Life Beyond the Fridge

ipad Creations - Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-01T06:02:00.001-08:00

I created this year's Christmas Card on my ipad using Brushes App and a Griffin Stylus. I have only just acquired my ipad2 and it was love at first site! I planned the card in the usual way, which for me means much scribbling and splashing about in my sketchbook. I draw straight from my imagination, if I use reference I can't help trying to be faithful to what I see and the work becomes less spontaneous. That usually means a lot of strange drawings before I get something I feel I want to work with.

The great thing about the Brushes App is that you can play back the actions. If you would like to see the haphazard way in which I work, take a look at the video below.

This is the final card tucked into the bookcase. I can really see the iPad as becoming a very useful tool. Brushes is a great App, although I would like to have more layers to play with and a pen tool to create vector shapes within the same application. Watch this space, as I'm really looking forward to planning a print and creating some of the layers in this way.

Design Heroes - Inger Waage

2011-11-29T08:01:00.001-08:00

I bought a lovely, quirky plate many years ago and have only just decided to find out more about it. My plate features a strange little bird (I have a 'thing' for strange birds!) which turns out to have been hand painted by the talented Inger Waage.

Inger Waage was born in Stavanger on the West coast of Norway in 1923. She was accepted at The Norwegian College of Applied Arts in Oslo (now the Oslo National Academy of the arts) in 1943, graduating in 1946. She then moved back to Stavanger to set up her own ceramics workshop.

Inger Waage became the first leader of a new established department for handicraft products at Stavangerflint AS in 1953. Her idiosyncratic style became so popular that by 1955 the company established an I.W department and employed up to ten assistant artist to cope with the workload.

What I love about her work is the free, confident brush strokes that give each piece such energy. I was lucky enough to discover my plate (see last image) at a car boot sale and paid very little for it. I will be keeping my eyes peeled in the future to find it a friend!

And here is my own little plate by Inger Waage.

Below are some links related to this post that you might find interesting.

Potshots Blog
Stavangerflint
HighstGallery
Youtube Video showing a selection of Inger Waage's work

Robins & Snowflakes - Christmas Doormats

2011-10-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

It has finally dawned on me that Christmas is coming, so I have designed this doormat to help you give all your Christmas guests a special welcome. It's called 'Robin and Snowflakes' (unsurprisingly!) and comes in a choice of three background colours.

As with all our floor mats, they are made from high quality, low profile, non slip nitrile rubber with super absorbent tufts to trap moisture and dirt. They can be machine washed at 40 degrees, although you may have to hand wash the larger sizes. The sizes are 60cm x 40cm, 75cm x 50cm and 85cm x 60cm.

The great thing about these mats is that they are low profile so that you can roll them up and store them with the rest of you Christmas decorations. I'm hoping you'll agree that they will make lovely, original Christmas gifts for friends and family.

We also have a range of not so festive doormats available here.

Tent London

2011-09-27T02:13:00.000-07:00

We took a pleasant stroll along the South Bank on Sunday to catch the final day of Tent London which was at the Old Truman Brewery in East London and formed part of the London Design Festival and I'm really glad we made it.

The exhibitors were many and varied, from well known and loved brands such as Ercol and the London Transport Museum to some really exciting and innovative designers. Here's a some lovely things that caught my eye in particular, If I had to name a favourite, it would have to be Melanie Porter's knitted home accessories including lamps and clocks, all beautifully handmade, each one being a 'one off' and a potential family heirloom!

1&2 Ercol Furniture
3 Michel Froment
4 Anthony Hartley - Furniture Designer and Maker
5 The Chair
6 Melanie Porter
7 Naomi Paul - Textiles
8 Curiousa & Curiousa

An Autumn day in Sussex - Charleston House and Cuckmere Haven

2011-09-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

It was my Birthday on Sunday and when my OH asked what I wanted to do for the day, I was suddenly struck with a flash of inspiration and almost yelped Charleston House in Sussex. Why I haven't visited before is a complete mystery, the whole day was a delight.

Charleston House is the former residence of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant of Bloomsbury Group fame. I was so excited by it all that I just wanted to run from room to room hugging things that took my fancy. However, I had to behave as it was quite busy and well ordered. The stewards in each room were extremely knowledgeable and approachable which was great because there is so much to talk about. Each room is filled with paintings, painted furniture, ceramics and tapestries.

Understandably photography is forbidden in the house and you really need to visit as the house has an atmosphere that can't be captured in a photo. I was particularly impressed by the liveliness and I would say almost urgency of the decoration around the house. I found it inspiring and uplifting and can thoroughly recommend it as a lovely day out. There is also a cafe with an enchanting garden, a shop full of beautiful things and a gallery.

Here are some memories of the visit to whet your appetite.

Opussyquinusque, The Cat c. 1932 - Duncan Grant (1885-1978)

Log Box - Duncan Grant

Detail from Duncan Grant's bedroom

Green Bathroom

Into the Garden

Colours that remind me of my visit to Charleston House

A walk down to the sea at Cuckmere Haven

Down on the Allotment - August

2011-08-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

Hoorah I have managed to harvest some actual fare that can be consumed this month! (we didn't eat the flowers). All the hard work has paid off with a glut of round yellow courgettes also, crab apples, salad leaves, runner beans, bobby beans, globe artichokes, blueberries and blackberries. I prepared the runner beans, blanched and froze them. The blackberries are also in the freezer, destined to become crumbles and smoothies. The french (or bobby) beans were used in one of my favourite salad recipes namely Jamie Oliver's 'Good Old French Bean Salad' See below for what became off the blueberries and crab apples. The casualties (there are always casualties!) were the sweetcorn and onions, I think they suffered from not enough water, believe it or not (remember that hot dry weather in the spring?!).

I used Nigella's 'Best Blueberry Muffin' recipe and they were delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups (approx 280 grams) Self Raising flour
3/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup (approx. 67 grams) sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
4 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup (175 ml) milk
2 cups (approx. 300 grams?!?) blueberries, well-dried
Optional: 1 tsp grated orange or lemon rind muffin pan lined with muffin papers (I use one 12 cup and one 6 cup pan)

Method

Serves: Makes 18 muffins

Wash the blueberries and drain. Sprinkle a tea towel with flour and roll the blueberries in it. Wrap the now lightly floured berries and leave for a good 30 minutes or so to dry completely.
Preheat oven to 425F/210C/Gas Mark 7.
Sift the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add the melted butter and then the milk.
Quickly stir the liquid ingredients into the dry, confining yourself to only 10-15 strokes. Leave the lumps as too much handling will result in tough muffins.
Add the floured blueberries and the optional rind if you are using. Briefly fold in the berries. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans, allowing the mixture to fill about 2/3 of the cup. Bake in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be a light golden colour when fully cooked. R
Remove at once from their tins. Serve with plenty of butter. To really make this a meal, scramble some eggs to eat with the muffins!

I made tons of crab apple jelly this year (below is a picture of batch number two!) as my little tree bore 121lbs of fruit. This means that I can make a contribution to the harvest gathering at the allotments. Here is a recipe from Waitrose I added some chopped mint to this batch just before I poured it into the jars.

Ingredients

4 kg crab apples
1 kg caster sugar
1 lemon, juiced

Method

Wash the apples, remove the blossom heads and cut out any bruised bits. Put in a saucepan, fill with water to cover the apples and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes until the fruit is soft. Pour the pulp into a jelly bag or several layers of muslin and let drip overnight into a pan beneath. Don’t squeeze the bag, it will cloud the jelly.
The next day, measure the juice, and combine with sugar at the ratio of 10 parts juice to 7 sugar. Add the lemon, then bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Keep at a rolling boil for 35–40 minutes, skimming off the froth regularly. To test, chill a dessertspoon in the fridge. When the jelly is set, it will solidify on the back of the spoon. Pour into warm, sterilised preserving jars and tightly seal while still slightly warm. Store in a cool dark place.

And finally, happiness is a huge bunch of beautiful cornflowers.

Down on the Allotment - July

2011-07-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's unwise to neglect your allotment for a fortnight at this time of year. All the vegetables may be thriving (especially the round yellow courgettes that are the size of melons) but the weeds are really doing well and are suddenly waist high! Therefore this month's post is composed of a few close-ups of the more photogenic subjects. Next month I will have done battle with the ever present fat hen (the weed) and all will be neat and tidy (yeah right!).

Courgettes

Runner Beans

Globe Artichokes

First Blackberries

Butterfly in the Marjoram

Pale Yellow Sunflower

Mixed Cornflowers

Studio Envy - Porthmeor Studios, St Ives

2011-07-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

I first visited St Ives in the mid nineties and immediately fell in love with the town along with every other remotely arty person on the planet. There's a lot to love, where else would you find sandy beaches, quirky shops, great restaurants and above all, an abundance of galleries including, of course The Tate and many other, much visited favourites of mine, such as The Penwith Gallery, Millennium Gallery, and The Wills Lane Gallery,


	Porthmeor Studios from the beach

Porthmeor studios are situated overlooking the beautiful sandy Porthmeor beach. They have a fragile beauty and stand in stark contrast to the modern white structure of the Tate just a little further up the beach. The Studios have been beaten and battered by the salty winds from the Atlantic Ocean for more than 150 years although they were used as lofts for the Pilchard fishing industry that dominated St Ives in their early years.

The St Ives School of Painting opened in 1938 by two Officers, Borlase Smart and Leornard Fuller who had made a wartime pledge that one day, if they survived , that they would live and paint in St Ives.

Since then Porthmeor Studios have seen many illustrious painters and sculptors take up residence. Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Bernard Leach, Peter Lanyon, Terry Frost, Wilhelmina Barns Graham and Patrick Heron have all worked there over the years.

A course at The St Ives School of Painting


Wilhelmina Barns Graham 1947

Millennium Series Red II, 2000, screenprint, edition of 75, 24 x 30 cm. (Picture from www.galleries.co.uk)


John Emanuel

John Emanuel - Head (www.johnemanuel.co.uk)

The crumbling studios have recently become so dilapidated that they were in serious danger of becoming unfit for purpose. Fortunately they have been rescued and are now undergoing a four million pound renovation project with funding from Arts Council England, Sea Change/CABE, Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, Cornwall Council, ERDF Convergence, and European Fisheries Fund
Let us hope that Porthmeor Studios continue to be a workplace for artists and fishermen for many years to come.

As a family, we have spent many happy holidays renting an apartment overlooking Porthmeor Beach. I have also ventured into the studios to do some life drawing, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever occupy one of the coveted Porthmeor Studios, but I will continue to take my sketchbook to the beach and hope to soak up some of the painterly vibes from the artists of the past.

Yours truly, sketching on Porthmeor Beach

Here are some Youtube videos that give a little bit more of an insight into the environment and the artists that work in the studios.

Naomi Frears at Porthmeor
St Ives Porthmeor studios Open Day
Lucy Bray St Ives Artist Painting in Porthmeor Studios
Sandra Blow's Studio
John Emanuel at Porthmeor

Down on the Allotment - June

2011-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

We have neglected the allotment for a fortnight, which is not a wise thing to do at this time of year as the weeds have been thriving with all the recent rain. Luckily, however, other crops have also been doing very well, here are a few photos of plot 51 in June.


Clockwise from top left Portugal Quince, Round Yellow Courgettes, Crab Apples and Runner Beans


Sweetcorn

Sweetpeas

The first Sunflower

A small harvest

At last we're beginning to take home more than muddy boots and aching limbs! The first potatoes were dug, a couple of globe artichokes picked along with some bobby beans, a handfull of gooseberries, jostaberries and blackcurrants and a lovely big bunch of sweetpeas.

We had jostaberry, blackcurrant, apple and gooseberry crumble for tea using the ever faithful crumble recipe from The River Cottage Family Cookbook Delicious!

2011-06-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A pod for your garden

2011-06-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

Garden Pods come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Whether you want an extra room to work from or just somewhere to curl up with a good book, there's a pod out there with your name on it. Here are a few of my favourites.

I could spend days happily suspended in the Nestrest. It's designed by Daniel Pouzet and Fred Frety and is available from www.dedon.de

If you need a garden room but want something a bit different then an Archipod could be just the ticket. It comes in sections so it can be carried through the house. I saw this at Grand Designs Live 2010 and loved it then. It's surprisingly spacious inside (a bit like a rustic tardis!)

This outdoor daybed is called Igloo and can be fund at Skyline Design but has a stalk and therefore resembles a huge apple. It just makes me want to climb in and curl curl up like a hamster.

If you really want to get away from it all then how about one of these spheres by Free Spirit Spheres? You need some tall trees and a head for heights, but once you're tucked up inside you could write a novel without any distractions apart from birdsong and the odd visit from a squirrel!

This garden room from Roost gives you the the option of a grass roof. It's small and perfectly formed and I could set my easel up in here quite happily.

Unfortunately all I have room for is the old fashioned kind of pod like these from Seedparade

There's no harm in dreaming though!

This blog post is part of the mydeco.com ‘Pass It On Garden & Outdoor series’, a collaborative blogging project. I am passing this on to Pargy and Confessions of a Design Geek

Design Heroes - Robert Stewart

2011-06-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Scottish designer Robert Stewart was one of the most influential Post War British designers. He was passionate about surface design and his worked appeared on many and diverse surfaces, including printed textiles, ceramics and tapestries. I bought Liz Arthur's excellent book Robert Stewart Design 1946-95 a couple of years ago and read it from cover to cover (instead of purely looking at the pictures!). I found Stewart's boundless energy and creativity a great inspiration. He was an unstoppable powerhouse within the design world of his time, which was buzzing with enthusiasm for change and innovation.

Robert Srewart Design 1946-95 by Liz Arthur

Robert Stewart attended Glasgow School of Art during the 1940s and went on to become the head of printed textile department in 1949. He taught at the Glasgow School of Art for thirty five years and over that time he inspired many young designers to be, with his talent and passion.

Although Stewart was prolific in many fields of design, he is perhaps best known for his textiles which were produced by Liberty, Pringle and Donald Brothers throughout the 1950's.

Ardentinny - Textile Design


Macrahanish - Textile Design

Kilmun - Textile Design


Raimoult - Textile Design

Bird Design - 1948 - Gouache on Paper

More information about Robert Stewart can be found at:-
www.classictextiles.com
Glasgow School of Art

Down on the Allotment - May

2011-05-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

It's May on the allotment already. I'm annoyed that I missed the opportunity to take a picture of the crab apple and quince blossom last month. One minute it was there the next it was gone. Now, however, there are roses in abundance to make up for it.

This was very nearly a great shot of a bee on collecting pollen from the blackberry bush. Instead I have caught the backside of said bee as it exits right of frame. The blackberry blossom looks lovely though.

When I took my allotment on in July 2005 it was like a patch of wasteland. It hadn't been worked for six years, was full of building debris, it was completely overgrown and the ground was as solid as a rock. On the plus side I inherited a lovely big blackberry bush and an established jostaberry bush. This is a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry and tastes delicious. We're looking forward to jostaberry crumble (that's if the birds don't steal them first).

Clockwise from top left Jostaberries, Crab Apples, Quince and Blackcurrants

I bought my Portugal Quince after coming across a charming little book called Brickfields by the extraordinary painter/potter/foodie/gardener Mary Wondraush. It is a pretty, compact tree which fruits every other year and makes lovely quince jelly.

It's looking a wee bit parched at the moment so it's all hands to the pump to water the seedlings. I'm hoping for a really good downpour (sorry), before I develop muscles that a brickie would be proud of.

Sketchbook Peeks - Two Prints

2011-05-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

After a lot of scribbling and splashing about in the old sketchbook, I eventually managed to get around to actually printing. I thought that I would make two small prints for a change (35.5cm x 25cm) as I tend to work on a large scale, so maybe I'm learning to constrain myself a little bit. As you can see, cats feature quite a lot in my sketchbook and one in particular leaves paw prints!

For more limited edition prints and information please click this link beyondthefridge

Merlin approves the preliminary sketches


Creating the artwork for 'Siesta'

The Screen for the grey in 'Siesta'

'Siesta' Edition size 83

'Morning Coffee' Edition size 79

Grand Designs Live 2011

2011-05-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

We've just landed back to our studio on Swan Island after a very enjoyable nine days at Grand Design Live. It's always great to meet lots of lovely people and get some feedback about our products. This year we had a lot to talk about as we were launching wallpapers, fabrics, mats, blinds and cushions.

We were very pleased to get the 'thumbs up' from Kevin McCloud when he stopped in his tracks at our stand on the first day of the show! Here are some of the highlights.

Our stand E57 in the Design Arcade

The Grand Designs Product of the Year Awards were announced on Thursday. Congratulations to Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez for I-Radium for the Senso Collection and to John Green designs for Embrace for their highly commended awards. The winners were Flux Furniture for their incredible folding chair.


Kevin McCloud present the Grand Designs Product of the Year Award

The clever and colourful Flux Chair

We were fortunate to be situated close to the talented interior designer and TV personality Jo Hamilton, Alison with her beautiful Vintage Wonderland Chandeliers and stunning fine art photography by Eliot Siegel.

We were also delighted to meet Peter Wall from Assembly Room who designs elegant and stylish furniture. I adore this red chair which is not only gorgeous but also very comfortable.

Beyond the Fridge - Wallpaper

2011-04-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

Roll up, roll up! We're going to be showing off our range of wallpapers at Grand Designs Live 2011 (April 30th until May 8th at Excel London). It's our third year at GDL and we're looking forward to meeting lots of lovely people again. It's always great to get out there, show our wares and get some valuable feedback about the designs.

This year we have been busy creating new products and adapting some of our most popular designs for fabric and wallpaper. It's incredibly exciting to see all the rolls of paper lined up and I've been in my element making the repeat patterns and choosing colours.

Our wallpaper is produced from a material that does not expand when it comes into contact with the moisture of the paste. The wallpaper is applied dry (i.e the wall is pasted , not the back of the wallpaper) which makes the application process much easier and eliminates bubbles forming under the paper. If you would like to know more please visit Beyond the Fridge- Wallpapers

'Millefiori' in a choice of three colourways


'Millefiori on Black'


'Cupcake Plant' x 6 colours


'Cupcake Plant' on Blue


'Utensils' x 9 colours


'Utensils Naturals - Blue'

'Marbles' and 'Paper Boats'


'Marbles' on White

Please leave a comment, I would love to hear what you think. Even better, drop in and see us at Grand Designs Live. We're in the Design Arcade, stand number E47.

Design Heroes - Hans J Wegner

2011-04-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Okay I admit it, 'my one weakness' has to be for chairs. And lot of the chairs that I adore most were designed by the Danish designer Hans J Wegner. He has been referred to as 'Master of the chair' and it's a well deserved title as he designed over 400 chairs in his lifetime. And I love them all!

Hans Wegner has received a long list of prestigious awards, including the Lunning prize, the grand prix of the Milan Triennale, Sweden’s Prince Eugen medal and the Danish Eckersberg medal. He is also an honorary Royal designer for industry of the Royal Society of Arts in London which was awarded to him in 1959.

Hans Wegner's furniture is in Museum collections around the World, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Here's just a few of my favourites.

Hans J Wegner

The extremely elegant 'Peacock' Chair

The 'Butterfly GE-460' 1976


'Cigaren GE-240' Teak 1955


The 'Wishbone' Chair

The 'Wishbone' chair is a Hans J. Wegner classic. It was designed for Carl Hansen & Son in 1949 and has been in production since 1950. The Lollipop Shoppe in Brighton sells the Wishbone in an array of gorgeous colours. And in my dreams I have one in each colour around my dining table.. sigh!

Down on the Allotment - March

2011-03-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here and my allotment is beginning to look loved again. This is mainly due to the fact that with a little bit of cajoling 'him indoors' has ventured out to give me a hand. It's amazing what the promise of a chair, flask of tea and chocolate biscuit can do. I now have a rotavated plot and the back area where the tool box is has been leveled and sown with grass seed. I like to call this bit my orchard as I have three fruit trees planted there namely a Quince, Crab Apple and a Cherry (this is where the tea drinking takes place).

I have sown four rows of early potatoes some garlic and onions in the left hand side in front of the fruit beds. My Dad has been a complete star and nurtured my seedlings in his greenhouse this year. This was a calculated move as he seems to have very green fingers. He has things in his raised herb bed that could have a walk on part in a remake of 'Day of the Triffids'! He gives me regular updates as to how my babies are coming along. Next month they'll be out of nursery school, into long trousers and living on the allotment.


Clockwise from top left: The plot rotavated and ready to go, A lone Anemone shows itself, The Rhubarb takes off, Seed Onions ready to go in, Runner Beans in the Greenhouse, Primroses.

Quince - 'Portugal' in bud


Seedlings in my Dad's greenhouse

Some allotment/kitchen garden links:-

Books by Paul Merrett TV chef including Using the Plot
Helpful video clips from Alys Fowler
One of my most thumbed cookery books from Jamie Oliver Jamie at Home

Printmaker Heroes - Julian Trevelyan

2011-03-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have long been a fan of the wonderful Artist and Printmaker Julian Trevelyan. When I first discovered his work, I was amazed to find out that he was married to another of my favourite British Artists Mary Fedden.

Julian Trevelyan was born in 1910. He read English Literature at Trinity College Cambridge but went to Paris to become an Artist. He enrolled at Stanley William Hayter's engraving school, Atelier Dix-Sept and learned to etch alongside some illustrious company in the art world including Max Ernst, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso. His early work was experimental and largely surrealist, whereas later he was clearly inspired by his surroundings at Durham Wharf and his travels with his wife, Mary.

Indigo Days - Julian Trevelyan's Memoirs

I love his use of colour and the way he introduces a flash of brilliance amid more muddy tones. This print below is called Chiswick Eyot and I'm lucky enough to own one (good old Ebay!) I typed in Julian Trevelyan and there it was, with my name on it (so to speak) and I love it.

Chiswick Eyot Etching and Aquatint 1971

Here are some places to find out more about Julian Trevelyan:-

The Bohun Gallery Henley-on-Thames

Goldmarkart.com A brilliant online catalogue featuring other Post War British Artists

Julian Trevelyan.com

The Tate Gallery Collection

Puri 1968 Etching and Aquatint - At The Bohun Gallery, Henley-on-Thames

Why am I such a Lemonhead?

2011-02-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

I seem to have a thing for lemons. Most women I know crave chocolate and shoes, whilst I tend to go for anything lemon flavoured and chairs for my guilty secrets. My habit creeps into my designs quite a bit too (see the evidence below).


'Lemon Slice' Magnetic Notice Board

'Oranges and Lemons' Large Magnetic Notice Board (100cm x 75cm or 75cm x 55cm)

I was most put out lately when I realised that M&S seem to have discontinued Penny Pigs. They were fab, just like lemon curd in sweetie/pig form! I've had to resort to making lemon cupcakes to console myself.

Here's a simple recipe from Waitrose I just made lemon buttercream for the topping with 200g unsalted butter creamed together with 200g icing sugar and flavoured with the grated zest of 2 lemons. I sprinkled grated lemon zest and white chocolate chips on top. If you can't be bothered with all that, then get yourself along to a Hummingbird Bakery and buy one of these Lemon Curd Cupcakes I'll be there when I've demolished this lot!

Sketchbook Peeks

2011-02-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here is my sketchbook of the moment. I covered it (well I got half way) in a montage made from a failed oil painting. This was strangely cathartic, cutting it up and recycling it. I've always loved mosaics - but that's another story.

The first 'peek' is a water colour sketch that I did in preparation for a screen print entitled 'Path to the Sea'. I did several splashy water colours like this one and goodness knows how many thumbnail sketches until I was happy with the composition. As usual, pattern has crept in as paisley clouds (well, why not?) and a mosaic path made of shells and stones etc. I like to combine a free 'brushy' feel to my prints with more controlled lines and shapes. It's retaining the liveliness of the initial sketches in the final print that is always a bit of a challenge.

Here is the finished print 'Path to the Sea'. Printed in 3 colours on Arches 88 which is a lovely soft paper with 4 deckle edges and ideal for screen printing, I get mine from John Purcell. The edition is limited to 50 and each one is signed and numbered. Click here for more information and a zoom in for a closer look.

Down on the Allotment

2011-02-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here is my allotment looking a little bit sorry for itself as it's early Feb. I felt I must start digging it over before the weather warms up. If I don't have it completely dug over by the end of February (have I ever?!) then the weeds start to move in - big time! My weeds tend to be the all singing, all dancing type something akin to the giant man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors.

It was good to see that the rhubarb is making an appearance and I dug a bumper crop of Jerusalem Artichokes. I will probably make soup with the artichokes, they have such a delicate yet distinctive flavour and are so easy to grow, in fact they can take over if you're not careful. I may even make this Roast jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut and goat's cheese salad I found on the River Cottage web site, it looks delicious! Note my friend the robin posing on the fork handle 'Secret Garden' style.

Wall Graphics - Bunting

2011-01-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's another 'coming soon' I'm afraid, but couldn't wait to blog about it. After all, it's so gloomy at the moment what's wrong with looking forward to sunnier days? These Bunting Wall Graphics will soon be available at 'Beyond the Fridge' as individual adhesive wall stickers. And listen up (this is the fun bit), you will be able to visualise them on your wall by entering your wall dimensions and then you place, scale and rotate them to get and idea of just how it's going to look. They will go perfectly with our 'Bunting Magnetic Notice Board' (see below). Available in two sizes (100cm x 750cm and 750 x 550cm) www.beyondthefridge.co.uk

In Praise of Papier Mâché

2011-01-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ever since I made the ubiquitous Papier Mâché Pig with a balloon as the base at junior school, I have loved Papier Mâché as a medium. I even won a handicrafts prize for my efforts. Alas, I have a long way to go before I can create such gorgeous work as Gemma Taccongna (1923-2007). She was a gifted artist who became well known in the 1960's for her iconic doll's heads such as these below. She managed to make her pieces look just like porcelain and they are so beautifully decorated. They are highly sought after now and collected by all kinds of people - but not by me yet (sadly!).

Here is a Papier Mâché Mask that I made a couple of years ago and now hangs in my studio (needless to say I don't wear it out much). I had great fun decorating it with all sorts of things including pistachio shells. Don't ask me why - It's just the kind of thing I like to do!

A great site for more information including Papier Mâché artists and tutorials is http://www.papiermache.co.uk

Crochet Flower Magnets

2011-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

I had an urge to make my own fridge magnets, so naturally I decided to crochet some. The flower pattern I used was from Stitch'n'Bitch http://www.knithappens.com/ which came from their brilliantly entitled 'The Happy Hooker' book which I adore http://amzn.to/fMQfcN I just used PVA glue to stick a ferrite magnet on the back which you can buy from http://www.first4magnets.com/

I think that they look really pretty on our Blue Butterfly magnetic board http://bit.ly/6EA8SM. I have even heard that some people use our boards for all sorts of things such as displaying notes, invitations, shopping lists, photos and such like ... whatever next?!

Coming soon - 'Cupcake Plant' Wallpaper

2011-01-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

Wallpaper : 'Cupcake Plant' Strawberry/Cream

I'm in my element at the start of this New Year as I am busy developing designs based on our Magnetic Notice Boards to create Wallpapers. This is a little taste of what we will be featuring on our site www.beyondthefridge.co.uk soon. This particular design is called 'Cupcake Plant' (yes, I know I'm strange) and this colourway is 'Strawberry/Cream' I'm off now to try a Cappuccino version (I'll keep you posted).