Friends, Ibiza and a new logo…

July 2, 2015 by sam

My old friend Simon Heale used to say “no man goes like a mango goes” whenever a mango came into sight and it always made me giggle. Another good one of his was “I think therefore I am – I’m pink therefore I’m Spam”

I’ve been thinking a lot about friends, old and new & how important they are are for fun, laughter and general well-being. I’ve recently been on my friend Nicole’s hen-do in Ibiza and it was a blast.

I managed two all-nighters (I know right? At my age!) Quite frankly I was shitting myself about going to Amnesia (I can say that ‘cos it’s my blog) which doesn’t open until midnight & a vodka redbull will set you back 26 euros (eeek) but we did it & wandered home at 8am, along the beach, looking alright compared to some…

We did the obligatory sunset at Cafe Mambo (can’t believe these guys have marketed a sunset..?) It was an experience though, especially afterwards as we ate our supper with a Hen party on one side, a Stag “do” on the other and a lady playing with fire on the beach! The entertainment was constant from the moment I got in the car on Wednesday ’til returning home on Sunday morning and I would definitely go back. Especially to the beautiful beach at Calla Basa, a half hour boat trip from San Antonio, where the sea is warm & turquoise & I had the best lobster paella & sangria I’ve ever tasted and listened to live sax on the beach!

Back to reality with a bang I then raced up to Beaconsfield (where I grew up) as my pal Sally (who lives in Spain) was back visiting her Mum. I caught up with Val (for lunch) had dinner in Bourne End (thanks Michael) spent the following day with Sharon, Sally & Lucia in the glorious sunshine and managed a quick trip to my childhood home (now worth a ridiculous £800k – my parents bought it for £28K 35 years ago!)

Unsurprisingly it looks awful, the front lawn turned to gravel parking, the clematis ripped from the roof, which it used to cover in a veil of pale pink every spring. I’d choose Devon every time & getting to spend a few wonderful years down here with my Mum before losing her is much more valuable than bricks and mortar.

During the 200 mile drive home I found myself giggling away at the events of the previous week and realised that I have emerged from the gloomy mood I have been in since 2013. I have resigned myself to the fact that life will never be the same again without my lovely Mum BUT I have some amazing friends & family who have encouraged, supported, cajoled & put up with me. Thanks for hanging on in there everyone, I’m nearly there!

PP managed to get the new logo sorted incredibly quickly for him! What do you think? I love it and have ordered stickers from moo.com for my bags, boxes and wrapping which should arrive today. It’s going to take a bit longer to sort out the website and email stuff so bear with me. At the moment traffic from peagreencandles.com will be redirected to peagreenfurniture.com as both are live.

My first pots made it safely through their glaze firing and I took three of them to a fair in Dartmouth at the weekend, sold two and left the other with a shop I supply there (The Crafted Emporium in the Old Market Square) It was a busy weekend and for the first time I paid my daughter to come and assist me, she was a natural of course!

My next fair is an evening of Craft and Vintage in Uplowman Village Hall (4 miles north east of Tiverton) on Friday 10th July 6pm – 9pm. This fair is being run by Holly who is working towards her Gold Arts Award.

Come and see me if you require a smelly, spotty candle or two….

peagreencandles.com

June 12, 2015 by sam

I’m so excited to be taking my little company in a new direction and as I no longer up-cycle old furniture and spend most of my days making candles (& pots) I have (after thinking long and hard) decided to rename it peagreencandles.com

These are the pots that I really want to focus on, hence my Monday afternoon classes with Ron, who I mentioned in my last post…

He’s so lovely, seriously, he makes me a better person…

Here are my first pots, hand-thrown & decorated by moi! He encouraged me to make my own mark on the base and gave me a pad to sketch out a funky logo but I thought I’d just keep it simple….

I have now decorated the sixteen pots I have made during the past few weeks and am waiting (on tenter-hooks) for them to be fired. I’ll be back there on Monday to throw some more shapes (Mighty Boosh reference for my kids!)

So, feeling motivated (for once) I bought a huge cupboard from the lovely Jon Pearce (Vintage light & Shade) and tidied up my studio. I also sketched a new logo…

which needs a bit of tweaking and the new name added (PP is doing this so don’t hold your breath)

I ordered some posh boxes from The Tiny Box Co. and will be ordering some nice stickers from Moo.com with the end goal of sorting out a proper shop page on my website – I know, get me! It must be all the inspiration and support from the wonderful group of Creative Women I have been meeting up with…

One of the members runs Jolley Cupcake – check out this fab Rolo cake which was for sale at the Artisan Market last month, serious yumminess!

My next fair is on Sunday at the magnificent Cotehele National Trust property in Saltash, Cornwall. It should be a fun day out, maybe I’ll see you there?

Peagreen candles in peagreen pots!

May 14, 2015 by sam

Well Christmas has been and gone and I was so busy I didn’t get to post this photo of my rustic Devonmoor pottery collection, decorated with various handmade pieces purchased from friends – I think the colours work really well together. I’ve always loved pottery and did an “O” level whilst at college (showing my age!) but life didn’t take me in that direction until now…You will recognise these spotty pots, which I have been developing with a lovely old potter (he’s 86!) called Ron Jackson. He lives locally and we have become firm friends over this past year. Full of interesting tales, he has spent his whole life in the area. As a boy he lived in “Garston” in Shaldon, a beautiful, prominent cottage on the main street.

After leaving school he got a job at Watcombe Pottery, got married & lived briefly in Maidencombe (where I live) in a tin roofed chalet, overlooking the sea. He settled with his wife in Teignmouth and spent years cycling to Watcombe & back along a very hilly coast road while she brought up their six children. Meeting such a character has enriched my life and when he offered to teach me to make the spotty pots myself I jumped at the chance!

So off I trot now, once a week, to throw pots on a wheel in his garden shed – interestingly he also makes his own clay, which he does in the garden by using some weird filtration system using various buckets and sieves! He’s going to show me how to do this too ‘cos, as he would say, “why waste money when you have the free raw materials on your doorstep?”

My crazy puppy Betsy is still at the centre of our lives, can’t believe I spend so much time dog walking – hard work but SO worth it & so many beautiful beaches to visit..

This is me and PP at Billie’s 17th birthday in January (blimey I’m old!) We had a scrummy meal at Bill’s in Exeter joined by my Dad, also celebrating his 77th (now HE IS old) Only joking Dadski!

Who has heard of Helen Bottrill from Kindred Rose? She is a talented textile artist from Devon who runs a brilliant Artisan Market in Blackborough Village Hall (where I shall be on Saturday 10-2pm) AND now runs a forum for creative women to meet up and inspire/support/motivate and share skills in a warm, friendly environment (with biscuits!)

The last meeting was on April 30th, I took Helene (my trusty sidekick & top candle salesperson) and we listened to brilliant talks from Kirsty Elson & Rachael (Grace and Favour Home) where they shared tips, advice and experiences. Helen is a natural for connecting people and uses her great sense of humour to put folk at ease, if you are creative and local take the time to research this worthwhile venture!

And try to pop along to the market on Saturday x