L'il Miss Ty Siriol's letter

I'm so proud of my daughter. She's only 6 and she's taken it upon herself to write a letter to our Local Authority after we had the car accident last week. 

We had to use the same road again 2 days ago and she got really scared seeing where it happened. We were all anxious about it. After we'd passed the spot where it happened she said that someone should put speed bumps there and asked who she should ask. What a great idea! So I told her that she would have to write a letter to the Local Authority. The next thing I know she's thought about her letter and what she wanted to say and asked me if I'd type what she says. Well of course I would! Here's what she wrote. 

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Megan ***** and I am 6 years old. I wanted to write to you and my mummy is helping me by typing what I say.

Last week I was in a car accident and I got hurt. Daddy Matt was driving home on some lanes and a red car hit us very badly because he was going too fast around the corner. The red car hit the side I was sitting in and the door next to me was smashed. I banged my head and hurt my hip, my neck and my back. I’ve put in a picture of what I looked like after the accident for you to see. My Mummy got hurt as well and had to go to the hospital.

Please can you put speed bumps where it happened because I’m scared to go there again just in case it happens again.

Thank you,

Megan *****(aged 6)                                         Mummy, Dr Catherine *****(aged 36)

The photo that she included:

2 days after the accident.

I have taken out the bits that I added in brackets for clarity and the exact location. I think the letter as written by a 6 year old is fantastic and I really hope that she gets a response. 

This was the car afterwards.

This was a damn good car but is now on its way to the car graveyard.

 A bit of a sobering post I'm afraid but I'm seeing the good that has come out of it. L'il Miss has shown real maturity and has decided to do something about this. I am so proud of her. 

Cathy x 

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

Crafting is my therapy

This post seems apt today as I'm recovering from a car accident a week ago. Don't worry, we'll all be fine and the crumple zones in the car did their job to perfection. The incident does have me thinking again about why I got back into crafting. 

I doubt many of you know that I used to have a full on career as a medical researcher. Yes, I have the title of Dr. However, things started to go wrong when I was pregnant with L'il Miss Ty Siriol and I became chronically ill with various autoimmune conditions. (I don't like the word disease as it sounds like I'm contagious.)

I went back to work after L'il Miss was born but after about 2 years of getting progressively worse I was medically retired by Atos. And believe me, if Atos says you can't work you must be bad. This came as a huge blow and I tried for 2 years to get back into work. I even volunteered in two places but couldn't cope. I had to admit defeat. It wasn't easy as I've always been very hard on myself and aim for perfection. I was very low.

So I gradually turned to my crafts again. I got the crochet hooks out again and now I have quite the collection of them, including Tunisian style.  I joined a pottery class and discovered a love for clay. Suddenly I found a new outlet. I had something else to focus my efforts on and happiness slowly returned. I was looking for progressively harder crochet patterns and techniques, including Tunisian and hairpin lace and I loved the challenge. Here's a pic of one of my hairpin lace shawls. 

White wedding shawl in hairpin lace and traditional crochet.

The nice thing is that I was able to do something productive on what I call my 'wipe out' days. These are days when my body has given up on me and says, 'NO! You are not doing anything today, you need to rest.' I spend these days on the sofa.

Even though my body might have failed me, my brain is still very much alive and needs regular exercise. Working through harder patterns was the exercise it needed. Craft really did become a therapy as it stopped me from going into a depression and kept me occupied.

Pottery and ceramics is a little different and I have to do this on my good (better) days. I've dropped liquid clay (slip) on the carpet twice now when I wasn't strong enough to carry it!! Good thing it's the carpet in the garage and not the house. No one except me goes out there. ;-) Here's some of my earlier work.

Slip cast ceramic kingfisher, robin and lily pitcher.

Hand built ceramic wall plaque, 'Grandma's garden'.

Hand built 'Wonky Cottage' but unfortunately I dropped it on the floor and destroyed it. :-(

Slip cast candle holders and matching decanter.

After a while I was finding that I had run out of space for all these creations. My friends and family had all been made a gift of some sort as well. I was getting lots of compliments about my work and I could see a huge improvement over the years. Many people said I should be doing craft fairs but unfortunately I'm not well enough to do them without a lot of support. So I turned to Etsy and starting to advertise my work. (I am HMRC registered by the way. :-) ) 

I found yet another therapeutic outlet through having a shop. I was suddenly in contact with so many wonderful people who shared my interests. Why hadn't I done this before? I really enjoy networking and exchanging ideas with like minded people. I'm also a nerd who loves the bookkeeping side!  I've also met a lot of people who are disabled and like myself have turned to crafts. Instead of feeling left out, as I did when I was first retired, I'm now part of something amazing. You guys keep me going through the bad days and I'm pleased to share my good days with you. You might not think that you've done anything special but I can tell you now that you have, you have made my life better and I thank you all for that. 

I'll leave you with a photo of me getting down and dirty with clay!! No Ghost comments please! Oh, go on then. :-)

Me!

Please follow me on facebook to keep up to date with new ideas, stock and offers. I can also be found on Etsy. (Links below.)  
Thank you for reading.  
Cathy x
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts  
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics

How to make one of my ceramic leaf bowls.

I often wonder, how do others regard 'handmade'?  

What I mean by this is do you think of 'handmade' as something knocked together by your granny, who lives by the make-do-and-mend mantra (which I agree with to a point), or do you see it as something handmade with love by an artisan and which is truly unique? I think both points of view exist, especially in different parts of the country, and the world.

I usually fall on the side of the artisan as I know first hand how much skill and passion goes into making things from scratch. I also appreciate the hand patched apron that granny might wear as I was raised to not be wasteful. 

For those who don't see the skill and passion involved in artisan hand-crafted items I'm going to take you on a journey through how I make one of my ceramic leaf bowls. 

How to make a ceramic leaf bowl. 

Greenware stage of making a leaf bowl.

Each piece of the bowl shown above has first been handmade (there's that word again!) from earthenware clay. The clay was rolled out and each leaf individually made. In this case I have a useful cutter and vein stamp that save me a lot of time but I don't always have them. Each leaf is hand cleaned to prevent any rough edges forming. I start from the base, which is in this example is a circle that I have precut, and assemble the leaves in an overlapping formation. This is important as I need to join the individual leaves to each other with liquid clay (slip). Each leaf is 'scored and slipped' to join them together. I use a bowl to form the shape of the leaf bowl as at this stage the clay is still wet and doesn't hold its shape.

The layers of leaves are built up to the required shape and size. For this bowl I added two little butterflies, which I think bring the piece to life. Here's a close up. 

Close up of the butterfly detail.

Now the bowl needs to be left at least a week in a cool place so that the clay can dry out. This is what we can the 'greenware' stage before firing. 

Once the bowl has dried thoroughly it is ready to be fired in a kiln up to temperatures of approximately 1050 degrees C. My garage gets rather warm! 

Did you know that I named my kiln? Well, I'm daft enough to do that sort of thing. I named him 'Kenny' so that I can say, 'Oh my god, I've kilned Kenny!' That's for the South Park fans out there. I do however, omit the last line as I could do without L'il Miss Ty Siriol learning that!

Anyway, this is a photo of the bowl after it has been 'bisque fired'. The clay at this stage is called 'bisque'. 

The leaf bowl after bisque firing.

The next stage is the painting. With this example I used a blend of pinks with a few glazes.

The first coat of pink glazes.

A second coat of the darker pink was blended in to intensify the colour at the leaf tips.

Once I was happy with the colours I had painted, bearing in mind that the colours will intensify in the kiln, the next stage was to paint on a 2-3 coats of clear glaze. The make I like paints on a pale green colour and looks like this.

The leaf bowl with 2-3 coats of clear glaze. It is now ready to be fired again.

I like to leave the glaze coat overnight before being fired again to make sure that it is fully dry and no bubbles occur. The bowl went back into the kiln for a glaze firing of temperatures up to about 1020 degrees C. I don't like to look too closely at the electric bill! :-)

I love the next bit best. After leaving the kiln to cool overnight it is time to crack it open and see what delights are in there. I never know firstly, if my items will survive the firing, as some things can explode if they are not dry enough, and second, what the colours are going to look like. It's like Christmas Day every time I open the kiln and thankfully I've usually been a good girl and things survive. :-)

The leaf bowl in the kiln after glaze firing. It survived!!

I am extremely pleased with how this bowl came out. I was also very happy as a good friend of mine commissioned it and I don't usually do these on commission due to the failure rate in the kiln. 

Here is the final photo before the bowl was given to its new owner. By the way, its owned by Tracy from Glasspirations. She is also a lover of artisan crafted items and an artisan in her own right. Check out her website here. www.glasspirations.co.uk/

The end result of many weeks work and ready for its new owner.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and now have an insight into what it means when you buy something 'handmade'. I might not like everything I see, as we all have different tastes, but I can see the work and passion that has gone into making these bespoke pieces. I have a huge admiration for artisans and many have become good friends over the years. 

Please follow me on facebook to keep up to date with new ideas, stock and offers. I can also be found on Etsy. (Links below.)
Thank you for reading.
Cathy x

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

Ms to Mrs Ty Siriol...

I'm bursting to tell the world. I'm getting married! :D

I was completely taken by surprise on the weekend. I was sat on the bow of the boat in the glorious sunshine when Mr TS asked simply, 'Do you love me?' 
I replied, 'Very much.' 
He followed by asking, 'Will you be my wife?' 
I couldn't speak. My brain was screaming, 'Yes!' but my mouth just flapped about producing incomprehensible sounds. Mr TS just smiled and said, 'I thought that would be your response. So is that a yes?'
With my mouth still flapping all I could do was nod. It's not often I'm speechless but I really couldn't say anything, I was bursting! It's a wonder I didn't fall overboard!

It took quite a while to sink in and I'm still processing it now to be honest. I was glad that L'il Miss TS was away for the weekend as it gave us time to digest the news ourselves before announcing it. 

Mr TS had the idea then of holding a bbq on the Monday afternoon after school. We managed to get all the family and some friends around under the pretence of having a bbq before the weather turned. 

About an hour into the bbq Mr TS called everyone to the garden and asked L'il Miss TS to come over. He got down on one knee, presented her with a jewellery box with a pendant in it and asked her, 'Would you please do me the honour of being my step-daughter because I would like to marry your mummy?' 
I'm not sure she knew what was going on and with everyone realising what he was asking there were lots of whispers. She got nervous and said, 'No.' 
We all started laughing. Suddenly it all felt very real to me as I sat there watching my Dad with a big grin on his face. 

The next morning L'il Miss TS had been thinking about everything and changed her answer to, 'Maybe'. By last night she was asking if she could pick her dress and telling us what colour she wanted. I asked L'il Miss TS if she would give me away and walk down the aisle holding my hand. She agreed so long as she didn't have to say anything. It was lovely to cuddle up on the sofa with my new family making plans. This will be a new beginning for all of us. 

Cathy
from Ty Siriol Ceramics & Crafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts

The Smuggler's Inn, Dawlish, as recommended by Coeliacs UK

Many of you probably don't know, but I have Coeliac's Disease meaning that I cannot eat foods containing gluten. Gluten is in wheat flour, barley (malt) and rye so you can imagine, or worse still know first hand, just how difficult this is to cater for.

I am still fairly new to this diagnosis but after 2 years I feel that I'm starting to get to grips with it at home and I am very grateful to my mother who taught me to cook as a child. That said, I do still find eating out a real challenge and I often make mistakes or there is contamination from the kitchens. So you can imagine the panic I was in at the thought of a family holiday, I mean I'd be away from my own kitchen ... for a week! 

Recently we went to Devon for a week and as a compromise we stayed in self-catering. At least this way I could guarantee at least being able to eat one meal a day, right?  So off we went. 

We quickly discovered that there was no where on the site where I would be able to eat and I really didn't want to risk being ill for 3-4 days as a result of one meal. I started to feel really guilty about this as my partner and daughter were faced with either going without as well or eating while watching me with just a coffee. This disease really does impact the whole family. 

After a couple of days Matt, my better half, found the Coeliac UK website. On their site they have a section where fellow Coeliacs can recommend places to eat out. Check it out if you know someone who has Coeliacs or gluten intolerance. 
coeliac.org.uk/ 

We found a place near where we were staying called The Smuggler's Inn. We had in fact driven past it and I had commented what a beautiful view over the sea they had from their dining room. I was delighted that we would be able to eat out as a family as it had become a less frequent event in recent years so off we went. Here's their website complete with a menu of top quality foods. 
http://www.thesmugglersinn.net/

Well, I cannot praise The Smuggler's Inn enough. As well as having knock out views they were extremely helpful when I said I had Coealiacs. The chef came out and chatted with me about the menu and took me through what would be safe and what wasn't. (I also have other food allergies that they were more than happy to advise about.) I was amazed that about two thirds of the menu was available to me! That has never happened before. Usually I am left with one or maybe two options if anything at all. I was blown away and had some difficulty making a decision what to have. I had options!! 

I chose the gluten free carvery as I have really missed carverys. I always get so annoyed because it is so easy to adapt a roast dinner to gluten free by replacing the wheat flour in the gravy and Yorkshire puddings with an alternative. I would even go without the Yorkshires if I had to! Well, it was delicious. I really couldn't have had better (and the prices were very reasonable as well). 

I had a chat with another member of staff and they told me that one of the owners has Coeliac's so they were all taught about it. They made one simple change to their kitchen. Everything they made used the Dove's Farm flour blend (that I also use) instead of wheat. I asked about the cost to them and even though the flour is a bit more expensive they had a lot more regular customers as a result who not only ate there themselves but who brought with them friends and family. No wonder the place was packed. It just goes to show that one simple change can open up a whole new market. Even better, because they didn't have wheat flour, there was no contamination and nearly all the menu was now available to me. 

So for those of you who find yourself in Dawlish, Devon, go and check out The Smuggler's Inn. Great (allergy friendly) food, beautiful decor, fantastic service, amazing views and finally a treasure chest of goodies for the children who eat all their dinner. ;-)

I'll leave you with a photo I took of the view from the dining room. 

Cathy
from Ty Siriol Ceramics & Crafts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TySiriolCeramics
www.facebook.com/TySiriolCeramicsandCrafts