Sunshine Blog Award!

Thankyou very much Rachel Lucie for this blog award. It's very nice and makes me happy that you like my blog! :)

Rachel actually gave me this award a couple of weeks ago and I've been a little slow to act upon it as I've been busy with shop plans, having a big sort out before the move AND planning our new bathroom which starts next week.

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world. The rules are:

Put the logo on your blog.
Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let them know thay have recieved the award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to the person from whom your recieved the award.

There are so many blogs that inspire me. Here are 12 of my faves!

1.Jurianne Matter - I sell Juriannes lanterns at Radiance. Can't remember how I came across her. She is a wonderful designer with such an eye for colour and style. Her blog always shows something interesting, fresh and beautiful.

2.Today I saw. i love this blog. Everyday Jill Wignall does a charming line drawing on a postcard of something that she sees and she sends the postcard to someone. Today she saw two dogs in Santa costumes...

3.Jodiijodii. This lovely lady did a little feature on Radiance a while back and I've followed her blog ever since. We seem to have simliar tastes and she's always introducing me to interesting things.

4.MrYen inspirational papercutting, beautiful photographs, fabulous presentation..and I've met him in real life.

5. AmyStitch This is the new blog of my friend and embroidery artist Amy Hauschild who lives deep in the Danish countryside with her own little lake and deers that gallop through the garden. I visited her last year and it's truly lovely there. She may not be posting much at the moment as they have just had a lovely little baby girl!

6.Gennines Art Blog - The perfect art blog. Inspirational, aspirational, visually mouthwatering and all her own. She always inspires me to tidy up and arrange things beautifuly.

7. Nancy McKay I just discovered this blog the other week after Nancy left me some heartwarming comments on my blog. I had to keep on scrolling and scrolling through her pages. Colourful, joyful photography and writing. Really Lovely.

8.Hat Therapy. Chrissie is my wonderful next door shop neighbour. She was so excited that I got a blog award that I thought I'd pass on a little excitement to her too! Read here about the adventures of this talented milliner. When I move shops I'm going to miss being nextdoor to Chrissie and her family. They are just the best and kindest neighbours!

9.Simply The Nest Alice bought a lamps from me at GNCCF last year and took great pictures of it for her blog. She got wall lamps for Christmas too and documented the whole installation process with great photos which was great to see. It's a lovely blog!

10. All things paper I discovered this blog when Ann Martin featured my lamps on it. There's always something lovely made from paper here!

11. I love my daughter Ffions blog. It always uplifts me to see the photos she has taken and other that she enjoys. She doesn't want me to publish the link but she is getting an award anyway!

12 Things That Make My day I bought THE most beautiful calender from Amy Marcella on Etsy....and this is her blog and her inspirations. Colourful, rich and gorgeous.

So there you go. Ooooh it feels good to share!!! Hope you find something new here!

Personalised table lamps

My laser cutting order arrived today and in it were my samples of some new personalised table lamps. I'm a bit excited about these. I especially like the childrens ones. Thought I'd make these for my nephew and new neice. Emily is my sister and Sam her hubbie.

The possibilities for personalisation are endless really arent they. Song lyrics, poems, messages, names, gifts for a new baby or a birthday. Goodness me.....

I have to work out my prices but I'll put them on my websites soon.

Dragonfly Lamp

I'm waiting for a huge delivery of lasercutting to arrive which has been delayed because of the snow...so this custom order for a dragonfly lamp made it to the front of the making queue. It was nice to do something a little different than normal. I like it...

Plans plans plans

I've been doing a lot of intricate thinking today. I went to the new shop with Paul, my joiner this morning to measure up and talk about what I wanted. There were lots of decisions to be made and it was quite exhausting! Exciting though. It was the longest time I had spent in the space so far and I saw things I'd not seen before. My studio design in SORTED and clear to me and I can't wait to get in there and spread my wings. Ahhhh. SPACE! For the shop I still have some thinking to do. It's not got the ceiling height of the current Radiance and I'm trying to work out how best to display all the lampshades...hmmmmm.....I'll work it out....

I just want to say thankyou to you all. I have had some LOVELY comments here on the blog just lately and i really appreciate every one! It's very encouraging. Thankyou!

And a big thanks today to Ann Martin who has done a lovely feature about me and Radiance on her inspiring blog All things Paper. Go and take a look.x

Alice & Andre install their wall lights...

Alice who writes the lovely Simply The Nest blog had some of my Allium wall lights on her Christmas list this year and she was very happy when Santa (well actually her husband)brought them for her! She made an impressive post on her blog about their installation. We love a bit of D.I.Y. It's nice to see the ins and outs of someone installing my lights as I always wonder how people get on with them. Alice's post is like a beautifully illustrated instruction manual. Read more about it and see them in situ here.

Snowy Walk

Schools are closed so me and Ffion went out for a little walk in the beautiful snow...

Weeeeeeeee!

I'm happy now i have my new hat (from Hat Therapy of course)!

Gabriel decided to stay in and watch from the window. Handsome isn't he!

My Mums Christmas Lamp

I just found this picture of the lamp I made for my Mum for Christmas for the fireplace in their new house. It fitted just right and looks like it has been there forever. (We know the wicker cat is abit scary looking but has been in our family home a LONG time and we like him)!

Playing Shops

Here is the outside of the new shop. Looks like a house right!? We have to turn it from housey to shoppy!

I just got a little carried away in Photopaint. I thought I'd just have a play with some colours and see how they felt...then i wondered what the signage on the windows might look like....then a few lamps. Nice to get a little view of whats in my head down on paper.....

...and can you imagine lovely pots of plants and flowers outside, door open and inviting, all cleaned up with one of Emma the painters front doors so shiny and finished you can see your refelction in it ......

Today has been good. I have secured a painter (Emma Osenton), an electrician (Sean Illingworth) and a joiner (Paul Byrne of JP renovations)...all ready to roll at the beginning of February. Exciting!

Ice

The canal was very interesting today. The ice was breaking up and the refelctions of the trees looked amazing. A canal boat had just made it's way through and you could hear the ice cracking right down the canal. I felt abit sorry for the ducks. Brrrrrr.

Beautiful New Calendar

I bought a beautiful new calendar for this exciting New Year from Amy Marcella at Etsy. What pretty illustrations...Can't wait to use it!

New Year, New Shop!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I have a tale to tell that I've been dying to share for weeks but nothing was finalised so I couldn't....

A few weeks ago on a busy Friday afternoon a man walked into my shop and asked me if I had 5 minutes to come and look at a newly refurbished shop space that he was hoping to rent out. Well I'm always up for taking a peek inside peoples buildings so I nipped down the road with him to take a look. I have not been the same since. It changed my world! It was lovely space and had everything I had been asking for whilst struggling with a growing business in a small space. It is a converted ground floor of a house so is very homey and I could instantly see this working for Radiance with all the lamps and home wares. It has a fireplace and alcoves to light and a lovely window.

Then there is another room with a fireplace and large window which would make the perfect light workspace for me. There is a cupboard under the stairs for box storage. THEN there's a storeroom (oh how I've prayed for such a thing) which can also be used as a parcel wrapping room and then a kitchen with more storage and then a shower room/toilet (a big plus as I've had to nip home to the loo for the last 4 years!) AND a yard.

I have not been stopped thinking about it since. It's not a typical shop with a typical shop window. It wouldn't work for any business and I had to weigh up letting go of my huge window and tall ceilings for a smaller (but still beautiful) window in a more prominent location with the extra space that I need. I think I can make the homliness of it really work for Radiance.

If you know Hebden Bridge it's right next door to the lovely Mooch cafe in the middle of Market Street and opposite Dynamite and Ruby Shoesday.

So the negotiations have been made and I'll be getting the keys on the 1st of February so please hold my hand. Here's where I will be planning and thinking and panicking and sweating no doubt. There's ALOT to think about - shop fitting, workshop fitting, signage, logisitcs (how do i keep one shop open and one workshop running whilst creating a new one), painting, financial issues, publicity etc etc etc. It's good timing though. 2010 holds the beginning of a shiny new project for me and Radiance. A blank canvas - a new beginning. Very exciting indeed!

I hope you will come to my grand opening...although as readers of my blog you will have watched the whole thing unfold anyway!

GULP!x