On the eighth day of Christmas ...

driftwood sculpture magnets by Pat de Couto

On the eighth day of Christmas ...

This morning I blearily wandered into the kitchen in search of my morning coffee and found my every move scrutinised by this jolly crew on my fridge. My True Love is away today so he thought these gentlemen would keep me company. How sweet!

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

On the seventh day of Christmas ...

cottonwood carving by George Blackstock

On the seventh day of Christmas ...

One the seventh day of Christmas, my True Love has well and truly perplexed me.
Today's unwrapping revealed a tiny and beautifully carved abode for fairies or elves, arranged over eight floors and featuring seven flights of tiny stairs internally.
Is he trying to warn me that the patter of tiny feet will soon be heard ... ?

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

Meet your makers: Sunday artist - Amanda Maxwell

This Sunday, it's the turn of Yours Truly to take the artist's chair in the gallery for the Sunday artists series.

I'll be sitting at the table from 1pm to 3pm so please visit the gallery and have a chat.

As well as being a mixed media wearable art jewelry artist who works mainly in wire crochet, feltable fibres, textiles, and some traditional metalsmithing (what a mouthful), I also write the blog and maintain the Blackberry Artist's Society social media network.


Yes - that's me tweeting away at @BlackberryArts, and penning the blog posts here. This year, a whole 12 months of Blackberry blog posts are available for you to read while in the Marketplace.

So, if you have any burning social media or blogging questions, I'm happy to answer them as well as demonstrate a few wire crochet techniques - you might even see me stab myself with an ultra-sharp felting needle (I promise not to cry).

artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

On the sixth day of Christmas ...

mixed media "home is where the heart is" brooches by Amanda Maxwell

On the sixth day of Christmas ...

Oh Christmas - sometimes you make me cry, especially when I hear Sarah McLachlan singing "I'll be home for Christmas".
My sweet True Love bought me these six tree brooches to remind me of my beloved homeland and how much of a home I've made for us here. Each tree is rooted around scottish sea glass, except for the final one in the series,"i shall live here" which clasps a tiny chunk of Sunshine Coast glass.
Will I wear them, or leave them displayed on their tiny canvases?

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

Wordless Wednesday: festive greetings

driftwood sculpture by Pat de Couto

On the fifth day of Christmas ...

ceramic frogs by Pauline Doyle

On the fifth day of Christmas ...

The place is jumping! Last night's arrival were these jolly creatures. They're a lively bunch; each time I turn around they've hopped off to a new launch pad.
Christmas won't be dull this year but I'd better cover the trifle!

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

On the fourth day of Christmas ...

sterling silver leaf earrings by Urszula Petrykowska

On the fourth day of Christmas ...

Today's package was on the small side. My True Love carried it back home in his pocket (the giftshop is open till 6pm weeknights), muttering something about being drawn like a moth to a flame by the bright lights from the gallery windows.
But oh what riches inside such a neatly wrapped gift, in its own beautifully sewn gift bag too (from Christmas Marketplace too) -

four shiny metal leaves 

(which together make two pairs of  unique and stunning earrings)

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.
ooops! the link has been updated so it will take you to the 12 days now!!