POLKADoT Farm

First Frost of the season

 
I love waking up on frost bitten mornings. The landscape looks so crisp and untouched, and the rising sun glows a gorgeous yolky orange hue throughout the violet sky. A few mornings ago we had  the most beautiful morning, where the view across the trossachs was breathtaking. We have had lots of work to do on the farm over the last few mornings, including feeding the cattle silage that are still outside, and preparing the sheep for 'tupping'. This is when we split the sheep into groups of roughly 40, and then we put a ram into the field with each group, and hope for lots of lambs in April! 

On frosty mornings I always think that spiderwebs resemble crochet pieces, the way they drape off trees and plants, and cling onto fences & gateposts....I imagine a funny image of a spider busying itself away throughout the night with crochet needles...

...and the ceramic hearts...

Just a quick post.... the ceramic hearts are out of the oven, and all packaged up for The Wee Green Market tomorrow in Killearn. Heres hoping they sell ??!

Another new addition to Tartan Heart!

I was in Glasgow yesterday re stocking on paints. I came across these heart shapes in glass & ceramics. I bought 3 of each shape so I can test them out at my next 2 craft fairs, and get feedback before I buy anymore. They are something a 'bit fun' for hanging off twigs to create a festive arrangement, or use as a sun catcher. The ceramic ones are my favourite, and are currently in the oven, so i'll put a pic of them up once their ready! 
 

New Photographs for website

I find it so hard to take good quality photos of my products. I feel I can never achieve their true colours or intricate detail, or create good lighting for the shot. I have always taken the photos against white backgrounds, but today I decided to try them against a black one.I feel the black shows off the colours better, I just need to get my lighting right now!! I have uploaded new pics of my plates onto my website, as well as Etsy.

Another new product I am doing for Christmas are these tiny T-Lights. I thought they would make the perfect stocking filler! I am going to sell them for the tiny price of £3.50!

Rome certainly wasn't built in a day

We are just back from a super break in Rome. We had the most wonderful weather, beautiful food and spent 5 glorious days wandering through the ancient cobbled streets. Narrow alleys led us to Roman monuments, Baroque fountains, and historic buildings. The city is like an open air museum, every corner turned, awaited a new artifact to be discovered! It is hard to list a favourite 'sight' or building, but I really enjoyed the walk leading us through the city to the Vatican. The picture of the angel above, stood proud on one of the bridges that crossed the Tiber, on the way to the Vatican.

It was also lovely to catch some sunshine and warmth before our winter sets in. I love the autumnal yellows against the crisp Mediterranean sky. So its back home, and busy busy busy now in my art room, as I've lots of stock to paint. So this week I am concentrating on my cake plates...heres a sneak at one of my Christmas designs.

Crisp Autumnal Morning

Today has been a glorious day. I love to wake up to bright blue skies,with the sun shining through the crisp air, and watch the steam rise, as it heats the frosty ground.

 
 Today Duncan finished sowing the winter crops. Over the last few years we have only managed to put Spring crops in the ground in March, but as the Autumn has been so lovely, he has sowed 5 fields of winter crops, 2 oats, and 3 wheat. The Oats are actually starting to peak through the soil already (below)

After a lovely walk on the farm this afternoon, I have been busy indoors painting my new Christmas Platters for the Christmas fairs I have in November & December. I'll put up a few pics of them next post, and I'll leave you today with a pic of an autumnal floral arrangement that I collected on my walk today. I love the contrasts between the deep reds of the rose hips & rowan berries, and the rusty oranges and lime greens/yellows of the foliage. I have 18 people coming for dinner tomorrow night, so I have hung it at my door as a kind of 'arrangement'!

 

An order of t-lights for Ealain...

I have recently started stocking a wee gallery in Drymen called 'Ealain' with my glassware. She has a lovely selection of gifts, and beautiful pieces of artwork, so i'm really pleased to have my glass in there. I first put a selection of t-lights and vases into Ealain mid September, and she has nearly sold out of all my t-lights already, which was lovely to hear! So today, I packed a box full of newly painted t-lights, and whisked them on their way to Drymen. Fingers crossed they do as well!

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside

I've just spent 10 days down in Galloway at my mums farm, where I grew up. I will always class Galloway as my home home, purely for the childhood memories, as well as my whole family on both sides living there. As much as I love my new home and surroundings in Stirlingshire, I miss Galloway dearly. Apart from my family, the biggest thing I miss is the sea. Everything from paddling in it, to taking walks along it!

 

Whenever I'm home I always try and pop down to our local beach, Rigg Bay, situated near the small village of Garlieston. It has to be one of the most special places in my heart. I have so many fond memories of spending my childhood days there, from pick-nicking there on sunny days to walking along the rugged coastline on a brisk autumnal days. 

The two most special recent events for me, that are linked to Rigg Bay ,are Duncans proposal on the beach in May 2007 and secondly, our wedding which was held yards away from the beach in the surrounding walled gardens in May 2008.

I can't wait to take our baby there, on long walks, and let the sea air fill its lungs. I hope I can capture many memories for them, like my mum did for me x

Fiery Reds & Burnt Oranges

I'm currently down in Galloway for a week farm sitting my mums farm while she is in South Africa. On Thursday I packed my car full of glass, paints and relief paint, and trundled down the road from Stirlinghsire with big plans to fill my week with painting.

After a lovely relaxing weekend on the beach with my dog, and a lovely sunday food sampling at a continental food festival at Wigtowns Book Fair, I settled down today, and took over the kitchen with glass, and started painting. My plan this week is to do a different colour each day. So today was the day of fiery reds and burnt oranges. My Mum has an Aga which is great for constant heat, so I have been continuously filling it with t-lights, vases, and my christmas candle lanterns.

These shapes are the inserts for my Christmas candle lanterns that flicker and dance in the candlelight once placed inside the lanterns.

An afternoon for cake

 

This cake has to be one of the easiest recipes, and most deserving tastes. It is delicious and it always looks so appetising. It is hard to believe that the sponge only has 3 ingredients; Eggs, Sugar & Flour!! The recipe is as follows:

3 Eggs

3 oz Caster Sugar

3 oz SR Flour

Preheat oven to 180oc. Whizz together the eggs and Sugar in a mixer till is is light and airy. Fold in sieved flour bit by bit, trying to keep as much air in as possible. Pour into a large cake tin, and bake at 180oc for 25minutes. Once cooled, half the cake and fill it with your choice of filling! I whipped up double cream and oozed it in the middle, then scattered over chopped up strawbs!