Lost in the Wood

Amelia Puddle Hello folks, this week has been full of big announcements and much artiness! Peter Capaldi as the next Doctor has been met with cheerful warmth in our little cottage and sighs of relief that it wasn't someone alarming like the smug student from the BT ads or Shane Ritchie (as my friend upsettingly threw into the rumour mix). Our personal hopefuls were Ben Wishaw, 'Johnson' from Peep Show & Zawe Ashton (the fabulous 'Vod' from Fresh Meat) but Peter C is certainly ok by us. Even more excitingly, The Doctor's new companion was unveiled today, rather unbelievably, at the national Eisteddfod in Denbigh. As pictured, the producers requested a cut-price Amy Pond type so hurrah, it is I! I'm planning a bilingual effort after doing surprisingly well in my recent Welsh exam (most surprising perhaps to the people who have tried to chat with me 'ym Cymraeg'). Sadly, my make-me-look-cooler oversized sunglasses have broken so I'm looking ...

My, oh my, exciting things are afoot, I'm delighted (and greatly amused) by the forthcoming WORLD PREMIERE which will be taking place at the craft fair at Galeri, Caernarfon this Saturday, July 6th!!! Here will be unveiled the world premiere of the unique and totally new concept of YARN-POOTLING! You are cordially invited to marvel at the way Lost in the Wood Designs and collaborator/ partner in crime  Little Miss Jones http://littlemissjones.co.uk/ take the concept of yarn bombing, dilute it and make it all squishy like the cakes we enjoy eating. Little Miss Jones defines it best as "a gentler, more relaxed form of yarn-bombing" (see her very funny blog http://littlemissjones33.blogspot.co.uk/ ). So, it's a no thank you to going on dawn raids on town centres to spread our woolly treasures, instead we'll knit & crochet at a temperate pace, more than likely sitting in a garden with cats, cakes (well, me certainly) and a nice glass of something chilled or i...

Slate Teapot by Dave Stephen There's already lots of reasons to love little Caernarfon town but this week introduced a shiny new one. Just opened on Monday, Siop iard  https://www.facebook.com/iard is a lovely shop/ workshop /gallery at 7B Palace Street, Caernarfon. Artists Ann Catrin (metalwork sculpture & jewellery), Angela Evans (contemporary jewellery) and Dave Stephen (slate guru) are selling their work and you can have a peak soon at them creating in the workshop area as well. They are also very happy to chat about the current programme of crafty courses ( (held at Parc Glynllifon, c.15 mins drive away) and book you in to any you're tempted by. I  first discovered I loved making things by going to various iard courses a few years ago so I highly recommend trying one (or a few) for inspiration, fun or the start of a whole new creative career! http://iard.co.uk/ Slate Cake by Dave Stephen While, predictably I'm enjoying browsing the new jewellery,...

Red Riding Hood brooch by Miss Marple Makes I'm always thrilled when I sell my work and rest assured lovely buyers, the money goes towards new materials, occasionally to the dentist (ie for the small but expensive filling last week) and to another great by-product of buying from a local artist/shop, to other artists! While pretty things spied on the internet & in magazines etc are continually tempting, I feel that my purchases help, in a very modest way, to contribute to the local economy and supporting other makers & artists (it's a good justification I employ!). Apparently a fairly high percentage of handmade items are bought by other designer/makers, which does make some sense. I'd like to share with you three lovely jewellery items I've bought recently, all by local makers in North Wales (their products are available on-line too though for you more urban/ Non-Wales types). I've been fans of all of them for some time and much coveting of their produ...