SPRING IS IN THE AIR on Challenge Your Creativity Facebook Group. there are some wonderful creations being shared. I've taken a slight change in direction, with the changing of the seasons, and have made a French knitted scarf necklace in gorgeous bright purple and pink. I've added a polymer clay button for detail.

Spring Scarf available on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/272127824/

Challenge Your Creativity
https://www.facebook.com/events/1089997971038713/

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day <3 nbsp="" p="">
In this week's challenge, over on Facebook, it's all about bugs and insects. Do you have some drawings or works of art that depict a little creepy crawly? If so, pop on over to show the group what you've got. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1426448577629600/

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These are my Dark Love Valentine designs for my Facebook Challenge group. 

If you're interested in seeing what other artists and craftspeople have created, take a look and join in the weekly challenge: 

Challenge Your Creativity https://www.facebook.com/groups/1426448577629600/ 

In my previous post, I mentioned adding some pics from the Chinese New Year celebrations, but I didn't manage to stay long enough to get great photos.

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Happy Chinese New Year!

I'm off to sample the celebrations in Prague - I hope to bring you some great pics later on.

A month in the life of mairidesign - April 2015

I received a late cancellation for a lesson and decided to go to Obecni Dum for breakfast. Why not? Just look at the place! Painted a mini pic of my glass cats, nibbled some 99% chocolate (with red wine of course) and found a great paper shelf unit by the bins - it only needed cleaning.

Then took a trip to a local brewery and almost came away with a goat (had some duck meat in my bag which it was really interested in guzzling).

A month in the life of mairidesign - March 2015

March saw my sister and nephew visiting for a weekend of music. The bloke with the kilt on is my nephew and my sister is admiring the cake selection. The hubby got thrashed at table football, by a five year old. Shh, don't  tell him I told you ;)

The bright sun, just after the solar eclipse and, feck, we've got dampness in the cupboard.

A month in the life of mairidesign - February 2015

This was February:

A 20 minute blizzard, sunny church, our handmade industrial table, kitty cafe, Bernard & Bernard, and Batman came to learn English.

A month in the life of mairidesign - January 2015

I just can't get into regular blogging, so I've decided to post snapshots of my life in months...January 2015

Still on holiday in France, enjoying the sunsets, delicacies and perfumes: Nice, Grasse, Cannes and Monaco. We were in France when the Charlie Hebdo attacks took place (Je Suis Charlie - last image).

And, being on the beach, in the sun, on my birthday :) Having a January birthday can be crap at times but not this time!

Meet those who have taken up the challenge on Challenge Your Creativity
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1426448577629600/files/
Browse their galleries and shops and read their bios.

On Tumbler now too: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mairidesign

 Challenge Your Creativity 'SNOWDROPS'

Facebook group page run by me.
This is a group to, hopefully, inspire you to create and to help bannish those procrastination critters.
Use the group's theme/photo, at the top of the page, to inspire a creation: sketch, painting, jewellery, glass, clay, ceramics, poem, etc.
You can link to a shop, website or facebook page and support and share others' work.

Challenge Your Creativity

Challenge Your Creativity 
This week's image: June Moon

 I have set up a facebook group page to get your creative juices flowing. Each week, an image will be uploaded and you can use that to inspire a creation or share any work you have that connects to the theme. The aim of the game is to beat down those procrastination critters and share, with the world, your creations. It's also a way to generate more traffic to your website or on-line shop or even just to enjoy and like what other people are creating. Most of all, it's a fun activity challenge. Click on the link above or below and join the challenge.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1426448577629600/

Glasgow School of Art fire

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/23/glasgow-school-of-art-fire-building-structurally-unsafe/

Everyone with a connection to Charles Rennie Macintosh's masterpiece is devastated to see it in flames. Macintosh designed every aspect of the interiors as well as the architechtural structure - a school for artists by an artist. The seminar hall and library were wooden wonders. That's why we're all aghast at what may have been lost. Then we feel for all the students who were putting the finishing touches to their degree shows. With the final hand-in being that afternoon, many of them may have lost all their work.

It's a personal loss of memories.

One thing we are all greatful for, is that no lives were lost nor were there any injuries.

R.I.P. C.R.M.

Updating

Ooft! Sometimes it takes so much time to update, or even remember, social network sites. I'd almost forgotten that I had a Flickr account - just another place where you'll find a selection of my photos.

May's Etsy Treasuries

May's Etsy Treasuries that I've been featured in :D
Have a browse, there are always lots of interesting gift ideas to be found.

All Shades of Green
Easy Summer Living!
Clear Your Mind
Stunning Finds!
Connect 4
Adorable Finds
Sunny and Bright as a Summer's Day

Enchanting Butterfly Kisses
Summer Finds!
Memorable Moments
Red D to Go!
Inspired by Redheads
Shades of the Emerald Isle

Saturday Slumber

Saturday Slumber - a few of my favourite Etsy finds

Thursday Thrills in Yellow

Thursday Thrills in Yellow - a selection from some of my favourite Etsy finds

Snazzy Colourful Treasury

Snazzy Colourful treasury of some of my favourite Etsy items

Indian by Nature

We had a really nice Indian meal last night, for B's birthday. The blending of spices truly is an art form! As well as the food being delicious, the service was impeccable, something, I'm afraid to say, that is severely lacking here in Prague. Thank goodness for that admirable Indian politeness.
So, when in Prague, I highly recommend taking in 'Indian by Nature',
Hradcanska. There is one in Karlin too but, as yet, I haven't tried it.

Clear your mind

Hey, I found this really awesome Etsy treasury, by Shirdi, at https://www.etsy.com/Treasury/Mzg0MDE5NDF8MjcyMzYyOTUyMQ includes my Blue Glowstripe Pendant :-)

Blogger App

Well, I've got no more excuses for not blogging as I've just installed the blogger app.

We were invited to go to a beer festival, in Strazov, last week, and a second this week, in Usti nad labem, and both times we were unable to go :-(  These mini festivals are either organised by or attended by Lukas and Suzi from Ostry Lokal in Zizkov. They were extremely kind in offering us a couple of holiday weekends in their gorgeous family cottage last year, in Brezy. We accepted and had a lovely time wandering through fields and forests and were given a crate of the tasty Aldersbacher Urhell beer for sustinance ;-)

Instead of drinking on this dreech Satuday, B is going to watch some footy and I'm going to prepare tests, blah! Hopefully, I'll not spend too long on the tests and will get the chance make some things too.

I hope it's sunny where you are, if so, have a wee beer, enjoy your weekend and don't bother thinking of me slogging away.

All righty then...let's get blogging again!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mairidesign

So, after a bout of facebooking, tweeting and favouriting on Etsy, it's time to get back to blogging: apparently it's still a good tool. I often wonder just how all these social networking experts find the time to spread their visibility and create and work and run a house and bring up a family, etc., etc. Well, I'm trying to take a leaf out of others' books and will attempt to leave regular posts. and hopefully build up a following.

Here goes...

Sharing

http://dianesdangles.blogspot.com/2011/06/wedding-and-bridal-gifts-all-handmade.html
All thing wedding related and handmade!!! Fab!

Busy Weekends

I made another vibrant, red angelfish last week, and have another on the go plus some in new colours - hopefully they'll look just as good.

On top of my fishy creations, I have been asked to make a punky-girly necklace with hearts, wings and beads. So, watch this space for the new pics!

Then I have a couple of shell candle-holders to make.

All is well :o)

Ahh, everything is so much better when the sun is shining - except I'll be working my little socks off, indoors.

Hockey

Oh well, after beating the Americans 4-0, that's the Czechs knocked out of the world championships too. They were beaten 5-1 by the Swedish team :(

Happy Easter

The creative juices are not flowing just now and my hayfever is so annoying. I feel as though I've been sniffling constantly since December when I caught a cold, then I got one in January, and another in February, and then full blown flu in March - now in April it's this damned hayfever - so many hankies used up! Oh, moan, moan, moan :(

business card

Click on my business card to view my glass gallery.

mairidesign@yahoo.com

 

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=mairidesign

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=mairidesign

Handmade Saturday

http://handmadesaturday.socialgo.com

I'm also on Handmade Saturday site

Praying Hands

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=2622143
I have eventually set up shop on Artfire. There will be more to come.

FREE SHIPPING

FREE SHIPPING on stained glass under $30 at http://www.etsy.com/shop/mairidesign

Website Update

I have updated my website - https://sites.google.com/site/mairidesign1/ - go take a look

Etsy customer comments

Customer Comments

For Grandma (pro babicku)
Thanks Mairi for your great work, which also was very carefully packed to get safe to destination. I am absolutely sure it will bring a lot of pleasure to my Mom.

On a Bicycle Made for Two, Candle Holder - Customised Wedding Gift
This candle holder is absolutely perfect. An exact replica of the wedding invitation. Thank you for such a beautiful creation. They will love it. T

I'm on Fler

The Czech website for artisans: http://www.fler.cz/mairidesign1

Oh boy, I spent a long time setting up my bi-lingual shop but it's done, thanks to google translate. Hopefully there won't be many mistakes. I have only managed to upload one item, my red angelfish suncatcher. It'll take time to do the rest but it's a start.

Hello CZ!

Wedding gift - latest commission

Here's my latest work; a candle holder wedding gift, designed from the invitation

Featured Artist

http://www.freecraftylinks.com/artist/MairiThompson.php

I'm October's featured artist on free crafty links :))

handmade cafe

I just joined The Handmade Cafe - http://thehandmadecafe.com/

photos from the market in Prague with Dagmar and me

Oops, up too late. It's because I'm starting my ne job at Baba Studios in the morning and I can't sleep. So, we'll be seeing some saggy eyes by the evening :)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c26297a22da8eef4a9ab3a7/etsy-sellers-in-beautiful-prague?show_panel=true&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Treasury&utm_campaign=Share

Prague Etsy artists treasury by Karen Mahony - thank you

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c26297a22da8eef4a9ab3a7/etsy-sellers-in-beautiful-prague?show_panel=true&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Treasury&utm_campaign=Share

Prague Etsy artists treasury by Karen Mahony - thank you

http://itsbetterhandmade.blogspot.com/2010/06/zero-zoom-treasury.html

I have been included in an Etsy Treasury - yay!!

I have a table booked for the expats.cz market on Sunday 27th June at Prague British School K Lesu 2, Prague 4 – Kamyk. I hope to be sharing with some other crafty friends. Come along and spen spend spend ;)

http://handpickedetsy.blogspot.com/

Brilliant blog featuring our new Creative Prague facebook page

http://tinyurl.com/278tdoy

Come join up with us today

I have organised a meetup with fellow Etsians in Prague. Really looking forward to it and meeting new people.

Oh what a beautiful day it has been. Walked around, along and back, up and down the whole of Divoka Sarka today - bliss. It's my little piece of heaven almost on my door-step (well not too far anyway). Might actually go swimming there sometime soon.

Just to bring me back down to earth I got a huge insect bite on the back of my neck, maybe from an ant, but at least my hair covers it.

Work can wait till tomorrow!

Well I registered online with expats to have a stall at their market at the end of June. But it turns out that it is only for used or unwanted goods not for traders. Oh well, so it's a car boot sale, and I don't have many belongings here, after the big move so it's not worth doing. I got myself all geared up for three weeks of chaotic production time aswell. I'll just have to see what else is out there now that I'm in the zone.

hello blog

OK, so I'm catching up with the rest of the world and have created a blog!

I'll have to have a wee think about what to do with it.

Anyway hello, and good-bye for now.

Mairi