Robyn Christina

Bella....

2008-09-01T03:03:00.001-07:00

As I sit here writing this with the rain drizzling down the window and a soggy border pup snoozing by my feet, Tuscany seems a very distant memory indeed - a lovely one to have though.
I thoroughly recommend it to one and all, it truly is one of these places that will live up to any expectations you may have. My own personal expectations were olive trees, vine yards and good wine - all of which were present in abundance. We were treated also to the waft of lavender in the evenings, rosemary bushes, a beautiful vegetable garden at the foot of where we were staying, fields of smiling sunflowers and a very friendly fat Italian cat!
All this and amazing food - we really couldn't have asked for more.

Captain Biscuit....

2008-06-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

A blustery day at the beach in Portobello, our first time there infact, and it was lovely - one long stetch of sand, the perfect place for a Biscuit to establish his sea legs! And he did, in a way, as did I, luckily the wind dried us off!

He can be seen here enjoying the sensation of wind running through his increasingly flowing beard, my favourite part of Biscuit, along with his old man eyebrows, his digestive coloured legs, his floppy little ears and his currently over-sized paws.

At what point did I become so infatuated?!

Some sunny day inspiration...

2008-06-23T02:33:00.001-07:00

A glorious Monday off and I find myself drawn once again to the internet in search of some beautiful images to add to my collection! I have however had a busy mornings pottering - I have just planted my first ever crop of lettuce aswell as some runner beans, now I must wait, the most testing part of the process I feel! So a little quiet time and a few cups of tea is perfectly justified!

Whilst flicking through Country Living I came across the 'Wedding Special' and within it I found this little floral gem. Miss Pickering creates beautiful arrangements using locally sourced flowers, something that I find very admirable as to do it this way involves a great deal of work, research and a genuine passion for fresh, seasonal flowers. And her shop, well it's a dream, what a lucky lucky lady! How wonderful it would be to go into work each morning, look around and think "I did this, this is mine, and it's absolutely gorgeous!" She must surely feel very smug most, if not all of the time, and quite rightly so.

Enough daydreaming for now, I'm going make my way to the National Portrait Gallery and see the Vanity Fair exhibition, then maybe take a wander down to the botanic gardens(I haven't been yet, very shamefull!) where no doubt some further day dreaming shall ensue!

Biscuit and me.....

2008-05-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Some bonding with the Biscuit on a sunny Sunday walk. You'll note the advancing scruffiness, particularly in the facial hair area (he has adopted a rather sporadic beard!).

The talented petit Fe......

2008-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

A beautiful spoon from Fe's collection, even more beautiful though are her illustrations (go to her blog and you shall not be disappointed), I feel a very exciting time lies ahead for this lovely lady....

Little Biscuit.....

2008-04-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Little Biscuit isn't so little anymore! We swear we can see a change in him every day.... oh they grow up so fast, and not just physically, with his increasingly wisened eyes and more distinctive colouring comes a very bold personality indeed, a big dog in a wee body! Life has taken a rather interesting turn since his arrival, domestic chores are now viewed as a game (mopping the floor is now a tug of war and the hoover is a monster from which he must hide), but things are finally settling into a more comfortable routine, and despite the trouble that he gets himself into, it's all worth it for a sleepy cuddle at the end of the day.

Puppy Love.........

2008-04-03T13:57:00.001-07:00

Introducing Biscuit...... life just got very interesting!

What a way to make a living.....

2008-03-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

And this is why I love Country living so! Upon eagerly opening my copy of the April issue, a cup of Lady Grey in hand, I was greeted by a delicious article about Cupcake business Cakeadoodledo. It all sounds so wonderful, although in reality I'm sure it's a busy way of life, a sugary sweet one though!
I strongly recommend a peek at her website, one cannot help but feel thoroughly inspired, and quite peckish after a sift through her delectable imagery!

Rosy

2008-03-15T02:19:00.000-07:00

I love to have flowers around the flat (a habit I seem to have picked up since starting work as a trainee florist!), and these are the beauties that currently make me smile every morning. They sit on the kitchen windowsill in an old Bonne Maman jam Jar with a stripey ribbon tied around the rim, enough to brighten up even the dullest, soggiest day.

Chips and Champagne....

2008-03-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

I still don't know how an evening spent painting the spare room, eating a fish supper for tea and genarally pottering turned into a full blown, down on one knee engagement from my long suffering chap, but it did, and now we're engaged! (Champagne and chips really do go well together!)
Much to my delight, I realised with a wave of excitement that being engaged means the acquisition of a new ring (I'm ashamed to say that this prospect was equally as exciting to me as the the actual engagement itself!). I came accross the designs of Shona Carnegie whilst at Uni, her 'diary series', with its etched, slightly aged feel are just my cup of tea, and what better an opportunity to indulge it!
I hadn't acutually seen any of her designs in the flesh, so to speak, so looked for her work in Edinburgh galleries and found two outlets. One glance in the glass cabinet told me all I needed to know! (I found her work in '12 Degrees' on George Street, well worth a look.) However, they didn't have in the style I was looking for, so I decided to e-mail her on the off-chance that she could do something for me, and I was ecstatic when I opened my e-mails to find a reply saying that she could.

The finished result is going to look very similar to the above image, (which is actually one of her bangles). Shona was really helpful, and her service is fantastic, within a week of first contacting her, my ring has been made and posted out. All I have to do now is wait!

I love the Lake District....

2008-02-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

"Ahhhhh!" I think that's how I could best describe the weekend I've been lucky enough to have had, just one great contented sigh! T'was wonderful - misty crisp mornings gave way to bright clear days, long walks were followed by lazy lunches and the evenings were spent by the fire, cosy, full, exhausted and happy!
Back to normality and it all feels rather dream-like now, still, I have some lovely memories and a few good holiday photos, I particularly liked this serenely beautiful shot of Paul by Coniston Water, it sums the feel of the area up beautifully.

Love is in the air......

2008-02-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

What a busy week this is for florists, and it's only Tuesday! Our flower stand is awash with red and pink, our shelves are brimming with vases waiting to be filled and there is a steady stream of gentlemen (and ladies) coming in the door to place orders for their loved ones - 'tis a nice atmosphere to be in, albeit a rather hectic one at times.
I wonder if I shall be recieving some flowers this year?! I suspect that after all my complaining about having to conidition hundreds of roses at work, Paul will be rather wary of them, only time will tell!
The flowers pictured are a bunch that I made up to give to my Mum on my last visit home, I love the colours, especially the burnt orangey red roses and the delicate ranunculas, beautiful. (It's taken me a wee while but at last I'm managing to remember some flower names!)

Fe Louise Coull, a very talented lady indeed...

2008-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am in love. This beautiful drawing by the lovely Fe (a fellow jeweller, crafter and lover of all things twee, and cake, and tea, the list goes on...) can be seen at her lovely new blog. This image is a fine example of her talent for drawing, one which I think she will apply to gorgeous children's books in the future! But aside from that she just happens to be a creator of unique jewellery, delicate bowls and spoons, many's a birdie friend, anything willow related and some of the finest baking to be found!

Some Sketchbooking...

2008-01-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

Wild Berries

2008-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

A saturated shade of purple to brighten up a dreary January eve. In a bid to save some money I tried last year to make my own Christmas presents, or at least as many as possible....and here are the results, one scarf! (I will start earlier this year!)
Despite growing quite attached to it, I grudgingly handed it over to my sister on Christmas day, and I have to admit, with her lovely dark hair it really did suit her.
It's made from Rowan Big Wool in 'Wild Berry', the name alone is enough to make you want to wrap it around you, cosy and delicious!

Ponderisms....

2008-01-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've had an interesting, thoroughly thought - provoking wee day. Today I met up with some old Jewellery class mates, they were through in the Burgh attending a talk given by Jerwood nominated jewellers in the Art College, and, given that it was raining and all too miserable for a wander round my favourite shops I siezed the opportunity to sneak into the 2nd half of the presentation.
It was really interesting, listening to these designers discussing their work, inspirations etc, I realised that I've forgotten what it feels like to be totally immersed in your work, and it's a feeling that I think I miss. It was nice also to be surrounded by crafty folk, I miss that most of all. And so I returned home feeling a smidge disgruntled and have spent the evening searching for some solutions.... so here I am having just e-mailed the Eca for some further info on evening courses in constructed textiles, photography and Jewellery.
I'm beginning to wonder if I really gave jewellery a fair shot, I know that I'm capable and being only 2 short terms away from graduation when I decided to take a break, I was fairly settled into my own sense of style, but I wasn't confident enough in my fundamental skills and really just didn't feel ready for that final push. Perhaps going back to basics in a more relaxed, informal environment is what I need to do. Time will tell.

The above image is of a couple of cards that I made during the summer depicing my Great Grandmother and Grandfather, Lizzie and James. I was so happy with them, there's no better feeling than making something and getting a real sense of pride from it, I've posted this image as a reminder to myself of what is undoubtedly the most important thing of all in any craft, enjoy it!

Alice Palace

2008-01-29T03:11:00.000-08:00

Whilst out and about looking for the 'perfect' greetings card recently, (I know I could have made my own but just never seem to get around to doing it since my Christmas efforts!) I came across a gorgeous selection by designer/illustrator Alice Palace in a wee shop on St John's Road. She describes her work as 'Curious illustrations and words to make you smile', I don't see how anyone could disagree. She has a card for every occasion, each one as quirky and as uplifting as the next, from farm animals such as 'Sleepy Sheep' to a pair or over-joyed badgers - 'Mr and Mrs Badger enjoy the occasional star jump.' I know it's nice to make your own cards, but it's also nice to know that you can buy something truly original.

'Tis the Season

2007-12-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

A picture of one of the Christmas cards that I have been working on to send up North to a Christmas fair in beautiful Achfary - I may be slightly biased but I was quite happy with the results! (That's my Mum in the red coat, such a cutie !) I would love to have done more, but as I'm sure is the case with most people at this time of year, time just seems to be flying away on me (Only 20 days 'til the big day - how did that happen!?)

My Creative corner

2007-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Upon firmly establishing my presence in my long suffering boyfriend's 'Man-Pad', I felt it was only fair that I try and keep my treasures and creative splurges limited to at least a corner! And so began the hunt for an appropriate desk... to be found in the end in good old Ikea (any excuse to partake in some Scandinavian goodies, those ginger biscuits are dangerously addictive!)

Once assembled, a task that naturally Paul insisted on doing as it was a 'man's job', I began the joyous process of adorning my new territory with all things lovingly hoarded and beautiful. The result is a cheery jumble to brighten up a dreary winter's eve.