Come and join me and a host of of other fab makers on the 19th July from 2.00 - 5.00pm

It’s a great opportunity to meet makers and ask questions - just like you would at a real craft event. Etsy Cornwall is one of four teams to have been chosen by Etsy to take part and so we are all really excited to take part.

Click on this link to register your interest and be reminded when the event goes live: https://www.facebook.com/events/2975789415872798/

There will be a look book released about a week before the event so you will be able to get an idea of what each maker creates and enable you to visit the people you are most interested in.

All purchases will be made through Etsy, but you will get a chance to preorder and ask about bespoke items.

I am planning on doing a few demonstrations and giving you some tips on using Procreate.

Hope to see you there!

I have one more image to produce for my 2021 Astro/moon diary to be finished! I wanted to incorporate the energy of each moon with the predominant zodiac sign of that particular month.

For example the below picture is a snow moon for Feb which is also Aquarius season.

I really like knowing the names of the moons and am still learning to tune into them, but I am finding the process enriching!

Native and Pagan traditions understood the moving phases of the moons and what they meant for crops and weather. I have a lot of respect for this knowledge and it should be kept and treasured.

I wanted the zodiac signs to be part of this because each sign has its own energy and traits. I am not an astrologer and so there is no ‘analysis’ as part of this project - it’s just images for you to enjoy and draw your own interpretation from.

It’s something that I find really interesting though and the more I learn about astrology the deeper I can go into the current energies and also learn about myself. I hope that the images act as a springboard for you!

I hope that you will be able to use this diary to chart a magical 2021 for yourself. Of course you could use it as a normal diary and keep yourself organised but I would encourage you to seek little moments of magic and take the time to write them down each day. Maybe insert a pressed flower here and a poem there. Record what is growing well for you in your garden and in your life. And of course write down your energy and moods during each moon phase.

By the end of the year you should have a diary that is brimming with magic and appreciation for all that nature has to offer.

I am currently in the process of working out the finer details of printing and costs (as well as finishing a cold moon in Sagittarius) but the pieces are starting to fall into place. I’d love you to follow my progress on Instagram or Facebook (if you don’t already) as I will updating there first. I might decide to do a Kickstarter in order to get a better idea about quantities and also to potentially offer prints, card sets and my moon calendar.

Anyway, once I know what I’m doing I will let you know!

It’s been a lovely month in between some wind and rain.

It’s a full strawberry moon on Friday 5th June and I wanted to do a reading to get a bit of a feel for the energy that is happening at the moment. I’m not an astrologist so I can’t tell you much about that side of things, although I do know that while we are in Gemini season, this full moon will be in Sagittarius.

Reading tarot cards is a bit more familiar to me though and I can tune into what is happening that way. It’s been a really chaotic period and sometimes the cards can bring a little clarity and foreknowledge.

I really like the Brian Froud, Faerie oracle - it is one of the most intuitive and rich decks that I have worked with and so I thought it would be useful for going a little deeper into the situation. The layout I tend to go for is a simple past present and future spread and this is what I got. Don’t be scared - I will talk you through it!

Okay, so it’s pretty hard to avoid the Death card in the ‘future’ position and it seems as though we are already facing enough of that at the moment. The death in this particular sense though is more metaphorical and combined with the full moon I would say we are strongly being asked to let go of everything that is not serving us right now. Start preparing the ground, clear those emotional and actual cupboards because you are going to need some space for what is to come.

Don’t be scared! We have gone through so much already and it easy to presume the worst, but all endings precede a new beginning.

Now let’s get to the positives of the energy that we have been experiencing. The Faun is a magical card and reminds us that we are all part of universal energy. We are the universe! We have galaxies within us, so much magic and potential! Don’t get wrapped up in the fear, the anger and confusion. It is all quite simple. Keep shining your love and your light. Stay open to learning and let that plant seeds of joy within you. It is all going to be okay.

At the centre of this we are in that difficult ‘becoming’ stage. We have been in the cocoon for a while and we are scared of what is coming next. That is okay. The universe is here to hold your hand though this. It is supporting you. It might feel uncomfortable, but you are shedding what you are to re-become what you always have been. It is not something new - it is you! And you also have the choice in what you become. Embrace it, move forwards gently, feel that tingle of excitement that means good things are coming, because they are.

——————-
There you go! I think that a fair bit of that was channeled and it made me feel so much more supported! Wow! So good to be reminded of these things.
I hope that some of this is of use to you and helps the way you perceive the world at the moment. When we sit in magic and joy we can help spread that out into the world.

Sending you lots of love for this full moon. 💕😊✨

This has been such a strange time. I have days where I am so happy, feeling completely blessed by the weather and the beautiful countryside and others where I am crumpled by the weight of everything happening in the world.

I feel very small in the scheme of things. There is so much I could say about a lot of things, but I feel my role in all this confusion is to be a source of peace and magic. We are all in shock. We are all at various stages on our own spiritual paths. We don’t always know as much as think we do and sometimes we say the wrong things. Forgive yourself.

Find your centre through whatever means you can. Meditate, do yoga, walk, cycle, swim - connect with nature. If you don’t tap into this source of knowledge and rhythm then it is too easy to feel lost on waves of social media.

I have been finding so much joy in the unfolding season. I have been living in Cornwall for around 20 years now and each year still brings me something new to marvel at. I listen to the sound of the birds and feel the sun stroke and soothe me.

Sometimes nature needs a little help from us and I cherish these small interactions where I feel as though I can make a small difference. I water my plants and watch as things grow, tending to my own impatience at the same time. Every year has successes and failures, but each year I try and learn anew. There is comfort in effort regardless of the outcome.

I hope that you can feel the magic that I feel - that my pictures, art and words can help to heal and remind you of the beauty in the world.

I had a lot of fun creating this new t-shirt design! Screen printing is an exciting process full of variables which has taken me some years to get my head around!

That still doesn’t stop me from making mistakes though! It wasn’t until I had finished washing of the photo emulsion that I realised that I had exposed the image the wrong way round.

I quickly removed the rest of the photo emulsion and prepped the screen ready to go again the next day. I use the sun to expose my screens now, rather than worrying about setting up lights and waiting for 30-45 minutes and it takes a minute for the screen to be ready to wash.

I think that it’s probably a little on the ‘extra’ exposed side of things, but I’d rather spend a little more time rinsing in the shower than accidentally washing the good stuff away.

Anyway, it feels good to be able to wear my love of the moon and I will be adding more colours and sizes soon.

It’s been quite the intense time hasn’t it? We have already been through so much as a collective at a time when we have been forced to isolate from others. I don’t think that the eyes and thoughts of the world have ever been so singularly focused.

As a creative soul the thought of being at home does not pose a problem for me. Home is the place where I get to be me, to express myself through paint or pixels and generally feel the infinity of the universe in the magic of the moment.

But that doesn’t mean that I am better equipped than anyone else to deal with this particular curve ball. I felt the panic and the fear of the situation crash like a wave upon me and I struggled to breathe and think straight.

It was strange what became important to me and yet pretty obvious at the same time. I had been gifted with seeds for Christmas and so I got to work sowing them with my daughter. I had wanted to do lots of growing this year and so that is what I threw myself into. Digging, saving the ends of vegetables to grow and saving all the seeds from food I could.

Baking has also become a great comfort to me. It breaks the day into manageable chunks of activity with the reward of something tasty at the end of it. It also makes for a very happy household as there is a big joy in freshly baked cakes and bread! I think we have all been missing cafes and the treats that they hold and this is a small way of recreating that feeling.

It’s a happy distraction.

I jumped on board the 100 day project at the minute with the decision to put something positive and magical out into the world everyday. I’d like to create a piece of art every day, but realistically it’s quite a push and so I am giving myself the grace to follow this at my own pace. The intention of putting good vibes into the world is enough to keep my focused and also to feel of use.

I think that a lot of us have felt powerless at one time or another during this and that is a really disempowering feeling. We can all do something in our own little way whether it is a smile at a passerby or making a nice comment on social media - it all helps.

I found social media to be unbearable for a little while. It was so full of judgement, criticism and fear. I dipped in and out as I could, taking time to look after myself and my family. I did spend some days fighting tears, but l think that part of the difficulty of this is being forced to wrestle with your own shadow. There is nowhere to run to, everything circles back to you and your thoughts. If you can’t control them then you are lost, but then that has always been true.

I keep thinking about what it is that I am worried about - because actually I am okay in this moment. I think part of it is because we are all connected still. Our collective consciousness has been shaken and whether we are in the centre of the storm or lucky to be in safe spaces we cannot be unaffected. And so each day presents its own challenges and its own blessings, as it did before and as it will in the future.

Life in lockdown continues to be an adventure for me and I look to nature for inspiration and hope. The hedgerows are bursting with colour now and we have been blessed with many days of sunshine. I like to think that I put all these good vibes into my work and that my art helps to spread a little joy into the world. Sending you my love and well wishes. 💕😊✨

I wanted to do something a little different for my birthday - I think it’s good to mark occasions by doing something memorable and so we decided to have a look up on Zennor moors.

When we first moved to Cornwall, some 20 years ago, my and my husband Darren were pretty obsessed with beaches and surfing and as a result didn’t explore too much of Cornwall’s inner secrets.

We had walked up Carn Galva a couple of times over the winter and so Zennor moors was an easy decision to make as it was the next Carn along. Thankfully there was a break in (major) storms for the day and there was a beautiful big blue sky with large clouds.

The walk was fairly steep and overgrown, but the views were worth it. The sea looked magical and before we knew it we had found Zennor quoit.

The stones are really impressive and certainly add to a sense of magic and wonder up on the moors. It is such a beautiful and expansive place. So hard to get to yet so full of history and remnants of people long passed away.

We could see what we realised was the ‘old Aleister Crowley House’ and that seemed like too good an opportunity to leave. I have always been fascinated with tales about him and spent a holiday in Morocco being entertained by his book ‘Diary of a drug fiend’.

He led a life of notoriety, travelling widely and outraging society with his promiscuity and sexual adventures with men as well as women. He wrote sex poetry which was described by one critic as ‘ the most disgusting piece of erotica in the English Language’. I wonder if this still holds true or whether he was a bit ahead of his time? I haven’t read it so I cannot judge.

He travelled widely and he wrote The Law of Thelema which he claimed was dictated to him by an ancient Egyptian spirit. This text outlined his philosophy which got broken down into the dictum ‘do what thou wilt’ which endorsed the pursuit of individual will that isn’t hampered by popular views.

Aleister’ s connection with the house on the moors seems to be a little transient with him not actually living there, but instead rumoured to have conducted Satanic rituals in the house and also a black mass down at Zennor Church. It seems that he left quite the impression though and the cottage now shows signs of vandalism and graffiti created by those that are curious in his legacy.

The house had an aura of sadness to it that comes with neglect and abuse. The place is in such a beautiful area with profound natural energy that it seems a shame that it is in ruin.

After our stomp and exploration we went to have a hot chocolate in the newly opened Moomaid of Zennor ice-cream shop where we learned that the property had been sold last year.

The new owners are certainly in for a challenge, but I hope they manage to create a home that is sensitive to the area. It could certainly be a dream house despite its somewhat lively past.

Read this fascinating article by Greg Martin for more details on the history of the cottage itself including tales of hauntings and visits by monks:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/gallery/inside-abandoned-aleister-crowley-house-2129516

I’m a little new to journaling, but spending some time with my notebook and playing with colours is a really pleasant way to spend my time. The cold and the grey weather have been starting to get to me and even though I am out walking my crazy hound every day, it feels as though I am inside more than usual.

I’m enjoying exploring watercolour’s on the texture of the paper - there is a spontaneity to working this way - often with unexpected results. I didn’t exactly plan to do quotes (far too many letters to do!) but I was rewatching The Hobbit on Netflix and the quote just resonated with me so much that I had to write it down. The process was really meditative and it got me past my fear of lettering.

There are a lot of lettering artists that I really admire and I know that they have dedicated their work to exploring letterforms. I actually felt quite intimidated to explore this in my own way, but I have found it to be fun. It’s more enjoyable for me to use an actual brush for this - every time I have tried to do something similar on my IPad I have just got frustrated and given up. Using a notebook has helped to slow down my process and made me a bit more mindful. It’s actually very therapeutic.

I am curious about bullet journaling and how people spend time making these elaborate spreads for the week. I would imagine that the process is just as important as the information. I am just getting myself into the habit of using my diary effectively so I’m not too sure if I can make the time for this. I think it will come though as it’s great to spend time away from the screen.

How about you? What sort of journaling do you do?

This is the first piece of fan art I have ever done. I fell in love with this scene in particular when they had to do a ritual on the hare moon in order to restore the powers of the coven. The clothes, the song and of course the hare were all entrancing!

How about you? Did you enjoy the series? I’m looking forward to part 4 already.