Sticks and Stones.......

Now that I have just over two weeks to go until my stint at The West End Fair and I am running out of creative steam (not to mention pottery!), my thoughts are turning to the design of the stall.

This has caused me to panic....if not totally freak (I am prone to a bit of freaking when under pressure). So jumbled were my thoughts that my table was in grave danger of looking not unlike what I feed Gracie - ie a dog's breakfast.

Taking myself in hand, and thinking logically (after all, my pottery is borne of the sea and most of the images I photograph are of the sea....can you see where this is going?) I decided on a seascape theme - driftwood, pebbles, shells, netting, that kind of thing.

It was about the same time that I stumbled across this amazing lady Heather Jansch and her out of this world sculptures.

Obviously, I now feel totally inadequate as I gather together my pathetic little sticks and bits of other people's rubbish, but totally safe in the knowledge that, once I've disinfected and washed the smelly bit of netting I found on the beach it WILL look like this - and not a scabby piece of black string......

I wish..........!

Mmmmm - Mannequins!

It was whilst drooling over these gorgeous mannequins - which I confess I do quite frequently and one day I WILL have one.....

Corset Laced Mannequins

... that I remembered this little story which made me laugh again....

In my previous life pre blissful crafting I worked for nine years in a school. One of the many hats I had the dubious privilege of wearing was that of "Procurement Officer". Well, when I say "Procurement Officer" I confess that it was a title made up sarcastically by a colleague to sit alongside "Resources Replenishment Officer" which was the title I used when filling up the paper drawer in the Art Department.

Anyway, in my role as Procurement Officer I ordered stuff and, being an Art Department sometimes it was a bit different to the ordinary pencils, paper, jotters kind of stuff you would expect a PO in a school to order.

Mannequins were the order of the day and to a normal person in a normal job with a normal take on the best way to save money in a cash strapped school run by a cash strapped Council, that would probably have been the end of it. Order the mannequins, get excited when they arrive, pay for them.....

Unfortunately normal people didn't deal with our orders...Oh no...having sourced the mannequins online at a very reasonable cost I was told by a very irate girl from the Mother Ship that we HAD to get them from an official supplier at a very reasonable DOUBLE the price.

Just as I was losing the will to live and imploding with frustration she saved the day by indignantly informing me that "anyone can go on the internet and get things cheaper....we can't allow that!".............

So, as long as you don't work for the Council check out these gorgeous mannequins and order as many as you like!

I shall not let the enthusiasm wain.......

Did I tell you I'm doing an important Craft Fair? No, well I wouldn't have because I've only been here five minutes.....!

Anyway, I am!

I will be at the West End Fair - Venue 27 - St. John's Church, bottom of Lothian Road, Edinburgh (along with at least 100 other stalls!)

WestEndFair

I'm really excited to be PART of the Edinburgh Festival this year instead of just a casual bystander and I have been working flat out to build up my stock.

For the uninitiated I make these little pieces of art by dragging my husband and dog all over Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife in Scotland to take photographs, collect pieces of broken seapottery (ie old broken bits of crockery which have at some point been tossed into the sea, battered about for years and spat out by the tide.....)and then do magical things with the ingredients to give you THE most unique little piece of Scottish history ever! Easy!

Anyway, it is now ALL over the house in various stages of gorgeousness and even the puppy is starting to ignore it (yes....result!). But the end is in sight and I hope to see you at the West End Fair from Thursday 9th August - Sunday 12th August!

It's a start.......

.......and it will be a slow one!


Despite finally persuading my other half that I would make a great housewife, giving virtual birth to a tri-coloured collie puppy and slashing my personal income by half....I still can't find enough hours in a week to blog...but...I'm here.

Be gentle with me, I'm a quick learner and before long will have you mesmerised by my totally inane, mundane, ordinary accounts of the day to day life of a frustrated artiste...brace yourselves..

PS - you can find me on Facebook