Season of the Stag

And with that we roll into Autumn

As we steadily race through October, I feel we move into the season of the Exmoor Red Deer and in particular the Stag. When I was a kid, one of the highlights of the returning to routine after the freedom of Summer, were spontaneous after school adventures. We would pile into my Mum’s car, with extra layers for the evening ahead and take a windy road out of Tiverton out to the moor. Stopping to pick up Fish and Chips, we’d park up by a bridge over a ford still dappled in shade by the surrounding low hanging beech trees. Eating our meal in the turning sun light and having a potter around in the stream. As the early evening set in we’d head further into the wooded valleys, pile on our layers and explore with the windows rolled down, hoping to hear the Stags bellowing in the distance. If you’ve never heard male deer rutting, then believe me when I say it is a haunting call, primordial and atmospheric in the advancing gloom. When we could hear them loudly, we would stop the car, and shine a torch into the heath and scrubland and watch them shout and battle out for victory over a herd of female deer. Enthralling and terrifying, a true display of natures might. Those Stags are the truest brutal beasts of the Moor’s, but they cut a distinctly majestic silhouette too. Forever etched in my mind, it felt time to go bring the Red Stag into the Lily Faith folde.

Back in the Studio

Inspirational images for the Winter creatures and the preliminary sketch for the Exmoor Red Stag.

Each creature starts with putting pen to paper, creating a series of sketches that start to get a feel for the form of the animal and their silhouette. It is important to get the right stance, because the design once cut will be used across all of my products and not altered for each individual purpose. It will need to be heading in the right direction on the candle carousel, and also scale across from the mini pin to the wreath and plant pot companions. Once I have my preliminary sketches, I simply photograph them with my iPad Pro and then work them into cutting files using my Apple Pencil and the joys of software Adobe Illustrator. Once saved and transferred over to an ancient PC laptop, they are ready to be cut on Big Suze my laser cutter. I will tell you more about her and the rest of the process in another Blog.

Each Stag is hand painted with a series of four layers. Starting with the dark brown toned Gouache to give the illusion of muscle and might. This is followed by gilding the antlers with a rich antique gold watercolour paint, and finished off with highlights and shadows using black Indian Ink and white chalk pen. I am delighted with the striking, yet simple Stag. I could see them skulking in the heath, and striding majestically along hill tops.

Christmas Folklore Angels

Hello from a very Autumnal hued Devon

And welcome to the launch of this years Christmas collection, I love to create a group of products fresh for the festive season, and the process generally starts in July, but with preliminary sketches sometimes started over the previous Christmas. Its always a treat in the slow days in between Christmas and New Year to pick up pen and paper and play with ideas swirling around. After the frenzy of the days, weeks and months leading up to the Solstice, when I usually down tools and shut the door on the studio - there is usually a bit of a creative itch that needs to be scratched. And whilst the house is looking festive, its good to put some ideas down on paper and flex the drawing muscles, after many, many paint days.

The Folklore Angels were originally designed last Christmas, with a few tweaks along the way, and only recently have they had their printed and painted details finalised. And that is what I inherently love about these pieces, I have had time to sit with them, and feel that they are the best that I can create for this coming season. So with out further a do, I hope you love them too! I hope that you enjoy them in your own home, or that you gift them to your loved ones. And that the quality of the materials mean that they can become part of your Christmas traditions for this year, and many more to come. Each piece is crafted from UK sourced FSC Birch Plywood and MDF. The MDF is a byproduct of the wood industry and has a lower use of formaldehyde glues, to make it safer for the environment but also for laser cutting. I work using water based inks, for easy clean up in the studio, a safer working environment for me, and kinder on our natural world. This ethos is incredibly important throughout my whole business, I don’t want to create items that perpetuate waste and harm the planet, I want to make things to be kept, savoured and loved.

It's a little embarrassing . . . .

how little I write a blog post, and how often it’s on the “to do” list, and yet it doesn’t get done. And then the other reason it’s a little embarrassing is that this post is possible my most personal.

Today marks day five of taking a type of HRT drug, that means I am well on my way to kick start our IVF journey. Jim (my wonderful husband and partner in crime) and I have been trying for a family for over 6 and a half years, and finally our IVF number has been called. Yes, you read that right, 6 and a half years, it’s been a test, a trial and all the other things in between, we sometimes gave up hope, we sometimes stopped trying for a month or two. We started investigations, we stopped investigations, and then we moved house a whole lot oh and there was a pandemic too! So you can see why its been awhile! But for the last bit, we’ve been sat on a waiting list for over 18 months for treatment, and riding that emotionally rollercoaster.

You’re possibly wondering why I am writing this and leaving it here, and what it has to do with you. Well if it’s not your bag, fear not, scroll on, I won’t go on an on. But I have also found that the more I talk about this topic, the easier sits with me, and the more people that come out of the woodwork and tell me about their own fertility journey. Some small part of me would be really happy if it spurred someone on, to seek some help, or strike a conversation. But also I feel the need to explain why I am laying low, and not sharing a rich and full calendar of Autumnal and Winter events. It doesn’t come naturally to me, to slow down, to be kind to myself and rest, but right now it is the one thing my head is telling me to do. I have been given the gift of hope, and I have to give this the very best chance. A dear friend of mine, whom was once in similar circumstances once said that it’s the eternal hope that’s exhausting . That sounds pretty bleak I know, but it’s sadly true. The eternal hope that this time it’s worked, that this time is different. Well this time is different, and I’m going with the weird sense of relief that it’s completely out of my control. All I can do is look after the vessel.

So there you have it, I will still be working, but just at a slower pace, and taking rest and breaks when necessary. There is still a collection for the festive season, and the website will be open, but apart from that, I’m taking it as easy as I can. I won’t be giving a running commentary throughout our treatment, I am inherently quite a private person. But I’m also open to that changing, so we shall see! One thing is for sure, it will be a journey and I’ll keep you posted.

Stocking Fillers and Gifts Under £15

Looking for some small gifts for the bird lover in your life, or are you stuck with the ornithologist for secret Santa (I appreciate that’s pretty niche, but there are lots of them out there!) Here are a selection of small gifts for this festive season and beyond - that won’t break the bank. All hand painted, and made in the South West, using as many recycled materials as possible, and always packaged in a recyclable fashion. 

Tasselled Decorations £12 - 16

Add some festive for the treats and home to your basket, or gift just one extra special Christmas present to be seen every year. These intricate decorations, come adorned with hand painted gouache and metallic ink details, and lavishly finished with some decadent hued tassels. Choose from a whole host of garden birds, and some more Yule tide favourites.

Small Wreaths £12

These little beauties, come in a variety of British garden birds, not just the nations favourite, Mr Robin. Hand made in my Devon studio, the seed heads and foliage are a seasonally changing mixture gathered and foraged from mine and my Ma’s gardens, as well as hedgerows on my morning walks with Bryn. They are presented in a small hand printed kraft box, which post easily as a large letter. Alternatively, ask for them to gift wrapped, and I will give them a festive flourish and can post straight to your intended recipient.

Plant Pot Birds £7.50 per pair

The perfect house plant accessory - because house plants do need accessorising . . Honest.! Build your very own indoor aviary amongst the fronds and foliage. Choose between a whole host of garden birds, and creating nest pairs, or a mix and match to mimic your garden bird feeder. A lovely secret Santa gift using recycled materials throughout.

Mini Pins £4.75 - lots to choose from . . 

The latest addition to the Lily Faith family, these furry and feathered friends are amassing on my workbench as we speak, ready to grace lapels throughout the land. Choose from all the garden birds in my collection, as well my new bounding squirrel and my firm favourite the leaping hare.

Paper goods £2.75 - £4.50

There are the whole host of paper goods and pencils to add to your stockings this Christmas. The postcard set for £4.50 feature reproductions of my laser engraved illustrations of 5 different birds.

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So there you have a small selection of gifts for Under £15 - all hand painted and handmade uniquely for you.

Compelled to Write

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Riding the twists and turn of a bank holiday, I have been compelled to write. I love writing; lists, ideas, meal plans and love notes, the sensation of putting pen to paper is addictive. Finding the optimum pen and ink versus paper texture is my idea of a time well spent, and an enjoyable process. As a child and adult I have been an avid letter writer, with pen pals as a kid and writing letters to dear friends and loved ones over the years. The act of taking time and sitting with a good pen and nice paper, or having none of these but some scraps of paper, a biro and a stamp still tells the intended that you are holding them in your thoughts. Or that they have something they wish you to share in, regardless of time and distance. I have written from all sorts of places, painting watercolours of the Himalayas on postcard paper, but the best is some of the places I have received post from.

There are so many reasons to write, be it a formal thanks, a birthday greeting or a letter of loss and sympathy, a simple note can move us all to feel nurtured, held and loved. Over the course of this Bank holiday I have had need for many types of correspondence, it felt apt to dig out my fountain pen, dried tight with old ink. Taking time to service and fill the pen, and select the right stationery for each message. A note of thanks to an event organiser for all of the graft they put in. A thank you card for an order, grateful for a donation to Afghan Aid. A letter of thanks and love for a magical stay with our dearest friends. For having the time to share in all the later Summer joy of North Cornwall and being able to spend time together over a relaxed weekend for the first time in 18 months. And finally a letter of Sympathy, hoping a letter will reach across time and distance. The fountain pen felt right, the weight of the pen forcing me to take extra time to form each letter and word and slowing my hand to be in sync with a brain trying to eloquently express my intention.

Poppy’s for Afghanistan

With news reaching us, gently on the radio whilst we were holidaying for a few days in Dorset, my heart sank, and my head went spiralling back to all those thoughts and emotions of a 14 year old growing up in rural Devon, watching the first air strikes landing in Afghanistan and feeling helpless. At certain points of your life, you feel like you are living history, even if it is just as a voyeur. For the first time I felt so keenly for the innocent and women and children, that had been repressed and now had bombs falling from the sky, to hopefully bring them a future of freedom and education.

With the news coming of the change of rule in Kabul, my thoughts were straight back to the Afghan women and children. Imagining how a turbulent life would have been turned upside down once again. I thought of what it would have been like to be a 14 year old girl at the beginning of this ordeal, and how her life would have changed with the freedom to have an education, to freely dress and to pursue a career. How would our lives have paralleled over the past 20 years, even though we were worlds apart, and how would I feel now on the brink of such horrifying change? With this thoughts circling my head, feeling compelled to do something, anything - it felt wrong to release my new collection of engravings

With time to think and the chance to research and review the last 20 years in Afghanistan, it felt coincidental that I was struggling at the thought of releasing my latest collection of engravings, and one of them is a poppy. The opium poppy trade in Afghanistan is booming, and is the number one source of funds for the Taliban, helping to propel them back into power. Looking at the UN’s most recent data, although illegal under the Afghan coalition rule, poppy cultivation has grown 37% in the past year. I have decided that all profit from online sales and sales at fairs of my Poppy engraving will all be donated to Afghan Aid - from each sale £13.50 will be sent to their vital work. I know one engraving will not fix the past 20 years of turmoil, but all I can think is that something has to be done. Somewhere out there, there are millions of people all wanting to protest their families, their livelihoods and their access to healthcare and education, whilst still battling the effects of a global pandemic.

The information above has been reasearched from the UN website and Reuters news sources. All Opinions are my own.

For more information about what Afghan Aid are doing on the ground can be found at their website : www.afghanaid.org.uk

Illustrations & Engravings

Some of you may know, but I trained in Surface Pattern Design in Swansea, graduating in 2008. I have always had a passion for colour and pattern, an as much as I love birds, I have felt a pang of nostalgia for the colours and patterns I used to draw. The natural, organic world will always have my heart, but I do love building compositions and collections of objects. My latest body of work incorporates both loves and I feel like I am bringing more of me to my work. Friends have often commented on the bric-a-brac in my home, none of it particularly expensive, but each with a story. They remark how my home is very “me” and I feel like that this is what I wanted to bring to these pieces - a reflection of how I build my spaces, and what makes a house my home. Of course there are still some feathered friends interspersed in this collection, and I look forward to bringing more natural forms to the collection, as the Summer progresses.

Spring Tableaux

Blackbird with Rose Hips

The Pewter Plate

Barn Owl at Twilight

The Pewter Plate

Annie’s Mahjong Set with Anenomes

Goldfinches and Thistles

Annie’s Mahjong Set and Anenomes

Blue Tit in the Catkins

A Stockist Update

Oops it’s been a long while since I’ve felt like I had anything to write, and even longer to actually put finger tips to keyboard. But the time is nigh’ to shake off the fog and let the world back in a bit. Since the Spanish sabbatical, life has felt a little like we were on hold and treading water. We have moved - a lot! And I know I am not alone in saying that I feel remarkably lucky to have come through this year fairly unscathed, and yet its still hard to get going like I used to.

But without wanting to bore you to tears, I felt the need to let you in on a little update. Since shops and non essential retail have been allowed to reopen, I have been going on nearly weekly outings - I call them magical mystery tours, although I usually know where I’m headed. These little day trips have enabled me to source some new locations to sell my work, but also to fill up the cup of inspiration. Since becoming fully signed up chief Tea drinker and ticker of all boxes with my business, I have needed to drag myself away from the workbench. This is not just for my own mental well being, but that of the dogs and my husbands when he comes back from work. So with out further a do, here a few new places I’d love you to visit, support with your pennies and enjoy the locations they are in. There are some beautiful walks not fear from each of these new stockists. Perhaps thats a blog post for another day. . .

Grace and Favour Home - Bovey Tracey

Ella’s Studio - Sideshore Exmouth

The Jane Adams Gallery - St Just

But dear reader, please bear in mind that these galleries and shops were all visited on a variety of days, and it is probably not possible to follow speed limits if you were wanting to frequent them all in the same day.

A particularly magical day started in South Brent, and finished in Bovey Tracey, two locations not particularly far from each other, but with very different aspects of the moor. The days started with an amble with Bryn alongside the river, marvelling at all the freshly opened beech leaves and their lush green hue. I delivered work to the beautiful Artworks in South Brent, and met Jane and Penny, two artists that run a vibrant shop in the heart of the community. I then ventured on to Moretonhampstead in the centre of the moor, and the winding roads that lead you to this eclectic community with a thriving art scene. Here I met the wonderful Georgie of Green Hill Arts, and inspiring gallery that is a leading light in the area. After refreshments with my Pa, my day finished in Grace and Favour, Bovey Tracey. What a ludicrously warm and inviting space with so many things to tempt you.

Triptych gallery and framing -seaton

I am always on the scout about for new stockists, it has to be the right fit and mutually beneficial for both parties, but if you would like to stock some or all of the Lily Faith Collection - I would love to hear from you and discuss the opportunity.

Just drop me a line at: lily-faith@mail.com

A Spanish Sabbatical

Whilst the world started to turn topsy turvy, Jim, Bryn and myself made the decision to go on an adventure to our home in Catalonia - not really sure whether it was the most sensible decision or not. With grand plans to put a new roof and veranda on our little Casita, we embarked on the two day drive with a laden Citroen Berlingo. Little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for, and two months would slip into four.

Within a week of arriving at our home, and hastily changing our plans of starting to remove the roof (it was far too windy) we set about refitting the kitchen, and finally installing a proper gas cooker. As the completion neared for our first project, we were plunged into the depths of Spanish Lockdown. Navigating the new rules in another language and trying not to loose the plot, we felt marooned with our neighbours, but were ever so thankful for the companionship and camaraderie. And with each passing day, we fell more in love with our little slice of paradise, grateful for the space it provided us with.

As Lockdown eased coming into mid May, we were finally able to focus our attention firmly on the roof again. With the ability to buy materials, and no option but working late into the evenings, yet again, our neighbours proved to be invaluable.

Kirstie's Handmade Christmas - Table Decorating Winner 2019

A little earlier this Autumn, tucked away in a corner of Kirstie Alsopp’s Christmas HQ, I had the great pleasure in taking part in the Table Decorating competition. I had originally applied to take part in the Christmas Tree Decorating competition, but with some jiggery pokery I resubmitted my brief and got through to the series, with only days to spare. Because I never do anything by half, or like to make life easy for myself this also happened to be the week I moved house and studio.

A small selection of the preliminary drawings for my brief , “The Twelve Birds of Christmas” There is some British folklore that depicts the Victorian Christmas Carol as all British Birds, with each line interpreted as a different species. From Blackbirds for Calling Birds and Cattle Egrets for Maids a Milking.

Christmas Candle Carousels give a nod to a traditional Christmas tables.

The Twelve Birds of Christmas Table Centrepiece, featuring 78 individual British Birds.

Winning the Christmas Table Decorating Competition 2019 for Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas.

The day, absolutely flew by, with cameras and lights everywhere. We had 5 hours to complete our Table Decorations. Each of us were allowed a certain amount of things to be prepared in advance. I had each bird cut and etched but had to hand paint and embellish 78 birds in total, as well as construct the centrepiece and each place setting. The main detail for my centrepieces were the Candle Carousels, that I enjoyed making as a child. I wanted to incorporate the an element of sparkle and movement. I wanted to bring as much of my usual Lily Faith style to the table, including lots of natural seed heads and hand painted leaves, much like my wreaths.

You can enjoy one my Candle Carousels on your own Christmas Table this year, follow the link here