The Arne and Carlos giveaway is coming really soon. Disclaimer: I’m not actually giving away Arne and Carlos themselves – that’d be more of a coup than I can pull off. It’s just signed copies of their books, OK? Meanwhile…
Psst!
Yes, you!
Look! Over here! I’ve got things to show you. Good things. Entirely legal things, in case you’re worried.
One of the best aspects of blogging is getting to know other blogs, as well as the writers behind them. There’s a treasure-trove of wit and creativity out there in the art/craft blogging community, but you probably know that already. Would you like to see some gems? Yes? Right, I’ll just move up a bit so you can sit down and look through these.
Don’t mind me if I do a bit of sewing on the knitted mandala picture while you’re reading, OK? I’m not ignoring you – I’m just desperate to get this blighter finished, so that I can plonk it on the newly-redecorated living room wall and blog about it. Help yourself to some of this rioja – there’s a clean glass on the kitchen table. Oh, and would you like an olive or two?
Anyway, here’s some bloggy loveliness…
Have you met Pauline? She’s the Contented Crafter, and she’s busy in New Zealand using colour in the most amazing way in her artwork. Her work is rich in hue, and feminine/flowing in style. She and I had a little exchange recently, and I’m still smarting with guilt that she was the rather more generous donor. Look at these beauties! Her paintings are for sale as prints and cards in her Etsy shop, if you’re interested. Here, inexpertly photographed, is a little sample of the work that she sent me.

And there’s Greenclogs. 🙂 A musical, creative, fellow British blogger, who writes about the things that bring her joy. One of the things that I love most about her blog – and by now she will be heartily sick of me telling her this for the eleventy thousandth time – is her photography. Seriously, she could photograph Slough and make it look like the Hanging Gardens Of Babylon. (With apologies to readers from Slough.) I mean, you can’t really argue with this quality of photographic loveliness, can you:-

The blog that I most frequent for practical inspiration is Eclectichomelife. Written from very near my own Oxfordshire hide-out, it is – as billed – a very eclectic mixture of wonderful different crafts, but especially crochet, written by a creatively talented Norwegian woman. (There’s a bit of bias here on my part: I adore Norway. It was the first foreign country I ever visited.) Anyway, this is the blog that most frequently makes me think, ‘I must try that’. When – soon – I publish a piece about our revamped kitchen chairs, it will be thanks to inspiration from this blog.
Oh, and have I mentioned Tatie’s World yet? Well I should. She knits and she crochets, but it was to begin with the wonderfully colourful array of her crocheted work that attracted me. She lives in Italy, but hails from Croatia and often posts stunningly gorgeous pictures of flowers and landscapes, especially when she visits home. (Can you tell that I’m jealous?) Here’s a sample of her knitting and a sample of her floral photography:-


And for visually creative wit, I can’t help but admire Sharon Mann at mondaytuesdaywednesday.wordpress.com. Her technical skill is just as amazing as her originality. You really really can’t beat Georgia O’Keefe in a teacup.
And of course there’s the blisteringly wry and stiff-upper-lipped Celia Ladygarden’s Lifestyle For Ladies.
Finally, may I encourage you to go take a look at the Telly and Travels blog? Not craft-related, I know, and I should probably declare an interest because I’ve been friends with its author since about the age of four, when we both lived on a vast modern housing estate where all the roads were named after airports, from the predictable Gatwick Close to the weakly punnish Heath Row. But man, this blogger can write. I like to read her television-and-travel blog even though I don’t own a TV and even though the toddler twinnage scupper pretty much any plans to travel anywhere beyond our village shop. Enjoy.
Oh, you’ve finished looking through these blogs? Right, I’d better put the mandala down and be sociable, then. More wine? Oh hang on, the bottle seems to be empty…
Awwww thank you! Can’t wait to check out all these blogs of loveliness … And put an end to my summer blogging break with a bit of an update!
Ooh, just noticed that you’ve posted anew. Am off to read your latest….
Thank you for the shout out for my blog and the other fabulous creative blogs! I’ll be checking them out too. 🙂
You’re welcome. I wish I had a fraction of your artistic talent and originality.
Such bliss, as Celia likes to call her blog. I follow The Contented Crafter. She’s lovely.
She is indeed. 🙂
Thank you so much for that very kind shout out m’dear! I feel so honoured to be in this line of fine and amusing bloggers…. I seem to have spent the better part of the day visiting and reading and I have to revisit some too as this is the very day my internet has decided to do a go slow on me. I’ve rebooted the modem twice and even sworn once at it to no avail! I’m loving my stork scissors – the deal was pretty sweet to me 🙂
You’re very welcome. It’s been such a treat over the past 10 months to discover all the wonderful creative work out there by you and others.
Fantastic. Finding great blogs to follow can be tricky, so your wonderful suggestions are a big help, thank you x
You’re welcome. There are so many! I could have made this list much longer…
Thank you for the shout out. I am honoured to be amongst these lovely people. Cannit wait to grab some time and sit down and enjoy them. Am too looking forward to seeing your kitchen revamp. X
It’s coming soon, with a hefty link to the inspiration from your blog if that’s OK?
Ooh, thanks for these! I will enjoy looking at them when I get some time 🙂
You’re welcome. Thanks for your comment.
Thank you,Phil!When you messaged me a couple of days ago I knew that you would put down a great post!!!Me too,I’m honoured to be mentioned among all that great crafters and bloggers which sites I visited with a large amount of pleasure and marvel!What a creative and sensitive world!You make me happy today!!! Thanks <3
You’re welcome. I love your blog, as I hope you know.
<3 <3 <3
I’m checking out these blogs now – thanks for introducing some great new ones:)
You’re very welcome. And thank you for your comment.
What a lovely post and thank you for sharing such lovely blogs 🙂
Thank you, and you’re welcome! 🙂
Thanks for the great blog links☆
You’re welcome. 🙂
Thanks for sharing these blogs, I’m off to check them out!
Enjoy. 🙂
I’m delighted to see Pauline’s work featured here. I have that very same print, center, framed on my wall, and bought the original for a friend. She’s enormously talented, kind and generous. It seems you are, too.
Yes, it’s a beautiful print which will soon find itself framed on my wall, too. And I completely agree with your comments about Pauline.
🙂
Thank you, I’ve enjoyed the tour! You have good taste 🙂
Thank you!! 🙂
Been reading bits & pieces of your blog today. It’s fantastic – love it! Thanks for the ‘like’, too. 🙂
Thank you! And I confess to nosing happily around your blog too, and thoroughly enjoying it.
Congrats – You have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award on my blog.
Awwwww, thank you. Congratulations on winning the award yourself. 🙂
A treasure trove of blogs is more like it! Great collection, thank you for sharing.
I’ve nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award: http://annabellefranklinauthor.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/were-one-lovely-blog/
Awwwww, thank you so much. 🙂
I’ve just realised you’ve got it already! Sorry!