Pay It Forward - Part Two

 

Part Two

Having only four comments to my previous post has made things rather easier to choose - so the following four people will receive a home-made gift from me within a year of the posting date.They are:-

 

Annabellouise

 

 

City Crafters

 

 

Linda

 

 

Flying Blind

Lucky them (hahaha) - I am shaking in my 'Uggs' at the thought of making  ANYTHING  for super crafter Hadley at Flying Blind. However, will do my very best!


Regarding 'City Crafter' - seem unable to link with her - anyone know how? Seems only f'riend's connect', which I do not use.

Cauliflower Soup

An Easy And Delicious Soup

 

On Friday night we ate at a Raymond Le Blanc restaurant in Teddington after a Private View at
The Landmark Art Centre Autumn Art Show. We often eat there and I am always surprised at the delicious food - often very simply cooked but always extremely tasty and good value for money.

Mr Whizz Kid raved about his cauliflower soup as though he had died and gone to heaven during the course. I have previously made this soup before at home and he hated it! I tasted his soup and realised why it was so much better than my own - it was smooth and (unhealthily) creamy. I had previously left a little texture in my recipe - not only was it not so smooth but definitely not this creamy.

So for lunch today I decided to give this simple soup another try ...

Cauliflower

Ingredients:-

Cauliflower
Vegetable stock cube
Little water
Pepper and Salt
Double cream

Optional bacon

Method:-

Chop the cauliflower roughly using all the florets and the small inner green leaves and discarding the thick stalk and outer leaves.
Place in saucepan with the stock cube and cover with a little boiling water.
Cook until tender.
Place cooked vegetable and water in a liquidiser and blend until totally smooth.
You may need to do this in two smaller batches.
Now add double cream until desired thickness is achieved.
Season with salt and pepper.

Liquidised to within an inch of its life

This can be served immediately with some good bread or alternatively with fried chopped bacon crumbled on top. Mr Whizz Kid wanted both!

A really yummy lunch prepared in less than fifteen minutes - great if you like cauliflower!

Landmark Art Centre

Autumn Art Fair

Landmark Art Centre
Teddington, Middlesex
Photo By Matthew Andrews

 

The Landmark Art Centre in Teddington is a wonderful venue and is regularly used for anything pertaining to arts and crafts. This weekend was the very special Autumn Art Fair.  There were over eighty contributors covering all areas of arts and crafts - fine art, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, glass, prints and photography were the majority of crafts covered but there were others too numerous to mention.

The Fountain Gallery in Hampton Court had a joint stall with some lovely works by the collective. I particularly liked the work of Linda Walsh who creates architectural scenes with stitch and paint. The artist Nicky Browne who specialises in linocut prints and cards and books had a separate stall nearby where some of her humourous things were on sale. I bought a delightful booklet about French Tarts, which is most amusing.

Sara Cox Ceramics were magical renditions of the most amusing animals and scenes, and Alison Lumb had the most inspiring digital prints and paintings for sale. Sadly I took few photos as the place was rather too crowded to get any good shots.

An amazing wirework artist called Helaina Sharpley had some amusing exhibits - I particularly liked her dresser with wirework teacups hanging in space. I had never seen this art form before and I was totally smitten. Do look at her site.







Stunning ceramic hearts

Some lovely ceramic work was made by Mary Mcfadden of Kingswood in Kent. She obviously likes teal blue and lots of her jugs and platters had a really lovely muted blue background. Her hearts were superb and very reasonably priced and would look wonderful on a Christmas tree. Her pretty jugs were my favourite pieces and, once again, I was unable to photograph them. due to crowds around her stall.


A wonderful spot was filled with eccentric animals made with wire and metal and other mixed media. The sculptor, Dianne Preston obviously adores animals and her humourous depictions were great.
I fell in love with Bruno ...

Beautiful Bruno

Kaffe Fassett Autobiography



Dreaming In Colour

The truly amazing Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett has led an extraordinary life and is a captivating storyteller with a vivid memory. Born in 1937, he spent much of his youth in Big Sur, California, where his parents bought a cabin from Orson Welles and transformed it into the world-famous Nepenthe restaurant, a gathering place for artists and bohemians. After attending a boarding school run by the disciples of Krishnamurti, an Indian guru, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then traveled to England, where he made his home. After an inspiring trip to Inverness, Scotland, Fassett began designing knitwear for Bill Gibb, and then the Missonis, Vogue magazine, and private clients like Lauren Bacall and Barbra Streisand, and, in the process, revolutionized the handknitting world with his explosive use of color. Further explorations led him to needlepoint, mosaics, rugmaking, tapestries, yarn and fabric design, costume and set design, and quilting. Now in his seventies, Fassett continues to produce new work and to travel worldwide to teach and lecture. In this intimate autobiography, Fassett shares rich, detailed stories about his lifelong creative journey as well as hundreds of glorious photos taken along the way."
Via Amazon






















I have recently been galavanting around the world and doing very little in the way of crafting - trying to make up for the loss of the past two years travel due to my illness. This book is going to change all that!  I have been totally inspired to once again take up sewing, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, art, embroidery and all those other colourful occupations that have recently been set aside. From the moment I opened the book and saw the glorious endpapers I knew that I was in for a special treat. It truly is inspirational.

Eye popping colour from K.F.

Even more eye popping colour from K.F.

If you, too, need some inspiration and some colour back in your life then put this book on your Christmas list. If you cannot wait this long then this book is available at  Amazon  for £25.

My favourite K.F. fabric of the moment
Brassica Green
 

Brighton Trip

Sunny Day In Brighton
And
Yo Sushi!

Brighton on the south coast of England

Map of The Lanes

The Beach

The Brighton Pavillion

George 1V
Via tumblr
 

George 1V came to Brighton in 1783 while only 21 years and fell in love with the area. At this time Brighton was popular with the wealthy and later when he became King George 1V  this love affair flourished and it became a recluse for the Royals and their wealthy friends. He later bought a small farmhouse on the site of The Pavillion, which later became a wing of the modern day Pavillion. 

Indian style minaretes, grand architecture and Chinese inspired interior design completed the building and by 1823 the building was a breathtaking palace. George 1V died in 1830 and the Pavillion was bequeathed to William 1V who used it as a holiday home in the cold winters. In 1837 Victoria became Queen and later sold the building to The Brighton Commisioners in 1850. It is now publicly owned and beautifully restored.

The Brighton Pavillion

View of The Pavilion

The Gardens

The Gardens

We had a lovely day in Brighton and luckily the sun was shining, We had a delicious Japanese  lunch in  Yo Sushi  and a healthy walk along the Promenade afterwards. Here are a few pics.







The Marina



Yo Sushi

Delicious food whizzing by

The Beach

Brighton Lanes are known for their creative and quirky shops - they are based in a maze of lanes and backwaters and are home to some of the most influential designers in the UK. We bought lots of handmade Christmas gifts (can't show you these),  ate lots of food, and drank lots of wine and then afterwards ate tea and cakes! A good time was had by all.









Yummy end to the day

I was particularly searching for some Lara Aldridge glass that I have bought before in crafts shops in Brighton. Her smaller works consists of small tiles infused with coloured metals, which can be used for decoration (I use mine for coasters). I have quite a collection of her tiles and some of her beautiful bowls and am a great fan of her unusual work. Sadly she generally now works on larger installations and her smaller pieces are rather difficult to find.

Glass bowl infused with coloured metals

Glass tile infused with metals and pearls

Brighton based Lara was apparently inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt who also used a 'collaging' effect to produce 'patchwork' art. Luckily I did manage to buy some small pieces of her work for Christmas presents.

A small glass wall panel

Another of my favourite Brighton designers is Emma Harris  of  "Made In Brighton". Do look at her blog of  lovely Brighton artists works ...  here.  I am also a great fan of Lisa Jane from Brighton and Hove who sells her beautiful stuff on Etsy. This her link ...  Lisa Jane

By Lisa Jayne
Via Etsy

Everywhere we went the catchy tune "Gangnam Style" was playing - I LOVED IT! Afterwards, looking at the amusing video I loved it even more! Isn't it fun?

Good Medicine

Day Out At The Medicine Garden

Cobham, Surrey

Even before you get to the entrance of this lovely garden you know that you are in for a special treat. The Medicine Garden, tucked away in a quiet country lane in the centre of Cobham, is a delightful place to visit. Converted recently from a derelict stud farm the whole area is one of tantlising herb gardens, pretty sights and  enticing shops and a cafe. The Managing Director, Paul Studholme, and his delightful family, has made a superb job of turning this area into one that will bring you back time and again for a visit.

Lavender

Message From Paul Studholme:


The Seed Of An Idea:

"I was fifteen when I fell in love with plants and gardens. After studying horticulture at college I owned my own professional landscaping business, winning numerous awards for garden design.

In 2006 I discovered this magnificent example of a Victorian Walled Garden, which although derelict and in desperate need of repair and restoration, filled me with excitement. As I walked around I was overwhelmed by the beauty and mystery of the site; from its formidable walls to the broken down and overgrown Victorian glasshouses.

A few of us got together to develop an idea that we could put forward to the landowner to win a long-term lease. Around a dining room table we came up with the idea of a space of beauty, a place of ‘good medicine’, where people could come and be inspired, relax, play and take some ‘good medicine’ home with them".

You are very welcome.

Paul Studholme.

Purple sage

Good Medicine

Indeed

I only recently discovered The Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey and it truly is an amazing place. A garden, a farm shop, a gift shop, a treatment room, a garden shop,  plants, a cafe and so much more. There is so much to do in this beautiful walled space - yoga, tai-chi, a boot-camp to get fit, a treatment room for aromatherapy, massage,  herbal therapy, etc., and so many events throughout the year. And best of all ... a craft room! There is also a thriving courtyard community where lots of arts and crafts can be taught or bought.  It is a small space; a little over two acres but bursting with interest ...  and a great place to learn a new skill and to have a little walk and a big lunch!

I hope that these many photos have encouraged you to pay a visit to this delightful place. I certainly will be going again and again and again!

For all you craft people there are  'MakeMe Workshops'  info@makemeworkshops.com. where there are lots of workshops running throughout the year including cooking, knitting, crochet, felting, embroidery, jewellery making and many, many more. I do hope to see you there!


If you would like to know more about the origins of  The Medicine Garden they have an ebook that describes the history of the site that is accessible here