Quilting Exhibition at Rheged

I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to the opening of the Quilting Exhibition at Rheged, Penrith, Cumbria.

Now, I have done a little bit of random quilting in my time, just basic stuff, but enjoyable none-the-less, but this exhibition has given me so much inspiration and the urge to do more as soon as I can!

I must apologise for my rubbishy photos, the lighting in the exhibition played havoc with my phone camera - but it's a really good reason for you to go and view the marvellous quilts yourself.

In the meantime have a look at these beauties.

Just how much detail can you put in a quilt?  Amazing.

This one caught my eye, it is a giant shirt made up from collars, cuffs, pockets and yokes of old shirts, held together with threads.  Very cleverly done.

I particularly loved these quilted coats.  At £6,000 they were a little beyond my budget - but I would have had the rainbow one in the centre.  Alas, it was not for sale that one, so my decision was made for me  :)

I even got to "meet the maker", the lovely Marijke van Welzen, who was modelling her own work  :) 

Would you even believe these scenes were actually quilts?  No, me neither!  Such precision.

These pebble and beach scene pieces really caught my attention too, I just love the formation of the pebbles out of the fabric (then painted with fabric paint).  You were not allowed to touch the quilts, but if we were, this would be the one I would want to feel.  It looks so tactile.

How unusual is this clock piece?  It was very detailed and you need to get up close to see all the marvellous beauty and intricate work.

These pieces are a collaboration of two crafts, a woodwork frame with quilted pieces within.  Very clever.

This piece is fabulous, the ultimate in up-cycling.  It is a mattress cloth that the artist picked up from a car boot sale.  She then embroidered a poem all over the lines, it was really quite poignant and thought provoking.

Last but not least, a bit of quilting fun, with a nod to the Cumberland Wrestlers with padded, quilted pants and embroidered vests.

There was loads more than I managed to photograph, including a private collection of very, very old quilts in amazing condition.

If you are near by, do go and visit and see these beautiful pieces for yourself.  The exhibition runs until Sun 23rd April, and you can find more details here...  https://www.rheged.com/event/new-quilting/

Easter Products preview at Lush, Carlisle

This week I was invited to Lush Carlisle to view their brand new Easter Products.

I have been to one of these before and it was thoroughly enjoyable so I was pleased to be invited again.

First of all we had a hands on experience making our very own Bubble Bar, it was really interesting seeing the ingredients used and how they all worked together. 

 The bar smelt amazing, and even though my sense of smell was pretty rubbish due to a cold, I could still smell it - and still can as I left it in my living room.  Lush products make great room fresheners when just left laying around  :)

We then went on to learn about all the new products just out for Easter.  The display was colourful and jolly, in colours of yellows, pinks and greens.  Very fresh and spring like.

I was quite enamoured with this golden egg, so lustery that even the slightest touch would leave you covered in a layer of ultra-fine glitter.

I loved the way it twisted and turned when placed in the water.   I popped it on the wish list in my head.

So, what do you think comes in this little pot?  It might not quite be what you expect.....

It's a jelly bunny!!   And it totally held it's shape as we all held it, smooshed it, squeezed it and smelled it and tried to use it as a face mask! 

I think my most favourite product of the night were these bath carrots.  You hold each carrot under running water, or waggle it in your water, to create a frothy bubble bath with a hint of colour.  Each carrot gives you 3-5 baths, so it's a good buy at £6.50 for a bunch of three carrots.

Sadly, we couldn't buy any of the Easter products as they were not due to go on sale until the next day, but we were given two each to take away and try at home.

I got a golden egg, which I used in my bath last night.  It was a very shimmery water but didn't stick to my skin like I might have expected it to.  It was gorgeously soft though and left a lovely gold luster on the bath, which I didn't want to wash off as it looked so pretty!

I also got a "Which Came First" Bath Bomb, which was plenty enough for three baths as you crack the egg shape open to reveal a cute little bath bomb chick inside.

Just watch how it melts into the water.

Thanks for the invite Lush, Carlisle.  I will be in soon to buy a bunch of carrots   :)

If you want to view all of the new Easter products, you can find them on the Lush website.

The Mucky Ducky open evening

I was recently invited to an open evening of a quirky new establishment names The Mucky Ducky - now how is that for a superb name?

Situated in Corporation Road in Carlisle (near the Civic Centre), it is upstairs in a almost barn like building, full of character, raw bricks and wooden beams.  Very atmospheric.

There was an amazing spread laid on, of which we didn't participate as we had a table booked for dinner later on, but it did look delicious.  And of course a glass of bubbles, which we did participate in  :)

The sales offerings are quirky, vintage, or vintage style, and up-cycled, which is so "in" at the moment.  I will pause here and let you have a look around.....

Isn't that dresser above just divine?  I just wish I had room for that in my house, it really is beautiful.

If you would like to follow the going ons at The Mucky Duck, then you can find the Facebook page here...
www.facebook.com/TheMuckyDucky

Lush Carlisle, Bloggers Event

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a "Bloggers Event" at Lush in Carlisle.

I love Lush stuff, and whenever I pass a shop I seem to be drawn in and my purse pops open and money falls out to buy things with  :)

I particularly like things like the shampoo bars and the scents, not forgetting the smell of the shop even before you go in.

So, it was a Saturday evening, 6.00pm, the shop had just closed, but of course they opened the doors to let us in for an exclusive event just for local Bloggers.

Healthy smoothies were on offer - veggies and fruits made up this colourful concoctions - I had the purple one, couldn't quite bring myself to drink something that green, but everyone who did said it was delicious.  The purple one was delicious too  :)

And cute little blueberry cupcakes... or were they muffins.  Either way, I ate one - just to be polite you know.

First we watched some "Mermaid Shimmer" being made.  A "Big Blue" bath-bomb and a little piece off "Sunnyside" Bubble Bar mixed together made this electric blue water with a gold shimmer running through it - beautiful.

Then onto the fun stuff - making a bath bomb!  How exciting, I was chuffed to be actually getting to mess about in a crafty manner.

I really wish I could remember the ingredients - other Bloggers were taking loads of notes, but I just wanted to get my paws in and start playing.

There was a big bowl of blue stuff (we were making a "Big Blue" bath-bomb) and a bowl of white stuff with sea-salt, and another bowl of white stuff.

After mixing white stuff with salt, and white stuff with blue stuff and chuck in some citric acid, which got right up my nose and made me sneeze!, it was time to press the powder into a mould.

So THAT'S how they get the names on the balls.

First the sea-salt mixure went in to give Big Blue the recognisable white top it has.  Pressed down hard to compact, it was followed by the blue powder.  Both halves of the mould were filled then it was simply pressed together - and just like that a bath-bomb was made.

Then it was time for a little pampering and to try out some summertime products, such as toners, cleansers, scrubs, massage bars....

And this unusual sun-screen powder with an SPF of 15.  Clever idea if you don't want to be gunked up with wet, sticky sun-screen lotion.

And these are the lovely shampoo bars that I like so much - have you ever tried one?  If not, do, they make seem expensive but they last for ages.

This is why I love Lush.....because they are against animal testing.   In that bag was a whole array of goodies for me to try out.  They were so generous!

The bath-bomb that I made, along with a Stepping Stone foot scrub, some Powdered Sunshine, as mentioned above, a tub of Ocean Salt face & body scrub, Breath of Fresh Air toning water soaked into some cotton pads, The Comforter bubble bar and other bits and bobs too - we were very lucky.

This was a great event, and if any of the ladies who looked after us that night are reading, I would like to say Thank You very much, it was so much fun.