Happy Holidays!

Christmas is a funny holiday for me. I always resent being pushed into the festive mood as early as October, when I'm still trying to cling on for dear life to the last vestiges of summer, and the supermarkets start piling their shelves with packages and packages of sweets and chocolate for the festive season. Also, I can't help thinking of all those overpriced, overpackaged 'gifts' that stores come up with to suit various budgets - the thought of all those bits of nothingness wrapped in too much plastic and cardboard leaves a sick feeling in my stomach. I'm also far too disorganised to send out cards to anyone, and always have been. For me, these gestures are meaningless if I haven't seen the friends and family they're addressed to for too long, and if I'll see or speak to you at Christmas, then I'd much rather extend the goodwill in person.

However, I do love observing people's expressions of joy when they receive a gift that is heartfelt, sincere, and shows that the giver has put much time and thought into it. Who wouldn't, right? Okay, I guess I couldn't necessarily say we've devoted enough of our energy to making Christmas really meaningful this year, but everyone's put in a good effort, and here are some of the highlights...

1.  Going to lock up the porch door on the 23rd, having worked till the wee hours to breathe life into Disgruntled Dino (SUCH a crochety li'l thing! ;), I found a lovely surprise on the step. Amongst a selection of gorgeous goodies sat this li'l guy, made by my pal Jen - we get our knitties out every Thursday, which always has us in stitches.* Tired from hunching over my work for several hours, this was a sight for sore eyes!

Taking pride of place on our tree. Thanks, Jen, for bring some festive cheer to El Grincho.

2.  Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas treeeeee...say what I like, the pile of unopened pressies is always exciting. So full of possibilities...

With pressies under (and all over) the tree...

3.  The Pandy's favourite pressie (he's probably just being polite): the Disgruntled Dino wot I made him, to celebrate the many evenings we spent watching Planet Dinosaur together. Oh. And my crochet obsession.

This dino didn't hitch a ride to the in-laws, he came in bits requiring assembly. No wonder he looks so grumpy!

4.  This is Pandy's highlight: playing XBox with his bro, wearing his Crimbo tee of Santa melting ghoulie snowmen with flame thrower and sitting with Dino.

Happiness is... picking your own rather peculiar Christmas T-shirt. Guess it beats a woolly reindeer jumper.

5.  The big li'l bro's take on the piñata...what's inside? Pull on a leg and you might find it goes its own Milky Way, or try giving an arm a Twirl. Only Smarties have the answer...ok ok, sorry, I'll stop now. Let's take some Timeout*...haha! [ducks]

The Philsbury chocolate boys, I found them more exciting than the presents!

6.  The bro's pièce de résistance. Months ago, he'd bought some piglets to rear on a friend's farm, he paid for their feed, fed them, patted them and wrestled them when they jostled too hard to get to the slop trough. Fast forward to December, and Mummy Dix now has half a pig in her freezer, and the bro'd been eagerly awaiting our arrival so he could cook up a WHOLE rack of ribs...I guess they were going spare* ;)

Bro [final wrestle with pig]: C'mon piggy, I fed you, now you're gonna feed me!

He lived a good life, so we could to :P~

 7.  Mummy Dix's sherry amaretti trifle and yule log, homemade rather than being dragged home from Tescos [yumma yum yum]

8.  Mummy Dix's homecooked dins of toikee and the trimmings on Christmas Day. Yeah! 

P.S. the reason I've put dessert first is because we cheated and ate those on Christmas eve =P~ 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody! Health, love, and laughter and peace out.

*Well, someone's got to tell the cracker jokes, right?

Contemporary Christmas Art Shopping

Here's a new idea for artists. Speed Objet D'Arting, a new term and concept conceived by my fabulous friend and Coventry art guru, Emma O'Brien with artistic upcycler, Jessica Timmis.


The event took place last Wednesday evening and was pitched as speed dating for artists (without the dating), which, I suppose, really just leaves you with speed for artists. Actually it turned out to be more like Alcoholics Anonymous (or Artists Anonymous) because we had just the right turnout to sit in a big circle with some wine, and tell each other about our work. And, really, that beats talking at speed for 2 minutes before moving on to the next alcoholic...artistically-inspired person and repeating the same story over and over again. Also means you can eat cake and mince pies when it's not your turn *greedy grin*


Much fun was had, even for an ol' weed (read: tea) drinker like me! In fact, so much fun and banter that there's no photographic evidence from the evening. I mean, c'mon, we're talking about speed for artists and anonymous alcoholics here. If I showed you pictures, I'd have to kill you. Ps. this is my imaginatively fashioned excuse for the fact that the photies have somehow become irretrievable...maybe the fault of alcoholic artists, maybe gallery ghoulies...who knows?


Over the week, our work has been arranged in a most lovely fashion at The Lock Gallery, run by Emma, which will be open this Wednesday for an evening of Contemporary Christmas Art Shopping. If you've never been to the Canal Basin before, the gallery is at Studio 23; see directions below See, aren't I helpful? *beam*

Walking directions:

If you're walking from Coventry city centre, follow signs to the Canal Basin, cross the bridge that goes over the ring road, then cross the road and turn right. The gallery is Studio 23. Don't enter the Canal Basin, otherwise you'll get a bit lost, like I did last week!

Driving directions:

Either take the Radford or Foleshill Road exits off the ring road. 

From Radford Road, follow signs to Canal Basin, follow St Nicolas Street to the end, which becomes Leicester Row as it rounds a bend to the left. The gallery is on your left.

From Foleshill Road (B4119), take the first left onto Leicester Row, Studio 23 is on your right.

Free on-street parking alongside the Canal Warehouse, so you can do lots of shopping and won't have to carry everything very far!

Featured artists and their work:

Alison Perry, All About the Beads

Emma Gluyas, Arty Em

Emma O'Brien, Naughty Monsters & Dead Dudes

Jessica Timmis, Upcycled Objects

Julia Gandy, Hole Button Jewellery & Cute as a Button

Julia Prior, Cutting Gallery

Laurence Tilley, Sculptural Ceramics

Paul Whiteside, Bodice Beautiful

Tony Prior, Cutting Gallery

Tracy Dix, Sock 'N' Soul

and last...but cutest, Ruby the dog!

I suppose I might post some pictures later of Contemporary Christmas Art Shopping for the benefit of readers overseas, but all the good stuff might be gone by the time I whip out my camera tomorrow evening, so for anyone based within a reasonable 30 minute drive away from the Lock, it'll be your own fault if you don't come and don't get to see Made in Coventry art objects in all their glory!