PragyaK and Birches

I was lucky enough to have this delivered to my doorstep just recently!  I love it.  First of all, if you've been around here a while, you know I'm a sucker for birch trees.  Remember me going on about them here and they are also in this illustration (with different colours from the usual silvery whites this time).

And then that cute little bird adds a splash of colour.  The art is graphic, fresh and clean. Perfect!  It's from the very lovely Pragya. Thank you!!

You can find her shop here and her blog here.

Secrets of a Butterfly and Gift Certificates

'Secrets of a Butterfly' is a truly gorgeous blog.   Kat manages to find the most beautiful images.  Dream like, soft, ethereal, gorgeous.  She also finds the most beautiful things to buy ...I don't know how she does it!  And she just happens to be a wonderful, lovely and unique person.  And so I was truly honoured when she featured my cards and gift tags on Secrets of a Butterfly!  You can read the post here.

In other news, I just created these gift certificates/vouchers and am off to put them in the shop now.  They came about because I am a bit of a last minute shopper...I often get to the last day before someone's birthday and panic because I still can't decide which of so many lovely things I should get them!  

So these can be sent off via mail when you have some time but can't decide...or want to let the parents pick something to match in with the new nursery!  Or they can be sent via email (within 12 hours) for a last minute gift. 

Thank you also for all the lovely comments recently...I love reading each and every one of them!

Making Mondays: Mandarin Jam

Mandarins are in season here at the moment and I have fast discovered that I love them...before I had always thought of them as being in the territory of a primary school lunchbox, along with a vegemite sandwich and a cheese stick!

And now the weather has suddenly turned from warm sunny days to raining for three days straight and the kind of cold that makes you pull your woolly scarf up around your neck.  I feel the sudden urge to cook...a lot.

So after making a yummy minestrone (I posted the recipe last Spring here) to warm us up, I decided to make Mandarin Jam.  I found the recipe here on the blog 'The Traveler's Lunchbox'.  This blog is amazing.  The styling of the photos is gorgeous and, if the mandarin jam recipe is anything to go by, the recipes are delicious!  Really, is there a better combination?...travel...good food...perfect!

A place for weary travellers to rest

Cinci Han was formerly a caravansaray - an inn where travellers could rest after the days journey.  And I guess now that it is hotel it serves a similar function - without the camels, donkeys and horses!  This particular caravansaray was built in 1645 and was on the Silk Road - an extensive trade route stretching from Southern Europe to China.  Although I wouldn't call the actual running of the hotel amazing (it was fine, the staff were friendly, the breakfast - not so great), it was amazing to be able to stay in such a historical place.

The entry to the caravansaray.  For some reason it looks like I stuck Yashar's head in here and that he has some sort of weird hat on!  But he was really there and that's a table behind him.  Really.

Look at the height of (or lack of) that door! Proof that people were shorter back then??

Making Mondays: Meow!

Well here is Making Mondays...let's just ignore the fact that it's Thursday!   I have taken a little break from my seasonal tree because Yashar's 2nd birthday is coming up and of course I want to make lots of things for it!   The first is these little creatures.

You might remember that Yashar loves cats!  He's taken to running up to every single one we see in the street (which in Istanbul is a lot!) and excitedly try to pat them, while laughing in delight. 

Once I played around a little, working out how to make them, they are actually fairly easy and would be perfect to make with children (older than Yashar though).  This is how I did it:

Materials:
Thick paper/card
Pencil
Paints
Scissors
Double sided tape

1.  To make the body I cut a strip 5 cm wide and 21cm long (the width of A4 paper).  Then I drew a line 7.5cm in from each end.  I drew a half circle on the outside of each side (these will be the arms/paws).  Next, I folded along each line and cut the rounded part of each half circle (leaving the flat side attached).  I used small scissors, but a stanley knife would be easier. I also cut two slots where there head would later be attached.

2. To make the head I cut a strip 5 cm wide and  25cm long and folded it in 3.  I drew the face shape on the middle piece and cut along the outline (though all 3 pieces).  Then I unfolded it and trimmed off the two little half ears at the back.

3. I also cut out a pair of paws with tabs at the top for joining to the body.

4. Next I painted the paws, head and body and left them to dry. Then drew on the features with a marker.

5. I assembled the little kitty using double sided tape by sticking the overlapping ends of each strip together at the back and sticking the foot tabs inside the body with the feet/paws peeking out at the bottom.  Then I cut two slots to put the head in place on the body.

I ended up making a little family of them! Meow!!  And of course, since they were cats, Yashar loved them!!!

Images from Safranbolu

Safranbolu is a UNESCO world heritage site full of many beautiful and well preserved Ottoman houses.  We wondered through cobbled streets, the smell of woodfires burning was in the air.  You could see old shoemakers at work on their equally old machines.  And it's home to some of Turkey's best Turkish Delight and Helva...all of which must be sampled of course!

The things strung up here are the pieces of root used to make Sahlep - a delicious Turkish winter drink I posted about here.

No, I am not an old granny but I did buy some of these bags of lavender!  I loved the hand printed material!

Feeling tired...but in a good way

We've just got back from staying at this amazing place (once a caravansaray on the Silk Road) and I feel like I have a huge backlog of things I want to share with you.

But tiredness has overwhelmed me for today... all I can do now is some of this:

(back early tomorrow with some Making Mondays and lots more after that!)

Custom work

Thank you so much for all of your supportive comments recently.  I love reading all of them.  They mean so much to me!!  And I so enjoy hearing what you are getting up to.  Isn't the internet amazing in that way?  I get to connect with all of these interesting, creative and talented people from all over the world!

I have recently had the opportunity to do some custom work for some really wonderful people and I have loved it!  I really feel so honoured when someone chooses one of my artworks as a gift for someone they love or to hang in their baby's nursery.  It makes me all tingly!

This print was for a very special little girl and has a custom message within the print because the client wanted something unique. (The last photo is the wrapping I used for it)   I am assured it was a hit!  And she gave me some lovely feedback -yay!!  "Verity created a beautiful print for my niece. She was completely charming to deal with and I would wholeheartedly recommend thelightgarden!"  It is really my love of what I am doing and the feedback that I get that keeps me motivated and happy!

I also recently did one of the 'My Own Elephant' prints in grasssy greens and got some wonderful feedback for that too!  "I wish there was a way to check "positive" a few more times! This was a custom print for my nursury, and it came exactly as expected. Seller was prompt, professional and clear. I even got a proof of my print to approve. Also, it arrived very quickly (from Turkey to USA). Best of all, the print is so lovely, the computer doesn't do it justice. Thank you much!" 

Yay!!  Life is good!

Making Mondays: A Tree for the Seasons

This idea has seeds from a few different places.  One of the things that I love about spending time with Yashar is that we get outside every day.  We notice the seasons together, stop to pick up a leaf, stare at the rain and point out the birds in the trees.  It's also one of the things I love about writing here and reading other people's blogs - it helps me to notice the little things.

Recently I was rereading Amanda Soule's The Creative Family where she talks about her family's 'Seasonal Table'.  An area where various things are collected to reflect the season.  I really liked this idea and wanted to find another way to bring the seasons indoors...and this is what I came up with!

The plan is to make a tree, which can then have various things attached to it and changed with the changing seasons.  It will take a while I think, and I hope to add to it throughout the year.  Ideas are floating around my mind of leaves and snowflakes, flowers and fruit.  Some birds, maybe a nest.  Some could be velcro, some could be like badges pinned on.

These are the beginnings - I cut a large piece of linen and roughly sketched a tree on some paper (based on a tree I had drawn for one of my illustrations).  Next I plan to transfer the outline on to the linen and embroider the outline of a tree...

I would love it if you made this along with me!  What projects are you working on at the moment?

Friday Dreaming and Some Exciting News!

This week I have been dreaming of the gorgeous things on Nest Maternity and Baby.  And how did I find the site in the first place...well that's part of the exciting news.

Kristin has the most beautiful and well edited selection of unique and desirable items - she has me dreaming of the Oeuf toddler bed and the hand knitted baby booties are adorable!

Kristin started designing MaterniTees in 2004 after the birth of her second daughter. Lots of interest later, she started the website and two years ago a retail storefront in Portsmouth, New Hampshire!  She has had the honor of seeing celebrities wear her maternity line (i.e. Brooke Shields, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heidi Klum etc.) and been in numerous maternity and child publications (i.e. Parents Magazine, Child Magazine, Pregnancy & Newborn etc.).


Kristin tells me that "Three kids (all girls!) later I can say that I love my life, my family and my job! Not many people can say that, so I am truly a fortunate soul."

When I asked Kristin about the items in her store and the type of products she is drawn to, she told me that "I am a fan of all things unique. There are lots of maternity and baby products out there to choose from when buying for the store, but I always head toward the new and unexpected and hard-to-find. My customers feel the same and I think that is why I have such a loyal fan base. They don't want mass-marketed merchandise for themselves or their children. They are quality over quantity seekers..."
 
And [cue exciting news drum roll] I am so honoured to have my custom elephant prints as part of her beautiful collection!