At last the weekend...

It feels like we haven't even stopped to draw breath this week and the thought of the weekend makes us sigh with relief. We might just find a little time to escape the Studio and see what's happening in the garden, no doubt the lawn will be up to our knees!

Before we start winding down we need to get on with..


 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

We are now half way through the alphabet so it's the letter 'M' which lead us to our fabulous shop finds this week, don't forget to drop by all the shops their url's are under their photo's.

  'M' is for...

Two for Joy

M is for Magpie -  So much attention to detail makes this brass etched cuff bracelet a real statement jewellery piece. Anna's Folksy shop has lots of lovely original pieces, especially like the medieval flavour that flows through it:
https://folksy.com/shops/AnnaMcDadeJewellery

Shhhh.... someone is sleeping

M is for Mouse - So firstly we just love this shop name - Mrs Plops Shoppe - which can't but raise a smile. Secondly the little mice you'll find hiding there will make you smile again, lovely work, all found in Catherine's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/mrsplopsshoppe

Fun Copper Fungi growing in a pot

M is for Mushroom - have to admit here that these are on my Christmas list. Allie and Mick's Folksy Shop has a selection of Copper garden ornaments which would look equally good in a pot on a windowsill, (now that's just made me think I'd like two sets of these fun fungi!):
https://folksy.com/shops/windswept

Ceramic Moth in search of a flame...

M is for Moth - this is one Moth I'd let flutter around the house. Richard's Folksy Shop is a witty, eclectic mix of items, so diverse you just need to see it for yourself!
https://folksy.com/shops/RichardLovatt




Back here in the Studio we were delighted earlier in the week to be invited to sell in a new online shop. It's the new Country Living 'General Store' which has been recently launched by Country Living Magazine. Gary's 'Hare in the Barley' is proving popular and getting lots of views. Hoping it means more people get to see our work and hopefully add it to their Christmas wish lists.

Hare in the Barley - now available in the Country Living 'General Store'

Yesterday evening while picking some salad leaves for supper I spied some ripe strawberries ready for eating. We have some late variety Strawberries just coming into their own which we planted in the strawberry table earlier in the summer. At about the same time whilst we were moving the York flags from the old seating area to our newly built arbor we discovered some wild strawberry plants hiding under the trees at the bottom of the garden. I potted them up and they have been happily sitting on the patio basking in the sunshine. It made us laugh to see the size variation between the two varieties. The delicate wild ones win hands down in both the perfume and taste department.

Wild Strawberries always remind us of the time we toured through France looking to purchase our home there. As we cycled and walked through the many quiet country lanes of rural France we came across numerous banks cloaked in drifts of wild strawberries. Whenever we spotted the tiny berries we would stop and sample the warm fruits, made even more delicious by being savoured in the outdoors with just us two and the odd bird for company, such joyous memories...

Wild and tiny versus big and juicy

This week we will be catching up with the more fun creative side of life and printing the next colour plate on both of our landscape prints. Plus we need to think about siting our water barrels, especially with how the weather is predicted to perform in the next seven days!


Enjoy your weekend.


'We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.'
Anon

Halfway through the year...

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun. Here we still have workmen clambering on our home. The roofing job is running over and the noise of the cement mixer outside our Studio is starting to interfere with our creative flow. Hopefully today is the last day they will be here, it will be lovely to finally have a smart roof and peace once again.

Roll on the weekend, but before we start winding down we need to have another...

.. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

It's the letter 'H' this week so there's hares, hens, hearts and some beautiful Harris tweed to appreciate. Don't forget to take a look around all the featured shops, their shop url's are under their photo's.

  'H' is for...

Heavenly shade of Blue

H is for Hare - This wistful hare is painted onto mouth blown glass in the most beautiful shade of blue. Hang it in a window to catch the light, it's sure to brighten up any room. Lots more glass work back in Amy's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/amyorangejuice

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick Hen!

H is for Hen - this cute key ring is filled with lavender so it will not only keep your keys safe but scent your bag or pocket too! Lots more pretty hand sewing in Julie's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/ThePeacockEmporium

Every book should have a smart jacket

H is for Harris Tweed - this beautifully made book cover is made from the original Harris Tweed tartan in the shade of blue skies. This would turn any novel into a masterpiece of literature!
More covers for not just books but also tablets, Ipads and kindles in Shirley's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/WhimsyWooDesigns

The colours of the garden - Heart shaped

H is for Heart - this jolly button brooch is titled 'Monet's Garden' and having had the joy of visiting those famous lily ponds with the wisteria festooned bridge we can see all the colours captured in this button collection. More buttons back at Jane's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/beadedgarden




Back in our Studio we have battled through all the disturbance with the help of Radio 4 being turned up an extra notch. Gary has created a print which will soon be seen in our farmyard section of linocut prints. My progress has been a little slower, still cutting out the second plate of my latest flower print. It has some very fine parts to it which need a good deal of concentration. Hopefully it will be ready to print at some point this weekend. 

One of our little grey donkeys trotted off to a new home this week, do hope it's near a beach.

Off to pastures new...

The garden calls..
... now the workmen are out of the back we can dig space for our raised beds. Gary built four more a couple of weekends ago, so the turf needs stripping, the holes need digging, then once the wooden frames have been fixed into the ground it will be out with the 'wild thyme' garden paint and a brush for a quick lick of paint. And then, at last, all the various beans, peas and squashes that are bursting out of their pots can stretch their roots and hopefully grow for us!

Enjoy your weekend.

'A weekend wasted isn't a wasted weekend.'
Anon