Settling down to Autumn

What a busy Summer that was, the days passed by so fast, and my travels have taken me here and there and everywhere. It has been one of my busiest years in business yet with workshops and exhibitions, Pop Up shops and projects on the go. Trying to keep my feet on the group and remembering to Breathe has been a definite challenge.

 When I first sat down to compose this post  I thought I hadn't done much but as I started to write I see it's no surprise I ended the Summer feeling burnt out. So I'm trying to slow down again and find my own rhythm with of working. Changes need to be made!

 Amid all the rushing about there have been some precious moments, pockets of quiet and calm that I have been much thankful for. At last we finished the summer house (you can see the before picture above in the bottom right hand corner!) it has now become a wee oasis of quiet, somewhere I can retreat to when I need time out. It has a tiny log burner, though it needs some attention as it has been belching out smoke. We decided no electricity, for candlelight and solar lights are all that we need.

I spent my birthday visiting dear friends in the South of France with various members of my family, including my lass and her partner, the honeymooning couple! Such a hidden treasure tucked away up in the hills in the quaint village Embres et Castelmaure. Delicious food, good company, beautiful scenery all did much to help me mend. Then I had a trip to visit my beautiful Granddaughters and my eldest lass and a weekend away with Mr O!

 And so back home and into the studio, with pockets full of lovely memories, easing into this my favourite season of all. Autumn, it feels like a dear old friend, the trees all clothed in their final finery of the year. The colours always inspire and make me want to paint!

I had this snippet of a poem by Thomas Hood waiting in my sketchbook for a long while and at last I finally felt inspired to  work on it.

I built up watercolour washes and finished it with gold and bronze acrylics to give a hint of shimming leaves in the evening light. Beautiful old Autumn. I hope to get prints of this in my Etsy shop very soon. But i'm not quite ready to part with the original yet.
Happy Autumn all x

It's Friday!

Yay, it's Friday, it's been a long and busy week in the studio working on some new creations I am excited to share very soon.

 I wonder what adventures the weekend will bring - a visit to see Whithorn Art trail, doing some work on our 'in progress' Summer House and hopefully a long soak in a bubbly bath with my newest book!

I wonder what does the weekend bring for you?

Remembering . . .

I have been so thankful for this beautiful month of May, it has always been one of my favourite months and even more so this year with the glorious weather we are having,  the bluest of skies stretching away into the distance, the clouds of delicate blossoms filling hedgerows and new life springing up all around - the lambs and young birds. This month of May has been like a gentle, healing balm and how I need that just now.

My days have been painted with sadness this past while, for we said goodbye to our dear, precious Dad in March. It wasn't expected and we didn't have much time but we were so very blessed to be under the care of the amazing nurses at the Alexandra palliative care unit at our local hospital. They ensured both Dads last days and our days with him were peaceful and gentle as could be and for that we are ever grateful.

When you loose a loved one, suddenly there is a before and an after and life takes on a very different shape. It's as if the  breathe has been knocked right out of you.  It's the kind of heartache you feel in your bones.  This loss is not something you get over, instead it becomes part of who you are and so I am making time; time to recognize this new me, time for quiet moments, time for stillness,  time to remember  and time to treasure the memories.

 I heard this on the radio a while ago: 'When we die, we die twice, once when our last breath leaves our body and again when our name is mentioned for the very last time by the last person to remember us.' 

Well my dear Dad you were so loved by your big, widespread family that your memory will live on for many years to come. You are in every beat of our hearts Dad and you will always be in our memories. We will never be without you.

Family trees and connections

Family have been much in my mind this week, family visits, family birthdays and family poorly and in hospital. (Sending lots of love to my dear Dad and hoping he is up and about again very soon).

I  love my family and am fascinated by the links we have, the family traits and characteristics.  When I look at old family photos it sets me wondering, where did those  traits and characteristics come from.  Who could draw like I can?  Where did the pale skin and red hair that my Mom, daughter and I have come from? And where did they live my ancestors? How did they meet? what was their favourite song, their favourite food. So many questions, so many stories.


Many years ago my Mom developed a passion for tracing our family tree,  discovering the pieces of the jigsaw and writing down the stories of our ancestors. I love to hear the stories, the snippets of information she uncovers, they are part of us, part of our heritage.  So far we are back to the early 1800's: all these people I am connected to from so long ago: the Jennings, Flanners, Bagleys, Days, the Jones, Herberts, Blackwells, Jobs, Bloxams! They came from Warwickshire and Oxford-shire, Glasgow and Switzerland, Birmingham and Worcestershire.

They were  gamekeepers, pen nib makers, gunsmiths, carters, glassblowers, glaziers, shoe makers, canal boat workers, plumbers, spoon makers, chandelier makers.Where did the creative side some from I wonder?
As Mom collected more and more stories and names that made up branches of our tree, I decided I had to create a painting to record all those names, all those people we were connected to, as a way to remember them.

 It took many sketches and doodles to come up with a design that was easy to read and on which I could fit all the names and dates. So I created my family tree flower design, it worked beautifully allowing me to add all the siblings in each family too.

Since that very first tree I have created many other family trees for folk, each one is a challenge, each one is unique. I love that I am part of the process and helping to create a family keepsake, a memory tree for those who have gone before and those still to come.

My Family trees have been given as Birthday gifts, and to celebrate anniversaries, as  wedding gifts and as new baby gifts. If you are interested in having your very own family tree created just drop me a line. I have a wide range of designs on my website that can be altered to fit in your own family members, your favorite colours, a special quote or memory. I am happy to discuss design ideas and love working with my customers to unfold the branches of their trees.

 www.ruthieredden.com 

A treasure trove of gems and books and sketching

Last week was a time for family. My daughter and Grandaughter came to stay and we had lots of lovely times together, creating clay sculptures, walking down the lane, finding treasures in the garden.

Having a tiny person in the house is such a reminder to slow down, I love that she notices all the little things, a tiny daisy still growing in the winter grass, the funny shapes of clouds, the sound of the wind whispering through the branches of the trees.,  All the little things that we often forget to take the time to notice in our days.

With visitors to entertain it was a perfect excuse to take a trip to the 'GemRock Museum' in Creetown. A fabulous collection of jewels and gems, such vibrant hues and colours. There is a crystal cave to explore and a trail of gem bunnies that a certain wee person was excited to find. I even came across a tiny carved mermaid tucked away. And to finish off we had a delicious home cooked lunch in the cafe and then a drive through the stunning Galloway forest, a perfect day out.

A few days earlier I found myself over in Wigtown, Scotland's designated book town, a must for any book lovers out there! The reason for my visit was a trip to 'Curly Tale Books', a wonderful treasure trove of a children's bookshop that has agreed to be the latest stockist for my cards! They will be in good company for the shop is stuffed with loveliness of all kinds and is run by author Jayne Baldwin and illustrator Shalla Gray - creators of the lovely 'Beltie' story books. For those of you not in the know 'Galloway Belties' are stripey black and white cows found here in Dumfries and Galloway.

 With visitors here and trips to and fro to hospital to visit my poorly Dad, who hopefully is on the mend now, my sketching took a wee bit of a back seat.  I have managed a few though and am loving the variety of topics: eye, small bird, cafe life and the colour blue, I am determined to keep my sketches to within half an hour, but sometimes it's very tempting to keep going! I would like to get it down to 20 mins per sketch soon!

For folk interested in joining in the sketch a day but who are not on Facebook,  I do have a Pinterest board for where you can find the daily topic as well here.

Do let me know if you join in and maybe we can find a way to share our sketches!

A garden of flowers, travels and midnight strolls

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I can hardly believe Summer is almost over and September just around the corner! I've been so busy with exhibitions and art trails it passed  in the blink of an eye, but I did find time to enjoy some of the beautiful weather pottering in the garden. It's coming along beautifully now, it was so sad and neglected when we moved in last Spring.

I have loved bringing the garden back to life and it is so rewarding to hear the buzzing of the bees now there are lots of flowers for them to visit. Did you know that in Deeside,  the old name for bees was 'Foggie-toddlers - 'fog' being old Scots for moss or grass and 'toddling' meaning meandering with a gentle sound. Lovely!

Flowers have filled my studio with their perfume this Summer too, some from my garden and some gifted by a fellow artist, the very same lady who provided me with so many delicious cutting of plants last year so that I could stock our new garden. How  rewarding now  to see them growing and filling the beds. The wee posies of flowers below were another gift, left on our doorstep by the sweetest faerie girls who lived next door. They have now spread their wings and flow off with their family for adventures far afield and I will miss seeing their cheeky faces appearing over the fence.

Thinking of wee smiles, I got lots of those  from my wee Granddaughter a few weeks ago when myself and my two lovely daughters spent a week under the stars down South. Very posh camping as you can see! We spent every waking hour in the fresh air and when we weren't cuddling dwarf goats, blowing bubbles or exploring we were sitting up late into the night snuggled in our woollies and under blankets, playing scrabble, and watching the stars. Precious times.

I got a second weeks holiday after that too, when Mr O took me off exploring in Yorkshire. We stayed in an old inn built in 1613 and slept in what must be the comfiest bed I ever knew! We spent our days exploring places that caught our eye, like Hardcastle Crags, Gibson mill, and the lovely town of Hebden Bridge, stopping for cake and tea and mooching through second hand shops!

On our last day we visited the lovely  old village of Heptonstall, once a centre for hand looming. It's cobbled streets were discovered in 1980 when the paving was lifted.  Of course I had to have a peep at the ruins of it's original church, founded in 1260 and once dedicated to Thomas a Becket. All together we had a lovely few days away.

Whilst away Mr O and I remembered how much we love walking. When did our days get too busy to go walking regularly! So we are trying to do a walk every day again and are already feeling the benefit, feeling fitter and healthier for being outside more.

 I haven't shared with you before my 'In the gloaming' painting have I, I finished it earlier in the year and the original has already sold. The word 'gloaming' comes from the old English word for twilight 'glom' meaning to glow, what a perfect description for that magical time of day when the setting sun leaves gives it's last whisper of light to the evening. The painting is available as  limited edition prints in my Etsy shop here

 So I shall leave you with a taste of 'the gloaming' and some images that I caught on my full moon walk down the lane last week,  I love walking in the evening it is a magical time! Such lovely silhouettes to inspire new paintings I hope!

Birthday's & Birth Trees.

 I been "un-plugged" for a while to re~charge and rest and to refresh my muse, and have been finding inspiration in Mother Nature during a run of glorious summery days here in South West Scotland.

The flowers are blooming all about, in the garden, in the hedgerows and even down amongst the pebbles on the beach. Tiny rays of sunshine, such rich, glowing colour.  They tempt me outside when I ought to be working in the studio!

 We have traveled into the hills to find the wild places, and sat drinking tea by the bubbling steam whilst bees hummed past and golden beetles clambered onto our knees.  I found a tiny set of wings left beside the path, like minature pieces of stained glass reflecting the blue of skies above. I think I might just have to work them into a faerie design!

We have had precious family time; grandaughter cuddling, trips to the beach, the farm, museums, picnics, crazy go cart riding, sunny day walks, lots of laughter & catching up.  We celebrated my lasses 30th Birthday too, it seems only a wee while ago I held her in my arms for the very first time! 

This lass of mine just happens to be a wood turner and as you can see my eldest lass & I took on a challenge. We decided to tackle a feat of engineering & create a completely edible cake for our birthday girl. It took us a whole week to work out and make, we were rather proud of our efforts but it may be some time before we feel up to making another cake!I 'm so lucky to have such a lovely family & spending time with them makes my heart sing.

Thinking of Birthdays ~ I am fascinated by family trees and our personal stories and with this in mind I have designed the first of my new blessing trees range

"The Birth Announcement tree".

 The design can be personalised and makes a perfect gift for birth, christening or naming ceremonies. I also do cards and postcards of the design.

The design was inspired by the Apple tree which signifies health, happiness, youth & good fortune.

The Birth Trees are now available to order here my Etsy shop.

I have lots of exciting new happenings coming up, workshops and exhibitions, and will be back very soon to tell you all about them.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas . . .

It's Christmas eve and all through the house not a creature is stirring . . .

The house is ready, corners sparkling in the firelight, waiting peacefully for visitors to arrive.

 

I'm signing off to spend time with family & appreciating all the precious small things,

for those are the ones that makes my days shine.

 

I wish each & every one of you a peaceful Christmas, may your days be filled with loveliness.

x x x

Some November favourites . . .

Some of my favourite November things  ~

Our annual family get together bonfire night.  We are such a huge family now and scattered all over, but everyone who possibly can comes home for bonfire night, brothers, sisters, grandparent's, nieces & nephews, sons & daughters. I love these precious times we all spend together.

Being Mom to my three & now a Granny, still amazing & one of the best jobs I have ever had.

Making time to journal, re-learning how to play with my creativity & go with the flow every day.

Autumn colours shining through & creating spectacular displays here in our little wood.

Finding snippets of loveliness on my travels on the web, such as this video of the amazing starling murmurations over at Gretna Green, something Mr O & I had the pleasure of witnessing last year.

A sparkle of magic in the air . . .

Things have been very busy around & about here lately,

so not a great deal of art has been made, but instead

lots of waitings & ponderings & travelling!

  

We drove down South and spent a few happy days pottering about,

climbing steps of the Glastonbury Tor,  & soaking up its magic.

Some say it is the home of the faerie King  "Gwyn ap Nudd"

 You  can feel the essence of folk who have walked there before you

We marvelled at the view, it was so windy up there, I nearly flew away!

 We meandered around the beautiful Chalice Well gardens

where flowers in full bloom danced in shaded corners

and people gathered to feel the peace of this ancient place.

We were enthralled by so many magical items on display

in the wonderfully named shops in the high street

such as "The Speaking Tree" &  "The Goddess & Green Man"

and we sat & had delicious coffee & homemade cake in street cafes 

whilst we happily pondered some wonderful news & happenings. . .

 

because at last, after all  those months of waiting

we got to hold our brand new, tiny Grandaughter Freya in our arms

Mr O & I are very proud Grandparents indeed.

Oh the wonders of falling in love with a tiny brand new being!

x x x

A happy new year & some exciting news . . .

Happy New Year to you all!

At last i am out of hibernation and have eventually emerged!

I didn't want to break the magical spell of Christmas!

We had such a lovely family time, for all the children were home.

Before New Year we found ourselves at gorgeous Kippilaw house

(what a treasure of a place, rescued from ruin, & so homely)

  celebrating with my lass & her partner as they both were turning 30!

 

Then it was home to celebrate the beginning of a sparkly New Year.

I love saying goodbye to all that has been and welcoming in the new,

so I have been tucked into my wee studio plotting for 2013.

Making plans for the days ahead in my beautiful new diary

( a birthday present I have been longing to use)

and we have such a jewel of a piece of news  . . .

Mr O & I are to be Grandparents in June, soo very exciting !
* * * 

So goodbye 2012, the year my youngest left the nest, I turned 50 eek, 
my business amazingly went from strength to strength.
I  want to say to all my lovely blog visitors,
I couldn't do it without you,so heres a huge thank you 
 may 2013 bring you much loveliness into your lives x

Wintry crafts & traditions

Wintry days are upon us, with a chill in the air & frost sprinkled ground.

This is the time we worked towards through the days of Autumn, 

cutting fallen trees in the wood and humphing then into the log shed

I love these cosy nights in, snuggled by the fire, with a book & a cup of tea

I love trying different crafts and have been busy making

candles to burn on those darkest of nights

 and driftwood Christmas trees to decorate with stars.

 Also newly in stock my card " While angels sing", in my shop here

along with my other Christmas card designs too.

My Blessing tree prints are now available in poster/A3+ size prints, 

and folk have been buying them as Christmas presents, yay.

If you are in Dumfries you can now find my work at the lovely

 Art Room within "The old School " a veritable Aladdin's cave of goodies.

 I also just happen to love family traditions

and on the 2nd weekend in December we have one tradition

that always brings the excitement of the beginning of the season for  us.

We all gather at the forestry Kirroughtree visitor centre Christmas tree day,

 where we pick our own trees, eat mince pies & drink hot chocolate.

 and afterwards we all troop back to Mom & Dads for homemade soup & chatter.

I do so love traditions, do you have a special Christmas tradition to share?

* * *

I have also set up a new tradition of my own over on my Facebook page

as i love making & crafting so very much, every Friday I now share a

 "Project for the weekend", different crafts & how to's that I come across

as well as lots of other news & happenings both mine & others.

Do hop over and take a peep here and like my page.