ameliagreenheart

I have been away visiting Northumberland recently. Mark and I stayed at Spylaw Farm near Chatton which is beautiful and restful place to vacation. We occupied Cuddy's Croft which is a small but perfectly formed self-catering cottage for two. It is very generously and comfortably equipped with pretty much everything you could possibly need. The owners Lorna and Andy are friendly and accommodating. Lorna leaves a tray of cake and tea things when you arrive and she can provide a three course meal made from goods grown on their farm wherever possible. There are chickens and geese and sheep and lots of land to roam on. It is by far my favourite home from home.

While we were there I was inspired by the countryside and the incredible local beaches. I painted a few bowls which I am pleased with at Spylaw. The first includes a pre-historic 'ring' stone carving we found on nearby heathland. These carvings are found across Northumberland and North Yorkshire and are pretty amazing. The one we visited was near Chatton.

We did a lot of walking in Northumberland and fortunately the weather was pretty kind most of the time. On one of the walks we collected crab apples and rose hips which we brought back home. I have since made a load of Rose Hip and Apple jelly which will be given away as Christmas gifts I expect. I found an excellent recipe at The Cottage Smallholder, a web site I visit often. It is full of great tips and advice for Hugh Fearlessly-Eats-It-All types and Kirsty wannabes. I love it. The walk also inspired a bowl with an autumnal woodland theme which I really enjoyed painting. I think it has a 'nursery' quality about it and I think perhaps the lost child in me came out whilst making it!

The best walk we had was taken on the advice of our landlord at Spylaw, Andy. He sent us off to Ross Sands Beach which is about five miles from the farm. You can get to it between Budle Bay and Lindisfarne after a short trek across the bird sanctuary and dunes. it was an very windy day! The sand was shifting like a flat cloud across the empty beach and the waves were wild and sparkling. It was magical. When I got back to Spylaw, weighed down with pebbles and shells I started to paint a little bowl to remember the day by.

Each of the bowls mentioned above are now for sale in our web shops at Folksy and Etsy.

Now I'm back in Harrogate I have been working on some new ideas. I have designed a new bowl which is decorated with pink flowers and I hope you will like it too. we have also produced an ameliagreenheart calender for 2011 which features images from some of the gifts and accessories Laura and I have been producing this year. It will be for sale at the craft Fairs we are participating in later this month and if anyone would like a copy please get in touch and we can send you one.

We do hope to be able to meet you at the FLARE craft events at Ripley, North Yorkshire on Sunday 21st November and at York on Sunday 28th November. We will also be at The St Aidans School Christmas Gift Fair in Harrogate on 3rd December.