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

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

Introducing Ty Siriol Crafts

I've wondered for some time now about having crafts other than ceramics in a shop called 'Ty Siriol Ceramics'. Finally this year, my mum, Chris has taken over the crafts side of Ty Siriol Ceramics & Crafts and we have opened a second shop, 'Ty Siriol Crafts'. 

Not only does this segregate our stock nicely but it also gives my mum an opportunity to learn to use a computer and run a shop. I have to say that I'm really proud of how well she is doing. I've set her up with a laptop and the basic software to start with and she's hit the ground running. She does the photography and watermarking herself as well as uploading the stock onto the shop. She even has a facebook page now! 

My next task is to teach her to use the teams on Etsy and introduce her to the lovely Golden Threads team. I'm sure she would fit in really well. In fact it could become hard to tear her away. :) 

To give you an idea of what Chris has in her Etsy shop here are a couple of photos. Firstly, Chris is an artist and does some fantastic paintings.

One of Chris' silhouette paintings

This is an original oil painting that Chris has done. I have several of her works in my house.

 Chris also turns her hand to paper crafts and combines them with crochet. I call it mixed media crochet art! 

A mixed media greetings card incorporating crochet art.

Chris is also very experienced at knitting and crochet. Sadly I don't have any of her work in my files but these, which are mine, are also in her shop to give you an idea. 

My rhubarb and custard scarf

A scarlet red scarf with tasseled ends

These lovely wrist warmers are also in stock

Chris is also talented with ceramics and a few pieces in my shop were made by her. Here is an example.

A holly and berry bowl by Chris

I would like to congratulate my mum on her hard work and talents. Mum, this blog is all about you and how proud of you I am. :-)

If you would like to have a nose at Chris' new shop then you can find it here.
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts 

Pop by and please tell your friends. You never know, you might spot a unique gift for someone who has everything! 

Thanks for reading and take care,
Cathy xx


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www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCrafts
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A new addiction and form of therapy

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop at the moment. I've found a new addiction...wheel thrown pottery!

I've been going to a class again for my ceramics primarily as a way to meet others who share my passions. Of course, I am also there to stretch myself and experiment outside of my comfort zone, I've still got a lot to learn! I am also very limited in what I can do in my garage due to lack of space so this way I can use tools and equipment that I either cannot afford or don't have space for. This is where the wheel comes in.

Using a wheel is a very messy business, at least it is for me! I definitely need space and a splash zone. However, I think this is why I find it so attractive. I tried a wheel a few years ago but gave up as my arthritic hands were seizing and painful from doing it. I didn't have the fine control required. Anyway, while I've been back in a class I've found myself looking at this lonely, unused wheel and I'm sure it's been calling me. Over Christmas I was talking to Mr Ty Siriol about it and I decided that I'm going to give it another go, only this time I'm going to use warm water instead of cold to keep my hands moving freely. 

I've now had two sessions on the wheel and the first time pretty much all I made was a mess! It really is hard to do. This week I was so pleased because I have 2 items that look vaguely like vases and 2 more that are tea bowls. I was so disappointed when class was over as I was just getting into it. I'm annoyed that I forgot to photograph them for you to see. I'll have to remember my camera next week so I can show you. They are not pretty but they are getting better with each attempt.

I discovered an added bonus to using the wheel, even if all I make is a mess. By using warm/hot water with the clay and having it running through my hands I actually felt that I had better movement and less pain in my joints. When I got home I quickly peeled all the veg in case I lost it again! Maybe I need to bathe in the stuff! 

I am now feeling so obsessed by the wheel that I am trying desperately to think of a way that I could fit one into my garage. I think L'il Miss' bike and my wheelchair will have to find another home because I NEED a wheel. *wink* It is therapy for both my mind and body, and I might eventually be able to make something we can recognise. Until then I'll keep going in class and hopefully remember to take some pics for you.


In the meantime, take care!

Cathy x
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Christmas on a budget

In recent years I've thought long and hard about what Christmas means to me. I am not a Christian so I feel that really I shouldn't be celebrating it at all. It really wouldn't bother me too much if I didn't have a specific day to worry about. All the build up and hard work that goes into planning and cooking for what feels like the 5 thousand! I'm sure every mother can relate. 

On the other hand, my family ARE Christian and Christmas Day does mean a lot to them. I should point out though that it doesn't have any material meaning to my family, it's about celebrating the birth of Christ. I admire my family for focussing on what Christmas is really about. As a result I have never given up Christmas. I certainly don't feel that I can now that I'm a mother. Instead, I treat Christmas more like Thanksgiving. I don't celebrate Christ, I celebrate family and friends. I am thankful for the wonderful people who I have in my life and I like to give them a token to show my affection for them. 

I don't know if you spotted the word 'token' just then but that is the right word in my mind. In our materialistic world we really don't need lots more stuff. What we, especially our children need is more love and to know that we are appreciated. So this is where my Christmas comes in. 

I work really hard to find the right gift for each person. It's not about expense, more about showing that you really know them. I much prefer hand crafted gifts and have made many for my friends and family over the years. It's so much more personal and special, not to mention that no one else will have the same thing. I have two gifts on the (crochet) hook right now but of course I can't say any more about them just yet. I like to make something new each year for the tree as well. These are quite a few years old now and one has my daughter's name on it and the other says 'My Sweet' which is my fiancés pet name.  

Hand crafted Christmas tree hanging for my daughter.

Christmas tree hanging that I made for my fiancé a few years ago.

Of course, there are some who I know would prefer gifts other than what I am capable of making. My next port of call is for local (British) hand made crafts that are produced by fellow artisans. I still much prefer to steer away from big companies and mass produced things where possible. I have to accept though that Santa will use some of these stores. ;-) 

I have found some absolute gems over the years and know of lots of very talented people who make all sorts of things. Facebook has a wonderful crafting community and many of these talented people have become friends as well.

Christmas is however becoming an increasingly difficult time for many and lots of people start the new year in debt as a result. This is a very sad thing indeed. Even though we are officially out of the recession most households are still feeling the pinch as the cost of living is sky rocketing and income is stagnant, not to mention those who have lost their jobs in recent years. We are very lucky in that Mr Ty Siriol has kept his job throughout the recession but we are still not immune to the squeeze as our household bills continue to go up disproportionately to income. In real terms we are all worse off even though the recession is over. 

I've been doing craft fairs this year as a stall holder as well as a customer. What I've noticed is that less people turn up to these events let alone buy anything. I think many are staying away simply to resist temptation and I can't blame them. I am also buying less than I used to. 

Last year I had my shop sale in January. That doesn't seem strange as there have been January sales since I was a child. But seeing how everyone is struggling, including myself, I've brought my sale forward this year. I'm giving 20% off everything over £8 for all of November in my Etsy shop. My hope is that my gifts are now more affordable to others and that we can carry on promoting local hand produced goods. Of course, I will also benefit as I will then be better able to buy gifts that have meaning for my loved ones from fellow artisans. 

So for now I will carry on celebrating my family and friends at Christmas time and will endeavour to find them meaningful gifts that are sourced locally wherever possible.

Thank you for reading,
Cath xx

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics

Business overheads

This is getting annoying. Everywhere I look I find more business overheads. They are seriously eating into my meagre profit margin, but what do I do?

Most people would instantly think, 'Put up your prices.' but that doesn't work either. We are in a recession and I am struggling to make ends meet just like the next person. Believe me, I DO understand. So I must try to find a balance between the two sides. 

Firstly, let me point out some of the overheads that consumers don't generally think about. Material costs are higher than most people think. My glazes are between £6 and £10 each for a 4oz (tiny) pot that doesn't last long for instance. That kind of cost is fairly obvious but what about the indirect costs? For example, the electricity to run the kiln at least twice for each item made, the fees that we have to pay to list items on sites such as Etsy and Folksy before we even make a sale, the commission that these sites take when we do make a sale and of course PayPal want their cut as well! Craft fairs charge for tables and I need a car and petrol to get to them. Let me continue, I need equipment like Kenny, my kiln, a computer and internet connection in order to advertise, a decent (not great) camera for photographing my stock and so on. Then I need a place to work. I work in my garage for the dirty work, in my spare room for the painting and on the sofa for laptop work. The list goes on but I think you get the idea.

So as you can see I need a way to try to cut down expenditure so that I don't have to put up prices. This is something that's never far from my mind. Just yesterday I was looking to order more business cards as I'm down to my last dozen or so. Last time I had a good deal from a well known online company using one of their vouchers so I went back to have another look. I was gobsmacked when I saw the new prices, and before VAT and postage! The prices are now 3 times what I paid before for half the number of cards. I felt very disappointed and quite simply can't afford to pass that price on or absorb it myself. 

My solution for this one is to print them out myself and sit there with a guillotine trimming them all. Yet another task that takes time away from creating. Anyway, as all the design work for the cards and the branding has been done by me I really didn't think it was worth paying silly prices for. I have the design and have set up the template for printing. I know that I will have printing costs. I bought thicker, better quality paper for the printer and I will have to reorder ink quite soon as well. But, and here's the genius behind my thinking, I only have to make as many business cards as I need and not bulk order. This way I only need to pay for the costs of the number of cards that I know I will use in a given time. I was so pleased with myself. So here it is, the new branded version of my business cards. 

The new branded design of business cards for Ty Siriol Ceramics & Crafts.

So as you can see, I am doing everything that I can to try to keep the business costs down but without compromising quality to the customer. It's a constant juggling act but on this occasion I feel that I have come out on top.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of my new design. The back is always blank as I like to hand write a personal message to each customer. 

Thank you for reading and please buy local this festive season and support your local economies. 

Cath xx

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Christmas is coming to Ty Siriol

I know, it is a bit early for the 'C' word but what can I do? Once the high street start to bring out their Christmas stock anyone who sells online must also be ready for it. 

It is rather odd though when I am making winter woolies and Christmas themed stock during the summer months. In another month I'll be turning me attention towards Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. In the past I've always missed the boat so this time I'm trying to be more organised. It does feel wrong though. So I apologise if this is too early for you but I am going to show a selection of our Christmas stock that is available now online in our Etsy shop (link at the bottom) and will be on display at the Abergavenny Craft Fair next week. 

Dove of peace Christmas tree decoration.

Christmas tree decoration box set of 3, Peace, Love & Joy.

The dove and box set are both examples of the style that I produce. These are hand built from a slab of clay and can be embossed with just about anything (providing the slab is big enough ;) ). I have other items as well with wording such as, 'Mum', 'Nan', 'Sister' and so on. I have also made quite a few of these to order with names on them. The first one I made was for my daughter and she loved having a special decoration on the tree that was all hers. After lots of compliments I finally decided a year ago that I would make them for others as well. They've been a huge success and I'm always touched to know that they will make a young child feel special.

These 3 decorations, unlike the ones at the top, are made by slip casting with a mould and are more reproducible. Of course the painting is unique each time as this is all done by hand. These decorations are larger than the others at about 4 inches high and are suitable for hanging on garlands or little hooks as a decoration in their own right as well as being part of the tree.

Santa nibbles dish for your parties.

Novelty 'Sweet' dish to hold your nibbles, nuts or sweets.

Novelty 'cupcake' dish.

No Christmas post would be complete without Santa! I also have these novelty dishes this year, Santa, a Sweet and a Cupcake. My fave is the cupcake, which is yours? I think these dishes are fantastic for brightening up your party table. And what better to serve your sweets on... but a giant sweet!!! 

I should point out that the glazes used on the dishes are all food safe glazes and are hand washable. As my brother says, 'Safety first, safety second!' ;-)

So as you can see, I've been busy. I feel like I had Christmas in July this year. I'll be fed up by December!! It won't be long now until I start on the summer stock. It's just madness!!! 

I hope you've enjoyed having a nose behind the scenes with me. If you like what you've read I would love it if you would share my blog and/or my shop to help me get seen out there. It's a big world and I am but one person. Your help in the past has been amazingly helpful and I am always grateful for any shout outs and shares. It's you guys who keep me going through out mutual love of hand crafted goods. 

I won't wish you a Happy Christmas just yet because that really is bonkers so instead I'll simply wish you all well.

Cath xx
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics

New creations

It's been a little while since I last blogged as I'm been a bit blurgh, so to speak. It's not easy to write and be upbeat when feeling that you're not quite yourself so I've saved it all up for now! 

I've been busy recently with sorting out new stock and getting everything photographed. The light isn't always so good now the days are drawing in but yesterday I got out into the garden with the camera in hand. 

This isn't intended to be a hard sell, if you are interested then all my links are at the bottom of each post, but more I'd like to share my work with you because I draw so much happiness from creating them. Each piece is almost like a child to me and I often end up keeping pieces that I simply can't part with. I know that's not good business sense but hand crafted items are about so much more than simply sales. I craft because I'm passionate about what I do and I have a shop also so that I can share my passion with you. Enough said, lets upload some new photos so you can see what I've been up to lately. 

I start off with a few of my new ring dishes, or anything dishes really. I use mine to keep my rings safe when I get the clay out. I also have one in the kitchen as a spoon rest. 

Star trinket dish.

 This star ring dish is the first one I've done as a star and I think it worked really well. The points of the star curve upwards nicely. I love to paint these dishes, it makes me feel like an artist. I'd also like to point out the lovely ribbon that the gift box has, it was made for me by a friend who owns Cookie & Mo on Facebook. She was so amazingly helpful that I highly recommend her. You can find her at: www.facebook.com/cookieandmo.uk

Heart shaped ring dish with peacock blue detail.

 I had a bit of a play about with a new glaze with the dish above. The glaze is a dark green that looks like peacock blue to me. It can look either green or blue depending on the light, just like a peacock feather. I used it to bring out the embossed detailing and was thrilled with the outcome.

Monet's Garden ring dish

Now this dish features a glaze called Monet's Garden. I really wish I could capture the colours in a photo but sadly I couldn't get a good enough one. If this is held up to the sunlight it shimmers and so many colours shine through that it's breath taking. I'll definitely be using this glaze again. It reminds me of a lily pond and there was one in Monet's Garden so I guess that's where the name comes from.

Ceramic leaf bowl, Sycamore.

The technique for this bowl is really simple. I was foraging in the woods with my daughter for her school project and was looking at fresh new leaves everywhere. It reminded of being taught to craft a bowl from a cabbage leaf so I picked a few sycamore leaves to do it again. The great thing about sycamore is that the veins on the back are really deep and they leave a fantastic impression in the clay. I also prefer these leaves to cabbage leaves! So in short the leaves were pushed into clay and the shape was hand cut. The clay was then gently moulded into a bowl shape and left to dry. The glazes used were quite strong colours to bring out the veins and then I did something bold, I ran them under the tap! I'd never tried it before so I have no idea if I would ruin it in the kiln afterwards. So most the colour was washed away but it left the gorgeous veins behind. I let them dry for a couple of days before adding the clear glaze and firing them as I didn't want it to explode in the kiln. Altogether I did three of these and one was snapped up straight away. I'll have to do some more of these next spring. It would probably work quite well with salt dough as well if you fancied having a go. The recipes for salt dough are easily found on the web. A great one for the kids too.

'Time to drink Champagne and dance on the table'

Finally, I've been doing lots of plaque work and these Champagne hearts have been very popular. I'm now turning my attention to Christmas tree hangings. By the time Christmas gets here I'm usually sick of it!! However, these things can't be made over night so I have to prepared. 

So thank you for sharing with me my excitement for my work. It means a lot to me that you follow me and share in my adventure. So I'll say to you now, it's 'Time to drink Champagne and dance on the tables!' Have fun. 

Cath xx 
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
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Craft fair: sneak peeks!

I'm going to be in Abergavenny Art and Craft fair again this Thursday. I'm looking forward to this one more because I know what to expect this time. We have booked a double table as we found that we were very cramped last time. We have 3 main sections to our stall, ceramics, paintings and crocheted goods. I'm also thinking of adding a small section for Christmas themed gifts. I wonder if it's too early but then I'm surprised at how many Christmas things I've already sold online.

I thought I'd give you an idea of what we will have on our stall. So here are a few examples of the ceramics that will be there. (Unless of cause they are bought online first! Website links are at the bottom of the post.)

My signature piece, the leaf bowls. These are suitably autumn themed.

A ceramic garden plaque for the green fingered member of your family.

'Time to drink Champagne and dance on the table' 

Ty Siriol's handmade and hand painted ceramic ring dish.

My mother's work is showcased in the Art section of our stall. She's a talented lady so I urge you to check her out. I'm working on trying to convince her to make prints of some of her pieces but she's a stubborn lady! Here, check out some of her work.

Wild flowers and butterfly silhouette.

Beautiful snowscape in oils.

Love birds silhouette. My favourite of the silhouette range.

The other section of our shop is the crochet section. We are going to be focusing more on this section at the next fair as autumn is most definitely in the air now. I'll be wearing my gauntlets to keep my fingers warm enough to do some crochet if it's quiet early on.

A ripple wrap shawl in peacock colours of blues and greens.

Crocodile stitch gauntlets. I'll be wearing mine to keep warm on the stall!

Triangular shawl in grey and white sequinned yarn. Beautifully soft.

Infinity cowl. I have several different colours available. See the Etsy link below.

Ripple scarf in midnight blues.

For those of you who saw me at the last craft fair, the scarf in midnight blue (above) is the one that I was making behind the stall. :-) It would make a fab Christmas gift... if I can bare to part with it!

Talking of Christmas... yes, I know, it is early but as I said above I've been getting Christmas orders for some time now. So here are a few Christmas things that will be on the stall for the next few months.

Box set of Christmas tree hangings. 'Peace', 'Love' and 'Joy'.

Christmas stockings with hook for hanging.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with hook for hanging.

Santa nibbles dish.

So that was a sample of what we have to offer on our stall at the Abergavenny Art and Craft fair this Thursday (2nd Thursday of each month). If you are local and can pop by then please come and say hi. It's always lovely to meet you all in person. 

All this talk of ceramics has reminded me that I have to go and see Kenny (my kiln) and see what delights (or disasters) he holds for me today. It's like Christmas all year round with Kenny! :-) 

Thank you for reading my blog.
Cath xx

www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts
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