I’ve had a crazy month. We sold the tea lounge/paint shop to free us to follow our dreams and projects, but that’s meant fitting a huge volume of belongings into our home next door. I’ve bought boxes and gone through every drawer of notions, fabrics; shelves of books, wardrobes of clothes and bagged up for… Continue reading So much sewing
I have managed to get my cushions and painted furniture into a lovely shop in La Souterraine, Petite Bazaar run by a lovely lady called Caroline. It’s an excellent chance for me, as the residents do love to buy antiques and handmade crafts. I love sewing, but having a shop to sell through and commissions… Continue reading Cuddle a cushion
Summer is full of beach visits to sandy coves, picnics in woodlands and if your like me, searching brocantes for sewing materials and books. I make these colourful bags for all your favorite journeys. They can hold a flask, sandwiches, a magazine or book and your purse and mobile. Made with secondhand materials, often secondhand… Continue reading Bags of fun
We opened today and friends came, tea was drunk, cakes munched and conversations chattered. The shop has turned out better than I hoped. Its one of my favourite things to do, transforming spaces, making them work physically but also being emotionally stimulating. And upstairs we have crafting. Paper, paints, wool, beads, and glue to get… Continue reading Cou-Cou is open
It’s been a wonderful last 10 months with the Tea Lounge. It was successful. People loved the cakes, the food, the long opening hours from midday to eleven in the evening and that we were open every day. But we still had pressing long term projects. Tony music and myself, art and writing. My children’s… Continue reading New beginnings
It’s been a really hectic couple of months. We closed the tea lounge to work on insulating the ceiling and I had a lot of homework for my Poultry Science HNC, but the effort has got me seven weeks ahead! I managed to do just over 2000 words on my pirate book and read eight… Continue reading The Revolution
It’s mid afternoon and we are waiting for Carrefour to open so we can buy snacks, wine and cheese for tomorrow’s big opening. I am baking cakes and brownies, quiches, and other pastry items. Friends are coming to help. My sewing friend will see her products arranged in the shop and after a year of… Continue reading The Tea Lounge opens tomorrow!
A lovely article by my tax business partners daughter, Alix Marshall. She is working through a degree in journalism back in UK and she visited last month to dip into my world and my journey to France.
After a very successful year, the Maison has proved to be a huge asset for us. Found in a very neglected state, with leaking pipes, a rotten kitchen and no floor under the bath, we have finally given its soul back. We provide many workshops here each month, on art, poetry and writing. We hold… Continue reading The Gallery
Today at the gallery we had the lovely Celine Excoffen teaching the art of Cyanotype. With a combination of chemicals, it was a mix of photography and chemistry. After coating paper with the chemical mix, potassium and ammonia, we laid out feathers, letters, flowers and anything that hid sunlight. Then squeezing between glass to keep… Continue reading Cyanotype
Garages get neglected. Often left full of unloved or spare things. Full of cobwebs and oil stains. Sometimes with doors too stuck to even open. When we bought the atelier in Gouzon, an ex paint factory, it came with a house in bad repair. We are currently decorating it after our tenants left and it’s… Continue reading Pretty in mauve
A French Creative Life 