hats! hats! hats!

i have made daisy and matty some new hats, ready for all the spring rain! you can wear them either way, as i covered all the seams with vintage bias binding ...
matty is a bit grumpy
perhaps she knows the light isn't very good for photographs ...

A Merry Christmas!

little rainbow-sparkle horse will also be unwrapped today ... clip, clop!

pink pony - another christmas present ready in time!

now all i want is for my three littlest poorly girls to feel better ...

art for the hands, again ...!

another tactile mat has been created ...


i wanted to put bright colours and contrasts in this for some one with poorer sight ...



"Hi Cat,

The Tactile toy just arrived and we ripped open the pack in our eagerness to have a look. It's SO GORGEOUS!

My daughter and I particularly love the purple satin back as that is one of our favourite colours. My husband noticed how that dinky lace pocket is in just the right spot for him Mum to slip her right hand into when the toy is on her lap. The bell is nice, too, just a sweet little tinkle of sound.

And it is so well made both in terms of being sturdy and being elegant and neat. Never in a million years could I have pulled that off.

Thank you for all your loving attention and skill.

I'll try to get a photo of the mother in law with it in the home and e-mail it to you. We were going to visit her today but it's snowing heavily there so we didn't go. Not sure if we will make it before Christmas now..."


so we will see if Audrey likes it perhaps sometime after christmas ...

rat's the way we like it ...

our rat, sweetie, has recently had surgery to remove a lump, and altho i at first thought it was growing back, it doesnt appear to be ...
here she is, sniffing daisy's little hand ...



mary is very confident around animals ...



matty is reaching out to be sniffed, you can see the fur on sweetie's left-hand-side growing back already ...



matty and daisy love the camera ...

Nan is happy to fiddle with 'Art for the Hands' :-)

"My Mum took the 'Art for the Hands' mat that Cat made for my Nan, Patricia Hardy, in to her yesterday, and she absolutely loves it! She spent the whole visit stroking the material, twiddling the ribbons and buttons, and trying to wrap the ribbon round the buttons. She spotted the cat material on it and commented on that too. At one point it started to slip off her lap and my Mum leant forward to pick it back up for her but my Nan grabbed it away from her - clearly she thought that Mum was going to take it away from her and she wasn't going to have any of that! She wasn't smiling or showing obvious pleasure in the way we would expect (she doesn't), but she was really fascinated by it and you could tell she was happy to have something to fiddle with other than her clothing and lips, which is what she usually does. Whether or not it was coincidental we don't know, but she was far chattier than usual on this visit too.

"The care home staff were very interested in it too, they've never seen anything like it before but agreed that keeping them occupied is beneficial. One of the websites I was reading said that there is research that proves that having something like this to occupy their minds makes them less likely to need so many meds too.

"So it was a hit, Cat! Thank you so much :o)"
June

thank you for letting me share this news june, its very exciting that something i could make might have real, practical use ...

Christmas Fayre and Art Auction at the Portland Arts Centre Saturday 19th

from an arts centre mailing -
"Sammy's Fun Afternoon was a roaring success with tons of children covered in glitter enjoying the christmas decorations and cards making! Lots more visitors and heaps of positive feedback! Word is getting around about the arts centre and the future is getting more exciting by the minute."



mary, daisy and matty certainly enjoyed the glitter-orgy!




would you like some pigs?



or some paintings?



Christmas Fayre and Art Auction at the Portland Arts Centre Saturday 19th. Fayre starts from 10am till 4pm, Art Auction begins at 2pm. We have just over £5k left to raise, so this is the final push to hit that target. The support from the public has been astounding! we have been thrilled with the turn and and the word is getting about fast, with visitors traveling from Swanage, Bridport, Bristol and London to make the exhibition.

We had 71 Artists exhibiting and many of the exhibiting artists are putting work into the art auction. Below is the full list of exhibiting artists

Adam Grose Painter
Alexandra Briggs Painter
Andrea Frankham-Hughes Jewellery
Andrew Curran Geometric Abstract
Angela Heron Photography
Annalisa Renee Painter
Anne Marie Kelly Painter
Antonino Photographer
Bill Crumbleholme Potter
Bronagh Fahey Sculptor
Caroline Nairne Painter
Catherine Owen Pottery/painter/collage
Cathy Chapman Photographer
Charles Maher Landscape painter
Charlotte Richards Crafts
David Archer Potter
David Mould Wood/paint/digital
David Walker Pottery
David White Photography
Denique Arnott Painter
Di Pattinson Textiles, felt
Eileen Sarup Felt maker/textile artist
Elaine Neale Painter
Elizabeth Morris Print making/painting
Erica Drake-Stoker Mixed media
Fi Woods Photography
Fiona Robinson Painter
Frances Shereston Oil, water colour, acrylics
Gary Biltcliffe Author
Gordon Chorlton Painter
Hayley Plested Painter
Heather McGregor Painter
Ingrid Ellis Textiles
Jan Walker Painter
Jane Davis Painter
Jill Garside Mixed media
Joanna Szuwalska Sculptor
John Stevens Digital photography
Julie Cross Painter
Julie McCabe Photographer/Sculptor
J McCavitt Photography/Digital
Katherine Bryan~Merrett Portrait artist Pastel/oil
Kieth Thompson Painter
Lin Stevens Ceramic Lights
Liz Wright Painter
Marian Arnott Painter
Mark Connell Photographer
Mark Hiscutt Acrylics
Mark Thompson Digital Media
Martin Leighton Portrait artist
Michelle Avison Sreen Printer/sculptor
Mick Bryan Driftwood Furniture
Morag Greer Water based bio paint
Pam Tetzner Mixed Media/ textiles
Pat March Potter
Pat Moverley Sculptor
Rachel Reed Painter
Rein Fulleylove Painter
Rhona Munday Print making
Richard Williams Driftwood Mirrors
Samantha Polley Photography
Sandra Symes Prints, Books and Installation
Sarah Gilpin Sculptor
Steve Mace Wood/painter
Tom Phillips Sculptor
Uschi Kruger Painter
Vicky Finding Painter
Virginia Day Sculptor
Viv Lydon Ceramic/painter/photographer
Wendy Braden Painter
Will Brown Photography/pin hole