Before you say anything, I do realise it’s been a little while. We had a baby you see and so the blog (and the internet in general) kind of went down on the list of priorities. But now I’m a highly-trained Dad, I feel like it might be time to at the very least start periodically updating my blog again. ‘Hurrah!’ I hear you say! And I understand your excitement. In fact today I’m starting a whole new feature on the blog, so try to contain yourselves.

A bit of a strange story but a few months ago a girl (christals_uk) asked me on Twitter to do her a blog post as she ‘never had the energy’ or something like that. At first I decided to mess around a bit and said that I would and asked her what she’d like it to be about. I came up with a few suggestions, namely ‘ants’, ‘types of door locks’ and ‘different positions that you can put your arms’.

Door locks.

Then, being the ridiculous gentleman that I am (lord knows why I did this really) I decided that I’d actually e-mail her a blog post. Albeit a really crap blog post that would be totally unusable and useless but I felt like it’d be a fun thing to do for an evening.

This led me to looking up photos of all sorts of crazy stuff, discovering that there’s no such thing as train ‘serial numbers’ (don’t ask) and laughing my ass off.

Like this kitten is.

I had such fun doing it though and found it so amusing that I thought perhaps I could make it regular feature on the blog. Sounds a bit crazy perhaps, but I think it might just work!

So today is the first of many (I think) Google Images Lucky Dip blog posts.

The subject of today’s dip is the one I chose for the lovely Christals_uk when she originally asked me to write her a blog post.

Arm Positions.

So these are the results of the lucky dip:

This was an interesting one.

It would seem that diagrams are the best source of images of arm positions.

He looks quite uncomfortable

This person has a camera in their face.

Lord knows what exactly she's doing...

Have you tried this one?

Finally, one more of these for good measure.

And that’s as many as I’m going to do this time. It’s amazing the things you can find on Google Images!

If you’d like to suggest a search term for the next Google Images Lucky Dip please leave your suggestion in the comments below. If it’s good I may just use it.

Love to you all,
Joe

Although I am a day behind – I’m at least keeping up and being consistant so far. If you want an explanation of what exactly this Doodle Schmoodle thingy is all about have a look at Jenny’s first blog post about it as she explains it much better than me!

If you already know (or have just come back from her blog having learnt what all this is) then I’m sure you’re itching to see my entry for day 3 of the Doodle Schmoodle 30 day journal.

More tomorrow perhaps? I’m excited to see what the next days template is! I’m very much enjoying this.

Thanks to Shantal at Betty’s Place for organising this.

See you all again soon,

Joe

This is clearly going to be my most regular bit of blogging ever. I always have lots of blog posts in the works and this is true today as it always is. But they are all just going to have to wait as I’ve got some doodles to share!

Today’s (so yesterday’s) theme was ‘My Pirate Self’. There’s been some awesome doodles put up on the Doodle Schmoodle Flickr group and I’ve been very impressed by some of them. Especially ‘It Belongs To Turtle‘ though lord knows how he found the time to make such an unbelievable masterpiece!

Anyway, this is my doodle for today – enjoy!

So there you go! Don’t forget Jenny is also taking part in this awesome doodle journal so do check her blog out periodically.

See you again tomorrow perhaps,

Joe

My amazing wife Jenny came across this wonderful month long doodling thing on one of the million blogs she reads. The blog in question is Betty’s Place and so if this goes horribly wrong then she will be the one to blame!

Jenny thought it seemed like a cool idea and I wholeheartedly agreed!

So today I shall be posting day 1 of the Doodle Schmoodle month! Day one was in fact yesterday, but I was having such fun doing my doodle I spent most of the night doing my first doodle. The time spent on these doodles will get progressively less I imagine. In the next few days our first baby will arrive and then doodling will be lower down the list.

For now though I’m in a doodling mood! As I write this I’m also working on day 2! So you may find that I’m a day behind for most of this (if not more!), depending on whether I maintain a reasonable level of quality.

Anyway, if you want to see everyone’s month (lots of people are doing this) then head over to the Doodle Schmoodle Flickr group and take a look. Jenny’s doing this on her blog too (she explains it very well too) and she’s especially awesome so go see hers. For now though – here’s my first doodle of the month (click to see it bigger):

Anyway, that’s it for today.

See you again tomorrow I guess!

Joe

Just a quick post to share something wonderful. Look at the baby hedgehog that our next door neighbours have rescued!

The farmer mowed the field behind our houses and this little thing ended up in their garden. It’s 4 weeks old or so I’m told and it’s now living in a rabbit hutch as it’s too young to survive on it’s own just yet.

Their kids named it Spiky, which is inspired. He is so ridiculously cute!

Not the best photos, I know, but I didn’t have much time to capture it (dinner was cooking) and the camera kept focussing on my neighbours’ hand! Silly camera! Intelligent focus my ass.

Anyway, that’s all for today. Had to just quickly share that.

See you again soon,

Joe

We did a craft fair the other day at the nearby Steiner School in Forest Row. It was a beautiful sunny day, there was lots of lovely customers and there were lots of wonderful stalls selling beautiful things. In amongst these stalls were 2 or 3 artists that really stood out and today I’m going to tell you about one of them in particular.

This isn't her, it's just her hand (holding her work).

Let me introduce you to Sanya Budna of Artrox. She turns simple stones into the most beautiful and magical art pieces. It seems like a simple concept, and I suppose really it is but perhaps I should use her explanation:

“Carefully studying the stones’ topography, Sanya infuses life into their natural imprints. She respectfully follows patterns, without judgement, or opposition. As the soul of every individual stone grows clearer and bolder with each stroke of Sanya’s brush, a wonderful magic occurs. The creator becomes the created, and the interaction with the medium develops into an act of alchemy, transforming both the artist and the art piece.

Each piece is an original and unique artistic expression that will never be repeated, with the purpose for each stone to also serve its beholder as a loving, stimulative and comforting companion.”

I personally absolutely loved them and looking at her stall covered in all these little magical pieces made my heart ache they were so beautiful. On holiday as a kid (and still now to be honest) I found stones on the beach that I thought were beautiful and put them in my pocket. I think what Sandra is doing appeals to that nature in us, to have a constant connection to the earth and to see beauty in even the simple stones at our feet.

Mind blowing.

She was really generous and let us trade one of Jenny’s awesome lavender houses for one of her stones. I also got another stone that will be staying with me from now on in that little pocket in my jeans that’s inside my normal pocket. You know the pocket I mean? It never gets used for anything usually. Anyway, that’s where this stone is staying. I love it. I am so very pleased.

Anyway, hopefully you can see what I mean and you don’t think I’m totally crazy. Do you guys collect rocks when on holiday? Surely you did when you were kids at least?

You can find out more about Sandra and her amazing work on her website. The photos don’t really do them justice though, so if you ever get a chance to see them in person then don’t pass it up.

And that’s all for today – so, very nice to see you all.

Do come back soon!

Joe

These aren't mine.

For a few years as a child I collected bouncy balls. Whenever I saw an interesting one I would try and get my mum to get it for me, and sometimes this would work. I named the collection my Bouncy Ball Army.

Don't throw these too far though

After I had amassed a certain number, I found a random bag and put them in it. (It actually turned out to be an Army and Navy bag or something like that which was rather crazy.) This is where they stayed for many years.

It was like this, except real.

They got promoted to a clear plastic bag years later when the old bag got a bit tatty. It seemed better to be able to see all the balls through the bag.

This was great, but Jenny and I have always said we should keep an eye out for a big glass jar so they could be a bit of a feature as opposed to just crap hanging around.

An example

Which brings me to my point! The other day we went to beautiful Lewes for lunch and a bit of shopping. And what do you know, during our adventure we came across a lovely big glass jar in the flea market! This is the result:

And for today, that’s all.

More posts soon.

Just a quick post of a random new drawing I did the other day:

See you again for more in depth posts in the next day or two.

Byesy bye,

Joe

Just a quick post today to tell ask you all to go and check out my wife’s newly relaunched shop on Folksy.

She’s got a new banner, some new products and it’s still all as awesome as it ever was. She needs some favourites and some sales (she had 31 sales in the old shop!) – so feel free to fall in love with something and snap it up.

She totally deserves as much love as you can spare as she is just brilliant. This is why I married her you see.

You can also look at some of the great presents she’s made me over the years in my series ‘Jenny’s Amazing Gifts‘, right here on this blog!

Anyway, more proper posts coming soon.

Lovely to see you all!

A little while ago I asked the wonderful Kirsten of Quernus Crafts whether she’d be willing to do an interview so we could all get a bit of an insight into her awesome brain. Thankfully she agreed and this is the result!

So Kirsten, what led you to start doing your craft?

Until June 2009, I was a lawyer by trade and had been for nearly 15 years. Oh, I’d always dabbled in making things my whole life, but it was only ever as a hobby. And then when I stopped soliciting, I had the space, time and energy to really focus on being creative.

I have always thought in three dimensions (I can’t draw for toffee and have much admiration for those who can), and having worked on and off with polymer clay for years, I decided to turn my full attention to that medium and see what happened. To say that I was rather surprised by the outpouring of wee creatures which happened as a result is something of an understatement. Now I am completely hooked on polymer clay – it is the most versatile material, and there is no limit to what you can achieve with it. It’s like painting with clay.

Polymer clay is awesome so I’m not surprised your hooked.

So how long has it been now?

Pigling the First appeared on 23 July 2009, so it’s not even been a year since I started doing this for real.  I’ve lost count of how many wee creatures have emerged since then – must be pushing 1,000 by now. Crikey!

Woah, that’s crap-loads! That is so cool!

This is the Kirsten's workspace

My workspace can best be described as organized chaos. I have taken over most of the kitchen table, and I can’t remember the last time we had a sit-down meal. I am gradually taking over the rest of the house by populating it with lovely purchases from my favourite artists and crafters!  I have everything I need within easy reach, and the windows look out onto our patio garden – lots of natural daylight, and I have a natural daylight lamp which is indispensable both for night-time working and taking photos. Radio 4 is my constant companion (I never realised before just how often they repeat their programmes through the day) and I’m getting to be quite a fan of the World Service. However, I have an abiding dislike of Sailing By…

These are so much cooler than Radio 4...

What’s the most challenging art-related thing you’ve done so far in your life?

Over Christmas I decided to make up a series of 23 abstract panels based around tree themes. These were special gifts for some wonderful people I’d met on a leadership programme in May 2009. These panels were a big departure from my usual creature creations, and I completely immersed myself in the task over the course of 5 days or so. In total, it took me about 50 hours to make up all 23 panels (each panel measures 4cm square).

Click to see closer. (Please!)

I used a wide variety of polymer clay techniques to create each panel, eg millefiori, Skinner blenders, etc – the concept of painting with clay really came into its own. I learned so much during the process, and I’m looking forward to doing more larger scale works in the future.

They look amazing, you are clearly some kind of freaky polymer genius.

It's so cute! (and magical too)

So what’s the most exciting art-related thing that’s ever happened to you?

OK, this will sound a little strange, but I almost choked up the first time someone used Quernus as a verb, as in, “Can you Quernus my beagle?”!  So I’ve now started a campaign to add “quernus” to the dictionary to mean making something small (esp. cute) even smaller and cuter. Then I’ll know I’ve truly made it. Also I found out last night that I’m a Featured Seller on Folksy! I squealed quite loudly when I found out.

That’s great news, and very much deserved, that’s for sure.

Is there anyone that inspires you especially (artists or otherwise)?

I have always loved Georgia O’Keefe’s work – it’s so fluid and organic, and her use of colours is stunning.  And on the literary side, Bill Bryson’s drollness and sense of childlike wonder and curiosity always reminds me to look at the world with fresh eyes, and not assume that I know what’s going on.

Silly question (although sort of fitting) but if you were an animal, what animal what you be (and why)?

I’d definitely be a cat.  They have an inscrutable and ineffable knowing about them. I’d love to know what they know!

And what do you get up to when you’re not making your pieces?

Since February 2010, I have been doing a lot of work with UK Handmade. I am deputy editor of the magazine, and also do a lot of business development and PR work. UK Handmade promotes and supports artists and crafters within the UK. We are working on a number of projects just now, including producing e-books with advice and tips for running your own craft business, setting up local groups across the country, and a host of other initiatives. So when I’m not at the kitchen table, I’m usually to be found on the computer, on the phone, or out and about networking! And sometimes I even get to see my partner, Greg J (not a serious link)

Any blogs you’d recommend people check out?

It Belongs To Turtle is one of my absolute favourites – the creator is the very talented Elki Shaw, and she has created the most marvellous character in Turtle – you can read all about the adventures of Turtle and friends at http://itbelongstoturtle.blogspot.com/. I also have to say that UK Handmade has a great blog (http://ukhandmade.blogspot.com/) which is updated daily with lots of helpful articles and interviews. And for lots of lovely pictures of dogs and heart-warming stories, check out Poochie Freak – http://poochiefreak.wordpress.com/. Angela Chapman’s beautiful photography complements her love of dogs in a wonderful way.

This piece was comissioned by 'It Belongs To Turtle' - so cute.

I’ve had a look and they are all great blogs, you all must go see.

Ok final question now. What’s your favourite sight, sound, smell and feeling?

I love rainbows. They make my heart smile – the combination of colours is just so perfect, and it reminds me that nature’s pretty much got it all sussed, and we’re the ones with lots of catching up to do. I also love the sound of a lazy summer afternoon, with bumble bees and the distant drone of a lawnmower – that ties in with my favourite smell of fresh cut grass and honeysuckle from my childhood and.  And the feeling I love is when you see a beautiful sunset, or a beautiful view (I am particularly fond of trees), and I am overcome by a feeling that all is well with the world. It’s a wonderfully grounded feeling, like burrowing your toes into warm sand.

They like grass too.

Great answers. Thanks so much for letting me interview you. I hope it keeps going so well. =)

And that’s it for today kids! I must say looking through Kirsten’s Flickr sets for photos to feature in this post, my mind was absolutely blown. She is an absolute genius. There are all so fantastically cute and hilarious. Please all go and take a good look.

Thanks so much for coming along and reading. Watch this space for another blog post about something else at somepoint! Yay!

Good day.