A wonderful life

It's certainly feeling a lot like Christmas in this house now. Missy is off school and hubby only has 4 more days left in his job until he is unemployed so we are all winding down and settling in for the festivities. 

Today has been a wonderful day. I am so blessed to have this life and my family. After a relaxing lie in after drinkies last night all three of us made a spontaneous diorama. Did I spell that right? It's big in America from what I gather and Missy decided that was what we were going to do. Out came the pencil case, the sticky tape and a big pile of paper. Missy directed us through her vision of a Winter Wonderland and we all had our bits to make. In hindsite we should have looked for card rather than paper but with some engineering skills and a good laugh we got it together. Isn't it great!

All this crafting was hungry work so we decided to be naughty and have pancakes for lunch. Well, why not? It is the season to overindulge afterall! I think though that we must have still had crafting on the brain as we ended up spelling words in our pancakes. Missy decided that hers should say '#lol', hubby's said 'Dad' and mine was holly with black cherries as the berries. I don't have a photo of these though as they didn't last very long! 

The plan was to go out for a walk after lunch but it started raining. Instead hubby tackled the wrapping. It's so nice not to always have to take charge with these things any more. In the past I had to buy and wrap my own pressies. :/ Things are very different now. I tried to wrap a few pressies but the littlest member of the household refused to co-operate. See for yourself. 

Luckily the weather cleared before the sun set so I got to go for my walk after all. It's lovely walking through the Sirhowy Valley at all times of year. At the moment the streams and rivers are in full flow and there are a few waterfalls to admire along the route. Missy took her skateboard and found that it was much easier to be pulled along by me and hubby! 

Not long after these pics the heavens opened and we tried to shelter under the tree up ahead in this photo. It wasn't much help though and by the time we got back we were soaked through and laughing at how silly we were. It was good fun and one of our favourite walks. :-) 

Back home it was pajama time and after a well earned cuppa the family fun continued with Wii games and chocolates! I think a Christmas movie tonight will finish it off nicely... maybe with a few more drinkies! 

I hope you are all settling into the festive season now and I wish you all a wonderful Yule and Christmas. 

Cath xx

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
G+: http://ht.ly/UvPxX
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tysiriol/

Busy as, well Elves! Time to stuff those stockings.

This year I intended on being more organised with Christmas gifts and stocking fillers. For those who know me it will come as no surprise that I used Pinterest to pin the lovely ideas that I found and to keep them where I would be able to find them again. I am quite the Pinter-addict! 

I have most the main gifts sorted and of course many are made by my very own hands. I can't say much more though as I haven't given them yet and they are surprises. What I always seem to forget though are the little fun items for the stockings that Santa's Elves have worked on. So below are a few ideas that I've found and some of my own items that also make great stocking fillers. 

Women are always the easiest to buy for in my opinion. Jewellery always fits really well into a stocking as well. 

This Camellia Rose bangle style bracelet is lovely for both women and teens alike. I love how this catches the light with all the Rhinestones. You can find it here. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Women-Fashion-Rhinestone-Camellia-Rose-Gold-Bangle-Bracelet-Jewelry-/252194172779?hash=item3ab7f1af6b:g:pusAAOSwl9BWNgS3 

In the age of technology and just about everyone owning a phone, phone covers are a popular choice. I loved this Minion phone cover when I spotted it. I am bit of a fan. Shame they didn't come in the right size for my phone. 
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iphone-5-5s-case-Hard-Back-minion-ganster-NEW-UK-seller-stocking-filler-/161567588558?roken=cUgayN

Missy is an absolute bookworm and every year she asked for the same thing from Santa, a notepad and pen. She writes so many stories and gets through so many notebooks that I'm sure she will end up being an author. These stunning notebooks have faux suede bindings with a leather strap to close them. I'm particularly impressed that you can refill them. 
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252207358462?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

While I'm talking about books I really must show you this stunner. The photograph is one of my mother's, Christina Powell. A few Christmas' ago her garden squirrel made of wire frosted over and this was the beautiful result. The photograph was used to make notepads and Christmas cards. I really love these in the glossy finish. 
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/256416663/frosted-squirrel-notebooks-original?ref=shop_home_feat_2 

For very young children the first thought is often of cuddly toys but why not make it that bit more special and go for a handmade one? I found this cutie on Etsy (home of handmade lovelies) made by Simply Stitched UK. I can see this fast becoming one of the favourites that has to be in the cot at night. 
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/185880009/crochet-bunny-rabbit-liberty-rose-with?ref=teams_post 

Another favourite for the stocking is smellies and goes for men and women alike. While I was browsing around some of my fave shops on Etsy I found these delicious looking (although not to be eaten!) bees wax soaps from the Soap Dragon. Don't they look wonderful! 
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/64482076/2-bee-natural-cold-process-honey-guest?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

My next amazing find is from The Turquoise Eye. I've been a fan of her work for a few years now and am completely in awe of the detail in her work. Her art work transposes so well to these gorgeous compact mirrors that I'm sure they would be a hit for the lady in your life. 
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/234606969/dragonflies-pocket-mirror-christmas?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=stocking%20fillers%20uk&ref=sr_gallery_39

As my fans will know, I make ceramics mostly. They are not so easy to pop into a stocking given their fragile nature however, my ceramic pendants would be fine in the little jewellery boxes they come with. This is an example of a bar pendant that I have on Etsy at the time of writing. These have been very popular and make a lovely gift. Who do you know who is mad about green? Watch out, my sister in law is and she might get there first! 
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/240205148/lime-green-ceramic-bar-pendant-on-a?ref=shop_home_active_14

So here we are. A few ideas if you are still looking for the last minute gifts or are stuck with stocking filler ideas as I often am. Please do check out the featured shops as they have lots of wonderful goodies that I like to drool over. If you have no one to send them to, then I'm always happy to receive from them! ;-) 

If I don't write again this side of the festivities then I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and here's to another wonderful year in 2016! I'll see you on the other side.

Cath xx

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCraftsG+: http://ht.ly/UvPxX
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tysiriol/

Time to expand, and I don't mean my waist!

As we all know times are hard at the moment for many of us. The financial crisis is still very real for many despite what Governments say. We have recently had a blow to our monthly income so I am having to get more creative and expand what Ty Siriol is all about. Thankfully when I named the business I added the '& Crafts' bit at the end of the name 'Ty Siriol Ceramics & Crafts'. 

I have had a light bulb moment. You see, I'm not able to keep up with the making side of my pottery due to illness and I can't keep the shop stocked and fresh like I'd want to. This is when I decided to expand into the vintage market as well but still focusing on ceramics and some glass. 

I have quite a bit of vintage stock on Etsy these days. I find them all over the place, clean them up and in some cases upcycle them and give them a fresh coat of glaze to bring them back to life. I have some stunning pieces as well that I'm quite proud of. I love it when I find a hand thrown piece of pottery with the artist's name or stamp on it. There is no way I will let them go to landfill. The artist would have worked damn hard and have trained for many years to get to that pot and it deserves to be loved by someone else. 

Here is one of my favourite finds. A hand thrown terracotta jug complete with the stamp of the artist. It's got a beautiful earthy and organic feel to it. The form is stunning and you can clearly see the stamp under the handle of the jug. Wonderful.

Here is another example of a wonderful find. This mug feels great in your hand and has a comforting feel, like drinking hot chocolate on a winters day feeling. Again we can see that the artist who threw this mug has signed the bottom. Another one-of-a-kind saved from landfill. 

This next piece I have fallen in love with and I really had to force myself to list it on Etsy. This stunning vase, thrown in terracotta, shows the lines from the wheel and you can feel the undulations. The accent of glaze across the front sets it off beautifully. If this one doesn't sell I'll be more than happy to keep it. ;-) 

It is still early days for my vintage section but so far things are looking promising. I really hope that it helps my Etsy shop to keep going. For now I'm not making very much but more doing what I want to for relaxation. To me, pottery is a form of meditation and I want to keep it that way. 

Once again, thanks for reading,
Cath xx

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCraftsG+: http://ht.ly/UvPxX
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tysiriol/

Bayeux today, Caen tomorrow! In love with Normandy

This summer the Ty Siriol Clan all drove to France for a week in a little village, Le Molay Littry just outside of Bayeux. It was the first time Mr TS had driven on the right hand side and I have to say that he did so well that by the end of the week it was completely normal to us. We are very grateful for Sheila, the sat nav though even if her pronunciation of French completely destroyed a beautiful language! Even so we still got lost several times with my family following loyally behind us in their car! Grancha simply grinning!

The farm house that we stayed in was fantastic and full of French charm. It truly was a country retreat. I loved sitting out in the evenings watching the sun go down and listening to all the wild life. Nearby ducks made me laugh every night at what I guess was feeding time. It sounded like they were having a domestic dispute! Maybe I shouldn't have found it as funny as I did! 

This is the back of the farmhouse from next to the stream that slowly trickled across the bottom of the garden. This is only about a fifth of the grounds. They had loads of little places to explore for the kids. 

I think that one of my favourite parts of holidaying with the extended family was that we could all sit around a large table like when I was a child (I'm one of four!). It was really funny after a few bottles of wine and trying to converse in French. Somehow we understood each each. L'il Miss knows how to ask for various foods across the table now in drunken French. 

And when in France... It had to be done!

Something else that I love about being abroad is food shopping. I love to look at all the local foods and guess what some of it means. Of course, being gluten free and having allergies might have presented a problem but it was easier than I expected. There were even dedicated areas in the supermarkets for gluten free foods. 

Some local produce was somewhat puzzling though. See the pic below. Does anyone know what part of the pig it is because we had a good laugh and my mum was tempted to bring some home!! 

My favourite day was in Bayeux when we went to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry. We couldn't drive all that way and not show it to L'il Miss. She loved it and surprisingly said it was also her favourite day. Bayeux is a gorgeous medieval town and wonderful to stroll around and explore. Below is a photo of me and Missy next to the river, the building that houses the tapestry (as you are not allowed to photograph the tapestry) and Bayeux Cathedral. 

We were local to the D-day landing beaches so visited several of them over the week, including Omaha beach (my fave), Utah beach, Asnelles beach and Arromanche. The men went off to the museums while the ladies (umm) relaxed on the beach. 

Dad with his trousers rolled up! Missy sensibly in a wetsuit.

 In the water at Arromanche where you can still see some of the break waters from D-day.

Found a sun trap

My beautiful girly

This last photo is at Omaha beach where it is hard to believe the water ran red. The beach is stunning with miles of golden sands. We needed the water to cool off this day as well as it was 30 degrees. It was actually the day we drove home and it was 18 degrees in Poole when we got back. Madness! 

No French holiday would be complete without seeing a chateau. This one is set in beautiful gardens and had a tour guide who walked us around outside explaining how different features were built or lost over the time. Sadly we only saw two rooms inside and we were keen to see more. 

Daddy daughter moment, caught cuddling!

We managed a brief tour of the outskirts of Caen when we got lost and saw the Garden of Birds (Jardin aux oiseux, if my French spelling is any good!) This is a public garden that was built on top of the city's rubbish dump. It was cleaned up over a number of years and has now been sculpted into beautiful gardens with lakes and a petting zoo. 
There is a lookout point at the top where you can see over Caen. This was the perfect place for Missy to meet her twin with the help of the panoramic function on my camera. She ran behind me on to the other side of the shot where I captured her a second time and hey presto, she has a twin! 

I really hope that we can get the chance to go back to France with Missy. It was a fantastic experience for all of us and I love introducing her to new cultures and languages. I guess I'd better start a holiday jar!!! 

If you don't know where to go next year and haven't tried France then I can highly recommend Normandy. It's peaceful, uncrowded and has so many things to do and see on the doorstep. What are you waiting for? Go get your passports!!

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic

Incense burners and mindfulness meditation

For the last couple of years I've been learning and practicing mindfulness meditation. It's all about being present in the moment. Don't worry about the past, as you cannot change it, and don't worry about the future as you don't know what will happen. Instead it's all about living in the present moment and taking the time to slow down or stop and see the world around you in all it's wonderful glory. 

It took a little practice at first to really slow down and I often find my mind wandering even now. But that's ok. I just observe that my mind has wandered and guide it back to where I want it to be. I don't scold myself but rather the key is to observe in the third person. I do this for other situations as well as I can work out what happened without any emotional involvement. 

I've even taught my daughter how to do it and she tells me that she often does it on the school bus looking out the window at the sky after a difficult day. By the time she comes in the door she has grounded herself again and is happy. We like to meditate in the garden when we can, just the two of us. 

While learning meditation I've been thinking about what others use to help them focus. I love to be outdoors and smell the grass and flowers, even the rain. Others like to burn their favourite scents, such as lavender or sandalwood. I'm highly sensitive to artificial smells so I don't burn scented candles or incense. Even so, I have started making incense burners for others and I'm selling a batch on Etsy. The first batch are all keeping in touch with nature and are leaves in various finishes. If they prove to be popular then I will look into other more organic styles. 

Incense burners shaped as leaves by Ty Siriol Ceramics

A selection of leaf incense burners by Ty Siriol Ceramics

I've sent another red one off just this morning so they do seem to be in demand. The red is also my favourite of them. Do you have a favourite colour? If so please post it in the comments. I do love to hear what you think. 

If you would like to see which ones are left in stock my Etsy link is below. 

Thanks for reading,
Cathy x

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic

Cardiff Food Festival

I recently went to the Cardiff Food Festival with Mr Ty Siriol. Even though as a coeliac sufferer I can't eat anything there, Mr TS love, love, loves his food and the more exotic the better! 

So off we went in the drizzly rain, me in my really unattractive bright purple rain coat and Mr TS looking normal and blending in well. At least he could find me easily if I wandered off! 

See! I told you it was bright!

Thankfully, it's not only food at the festival. There were also an array of art and craft stalls with their owners wrapped up warm and sheltering as best they could from the endless rain. 

There were a few ceramics stalls. I really loved the stoneware and their glazes. Sadly, my kiln doesn't fire to those temperatures... but Mr TS did say that maybe next year we could save for a new kiln. :D He's so wonderful. Love him to bits. (Sorry about the soppy bit. ;-) ) 

There was one stall where children were being shown how to throw their own pots on the wheel. It was lovely to watch the children getting involved, despite being in the rain. I did take a sneaky photo on my phone. Aren't they wonderful?

We went for a walk down around the bay area and found even more food stalls. The smells were wonderful. It's a good thing I'd eaten or my will power might have failed me. 

It was a good day out even in the rain so it would be great in the sun shine. I would recommend it. They also have various bands playing with the beer tents around the stage if food isn't your thing. ;-) 

I'll leave you now with a photo of some boats that were moored up in the Bay and a mummy swan with her cygnets. 

Take care.
Cathy xx

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic

It's been a while

I've been neglecting my poor, poor blog for a while. Life seemed to keep getting in the way. So what have I been up to? Well, I am rather pleased with how my yarn bowls have come out recently. So far I have made 4 and a 5th is waiting for the kiln. One had an accident as well but we won't dwell on these things. So here are some pics showing the new yarn bowls. Enjoy! 

My signature on the bottom, CAW.

Again, with signature.

Thanks for reading,
Cath xx
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic

A little treat for me

I've been making a few little things for me recently. These all wall pockets! I'd never heard of them until someone asked me if I made them. A quick google search and I now know what they are. Isn't Google wonderful! So I got busy and me and my daughter had a go at making our own versions of wall pockets. 

This one has a sprig of a flower from my garden impressed into it and painted. I forget what the flower is called now though but I think it starts with a G! :) 

Now this flower I do know! Lavender! Also taken from my garden. 

This time I played with dots from my piping bag full of slip. I was thinking all the lines of a fern. What do you think?

I also have some photos of the stages of production. 

Here I have several wall pockets that I made with my daughter. She also impressed leaves into hers. I do love her butterfly on the far left that she created completely! 

A close up of L'il Miss' wall pockets. These were made for Nanny. They were finished in white with a pale green glaze painted on and wiped off the leaves to bring out the veins on the leaves. I'm afraid I don't have photos of them finished. 

The top wall pocket sadly met it's doom in the kiln but the bottom one is shown above finished. 

This is the brown wall pocket in it's greenware stage. 

So now that I have these wall pockets on my garden fence I need to think of a good hardy plant to put in them. I'm really not green fingered so I'll need one that can withstand my neglect! I'm thinking of ivy at the moment. Do you have any ideas for me? Answer in the comments and remember that the plant needs to be tough to survive me! 

Lovely to have you, as always. If you'd like to see more from Ty Siriol them you can follow us on various social media. See below. 

Thanks for reading,
Cath xx 

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
Twitter: @tysiriolceramic