13.9.09

Seasonal Changes

Last match of the season

Things are changing. Throughout the summer it has been my humble goal to earn a minimum of £50/$80 a week. Just to get by with food, bills and the odd bottle of beer. I managed that. Many, many thanks to everyone who supported me and purchased my bits and bobs. Now I find that the handful of 'seeds' I have been secretly planting are starting to sprout; an ongoing job which has been stop-starting since February has started again. Another seed sown two years ago has finally put forth shoots and to my delighted surprise I was summoned to London for a business meeting last Friday.


Our country train station, not as sleepy as it looks.

If all goes well, I will be working on projects that fulfill my wildest dreams, with (for the first time) the freedom to indulge my imagination completely. But, that is as far as I can say; as is usual, these things remain confidential until they go public. What it does mean is that making things for sale will take a back seat and I can cease worrying about earning that £50 a week.





What it also means is that I am stretched to my limits time-wise. I am keeping up the exercise though, although I rather overdid it yesterday; a nine mile cycle followed by a four mile walk in the sun has left me exhausted. For those of you who do not get bored with my endless ramblings, it is recorded on my Cotswold Peeps blog (not too much text and lots of nice pictures) My morning cycle was happily diverted by a village yard sale. I restrained myself from visiting all of the venues, but found an excellent haul for only a few pounds.



An enamel pot, a nutmeg grater and only-slightly-chipped hare mug = £1.20p/$2.00 the lot. The pot and the grater still had their Daylesford price stickers on; the uber-upmarket, organic, lifestyle (sorry, 'farmers') shop, just up the road. They originally cost an eye watering £9.99/$16.65 and £12.99/$21.65 - and were barely used.



A useful box for 50p/.83 cents. Because you can never have enough useful boxes. And best of all, for a princely £2.00/$3.00, a wonderful little etching of Bertram Mills circus, signed by the artist 'Gould' - whoever they were. In a vintage frame.



I did much Googling, but failed to trace them. It is so skillfully done and with such lovely composition that I am sure it was rendered by a trained artist.




Next week I will be able to show a fully grown 'seed', planted earlier this year and now grown to fruition. For now, I must try to keep on top of everything; game over, and back to the pavilion for another winter.



37 comments:

tlawwife said...

I'm so excited for you and your new adventures. Sending my best thoughts your way.

The fabric of my life said...

Fingers crossed for you darling. Love your finds too, wonderful x

rachel said...

Oh, this does sound exciting! And promising.

Your yard sale finds are splendid too.

Fibrespace said...

That sounds very exciting, I'm intrigued.

ellen said...

My heart sings for you!

Catherine Hayward said...

I'm so happy that you are able to run riot with your creativity now. Wonderful news!
Those yard sale finds are lovely (oh, the little drawer under the nutmeg grater! Small squeal of joy)
That picture is charming. Something in the line and composition reminds me of Toulouse-Lautrec
:)

Sue said...

Exciting! I love bargain finds and I love the sound of your new project :-)

tut-tut said...

definitely Toulouse-L in that; hmm.

Looking forward to hearing your break-out tale!

Anonymous said...

Oh how exciting! I SO want to be able to support myself with my creativity but I'm not there yet. Congrats to you and I can't wait to hear all the juicy details! Oh, and I LOVE that little railway station!! It looks so quaint and peaceful.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Fall is harvest time after all, Can't wait to hear. Love the hare mug (that was predictable). The Gould looks compositionally like a Lautrec, but different characters. hmmmm.

Mytutorlist.com said...

Good luck on your new projects! I am happy to hear that the seeds you sowed are starting to yield fruit.

Frances said...

Keeping my curiosity at bay, and sending along huge good wishes to you regarding the secret projects. Of course, all of us already know that you are immensely talented and have a very unique style. It sounds as if we might soon be sharing this information with a wider audience.

Cheers! xo

Wyldhare said...

This is such wonderful news! I am grinning and bouncing and excited and can't wait to hear all the details. Congratulations!!!

Caroline B said...

Exciting times - you deserve it!

Magpie Magic said...

Fingers crossed it all works out just as you hope. Best of luck. Love your new bargain print.

Suze said...

Congratulations Gretel on making your target for the summer, and such lovely finds...and how wonderfully exciting is your news...good luck and congratulations on whatever it is. You deserve it.

And my curiosity is piqued ;)...wondering what this seed is showing.

Jess said...

Oh Gretel you have us in suspense! A tiny clue? Is it illustration work? Well done at sowing your clever seeds, I look forward to seeing them bloom!xx

menopausalmusing said...

There are an awful lot of positive thoughts flying through cyberspace to you. :O)

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

What exciting news ! Can hardly wait to hear all about it.

(())

Unknown said...

It is very wonderful and encouraging to hear news of your good news! I've been anxiously watching for any sign of sprouting from seeds I've been planting. Nothing yet but you've given me hope!

Chrissie said...

So excited for you! Can't wait to hear what the news is. And I love the little box you managed to find in the yard sale.

Janet Metzger, Artist said...

you deserve all the good coming your way Gretel. You have me so curious about all of this...do tell soon ;-)
Good Luck and keep us posted.
your friend across the pond,
Janet
ps...I simply love my Lemon Chicken!!!

BumbleVee said...

it is sounding pretty interesting over here Gretel.... love to hear of sown seeds bearing fruit ... or tomatoes or courgettes..or whatever.... I say courgettes because it seems they go great guns over there..... and here, I have to pay $1.49 a pound for them!

jfidz said...

Fantastic news about your future endeavours Gretel - you thoroughly deserve all the good stuff that comes your way.

Soozcat said...

Wishing the very best for you, Gretel.

Liza said...

Can't believe you got that fab etching so cheaply! Best of luck with your new project.

Yarrow said...

Well done Gretel, you so deserve this as you've worked jolly hard to get where you are. You continue to be an inspiration and when I feel despondent, you remind me that it is possible to live by your dreams.

kx

Syren said...

Just had a peep at Cotswold Peeps. Just what the doctor ordered. I am 4 years overdue for my 10 yearly visit back home and sometimes really miss England especially now as I've just had a visit from my cousin. Since no trip is likely to happen for quite some time Peeps is the next best thing. Thank you.

Jenny said...

I'm in suspense about your upcoming plans. I can't believe that it's the last game of the season! I'm sure it was only yesterday that the you posted about the first ball of the season! Here in Australia cricket season's only just around the corner!

Kim said...

Very much looking forward to hearing about your secret project - fingers well and truly crossed for you!
Kim xx

Debbies-English-Treasures said...

Well done with the exercising!
And beautiful treasures!
The little circus picture, is so sweet!
What a fab find!

ENJOY LIFE`S SIMPLE TREASURES,
DEBBIE MOSS

Mlle Miracle said...

I'm so happy for you, Gretel!
It's always a pleasure to read your posts, but this one put a smile on my face. You deserve it, you know that!
By the way, if you want a needle holder like mine, I could send you one, just e-mail me!

Kim Dellow said...

oh what an exciting time - good luck in your 'seed' :) Kim

tut-tut said...

I'm looking again at the picture; you should have the frame looked at. It might be equally interesting.

Anonymous said...

Those were really nice catches at the sale! I can usually only buy second hand books and clothes since I've limited space and move flat frequently - but oh well, some day in the future I'll be able to indulge!

And all the best with your plans! It seems like quite an exciting time for you :)

Gordon Fraser said...

Easy! FINDING NEMO!!!!!

(I claim my two points in the name of the Gothtwinz!)

Bee said...

I'm so glad that it is harvest time for you, PG. The beautiful, simple life you have created for yourself is so wonderful, but I'm sure it would be nice to fret less about making all the ends meet . . . unless they are made of thread, of course.