Oppps! I must apologise again for the late delivery of my monthly newsletter; time seems to have run away with me this month! Is it just Me or is anyone else wondering where on earth the first two months of the year have gone? I do hope you are all keeping on top of things and will still enjoy a late catch up with this month’s happenings. Please do contact me if there are any glass projects or designs you are dreaming about, I would love to help you with either a commission or a workshop booking.
February so far, seems to have been much milder than usual and signs of Spring are popping up all over the garden. I love this time of year – Winter Aconites, Snowdrops, Crocuses and even the beginnings of daffodils and tulips together with the gradual lightening of the evenings really help lift the spirit with a real promise of warmer, brighter days to come. Nature has a funny way of reminding us how wonderful the world can be amongst all the terrible circumstances facing many across the world. I really am so lucky to have a loving and supportive family around me and it really is a huge privilege to have met so many truly lovely people in the course of my work. Thank you so much for supporting my Small Business and taking the time to read my ‘ramblings’ each month xx
Out and About …
If you’re looking for a special spot for a beautiful walk and a spot of lunch – I must admit, for me, these are the best sort of walks! I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Heybridge Basin. Not far from Maldon which is well worth a potter around the quayside and shops anyway, there is a handy carpark (charges do apply now) and you can walk for as far as you fancy in both directions with wonderful views of the Blackwater Estuary, Maldon in the distance and Northey Island. It was a bright but breezy day when we visited, you needed to be wrapped up but the views and walk were wonderful.
Added to which, you can take your choice between two wonderful pubs, a canal side coffee bar or the Tiptree Tearoom located riverside with an outdoor seating area. Perfect for just watching the world go by and whiling away an hour or two if you don’t fancy walking too far. Watch out for the Hippo too, you won’t miss him – he’s with the Giraffe!
New Designs
Craft Fairs and Show bookings are in the diary for the next few months and I’m busy working on new ideas and designs to make each event special. I have been working on my flower panels which I absolutely love making and am now mounting them on wooden boards with clips that hold the glass away from the mount allowing the light to pass under the glass as well as through it. The difference this has made to the colours in the pieces is just lovely.
I’ve also taken delivery this week of a parcel of metal Garden Stakes from my wonderful fellow artisan, Lucille Scott. Lucille makes all sorts of handmade metal items in steel and we have worked together to create these designs that combine metal and glass and can live in the garden all year round. You may have already seen my Mackerel, Angel Fish and Bird designs and I can share a sneeky peek at a new design for this year, Alliums. I am hoping to have a finished piece ready to show you soon xx
I love making pieces for the garden and if you fancy making one for your own, please don’t hesitate to contact me for information or to book a workshop. Garden Hangers, Flowers and Lanterns all look lovely and we can work together on a design especially for your space.
Stockists
I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to tell you my work is now stocked in Brett Gallery in Monks Eleigh.
Brett Gallery is part of Bridge Farm Barns, a collection of several unique and independent retail businesses including a restaurant and tea room, gift shop, vintage collectables, vintage fashion, quilting and felting, the Outrageous Cake Company as well as a garden nursery.
Brett Gallery opened in 2015 with the aim of promoting the work of East Anglian based artists and makers. Inside you will find an amazing range of work covering original fine art and prints, pottery, jewellery, glass, photography, textiles, woodturning, sculpture and metal art.
You can find Brett Gallery at Unit 4, Bridge Farm Barns, Monks Eleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7AY
Opening Times:
Mondays Open throughout August and December as well as on most Bank Holidays.
Tuesday 10.30 to 16.30
Wednesday 10.30 to 16.30
Thursday 10.30 to 16.30
Friday 10.30 to 16.30
Saturday 10.30 to 16.30
Sunday 10.30 to 16.30
During January to March, the closing time is 16.00
News From The Studio Hound
Did you know a ‘Puppuccino’ is a real thing?
Hugo was delighted to discover he was well and truly catered for on a recent visit to The Milk Shed Cafe, a Scandinavian-style cafe opened in April 2021 in a beautiful old farm building just outside Ipswich in Suffolk. An independent, Scandinavian-inspired cafe and coffee shop bringing delicious, seasonal, fresh food, speciality locally-roasted coffee and a little bit of Scandi to town! We ordered and ate an absolutely delicious cooked breakfast and Hugo was treated to a sausage and Puppuchino (frothed warm milk) from the doggy menu. As doggy owners it was so nice to discover a lovely place to eat that welcomes dogs inside as he does like to be with us if he can.
We also discovered they host Dog Day’s where your pooch can be treated to a doggy cake amongst other doggy treats – pop the date in your diary if you fancy visiting, 20th May 2023.
Makes of the Month
I absolutely love seeing what you make xx It always is so amazing that everyone can start with the same piece of glass and yet the makes are so completely different by the time they are finished. It is such a special feeling when you tell me how much you enjoy the workshops and just being around people, being creative, inspires me too. Thank you to everyone who has visited this month xx
This month’s Make of the Month is full of colour and just makes me smile. A row of little houses fused into an ‘S’ curve to stand on a windowsill. Made by the wonderful Jen from Glemsford. xx
Events this Month
Craft Fairs and Shows begin again this month after the Winter break. If you fancy visiting an event in person this month, you can find me on the following dates:
26th Febuary, 2023
Boxford Farmer’s Market and Craft Fair
The monthly event returns to Boxford Village Hall from 10am until 1pm. One of my favourite events of every month xx
Early Bird Notice – 4th March, 2023.
If you find yourself in the Bury St Edmunds area at the beginning of next month, be sure not to miss The Little Maker’s Market. This event is held at The Unitarian Meeting House in Churchgate Street and hosts a fabulous selection of artists and crafts – Held on the first Saturday of the month from 10.30am until 3pm.
Really hope you have had a good start to the year xx. Enjoy what’s left of February, Happy Glassing and chat to you all again in March xx
Veronica xx