…that shines in the darkness. On this shortest day, we are lighting candles, that eternal symbol. It reminds me of that precious, soulful, quote that has come to my mind many many times when observing or experiencing the darker side of life… “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”. We have […] Read more...
Make a magical mosaic decoration with a secret heart…
Shhh! Don’t tell Granny & Grandad! Isabella and Toby have been making a very special mosaic decoration as a gift for them. Not just any mosaic decoration, but one with something special on the inside… Have a sneek peek, then maybe you can have a go too? There’s a long version (involving paper mache’!) and […] Read more...
Advent (mis) adventures!
Every year, we prepare for Christmas…. We empty an alcove in our dining room and add some fairy lights… Ooooh, this is a good spot for sitting in… Very cosy, add a cushion… Oh yes, and a cat too… Use a staple gun to add some material in front of the lights. The ‘cave’ is […] Read more...
Mosaic scatter paintings for you to try!
I read in Elaine Goodwin’s Encyclopedia of Mosaics about a mosaic technique that involves freely scattering mosaic tiles over a substrate prepared with mortar – it intrigued me for two reasons, firstly that it is much more random than normal mosaic making processes and secondly that it provides for a way of using up left […] Read more...
Free toys – love and fun included!
This is Sally. She was made with a lot of love by my little boy, Toby (with some help from Mummy). Component parts: an empty salt tub, a lid, yoghurt pot, old insulating foil, insulating tape (she is very warm!) some pipe cleaners and good old British milk bottle tops from our doorstep milk bottle […] Read more...
Children’s mosaic tea light holder (& tip for 3d work)
Carrying on the series of tutorials for making mosaics with children (that is good for very little ones as well as bigger kids), here is a lovely tea light holder for you to make that involves no cutting and materials that are readily available. The key thing to notice here is the type of glue […] Read more...
Arty party party party!
We came, we gathered, we made… Sally Dunnett from Smart Glass UK teaching us how to make beautiful fused glass creations… My glass creation (several layer of stacked glass, including gorgeous dichroic) ready to go in the kiln A few more creations prior to fusing… Next, in the pub, making jewelry under the tuition of […] Read more...
Snow play and Finnish ice lamps…
Could this be our first ever white Christmas? It is snowing as I type. Our usually, dull, grey, damp London is looking like something out of a Dickensian novel… and we are loving it. All of us are now on holiday (yippee!) and I am finally catching up on the backlog that built up due […] Read more...
On crafting, mosaic exhibition prep and snowy London!
Snow is coming to South London tonight – the first time in decades that we have had snow in November. Just in time for the first day of my mosaic exhibition! I am ever so slightly excited about this as it will just soooo complement the feeling in the gallery. Yesterday, me and 3 wonderful […] Read more...
Getting ready for Advent…
Advent, as you may know, is all about getting ready…so this post is about getting ready for getting ready! This is another one from the archive…a fantastic activity which we enjoyed so much as a family and the children still talk about it and remember it a year on. So, as its 2 weeks to […] Read more...