Scottish jewellers

Iona Brown - Ring with salt crystals - DJCA graduate 2011

I love making crystals, haven't done it for years, so it was nice to be reminded of them and even better to see them incorporated into her jewellery. I don't know how wearable or lasting it is but that is part of the beauty. Lots of my own paper and twig jewellery pieces are still going strong after 20 years despite everyone telling me they would fall apart quickly.


Merlin Planterose - Necklace, Ring and Silver Bowls - DJCA graduate 2011

As someone who liked working with nature to create my own metalwork, bowls and other works I'm really liking the techniques used by Merlin Planterose to, in her father's words, turn silver into stone. She used stone as both hammer and anvil to give a beautiful natural texture to her pieces, which includes stone dust from the process which gets embedded into the silver. I'd love to see and feel the effect in real life.

Faces on brooches

Constantinos Kyriacou: Brooch, 2008


Inês Almeida: Brooch- Diálogos e monólogos 2 2004-2005
Wood, silver and coins (via Klimt02)


Fabrizio Tridenti: Brooch- F. Guelfi 2007 (via Klimt02)
Plastic, oxidized silver, paper, electric wire


Bettina Speckner: Brooches, 2007+2004


Eija Mustonen: Brooch (via Hibernate)

People have been busy

Heather Smith Jones: Work in her New Etsy Shop

I'm only just beginning to catch up on what my blogging friends have been up to while I was away... needless to say many of you have been very busy. It'll take me ages to visit you all, I'm still having minimal computer time but so far it's become clear that Lisa was installing, Vanessa was writing words of wisdom, Gracia was, Heather was opening a NEW shop, Bibbi was experiencing winter but expressing spring, Camilla and Karin have been bearing the fruits of their collaboration...


Camilla Engman and Karin Eriksson collaboration 2008

There has been lots more happening but the computer is being seriously weird just now so I'm shutting it down for the day, I'm hoping it just needs a break after all the photo's I made it deal with.

Pairing: Irina & Lucy + Giveaway at 50,000

Well, there we go, January whizzed past in a matter of moments. How can we be 1/12 through 2008 already? I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the white posts. I will continue to post some of them through February, after all, it is still a wintery month here in Scotland (as evidenced by the second day of snow gales outside. But there will be a lot more colour as well, I need the colour.

I'll ease into the switch over with what I think is a good wintery pairing. I'm such a huge fan of Irina's illustrations, and this one looks so good matched with Lucy's brooch. I do like a good pairing, watch this space for more in the future. Happy February everyone.


Irina Troitskaya: Frost on flickr


Lucy Sarneel: Brooch Ensemble, 2004 via Klimt02

Now, in other news... Today, or tomorrow I will be getting my 50,000 visitor since adding the Clustr Map to my blog last May (see side bar).

My Clustr Map 7 Jan 2008 with 'show smaler clustrs' option on, Europe has totally disappeared! Hello everyone.

As far as I understand it doesn't include people viewing through rss feeds like bloglines, so I'm pretty thrilled and astonished. To mark the occasion I'm going to give away one of my little handmade books to one person who comments on the day it hits th big 50. I'll get Mr P to draw a name from a hat at the weekend and I'll contact the winner to get their address details.

Only one problem... you may have a long wait for your prize! My books are still packed up so I won't be sending it until I find them all and start posting out the pieces for the book collaboration this year, which is all a bit health dependent just now. Good luck, I hope you win!

Terhi Tolvanen, again

Terhi Tolvanen: Woodland - White Corticola, 2007


Terhi Tolvanen: Woodland - Zig Zag, 2007

I never stop loving Terhi's work and these pieces from last year's Woodland series are no exception, they're so perfect, especially White Coticola.

Pale simple jewellery

These speak for themselves in hushed tones...


Truik Verdegaal: Portraits - Brooch 2005


Bettina Speckner: Brooch, Untitled 2007 (via Klimt02)


Kristin Beeler: Honey


Åsa Lockner: Brooch, 2006

Speaking of jewellery, Abigail has a new shop. I was going to mention it when showing Ana's work (they collaborated) but I've not heard back from Ana if it's ok to post her images, will show if I get the ok. I'd show pictures but they are not on white.

Part of my 'All things white and beautiful' postings, a visual snowscape of creativity and observations in shades of white through January.

My work: Pic 'n' Mix 1990/94

Seed pods, Edinburgh Botanic Gardens 1992


'Quality' 1992, word based layered image
cartridge paper, tissue, tape, acetate, charcoal, ink, dictionary photocopies

I found some old plastic sleeves with photo's in them. I only took very quick snaps so you can see the reflections of light and my red top. You can click to see them larger, though they are very fuzzy.


Various Pieces from the early 90's

As well as these pics from an old file, I also found some contact sheets of other work including the following two, the 1st is a very large recycled copper pod, the second is phase one of a perpetual calendar which got left in a locker at college along with a whole ton of other work because I forgot the combination on the lock!


Copper Pod and Perpetual Calendar, 1993/94

I was so stressed after the Ceramics Dept. broke my degree show pieces that I gave up on the ceramics aspect and forgot about the locker entirely. When I returned the next year they had been emptied, so it was quite a treat to find I had a photo of this half made. I still have the little carved wax animals that were going to be cast as part of this piece, it was all tied in to animals on a medicine wheel.

I was researching moon lore and mythology which related to a lot of my work. In doing so I found out my animal totem was a Wolf and, given my love of wolves, I got a bit side-tracked by the book Earth Medicine. Reading the description of 'wolves' (Birth date Feb 19 -March 20) was the clearest most accurate description of myself I have ever read, both the good and the bad aspects of my personality. I must look it out again and see if I've changed since then.

My books - seaweed/biology papercut 1992

Handmade papercut book: paper, ink, thread 1992

I just liked the way this handmade book looked against the TV screen, it's not actually blue in normal light. This is the closest I've got to showing you my more interesting handmade books (other than sketchbooks) but even here you can't actually see the contents. I'm such a paper tease! I've got stacks and stacks of books, not necessarily like this one, and a plan to use them in a collaboration with a some talented people in the future.

I love red & black

Having neglected my blog I'm giving you some links to explore instead. It seemed a nice idea to illustrate the links (some old faves, some new faces) with colour themed images. I opted for red and black since it evokes winter, all those dark nights and red berries.

Grainne Morton...


Marjojo (Marion Michell)...


-Yu-Chun Chen...

Beppe Kessler...


Lina Peterson...


Lina Peterson & Polly Wales (collaboration)...


Lynette Andreasen...


Joanne Haywood...


Susie MacMurray ...



Willemijn de Greef...


Unrelated, Kat Trappa, a whole blog dedicated to cat ladders found via Bibbi.

Cecilia Levy & Sara Lechner

I couldn't sleep last night, crampy crampy crampy. I've been up for hours trying to distract myself with Flickr and chanced upon this beautiful collaboration between Cecilia Levy and textile artist Sara Lechner...


Cecilia Levy and Sara Lachner collaboration 2007

It led me to the work of Cecilia which somehow I have never come across before though judging by her flickr comments a lot of you know her work, thank god for cramps eh! Here are a couple of her illustrations...


Cecilia Levy: Tree Book detail, 2007


Cecilia Levy: 'Musing' 11x11cm
Pencil and acrylic on board 2006

See more of her birds here. I was especially moved by the sad story and illustration of her cat Kalle.

I love the layering, paleness and texture of this mixed media textile piece by Sara...


Sara Lechner: Detail, mixed media 2006

Tagged 7 things- Jade & Milla

I've been tagged by Milla of Made by Milla and Jade of Spectrescope (click their names to see their response to the 7 Things tag). I planned to blog about Jade in April and about Milla in May so this seems like the ideal opportunity to say a bit about them before listing my 7 things.

Jade Pegler of Spectrescope lives in Wollongong, Australia (coincidence - I nearly went there to do a residency after my degree). I strayed upon her blog by accident a few months ago and immediately fell in love with her work. She uses the kinds of papers that I love working with; creamy colours, clothing patterns, book pages, all intricately layered, folded, illustrated, made into books or sculpted. Paper heaven.


Jade Pegler, Crumpling & Small sculpture

Do you remember me getting excited about Origami Crumpling last year? Well she crumples in an organic, scultpural way that I far prefer to the very geometric perfection that most of the 'technical' crumplers were doing, and she photographs her pieces well. She's another person who's studio space I could spend hours on end exploring and never get bored.


Jade Pegler, work on paper


Jade Pegler, detail from 'The Mechanical Equitant'
See full piece and read more here

Camilla of Made by Milla is a seriously busy person, I've said a little about her before but I don't know if I had pics? The following three are my favourites...


Made by Milla, Self Portrait, Calico, paper, stitching


Made by Milla, St Werb's poster.


Made by Milla, Bluetit screenprint

Milla has her finger in so many pies I don't know how she keeps up with it all. Milla, you probably would say you don't keep up, but I reckon you're doing a pretty well (planning to send you some of my images to order badges in summer). She paints, sews, prints, curates, has an allotment AND she's studying. I'm tired just typing it all. Oh, and she's the only person I know who also likes Kimya Dawson, 'Hold My Hand' is one of the saddest but most powerful and beautifully sung songs ever.

Ok, it's getting late and I have to get this posted before I conk out so here goes. I have to reveal 7 things about myself and then tag 7 of you. The last tag I responded to was 6 odd things where I think I maybe did seem quite odd, so this time I've gone with some simpler things:

1. I'm 5ft 7inches tall and have UKsize 8 feet (Euro42)
2. If I feel sick I watch science fiction to distract my mind
3. I hate wool next to my skin, but tolerate merino for the warmth.
4. I like to lie in long grass in the sun and watch tiny insects going about their business.
5. I'm very shy, but once I feel at ease you can't shut me up.
6. I can't eat first thing in the morning, unless it's chocolate
7. I hate seeing food dribble on people's necks.

That Oasis add where the juice goes all over his face, eurgh, hate it. I freak out if anything sticky, like juice or jam gets on my neck. When I was about 14 I mentioned my dislike to my mum and she confessed that when I was a baby, and she was a first time mum, she didn't know that babies have folds in their skin and it was a few weeks (or more? I must ask again) before she realised I'd had food gathering in my neck crease and it had gone foosty and made my skin all horrible.

Now, since I was tagged twice, I thought I'd give you another 7, this time I'm theming it, 'things I never cease to be amazed or excited by, no matter how old I get'...
1. Seeing big blue dragonflies at a pond
2. Meeting foxes in the middle of the night
3. Watching November meteor showers
4. Playing on tree swings
5. Eating nutty chocolate
6. Finding a major bargain in thrift shops
7. Being listened to and believed

I forgot about tagging 7 of you. I'm so tired, I can't face double checking who's been tagged and who's not, can you tag yourselves and let me know in the comments? I do hope so. Got to get some sleep now. Have a great weekend.

Thinking Blogger + Vanessa Valencia

Oops, I accidentally pressed post TWICE while this was unfinished and dated last month (I'm so behind with my posts), sorry readers, my brain is like mush, can you hear it sloshing about? Here it is properly with the pictures and more up-to-date links added...


Vanessa Valencia - 'Super Cupcake, Bake Girl'
Acrylic on wood 8.5"x6"x1.75"

I was immensely surprised to discover last month that Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist (whose 'V' doesn't work on her keyboard!) nominated me for a 'Thinking Blogger Award'. I've not been doing much blog reading (but a little picture perusing) so I hadn't realised - sorry so late in my response Vanessa, and thank you, I feel really priveledged to be on your list. And don't think that I've put you on mine out of courtesy, you would have always have been on it.


Vanessa Valencia - 'Leaves will fall, fruit will ripen, time will tell'
Acrylic on wood 8.5"x6"x1.75"

I love how Vanessa's work is so distinctly her, I've seen people with a similar style, but Vanessa's are just so clearly by Vanessa. They remind of Pippi Longstocking. I VERY much wanted to be Pippi Longstocking when I was a kid. I totally identified with the mismatched clothing, long pigtails, affinity with animals and, of course, the fact that she wasn't like the other kids.

I just love the way Vanessa's images are so full of life and colour, and stories (and cakes!). It means her pictures can make you think just as much as her words can, which is great when I'm too tired to read blogs, I can skim though her images and get a burst of colour and an idea of what's happening in her life.


Vanessa Valencia - 'On a Certain day'
Acrylic on canvas 12"x12"x1.5"

The works above are all from Vanessa's most recent Thinking Blogger post (she gets lots of us thinking) where she is also announcing updates to her shop. Definitely worth a visit, though what I'd really like to to is visit her real gallery space in real life. It's one of those places that just oozes the personality of the person who makes it. I'd even more like to visit her house, she has the most fantastic collection of religious icons and the like. I bet I could spend hours, weeks, months in her house ooh-ing and ah-ing and taking photo's. I hope you are enjoying your trip Vanessa, and eating some green beans while you are away :0). Ok here's the Thinking Blogger response...

If you are nominated and decide to join in you should reveal the origininal source, say who nominated you (Vanessa), nominate 5 blogs which you read that really make you think and finally display the thinking blogger logo/button.

My 5 nominations are, in the order that I discovered them:
1. Anna Torborg - Twelve22
2. Alicia Paulson - Posie Gets Cozy
3. Lisa Solomon - Lisa's Musings
4. Vanessa Valencia - A Fanciful Twist
5a. Julie Avisar - Handmaid
5b. Anna Peach - The Golden Egret Studio (cheeky, but she makes me think most of all)

There are more, of course, of course, but these are the ones that post regularly and make me think so much they enter my dreams. And they have all positively influenced the way I live my daily life. They all have passion for what they do. They immerse themselves in things whether it be food, art, crafts, discovery, experimentation, friends, travel or just life. You ladies really have enriched my life in ways that you will probably never know, thank you.

Tomorrow I'll respond to the people who tagged me for the 7 things meme. (although bloglines readers will have already seen it, but without the pictures).