Playing with Bondaweb and stitch. I do l ove seaweed.   It's been a while. I have been settling in and enjoying not traveling about too much. I have been exploring my local area, and enjoying all the colours, textures and patterns.  It is almost 2 years since I moved to my little slice of paradise on the Loop Head peninsula. It is continuing to be a challenge to support myself out here, but plans are in place to help with that. It takes time to discover what works out here. . and what doesn't!!  Seaweed in one of the rock pools in Ross Bay.  Seaweed and crab shell on Glasheen beach. I am thoroughly enjoying drawing and stitching seaweed and am now seriously into my dry stone wall series of work.  Getting out and about in this area I keep finding new places to excite - there is an alpaca farm not far from me that spins and dyes the fleece. They are all very well looked after and are fast becoming a great attraction.  Gorgeous alpacas

 A New Starting Point - July 5th and 6th (Saturday and Sunday)  This is a catch up - kind of housekeeping notes. I have added two workshops in Brighton to my diary. I have found somewhere new to teach locally with plenty of parking and not too far from Falmer station. The first workshop is a weekend one - July 5th and 6th  A New Starting Point. £95.00 Discovering and developing the redemptive qualities of old newspapers. Create fascinating surfaces on which to print and stitch. Using painted Bondaweb and gilding flake we will explore the possibilities of layering textures to end up with firm pieces of work that can be used to make boxes and vessels and demonstrate the striking contrasts of the media. Rich/poor and matt/shiny. ***  Layers of heavy Tyvek layered with polyester organza, stitched and then zapped with a heat gun. I have also booked a four day Summer School August 12th - 15th. Tuesday - Friday Experimental Textiles - New Jewelle

A melt in the middle chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream and delicious chocolate sauce. It has been pointed out to me by a certain gentleman in the Portsmouth area that I have been rather remiss in my posting duties. It can be difficult to find the time and then wifi to post on the blog when I am travelling, particularly when I am doing a show. I hope this one makes up for my silence. I got back from the Manchester show yesterday after calling in on a few friends on the way. The show was held at Event City just opposite The Trafford Centre in Manchester. I haven't known SUCH a busy show for a long time. I am used to busy shows, but this one was bonkers! And they were such lovely people, I don't think they get many craft shows of the ICHF (International Craft and Hobby Fairs) calibre in that area of the country. My lectures were full every day with standing room only, I wasn't sure how busy they would be as I have never travelled to that area before. I need

 Iron-on interfacing colourwashed blue. This was then foiled all over with silver transfer foil and printed onto with one of my favourite wooden printing blocks. This can be done with the heavy pelmet Vilene (S133) if you want to make a box, or the softer Decovil 1 or Decovil light to make book covers or bags - gorgeous. I sell all three - www.nid-noi.com   Painted Bondaweb layered with torn newspaper, dot jewels and glitter.  I have a few weeks of calm looming - to write the book and start a new body of work. I am also making up some layered newspaper samples to have laser cut to my own designs to start making my new range of brooches and earrings. I love it when there is room in your brain for ideas to start slinking in. This tends to need time and space - all of which I have for while. I have plenty of things to catch up with, but there should also be time for play.  As most of you will know I think it is vital for any artist to play with their materials - it can lead

 Foredown Tower Well, I'm home from the Bluewater show, it was great fun and I enjoyed meeting so many of you. Thank you so much for coming to say Hello! I have booked Foredown Tower in Portslade near Brighton for six workshops from this October to next July. They make up a 'course' of kind. They start with design and end with Tyvek. I have already started taking bookings as I launched them with my September newsletter last week and then took a few more bookings at the Bluewater show so don't take too long if you fancy coming to play . . . . The views from the Tower are stunning. I had such a great time teaching at Foredown Tower over the past two months I wanted to teach there more often. It is a kooky kind of place. There is a cafe on the ground floor, the teaching room is on the middle floor and the camera obscura is on the top floor with great views over the downs. Access to the teaching floor is via an external metal staircase so there is n

 the stunning country side around Newcastle on Clun After I had eaten my second piece of cake and taken another 100 or so photos I left Bryan's Ground and tootled along further up country to have supper with Bobby and Martin Britnell and Bobby's students who were working in her studio over the weekend.   For those who are not aware of Bobby (there can't be many), she is an amazing tutor, quite inspirational and SUCH good fun. Bobby runs fabulous courses from her studio at Moor Hall in Shropshire. Bobby also runs workshops working along side Ruth Issett, the demi goddess of all things to do with colour, print and design. They make a great team, encouraging students to produce new work and develop new ideas. All workshops and dates can be found on Bobby's website www.bobbybritnell.co.uk/index.htm   Bobby also has an excellent newsletter www.bobbybritnell.co.uk/news.htm I would recommend you subscirbe to it. Moor Hall in the late evening the sunny terrace for coff

 part of the courtyard garden at La Verderie I have this week to catch up with myself and write a few new workshops ready for next year. I know many of you out there in blog land are interested in many crafts and skills, not just my kind of madness. I was chatting with my good friend Sue Culligan who lives in France yesterday. Sue is the owner of the knitwear mail order company Kangaroo . I am nipping over to see her and her husband John for a few days in May to work out some dates for me to teach over there - but more of that later. While we were chatting it struck me that some of you may interested in the workshops Sue runs in France. Sue has been running workshops at the local Chateau for the last few years with great success and has now decided to open up her home in France for more intimate creative retreats for up to five students at a time.    free form crochet  learn to work with different colours The new residential  'Back to Basics' workshop (dates below) will be