Second Weekend Approaching

Didn't get to post these last week due to frantic tidying and setting up right up until half an hour before the Private View (as always). We had a great first weekend with plenty of visitors and sales so we have some new pictures on the walls to fill gaps. We're open again this weekend and next weekend 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday so please come along and see us. Here's a taster of what awaits:

Beautifully soft and colourful hand knits from Bluebell Roebuck

Handpainted scarves from Daubs and Dashes - each one unique

A selection of wreaths by Alexis Rayner

Collages by Vicky Scott (prints and originals)

Jewellery by Helen Chong

A selection of Ruth Mullan's Christmas decorations

Cards for Christmas and other occasions by Vicky Ramsey

Del Thorpe's original drawing from books he has illustrated

Copperfoil doves by Ruth Mullan

Watercolours by Margaret McGregor Betts

Leonor Berdichevsky's pictures

Photography by Bluebell Roebuck

Doesn't Time Fly?

I can't believe it's now only 23 days until the Open House begins. Now is when things really start getting a bit frantic. I've spent the day mounting photos and bottling up fruit liqueurs so at least I feel like I've actually done something constructive with my day. The flyers arrived yesterday so I need to start getting them out. Please come along to see our work - all the same artists as May but with lots of new art and crafts to look at.

Bank Holiday Monday

After five years of only opening on Saturdays and Sundays, today we are experimenting with opening on Bank Holiday Monday. I usually have visitors calling by on the off chance so we'll see what happens when we're officially open.

Yesterday was a lovely day at the Open House. The rain stopped just in time for opening and held off all day. Today is looking bright and sunny with no rain forest until this evening.

Although most of my artists are the same as Christmas and last May, there is plenty of new work to be viewed. Margaret McGregor Betts has new watercolours, etchings and collagraphs for sale.

Ruth Mullan has some new pieces of her exquisite stained and fused glass, including these fish diamonds.

I have a selection of new photographs including some almost abstract ones of black swans and the bizarre neck of the Greylag goose. I don't know why I take so many pictures of birds given my bird phobia - maybe it's some kind of aversion therapy for me.

Leonor Berdichevsky is back with her beautiful, detailed watercolours. This one, The Wish, sold yesterday but she will be bringing a replacement soon and it can be ordered in the meantime.

Last weekend of the Christmas Open Houses 2014

It has been a fantastic Open House so far this Christmas with so many visitors last Sunday we had to send out for more supplies to make the mulled wine.

Gaps are starting to appear as are red "sold" stickers but we still have plenty for you to look at.

Many thanks to all of you who have come so far but if you haven't (or if you want to return), we are open tomorrow and Sunday between 11am and 5pm. After that, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we open again in May as I need to get the house back to approaching normal before Christmas.

 Alexis Rayner

 Del Thorpe

Vicky Scott

Winter Night by Leonor Berdichevsky

Watching the Sunset by Leonor Berdichevsky (sold but more prints can be ordered)

Helen Chong

Mark Charlton

Private View

I've been a bit slack writing this blog over the last couple of weeks - trying to get everything finished and set up has taken a lot of time and brain space.

We had our Private View tonight which, as always, was great fun. A good excuse to meet up with people. It was lovely to have such fantastic feedback on how the house is looking. If you were one of those who came along, thank you for making the effort to spend the evening with us.

No pictures for this entry as I have to rely on my phone taking pictures for immediate posting - I've never had a digital camera as I love the anticipation of waiting for a film to be developed - and it doesn't like taking pictures after dark. I will try to take some pictures tomorrow morning and post again then.

Just about washed all the wine glasses and got the recycling ready for tomorrow so off to bed now. If you're in the area, please visit us tomorrow and maybe also call in to the last Kitty in the City fundraising fair before Christmas - just round the corner from us at St Philips Church in Richardson Road, Hove.

The Big Chill Begins

A slight exaggeration perhaps but the temperature suddenly dropped today and our heating decided to go on holiday yesterday so the air does have a certain wintery feel in our house.

Bearing this in mind, and the fact that it is now November, I don't feel so bad about introducing the "Christmas" word. I have been telling youngest child since July that she is not allowed to sing Jingle Bells until the Open House starts and I never used to do Christmas until after middle child's birthday (end of November) but I don't feel so bad about it this year as we did at least have a proper summer.

There will be various Christmas goodies on offer at the Open House. I do sachets of spices to make mulled wine, Christmas decorations and stockings (I will post pictures of these at some point) and we will have Christmas cards as well. Vicky and Del have some great cards - check out their websites http://www.vickysworld.co.uk/artwork and https://www.facebook.com/delthorpesdrawings?ref=hl - and here are some of Leonor's.

A Bunch of Flowers

It was grey and gloomy all day today but the temperatures are more like the run up to the May Open Houses. I keep feeling I should be planting flowers rather than preparing for winter and Christmas so here's a bunch of flowers to enjoy.

The first three are my photographs. I've always loved foxgloves and I love the bee on the lavender but my favourite is the picture of the hydrangeas, a plant my husband hates (old lady flowers, apparently) but my late grandmother's favourite. The sunflower is one of Ruth's mirrors, a new piece I'm really looking forward to seeing, and the picture at the bottom is Leonor's bluebells. I love the intensity of the blue glass and the bubbles in the water. And, of course, they are bluebells...

Leonor Berdichevsky

Leonor was born in Chile but has now lived in England for many years.  I was lucky enough to meet her through one of her lovely children being in the same class as one of my daughters and first saw her artwork in her own home. I loved the exquisite watercolours immediately with the incredibly fine detail and gorgeous colours. My particular favourite is "The Wish" which you can see on her Etsy shop MielCanelaArt.

She joined Bluebell Would Open House for the first time in May and I'm delighted to have her return this Christmas.

Have a look at her blog, http://leonorberdichevsky.blogspot.co.uk, for more details of her works in progress but in the meantime here she is along with some examples of her work.

10 weeks to go!

Amid this gorgeous sunny weather, believe it or not, just 10 weeks to go until the start of the Brighton Christmas Open Houses. I've got all my guest artists signed up (Del Thorpe, Alexis Rayner, Vicky Scott, Margaret McGregor Betts, Ruth Mullan, Leonor Berdichevsky, Mark Charlton and Helen Chong), now I've just to get on with making my own stuff.

I've been taking advantage of the late summer sun and spent the week painting silk in the garden to make into scarves. The knitting will have to wait until cooler days.

Keep checking back as I'm aiming to post every few days with plenty of examples of work by all of us showing at Christmas. In the meantime, here's one of my favourite photos - Brighton Beach in Winter.