A Lovely Day for an Autumn Walk

Although it is the end of November, here in Berkshire the weather feels quite mild, especially when the sun is shining. I decided to take advantage of this, and enjoyed a pleasant walk in the sunshine.

 The Old Man's Beard I found was looking very luxurious. 

 There are still a lot of leaves left on the trees, with beautiful coppery and golden colours.

 These ivy leaves were nestling under a tree. I liked the contrast between the fallen leaves and the green of the ivy. 

Tag Tuesday-Black and White

 This week the theme for Tag Tuesday is Black and White

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The first thing that came into my head for Black and White was to do an Art Deco Tag, as this movement used a lot of black and white. I chose the Chrysler Building as it is an iconic symbol of Art Deco. I love the shape of this New York building, built in 1928-1931, and the fact that it was made to look like a car radiator in honour of the Chrysler company is just the sort of quirky fact that appeals to me. When I visited New York, I found myself  constantly looking out for the distinctive shape of this beautiful building.

For my tag I have made a collage from newspaper (a Greek one, brought back by my husband who travels a lot and obligingly brings me back useful things for my art work!). I have also used black paper, white card and fine liner pens. The edging is made from braid and ribbon.

Caversham Artists and Friends

Yesterday I went to a Christmas Fair, which was held by Caversham Artists. I have blogged about this group of local artists before, and if you follow the link you can find out more about them. It is always nice to meet local people who spend their time creating  beautiful pieces in their studios and homes. There was a variety of wares on sale, paintings, ceramics, stained glass, textiles, photography, prints, jewellery and hand made soaps. It was a good opportunity to see their current work and to buy a few bits and pieces, as well as to catch up with friends who live in the neighbourhood, over a cup of tea, and home made cake.

Etsy Shop Announcement

I am pleased to announce the opening of my Etsy shop! It is called TextureTrail and you can follow the link here.

I will be selling hand crafted and hand embroidered goods, all original pieces, which I have made.

Here are some close ups of my embroideries.

Go ahead and visit my shop! Tell your friends!

I would be very interested to have your feedback.

DESIRE Jewellery and Silversmithing Fair at Winchester

Yesterday I had a great day out at the DESIRE Jewellery and Silversmithing Fair at Winchester. There were a lot of talented exhibitors, lots to see and to buy. The venue in Winchester's Guild Hall was very appealing. It is the first time I have visited Winchester, and I thought it a very pretty place with so many cafes and restaurants I wanted to go into, a street market, and a lot of nice looking shops too. I didn't take my camera with me, as I wanted to really concentrate on looking at the jewellers' work. I am sure I will have to go back again!

River Thames at Reading Bridge

  

 Peaceful scene on the River Thames at Reading Bridge. 

 This was shattered a few seconds later by the arrival of some gulls just along the bank, snatching the bread thrown by some people for the ducks. The gulls were very noisy and entertaining, the water birds took no notice of them. I was pleased to get a shot of them swooping onto the water.

New Wooden Printing Blocks

These new wooden printing blocks have just come from Colouricious. Aren't they lovely! I am delighted with my latest purchases.

 My collection of  blocks is sitting on my work table. A clue for you about what I am working on at the moment. You may well spot some of these patterns in the things I am  making for my Etsy shop, which I hope to launch soon. 

Watch this space for news of my Etsy shop!

Tag Tuesday-Proverbs

The theme for this weeks Tag Tuesday is Proverbs

I chose "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"

I used my bird stamps and embossed them. The background is an old envelope with a paper bag on top. For the hand I used some painted up tissue paper. There is braid round the edges and washi tape. For the wording I used a banner from Graphics Fairy.

Here is a close up so you can see the birds.

Duck Pond at Kidmore End

On Sunday my husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely Sunday lunch at a country pub near us, The New Inn at Kidmore End. Afterwards went for a walk and stopped to take photos of the duck pond. It reminds me of an old gentleman I looked after in my nursing days,  who was brought up here, in this very house. He had a beautiful painting of his childhood home and often told me stories of his escapades with his eight brothers and sisters, he was the youngest of the nine.

St Laurence's Churchyard, Reading

I took these photos on my phone as I was walking through St Laurence's churchyard in Reading. 

I love the shape of this ruined archway.

The yew berries looked very dramatic lying on top of the tombstones.

 Yew trees were traditionally planted in churchyards.

Old books

I rescued these beautiful old books from a skip, which I noticed when I was walking past. I couldn't believe that anyone would just discard them like that. They are part of a set of bird books by T A Coward, and had obviously been collected by someone who treasured them, as they had little pieces of paper with notes on. I like the way the volumes look when stacked together, and also the gold cover and the wonderful illustrations inside.