Garden Cheer and a bit of fungi thrown in!!

Spring has arrived early and the wild daffodils are out in the lane, I have even seen wild violets and the pussy willow is in full glow, its yellow furry catkins bouncing in the breeze like school girls tossing their curls. Gardeners are making preparation for the new season and everyone is busy out their with secateurs, spades and hoes. Everyone except me. So perhaps now is the time to come clean and admit that my garden is a mess, a true nirvana of neglect.

I would hate you to think that I have been lazy, it is just that I have been otherwise occupied with earth of another kind, the sort you can meld and mold into shapes and kiln fire.

In my studio I have been working towards spring too and I do have flowers in my garden to prove it, here they are then the first of this years spring blooms fresh from the kiln.

Flower markers for the forgetful gardener, a big smiling flower ( shades of Bill and Ben the flower pot men and little weed I think somewhere in my childhood !) with helpful hints as to what is planted where amongst the undergrowth, and they come with three options, seeds, bulbs and of course weeds!!

By way of a special request for Bayou who has a garden which would put mine to shame, I have made some quirky fungi to add a bit of colour and well FUN ( fun.. fungi.. fun gi.. oh forget it!!) . These jolly chaps have un-glazed ceramic stems and bright and spotty caps which balance on them with the option of the words bulbs or seeds glazed on them. Colours and designs vary as each is a whimsical one off, they come complete with their very own chopstick to push up through the hole in the stalk and anchor firmly into the soil so no naughty elf pixie or garden gnome can run off with them when no one is watching.

Flowers are £5 each plus postage and packing and free postage for a set of 3 or more with wording of your choice. Funny Fungi are £6.00 each with free postage and packing if more than 2 are ordered with a reduction for bulk orders. contact me for details.

Please note not guaranteed frost proof but still pretty hardy!

Happy new year !!

It has been a long time since I was last here and I was living a different life then . Its way time for me to get my finger nails dirty again so that is what I have been doing . I started the new year with a decision to do something a bit different and to play with some new ideas in clay. Here are a few images of my first steps in this direction. Hope you like them...

One mad hen all fluffed up from the kiln...

And drying nicely before she went into the kiln to be fired then glazed then fired then glazed then fired... oh you get the idea!!!

One gold fish wondering what on earth the hen above him is up to...

and discussing it with his friends over a bit of fish food.....

Flowers that bloom in the Spring tra-la!

Who cares if it's raining outside and blowing a most unseasonal gale ? My pots and planters are bursting with brightness of the sort that even the cruelest wind can not batter and lay low, my hand made glazed ceramic flowers. They stand on wooden stems at 38cm high ; each flower head is roughly 9cm wide and come in a selection of colours and styles depending on my whimsy.

The price? 15€ a mixed bunch of three including postage and packaging anywhere in the world.

Email me at unpeuloufoque@free.fr

Nativity time

It may seem early for Christmas without even having had halloween yet but making a nativity set takes time when each figure is hand built glazed and fired and you have 3 angels, 2 shepherd and a ram three kings and the holy family to do so I need to start early if I am to get it ready !!

Here is this years nativity a very jolly and bright and rather fun set and to give an idea of size the kings stand about 13 cm high . Each figure is majolica glazed and no character is the same .

For sale at £75 ( Plus postage)

I think that is jolly good value for something unique which a family can cherish for generations.

Button it up !

Autumn is upon us and its time to get out those winter woolies to keep warm. I am a disaster when it comes to knitting but I do love the look of chunky jumpers to snuggle into on cold days and envy those who are wizards with knitting needles!

To make my shop bought jumpers stand out from the crowd I like to add something a bit different so I have made some big ceramic buttons to jazz up knit wear and add an individual touch. Here are just someof my designs all ready and packaged for a local shop.

Each button is handmade in Earthenware and glazed before being kiln fired. Buttons vary in size, the ones shown are about 2" wide and have 2 holes.

£10.00 for a set of 3 handmade buttons plus post and packing.

Spotty ladies

I find myself surrounded my spotty women, no not an awful epidemic more a ceramic obsession with me at present. My studio is filling up with these jolly women bearing hearts and flowers and wearing polkadot dresses in different hues and rather splendid hair styles!!

Retro fun !

When we were kids we lived a very Janet and John lifestyle, summer hols in the cottage in the country and home made ginger beer, with jolly memories of fun in the sun and innocent enjoyment with families and friends. There were a group of about 5 families all with kids about the same age and when we all got together we kids would disappear out into the wilds shrieking and building camps and the adults would sit together sharing jokes , cheap wine and putting the world to rights in good company.




Each year one of the families trotted off to France for the summer hols camping which in those days was very chic and daring and on for that they had a state of the art brand new and fresh from the production line, mint green VW camper complete with striped awning and a pop up roof. I remember when they first bought it and we crawled all over it, oohing and awing in awe it was so cool and so trendy and we had never ever seen anything like it before. I was as smitten as Mr Toad was with his gypsy caravan and I have been smitten with VW campers ever since.


Now it seems they are very much back in fashion with their retro design and 1960's style and I am still very much a fan so here is my small homage to that Westphalia wonder van

Two new VW Ceramic Tiles with an original hand painted design Available from my shop on Not on The High Street at £10 for the small tile and £15 for the larger one ( including postage and packing) they make great gift for a VW Fan anywhere! Oh and I am happy to customize the tiles with your own colour and number plate at no extra cost to you!