inspirations

It has been a long time…..but I’m still here and going strong. Life has been so full, full of great things and days have just not been long enough to fit everything in so the blog has suffered big time. There has been so much going on over the past twelve months that I don’t know where to start, so I will start with the simple stuff, some thoughts on mother nature

This time of year I love the choice of flowers in bloom in the garden and I marvel at the different colour schemes that look so great together when I just randomly pick flowers in bloom at the same time, they always look great together. The top photo is of flowers picked early summer and the bottom one is taken this week.

Mother Nature knows best when it comes to colour combination

The Castlecomer Discovery Park and Craft Yard is where to go this bank holiday Monday, as part of the Savour Kilkenny festival you can see some beautifully styled tables by one of Ireland’s leading interior stylists incorporating the best of local food and craft. Be inspired with imaginative ideas for a Harvest table, a Halloween children’s table and a Christmas table. Enjoy the fruits of Samhain with a seasonal display of harvest-time fruit and vegetables and get creative (and sustainable!) for Christmas with a display of seasonal gift ideas mixing local craft and artisan food. A selection of exciting dishes will also be created in the award-winning Jarrow Café using local seasonal ingredients.

In the Discovery Park all the family can celebrate Samhain (the end of Summer) which is the second biggest festival in the Western world. It marks the turning of the Celtic Year and we are celebrating it in full. Children can look forward to face painting, storytelling and a fancy dress competition, with some surprises in store throughout the day.  The theme for the storytelling will be the traditions of Halloween relating to food including customs such as the ancient thanksgiving to the gods for the harvest after all the crops had been stored, ’souling’ much like the modern day ‘trick-or-treating’, hollowing out turnips to make the ‘Jack-o-Lanterns’, barm brack, and much much more.For information call Castlecomer Discovery Park, The Estate Yard, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, Tel 056 4440707. All events are free.

MADE in kilkenny are getting into the Savour mood by having an exhibition of tabletop craft in the National Craft Gallery. The show will run for Saturday and Sunday. You will be able to get ideas on how to mix a collection of local craft to create an unique feel to your dining table, not to be missed. For more details check out www.madeinkilkenny.ie

With so little posts this summer I want to give you a brief overview of lots of things that have been going on. The shop was very busy and the arts festival was a great success, it has just meant that I have had no time at the computer but there are lots of photos so bear with me. First I wanted to show you what my garden has been looking like the last couple of months….this is very exciting as it has been completely transformed since last summer with the help of Monica (a great local gardener who has put many hours of back breaking work into our little patch). So these flower beds are in their first summer and I am so pleased with how they look. I just received hundreds of bluebell, snowdrop and wood anemone bulbs today so that’s my work cut out for me over the next month or so……..

I made these ceramic bells earlier this year and waited until the bluebells were in bloom down the woods before photographing them. The bells make a beautiful ring depending on the size and I think they look gorgeous displayed in nature. Prices range from €15 to €25

We have a collection of all sorts on our workshop wall…above are a series of  glaze tests I did a couple of years ago. I had lots of fun doing these  tests and promised myself that it was something I would keep doing on a regular basis, but like lots of things busy production took over. It is good to live with them and some of these days I will develop them some more.

Beside the glaze tests we have a collection of found objects, all of which were found on the ground outside the workshop……all sort of little people, flowers and insects. They make quite an eclectic collection.

For the past month I have seen a transformation of my dark dated kitchen (which I have lived with since we bought the house over 2 years ago) into a beautiful light filled room that works perfectly. We did not do any structural work so the light is the same as before but its the difference that white surfaces can make. There is still a couple of finishing touches to be made and then I will show you some photos, but for now I just want to show off some beautiful pressies Andy brought me from my favourite shop in the States,  Anthropology………I can’t get enough of Anthropology its my idea of retail perfection (that comes from someone who is not into shopping) and it has brought spring into my new kitchen….

This is the official US Trailer for the amazing movie ‘The Secret of Kells’ where it goes on release for St. Patrick’s day. Who knows by then it might be sporting and Oscar! I am chuffed for Tom, Paul and all the gang at the Cartoon Saloon (just a bunch of incredibly young, talented, funny guys and gals based here in our little town of Kilkenny) and I got a great laugh to see Tom in this photo with all those other Oscar nominees……Tom your a Movie Starrrr

I was very saddened to hear of the death of ceramic/print artist, John ffrench, last Friday. He was a real inspiration to me and many of my contemporarys. His work has a timeless quality and radiates happiness and he was a true gentleman that gave his time and information generously to younger potters like myself. I will cherish the very small collection of his work that I have and the joy I get from having it around me.  John ffrench 1928 to January 2010…

Click here for a nice tribute to his life in the Galway advertiser…

Showcase Ireland continues until Wed and as usual there is some talent to be found (plenty of the other as well). The Creative Ireland area is by far the highlight of the show with the odd gem to be found elsewhere. The textiles came out on top for me, there is some great talent still manufacturing work in Ireland……

Hope and Benson  gorgeous bags

You have to see for yourself how beautiful these clothes really are, impecable….by unicorn design

Edmund McNulty knitware is all about subtle tones and soft, soft wool

Paul Maloney Pottery is very fresh in colour and functional in design….

After five days without water (it just came back today, thank God) one realizes how precious it is, not wasting a drop using as little as possible to make the buckets last………this is what Nancy Bauch from white forest pottery, is exploring when she makes 108 bowls:a Water Mala. The project has inspired me and I would love to go on a meditative journey of my own with clay and water (I do this everyday, but when you introduce all the pressures of running a business into the equation I tend to loose the meditative journey part) so now I’ve put it in print I must make it happen………watch this space

This gorgeous, talented, young, stylish, edgy,(you get the message)  kilkenny girl has a very exciting year ahead of her (in my opinion). Blanaid Hennessy is her name and she has a couple of blogs on the go right now, if your looking for the latest look both fashion and interiors or inspirational quotes then click here. If celeb gossip, and a bit of a laugh is what your after then click here. Keep up the good work Blanaid………….

Ok…. two weeks back into work after our break I’m still getting inspiration from the west cork landscape. I am trying to keep my head clear going into the crazy season but it’s not easy, the next three weeks are top production weeks in the workshop. It is so hard to keep focused as all our new stock for Christmas arrives in the shop. I would like nothing more than immerse myself in creating beautiful displays but alas I will not give in just yet……….I will give you a glimpse of all the exciting new stuff any day now, promise!