Sunday 5 December 2010

Anyone wondering who won the Christmas bauble giveaway? You'll have to scan to the bottom of the post!

Earlier this year Niobe and I went over to Dublin for a few days and we accepted an invitation to meet up with Elaine (Jaboopee) who lives over there. Elaine was the first blogger I had met and we shared a lovely couple of hours drinking coffee and eating cake and chatting about all sort of things as if we'd known each other for years.

She shared with me what was still a secret at that stage - that she had won a commission to do a large mosaic for a school and that it would take several months to do it. Well, it's now installed and showing right now on her blog - link in my side bar. Just click and have a look - it's absolutely stunning!

I wanted to share with you a couple of artists I met last week at the Harley Gallery before Igot stuck in the car park. Magie Hollingworth was,I thought,a paper artist whose papier mache I love - see these kitchen implements...



and, if you prefer less colour, the black version



So why do you have a jelly mould half full of shredded fivers Wend?



Well that's because Magie uses them to make little pots which she calls "Made of money". I was intrigued as to how she got the shreddings. She explained the convoluted procedure she had to go through to get them from the Royal Mint, not to mention the security with people either side of her as she walked through the corridors of the Mint to collect her shreddings. Anyway my interest earned me a bag of the lovely stuff! (I have more in peach - made from £10 notes).Apparently it's pretty indestructible - how many fivers have you put through the washing machine?



What I hadn't realised was that Magie is also a designer for Ehrman tapestries - so for button lovers check this out!



She explained her process for designing these - apparently the company send her the wool that she needs - she has a rough idea of what she wants to do and stitches it and then sends it off to Ehrman. She doesn't even get to keep the prototype! Not sure I'd be happy with that deal!

I also fell for the work of Ros Roberts a 2010 "New designer" who makes these amazing lamps and lampbases out of discarded books and twisted and bent willow branches. These were stuuning and use very tiny bulbs for safety.



Apologies for the delay in sorting the giveaway. The winner is Cathy over at Menopausal Musing. Cathy,please let me have your address - my e-mail is on my sidebar - and I'll pop them in the post to you. Thank you to everyone who entered - I included everyone who commented on either blog. Hope you have a good week lined up!

10 comments:

  1. wow so much talent. I love those lamps at the end there very impressive. And the money goodness what a great idea. Lovely post. Dee x

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  2. Those pots of money reminded me of the quilt I saw in the V&A exhibition earlier this year which was made up of Chinese bank notes and titled to represent the growth of the Chinese economy and how China is set to take over as the top country economy wise or some such.

    Jane

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  3. Love the kitchen implements, and love the rose picture that's in the background of the photos- very striking Linda x

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  4. Those kitchen implements are amazing - I hated papier mache at school, but maybe I should have another go!

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  5. Loving those kitchen implements! Excited about winning the vintage baubles. WOW! thank you. :o))))))

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  6. I love the kitchen utensils and the idea of shredded money is fascinating !
    Ann x

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  7. intresting post - has niobe chosen her uni yet?

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  8. hi wend and thanks for the mention, if i remember correctly it was i who ate all the cake !!! but your very kind to make everyone think i didn't .... love that made of money concept very clever indeed.

    we're going to have to teach you how to do a link in your post....
    ...once you know how to copy and paste it's very easy
    thanks again .
    elaine

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  9. Wend,
    I love Magie Hollingsworth's work. What she does with paper is just fabulous. Who'd have thought you can get hold of shredded bank notes? So when someone says they have 'pots of money' they really could have... just pots of money. Love it. Lesley

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  10. wonderful to meet someone face to face... beautiful things... love the lamps. Love Helen

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