Inspiration at Kew

Last week I had an inspirational trip to Kew Gardens. 

I've wanted to come for years. I don't know what took me so long!

I loved the old Victorian palm house. Green, humid, dripping and full of the most impressive plants.

It was tricky to take pictures as the camera kept steaming up!

So many good silhouettes.

You can climb the old spiral staircase and see everything from up high. 

It was good to look down on the HUGE leaves.

The waterlily house was beautiful too.

Look at those huge lily pads. 

This is the underside of one.

I took my time strolling around the gardens. 

It was beautiful and peaceful, even in the rain.

Autumn was doing it's thing and there were so many busy squirrels carrying huge sweet chestnuts and acorns in their mouths.

Look at this old thing. A three hundred year old Sweet Chestnut tree. 

It was the inspiration for the creation of the Whomping Willow in the set of Harry Potter. They came and took casts of the tree apparently.

I loved the tree top walk way. 

I loved being up so high and up so close to the huge numbers of Parakeets screeching around the place.

Can you spot him sitting in the tree?

Crows, pigeons, parakeets....

There were lots of these purple flowers..

and I bumped into this Peahen too preening herself on a bench.

Then I walked to the wild edges of the park and started to spot mushrooms under the trees.

Once I'd spotted one, I started seeing them everywhere.

I was just remembering how I saw some birds nest fungi when I was a child - then I spotted this. It was much tinier than I remembered. Anyone know if that's what it is?

Big one, little one...both with nibbles.

I came home with muddy knees, a head full of inspiration and billions of photos on my camera. I loved it. Wish it was closer to home.

Radiance is TEN!

Radiance is ten years old this week!

So much has happened since I did this first dreamy drawing in my sketchbook back in 2005. It was super scary opening a shop. I had no idea how to do it. But as my friend said the night before I was due to open, 'Just do it in your own way' and that was just what I did and it has worked out fine.

I hoped we would make it to ten years old. It seemed SO far off in the future but the years have flown by and have been full of adventure, lovely people and beautiful things. So much light and love!

Will you come and celebrate with us on Saturday the 19th of September?  We will open some fizz at about 2pm and have a jolly time together. There will be 10% off everything on the day and a prize draw to win one of my lamps.

I've been digging around in the archives today and found some photo's of the day I opened. 

Radiance used to be at number 58. Where Snug is now, before Hat Therapy had even opened!

Hannah the shopkeeper.

 Me and Ffion. She must have been eleven.

How sparse it was in the beginning.

Lots of people came. 

And people actually bought stuff! ;)

 I always remember the first thing I sold. It was one of my lamps with a very simple grass design. Nothing like the intricate designs I'm doing now. This pre-dates laser cutting!

Bernard my landlord who lived upstairs cooked pizzas with the kids. Little Ffion and Becky!

My friends daughter used to sit with me on a Saturday afternoon when they came to stay. Mia is sixteen now!

I was soooo happy that day. I sold some lights, people loved what they saw and were very complimentary and I discovered that using the credit card machine was not as terrifying as I thought!  I was just so proud of myself for having opened my shop! For having turned that sketchbook dream into a reality.

Ten years on and business has blossomed in so many ways. Hopefully soon Radiance will have a new owner and it will continue to shine for another decade at least!

Goodbye Grandad

Today was my lovely ninety-four year old Grandads funeral. It's been a really special day, getting together with all the family and honoring his life. It's been lovely to see old photos and hear lots of stories about his life.

Look at this picture. My Grandad is the one in the middle row on the right with the ears and the wonky hair cut. My Granny is second in on the bottom left. They have known each other since they were this small!

My Grandad kept an old suitcase full of letters that my Granny wrote him since they started courting in 1936 when they were just sixteen years old. They are so sweet. She is totally in love with him. She worked really hard as a maid and she didn't get to see him much. In her letters she is always waiting until the next time they can be together.

My Dad read some of the letters out during the service. He read the first one that she ever wrote and the last one we could find when he had just gone off to war. 

“It’s hard not knowing when I will see you again but if we are to be spared how wonderful it will be when it’s all over and at last we can be married. Without you my life would be so empty so please take care of yourself. If it’s God’s will we shall come through all this and spend the rest of our lives together…always your loving sweetheart, Meg.”

They didn't wait until the war was over and they married 1941. Their first boy, my Uncle Ted was born soon after. My Grandad traveled a long long way to see his newborn son, only to have to turn around again a few hours later back out to war. He didn't see him again until he was three years old. Imagine. 

Thankfully the war ended, Les came back safely and at last they could be together. They had three children. The cutie on the right is my Mum. 

My Granny died fifteen years ago. Every week my Grandad walked many miles up hill to the crematorium with red roses for his sweetheart. I think that's what kept him in such good shape. 

My Grandad died peacefully two weeks ago. Today, Ffion, Euan and I sung them a love song in the chapel. I had to do it with my eyes closed so the tears wouldn't roll out. It was beautiful to imagine them together again. No more waiting.

Honesty

I've always loved Honesty. My Mum always grew it in the garden and we had a big bunch in a large green wine bottle vase by our kitchen table. Very nineteen-seventies!

I asked my Mum for some to draw last year and she brought me a huge bunch. I laid all the seeds out on my light box and took these photos.  I find it so beautiful. The way the layers of the seeds come apart to the touch, the crispy sound it makes. the iridescence of the pods, the gorgeous shapes and the cute little seeds. 

For years I've considered it's potential as a paper cut light design but I couldn't get my head around how to do it. I decided it was time to work it out.

I started with some drawings and made them into files for the laser to cut.

And a few days later Voila! They held together really well.

It lends itself so well to my technique, 

with the layers of light shining through the seed pods and making the crisp cut silhouettes of the outer shells stand out. I'm liking it. I'm just trying it out on some other sizes and shapes of lamp...then maybe the wallpaper....the fabric....the cushions....oh my the list goes on :)

Charcoal Paper Meadow

I always love seeing pictures of my products in their new home. Gemma Holtam sent this one. The charcoal wallpaper looks great with the black iron bedstead and the yellow bedding don't you think?