New Term...

Hello!

I have just returned from a lovely week off, during which I celebrated my 26th birthday in the beautiful town of Bruges!

It's been great having a break, but now the summer term has started (for me anyway) and there is lots to do.

This Friday a Close to Home, an exhibition I am involved with, opens at The Gallery in Masham. The exhibition supports the work of Herriot Hospice Homecare, a local charity helping house-bound patients around the hambleton district. I will be exhibiting three new pieces, and will be sharing the space with a group of contemporary artists from around Yorkshire and the north, including Angie Rogers and Elizabeth Price. The preview opens on Friday night at 7.30pm, please come down and join us for a glass of wine.

I can't quite believe it, but in only four short weeks the North Yorkshire Open Studios will begin. In case you haven't heard, over two weekends in June artists from all over the county will be opening their doors to visitors (and potential customers), and giving people a rare chance to see inside their studios, have a chat, and maybe even a cup of tea. This is my first year taking part in NYOS, and I'm really excited to by using the studio spaces at ArtisOn, near Masham to display my work. I shall be sharing the venue with 3 other great artists, Charlotte Morrison (ceramics), Josie Beszant (collage/assemblage), and Ian Scott Massie (painter/printmaker and incidentally, my dad!). Please please come along to visit us, enjoy some tea and cake, and watch us do some demonstations of our work.

North Yorkshire Open Studios: June 9th/10th and 16th/17th, studio opening times 10.30am - 5.30pm.

For more information on us, or the many other fantastic artists taking part, and a map so you can plan your route, visit the NYOS website here.

I better get on with preparing some work. Bye!

Rosie x

Button wreath giveaway and handmade christmas cheer!

Hi there!

Just a quick one today, firstly to invite you to enter a fanstastic giveaway to win one of my handmade Christmas decorations.

The giveaway is not being hosted by me, but by the lovely Kathryn Sharman, the author of the excellent Katgotthecream blog. Kathryn is a blogger and freelance journalist, who tirelessly seeks out creative makers, vintage clothes and accessories, and beautiful home products, and gives them the spotlight on her addictive blog. Kat generously agreed to host a giveaway for me to celebrate the relaunching of my etsy shop Underthecoldtap, which features handmade jewellery and home decorations.

The item up for grabs is this:

A handmade vintage button wreath, made with collected vintage buttons and silver-plated wire. This decoration is perfect for Christmas, but frankly it can be displayed all year round! It's completely unique and there is only one to give away, so for your chance to win check out Kathryn's blog here. If you miss your chance, but would like a button wreath, there will be more listed on my shop very soon, but here's one already up for sale.

In other news, last night we decorated our flat for Christmas, and I felt I had to show you a few snaps. I've been making a lot of decorations this year in preparation for my last two workshops at ArtisOn, so there's a bit of a sheet music/map/tissue paper theme going on here, but being able to work next to a Christmas tree all day is just grand. The paper baubles are on sale in The Gallery, Masham, should you be interested in investing....

Thats it today, have a great run-up to Christmas, shop locally and support your neighbourhood businesses, and don't forget Etsy and Folksy for great handmade gifts.....

Rosie x