24.12.12

Gisela Graham circus


We aren't decorating this year, so I will inundate my blog with images of the toy circus decorations I designed for the Gisela Graham company a couple of years ago. I've not been to any shops, so would love to know if anyone in the UK has seen them - or even has bought some.
























A peaceful Christmas to everyone from Bodge Cottage.

21.12.12

Bodge Cottage Visitors

  

Our first was not so much a visitor but very welcome all the same. Stephen Grogan, our new chimney sweep, who swept out our crud filled flue. This is one of the flues that we were assured by the previous owners were regularly cleaned: indeed the last time they was serviced, the company had said they barely needed cleaning! Had we known just how bad a state they really were in, they would have been the first thing to be sorted out. As it was, we used the main burner for a few weeks before Stephen cleared it of a large amount of very flammable residue, which could have caused a chimney fire.




Last month we had proper guests, our dear  stalwart friends from Cinderhill Farm drove up from the forest of Dean to be our first visitors, despite the deplorable state of our decor. These good people are storing my various letterpress treasures and helped us with the big move. They stayed for supper by the fire.




This time they brought local Severn cider, farm cured bacon and four precious winter eggs, two duck, two hen from their own flock.




In a great bit of recycling, their own two breed sows have enjoyed the leftover cider apples used to make the Severn cider - here is Lady Penelope with a big smile on her face. (Neither of them are the bacon above).




Also welcome visitors this month were Valerie and Sue, two bloggers I've known for  a while, who are now a little nearer to me. Valerie of course, is 'Acornmoon' and has written about her visit and Sue is 'Mouse Notebook'. They too brought lovely gifts...





Sue had brought us both one of these delightful little chapbooks from the Incline Press, who we visited recently - I met the people at the Incline Press before I knew that Sue knew them; what a very small world it can be.






As you can see, we all got on as well in real life as we have done online - Sue on the left, Val in the middle, both looking glamorous and me on the right looking rustic but happy.





Latest attempts to drag this cottage into some kind of habitable state - the bathroom was hiding this rather twee plastic floral paper behind a mirror.




Andy has begun stripping out all the ghastly trappings, including the cheap dado rail. One day we will get the walls fixed properly, but as funds won't stretch that far, he is just filling in the holes and painting the walls with a nice vintage-y turquoise. It can only be an improvement, but it will be a few years before I get a bath. Showers just don't do it for me.





I now know I am  finally growing up...I want to wake up on Christmas morning and find that Santa has fitted a new damp course, re-plastered and painted all the walls, re-floored my studio, fitted a new bathroom with bath, ditto kitchen with a range, re-landscaped the garden and levelled the drive. Oh and a proper bed would be nice. Bit of a change from a Tintin book and a magic kit.

12.12.12

Mollie Makes - chicken brooch


It has been one heck of a month. I think we've been walloped with so many life events this year - some good, others dreadful -  that we are just reeling from it. However, there is always needle felting and I am so pleased that 'Mollie Makes' have used another of my patterns for their latest issue - a chicken brooch, easy and quick to make, with written and photographic instructions. It's in issue 21  which is in shops now,  available to buy online here or as a digital download  here.




It was also lovely to be in the same section as my online friend, Debs - 'Imagination of a Ladysnail' who has her sweet character brooches featured. We've followed each other's progress for years, and it's so nice to be celebrating a bit of success together. Deb's blog is here.

Latest order to be finished; eight Christmas Cottages for one lucky  person's tree. I'm all cottage'd out for the moment, but you can find the pattern in 'Mollie Makes Christmas' and make your own - I'd love to see pictures of the results.



26.11.12

Bodge Cottage Fundraiser


2004 Watercolour/sepia ink

I have started selling off my archives to raise money for much needed home repairs. It's all work I've hung on to because I like it - there are some golden oldies in there -  but needs must. All of it is unframed and unmounted, so I'm asking a third less for each one than I would if they were ready to hang. Most are £100 or less - and shipping is free!




♥ SOLD ♥



2004 Watercolour/pencil


 

2006 Watercolour/pencil


  
♥ SOLD ♥



2005 Watercolour/pencil





♥ SOLD ♥



♥ SOLD ♥



 'We Three Kings' (variation on number one)

♥ SOLD ♥



Watercolour/pencil 2004




♥ SOLD ♥



20.11.12

Logs, roads and views


 

A very popular property presenter on television says that there is always a compromise when choosing a house,  no matter what the budget. This is our compromise and it's a biggie. We are on a road. Something I once vowed was non-negotiable. It is usually quiet but it does have busy periods early in the morning and at home time. Some drivers slow down, some don't and as we are close to several farms, there is an interesting variety of tractors and feed trucks trundling past. It's ok most of the time.  We compromised because along the hedge from where this top photo was taken, is all of our nice big private garden, down to our little cream cottage which is further down. There is nobody overlooking us (except the cows in the field next door).  That was more important to us than the road.



Andy has taken down the sold sign. He is standing in the small front yard which opens directly onto the road. At some point in the distant future we will enclose it, so that the cats can go out. At the moment they can only go out if we keep an eye on them, as the risk of them going under some wheels is too great. Of course, they make a beeline for the road, not the big field on the other side!



But ten minutes down the road, I can turn off into this little lane which is old, deep and less used. It takes me up to some lovely views; I can see brooding Caer Caradoc from here, in the distance.




And although we really DO live in the middle of nowhere now,  the log man lives just half a mile away.






 Delivered by tractor, in time for the cold snap.