Rug Bug

Glenkiln Sculpture Walk - Part 2

2012-01-30T16:02:00.003Z

Rob and I completed the second part of the Glenkiln Sculptures Walk today. It was a bright, frosty morning - perfect for walking. The walk is 2.5 - 3.5 miles, depending on where you start from.

The first sculpture you see is The King and Queen by Henry Moore. The figures sit on a hillside overlooking the Glenkiln Reservoir.

A mile or so further up the track and you come to this sculpture called 'Visitation' by Sir Jacob Epstein. The sculpture is set within a circle of scots pines and looked very eerie standing there in the mist with rays of sunlight breaking through the branches.

You follow the track through a couple of fields, before getting back to a small single-track road, which you follow round to the left, between hills full of sheep. Henry Moore's 'Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 1" sits to the right of the road. An interestingly abstract figure, which looked like it had male and female 'aspects'.

We stopped off, for our second visit, to Kilnford Barns Farm Shop and Restaurant on the way home, for lunch. The restaurant has a modern feel to it and the loos are very well fitted out and clean. The staff are polite, efficient and well-trained. We both had the 'delightfully' named, 'Meat Free Salad', which comprises mixed lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, plus your choice of three other salads. I went for the red cabbage and sultanas, char grilled vegetables and potato salad. Rob had a similar plateful. We shared a bottle of mineral water and both had a tray bake. Rob had a roll and butter. The bill came to £14.40. The food looked very good, but was a bit lacking in flavour (and protein - eggs, cheese or mixed beans would have been good). It was very cold and perhaps that was part of the reason. You get a choice of dressings and there looked to be about 8 or more varieties. I had the blue cheese.

Other choices on offer included:- sandwiches/toasted sandwiches; some meat dishes; and macaroni cheese. I would go back again, but it would be nice to have more vegetarian choices, such as baked potatoes, or vegetable curry, for example.

Kilnford Barns Farm Shop and Restaurant

2012-01-18T16:58:00.000Z

On Monday, Rob and I stopped off for lunch at the Kilnford Barns Farm Shop Cafe on the way back from our walk at Glenkiln.

The farm shop is just off the A75, and has a large car park. The shop has butchery and cheese counters, fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen, chilled and delicatessen goods. We bought some leeks, celeriac and other bits and pieces while we were there. The vegetables were very good value, and many are locally sourced. I made a big batch of vegetable and bean soup with some of them.

The cafe is bright and airy, with modern furnishing. We picked the vegetarian lunch from the grill, which was grilled halloumi and beetroot salad. We also had a cappuccino each (one large, one mug) and a tray bake each. The bill came to £20.90. The salad came with char grilled halloumi, beetroot wedges, beetroot leaves, red onion and a balsamic, blackcurrant and fig dressing. It was very tasty, especially the dressing. The only minor complaint would be that the halloumi had a rather burnt aroma, and personally, I would prefer it fried flat in a pan so that it heats up more and cooks more evenly. The coffee was good; the tray bake was fairly standard and a bit pricey.

This beautiful quilt was hanging on the wall near our table. It was made by Kate Henderson of Clarencefield, Dumfries.

We will definitely be glad to visit the restaurant and shop again. I will give the mixed salads bar a try next time: it looked very appetising!

Glenkiln Walk, Dumfriesshire

2012-01-16T20:54:00.000Z

Today Rob and I went on a walk to Glenkiln in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is Walk 5a in the following book:-

It was another frosty, clear morning as we parked up near to the Glenkiln Reservoir to start the walk. This statue of John The Baptist by Auguste Rodin is right at the start.

A short walk along a single track road brings you to the second sculpture: Standing Figure by Henry Moore.

Shortly after seeing the second sculpture, you strike off the road and up a very steep hill towards Bishop Forest Hill. The photo below is taken from Cornlee Hill and shows the misty view over Glenkiln Reservoir.

The ground is extremely rough going in places, with hidden rocks and tussocks of grass and bracken, with marshy ground in the gaps. Here is Rob struggling through one of the worst patches!

A view of a remote house, photo taken from the hillside.

This beautiful black swan was floating silently on the reservoir as we came back to the car park.

The second walk in the area takes in four more sculptures and we know that it's a bit easier going, having done it in the past. We will probably try that one again in a week or two.

Dodd Wood and Bassenthwaite Walk

2012-01-15T10:57:00.000Z

Rob and I went on a walk on Monday. The walk is number four in the book shown below and is about three miles long. There is a car park at the start of the walk (costs £1.70 for 1.5 hours), with a cafe open in Spring/Summer.

The walks starts through conifer woodlands and you can just about see Bassenthwaite Lake through the trees to your left.

You cross a busy road next to a hotel and small hamlet, before striking out across some very muddy fields. We were glad that we were wearing waterproof walking boots! The highlight of the walk is coming onto a track which leads you to the remote St Bega's Church.

The church is very simple, but rather beautiful, with a calm, serene atmosphere. According to the guidebook, parts of the building date to the 12th and 13th centuries.

The walk curves back to the car park, passing Mirehouse (below), a large country house, built mainly in the 17th century. It was owned in the 19th century by the Spedding family, who entertained there, writers and poets such as Thomas Carlyle and Lord Tennyson.

It was a most enjoyable walk, followed by lunch at a pub in nearby Keswick.

Peasant Silver Buttons

2011-12-21T20:25:00.000Z

I recently bought some interesting silver link buttons and was hoping to find out more about them, when I came across this superb book on the subject: "A Collector's Guide to Peasant Silver Buttons" By Jane Perry. It has opened up a whole new field of interest in button collecting and knowledge for me.

The book is a large paperback, illustrated throughout with clear black & white photographs of buttons. The author has divided the book into sections about:-

Flat and other one-piece buttons
Domed buttons
Filigree buttons
Round or contoured buttons
Appendices (covering terminology, silver marks and dating etc)

The buttons are grouped by country or geographical region, covering Europe, Asia and the Americas, which made it simple to identify the origin of the buttons I had purchased. The buttons were normally used to fasten men's jackets and waistcoats.

This one is from Dalmatia.

The next two are Spanish.

And this one is Croatian.

The book is very clearly written and will certainly help me to better describe these buttons if and when I decide to sell them. Jane also keeps a useful up-to-date guide to prices for these buttons, (which she will email to purchasers of the book on request). The guide prices are reached by keeping an average of prices achieved at auctions and sales during the previous year.

Knitted Hats and Matinee Sets From Stella Parkinson

2011-11-05T13:07:00.002Z

Here is a set of photos from one of my lovely customers, Stella Parkinson of Handmade4Angels on Misi.

Stella loves making handmade items for babies and will make up items in the colours of your choice. Her prices are very reasonable: £2.00 for headbands, £2.50 for baby pumpkin hats and £6.50 for matinee sets. They are the perfect gift for newborn babies!

Autumn Colour

2011-11-02T18:22:00.001Z

Rob, Henry and I had a day out in Hawick. Here are some photos we took of the beautiful trees in the park.

Holiday in Gairloch: Day 6: Journey Home Via Fort William

2011-10-25T18:04:00.002Z

We awoke at 6.00 am, when Henry wanted to go out, and we decided to stay up, pack the car, have breakfast and clean and hoover the apartment before leaving. The manageress commiserated with us about the bad weather as we handed in the keys. We said 'Cheerio' to Mr McCloud, the resident cat, and headed off down the west coast, for Fort William. The drive took us past Kyle of Lochalsh on a mixture of rough, single-track roads and better 'A' roads.

Ready for our lunch when we arrived, we headed straight for the French-style bakery/cafe that we have visited often in the past, only to find out that it had closed down :(

We plumped instead for a rather nice-looking bistro/restaurant called No 4. It was horrible. Read my scathing review here! We headed straight for another cafe for a consolatory cappuccino. The rain was coming down in buckets by now, so it was nice to be in the dry.

As we headed back to the car park, we saw a flock of beautiful swans heading silently along Lochbroom, flying low to the surface - a wonderful sight.

The rest of the journey was fairly straightforward, except for a brief interlude when Henry had a tantrum. He was annoyed at being kept in the car for so long (despite two walks!). Rob took him into the front seat, where he kicked and yelped until we stopped at a service station. We finally arrived home at 7 pm - all relieved to be back.

Holiday in Gairloch: Day 5: Gairloch Beach, Ullapool, Corrieshalloch Gorge

2011-10-20T18:06:00.000Z

5 October 2011. Henry had his walk and ride on the beach at Gairloch before we drove on to Ullapool.

Lunch was in The Gallery Cafe above a mountain gear shop. The picture below was taken in March of this year, on our last visit. Rob had the cooked veggie breakfast, I had baked potato, cheese and beans. The food was good, but the waitress was a bit miserable.

The photo below (also taken in March) shows the harbour at Ullapool on rather a grey day. We had a walk round the town and found a lovely bookshop with lively cafe attached, and rather wished we had eaten there.

We stopped off at Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way back. It was a fairly steep run down to the wobbly suspension bridge, and viewing platform, but we managed it with Henry in his buggy. The views were a bit terrifying. The gorge was deep, with steep sides and rushing waterfalls of dark, peaty water - quite spectacular.

A nice man at a vending stall in the layby gave Henry a couple of sausages; one for now and one for his breakfast. He gulped one down in two bites and seemed very keen on having the second one straight away, so we had to hide it.

The weather was sunshine and showers - some rather heavy - luckily while we were driving, rather than walking. The proprietor told us there was snow due tomorrow, so we decided to head home a couple of days early. The photo above shows the view from the front of the hotel.

Holiday in Gairloch: Day 4: Kyleakin, Kyle of Lochalsh, Plockton

2011-10-13T20:06:00.002Z

The weather was grey and overcast today (4 October 2011) and it was still windy. We drove off to Kyle of Lochalsh, but got onto the Skye bridge by mistake and ended up in Kyleakin. We stopped to have a look at the port and had a very welcome coffee and cake/ice cream in Harry's Coffee Shop. The ruined castle below is Castle Moil, an ancient fortress. The Castle was once known as Dunakin, and dates back to the 10th century.

We had a curry for lunch at Spice Tandoori in Kyle of Lochalsh, back on the mainland. I had onion bhaji, followed by vegetable shatkora with pilau rice and a Cobra beer. Rob ate vegetable samosa, followed by vegetable jalfrezie with steamed rice, and a coke. The staff were friendly and they generously gave us an extra starter of vegetable pakora. Unfortunately, we were so full up after all that deep-fried fayre, that we couldn't finish our (somewhat tastier) main courses. The shatkora contained the fruit of that name that come from Bangladesh. They had a pleasant, sharp, citrus flavour. Quite a nice meal (except that we ate too much!), it cost £26.95.

We drove on to the pretty village of Plockton and walked around it for half an hour or so, with Henry in his stroller. There were lovely views over Loch Carron, and it felt like being at the seaside with the palm trees that grow here with the relatively warm climate.

We had a hot drink in the Plockton Hotel (above) while browsing websites for property in Plockton. It is obviously a desirable location judging by the prices!

After that we took a scenic drive home, taking in the long village of Lochcarron, spread out along the side of the loch.

Holiday in Gairloch: Day 3: Rogie Falls and Inverness

2011-10-12T18:42:00.000Z

The weather on the west coast was horrendous today - wet, with gale force winds. We decided to beat the rain by heading for the east coast. We stopped at the Rogie Falls and gave Henry a walk, and ride in his stroller, as far as the first waterfall view point.

We had lunch in the Pizza Express in Inverness, where Rob ate the Fiorentina pizza (with egg and spinach) with a coke, followed by coffee. I had the Warm Vegetable and Goat's Cheese Salad, Peroni to drink, with a small portion of Semi Freddo Reale (gelato dessert with nougat, praline, marsala wine) and coffee. It was a good meal and I liked being able to have a small version of the dessert. Rob thought that the furniture and furnishings looked a bit scruffy compared to our last visit. The staff were good, though, and service was quite fast. The meal cost just over £30.00.

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery was our next stop. It has free entry with an optional donation box. We were just in time to watch a strange movement/music/light show of automata called "Sharmanka: Gothic Kinetic". There were lots of weird sculptures with moving parts. Some had a rather sinister edge to them, with strange creatures and skulls peeping out of little doors that opened and shut. Quite entertaining!

After a quick look round the shops, it was on to the River Ness Islands walk. This is a lovely circular walk along the banks of the Ness, passing over picturesque bridges and islands in the water, with distant views of the city. The weather was warm and sunny and it was very enjoyable.

Rob pushing Henry in this buggy.

A fisherman with a beautiful, turreted house in the background.

View of Inverness from the walk.

Holiday in Gairloch: Day 2: Gairloch, Inverewe Gardens, Ullapool

2011-10-09T14:40:00.000Z

Redpoint Beach was our first stop this morning. Unfortunately, we couldn't get Henry down to the beach because it involved a hike across a rough field. But it looked beautiful!

Next, we headed to Gairloch, where we went down to the harbour. We were amazed to see huge shoals of whitebait swarming around the quayside. They were being eaten by mackerel, that were jumping out of the water to catch them. The beach at Gairloch was lovely and sandy with a boardwalk down to the sand. Perfect! Here is Henry enjoying the walk.

It was on to Inverewe Gardens after that. We had a cake and cold drink in the cafe (rather pricey!). The gardens cost £9 per adult entry and it is well worth the fee. There are over fifty acres to explore, well signposted to the different areas - pond, walled garden, jetty, view points, beach etc. We spent a couple of hours here and covered most of the pathways. There were lots of plants, shrubs, trees and flowers to see - even in the vegetable garden. What makes the garden, though, are the wonderful sea views. The weather was hot and it was the definite high point of the holiday for me.

We drove on up the coast to Ullapool and were lucky enough to spot a couple of seals basking on a rock.

Every corner turned brought a new stunning landscape and seascape into view.

Holiday in Gairloch - Day 1: Journey up, Dunkeld, Inverness, Arrival at Glendale House

2011-10-08T12:11:00.000Z

We left home just after 9.00 am on 1 October 2011 for our 6 - 7 hour trip north, to South Erradale, near Gairloch.

At lunchtime, we stopped at Dunkeld and ate in Palmerston's Cafe (interior and exterior shown below).

We both ate baked potato with cheese and chutney, served with very nice salad garnish, which included mixed, possibly home-grown, salad leaves, salad dressing and toasted seeds. We both drank green tea. Everything was good, and the bill came to under £17.00.

Tescos at Inverness was our next stop, for petrol and a bottle of wine! It was absolutely packed: I think everyone in The Highlands must shop there on a Saturday afternoon! As we drove west, and neared Gairloch, the scenery changed, to look boggy, sparsely populated with heather, small, scrubby trees and shrubs. The mountains dominate the landscape, with picturesque lochs and rocky outcroppings around every corner. The road gradually dwindled to a single-track road with passing places.

We arrived at Glendale House, where we had booked a self-catering cottage for a week. It was completely locked up and dark, but we could hear voices from an upper apartment. Not being able to make ourselves heard, and with no mobile phone reception, we couldn't even ring anyone, we decided to explore the rocky shore 200 yards from the hotel. Our first disappointment was to discover that the beach was completely unreachable with Henry in his buggy. There was a high, steep slope, rough ground and fence to negotiate. Our dreams of early walks on the beach every morning with Henry were shattered. (The beach shown on their website is several miles away, and also reached via a rough field.) When we returned to the Hotel, the manageress appeared and showed us to our apartment (the cottage we had booked was still occupied by a long-term tenant). This proved to be another upset, because instead of being at ground level, the flat was up a flight of stairs and poor Rob was to spend the next 6 days carrying Henry up and down every time he needed to go out. (Which is quite often in a 16 year old dog!)

The view from the apartment (above). The main hotel (below.)

The apartment was fine, with comfortable bedroom and sitting room. The kitchen was equipped with a dishwasher and washing machine; but on the downside, there was no shower in the bathroom and someone appears to use the downstairs entrance lobby as their personal smoking room :(

Happy Birthday Henry

2011-08-15T09:07:00.000Z

A belated Happy Birthday to Henry who was 16 years old on 11 August 2011.

Here is an EtsyVeg Team Treasury to celebrate all things canine.

Click on the picture to see a larger version, or click here to find out more about the individual items and makers.

Mellow Autumn Days

2011-08-07T10:41:00.000Z

A new Etsy treasury featuring items in subtle, muted tones, all from the EtsyVeg Team.

Click on the picture to see a larger version, or click here to see details of individual items and sellers.

Money Money Money Etsy Treasury

2011-07-30T18:31:00.001+01:00

Here's my latest treasury on Etsy, all about money. Make it. Save it. Spend it. Wear it. Count it. Wish for it.

Click on the picture to see a larger version.
To find out more about the individual items and makers, please click here.

Potfest in the Park 2011

2011-07-29T16:51:00.000+01:00

We are just back from our trip to Potfest at Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumbria. There were 100s of craftspeople from 10 countries there: a huge variety of styles, from functional mugs, to jewellery, sculpture, ornamental, wall plaques, animal figures etc etc.

The 'Pots on the Lawn' competition theme this year, was 'Marking Time'. Both Rob and I picked this as our favourite. As you can see the oarsmen are getting distinctly out of time in this piece. The maker is Christine Hester Smith of Dumfriesshire.

These are the three items Rob and I bought: a mug for a gift; an oak leaf bowl for Rob and a 'frog spawn' bowl for me. All three pieces were made by Charlotte and Sigerd Bohmer of Germany.

We also had a nice lunch in the tearoom (all sorts of sandwiches, baps, salads, cakes, ice cream available) and a wander round the walled garden and grounds of the house. The weather was hot and sunny, so it was the perfect day out!

Powfoot

2011-07-05T10:51:00.000+01:00

Rob and I took Henry down to the beach at Powfoot on the Solway Firth for his walk today.

It was a bit more overcast than yesterday, but the views across to England were still beautiful.

Rob and Henry.

Henry and I.

Gifts for New Babies and Little Girls

2011-06-24T11:54:00.001+01:00

Handmade4angels on MISI (aka Mother and Grandmother, Stella Parkinson) sells enchanting gifts for new babies, crocheted blankets for dolls, headbands, jewellery, and hair slides in her online shop.

Here is a baby's hat and mittens set, shown in lavender (but can be made to order in the colour of your choice). It features little star-shaped buttons as the perfect finishing touch! This set costs £3.00.

The perfect gift for a little girl: this charming doll's blanket is hand crocheted, and again, can be made up in the colours of your choice. It costs £2.00.

Finally, a pretty matinee set for babies aged 0 - 6 months, made up in pink and featuring heart buttons. This set costs £6.50.

Visit Stella's Handmade4Angels store at MISI to see the full range and to contact her with custom orders.

Handmadeology Voter - EtsyVeg Featured

2011-06-23T19:34:00.000+01:00

Handmadeology's Handmade Top 10 Etsy Teams contest is now taking place - you can read about it here:

www.handmadeology.com/handmade-top-10-etsy-team-challenge/

Here is the EtsyVeg team list.....http://handmadetop10.com/#/Lists/66og7jnco

Our list is live here>>>. handmadetop10.com/

Please click on the EtsyVeg Team voter and mark each item out of ten. It's fun, and you might spot some lovely handmade items along the way that you can't resist!

The Green Tea House, Moniaive

2011-06-22T16:08:00.001+01:00

Rob and I had a trip out to Thornhill and Moniaive today. We had coffee and cakes at Thomas Tosh and Lunch at The Green Tea House (above) at Moniaive.

Thomas Tosh is an art gallery, shop and cafe all rolled into one and is well worth a visit. The staff are very friendly and the coffee and cakes are excellent. It is a large, bright, high-ceilinged room with a lively atmosphere. There are paintings on the walls and food, toiletries, crafts and gifts on sale. We had two cappuccinos, a huge slice of coffee and walnut cake and a gluten free macaroon, for around £7.50.

The Green Tea House sells homemade food, locally sourced and organic, where possible. It is quite a small cafe with an outdoor seating area. The walls are decorated with the work of local artists and there are a few cabinets with craft work for sale. The cafe has wi-fi if you ask for the code. The staff are helpful and friendly and we have enjoyed eating here on quite a few occasions.

Today I had stuffed vine leaves with houmous and salad, plus mineral water; Rob ate lentil cottage pie with salad and a green tea. Mine was very nice, Rob's was, unusually for this place, not so good. The aubergine slices were a bit tough and it was not hot enough.

I would still recommend the cafe, as the drinks are very reasonably priced and some are fairtrade. There is a huge range of food available from soups, to sandwiches, daily specials and a good range of vegetarian (and some vegan) choices available. The cakes and puddings are also very good - although we were too full up to sample them today. Our bill came to £14.40.

Baby Rabbits

2011-06-18T15:37:00.000+01:00

It seems to have been a good year for rabbits. We have had loads of them coming into our garden. Here are a couple of photos:-

Making Silage

2011-06-14T18:51:00.000+01:00

Rob and I were doing the washing up tonight, when we saw this view from our kitchen window. The farmer has just cut this field for silage and it looked quite interesting with the black bags dotted all over it.

Our raised beds on the patio have just started to produce some tasty salad plants. This one has rocket, mustard greens, spinach, land cress and a few veg coming on. The beds are about 3' square and the same deep. We plant a bit of everything in them and keep filling up the gaps as they appear.

Rag Rug, Recycled Denim Cushion

2011-06-12T16:33:00.000+01:00

Here is one of my latest handmade items. It is a large, highly textured, one of a kind rag rug cushion.

It is made from recycled, laundered denim jeans, with some mustard yellow cotton fabric and multi-coloured yarn.

The techniques used for making the cushion are hooking, prodding, couching and punch needle, worked on a hessian base. This is finished on the inside with a fine layer of latex.

The lines of colour differ in width and height. The varying tones of worn denim give a mottled effect to some areas. The reverse is made from another pair of jeans, and is an envelope style with press studs, finished with vintage buttons and a Fire Horse Textiles label.

The cushion measures approx 18.5" (47 cm) square, when stuffed (measuring to the extremities). A hollow fiber pad is included.

This unique cushion costs £75 from Fire Horse Textiles on Etsy.

Posted by Julia of Fire Horse Textiles.

Bars & Stripes - Quilted Wall Hanging

2011-05-15T14:01:00.000+01:00

"Bars and Stripes" is my latest piece of textile art work, entirely hand sewn. This wall hanging is made from a variety of cotton (one or two cotton mix) fabrics. The textiles used include repurposed (laundered) clothing, as well as some new fabrics.

The fabrics are cut and pieced, then quilted with a thin wadding and backing fabric. A sleeve is added to the reverse with a baton of wood for hanging. The wall hanging is tea dyed in hot water to give it an aged and wrinkled appearance.

The piece measures approx 21 1/2" (54.5 cm) wide, and 27 1/2" (70 cm) high.

The inspiration for this piece came from seeing the wonderful quilts of the Gees Bend community. I immediately grabbed some paper and started cutting and arranging irregular strips of paper to come up with my own design. Then I chose fabrics and colors to give a deliberately asymmetrical and 'improvised' look and feel to the piece. The wall hanging costs $175 from Fire Horse Textiles.

Golden Spring Days Treasury

2011-05-12T20:40:00.000+01:00

Here's my latest treasury featuring artists and makers from the EtsyVeg Team.

Click on this link to find out more about the individual items.

Featured Artists: LittleBarb

2011-05-09T14:15:00.000+01:00

Fans of LittleBarb's range of fabulous and unique button jewellery will be delighted to know that Barbara has opened two new shops in addition to her original Folksy shop: LittleBarb on Etsy and LittleBarb.co.uk

Barbara says "On my site you will find necklaces made from buttons, ceramics and fabrics, often mixed together in the same piece.

Each necklace is a one-off and designed and created by LittleBarb. I try to use vintage buttons where possible, I find the colour and finish often more interesting than modern buttons, although I do use these too."

"Fabrics range from silk to felt and the ceramic used is often porcelain, although I do use polymer clay too. I am drawn to colour and this is often the starting point for a necklace. I try to find colours that not only compliment each other but also those that have vibrancy because of their unusual juxtaposition.

"All in all my work is a mix of elements that interest and fascinate me. I hope you too find them attractive too."

Book Review: Rag Rugs - Old Into New By Debbie Siniska

2011-05-07T18:40:00.000+01:00

My most recent book purchase, was, in fact, a set of three...

I was expecting a normal-sized set of books when I purchased these, so was a bit disappointed to receive a set of three stapled booklets with card covers. Each booklet has 36 pages and is filled with plenty of diagrams and colour photos of work in progress and of finished pieces. Size 8 1/4" (21 cm) high x 5 7/8" (15 cm) wide.

Book 1 looks at tools and materials.

There is a brief history of rag rugs, followed by descriptions of the tools used in making them. The rug hook, bodger, peg, latchette hook, shuttle hook, scissors, cutting wheels, frames etc are shown with a paragraph of description. The author describes choosing and obtaining textiles to use; backing fabrics; methods of marking out designs; and use of colour.

Book 2 covers techniques and starter projects.

One or two pages are devoted to each of the tools described in Book 1, also making simple tassels, and how to braid and coil rugs. Next are sections on finishing your rug and ways to display it and clean it. Some small project ideas will get you started:- flower brooch, herb pillow, memory mat, and seat mat.

Book 3 contains further projects to try.

There are instructions for making a child's mat, celebratory banner, wall panel, braided mat, welcome mat, flower bag, and penny patch rug. There are some sections at the back of the booklet for stockists, rag rug makers and places of interest to rag rug makers to visit.

In summary: I'm glad to add these to my collection of books on making rugs, and they are a useful basic overview for someone new to the subject. They cover, in brief, a good range of techniques and styles, which should provide the initial inspiration needed to give rag rug making a go.

I'm not sure why this material was split into three booklets, rather than a single book, as you would really want to have all three to complete the 'course'. The pattern line drawings are pretty tiny - you will need to be good at enlarging designs to make use of them.

Portrack Garden

2011-05-02T20:09:00.002+01:00

Rob and I went to visit 'The Garden of Cosmic Speculation' at Portrack House at Holywood, near Dumfries on Sunday 1 May. It was opened under Scotland's Garden Scheme, for charity. It was just open for one day (and for the first time in many years).

This photo shows the sculptured landscape with lakes designed by husband and wife team Charles Jencks and Maggie Keswick Jencks. The view is seen from the top of the spiral mound (shown in the 4th photo).

Red Bridge with seat...

A beautiful rhododendron in the more naturalistic area of the garden.

The 'Snail Mound'. The people capering about on it give some idea of the scale.

Portrack House.

It was a hot, sunny day and there were hundreds of people there - picnicking, sun bathing and exploring every corner of the grounds.

We enjoyed looking at the Garden, but decided that all of that grass would be a bit too high maintenance for us ;o) I prefered the more natural looking areas with lots of plants, trees and, hopefully, wildlife. How on earth do they mow that mound?! The version at National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh is perfect, though, - just right for the setting.

Holiday near Inverness

2011-03-27T15:19:00.001Z

Rob and I have just arrived back from our holiday staying at The Bothy, Balblair Self Catering Cottages near Croy, Inverness-shire.

The holiday cottage was as nice as last time (with all mod cons), also cakes and biscuits on arrival. Mr and Mrs Strachan senior run it along with their daughter who lives in the farm building. Trig and Bob (dogs) came visiting most days, along with Jack who was staying next door, so Henry was very happy, as they all got along famously.

Our itinerary went something like this:-

Sunday:- Aviemore & Highland Wildlife Park
Monday:- Dornoch and Tain
Tuesday:- Nairn, Findhorn, Burghead, and Elgin
Wednesday:- Ness Islands River Walk, Inverness, The Black Isle (including Rosemarkie and Chanonry Point, Cromarty and back around the Cromarty Firth)
Thursday:- I was ill in bed all day :( (possible food poisoning). Rob went to Nairn beach with Henry
Friday:- Ullapool on the West Coast, then on to Achiltibuie

The weather was almost always sunny or cloudy, but dry. There were a few showers on the journey across to Ullapool and overnight on two occasions. There was still snow thick on the ground in Aviemore/The Cairngorms, but it had melted (apart from on the mountains) by the time we passed back through on Saturday.

A really enjoyable week with lots of nice meals out and about. We either had lunch or dinner out every day (sometimes both). Sometimes we bought food while we were out to eat back at the holiday cottage.

I particularly enjoyed the trip to Ullapool - a pretty little 'Fairtrade' town on the side of Lochbroom with a small port. The beach near Achiltibuie (at Achnahaird) was absolutely amazing and completely deserted when we got down to it (quarter mile walk from the car park). It had acres of clean sand, blue water with the mountains in the background - just perfect.

A building in one of the gardens at Findhorn Ecovillage.

A walk near the River Ness in Inverness.

View from Cromarty on The Black Isle.

Ullapool harbour.

Achnahaird Beach.

Henry had a wonderful time here, running around like a puppy instead of a 15 1/2 year old dog!

Love Buttons On Holiday

2011-03-18T09:03:00.000Z

All of the Love Buttons online shops, including Love Buttons HQ will be closed until Sunday 27 March 2011. Apologies for any inconvenience.

In the meantime, here are a few of the buttons that will be listed after that date...

Julia x

Artist's Biography and Artist's Statement

2011-01-15T19:55:00.002Z

Artist’s Biography

I was born in rural Oxfordshire, England in 1966, but have lived in Scotland for the last fourteen years.

My love of arts and crafts began at an early age, when I would spend many happy hours painting, drawing, flower arranging, making collages from ‘found’ items, making figures out of fabric, weaving on cardboard ‘looms’, embroidery, and painting pebbles. I once made an ‘installation’ of a giant spider’s web that took up several rooms in our house made from the contents of my Mother’s knitting bag. On another occasion I mixed every jigsaw puzzle in the house together, hoping to come up with a new picture at the end of it. Since Mum was none too pleased at having to tidy up after me, I stuck to less ambitious artworks after that!

At Clifton Hampden Primary School, as well as the usual academic subjects, knitting, sewing, gardening and cookery clubs meant that we all enjoyed some ‘hands on’ practical work every week.

Berinsfield Comprehensive School allowed me to follow my interest in art and crafts with lessons in drawing, painting, pottery, woodwork, metalwork and even batik. I got an ‘O’ level in art and went on to study Art with Art History ‘A’ level at Wallingford Upper School.

I turned down a place at Maidenhead School of Art and instead chose to study Psychology. (We all make mistakes!) My interest in art continued with visits to Art Galleries and Museums, and eventually, as an adult, I again returned to my first love and began to make sewn goods such as bags, household items, small quilts and cushions to sell at local craft fairs.

Alongside this, I worked in a variety of jobs, including retail, administration, marketing, gallery assistant, book seller, and currently, a button seller.

In 2007, I discovered an online venue for selling my art and craft work, called Etsy.com. I am not a prolific artist, and this way of selling a small number of artworks suited my way of working perfectly. You have direct contact with your customers on Etsy, and I occasionally take on commission work.

Although I have been contacted by shops and galleries wanting to sell my work, I have not yet taken that route, as I don’t have enough pieces available!

Artist’s Statement

I am passionate about making textile artwork, using new and recycled fabrics. I make rag rugs, patchwork, appliqués, collages, and also acrylic paintings.

I try to design with colour, beauty, humour and functionality in mind - or at least one of those things!

My ideas are usually drawn from nature, in particular, beautiful colour combinations. I often start with a life drawing or photograph, which is redrawn and simplified until it becomes icon-like, while retaining the essence of the original. (For example, ‘Euphie Guinea Pig’ was adapted from two paintings I made of a childhood pet).

Other sources of inspiration include:-

· sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and just doodling whatever comes to mind. The doodle can be enlarged to form an abstract theme (for example, ‘Fire and Water’); or may turn into a picture (eg, ‘Secret Landscape’);

· cutting out pictures or shapes from a magazine and arranging them to form a new image or pattern (‘Three Hills’ card);

· altering a photograph through colour changes and with special effects, such as using a ‘mosaic’ filter in a programme such as Paint Shop Pro until the original subject becomes almost abstract and unrecognisable (‘Sunset on Snow’);

· gathering fabrics together and picking out the colour combinations and textures that go well together (‘Raw Edge’ sample);

· decide on the subject matter and work out how you can best express what you want to say. For example, (‘Austerity Britain’ and ‘Green Britain’ came about this way).

My favourite part of creativity is the problem solving and design:-

· How can I best express an idea or image? This may involve making trial pieces to see what works and what doesn’t

· Which medium will suit my idea best?

· Which colour palette will I choose? And so on.

I hope to continue exploring my ideas through a variety of media.

Knit Your Own Mini Cupcakes Kit

2011-01-11T19:27:00.000Z

I love these cute little knitted cup cakes, and now you can make your own, thanks to a fab kit from Monkey Knits!

The kit includes everything you need to make three perfect mini cupcakes including toy stuffing, buttons, beads and yarn. Perfect for display purposes or for play cookery or picnics!

Cupcake knitting recipe designed by Angela Holladay of Monkey Knits.

I Dream In Green

2011-01-03T18:21:00.000Z

Some lovely items from UK sellers on Etsy to add a touch of green to your life...

Click here to find out more about the individual items and sellers!

Lovely Gifts!

2010-12-27T15:59:00.000Z

I was very excited to receive the following Christmas gifts from Rob this year and they all come highly recommended!

This lovely stack of reclaimed vintage fabrics from rope.etsy.com. An 8 pack of 12" square pieces costs $6.

This charming soft sculpture "Baby Hare Feldspar" is gazing at the moon. Similar textile ornaments, bags, squirrels and more are available from Dragon House of Yuen.

Wonderful vegan mineral make-up from PinkQuartzMinerals.

Beautifully scented guest/sample-sized soaps from Wild Olive. This botanical collection includes Lemongrass & Chamomile, Patchouli & Sandalwood, Oatmeal & Vanilla and six more. You also get a voucher for a complimentary full-sized bar when you've picked your favourite!

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas... :)

Christmas Gifts Treasury

2010-11-24T08:08:00.000Z

Here's a treasury I made for the EtsyVeg Team on Etsy. To find out more about the individual items, click here. Enjoy!

Monty is Pet Of The Week!

2010-11-07T14:51:00.000Z

Our lovely cockerel, Monty, is 'Pet Of The Week' over on the EtsyVeg Blog! Please drop by to find out more about him.

Button Bargains On Ebay!

2010-10-28T20:22:00.000Z

I've just listed over thirty lots of buttons on my newest satellite shop, LoveButtonsHQ at Ebay - most starting at just 99p - a couple even lower. Grab yourself a bargain. Postage is just 66p for any item, and free for any subsequent items paid for on the same invoice.

Auctions end on Sunday 7 November at around 7 pm and 9 pm.

EtsyVeg Spooktacular

2010-10-27T16:42:00.000Z

Come Haunting with the Etsyveg Team October 27th-November 2nd, 2010! EtsyVeg kicks off the EtsyVeg Spooktacular today, with creepy savings and a frightfully fantastic shopper giveaway!

SPOOKTACULAR SAVINGS
EtsyVeg's vegan and vegetarian artisans are celebrating Halloween with special treats abound, from discounts to free shipping to free gifts! Shop the participating shops listed below to save big!

* 3 AM Art Productions- BOGO on all art prints/photography

* Au clair de la lune

* Blackbird and Peacock

* Crickets Creations Handknit Scarves- $5 off anything tagged "Halloween"

* Gardenia's Garb- 10% off any item tagged "Halloween"

* Jen O'Connell Paintings and Original Artwork- free shipping

* JFIllustrations- free shipping

* Kimbas Critters

* Lalu Jewelry- 15% off

* Maple Ash and Oak- 15% off

* M's Knits and Things- 15% off all scarves

* Mumbot Shop

* Palafox Studio 23- free shipping

* SilentLotus Creations- 15% off entire shop, plus free shipping over $25 and free gift over $40

* Starfirewire- Free Shipping and Free gift

GHOULISH GIVEAWAY

As part of our ghostly event, EtsyVeg is hosting a giveaway in which lucky shoppers will receive scarily fabulous handmade prizes from our ghostly talented artisans! All shoppers who make purchases from EtsyVeg member shops participating in the Spooktacular (see list above) are invited to comment on the EtsyVeg Blog. Include the link to the item(s) you purchased and your Etsy shop name or email address so we can contact you if you're name is drawn, and you will be entered to win an incredible prizes ( a random number generator will be used to choose winners). Winners will be announced on November 3rd!

Extra Entries: Earn one entry for every shop from the list above that you purchase from (please comment separately for each shop)!
Throughout the Spooktacular, check the blog daily for updates, featured artisans and their screamingly awesome handmade creations, and more! Please email us with questions at etsy...@gmail.com . And Happy Halloween!

The Alnwick Garden

2010-10-27T12:43:00.001Z

Rob and I visited Alnwick Garden on Monday 25 October. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we stopped to walk Henry next to Hadrian's Wall at Birdoswald in Northumbria.

The car park for the gardens and Alnwick Castle is quite a walk from the attractions, and costs £2. We had forgotten that it was half-term school holidays in England, but we were soon reminded when we had to queue for over half an hour to get tickets for entry to the garden! Adult tickets cost £9.50 each, and you can pay an extra £1 towards The Alnwick Garden Trust, which carries out charitable projects and programmes.

You pass this huge tree house on the way to the main entrance...

Inside the Garden, we went straight to the terrace cafe for lunch. We ate quiche and salad followed by a nut/fruit cake (rather like a Florentine without the chocolate), with tea and a mineral water. The cost was £15.15. The food was tasteless: cold, claggy quiche and undressed lettuce, tomato and cucumber with coleslaw. The cakes tasted mainly of sweet, chopped fruit peel and didn't go down too well, either.
The cafe was in a scenic position, overlooking "The Grand Cascade" (a section of which is shown in the photo below). There is a clear roof over the terrace which lets the sun shine in, and lots of bamboo plants in pots give some privacy, but it was busy and noisy, being bi-sected by the main walk way to the Garden.

The Garden was a lot smaller than we had imagined. It was divided into areas, such as The Serpent Garden - a sort of maze with water features; The Rose Garden; The Ornamental Garden (bordered throughout with huge, trained crab apple trees, which looked very impressive with masses of red fruits at this time of year.) Training trees over structures seems to be the Head Gardener's speciality. Here is an example of a covered walkway below.

You can visit the market town of Alnwick easily, with a ten minute walk. We did that, stopping off at the 'Roots and Shoots Garden', which is situated separately from the main area. It is a small vegetable garden, still with an impressive quantity of herbs and vegetables for this time of year. In the centre is a pyramidal structure planted with rows of herbs going up the sides. There were flat beds and raised beds - still with chard, sorrel, beetroots, kale, Brussel spouts etc, all looking very healthy and tempting. Local schools have beds of seedlings, each with the sort of scarecrow that you would not like to come across alone at night.

After a look round the town, we made our way back to the Alnwick Garden gift shop and plant centre. There were lots of plants on offer at the end of the season, and 90 rose varieties available.

The tree house is the grand finale. Again it was very busy, and the cafe and restaurant situated inside the main building would probably need to be booked in advance to be sure of a seat. There is a short tree top walk including two wood and rope bridges. The children were having a high old time jumping up and down and getting the whole structure to sway like a giant swing, so we staggered around the walk like drunken sailors.

I think Alnwick garden would certainly appeal to families with young children (who may also like to visit nearby Alnwick Castle - where part of the Harry Potter films was shot). I enjoyed seeing the vegetable garden and the tree house, but would have liked to see a greater variety of plants, and styles of planting. My main tips would be to avoid busy times of year and to take a packed lunch!

Wooden Buttons

2010-10-24T11:52:00.000Z

I imported some wooden buttons from India - a complicated process with money transfers through 3 banks - 35 emails and a wait of 8 weeks - but here they are and I'm really pleased with them.

The buttons pictured above, together with coconut buttons and painted wood buttons are priced at £0.45 - £1.40 each and can be found on Love Buttons HQ.

These would make perfect bag closures, or decorative accents for quilts, wall hangings or chunky knitwear.

Autumn Colours Treasury On Etsy

2010-10-12T18:32:00.000Z

I made a treasury for the EtsyVeg Team on Etsy. Hope you like it! Click here to find out more about the featured artists and makers.

My Workspace

2010-09-28T09:51:00.000Z

I am delighted to have my workspace featured on the UK Handmade blog today. There are some photos and a short interview. Please drop by and say hello!

Button Bonanza at MISI

2010-09-22T18:05:00.000Z

After two years of buying, collecting and selling buttons, I was prompted to go through my entire stock of single buttons and small sets to come up with these sumptuous packs. I doubt that I will ever be able to repeat these packs as they took a long time to accumulate.

The packs contain a mixture of new, second-hand and vintage buttons.

Hope you like the results - these packs (and a few others) are available to buy from my MISI shop.

Love Buttons on MISI.

Upcycled Button Jewellery

2010-09-20T15:19:00.000Z

Here are some colourful and fun necklaces and bracelets from MISI seller Cillabub. This stunning necklace featuring 'upcycled' vintage buttons is £15.

Cilla's shop has all sorts of styles of contemporary earrings, chokers, necklaces and bracelets. Why not brighten up your autumn and winter wardrobe with a lovely handmade piece of jewellery?

Holiday In Fife: Crail

2010-09-18T19:15:00.002Z

Crail is a small town in the East Neuk of Fife. It is situated south of St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland. We had a lovely time here, exploring the harbour, pottery, and shops, eating ice cream, and just wandering around taking in the scenery and pretty cottages and houses in the town.

Crail Pottery is well worth a visit if you like handmade ceramics, earthenware and pottery. It is run by, and features the work of, the Grieve family. There were a number of styles, from terracotta herb planters to ornamental pieces featuring decorative patterns and glazes, to plain, but beautiful, everyday pieces.

Rob chose this cup and saucer.

And I picked this one. Ideal for morning coffee!
They cost £12.50 each.

Here is part of the interior of the shop. There is quite a lot more to see inside, plus an outside area.

Here is Crail Harbour.

Holiday in Fife

2010-09-17T17:53:00.000Z

Rob, Henry and I have been back about a week after our holiday to Fife in Scotland. We stayed at Keystone Cottage in Freuchie, a small village about 10 miles from St Andrews.

Here are some interior shots of the cottage. Taken a day or so after we arrived, you may observe the unmade beds, chaos and detritus that we have introduced in such a short time.

The white square was Rob, who is too shy to appear in public!

We paid £335.00 (including £15 for one dog) for the week commencing 4 Sept 2010. The cottage sleeps two and has a small kitchen area, open plan dining/sitting room, small bath/shower room and twin bedded room. (We had to push those together in the end, as we couldn't get used to not sleeping in a double bed!).

There is a village shop and post office nearby, a pub and hotel in the village. The cottage has a TV and DVD, plus books and games. The beds and sofa were comfortable and the decor was quite nice, with the owner's overspill collection of chicken and animal ornaments on a high shelf in the main room. The kitchen has plenty of equipment and crockery, a fridge/freezer, cooker, microwave and washing machine.

A galleried area upstairs was locked up, but visible from below, which was a bit creepy. Rob put four large house spiders out of the door in seven days - unnerving if, like me, you are not keen on arachnids the size of a child's hand. (Might have been the same one getting back in!). Henry had quite a walk to get to the nearest grassed areas, but he did like seeing the neighbour's dog, Keira. She, however, was not so keen on Henry and growled at him every time they met.

All in all, though, it was a comfortable cottage, and a good centre for visiting Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife and the East Neuk coast. The Pillars of Hercules organic cafe and shop, with forest walk nearby, was close enough to go for a great veggie breakfast.

Jewellery By Little Barb

2010-08-05T11:05:00.000+01:00

Here are some gorgeous necklaces made using vintage buttons by talented jewellery maker Barbara, known as Little Barb on Folksy.

Barbara's combinations of layers, textures and her subtle colour palette make for a beautiful end result. Prices are very reasonable too, with brooches starting at £5.00 and necklaces at £20.00, these would make the perfect gift. Visit Little Barb's shop here.

Potfest in the Park 2010

2010-07-30T15:09:00.000+01:00

We're just back from a fun-filled morning at Potfest. It is held at Hutton-in-the-Forest (pictured below). It costs £5 per adult to get in, and that includes parking and access to the gardens as well as to the 150 ceramics exhibitors.

The exhibitors have stands set up in marquees. The photo below shows one of our favourites: Charlotte and Sigerd Bohmer of Germany. We bought these lovely plates from them.

We were very taken with these adorable figures by Chiu-I Wu of Yorkshire.

This beautiful hare is by Nichola Theakston of Lincolnshire.

I bought these dramatic earrings from Steve Woodhead Studio Ceramics.

The event is well worth a visit. Lunches, teas, cakes, ice creams and other refreshments are served in the main house and in several other places,while a brass trio plays music in the background.

Each year a competition for the ceramicists is set. This year the theme was "Altars, Shrines and Markers". The exhibits are all set out on the lawn and visitors can vote on their top three favourites. Both Rob and I picked a beautiful and funny entry by Christine Hester Smith showing a queue of tiny penguins making offerings of fish to the God of Flight - a huge stylized eagle. Our photo sadly didn't do it justice, but click on the link to see examples of her work.

Finish up with a walk around the beautiful grounds and walled garden - the latter is full of flowers, fruit and bumble bees at this time of year. Highly recommended!

Hand Painted Silk Cushion Cover

2010-07-14T16:38:00.000+01:00

My latest purchase, from Etsy seller Rosemary of Derwent Textiles.
This beautiful cushion cover is made from hand painted silk. Rosemary also makes "wearable art" scarves and accessories and knitted items. Her shop also stocks buttons, photographs and special items sold for charity: well worth a visit!

If you would like a custom designed item for yourself, your home or as a gift, visit Rosemary's own website.

Damascus Drum Cafe, Hawick

2010-07-04T10:59:00.001+01:00

Whenever we are in Hawick, (Scottish Borders), Rob and I always visit the Damascus Drum Cafe. It is situated up a quiet side road and serves great food and coffee.

The interior is converted from an old boot makers shop and still retains some original features from that time, such as the wood panelling and interior windows. There is also a small range of interesting second hand books to browse through and buy, plus some wonderful handmade rugs.

There are lots of options for vegetarians on the menu, such as the mezes. You can pick three for £4.95. I chose hummus, roast tomatoes and baba ganoush with pitta bread. Other possible choices include pasta arrabiata, vegetarian burger, filled bagels and soup. The homemade cakes are irresistible and the coffee is excellent. A good lunch with coffee and cake cost us under £18. Highly recommended!

Afterwards, you can enjoy a stroll in the award winning Wilton Lodge Park, a visit to the local museum and art gallery and a rootle round the shops.

Shambellie House Museum of Costume

2010-06-26T13:25:00.000+01:00

Rob and I went to the Shambellie House Museum of Costume a few weeks back. It is near New Abbey in Dumfries & Galloway, and well worth a few hours exploration. There is a walled garden you can also visit nearby, plus Sweetheart Abbey and several other attractions in the area.

Here I am in the gardens, admiring a living willow sculpture.

As well as the permanent exhibition showing fashion through the ages in a series of dioramas, there was a special exhibition called 'Marriage In The Movies'. This shows a room full of beautiful period-style wedding dresses that have been used in films and tv series. My favourite one, above, was worn by Helena Bonham Carter in the film 'Frankenstein' from 1994.

Another beautiful dress was the one above, centre, worn by Nastassja Kinski as 'Tess' in Roman Polanski's production of that name from 1980.

This beaded hand bag is one of a number of delectable accessories, including fans, displayed in the Museum.

The wedding dresses will be on display until the end of October 2010.

After enjoying the exhibition, you can stop for tea and cakes in the Museum's tea room, and buy souvenirs in the gift shop. I managed to get another book about buttons to add to my collection ;o)

The Swallows' First Day Out

2010-06-24T12:59:00.001+01:00

Here are some photos Rob took of the swallows nesting in our front porch. We put up a shelf for them, but for some reason they preferred the light fitting. This shows the babies the day before they fledged...

And here they are on their first day out...

There are five of them all together, and they have been practising their acrobatics and fly catching techniques for a few days around the house and nearby fields. They seem to be expanding their property portfolio with a second nest, if the new mud splatters on the wall are anything to go by!

Austerity Britain #7 Rag Rug Wall Hanging

2010-06-14T13:50:00.000+01:00

I finally finished a rag rug wall hanging folk art representation of the Union Jack flag that I have been working on for about a year, on and off. It is made from a variety of red, white, blue and cream coloured fabrics. I tried to use almost all recycled clothing and charity shop finds to make the artwork.

It can be wall mounted with a hidden baton (provided), or could be used as a small rug in a low traffic area.

The pieces of fabric are 3" long and are 'prodded' through a hessian background, giving a pile of just under 1.5".

This close up shows the texture and whorls of the cut ends of the fabric.

The wall hanging is available for purchase in my Fire Horse Textiles Etsy Shop at £149 + shipping.

Bargains On Ebay!

2010-06-03T20:54:00.002+01:00

I've just listed three items on Ebay, all with the bargain starting price of £0.99 each!

First is a huge quantity of cosmetic grade colours / powder dyes

Next is a Brother Super Galaxie 2100 Embroidery/Sewing Machine for spares or repairs (ie. it isn't in working order, but someone may like the spare parts for their own machine, or may wish to pay for it to be repaired).

Finally, a Brother SA346 Memory Card No 46 Australian Animals.

The items finish on Sunday 13 June 2010 at around 8.20 pm.

Newcastleton Craft Fair

2010-06-02T14:10:00.001+01:00

Our trip out this week was to Newcastleton in the Scottish Borders. It is an attractive village laid out along one very long high street, with a river running parallel. There are lots of flower boxes in the street; the local people are very friendly, and there are a handful of interesting shops, cafes and pubs, plus a museum, music festival, and lots of walks locally.

It was the 27th annual craft fair (running 27 May to 5 June, 11am - 5pm this year) in the village hall. Actually we were a bit early, but were let in anyway as it was all set up. The sale of teas, coffees, cakes etc raise money for the upkeep of the hall. It was 50p for entrance, and all the stalls are set out by the individual crafts people and artists, with a single payment point - quite a good system, speaking from experience.

There were all sorts of crafts, including woodwork, pencil drawing, household sewn goods, plants, cakes, chocolates, cards, horn craft, furniture, jewellery, painted wooden objects, hand painted jugs and peg boards, fimo figures, decorative objects and more!

We had coffee and delicious homemade cakes in the dining area, and admired these beautiful miniature flower displays, which were on every table.

Here's what we bought:-

Little dog bag/key charm from Jo's Little People
3 x cards featuring prints taken from original pencil drawings by David Mandle
2 x 3-D decoupage cards by Mary Johnson from Cumbria
6 x fused glass pendants with rubber chokers
a vintage chunky pale green plastic three strand necklace from Isabel's Antique/Bric a Brac/card shop in the main street (this little shop is lovely; full of a mixture of vintage fabrics, jewellery, interesting objects, and lovely cards, together with locally made chutneys/jams etc)
an Argyranthemum daisy plant from Holm Hardware.

We ended up in the Olive Tree cafe for lunch. Rob had eggs, chips and beans; I ate jacket potato with cheese savoury and salad. With a pot of tea and a bottle of mineral water, the bill came to under £12. The food was quite nice, but I would have preferred an oven-baked rather than a microwaved potato. The cafe also sells bread, rolls, pastries,cakes etc to take away. It has a nice airy interior with modern furniture and artwork on the walls.

Peace Treasury

2010-05-17T19:30:00.001+01:00

Many thanks to Bohemian Love Affair for including my Rainbow Peace Flag in her wonderful Peace Treasury!

Lockerbie Farmers' Market

2010-05-15T13:16:00.000+01:00

We had a wander round the Farmers' Market in Lockerbie Town Hall this morning and came back with all this lovely booty.

Two bottles of wine (Elderberry and Birch) from Glebe House Winery, Ecclefechan (just 4 or 5 miles up the road from our house!);
Four cupcakes (Chocolate Orange, Vanilla, Coffee and Marble) from Cupcakemania;
Dog biscuits using all natural ingredients for Henry, from The Pampered Pooch Bakery;
A jar of heather, clover and flower honey from John Hills Apiaries, Corsock; and
Six bars of soap (patchouli, bog myrtle, heather, nettle, chamomile and marigold) from Caurnie Soap Company, Kirkintilloch.

And here's a close-up of those cupcakes ... :-p

Lockerbie Farmers' Market is on the third Saturday of every month.

Green Britain #16

2010-05-12T13:42:00.003+01:00

After having a break for a while, I was tempted into making another 'Green Britain' wall hanging by a customer request from a British lady, now living in the US. This is the largest I have made to date as a quilted wall hanging and was made over the course of about 16 days.

This wall hanging is my folk art version of the Union Jack flag, made from a patchwork of various cotton fabrics (some cotton mix). Some of the fabrics are reused/recycled.

This textile piece is my aspiration for the UK. The original artwork was designed and made back in 2008! The colour green now has a double meaning, and the fact that it includes reused fabrics and handwork expresses my own personal philosophy.

The wall hanging was machine pieced, layered with cotton wadding and a backing piece, and hand quilted. A binding strip was added, and the whole piece was tea dyed to give the wall hanging an 'antique' finish and textured, wrinkled surface. A small card with the title, year and my details is on the reverse. The wall hanging measures approximately 48" (121.5 cm) wide x 28.5" (73 cm) high.

Holiday in Argyll March 2010

2010-04-18T12:55:00.005Z

Rob, Henry and I had a great week away beginning 27 March 2010. We stayed at the self-catering cottage 'Darach' (seen above), set in the hills near to the village of Ardfern (20 miles South of Oban). The cottage was clean, comfortable and everything had been thought of. The owners and their lovely dog, Keeva, were very friendly.

We went on lots of picturesque walks. The photo above shows the canal walk at Crinan.

We hired a boat on Loch Awe one day. We were the only people out on the entire Loch. The mountains surrounding the Loch were covered in a recent snowfall and we got hailed on at one point, but it was good fun.

Here's Henry enjoying one of his many forest walks.

A favourite walk that we have enjoyed before is the circular one around the point at Port Appin. There is also a restaurant, craft shop and gallery to enjoy afterwards.

Our excursions included trips to Oban (the delicatessen is very good) and Fort William has lots of outdoor shops, restaurants, cafes (The Fired Art Cafe serves excellent coffee), and charity shops (great for buttons!). We also went to the Oban Scottish Sealife Sanctuary where we saw lots of aquariums of fish and other sea creatures, a pair of young seals recuperating in the outside pools and otters enjoying a feeding session. Lochgilphead and Inverary were also interesting to explore for an hour or so.

The Kilmartin Museum was well worth a visit for the interesting exhibits and superb restaurant. The chef said that he could cook all sorts of vegetarian food for us - unfortunately we were due to go home the next day, but really enjoyed the lunch and dinner we had eaten there.

All in all, a very enjoyable holiday :)

Love Buttons HQ

2010-04-10T11:48:00.004Z

Buttons above now sold - sorry!

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and started my own website selling vintage, reused and new buttons. It's called Love Buttons HQ. I will be adding new items, usually on a daily basis, so please keep checking back for the latest additions!

A Link To Pass On To Your Meat Eating Friends!

2010-02-15T10:32:00.002Z

Pickled Tink Treasury

2009-12-21T10:24:00.003Z

Another treasury for the EtsyVeg Team!

Red Treasury

2009-12-08T22:01:00.002Z

Here's a feast of red items from the EtsyVeg Team, just in time for Christmas...enjoy!

The EtsyVeg Gift Exchange

2009-12-07T14:25:00.003Z

What a lovely surprise I had today when my gift from a member of the EtsyVeg Gift Exchange was delivered by the postman!

Lots of EtsyVeg members agreed to send a gift to another member to whom they were secretly assigned. My gift went to a lady called Esmeralda in Sweden; and I was lucky enough to receive these sweet little sailing boat buttons and gorgeous glass star earrings from Lucy of Lunique Jewellery.

I couldn't be more delighted as they are just the sort of thing I love. The buttons will take pride of place in my button collection - until I find the perfect project for them, and the earrings will be ideal for special days and nights out. Thank you Lucy!

Visit Lucy's Shop for all sorts of beautiful jewellery and pretty applique cushions.

Etsy Purchases

2009-11-15T14:55:00.004Z

Here are three recent purchases from Etsy shops that I'm delighted to recommend. The first photo shows a card by Dragon House of Yuen. Annette's lovely shop has all sorts of rabbit and hare related products including bags, cards and adorable plush figures. I bought this birthday card for Rob's 51st and, yes, it features 51 grey 'hares'!

I printed off my pdf copy of the EtsyVeg Group's World Veg Day Cookbook as a booklet - all ready to go and full of delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Rob bought this sumptuous and colourful woven scarf for my birthday, back in September and it has been worn so many times already with my deep red cord jacket - perfect! Visit Cait's shop, Barefootweaver, for a mouth-watering assortment of woven cuffs, scarves, wraps and more.

Trip To Whitby

2009-11-13T20:17:00.004Z

I have wanted to go to Whitby for a number of years after seeing it on the television. It is famously featured in Bram Stoker's Dracula, as the port in which he first sets foot in England. Whitby hosts a bi-annual Gothic Weekend and there are a number of shops selling goth clothing and accessories. Below is a view of the town from the swing bridge taken by Rob on our first night.

Whitby is also well known as a fishing port and for the jet (a fossilized wood) that is carved and polished to become jewellery.

It is a picturesque town set around the harbour which has a swing bridge across it to allow taller boats and ships in and out of the inner harbour area. There are lots of touristy shops, jewellers, restaurants and cafes. Our favourite moment was spent having an excellent coffee overlooking the harbour at the Moon and Sixpence Bar and Brasserie. Another highlight was visiting the Pannett Art Gallery where there were two galleries full of beautiful paintings of the area.

The town is overlooked by the ruins of Whitby Abbey which is built on the site of the original Abbey founded in 656. In front of that stands St Mary's Church (seen on the skyline in the photo below).

The beach is nice and sandy, but reached by numerous winding and steep paths, which Henry did not appreciate. Since Rob doesn't like having his photo taken, here's another one of me, with Henry paddling in the background.

Vegetarian Recipe Ebook

2009-11-06T19:42:00.001Z

The EtsyVeg Team presents a Recipe Ebook filled with26 Yummy Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes!
100% of proceeds donated toFarm Sanctuary.
Purchase Your Copy Here!

Our Holiday In Inverness VII

2009-10-22T17:57:00.006Z

Days 7 & 8: Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2009

We had planned to go to Aberdeen for the day, but instead decided to visit lots of towns and villages near to the sea, with the idea of viewing houses for sale and seeing what the areas were like.

Our mammoth drive included:- Charlestown, Redcastle, Avoch, Alness, Dornoch (that's Henry on the beach again!), Clashmore, Tain, Rosemarkie, Cromarty, Balblair and Resolis. Although we are not really that serious about moving, it's nice to imagine what it would be like to live somewhere different - especially somewhere right next to the sea... We gave each place a star if we liked it and a 'black spot' if we didn't. One day we will go all the way round the British coast line and finally find our ideal house.

One place we stopped at to walk Henry was the Clootie Well walk. The cloot is a piece of cloth that is tied to a tree near the Well as you make a wish. As the fabric slowly rots away, your wish comes to an end. We were told the story by a man walking his terrier around the woods. He had lived in the area all of his life and had made his own wishes, but was a bit annoyed that people had started to use pieces of plastic to 'cheat' the spell. I see from a website that the well was initially for pilgrims wishing to cure someone of illness. A piece of their clothing was tied there, and as the fabric rotted the illness disappeared. There must have been some semi-naked people going about as there were trousers, under pants, socks and all sorts of clothing tied up around the Well!

Good coffee and cakes were later imbibed at the Sunflowers Cafe in Tain - a nice, small town, where I found some lovely buttons in a second hand shop.

Much later that night we went to Nairn, to the Dragon Pearl Chinese Restaurant.
JKW: vegetable wan tans, with chili dipping sauce (shared), stir fried vegetables in Kung Po sauce with egg fried rice (shared), pineapple fritters with ice cream, lager.
RJW: vegetable pancakes, vegetable chow mein, coke.
Cost: £32.00
Efficient staff and a relaxed atmosphere; several families with very young children were made welcome while we were there. The starters were the usual, unremarkable, deep-fried fare. The main courses were tasty, and included a good variety of vegetables, bean sprouts, mushrooms, cashew nuts etc. The fritters were hot, crisp, dripping with golden syrup and delicious. Recommended (if you're not on a diet).

Saturday came round all too quickly and we started off on the drive home. We stopped for lunch at one of our favourite towns in Perthshire: Dunkeld. It is very picturesque, with imposing buildings, the River Tay storming its way under the town's bridge and providing an attractive backdrop to the shops, cafes, delicatessen (Food For Thought - well worth a visit), a great hardware and kitchen shop, hotels and antique shops. The photo below was taken in March 2009.

We brushed shoulders with the rich and famous as we ate lunch in a cafe - Elaine C Smith of Rab C Nesbitt fame was also there!

Our Holiday In Inverness VI

2009-10-18T13:49:00.009Z

Day 6: Thursday 8 October 2009

We drove all round The Black Isle, and started with a visit to the Wildlife Park (entry is £6.50 for adults, with bags of food at £1 per bag). There were lots of animals to feed or look at - zebras, goats, racoons, pigs, geese, ducks, peacocks, deer, wallabies, coypu, meercats, rabbits, owls etc. I am always in a quandry about zoos, in that I love to see the animals, but hate to see any animal or bird caged, so always come away feeling a mixture of emotions.

The coffee in the Wildlife Park cafe was truly vile - like something out of a dodgy vending machine and yet cost £2.25!

Lunch was a picnic at Chanonry Point - a small, narrow peninsula with an attractive lighthouse at the end, a golf course on one side, and beach on the other.

You can see Fort George (a military base dating from the late 19th century) across the water on another peninsula. The tides look lively here and you could see the currents mixing. Another lovely day, with blue skies and dark blue sea.

We drove to the 'end of the road' at Cromarty - a fishing village looking out over the Cromarty Firth - famous for its mention in the shipping forecast. We liked Cromarty, which has a very nice bakery, cafe, shops, boat rides to see dolphins, and a beach. You can see a factory making oil rigs on a distant shore.

Dinner: The Highland Food Stop, near Croy
JKW: Good old veggie burger and chips, salad garnish, apple juice.
RJW: Eggs, chips and veg (carrots and peas), tea.
Cost: approx £12+
This busy roadside cafe was conveniently situated a few miles from our holiday cottage. Service was brisk and business-like, portions were generous and good value. A typical chip shop cafe with (almost) everything deep fried. Nice for a one off, but I wouldn't have wanted to eat there every night.

Our Holiday in Inverness V

2009-10-17T17:34:00.006Z

Day 5: Wednesday 7 October 2009

Henry enjoyed his morning walk at Allt na Criche - a rather steep and invigorating forest walk.

Fort Augustus was our main port of call today. It is a very pretty village set on Loch Ness, with the Caledonian Canal running through it, (and 23 locks, apparently).

We ate an industrial piece of cheesecake, but better coffee in the Moorings Cafe.

On the whole, Fort Augustus was too touristy for our liking, with coachloads of tourists milling around and jostling each other in the shops. Last time we visited (some years back), we took out a boat on Loch Ness and motored around for an hour, which was a lot of fun. Sadly, we did not catch a glimpse of the Loch Ness monster, but she may be out there somewhere... The volume of water contained in the Loch is amazing: it is 23 miles long and up to a mile wide in places and very, very deep.
Here I am lurking next to the UK's smallest lighthouse - cute!

We had a scenic drive back via Dingwall, Dornoch, Embo, and Nigg. The castle below could be seen from Dingwall and was surrounded by a swirling mass of rooks when we were there.

Dinner: Pizza Express, Inverness
JKW: melanzane parmigiana (aubergine in a garlicky tomato sauce), toffee glory (ice cream, toffee sauce, fudge pieces); glass of red wine.
RJW: Romana Pizza (vegetarian toppings), tiramisu, coke.
Cost: £34.20
The restaurant was glass fronted with a view of shoppers rushing by. The atmosphere was cheerful and lively. The staff were very pleasant and service was fast. One of our favourite meals of the holiday.

Our Holiday To Inverness IV

2009-10-14T16:53:00.011Z

Day 4: Tuesday 6 October 2009

We took Henry to the Little Garve River Walk, which was about 3 miles along a raging torrent of water with water falls - quite spectacular. We met a friendly man walking his dog, Dougal, a bearded collie, who was adorable. We had a long chat and he said he was over from Lochinver on the West coast doing his 'messages' (shopping) for his wife - a monthly trek from coast to coast.

After that we looked around Inverness, visiting the art gallery and museum and looking round the shops. The museum is small but very well curated, with all sorts of exhibits, from prehistoric stones marked with spirals, to a stuffed cougar (that had been found wandering loose, was captured and spent the rest of her life in a wildlife park), miniature bag pipes, clothing, textiles and much more. A very enjoyable hour or so spent browsing! We had a smashing cup of coffee in this cafe in the 'Victorian Market'.

Dinner: The Cawdor Tavern, Cawdor
JKW: Cambazola cheese, and spiced pear salad; baked portabello mushrooms, stuffed with brie, onion marmalade and spinach; lemon meringue stack; 2 glasses of red wine.
RJW: Goats' cheese and onion tart; broad bean risotto; french fries (shared); Belhaven beer.
Cost: £51.80
The waitress made us feel relaxed and welcome. The restaurant had an old fashioned ambiance, with dark wood furniture and textured orange/brown walls. This was rather at odds with the 80s pop music playing in the background!

I enjoyed all three of my courses; the mushrooms in particular were delicious. The pudding needed a dash more real lemon. Rob liked his starter which had a tangy onion marmalade topped with melting goats' cheese, but found the risotto too bland.
Recommended?: Yes, but would love to see some non-cheese options for vegetarians.

Our Holiday to Inverness III

2009-10-13T18:25:00.007Z

Day 3: Monday 5 October 2009

Nairn was our first stopping point today. First, a run for Henry on the gorgeous sandy beach; then into the town centre for a coffee and cake, and a few purchases in the book shop and deli, before a picnic in the park under a miraculously blue and sunny sky.

Next stop was Findhorn, a 'new agey'/hippy sort of community with lots of weird and wonderful eco housing, a cafe, artists' studios, a really good food shop that also sold ethically produced clothing and gifts - interesting! The beautiful unicorn mosaic was upstairs in the cafe.

We drove all along the coastal route to Banff, stopping at an old fishing village called Cullen. This is the home of the soup known as 'Cullen Skink'. Cullen is very picturesque, with lots of small fishermens' houses packed together close by the sea; a harbour; disused viaduct; and nice shops.

12 years ago, we visited a brilliant indian restaurant in Forres. We decided to try and find the restaurant and see if it was still as good.

Dinner: Cardamon Spice Restaurant, Forres
JKW: Poppadom and pickles; onion bahjis; garlic chilli vegetable curry; boiled rice; 2 Cobra lagers.
RJW: Poppadom and pickles; vegetable samosas; vegetable balti curry; boiled rice; colcha nan bread (shared); coke.
Cost: £34.75
The restaurant was comfortable, the staff were friendly and the service swift. The poppadoms, pickles, starters and nan bread were excellent: the main curries were rather disappointing, though. Although the sauces were well spiced, they contained very few vegetables at all - mainly chopped cabbage. Seeing as there were aubergines, okra, mushrooms, cauliflower, potatoes and other vegetables offered in side dishes, I think that the chef could have spared a few for the main vegetable meals!
Recommended?: Yes, but order a few side dishes instead of a main curry to widen the appeal.

Our Holiday In Inverness II

2009-10-12T21:14:00.010Z

Day 2: Sunday 4 October 2009

We drove up the East coast to Dornock, and stopped for a beach walk with Henry, and a wander round the centre. (Yes, you do have to drive across that spindly little bridge!).

Dornock is a lovely town with nice shops, a deli, a bakery, a small supermarket, beautiful, mellow stone buildings, an old jail (now a shop) and a magnificent hotel with a castellated tower.

On the road up to Wick, the weather changed from sunshine to a dark, slate grey sky with the sun slanting beneath. The white walls of the few houses to be seen were dazzling, with their dark roofs covered in yellow lichen.

At Wick the rain finally came down and we dashed into a cafe for a coffee, before giving Henry a damp walk around the harbour area.

We had dinner that evening at a pub called The Snow Goose back on the outskirts of Inverness. It had been recommended by people in the 'Comments' book at the holiday cottage, but it was packed by marathon runners (there had been a couple of races in Inverness that day) and was right next to a busy hotel.

Dinner: The Snow Goose, Inverness
JKW: Spinach and mushroom lasagna, garlic bread; rhubarb and vanilla cheesecake; half pint of lager; mineral water.
RJW: Asparagus and sweet potato salad; sticky toffee pudding; half pint of cider.
Cost: £26.20
The staff were efficient and friendly, but the food was pretty poor. Rob had wanted the 'Goats' Cheese Wellington' but it had sold out. The salad had no protein in it to speak of, and consisted of a few roasted veg on top of mainly salad leaves. The lasagna was made up of garlic mushrooms (probably those also served as a starter) with spinach and bechamel sauce. Why is it that the vegetarian options always come with a measly bit of salad garnish or a limp piece of garlic bread instead of the vegetables and potatoes or chips that everyone else is served?! My pudding was the highlight of the meal: a base of ginger biscuit crumbs with a creamy, cheesy cake served with a vanilla cream and rhubarb compote.
Recommended?: Not for vegetarians - pleasant, well-trained staff; but limited, unsatisfactory choices for vegetarians; can be busy with queues out of the door.

Our Holiday in Inverness

2009-10-11T15:15:00.005Z

Day 1:Saturday 3 October 2009
Journey up, Perth, and arriving at The Bothy, Croy

We set off at 9.25 am, stopping at Perth for lunch and a look round the farmers' market, finally arriving at The Bothy, Croy at around 5 pm.

Lunch: Goodfellow & Steven's Bakery/Cafe
JKW: jacket potato, cheese and coleslaw; lemon tea
RJW: jacket potato, cheese and beans; coffee
Cost: about £10
Also bought a cornflake/chocolate cake and a coffee tower (a gorgeous coffee eclair) downstairs in the bakery.
Recommended: Yes - nice food, quick service, good value and great cakes!

Perth Farmers' Market is a monthly event and well worth a visit.

We bought vegetarian pates from Findlater's Fine Foods, very tasty award winning pates; Anster cheeses from the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company; Lime & Thyme soap from the Caurnie Soap Company; and Raspberry Wine from Cairn O' Mohr.

Thanks to excellent directions from the owners, we found the Balblair Cottages easily. They are situated 10 miles East of Inverness, near Croy. We stayed in The Bothy - a very cosy and well-appointed cottage with a gallery double bedroom reached via a spiral staircase; sitting room/dining area; kitchen and bathroom.

It is just right for two people, and the Strachans (the family that run the self-catering cottages) allow dogs, so Henry was able to come with us. There were home made cakes waiting for us, and the cottage had everything you could need for a self catering holiday - dishwasher, microwave, cooker, washing machine, bath and shower, comfortable sofa and bed, wood burning stove with plenty of free logs to burn. Soap, bed linen, towels, face cloths, iron and hairdryer were also provided, along with environmentally friendly cleaning products. They seem to have thought of everything. There was a nearby dog walk for Henry and he loved Trig, one of the Strachans' dogs who was very friendly and even came on walks with us.

We paid £276 for a week's accommodation (from 3 October, including £16 for the dog), plus £6.60 for electricity (charged on an 'as used' basis).

Here are a few photos of the interior of The Bothy.

Eskdalemuir and Samye Ling

2009-09-18T13:09:00.005Z

Rob, Henry and I went for a walk to Bessie's Hill Fort, near Eskdalemuir today.

We saw a group of Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) at the base of some pine trees.

The Rosebay Willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) had all gone to seed and looked white because they had a misting of dew on them.

This is a picture of Henry taken on an earlier walk at the same location. The site used to be covered with forestry pine trees, but they have all been 'harvested', so it looks a bit bleak in places, but probably gives a better idea of the original view from the Hill Fort.

Another earlier view taken from the walk in August.

Afterwards, we went for coffee and a cake, and a look round the shop at the Samye Ling Buddist Centre. They have some interesting statues, prayer wheels, gardens, arch and temple, which can all be visited.

Heart of Gold: An Etsy Treasury

2009-09-13T16:36:00.005Z

Here's a treasury I managed to nab on Etsy featuring items from the EtsyVeg Team.

Pets Update

2009-09-09T17:40:00.001Z

Here are two recent photos my husband took of Mabel (above) and Cleo (below). To hear about their latest antics, please visit the EtsyVeg Blog where they are 'Pets of The Week'. To read about when we first got the girls and to pick up a few tips about keeping chickens as pets, please click here.

Our lovely Staffie cross, Henry, was 14 years old on 11 August 2009. Here he is on a recent walk showing off his cute, wonky smile.

Handmade Portraits: Mimi Kirchner

2009-09-04T17:58:00.001Z

Kickoff To Fall

2009-09-04T09:25:00.004Z

Starting next Monday, September 7th, a group of our fabulous vegetarian and vegan artisans will be offering specials in their Etsy shops! Keep watch for fabulous deals on unique handcrafted and vintage goods and supplies, a perfect way to start off the autumn season!

Look for specials like dicounts and free shipping in the following shops for the week of September 7th-13th- don't miss it! Check in later for an updated list...

aktie9
amefaust
auclairdelalune
chickscratch
CollarMeGorgeous
jackandjillsmom
jenoconnell
judysmosaicsupplies
loveluca
Karramandi
KneeDeepOriginals
krugsecologic
magglepie
midnightrabbits
movetheneedle
ThisisBexx
pandawithcookie
silentlotus
TheAwesomestPossum
veganessa
vibrantmosaics

A Good Year For Insects?

2009-08-22T11:50:00.006Z

Thanks to a warm, dry spring, and despite a wet summer, we seem to have a bumper crop of insects this year. We have seen lots of bees, hover flies and butterflies in our garden, and my parents ended up with a triple-sized swarm of honey bees in a hive in their garden.

The last photo was taken by Rob (my husband) this morning. You can see every hair and claw on this enormous bumble bee in the original close-up.

2009-08-19T15:25:00.007+01:00

Yellow Treasury For the EtsyVeg Team

I managed to glean a treasury for the EtsyVeg team today. I need some sunshine to brighten up a cloudy, rainy day!

2009-08-13T20:19:00.001+01:00

Hedgerow Series #3

This is Indian Balsam or Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) photographed next to the River Annan at Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Introduced to the UK in 1839, it is now a troublesome, invasive species, most commonly found along waterways and on waste ground. The photograph below shows an example of the problem along this river. The RHS suggest ways to erradicate it here.

2009-08-08T12:31:00.002+01:00

Hedgerow Series #2

This is a photo of Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), a member of the daisy family. Photo taken 7 August 2009.

2009-08-07T10:30:00.003+01:00

Hedgerow Series #1

While walking our dog (Henry), Rob and I enjoy seeing the ever-changing variety of plants in the hedgerows around our house in southern Scotland. It seemed like a good opportunity to try out our new camera and take some photos of the plants throughout the year, and perhaps learn some of the names for the plants we photograph.

The sloes are just beginning to ripen.

These are the fruit of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Having tried them fresh from the tree, I would not recommend them raw: they are extremely astringent. They make a beautiful liqueur, called 'sloe gin'. The sloes are pricked with a fork, then infused in a mixture of gin and sugar for three months, before the liquer is drained off the fruit, filtered and bottled. I have since been given the tip that freezing the fruit first, splits the skin and saves having to prick each one with a fork.

Roger Phillips, in his book "Wild Food" ISBN 978-0-330-28069-3, also mentions recipes for Sloe Jelly, Sloe and Apple Cheese and Sloe Wine.

Potfest In The Park 2009

2009-07-25T18:45:00.003+01:00

Rob and I went to this lovely ceramic market for 100+ artists from all over Europe. The market is held under marquees in the grounds of Hutton-in-the-Forest near Penrith.

There is an annual competition for the ceramic artists. This year's was called 'Building Bridges'. This was one of my favourites with little ships mounted on pieces of driftwood. Here you can see a naughty visitor about to grasp hold of the exhibit.

We had a lunch of brie and onion chutney in ciabatta, followed by ice cream for me, and oat and pumpkin seed biscuits for Rob.

There was a three piece brass ensemble playing throughout the day to add to the festive atmosphere. Here I am smirking unnecessarily at one of the exhibits. As well as looking at the ceramics, you can wander round the walled gardens and grounds of the house, which were very beautiful and buzzing with insects at this time of year.

This was one of my favourite exhibitors. The dogs were caricatures, but very well observed, and reminded us a lot of our dear departed Tess, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Find out more about Potfest here.

New Fire Horse Textiles Café Press Store!

2009-06-20T16:27:00.015+01:00

I’m pleased to announce that I have opened a Café Press store, to bring my designs to a wider audience and offer more variety.

There will be all sorts of t-shirts (including organic choices), caps, tote bags, aprons, Sigg water bottles and much more.

Featured Fire Horse Textile designs will include my ‘Green Britain’ textile art wall hanging,

‘Austerity Britain’ patchwork wall hanging,

Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome!

Etsy Treasury

2008-10-27T16:40:00.005Z

I put up a treasury for the EtsyVeg Team on Etsy.

Here's a screenshot - with thanks to Julie Webb.

EtsyVeg Team Blog Interview

2008-10-19T11:31:00.006Z

Yay! I have been interviewed for the EtsyVeg Blog at http://etsyveg.blogspot.com/

Please drop by and say hello to my EtsyVeg Team chums! The team is made up from vegan and vegetarian sellers on Etsy. There is a market guide to the sellers in the Team, plus interviews with sellers, inspirational quotes and featured items for sale.

"Fire & Water"
copyright Julia K Walton for Fire Horse Textiles 2008

How To: Make An Abstract Button Picture

2008-10-16T16:59:00.005Z

What Can I Do With My Spare Buttons?

Why not make a piece of abstract artwork to brighten your wall?

I had a nice selection of buttons in beautiful shades of green, brown, stone and cream. They were in a variety of styles and sizes, and some showing signs of their age and use.

They reminded me of the colours of grass, earth and rocks, which led to the idea of a simple picture of layers of earth and rocks that you see in strata at the beach sometimes, or at archaeological digs.

I spent some time working out a pleasing composition, first with pencil and paper, and then with the buttons themselves to achieve a balanced look to the final piece.

I laid out one line of buttons at a time and carefully used a needle to mark their positions through the sewing holes. The buttons were then removed and set aside in the correct order. The pinprick marks were pushed all the way through the mount board to form sewing holes. Where there was a button with a shank, (just a handful in the whole picture), I used a hollow metal punch and hammer to make the hole.

I then sewed that line of buttons to the mount board using some vegetable-dyed embroidery yarn from The Natural Dye Studio. I preferred to sew the buttons in place rather than gluing them, because they are not damaged in making the piece and also, they were made to be sewn!

The marking and sewing process was repeated with each line of buttons, then I signed the piece and gave it a title: “Earth Strata”.
The approximate dimensions are: - 9 11/16" (24.7 cm) wide x 8 13/16" (22.5 cm) tall.
Why not raid your button tin and have a go at your own mini artwork?
Copyright Julia K Walton 2008

Instructions For Using A Badgeworx Badge/Mirror Maker

2008-08-16T14:32:00.040+01:00

Before you begin, it is best to bolt the badge maker to a heavy table or board to stabilise it during use. It is shown fixed to a trestle in the photos below.

To Make A Badge

Components required: - circular metal piece, chosen illustration cut to size with circular cutter, a protective plastic circle, badge back piece.

Photo 1
1 Remove the bottom part of the badge maker and place it facing the same way up as shown in Photo 1, above.

Photo 2
2 Add the circular metal piece so that the smooth side faces up as shown in Photo 2.

Photo 3
3 Add your chosen illustration, followed by the circular piece of plastic.

Photo 4
4 Put the bottom part of the machine back in place, push the bar to the right as far as it will go.

Photo 5
5 Pull the lever firmly down. You will feel it ‘clunk’ as it reaches the bottom position – about the angle shown in Photo 5.

Photo 6
6 The front part of the badge should now be inside the machine. Remove the bottom part from the badge maker.

Photo 7
7 Flip the bottom part of the machine over.

Photo 8
8 Add the badge back in the direction shown in the photo above.

Photo 9
9 Replace the bottom part of the machine.

Photo 10
10 Push the bar to the left as far as it will go.

Photo 11
11 Pull the handle down. It will come down further this time.

Photo 12
12 The badge is complete – back view.

Photo 13
13 Completed badge – front view.

To Make A Mirror

Photo 14
14 Components required for making a mirror shown above, plus your choice of picture, cut to size.

Follow instructions 1 – 7, then…

Photo 15
15 Squeeze the cardboard circle all over to make it thinner. If you don’t do this, you may end up cracking the mirror while making it.

Photo 16
16 Add the metal ring with the sharp edges facing up.

Photo 17
17 Add the mirror, mirrored side facing down.

Photo 17
17 Add the card.

Photo 18
18 Push the bar to the left.

Photo 19
19 Pull the handle down, gently but firmly. If you pull down too hard, the mirror may break…

Photo 20
20 Release the handle, twist the bottom part of the machine about a third of a rotation, and repeat instruction 19. Do this two or three times so that the mirror is evenly set in the backing.

Photo 21
21 Mirror completed – front view.

Photo 22
22 Mirror completed – back view – this should perhaps be pressed a bit more to get the metal ring below the level of the green part.

To Make a Bottle Opener Key Ring

Photo 23
23 Components: - picture cut to size, plastic circle, metal circle, bottle opener back piece, and ring attachment.

Follow instructions 1 – 7 above, then…

Photo 24
24 Add the washer provided to the bottom part of the machine once you have flipped it (Photo 7).

Photo 25
25 Add the bottle opener back piece, as shown in Photo 25.

Photo 26
26 Put the bottom part back into the badge maker, push the bar to the left.

Photo 27
27 Pull the lever down.

Photo 28
28 Add the key ring, and the bottle opener key ring is complete.

To Make a Key Ring
Photo 29
29 Components: - picture, plastic circle, white plastic ring, white plastic back piece, metal circle, key ring attachment.

Follow instructions 1 – 7 above, then…

Photo 30
30 Add the white plastic ring as shown in Photo 30. Then follow instructions 26 and 27 above.

Photo 31
31 Your key ring should now look like this.

Photo 32
32 Press the plastic back into place.

Photo 33
33 Add the key ring attachment and it is complete.

These instructions and photographs are copyright Julia K Walton 2008

Peg Bag

2008-08-02T20:48:00.003+01:00

peg bag
Originally uploaded by jkw_fire_horse

I made this peg bag using a project from Katie Ebben's book "Fabric Scrapping".

The basic rectangular shape of the bag is shaped to fit your coat hanger at the top. Various flaps and gathered frills are added to the front panel. The opening is hemmed before the sides and bottom of the peg bag are sewn. A row of blanket stitches decorates the bottom edge of the opening.

Rockcliffe and New Abbey Trip

2008-03-23T14:20:00.013Z

Henry (dog), Rob (my husband) and I enjoyed an outing to Rockcliffe in Dumfries and Galloway this week.

Rockcliffe is a pretty village with a beach, art gallery, café and hotel.

We took a walk along the shore to Castlehill Point, from where you get wonderful views across the Solway to Cumbria.

The weather was clear and sunny and the scramble over the beach and through a field up to the point was very enjoyable. The walk is about a couple of miles long in total, and is over uneven ground, requiring good walking shoes.

Rob took this photo of a gorse bush on the beach.

On the way home, we stopped at Abbey Cottage – a gift shop and restaurant next to Sweetheart Abbey in New Abbey.

I ate a ploughman’s lunch made with local cheeses; fresh, crunchy salad; chutney; and good, wholemeal bread and butter.

Rob had a jacket potato with vegetarian chilli and salad garnish.

For pudding, I had caramel shortbread ice cream, made by a local company, Cream O’Galloway.

Rob had the sticky toffee pudding.

Everything was superb, including the tea and coffee, and friendly service. Highly recommended.

Start Improving Your Life Today! - Six Recommended Self-Help Books

2008-03-15T18:24:00.008Z

I’m quite addicted to reading self-help books. I find that they are useful as I work through them, but the effect gradually wears off and I need to top up with a new fix to get me motivated again.

Many authors regurgitate the same basic information in different forms or with a new spin, but I have found that the following books are all worth reading and following.

If you take the trouble to try out the exercises and genuinely think about the issues raised, they can help you to think about your true priorities and goals in life and motivate you into achieving them. Of course, at some point you have to actually take ACTION rather than just reading about what you should be doing…

6. Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Advice on setting, prioritising and achieving your goals.

5. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
A classic text with sound tips on:- making people like you; winning people to your way of thinking; and changing people without causing resentment.

4. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey
Advice on achieving balance in your life and on being successful while adhering to your principles.

3. I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher
A good starting place if you are drifting through life and feeling generally dissatisfied and unfocused.

2. The Artist’s Way By Julia Cameron
Whether you’re a painter, an actor, a writer, or a craftsperson, this book will help to ‘unblock’ your work and move you towards becoming a fulfilled artist.

1. Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters by Dr Phillip C McGraw
I found this to be the most helpful self-help book I’ve read, it contains ‘Life Laws’ and assignments, which will really get you to assess your life and change it for the better.

Can anyone recommend a better self-help book? I’d love to add to my collection!

10 Essential Items For A Minimalist Wardrobe

2007-08-12T22:19:00.001Z

p 10 items:-

A perfectly fitting set of underwear
A smart dress suitable for day or evening wear
A smart suit (trousers or skirt)
A pair of 'feel-good' jeans
A smart shirt or blouse
A fine-knit, v-necked sweater
A fitted t-shirt
A pair of smart, comfortable shoes that will go with trousers or skirts
A stylish overcoat, such as a trench coat
A mid-sized handbag with a classical style

My Ongoing Quest To Assemble A Simple, Cost-Effective, Functional ‘Capsule Wardrobe’
I used to have hundreds of items of clothing, but over the years have gradually slimmed down my wardrobe (if not my figure) to a core of essential outfits so that I am never stuck for something to wear.

I have worked in quite a few environments over the years – offices, shops, a museum/art gallery, a café, at craft fairs - and now I’m working from home. I have always had some items of clothing that have been worn over and over again, and others that haven’t seen the light of day. I’m getting better at eliminating that annoying 80% that sit there gathering moths and dust, taking up room in my wardrobe, confusing me when I’m trying to pick out a quick outfit or pack for a weekend away.

My theory is that if I can narrow my wardrobe down to that elusive ‘capsule’ of useful clothing, I will save time every day deciding what to wear, and save money – no more buying useless ‘bargains’ that go with nothing else.

Here’s how I go about this never-ending (but rather enjoyable) task. I realise that it won’t suit everyone, but I hope that some of you will find it useful.

The Big Clear Out

· Open your wardrobe and stand back!
· Pull out anything that is dirty or needs repair and either clean it, repair it or chuck it.
· Next comes anything that doesn’t fit. Sell it, give it away or donate it to charity.
· If you haven’t worn something for years because it is out of fashion or you never liked it in the first place, now is the time to get rid of it.
· Non-seasonal clothes and shoes can be cleaned and stored elsewhere if you need more room.
· The remaining clothes should all be clean, in good repair and should fit well. To find out what I’m wearing most often, I put all (cleaned) clothing that I’ve just worn back on the right hand side of the wardrobe. If you try this for a month or two, you will see what you are wearing most often and what never gets worn. This may give you a clue as to some more items to send to the charity shop.
· Next, make a list of everything under headings by type (ie, underwear, dresses, suits, trousers, shirts/blouses/tops, sweaters/cardigans, t-shirts, skirts, shorts, footwear, coats/jackets, night clothes, swimwear, accessories). I make a note next to each item about which season I wear it and whether it is casual, smart or eveningwear.
· I then compare this list to my capsule wardrobe list and see which items I already have and identify and make a list of any missing items.
· A trying-on session can be useful, to try out new combinations from existing items. It may help to write down good combinations under headings such as:- work, casual, days out, eveningwear, exercise, pastimes. Sometimes I get into a rut and it’s nice to rediscover an outfit I’d forgotten about, or a new combination that I hadn’t thought of wearing together before.
· Now you know where the gaps are, take your list, include colours you’re looking for and head for the shops … after reading the next section…

Considerations Before You Begin:-

· If You Are On A Tight Budget (try second hand, clothes swap evenings with friends, Ebay, discount stores, sales, supermarket clothes ranges, alterations/repairs to your current clothing, recombining your existing outfits or sewing your own.)
· Colours That Suit You, and Ones That You Love (Do you always receive compliments when wearing a particular colour? Do you love a particular outfit because of the colour? Colour consultants will go by your hair and skin colouring to suggest your ‘best’ colours. Basically, decide whether your colouring is warm or cool, bright or pale, clear toned or muted and choose colours with those characteristics. Colour Me Beautiful is one company offering this service. Or, ignore all that and just choose colours that you love and that make you feel good!)
· Climate (Which season you are buying for? Some items will be suitable for more than one if you layer them with other items. Increase the number of layers you wear in colder months, eg a top, jacket/trousers with thick socks/tights, long boots and an overcoat for cold winters – perhaps just the top with trousers and sandals for summer.)
· Lifestyle (Occupation/Pastimes – write out a list of all the types of activity you normally undertake, eg gardening, office work, walking the dog, swimming, etc What will you need for each activity? Can some items of clothing be worn in various categories? It may be better to hire or borrow clothing for special/unusual events – eg formal dress ball, skiing holiday – rather than have them clogging up your wardrobe.)
· Your Body Shape/Proportions (Learn which styles suit your figure and which shops stock clothing that fits your body type particularly well. Enhance your best features and disguise or minimise any bits you don’t like. Pale or bright colours/vivid patterns and added details (such as a coursage or brooch) will draw attention. Darker, plain colours, subtle layering, skimming rather than clinging fabrics, all help to hide any ‘flaws’. Choose clothes that fit well, but are not too tight, or, eg, gaping at the neck lines etc. Trinny and Susannah's first book "What Not To Wear" is very good on this subject. When you are buying one good suit, it is worth trying on 20 or more in different shops to get the perfect fit, so take all the time you need. You can always look again another day.)
· Your Likes/Dislikes and Personality (Aim to buy clothes that are not only well-fitting and comfortable, but those that make you feel ‘This is just what I was looking for. I love this outfit!’ Think about the part of your personality you want to project – fun, arty, elegant, sexy, professional, sporty, trendy, eco-friendly, cool, eccentric etc. Do you prefer to wear natural fabrics or artificial ones? Do you want to buy organic or fair trade or animal-free items? These will all influence the styles you choose and the places you buy from.)
· Is It Washable, or Must It Be Dry Cleaned? (On a practical note, light colours will usually need more frequent cleaning and, if you are anything like me, may soon be ruined by a stain – less important for cheaper items – but could be an expensive mistake for a winter coat. Dry cleaning will obviously cost more than machine or hand washing, but will probably be unavoidable for some items, such as winter coats. Some fabrics don’t need ironing, which can save time.)
· Mix And Match (What can this item be worn with in your existing wardrobe? Aim for maximum value from each new item. Go for colours that will blend or contrast nicely with your main pieces, such as your suit).

Tips:-

· Choose Classic Pieces That Won’t Date – invest more money in your key items and choose styles that won’t date for, eg, suit, coat, handbag, boots, and they could last for years.
· Stick to One or Two Colours For Main Pieces (eg black, brown, grey, navy, beige, camel, burgundy, khaki, plum, red, olive, chocolate. This means that you can mix and match. Different tones of the same colour can look good together.)
· Buy More Tops Than Trousers And Skirts (Different styles of tops can transform one pair of trousers or a skirt. Eg jeans could be worn with a t-shirt for relaxing, with a smart shirt for lunch out, with a snazzy top and heels for a night out. Aim for about 3 tops to one skirt or pair of trousers to add variety.)
· Add Colour, Individuality And Fashionability With Cheaper Items/Accessories (Update the following items as fashion/your whim changes - belts, costume jewellery, scarves, tops, jeans, casual jackets, knitwear, t-shirts, fashion bags, etc. Look out for vintage bargains to add some uniqueness to your look.)
· Try Before You Buy Try on all items before you buy, if possible. If you ordered via mail order – make sure you can return the item for a refund if necessary.
· Take Your Time and try on lots of examples from different shops before you make up your mind.

I’ve come up with two lists. The first is a ‘Minimalist Wardrobe’, which lists my key items of clothing, the second is a slightly expanded ‘Capsule Wardrobe’. The first list assumes that you will wash some items twice per week, the second assumes a weekly washday. You will almost certainly have items specific to your work and pastimes that you will want to add to the lists, and will find some things on my lists that you will never wear. I hope it will provide a useful starting point, in any case. I would love to see other people’s ideal lists!

MINIMALIST WARDROBE

Underwear
4 x bras
4 x knicks
4 x pairs of socks/tights/stockings

Dress
1 x smart dress suitable for evening or day

Suit
1 x smart trouser or skirt suit

Trousers/Skirts
1 x jeans or casual skirt/trousers
1 x smart trousers or skirt suitable for day or evening wear (or wear trousers or skirt from suit option)

Shirts/blouses/tops
1 x smart blouse/shirt
3 x casual tops for with jeans, casual trousers etc

Sweaters/cardigans
1 x fine-knit v-necked sweater
1 x smart cardigan suitable for smart day/evening

T-shirts
3 x fitted t-shirts to wear under shirts/jackets/suit.

Footwear
1 x trainers or comfortable, casual shoes (jeans/casual skirt)
1 x smart, comfortable shoes (eg court shoes with small heel to wear with smart skirts/trousers/suits)

Coats/jackets
1 x waterproof (eg mac/trench coat)
1 x smart jacket (for smart trousers/dress/skirt, or wear suit jacket)
1 x winter coat

Night clothes
1 x pjs or nightdress
1 x dressing gown

Accessories
1 x set of jewellery (eg earrings, necklace, brooch, watch)
1 x smart handbag

CAPSULE WARDROBE

Underwear
8 x bras
8 x knicks
8 x pairs of socks/stockings/tights/pop socks

Dress
1 x smart dress
1 x cocktail dress

Suit
1 x smart trouser or skirt suit

Trousers/Skirts
1 x jeans or casual skirt
1 x casual trousers or skirt
1 x smart casual trousers or skirt
1 x smart trousers or skirt suitable for evening wear

Shirts/blouses/tops
1 x casual shirt
1 x smart blouse/shirt
5 x casual tops

Sweaters/cardigans
1 x casual, fine-knit v-necked sweater
1 x smart cardigan suitable for smart day/evening

T-shirts
5 x fitted t-shirts to wear under shirts/jackets.

Shorts
1 x shorts

Footwear
1 x mules/indoor shoes/slippers
1 x trainers or casual shoes
1 x casual sandals
1 x smart boots
1 x smart, comfortable shoes
1 x evening shoes/sandals

Coats/jackets
1 x casual jacket (for casual trousers/skirt/jeans)
1 x smart mac/trench
1 x smart jacket (for smart trousers/dress/skirt)
1 x winter coat

Night clothes
1 x pjs or nightdress
1 x dressing gown

Beach/swimwear
1 x swimming costume or bikini
1 x sarong or beach cover-up
1 x sunhat
1 x sunglasses

Accessories
Variety of belts
1 x pair of winter gloves
1 x winter scarf
1 x winter hat
Various pieces of jewellery
Variety of scarves
Everyday smart handbag
Evening bag (match to jewellery)
Travel/overnight bag
Umbrella

In Summary:-

Clear out your wardrobe first
Reassess what you already own
List any gaps in your own 'ideal capsule wardrobe' list
Buy missing items remembering to only buy well-fitting items, in colours and styles that complement your existing garments.
Concentrate money and effort on buying your 'key' items.
Accessorise to add colour and personality to your basics.
Have fun!

Demolition of Chapelcross

2007-05-20T09:27:00.001Z

Chapelcross Bites The Dust

At 9.00 am this morning, the towers at Chapelcross nuclear power station were demolished. The whole process took around 10 seconds from start to finish.

A siren sounded 5 minutes before the explosions, then again just before the demolition began. A group of us 'locals' had gathered up a farm track, at a safe distance, but with a good viewpoint. We took our last photos of the towers intact, then the left hand tower started to lean and silently collapse. As the second tower also fell, we finally heard the explosions. They were no louder than a clap of thunder from our vantage point, and the sheep and cattle in the surrounding fields weren't too frightened by it.

Within seconds we had taken a few photographs and it was all over: just clouds of smoke and dust where the towers had stood. As we walked back to our car, we caught the smell of the dust and explosives in the air as the huge dust cloud blew our way. By the time we got back to our house, it was surrounded in a cloud of fine particles. Half an hour later, when we returned after walking the dog, it had dispersed.

2006-12-19T17:23:00.000Z

Not A Vegetarian? You Will Be After Watching This...

Animal Aid have produced a short, shocking video showing how animals are treated in the food chain. Something to think about before you tuck into a burger...

Link to the video here.

Pasta With Sun Dried Tomatoes and Garlic

2006-12-08T20:33:00.001Z

This delicious pasta dish is quick and simple to make – real ‘fast food’.

Serves: 2

Ingredients
14 sun dried tomatoes, snipped into pieces
6 oz dried pasta
3-4 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped

To serve
vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
black pepper, freshly ground

Method
1. Pour boiling water over the sun dried tomatoes, and put them to one side while they re-hydrate.
2. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, and place in a colander to drain.
3. In the empty pasta pan, heat the olive oil over a medium/high heat. Add the drained sun dried tomatoes and the garlic. Sauté until the garlic is starting to brown a little.
4. Add the drained pasta and turn gently in the hot oil to reheat and to coat with the oil, garlic and tomato pieces.
5. Serve on heated plates, with some vegetarian parmesan-style cheese and ground black pepper.

I normally serve this pasta with a mixed side salad topped with toasted nuts or seeds to add some more protein to the meal.

Henry on The Daily Puppy Website

2006-12-06T14:18:00.001Z

Henry is 'Grown-Up Puppy of The Day' at
The Daily Puppy!

Our dear little dog has been picked to appear on this website.

If you like dogs, you will love this website: each day a different puppy and adult dog. It makes a great start to the day.

More about Henry in due course...