So how did I get to be listening to Tina Turner whilst screen printing away in Ibiza?
It all came about from a chance meeting at
The Make Lounge back in January. Mark came to one of my print workshops. He'd moved out to Ibiza five years ago, having fallen in love with the place whilst on holiday. Now he has two of his own holiday villas to rent out all year round.
Inspired by local enthusiasm for his upholstery and sewing workshops, Mark's big idea was to provide a creative retreat for holiday makers and offer a week of easy starter workshops including, you guessed it ..screen printing!
Well at this point, I thought he might want some help, so I willingly offered!
A few months later, we packed our bags and off we went.......
And what a fantastic time we had. The weather was gorgeous, scenery beautiful and Mark was the perfect host. His little hideaway in the North of the island has been a real labour of love and it looks like it's finally coming together with a sucession of summer bookings underway. His partner Carl, whom he originally met on the island (then later by chance on Oxford Street of all places!), also has an apartment in San Antonio for rent, so they've got the whole relax/rave scene covered!
We stayed in the upstairs apartment...it's all very light and spacious, dotted with a miss-match of quirky furniture and carboot finds, plus a patchwork collection of upholstery pieces from the man himself. Freshly picked, wild flowers beckoned us into every room. It was such a nice welcome after the nightmare car hire affair at the airport (don't book with Centauro whatever you do!)
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| Love these tiles in the bathroom | |
After a quick tour of the manor it soon became apparent that Mark's love of upholstery was ever present both inside and out. Stanley was soon engaged in a fantasy land of goldilocks and the three bears as he jumped from one grand chair to another!
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| A lovely spot in the sunshine |
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| The snug, a happy hang out for us all! |
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| Big and Small |
Our print day was spent making pillow cases to welcome future guests and after lunch in the local restaurant just a hop, skip and jump away...we had fun making some sun set style bunting.....
Getting ready to print.
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| Patchwork wonders! |
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| Poc a Poc looks on |
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| A BIG scissor collection |
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| .........well it is the island of sunsets after all! | | | |
Over time Mark has become well know for salvaging stray bits of furniture and giving them a new life, so much so that he often finds the odd chair parked outside his back yard, left by a passing friend.
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| Abandoned chairs with lots of potential! |
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| Who's been sleeping in my chair? |
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| A happy man in his own back yard. I won't show you the whole picture or he might kill me! |
Stanley had a ball, not only with the girls that were staying downstairs, but with everyone and everthing he encountered on the island. Poc a Poc and the cats were the icing on the cake and the drumming session at the local beach was another highlight for my little lad. He also spent some special time with his dad, while I was printing away with Mark and finding out all the local gossip.
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Morning coffee, on the soon to be laid lawn (next full moon!)
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| The most gentle of dogs, Poc a Poc |
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| Walking home after an evening stroll |
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| Exploring the wild northern coastline |
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| A special moment for Stanley |
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| The perfect out of season retreat! |
We wish you well Mark and I'm sure we'll be back. I think the idea of having mini workshops out there is a great idea for the future and can't wait to see what's new next time we go!
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| A Sunday treat, we all piled in the van to go to the local car boot. More finds! |
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| Well you need something to put all those flowers in! |
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| A beautiful walk, right outside the gate |
So if you fancy a simple, relaxing break in a beautiful spot..
here's where you'll find it.
Thanks Mark! xxxxx
