Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Legoland!

OK so while I swan around in my studio all year making pretty things and having a lovely jolly time, my other half is slaving away everyday, going to work in the real world and keeping it all together for our little family.  Occasionally he manages to get the odd precious minute to himself to engage with his mathmatical, musical genius.  Here's what you get when you combine Lego, Christmas festivity and a lots of glue (I stand corrected: No glue!).  It was first tested on our boy and then a group of willing primary school kids in Walthamstow.  It's been tweeked and twiddled and here's the latest version....so without further ado, Happy Christmas to you all.... from our slightly bonkers family!

Just click on the picture to take you to the video

Cosmos Love

Cosmos Love, originally uploaded by Helen Rawlinson.

My wonderful neighbour, Angela, popped these in my plant pots outside my front door one day when I wasn't looking. They've always been eaten by slugs when I've tried to grow them from seed. Now just opening up, the bees are getting very drunk with Cosmos love.  Me too!

Moving on to the next.......

Summer has flown by as usual.  I've treasured this one, as Stanley will be starting his new school next week and so work has kind of been ambling along quietly, when I can fit it in.  I get cross about my inability to juggle stuff, but then realise that I am sort of getting things done.   I'm having exciting times with my new workshops at The Make Lounge, which feel just a bit too early to blog about, nerves a plenty, but much fun!  I joined Not On The High Street, finally, after years of deliberating! Once set up, I have to say, I like the simplicity of it.....all this uploading and updating onto various different sites is not much fun and I haven't been very good at it I'm afraid.
Anyway, having not much else to say and just waiting to get my teeth stuck into the mountain of things I want to do, here is a little video of one of the special moments of summer...at our place in France.  Wonderful friends came to stay, bringing memorable gifts.  LED balloons, you just have to get some!

Photo Shoot...Lamp(s)

The big one's not for sale.

Rachael Howard / Home

Rae and I go way way back to our RCA days and a short stint in India of working and traveling together. I've always loved her work and she was the one that got me filling sketch books on my journeys abroad and not being afraid of messing them up! Now living in West Kirby, I miss my big mate and all her kids, but we do get to spend a bit of quality time together now and then and I know she misses the London life a little too! Having said that, their home is really beginning to look like their own after much renovation work. It is, well, just huge and fab with a fairy tale park at the end of the road and the Marine Lake is just a few steps further. So it's not all bad getting away from London and we'll definitely be visiting again!
Here's just a few pics of her super white space and a bit beyond. Rae had an 'open house' exhibition not long ago, so all her work was still up to enjoy.......

Bobby Dazzlers on the bedroom doors. The mad raggy doll was a Broadway Market find

Teddies sent from London!

Stanley did a spot of picture taking too!
Paintings and work by others are dotted about the house too, love this one by Nicky Bone. Nice to see one of my old collages on the wall, we've done some great swaps over the years.New pencils for the boys!

Bye Bye Liverpool, see you soon!

Rachael's website is home to the Tie Collection and features some funny shots of family and friends. She's just set up an online shop here with more to come I'm sure. Love it all! x

Happy New Year!

Christmas and New Year are a distant, merry, fuzzy blur. The tree's come down and baubles are packed away for another year. Time to get back to normality..... I've got my head down, intent on cracking my accounts for a little while, so it may be a bit quiet on the blogging front.
Here's just a few picks of the last few weeks:

The month of December starts here......
Counting down the days on the fridge.

Our Tree!

A walk to the pub on Christmas Day with Mr. Big Gloves

New Year's Day, a whizz round a merry-go-round and a walk along the Thames!

Baubles packed away in their new Advent Calender Home .........Oh mY! This is an add on as Ive just realised I've been spelling Calendar wrong and no one TOLD ME, what a blinking idiot! To think I am about to launch into the educational side lines of my son's schooling... I better keep well back on spelling homework that's for sure. Oh well, maybe I'll change it when it comes out of hiding for next year!!!!!!

Here comes the snow
Back in a little while.....

Pouch Post

Well, I finally said farewell to my favourite envelope the other day! I posted off an order to a customer in the Netherelands, who incidently has a very nice blog called Hibiscus. I popped it in a recycled envelope first sent to me by the queen of recycling at Pouch. I blogged about this great arrival on my doormat earlier in the year and I'm pleased to be giving it another go in the post. I added a bit of extra umph to the back just to keep its strength, so hopefully it will arrive safely. Let's see if it goes off to anywhere else exciting in the world!

Strawberry Fields Forever!

Managed to do a bit of Strawberry picking on Father's day just before I opened up my studio. Red was the order of the day!

Happy Father's Day!

Love from Stanley!

Peanut Butter Numbers......

Yesterday, Stanley and I had a go at making Peanut Butter Bears from one of Annabel Karmel's recipes. They ended up being a bit different! I think I've got a long way to go before I get to be home baking queen.

Blooming!

Just loving the flowers in our garden this morning!

Blue Skies

More fluffy blossom!

Spring Is Here!

I love crocus flowers, they're only around for such a short time, but they just look so happy having a good stretch in the sun! These, along with the dafs have just popped up in my back garden.

The blossom is out on our street. Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons, especially on warm sunny days like this.