This week...

I did a spring clean of my Mailing List. So a big welcome to any and all new subscribers to my blog posts. 

I am very happy to tell you that you can now find my Light Boxes in The Tuckmill Gallery in Naas Co. Kildare.  
Sorry the photograph is pretty pants. I'll take some prettier ones soon.

The feltmaking group I am part of set up our Exhibition in McCauley Place in Naas today. It will run for two weeks, a selection of just some of the pieces on show (below) Can you spot mine? It's just a tiny peek of a bigger piece.  

Over on Etsy I was featured in an amazing 5 lovely treasuries this week including one which was chosen for the front page of Etsy which is pretty dang cool. (can you guess which one got picked?)

Write it down by Shiri Avda

The World is our Playground by Stacy

 Sign on the dotted line by Dottie

Handmade Wedding by Irina from ProjectSarafan

 Drawn to her by Anne from Free Range Cowgirl (the front page treasury)

 

 And now I'm off to do some last minute prep work for two crafty birthday parties I'm doing this weekend. I see a very lovely large glass of vino in my future.

Have a great weekend.

xx  V

Designer Thursday: Something suspended

 <sup>Welcome to the very first Designer Thursday. 

Each week I will look at a certain area of the design world with the focus being on the designers and makers behind the objects. 
 
 Today I want to share some of my favourite necklaces and pendants from some of my favourite Etsy sellers.</sup>

neck·lace n. An ornamental chain or string of beads, jewels, or links worn around the neck.

pen·dant  n. Something suspended from something else, especially an ornament or piece of jewelry attached to a necklace or bracelet.

  First up we have this beautiful Archery Bow necklace by MisoPretty 

 

This Geometric Necklace is part of a range by Lithuanian designer BlueBirdLab

I absolutely love the pieces that FreshlyFig comes up with. This Cupcake Baking necklace is just one of my favourites by this Portland based maker.

Bubble Meteorite Necklace by Etsy seller Alina who hails from Sofia.
 I LOVE her Rare Diamonds collection.

 Tiny Raw Nugget Necklace by  LoveJewelryByJ

And finally just in time for Easter is this oh so cute Porcelain Bunnyby London designer Jade Gallup from Madebymeme
 

You can also find all the pieces seen here today over on my Pinterest Board here of the same name. 

Now all I have to do is decide which one to buy! Decisions, decisions.

xx V 

The week in 5...

#1 I discovered a very cool Asian Market onDrury Street in Dublin. The kind of place you know is there but you never actually go into. Well I did and bought lots of random stuff including these. The almond chocolate things didn't last the car trip home, so I'll be back as Arnie would say. Although they did have an interesting take on customer service, part of the maybe? 

#2 I also discovered a fantastic new Art Supply store. Cork Art Supplies And they are Irish. I find it really hard to source a huge number of supplies for a reasonable price in Ireland so it was a lovely surprise to see that these guys not only had what I wanted but at a competitive price too. 

#3- I've been catching up on my Etsy handmade videos over on their youtube channel. Love this guy.

#4 I see young love won't be defeated given the huge number of locks still adorning the Ha'Penny Bridge. A quirky novelty or are we defacing one of Dublin's most well known landmarks?

#5 And lastly I learnt something new this week. Ireland's favourite painting is Frederic William Burton’s Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. Now we figured this out back in May but I am fashionably late to the party. It's in the National Gallery so if you have a spare hour or two this weekend go check it out and decide for yourself. It's free too!

Have a great weekend. 

xx V

This week's loves...

This simple Ceramic tumbler from JuliaPaulPottery

The balloon lamp designed by Yves Christin for Bilumen, Italy in 1975

 I found a great selection of them for sale here

I've also decided that everything looks better spray painted. As seen over at MAKE

So what have you been up to this week? any new loves in your life?

xx V

What I've been up to...

I've been watching...

Making composting cool as only Etsy can do

 

Also watching The Newsroom. It is filling the large Revenge shaped hole in my heart.



I've been listening to...
acoustic versions of songs and Later with Jools Holland music show is fantastic at picking the best artists from here and now and somehow making them sound even better. 

loving this by The Villagers (video below)

I've been snacking on my Watermelon sorbet that I finally learned how to make. It turns out that you can find pretty much any excuse to eat sorbet. Oh look its tea time must have some sorbet, I finished doing my accounts I should treat myself to some sorbet, Oh look the Olympics are on definitely need some sorbet to go with this. You get the picture right.

I used a variation on this recipe because a) I don't have an ice cream maker and b) even if I did freezing it the night before would be far too much forward planning for me.

That's me, until next time.

xx V

Surreal snaps

How amazing is this latest surreal photograph by Etsy seller and Norwegian photographer Sonya Kanelstrad. Look once, look twice, then look again.

Check out the rest of her work here

xx V

Monday morning's Old School

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic recently. I think it's probably something to do with the copious amount of time I spend hooked up to technology in one way or another. It's also probably why I can't pass by a flea market without buying something. More on my flea market finds tomorrow. 

So I put together a little treasury. 

I can't decide which I love more, this Whale Chart from Arminho in Portugal;

or this French Botanical Chart from Bonnie and Bell in Newark, England.

Also on my lust list are this set of keys from an old typewriter. Just think of all the amazing things I could make with them...

You can find them over at etsy shop AMradio with the lovely Melissa in attendance.

Go check out the rest of my Old School crushes here.

xx V

A few of my favourite things...

  "I wear a necklace, cause I wanna know when I'm upside down." 

- Mitch Hedberg

I love the humour in this concrete cloud necklace from Etsy seller DrCraze 

Or this pendant which reminds me of a miniature tapestry from BStudio

Brass Circle Necklace by MothHouse

I've always been a fan of secret messages and hidden meanings so these Braille dog tags are right up my street. From Etsy Seller 2sistershandcrafted

That's it for now. 

xx V

BlimpCat

From the design studio of Kate and Jimmy Moore in Columbia, Missouri, USA.

I found this print in their Etsy Shop here. And I did so like it that I had to share. Hope you like it too and definitely go check out their other work. 

Etsy chop Blimpcat.

xx V

A little bit of me...

 
Just before Christmas I launched a new product line, my hand covered pencil sets, and they were so popular that they are here to stay. Here are some of the fruits of my labours...

Map of Ireland

Spiderman and the Falcon

Beano Comic Book Pencils

Superhero Comic Book Pencils

Superman and Batman Pencils

Beano Comic Book Pencils

I think the next design will be a literary range.Shakespeare's plays me thinks. Watch this space.

All pencils available on my Etsy shop.

xx V

That which we call a rose...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

- William Shakespeare 

Inspired by all the lovely feedback I got on my last treasury I put together another one. 

Check it out over on Etsy here

I can't pick a favourite so I'll let you all decide. But one this is for certain, Spring is definitely in the air.

Just peachy...

peach·y

adj. peach·i·er, peach·i·est 1. Resembling a peach, especially in colour or texture.

2. Informal Splendid; fine.

I love the ruffles on this Darling bolero. To find out more about Darling check out their website

 I'm not sure which I prefer more, the effortless updo, or the elegant peach flower...

Happy Chinese New Year

 A very Happy Chinese New Year.

Paper Chinese Lanterns by Etsy Seller EyePoetryPhotography

Chinese Lanterns Print by Etsy Seller PhotographerThatSews

Here's a little how to video from Etsy on making your own, not so traditional, paper lantern. With cocktail umbrellas. 

How-Tuesday: Cocktail Umbrella Lantern

xx V

New Products on Etsy!!

Quite excited by my new range of customised pencil sets. They've been so overwhelmingly popular at all my Christmas fairs I've launched them on my Etsy Shop.

A set of 5 hand covered dictionary pencils in a matching gift box. Now for the customised part. As they are dictionary pencils you get to choose your own letter. Then each pencil and the lid of your box will have definitions of words beginning with your letter. 

All handmade by me in my studio in Ireland. As always love to hear what you all think.

xx Vanessa

The year of the rabbit

Did you know that 2012 is the year of the rabbit? Well now you do. So with that said, you'll never guess what today's theme is...

photograph by Steve McCurry mentioned here before

Rabbit Lamp from Liberty

from moooi

Cute wedding favours from Etsy shop KaroArt

New Product Range for Christmas!!

Im very excited to announce a new product range, something that's been in the pipeline for a while and I'm launching just in time for Christmas. Those of you who see me at my monthly craft market will know about my 'dictionary pencils'. Timber Pencils covered in pages from an old dictionary, each one unique. Now as an extension of that we have the comic book pencils. 

As each set is taken from the pages of a vintage comic book no two are exactly the same. Perfect for kids of all ages! You can find this listing on my etsy shop here

Let me know what you think.