Monthly Archive for June, 2009

45mph Couch Potato

Published on June 28, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Greyhounds can reputedly run at speeds of up to 45mph, which I can well believe when I see our beautiful brindle boy Max bounding along the beach in the sun. However, like most pet greyhounds, Max spends the majority of his time these days lazing on the sofa, thus earning himself the nickname ’45mph couch potato’!

MaxMax curled up on our sofa

I converted the above photograph of Max to a monochrome image, then, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created a reusable printing screen. So far I have used this to hand print my ‘45mph couch potato’ design onto cotton doggy bandanas, cushion covers, T-shirts & bags.

I think the design looks most striking when printed onto lighter coloured fabrics using darker coloured inks. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

IMGP7987IMGP737945mphcouchpotatobandana1145mphcouchpotatobandana1645mphcouchpotatobandana5

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop.

The Other Side of the Baby Gate

Published on June 25, 2009 in Uncategorized. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

On the other side of the baby gate, safe from all the greyhounds,  lives our little cat, Angie! We adopted Angie from Lothian Cat Rescue in May 2006, along with her sister Tink (who is sadly no longer with us). Her family had handed the pair in after discovering their child was allergic to cats (as am I, but hey there’s nothing a little antihistamine won’t fix!).

There were dozens of cats to choose from when my partner & I visited the shelter in Bonnyrigg, but Angie & Tink were the first 2 we laid eyes on & I knew right away we had to have them! They both had wonderful emerald green eyes & the loveliest friendly natures. 2 years old, they both had tabby & white markings, Tink with short hair & Angie with long.

Tink & Angie

Tink was only with us for 6 months, before she was tragically killed by a car on the road outside our house. Angie took a while to get used to being the only cat, & we deliberated whether or not we should continue to let her outdoors after what happened to poor Tink. However, having always been an ‘outdoor’ cat she really wasn’t happy being cooped up in the house so we decided just to let things be & take the risk.  Despite all the animals we have around us these days, we do still miss Tink & will never forget her.

Tink – never forgotten

Since we moved out to the countryside last year, Angie has become an independent little madam & likes to roam the fields hunting birds, mice & even frogs! Of course, she likes to share these wonderful delicacies with us by dragging them through the cat flap every now & then – how lovely! She always comes in in the evening though (probably coz she knows that’s when I put her food out!) & tends to stay in all night, snuggled up on our bed with us.

Angie sprawls out on our bed!

Since acquiring our greyhounds last year, we’ve had to install a baby gate to separate off part of the house where Angie can take refuge! Despite assurances from the Retired Greyhound Trust that Max was 100% cat-safe, he most certainly isn’t & I would never leave the 2 alone together. It’s a shame, as I know there are plenty greyhounds who are cat-safe. It probably has something to do with the fact Angie is a very fluffy cat & also very timid. I’m sure if Max encountered a bold cat who stood their ground & hissed at him on approach, he would soon get the message!

Angie in her own bed (for once!)

The gate never ceases to amuse first-time visitors to our house, & I do dream that someday our pets will all manage to live in harmony & we can take it down, but until that day the gate stays: The dogs get the kitchen & the living room (with access to the garden via the kitchen); the cat gets the bedroom & the bathroom (with cat flap in the bedroom window!).  Angie doesn’t seem to mind at all, seeing as she spends the majority of her time outdoors anyway, & I think she feels pretty smug that she gets to share our bed with us while the dogs have to sleep through the house! Plus, I often catch her out of the corner of my eye, silently following the dogs & I on our daily walks round the fields, her sparkling green eyes peeping through the undergrowth.

‘Cat & Can’ – Angie investigates our watering can

This last photo of Angie was taken in our garden just the other day by my partner, Martin, & is available to purchase as a print from his Etsy shop, Red Row Studio.

Skye's Blue

Published on June 24, 2009 in Uncategorized. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Dogs always look so comical when they have to wear those Elizabethan style cone collars! Although my own dogs have mercifully been spared this indignity, my friend Lizzie caught her gorgeous springer spaniel, Skye, on camera whilst wearing hers. She was looking very ‘blue’ at the time, but rest assured she is back on top form now!

Skye

At Lizzie’s request, I converted her photograph of Skye to a monochrome image &, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created a reusable printing screen. So far I have used this to hand print my ‘Skye’s Blue’ design onto cotton bags, T-shirts & towels .

I think the design looks most striking when printed onto lighter coloured fabrics using darker coloured inks. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

IMGP4111IMGP4131IMGP4102IMGP4133IMGP4132

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop.

Adding Life to an Old Suitcase

Published on June 22, 2009 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

At a customer’s suggestion, I have decided to try printing my designs onto leather & faux leather items. So, this Saturday I popped into Edinburgh for a rummage through Morningside’s vast array of charity shops to see if I could pick up some goods to begin experimenting with. I found some nice bags & a lovely leather journal, but my favourite item is an old Globe-Trotter suitcase which I unearthed in a Shelter charity shop.

This beautiful original navy suitcase is a bit worn at the edges & is missing a key, but is fabulous none-the-less: Perfect for printing onto, as well as storing / transporting my stock in! & it didn’t take long before the dogs discovered another use for my new purchase…

Max makes himself comfortable in my suitcase!

I can’t wait for my new screen printing ink to arrive in the post so that I can get started with some prints. I’ll be sure to post the results as soon as I do!

Squirrel Patrol

Published on June 19, 2009 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

This squirrel was captured on camera by my partner’s mother in her garden in Oldham. We don’t get to see many squirrels in our own garden on account of our 2 greyhounds who are on constant patrol for any small furry critters!

squirrelpatrol

I converted the photograph to a monochrome image, added the caption ‘squirrel patrol’ &, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created a reusable printing screen. So far I have used this to hand print my ‘squirrel patrol’ design onto cotton towels & doggy bandanas.

I think the design looks most striking when printed onto darker coloured fabrics using lighter coloured inks. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

IMGP7998squirrelpatrolbandana20squirrelpatrolbandana22squirrelpatrolbandana21squirrelpatrolbandana11

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop.

Hedgerow Treasures

Published on June 18, 2009 in Uncategorized. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Since moving out to the countryside last year, I am lucky enough to have access to the hedgerows which line the paths & fields just outside our back yard. At this time of year, they start to become studded with the first fruits of the year: gooseberries.

These pale green globes hang like miniature Chinese lanterns among the hedges & are very easy to miss unless you look carefully. Although abundant, they are prickly little buggers, & not the easiest of fruits to pick! However, a half-hour pause on this morning’s dog walk allowed me to return home with over a kilo of berries & only a few scratches on my hands & arms!

Gooseberries

A close up of my haul!

I find gooseberries much too sour to eat alone, so, after the great success of last year’s Gooseberry & Elderflower Preserve (the last jar of which has only recently been scraped clean!), I have decided to do the same again this year. The recipe I use is loosely based on a Delia recipe, but I like to add whole elderflowers to mine at the end, so they become suspended in the jam as it sets, giving a lovely ‘starry’ effect:

Gooseberry & Elderflower Preserve

Ingredients:

1kg gooseberries, topped & tailed
1kg granulated sugar
the flowers from 5 elderflower heads, collected by rubbing the heads between your hands into a bowl
a knob of butter
150ml water

  1. Grease a pan with butter before adding the gooseberries & water
  2. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the fruit is tender
  3. Stir in the sugar
  4. Heat gently for another 15 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved
  5. Boil, testing for set at 5 minute intervals (drop a blob of the liquid onto a fridge-cold saucer then push with your finger – it will crinkle when set)
  6. Once setting point is reached, turn the heat off & add the elderflowers
  7. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes, then stir again & pour into sterile jars & seal.

This year, the preserve I’m making is not for personal consumption. Two of my good friends are getting married in the Autumn, & have asked me to make wedding favours for them. So I have purchased 150 4 oz hexagonal glass jars, which I propose to fill with an assortment of hedgerow jams, jellies & chutneys, including the above gooseberry & elderflower preserve, before decorating them with pretty ribbons & labels. I’ll be sure to post updates as & when I make the rest!

Here are some more ‘hedgerow treasures’ I found on Etsy :

gooseberry treasury(Please click on the above image to see the items & sellers in more detail.)

Relax

Published on June 17, 2009 in Uncategorized. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

We adopted Molly, a 3 year old black & white ex-racer, from our local greyhound rehoming charity, Gracehounds, in December ’08. These days she spends much of her time sprawling on the sofa, where I photographed her in a classic ‘roaching’ pose.

mollyroaching1

I converted the photograph of Molly to a monochrome image, added the caption ‘relax’ &, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created a reusable printing screen. So far I have used this to hand print my ‘relax’ design onto cotton T-shirts, cushion covers & doggy bandanas.

I think the design looks most striking when printed onto lighter coloured fabrics using darker coloured inks. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

relaxbandana10relaxladiestshirt9relaxmenstshirt6IMGP7968IMGP7378

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop.

Doggy Paddling

Published on June 16, 2009 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Last summer we took Max on his first ever camping holiday to England’s Lake District. He loved every minute of it, including paddling in Lake Buttermere, where this photograph was taken.

I converted the photograph of Max to a monochrome image, then, using a technique similar to the one described in this tutorial, created a reusable printing screen. So far I have used this to hand print my ‘doggy paddling’ design onto cotton T-shirts, sweatshirts, & bags.

I think the design looks most striking when printed onto lighter coloured fabrics using darker coloured inks. Here is a selection of the colour combinations I have tried:

doggypadlingchildrenstshirt7IMGP7374IMGP4237ladiesrelaxhoodie7doggypadlingshoulderbag6

Click here to see the products I have designed using this print, which are for sale in my Etsy shop.

They've Got Your Number

Published on June 14, 2009 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Earlier today two of my best friends, Joanne & Amanda, ran the Dundee Race for Life dressed as the 118 118 men, complete with afros, moustaches & all! Between them, they have raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK. A huge well done to both of them – they may not have had the fastest times but they definitely had the best costumes!

118 118

Warming up

118 118 2

En route

118 118 3Playing to the crowd

118 118 3Celebrating at the finish

Click here for more photos from the day.

You can still sponsor the girls for their efforts by visiting their Fundraising Pages:

Hot Dogs!

Published on June 9, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Last weekend, Gracehounds hosted their second annual Hot Dog Show & Spring Fair at Vogrie Country Park, Midlothian.  The greyhound gods must have been smiling on us because not only was it dry, but the sun shone all day long & there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!

After an early start, to give time for all the tents to be erected, stalls set up & dogs walked, the event opened at 11am on Sunday & drew in crowds of people & dogs for the rest of the day until close at 4pm. The main event  was the Hot Dog Show, with categories taking place throughout the day. There were both sighthound & non-sighthound categories, including Prettiest Pooch, Dapperest Dog, Littlest Hobo, Golden Oldie & Best Rescue Dog.

Best Dog in Show – both sighthound & non-sighthound categories

Max, Molly & Torres were duly entered into all the relevant categories, but none of them any luck picking up any rosettes. However, when it came to the Happiest Family Group category, the 3 of them won the judges over & took home first prize!

Besides the dog show itself, there were many stalls run by Gracehounds volunteers, as well as some from outside companies, selling home baking, plants, jewellery & refreshments to name just a few.  There was also an Art Show, displaying work for sale by several local artists, including some of my fellow Etsyians & my partner Martin’s phography. & of course I was there with some of my hand printed goods from The Dog House.

Setting up The Dog House stall

The event was very much child-orientated, with numerous games, quizzes & activities  for the little ones, including a ‘pin the tail on the greyhound’ competition! The dogs were kept well entertained too, with a fun agility circuit to keep them active, a chill-out tent where they could relax & cool down, & professional dog trainer, Maxwell Muir, on hand to answer any doggy questions their owners had.

2 of Gracehounds most recently rehomed dogs, Daisy & Rosie, with their new Mum in the Art Tent

It was wonderful to see many of dogs which Gracehounds has successfully rehomed there with their families. The charity has found loving homes for 19 dogs since starting up in 2007.  The charity’s current foster dogs (including our Torres) were also present & able to enjoy the event. All in all, a great day was had by all & the total sum raised was over £2400, which will go directly to caring for the charity’s foster dogs whilst they await rehoming.

Martin, Max, Molly, Torres & I win Happiest Family Group!

You can see a full set of the photographs that were taken at the event here.