Great day @folkbytheoak festival in Hatfield yesterday. Sunshine, fantastic music, happy crowd and family. Here with my son Josh who has inherited all of his mother’s subtlety of colour and who is a top companion for a music filled day out. Felt very blessed to be surrounded by lovely family. #festival #folkmusic #folkbytheoak
Jul 22
Great day @folkbytheoak festival in Hatfield yesterday. Sunshine, fantastic music, happy crowd and family. Here with my son Josh who has inherited all of his mother’s subtlety of colour and who is a top companion for a music filled day out. Felt very blessed to be surrounded by lovely family. #festival #folkmusic #folkbytheoak
Went to the opera at Garsington this week. Being a British summer and an outdoor event, it was obviously pouring with rain, hence the umbrella and a pair of stout boots worn under my evening dress. Wanted to post however because of my fab 40s style frock which I bought from my favourite charity shop Royal Trinity Hospice in Hammersmith. I have been dressing from charity shops most of my life. It’s a great way to shop. You are recycling, your money goes to a good cause, shopping is an adventure and you find things that are different. For me, charity shops are always the most interesting stores on the high street. Thoroughly recommend to anyone with a posh event to go to this summer, whatever the weather ! #royaltrinityhospiceshops #charityshopfinds #eveningdress #recycledfashion @royaltrinityhospice_london
Jul 17
Went to the opera at Garsington this week. Being a British summer and an outdoor event, it was obviously pouring with rain, hence the umbrella and a pair of stout boots worn under my evening dress. Wanted to post however because of my fab 40s style frock which I bought from my favourite charity shop Royal Trinity Hospice in Hammersmith. I have been dressing from charity shops most of my life. It’s a great way to shop. You are recycling, your money goes to a good cause, shopping is an adventure and you find things that are different. For me, charity shops are always the most interesting stores on the high street. Thoroughly recommend to anyone with a posh event to go to this summer, whatever the weather ! #royaltrinityhospiceshops #charityshopfinds #eveningdress #recycledfashion @royaltrinityhospice_london
Perfect post for election day: two suffragette postcards from the early 1900s. The one on the left is British, and typically satirised the suffragette as a butch harridan in ugly clothing. Thanks guys! The reality was of course very different, suffragettes spent hours planning their outfits before marches and Derry and Toms, the smart department store in Kensington High Street, advertised in the Votes for Women newspaper and filled their windows with elegant suffragette hats. The postcard on the right is American. Here the Queen of the Poll is dressed in full Edwardian Glamour with a fabulous picture hat. She is also wearing red lipstick and smoking, two other shocking examples of period female emancipation. I always think about the battle these women fought when it comes to election day. How many people have fought, suffered and even died in order to obtain the right to vote? It’s so important that we use it. I am off to the polling booth now. Where did I put my picture hat? #suffragettes #suffrage #election #elections #vote #votesforwomen #democracy #hats
Jul 4
Perfect post for election day: two suffragette postcards from the early 1900s. The one on the left is British, and typically satirised the suffragette as a butch harridan in ugly clothing. Thanks guys! The reality was of course very different, suffragettes spent hours planning their outfits before marches and Derry and Toms, the smart department store in Kensington High Street, advertised in the Votes for Women newspaper and filled their windows with elegant suffragette hats. The postcard on the right is American. Here the Queen of the Poll is dressed in full Edwardian Glamour with a fabulous picture hat. She is also wearing red lipstick and smoking, two other shocking examples of period female emancipation. I always think about the battle these women fought when it comes to election day. How many people have fought, suffered and even died in order to obtain the right to vote? It’s so important that we use it. I am off to the polling booth now. Where did I put my picture hat? #suffragettes #suffrage #election #elections #vote #votesforwomen #democracy #hats
I can’t resist a vintage tin and I love the history of advertising and packaging. Both of these date from the early 20th C. The Lady’s Own Toilet Pin Box, swipe to see wonderful text inside about how this box is “ an indispensable companion to Ladies at home, abroad, in the boudoir…” . I want a boudoir! Below is a Ladies’ Pens box, and if you want to know what a lady’s pen nib looks like, there it is. I went to the French Lycee in London where from the age of 5 we had to use a dip pen, to write our curly French letters in centimetre squared exercise books. Spent my early childhood covered in ink! I love these boxes for their language and that other feature of vintage packaging: correct use of the apostrophe! #pen #pin #sewing #ink #vintagetins #vintagetin #advertisinghistory
Jul 3
I can’t resist a vintage tin and I love the history of advertising and packaging. Both of these date from the early 20th C. The Lady’s Own Toilet Pin Box, swipe to see wonderful text inside about how this box is “ an indispensable companion to Ladies at home, abroad, in the boudoir…” . I want a boudoir! Below is a Ladies’ Pens box, and if you want to know what a lady’s pen nib looks like, there it is. I went to the French Lycee in London where from the age of 5 we had to use a dip pen, to write our curly French letters in centimetre squared exercise books. Spent my early childhood covered in ink! I love these boxes for their language and that other feature of vintage packaging: correct use of the apostrophe! #pen #pin #sewing #ink #vintagetins #vintagetin #advertisinghistory
Our Cats in Art tea towel, featuring my sculptures celebrating great artists, excruciating puns and of course cats, completely sold out this weekend. We will be reprinting for next year. Swipe to see one of our real cats, who is quite convinced that she is the coolest cat in the world and is keeping guard on a large box of Dreamies, that she and her sister got for their good behaviour during Artists at Home. #artistsathome #cats #catsofworld #catsofinstagram #teatowels #dreamies #sculpture #catsinart
Jun 19
Our Cats in Art tea towel, featuring my sculptures celebrating great artists, excruciating puns and of course cats, completely sold out this weekend. We will be reprinting for next year. Swipe to see one of our real cats, who is quite convinced that she is the coolest cat in the world and is keeping guard on a large box of Dreamies, that she and her sister got for their good behaviour during Artists at Home. #artistsathome #cats #catsofworld #catsofinstagram #teatowels #dreamies #sculpture #catsinart
Thanks so much for coming to @artistsathome. I was overwhelmed with the number of visitors and how nice everyone was. It was a blast - quite literally on Friday night thanks to live music suppled by Mojo Wellington, my lovely husband John Butler and the mighty Jules. Thanks to all our visitors. We so appreciated your support and it’s a lovely feeling when you know things you have made are going to a good home. Thanks to the children who visited , who were all really well behaved, and the dogs who visited and didn’t bite our cats.. Thanks to the @artistsathome committee for their hard work , to @thechiswickcalendar for their enthusiastic promotion and to @hortonandgarton for their support . Now that I have finished my Oscar style post I am going to lie down in a darkened room with a cold flannel over my face. Am shattered but very happy. What a fab event xxxx
Jun 17
Thanks so much for coming to @artistsathome. I was overwhelmed with the number of visitors and how nice everyone was. It was a blast - quite literally on Friday night thanks to live music suppled by Mojo Wellington, my lovely husband John Butler and the mighty Jules. Thanks to all our visitors. We so appreciated your support and it’s a lovely feeling when you know things you have made are going to a good home. Thanks to the children who visited , who were all really well behaved, and the dogs who visited and didn’t bite our cats.. Thanks to the @artistsathome committee for their hard work , to @thechiswickcalendar for their enthusiastic promotion and to @hortonandgarton for their support . Now that I have finished my Oscar style post I am going to lie down in a darkened room with a cold flannel over my face. Am shattered but very happy. What a fab event xxxx
Come and see us at Artists at Home this weekend @artistsathome . We are open Friday night 6-9pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. For address and details go to www.artists@home.co.uk. I am studio 7. #cat #catsofinstagram #catsinarthistory #sculpture #sculptures #teatowels #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #pun
Jun 13
Come and see us at Artists at Home this weekend @artistsathome . We are open Friday night 6-9pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. For address and details go to www.artists@home.co.uk. I am studio 7. #cat #catsofinstagram #catsinarthistory #sculpture #sculptures #teatowels #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #pun
Currently setting up for @artistsathome this weekend. The hardest thing is not the making (that is fun), but the tidying up necessary to turn your home into a gallery, particularly if you are a manic collector and naturally messy , guilty on both counts! What you can see here is Mudlark Mirror, wall hanging fish, Cats in Art sculptures, etc. What you can’t see is me in my dressing gown now attempting to sort the rest of the house. Wish me luck and come and see us this weekend. Promise I won’t be in my dressing gown! For details go to www.artistsathome.co.uk . I am studio 7 in the guide.
#artgallery #timeoutlondon #mudlarking #muudlark #chiswickbuzz #chiswickcalendar #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #shepherdsbush
Jun 12
Currently setting up for @artistsathome this weekend. The hardest thing is not the making (that is fun), but the tidying up necessary to turn your home into a gallery, particularly if you are a manic collector and naturally messy , guilty on both counts! What you can see here is Mudlark Mirror, wall hanging fish, Cats in Art sculptures, etc. What you can’t see is me in my dressing gown now attempting to sort the rest of the house. Wish me luck and come and see us this weekend. Promise I won’t be in my dressing gown! For details go to www.artistsathome.co.uk . I am studio 7 in the guide.
#artgallery #timeoutlondon #mudlarking #muudlark #chiswickbuzz #chiswickcalendar #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #shepherdsbush
Madeleine says it with Flowers! Flower necklace and flower basket earrings. Will be blooming at our open house event @artistsathome next weekend. Come and visit us ! Check www.artistsathome for full details. I am studio 7 and throughout Hammersmith, Shepherd’s Bushand Chiswick, 93 artists are opening their studios. It is a fun day out!
#flowers #summer #artistsoninstagram #jewellery #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #fashion
Jun 9
Madeleine says it with Flowers! Flower necklace and flower basket earrings. Will be blooming at our open house event @artistsathome next weekend. Come and visit us ! Check www.artistsathome for full details. I am studio 7 and throughout Hammersmith, Shepherd’s Bushand Chiswick, 93 artists are opening their studios. It is a fun day out!
#flowers #summer #artistsoninstagram #jewellery #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #fashion
Just finishing off a Madlark mirror made from finds mudlarked from the waterways of London. This one is primarily devoted to brands and products dating from the late Victorian period to the present day, showing what we ate, drank and smoked, and providing an intimate picture of every day life in London over a century or more. Next stage is to do a written description of each one of these dozens of tiny fragments. No wonder I look a bit tired! Hopefully it will all be finished for @artistsathome , 14-16 June. Come and see us there.
#mudlarking #mudlark #mudlarkingfinds #beachcombing #recycle #recycledart #advertising #advertisinghistory #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #chiswickmums #shepherdsbush
Jun 6
Just finishing off a Madlark mirror made from finds mudlarked from the waterways of London. This one is primarily devoted to brands and products dating from the late Victorian period to the present day, showing what we ate, drank and smoked, and providing an intimate picture of every day life in London over a century or more. Next stage is to do a written description of each one of these dozens of tiny fragments. No wonder I look a bit tired! Hopefully it will all be finished for @artistsathome , 14-16 June. Come and see us there.
#mudlarking #mudlark #mudlarkingfinds #beachcombing #recycle #recycledart #advertising #advertisinghistory #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #chiswickmums #shepherdsbush
Wall hanging shuttle fish, made from an early 20thC wooden weaving shuttle, complete with original spool, and a vintage stocking mending compact. The wooden shuttle is made by Crossley, established in Todmorden in 1888, who manufactured shuttles of all types and sizes for automatic and hand looms. With the decline of the British textile industry, the company closed down and this beautifully made object lost its purpose. I wanted to give it a new lease of life. Will be swimming on my wall at @artistsathome 14-16 June.
#fish #fishing #weaving #sculpture #tecycle #hammersmithandfulham #chiswickbuzz #chiswick #textilehistory
Jun 4
Wall hanging shuttle fish, made from an early 20thC wooden weaving shuttle, complete with original spool, and a vintage stocking mending compact. The wooden shuttle is made by Crossley, established in Todmorden in 1888, who manufactured shuttles of all types and sizes for automatic and hand looms. With the decline of the British textile industry, the company closed down and this beautifully made object lost its purpose. I wanted to give it a new lease of life. Will be swimming on my wall at @artistsathome 14-16 June.
#fish #fishing #weaving #sculpture #tecycle #hammersmithandfulham #chiswickbuzz #chiswick #textilehistory
Come and see us @artistsathome 14th-16th June. Where: 3 Iffley Road London W6 OPB When: Friday 14th: 6-9 pm, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th: 11-6pm. What will you see? Jewellery, sculpture, paintings and a mermaid on the front door. We are c.8 minutes walk from Hammersmith tube and there is free parking. For map and further details check out www.artistsathome.com. I am studio 7. Lots of artists in the area are opening up their homes and studios. It’s a great day out. #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #artistsoninstagram #londonevents #timeoutlondon
Jun 2
Come and see us @artistsathome 14th-16th June. Where: 3 Iffley Road London W6 OPB When: Friday 14th: 6-9 pm, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th: 11-6pm. What will you see? Jewellery, sculpture, paintings and a mermaid on the front door. We are c.8 minutes walk from Hammersmith tube and there is free parking. For map and further details check out www.artistsathome.com. I am studio 7. Lots of artists in the area are opening up their homes and studios. It’s a great day out. #hammersmithandfulham #chiswick #artistsoninstagram #londonevents #timeoutlondon
Another pair of 1930s advertising thimble earrings, and what I love about these is that they are advertising famous manufacturers of sewing thread: Gutermann, founded in Vienna in 1864 and still going strong today, and Cable Louis D’Or, a famous cotton brand produced by the French firm Wallaert Freres, established in 1815 and hugely successful in the 19th and early 20th C. I don’t sew myself but I love The Great British Sewing Bee @sewingbeecasting @thegbsblive and I have become increasingly interested in the history of sewing. Vintage needlework materials shed a fascinating and intimate light on the everyday day lives of women of the past. With antique thimbles for example , you are are literally in touch with their fingers. I have put quite a lot of sewing related pieces on the @artistsathome website (I am studio 7) and I hope to have more by the time we open our doors to the public 14-16 June. Still can’t sew though!
#thegreatbritishsewingbee #sew #thimbles #makedoandmend #sewingbox #sewing #needlework
May 30
Another pair of 1930s advertising thimble earrings, and what I love about these is that they are advertising famous manufacturers of sewing thread: Gutermann, founded in Vienna in 1864 and still going strong today, and Cable Louis D’Or, a famous cotton brand produced by the French firm Wallaert Freres, established in 1815 and hugely successful in the 19th and early 20th C. I don’t sew myself but I love The Great British Sewing Bee @sewingbeecasting @thegbsblive and I have become increasingly interested in the history of sewing. Vintage needlework materials shed a fascinating and intimate light on the everyday day lives of women of the past. With antique thimbles for example , you are are literally in touch with their fingers. I have put quite a lot of sewing related pieces on the @artistsathome website (I am studio 7) and I hope to have more by the time we open our doors to the public 14-16 June. Still can’t sew though!
#thegreatbritishsewingbee #sew #thimbles #makedoandmend #sewingbox #sewing #needlework
Mudlark rings and ring stand, made from Victorian/Edwardian pottery and glass bottle stoppers mudlarked from the Thames and canals of London. Stoppers like these were typically used for the tangy sauces: Daddies, HP, OK, Lea & Perrins, that became a staple of British cooking. I was thrilled to find a use for these stoppers, which I have always loved but never knew what to do with. They do make perfect ring stands and and for me, show the pleasure of recycling. I will be exhibiting these @artistsathome , 14-16 June. If you check out the website, I am studio 7. #mudlarking #mudlark #sauces #recycle #recycledart #rings #ringsofinstagram #ringstand #chiswick #chiswickmums #hammersmithandfulham
May 29
Mudlark rings and ring stand, made from Victorian/Edwardian pottery and glass bottle stoppers mudlarked from the Thames and canals of London. Stoppers like these were typically used for the tangy sauces: Daddies, HP, OK, Lea & Perrins, that became a staple of British cooking. I was thrilled to find a use for these stoppers, which I have always loved but never knew what to do with. They do make perfect ring stands and and for me, show the pleasure of recycling. I will be exhibiting these @artistsathome , 14-16 June. If you check out the website, I am studio 7. #mudlarking #mudlark #sauces #recycle #recycledart #rings #ringsofinstagram #ringstand #chiswick #chiswickmums #hammersmithandfulham
At @artistsathome this year I will be showing a number of works inspired by the history of sewing. Here is another pair of earrings made from 1930s advertising thimbles. The Birmingham company Iles and Gomes Ltd produced these promotional thimbles for a wide range of companies, looking to attract a female audience. These ones appealed to my sense of humour. The coloured bands say “GAS for ECONOMY”. Ha! Not a phrase that comes to mind today when you look at your energy bills… They do make fab earrings though. #sewingbox #thegreatbritishsewingbee #earrings #needleworktools #gas #uniquejewelry #dressmaking
May 27
At @artistsathome this year I will be showing a number of works inspired by the history of sewing. Here is another pair of earrings made from 1930s advertising thimbles. The Birmingham company Iles and Gomes Ltd produced these promotional thimbles for a wide range of companies, looking to attract a female audience. These ones appealed to my sense of humour. The coloured bands say “GAS for ECONOMY”. Ha! Not a phrase that comes to mind today when you look at your energy bills… They do make fab earrings though. #sewingbox #thegreatbritishsewingbee #earrings #needleworktools #gas #uniquejewelry #dressmaking
One of my favourite Mudlark brooches, made from a fragment of Royal Doulton Egyptian Revival vase c. 1890, found on our favourite canal spot. The salt glaze stoneware was very hard to cut. Doulton did after all make its fortune in the 19th C supplying heavy duty ceramic sewage pipes and sanitary ware. I particularly love the scene, which could be seen as a religious libation, or maybe a posh dinner party. Will be on display @artistsathome June 14-16. Cheers everyone!!
#brooch #mudlarking #mudlarkingfinds #mudlark #foreshore #beachcombing #beachcombingfinds #egyptian #egyptianrevival #egyptianrevivaljewelry #tecycledfashion #royaldoulton #royaldoultonchina
May 25
One of my favourite Mudlark brooches, made from a fragment of Royal Doulton Egyptian Revival vase c. 1890, found on our favourite canal spot. The salt glaze stoneware was very hard to cut. Doulton did after all make its fortune in the 19th C supplying heavy duty ceramic sewage pipes and sanitary ware. I particularly love the scene, which could be seen as a religious libation, or maybe a posh dinner party. Will be on display @artistsathome June 14-16. Cheers everyone!!
#brooch #mudlarking #mudlarkingfinds #mudlark #foreshore #beachcombing #beachcombingfinds #egyptian #egyptianrevival #egyptianrevivaljewelry #tecycledfashion #royaldoulton #royaldoultonchina
Madeleine says it with flowers? For the first time I am planning to display flower pastels at @artistsathome , our open studios 14-16 June. I know nothing about plants and have the opposite of green fingers, but somehow that makes me love looking at flowers all the more. #flowers #flowerpower #flowerstagram #flowerpainting
May 24
Madeleine says it with flowers? For the first time I am planning to display flower pastels at @artistsathome , our open studios 14-16 June. I know nothing about plants and have the opposite of green fingers, but somehow that makes me love looking at flowers all the more. #flowers #flowerpower #flowerstagram #flowerpainting
One of my favourite new Mudlark brooches, a little Victorian blue and white Cupid set with pearls. He looks very contemplative, pondering the great questions of life, which in my case are generally “Where have I put my keys?” And currently “Am I ever going to be ready for Artists at Home?” Come and find out @artistsathome , our open studio event 14-16 June. #angel #cupid #brooch #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #mudlark #mudlarks #mudlarking #beachcombing #beachcombingfinds #blueandwhite #blueandwhitechina #blueandwhiteporcelain #blueandwhiteceramics #blueandwhitepottery
May 17
One of my favourite new Mudlark brooches, a little Victorian blue and white Cupid set with pearls. He looks very contemplative, pondering the great questions of life, which in my case are generally “Where have I put my keys?” And currently “Am I ever going to be ready for Artists at Home?” Come and find out @artistsathome , our open studio event 14-16 June. #angel #cupid #brooch #chiswick #hammersmithandfulham #mudlark #mudlarks #mudlarking #beachcombing #beachcombingfinds #blueandwhite #blueandwhitechina #blueandwhiteporcelain #blueandwhiteceramics #blueandwhitepottery
Continuing my series of works inspired by the history of sewing, this necklace is made from vintage silvered glass buttons, dating from the early 20th century. They are beautiful things, lustrous and organic in design, conjuring up the glamour of the deco period. Planning to make a matching bracelet and if I can bear to part with them, both will be available for @artistsathome , our open studios exhibition in Hammersmith and Chiswick, 14th-16th June.
#button #buttons #hammersmith #chiswick #chiswickmums #necklaces #recycledfashion #sewing #greatbritishsewingbee
May 16
Continuing my series of works inspired by the history of sewing, this necklace is made from vintage silvered glass buttons, dating from the early 20th century. They are beautiful things, lustrous and organic in design, conjuring up the glamour of the deco period. Planning to make a matching bracelet and if I can bear to part with them, both will be available for @artistsathome , our open studios exhibition in Hammersmith and Chiswick, 14th-16th June.
#button #buttons #hammersmith #chiswick #chiswickmums #necklaces #recycledfashion #sewing #greatbritishsewingbee
Currently making jewellery for our @artistsathome show in June. I love women’s history and I am working on a series of objects connected with the history of sewing. I can barely thread a needle myself, which only enhances my interest and respect for the needle women of the past. I particularly love these earrings. I have made them from 1930s advertising thimbles, distributed by major companies of the day to publicise their products, in this case Lyons Cakes. What makes these particularly exciting for me ( yes I am that boring) is that J.Lyons and Co , famous for their tea shops and restaurants ( the glamorous Corner Houses) ; leading British manufacturer of biscuits, cakes and ice cream, was based in Hammersmith where I live. These earrings are light as a feather, a little bit of British social history, and for me there is something irresistible about hanging cake from your ears. It’s a word you can’t say without smiling. #cake #cakes #londonhistory #advertisinghistory #sewing #sewinghistory #artistsathome
May 11
Currently making jewellery for our @artistsathome show in June. I love women’s history and I am working on a series of objects connected with the history of sewing. I can barely thread a needle myself, which only enhances my interest and respect for the needle women of the past. I particularly love these earrings. I have made them from 1930s advertising thimbles, distributed by major companies of the day to publicise their products, in this case Lyons Cakes. What makes these particularly exciting for me ( yes I am that boring) is that J.Lyons and Co , famous for their tea shops and restaurants ( the glamorous Corner Houses) ; leading British manufacturer of biscuits, cakes and ice cream, was based in Hammersmith where I live. These earrings are light as a feather, a little bit of British social history, and for me there is something irresistible about hanging cake from your ears. It’s a word you can’t say without smiling. #cake #cakes #londonhistory #advertisinghistory #sewing #sewinghistory #artistsathome
