Etsy Shop Stocked For Christmas

Dear neglected bloggy.  I grammed and pinned and tweeted and chimped this, and forgot all about you, old friend.

Anyway, the point is, there are things, lots of things, in my Etsy shop.

Just in case you were wondering where the heckins you could get a stained glass gherkin for Aunty Gloria in time for Christmas, look no further.

Christmas Card Designs For Woodmansterne Cards

I was contacted by Woodmansterne Cards a while back about licensing a couple of my designs for their Christmas card range, which was totally exciting as it's something I've often thought about looking into, but didn't know how to go about it.  I was also delighted to discover that my designs would be helping to raise money for two great charities (British Heart Foundation and Childline).

These cards have been in the pipeline for quite a long time, about 18 months or so I think, so it was pretty thrilling to receive the samples in the post a few weeks back - and it's taken me that long to find a moment to photograph them.  Luckily, Isla and I had just been to the local garden shop and had snaffled a load of helpfully tidied up their assorted crab apple windfalls, so while we were playing with them and arranging them in in size and colour order (we know how to party), I squeezed in a quick photoshoot.

Available online from here.

Christmas Exhibitions, New Cards and an Apology...

If you subscribe to my newsletter, you can skip this blogpost, because it's essentially a copy and paste I worked really hard to ensure that my blog and newsletter are both on-message.

Firstly I'm taking part in two Christmas Exhibitions, at two of my favourite galleries: Fox and Worthington (in my hometown of Bridport) and Rostra Gallery in Bath as part of the Bath Christmas Market - my work will be available in their wooden chalet (now doesn't that sound cosy?). Available to buy will be all the usual suspects - Singing Birds, Egg Men, Cheeky Sprouts etc... And by popular request, I have made some more Russian Dolls, although I have tweaked the design a little.


I've also had two new card designs printed - you know, for Christmas. They will be available to buy at Fox and Worthington and I've also listed them in my Folksy and Etsy shop. Two Brussel Sprouts giving each other the side eye and my alt. Santa creation - Caspar. 

Lastly, an apology.  My Etsy shop.  Is virtually bare.  Which is good for me because it means that I've sold lots of things lately, bad for you because it is unlikely I'll get time to make many more things before Christmas as I have a couple of nice commissions that I need to finish asap.  But if that situation changes I'll let my newsletter subscribers hear first - you can sign up to receive a (non-spammy, infrequent) copy over there in the sidebar.  

Christmas Post.

Just a quickie to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

This is Caspar, one of the new designs that I did for the Fox and Worthington Winter show. He's a modern day Wise Man - he doesn't bring you a load of old tut that you didn't want, just one really special thing that you love.

See you in January, lots of exciting new things afoot in 2014!  

Contemporary Stained Glass Angels + Advent App

A host of Angels for The Stained Glass Museum Shop.  Last year I made them in a range of pastel colours, this year they're dressed in sparkly Jack Frost white.

Can I confess that I used to rather dislike this type of glass - but look how pretty it is on a wintery infant-school-nativity angel!

✳ ✶ ❉ ❊ ❄ ✺ ✻ ✸ ✳ ❋ ❆ ✳

I was very happy to see that Binny Talib has designed another beautiful Advent Calendar app.  Me and the kids loved last years (it was still being played with well into October!) so we can't wait for next Sunday to open the first door.  The illustrations are sweetly charming, and combined with jaunty barbershop quartet music and wonderfully inventive activities each day, I hope this will become a very modern Christmas tradition.  You can download it here.

P.S.  If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you will have seen me get a bit emosh and excitable about our cat Dodger, who had been missing for 6 weeks, being rescued from a narrow gap in between two buildings by an estate agent.  Very skinny and weak (the cat, not the estate agent), but alive, and now back home with us.  He is very happy to be back.  So are we.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Somehow, amidst all the Christmas shopping I've been doing for friends and family, I seem to have bought a few things for me.  Like this video.  Yes, a real VHS video (why isn't it available on DVD?!  It's brilliant).  And this magazine (I do hope someone is getting me a subscription for next year because apart from everything else I love about it, I do l-o-v-e the smell of it.)  And a book.  You might remember I recently found one in the series but was keen to find Do You See What I See.  I was right to be keen, it's just lovely.  Too many gorgeous illustrations to choose from, so for now I've just picked the most Christmassy to show.  There is a great interview with Helen Borten here.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  Many thanks to everyone who has bought from my shops or commissioned windows from me this year, I am very grateful for your support.

(And also virtual hugs and mince pies to all the lovely and super blog/twitter/instagram/pinterest friends - may your Christmasses be interesting and photogenic, as well as full of fun, love and laughter.)

See you in 2013!

Contemporary Stained Glass Angels

New in to my shops this Christmas - these cherubic little angels to bring the message of Peace, Love & Joy to your house.  Available individually or in sets of three.

Hand-painted using kiln-fired paints on pretty pastel coloured glass with little air-bubbles and striations. The glass used for the white angel has a lovely star pattern embossed on it (just visible in the last photo).

Each face is different, no two will be the same.

Personalised Contemporary Stained Glass Love Birds / Christmas (sorry)

I've just finished this pair of little love birds which was commissioned as a wedding present.  The heart in the middle is a beautiful piece of Lamberts Antique and is a beautiful shade of rose pink.  The glass is crazy expensive, because it is made with real GOLD to achieve that particular colour.

I've also listed it on Etsy as a made to order item.  The heart could have initials, a date or a name painted on it, and would make an original gift to celebrate an engagement, wedding, anniversary (especially a gold wedding anniversary!) or new baby.

I'm also well ahead of the game this year with a few early Christmas listings (shhh, I know, I know).  I wouldn't normally be this organised but I have a few bits of press coming out in October and November, so best to be prepared.

Baubles 

Crofter's Cottage

Norwegian Spruce

Mary and Joseph

More Freebies...

I'm officially on holiday now.

All orders have been despatched and I'm fully in Christmas mode.

By which I mean I have a horrible cold and 

Stones Ginger Wine within arm's reach at all times.

I might even wrap some presents tonight.

And, as well as these, I might use some of the
free printable gift tags I've been bookmarking:

from

from

from

from

Okay, this last one's not free, but they are gorgeous.

from

I don't know if I'll get a chance to do another post before the 25th,

so I shall wish you all...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Have a wonderful time xxx

D.I.Y. Paper Chains

We've been having fun making paper chains.

Firstly we just cut up A4 sheets of coloured paper into strips across the width...

...but then I remembered some wonderful Eastern European embroidery designs 

on some faded paper that my mum had unearthed in a dusty old shop

on a visit to the Czech Republic a couple of years ago.

A bit of scanning, slicing and sticking later....

To make them, you will need: 

Good quality A4 paper (I used card from the pound shop)

A ruler, cutting mat, sharp blade, pencil, double sided tape.

You can download the three A4 sheets I used as printable PDFs here:

Sheet 1

Sheet 2

Sheet 3

Enjoy!

***Not for commercial use - please only use for personal projects.  Thank you!***

Last Chance

There's still just enough time to place an order 

for "made to order" items in my shops (UK only)

Last order date is Tuesday 13th December.

I do have some items in stock and ready to post though.

Last date for those will be 20th December.

Pop-up Shop

I'll be taking part in this Pop-up Shop event at The Pie Factory

in the hip n' cool Old Town, Margate, Kent between 16th - 23rd December.

There'll be lots of fab makers and doers joining in, including Ohh Deer, 

Rachel Loves Bob, Tri and Gull, Sanna Panda amongst others.

A great chance to pick up some last minute Christmas presents.

Sunday

We went to my sister's cottage to make the Christmas Pudding.

There are always interesting things to see there.

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose

About this time last year I ordered some festive postcards of my work.

But I managed to get the text upside down on the reverse (idiot).

I didn't want to waste these nicely printed cards, and then I had an idea.

They make very lovely gift tags.  Which I shall be attaching to all my gifts.

*cough* and selling on Folksy and Etsy in packs of 5 for £3.50 (free UK postage) *cough*

Norwegian Spruce

'Norwegian Spruce Fir Tree' stained glass decorations 

now available to order on Folksy and Etsy.

In super bright colour combinations - Turquoise! Yellow! Orange!

Hand painted onto beautiful Polish handmade mouthblown glass,

before being kiln-fired and leaded in the traditional way.

Familiar Faces

I'm going to be making Mary and Josephs to order again this year,

as well as making a few to have in stock.

They always prove very popular, and I'm using slightly brighter shades

of red and blue Polish mouthblown glass for their robes.

I like the idea of making a full stained glass nativity set, 

with a camel, wise man, shepherd, Angel Gabriel et al.