it's CHRIIIISTMAAAASSSSS!!!

 ....ready for christmas in the mills household!!! Marvellous!!

pop in!

If you've not done so already then please pop-along to Luminous&Vogue for some lovely christmas presents, and while you're there, take a peek at my new autumn/winter and christmas range, for kids. ladies and homes.

Xmas stuff!!

Some of my snowflakes made from vintage and rescued christmas carol music sheets for sale at Luminous&Vogue from this Friday 2nd December...together with some other christmassy goodies for the home!! There'll also be ladies' accessories as well as kidswear so please pop in! 10% off everything on Friday's opening night 7.30-9.30pm. Ho ho ho!!!

POP-UP SHOP!

An exciting but daunting new venture for the month of December!!! You're all cordially invited!!

Winter Fayre

I'll be at this Christmas Fayre organised by the MTAM team, with my knitted wares for ladies and kids....photos will follow but it's been pretty stressful last few weeks as have had a water leakage in kitchen!! The new term's resolution has gone out the window...way, way out!!!

Been to London!!.....

AL-A: Timber Wave at Cromwell Road entrance to V&A

Took our chicklets to London to partake in some design culture!! - London Design Festival...started at the V&A (always a pleasure)...

 

'Textile Field' by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, in collaboration with Kvadrat

This rather fetching fellow stands guard to the entrance of 'The Power of Making' exhibition (on til 2nd January 2012 at the V&A) - he's made out of hand-twisted wire coat hangers!

 'King Silver' gorilla sculpture by David Mach

"Each element resembles an everyday clothes hanger, but together they accumulate into an image of dramatic power"

WOW!!!

Educating Essex

some quotes from last night's episode that made me chuckle.... 
-"What IS py?...where did it come from?"
-"At the end of the day I am going to be the brick wall...I am going to be the brick wall..and what you want to do is on the other side of the brick wall and I'm afraid to say that I am the brick wall and you are not going past"! 
-(teenage boy)"sir I feel like crying for no reason...is that normal?" 
(teacher)"errmm...what? at your age?...yeh!" 
Best bit? - a 'Vicky Pollard'-esk moment, and a Designer Beaver toy! 
Brilliant! 
Educating Essex

London Design Festival 17-25th September

It's the start of this annual 9 day fest....hundreds of events taking place all over London - with the V&A as the hub for the festival and will host specially commissioned installations.

Amanda Levete Architects

It looks like it will be an amazing event....

......fabulous!! London Fashion Week has also started from today...it's all kickin' off!!!

LEGO greenhouse, Covent Garden

Limited Edition Showcase, Southbank Centre

REDDRESS, The Finnish Institute, London(interactive installation!) 

open house 17-18th September

It's open house this weekend - your chance to take a sneaky peek inside some 700 of the best buildings, places and spaces in London, for free!!

There's also all sorts of events for kids - the Amazing Architecture Activity Cards for kids 7-11 looks fab as does the City of a Thousand Architects at City Hall.

summer full of stuff!!!

It's been a hectic summer...hence no blog posts for quite a while! I was the arts + crafts teacher for 1 week for PAC (Performing Arts Club) for the second year running which both my two mini mills took part in....the theme this year was "around the world in a scarf and slippers"! We were oversubscribed which was amazing. My classes made the props and costumes for the show which they got to keep - a very hectic week but the children had brilliant fun. Get your kids booked in for next year!!! 1st week of summer hols!!!

Then it was full on holiday clubs and meeting up with long lost friends, painting the spare room and my studio and finally going somewhere very hot! Tenerife!!! The girls had a ball...

...and it was all topped off by my little brother's wedding this weekend just gone - a 3-day event which took most of the summer getting organised and shopped for!!!.....decorating my mum's house ready for saturday's religious ceremonies and mendhi (henna) night, and sunday's arrival of the bride!

 ...so my new term's resolution is to try and keep this blog updated a bit more regularly, which let's face it, won't be hard to do!!!

summer fair 2011

Summer Fair to help raise funds for the Church in Nettleden...at a lovely lady's house, with lovely things to buy and lovely things to eat!!! If you can come, it would be most lovely to see you!!

Been away!!!

I haven't updated photos of my latest things I've been making - sorry! Been manically making things for past and upcoming fayres with a few days away to Cornwall at half term thrown in! so please check back for photos of new stuff in few weeks - better still, come see it at the next fair - Greenway First and Nursery School, Berkhamsted on Sunday 12th June 11-2.

blimey blousey Iris!!

I'm just so happy that my iris has bloomed even better this year and by happy coincidence, when you look at them from one way, the colours look fab with the blue/purples of the lavender and ceanothus behind! When you look at them the other way, there's a nice contrast with the lime green of the lady's mantle. Not quite Chelsea I know but I just wanted to show them off a bit!!! Got them from the lovely man at Sunnyside Nursery - you should check him out, he's brilliant AND local!!!

Congratulations Cleve!!

One of my favourite garden designers, Cleve West, not only won a gold medal but also won Best In Show at Chelsea Flower Show today, and I'm very happy for him! I've always liked his approach to gardening and garden design - and if you're an allotment fan, you need to take a look at his! If I ever had the chance to have one myself that looked even half as good as his I'd be a happy bunny! If parsnips in flower are good enough for Chelsea, then they're good enough for me -  I just thought I'd share that with you!!!

KERPOW!!!

Had my new stuff at the Ashridge Garden Party fundraiser yesterday....things did not start well - wind AND rain do not a happy stall holder make! But evetually the sun came out as did the crowds plus many friendly faces popped over to say hello!!! Thanks for coming to show your support - it's always deeply appreciated even if I don't show it at the time as I'm usually overwhelmed by either punters or the fact that I'm still standing and smiling!!!

Ashridge Garden Party/Hospice of St.Francis fundraiser

I'll be having a childrenswear stall at this fundraiser on Sunday 22nd May 2-5pm at Ashridge Business School so I hope if you can you'll come along....a terrific annual event for the whole family whilst raising money for The Hospice of St.Francis
I've been busy making children's customised clothing for this event, for both girls and boys, and there's a range of accessories, new for this summer. Come and say hello!!!

SPRING FAYRE - new spring collection

I'll be showing my new Spring products at the MTAM Spring Fair - we hope you can come along....

Pick Me Up 2nd edition - part 2

This year, the pictures that stood out for me were by this artist Zara Woods (aka Woody). I liked so much I bought a limited edition print and some cards!! If only I won the lottery!!..

In total contrast, this lady must have the patience of a saint and the most steady of fingers!!Seiko Kato produces these images by cutting out details within books, in this instance, from Victorian medical books, drawings and encylopaedia, and making them into a collage on an impressive scale!!! (skull - 'subterranean' and detail)...

I have a thing about typo and alphabets!!! I even bought a limited edition alphabet by this lady. Jessica Hische is a typographer and illustrator, specialising in hand- drawn lettering.. 

Sarah Arnett had some lovely colour combinations in her nature inspired prints....

I liked the story-telling in Paul Blow's prints....

    room to speak

   no television

It's Nice That curated an illustration event with artists drawing live (amongst them was Tom Gauld but more of him later!!) and their illustrations could be purchased there and then!! Soju Tanaka's drawings were lovely but I couldn't get a photo - reminded me a little of Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki (more of that in another post!)...

I'd already blown my budget and I hadn't even got to the shop (Concrete Hermit - vouchers most welcome!) but here are two images that made me smile AND that came out OK in photos (I wasn't tall enough for some!!)

   Tom Edwards 

Adrian Johnson

And finally, Themlot had built a model city, and visitors were encouraged to be part of this interactive walk though city...

Sorry this was a while in being posted and it's rather long. I hope that if you like what you see, you'll link to the artitsts' and collectives' websites. The show was great and a real inspiration and I really hope there'll be another next year. I'll be saving like mad!