

Mėgstu šį išsireiškimą. Jei darydamas gera tikėsis, kad ir tau bus gerai, gali tekt nusivilti, nesulaukus atsako.
Žinoma, reikia atsirinkti žmones, kurie sugeba ne tik imti, bet ir duoti (čia kalba eina ne apie seksą), bet tai pavyksta ne visada.
Tarkime, jei aš valkatai įmesiu pitaką į skarbonkę, negaliu tikėtis, kad man jis kitą rytą prie durų paliks auksinį laikrodį ar naujus lietnykus.
Kartais pasitaiko išimčių, kada galima tikėtis gero, darant gera: randi telefoną, grąžini jį savininkui, tikėdamasis, kad lygiai taip pat pasielgtų jis,
radęs kito žmogaus daiktą. Tiesą sakant, man pačiam nesuvokiama, kaip galima imti kito žmogaus daiktus.
Radai telefoną. Ir kas? Plastmasės gabalas. Pasens. Kaip jausies? Aš žinau ką reiškia pamesti, todėl pirmiausia pagalvočiau apie pametusį:
dingo numeriai, dingo kontaktai, gal jis laukė svarbaus skambučio ar žinutės? Gal jo gimtadienis ir buvo smalsu, kas pasveikins, o jo sveikinimus skaitė kitas, radęs
telefoną (man taip buvo, bet aš buvau ne tas, kuris rado).
Karta klube radęs telefoną, ieškojau jo savininko, deja nesėkmingai. Teko neštis jį namo. Rytą, kai paskambino savininkas, pirmiausia, ką padariau atsiliepęs, atsiprašiau,
kad nesugebėjau jo surast dar vakar. Įsivaizdavau, keik nerimo ir nepatogumų jam teko patirti. Telefonas - pavyzdys. Nereikia imti jokių svetimų daiktų, įskaitant ir pinigus.
Aha, jei rasčiau lagaminą su milijonu dolerių, ar paimčiau? Aišku, kad paimčiau! Dar ir kaip, tam, kad surasčiau, kam jis priklauso ir grąžinčiau. Ir tikrai negalvočiau apie tai,
ar gaučiau kokį procentą nuo to. Kodėl? Kokią sumą berasčiau - ji bus ribota, niekada nebus pakankamai. Žmogus gyvena ne tam, kad kiti už jį padarytų, o kad pats pasiektų.
Kas būtų, jei tik gulėčiau, ateitų pas mane gražiausios merginos, išjodinėtų kaip arklį, atneštų valgyti ir išprašytos išeitų? Aš degreduočiau. Man niekas neteiktų malonumo.
Grįžtant prie radybų… Jei rasčiau lagaminą pinigų? Jeigu jie padirbti? Jeigu priklauso mafijozams ir dėl dingusio lagamino kažkas netektų galvos? Jeigu aš rasčiau tiek pinigų, kad man
užtektų iki gyvenimo galo? Įsirašyčiau į savo CV, kad būdamas 23-ejų radau lagaminą ir tai viskas, ką pasiekiau?
Jei esi egoistas, narcizas ir savanaudis, tai gerus darbus daryti apsimoka ypatingai! Tu dovanoji dovanas, nelaukdamas, kad tau padovanos! Tu užleidi eilėje stovinčius, pats vėluoji į darbą, bet jauti malonumą
(čia jau apgavau, tai debilo pavyzdys).
Pabaigai: gamta tokia jau yra, kad jei tikrai darai nuoširdžiai, nesvarbu ką, jausi neapsakomą malonumą, galėsi girtis (jei esi paguyrūnas), turėsi argumentų, dėl ko esi geras žmogus tau vis tiek sugrįš ta
sėkmė, anksčiau ar vėliau

Na, o meilėje irgi panašiai. Jei mylėsi kitą, kitas tai jaus. Jei mylėsi taip, kad ir tave mylėtų - tavęs gali vengti. Jei dulkinsi tam, kad kuo greičiau nutėkštum ant kaldros, nusisuktum į kitą šoną ir užmigtum, prie gero neprives, pradės tiksėti bomba, kuri susprogdins santykius. Beeet. Jei stengsies, kad tavo partneriui (čia gali būti ir vyras ir moteris , priešingos lyties, žinoma), tai matydamas, kaip gera kitam, jausi malonumą ir pats, nebent esi sadistas.

Rodyk draugams
22 Jun 12:39

My World

by Vaida

- - - - - Just some of my works - - - - -