Homemade Chocolate Chip Scones
One of my favourite simplest recipes… Hadn’t made these for a while but they still seem to go down well! I like to use galaxy chocolate chunks for the chips, yum!
Ingredients:
- 225g/8oz self raising flour sieved
- 60g/2oz butter
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 50g/1 1/4oz chocolate chips
- 150ml/ 1/4 pint milk
1. Lightly grease a baking tray. Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the scone mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the caster sugar and chocolate chips.
3. Mix in enough milk to form a soft dough.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a rectangle, about 1inch thick. Cut the dough into squares. (I also made some round ones)
5. Place the scones on the prepared baking tray and brush with a little milk. Bake in a preheated oven 220′C/gas mark 7, for 10-12 minutes until the scones are risen and golden.
6. Dust with icing sugar and leave to cool.
They are scrummy when still warm! A good way to warm them up again is to heat them in the microwave for a few seconds. I’m off to enjoy one with a cuppa now before they all disappear……
Preparing Work for my New Kiln
Since the arrival of my new kiln a couple of weeks ago I have been so anxious and excited waiting to fill it up with new work. It is great to now be able to fire so many more pieces at a time, as my old kiln was so small. When loading the kiln yesterday I realised I had been a little too keen and made too much so not everything will fit, but the few left over pieces can go in the next firing.
The kiln was ‘broken in’ during it’s dry-out firing last week, and now that it is loaded with work it is ready to turn on this evening. So exciting!
The workshop is looking bare and a bit sorry for itself now that there is not a single piece of work in progress to be seen. But that will give me a chance to have a spring clean and tidy up before I start making more work and more mess!
In-between making new work while listening to music and drinking lots of tea, I managed to find some time to sit down and do a few sketches last week. I’ve wanted to make some wall planters for a while now, and these are the first few I’ve made below. I’m very happy with them so far, they will look great in the garden for summer. Can’t wait to see what they turn out like.
By popular demand, more mini ceramic landscape art coming soon. Many of these will be sent to one of my new stockists – Ashdown Gallery in Sussex, but there will also be some new ones available on my website next week too.
Sorting glass ready for melting… one of my favourite jobs!
And finally a snapshot of some pieces in progress last week… Come back soon to see what they turned out like!
Hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend full of sunshine! I’m away camping for the weekend so fingers crossed this sunny weather continues 
Kitchen Garden Exhibition
Spring is fast approaching and it’s the perfect time to start thinking about home improvements, getting out in the garden and summer socialising.
The ‘Kitchen Garden’ exhibition at Bilston Craft Gallery in Wolverhampton brings you a delightful range of handmade items that capture the British love of homemaking, cooking and gardening.
Alongside an array of beautifully handmade items by designer makers across the UK, you will find a selection of my vases and some sets of my ceramic plant markers at Kitchen Garden. My plant markers are also available to purchase in the gallery shop.
The exhibition offers pieces that are sleek and functional, to rustic and decorative, with lots of fun and clever craft solutions for everyday spaces.
Kitchen Garden is open from 18th February to 28th April 2012. Well worth a visit if you are in the area!
For more information and an exhibition booklet detailing the full list of exhibitors, please click here.
Studio 61 Gallery ~ New Stockist
Introducing my new Derbyshire stockist ~ Studio 61 Gallery, a place where owner Karina Goodman paints, creates and exhibits her work, complimented by the work of over 100 other British designers.
Karina is now exclusively stocking my ceramic beach hut hangings and other seaside inspired items at the gallery. You can read my ‘Meet the Maker’ interview with the gallery on Facebook to find out more, just click on each individual picture using the link above.
Studio 61 Gallery is full of gorgeous pieces of work, many with a distinct seaside feel which makes me want to be at the beach!
There are guest exhibitions that change on a monthly basis to give a varied and refreshing feel to the gallery.
Nestled in the village of Holloway near Matlock with a stunning backdrop of picturesque Peak District scenery, the studio is spread nicely throughout numerous rooms and offers a beautiful and innovative range of gorgeous gifts, designer jewellery, pieces for the home, prints and cards with something for everyones tastes and budgets.
If you are in the area pop in and have a look, Karina always has the coffee machine on!
a few of my favourite things…
Browsing images on Pinterest is becoming slightly addictive! I decided to share a selection of some of my latest favourite images…
Spring has almost sprung! Bulbs are already starting to sprout from the ground, and soon the blossom trees will be full of gorgeous colour. Blossom is my favourite tree, I’ve always wanted one!
I will do this one day! ♥
Yum ~ homemade sweet potato fries with a chilli mayo dip.
I’ll always go by this inspiring quote
Creative wall art made from rolled up magazine strips ~ I want to try this!
Marshmallow sandwiched between digestive biscuits ~ heaven!
Colourful DIY suspended flower pots, pretty and eye catching for the garden.
This made me smile! I want one of these cats, soooo cute!
I could live here
Rustic recycled crates used for display ~ I’m going to use some of these for my stand at craft fairs and events.
Couldn’t resist throwing in something to do with dandelions… This is a gorgeous simple & elegant print and I love the distressed green dresser too!
Fresh From the Kiln
I had another pleasant surprise opening the kiln this week, with no ‘happy accidents!’ It has felt good finishing off custom orders and getting lots of pieces fired over the last few weeks, but there is still a mountain of work piling up ready to be fired in the new kiln. The new kiln is being delivered in just over a week now, I am sooo excited to finally see it installed!
Fresh from the kiln this week is this pair of Landscape Stacking Bowls with matching surface design, colour and areas of melted glass. They could be displayed ‘stacked’, or separately as shown above. I like the effect of the dark colours, making these bowls appear as statement pieces.
It’s someone’s birthday coming up! One of my latest custom orders was for three of my ceramic gift tags, each with ‘happy birthday’ engraved. I wonder what gifts they will be used to decorate?
This popular Set of four green leaf ceramic coasters is now back in stock, along with a range of other coaster sets including some new designs such as this Set of four dandelion heart coasters below.
One of my latest orders for a personalised heart plaque included a date at the bottom. This is the first plaque I’ve made with a date on it – I think it is the date that the couple were married, isn’t it lovely?
Set of four square textured coasters
And last but not least… I couldn’t share a post without dandelions
Blow Away Dandelion Heart Dish ~ Blue Dandelion Seed Head Heart Dish
Which is your favourite?
I love dandelions!
If you know me, you’ll know that I LOVE dandelions! So much so that I love collecting things with them on. I’ve got some gorgeous framed dandelion prints and decorations, and I even have a tattoo of a dandelion! Last year the dandelion theme started to evoke through pieces of my work and it has since developed into further designs.
This panelled ceramic dandelion wall hanging below is one of my favourite new pieces. I almost kept it for myself! Measuring approx 100cm long, this decorative piece would make a stunning eye catcher in any room.
Melted glass on the surface design has created a slightly raised effect.
If you’re not on Pinterest, it’s a great place to store inspiring images of interest that you come across while browsing the internet. I love my dandelion board, take a peek for more images! I’ve selected a few of my favourites below…
Aren’t they beautiful?
New Stockist ~ Ashdown Gallery
Introducing my new stockist… Ashdown Gallery based in the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. Ashdown Gallery is a smart, versatile venue with an exciting collection of art – the only contemporary art venue in and around the Ashdown Forest.
As well as exhibiting the work of many talented designer makers, the gallery also holds regular workshops and has a gift area. The top image shows some of my pieces you will find throughout the gallery.
Some of my work was sold immediately after the gallery had put it out on display! Here are some more mini ceramic art on easels that are on their way down to Ashdown Gallery today. If you are in the area pop in and have a look!
Bowls Fresh from the Kiln
Not long to go until the arrival of my new kiln, I’m so excited! In the meantime I’ve been busy using my old kiln to fire orders and other bits and pieces. I’ll still use the old kiln for smaller items but it will be great to be able to fire some more large sculptural pieces and larger batches of work again in a bigger kiln.
Here are some new leaf bowls ~ available in the shop on my website as Rustic Maple Leaf Bowl and Rustic Botanical Leaf Dish. I love the combination of deep colours and the shiny pools of melted glass.
If you haven’t got your Mothers Day gift sorted yet, take your pick from a selection of new love heart bowls, they make perfect soap dishes and are also ideal for holding jewellery, other trinkets or tea light candles.
I hadn’t made any of my usual wavy edged bowls for a while and they all seem to be selling out, so I’ve got plenty more lined up to be fired in the new kiln. Here are a couple of new ones below. I think the close up detail would make a nice framed print!
Hope you’ve enjoyed some of my new bowls, check back this week for some new sets of coasters and hanging decorations!
Ceramic Love Hearts
Valentines and Mothers Day are fast approaching… grab a unique heartfelt gift for your loved one from my website shop! Each item is an individual one-off, and it makes a gift even more special knowing it is the only one of it’s kind!
News Update
Oops my blog has been neglected lately, I’ve been so busy and lots of exciting things are happening at the moment…
I was away last week staying in a log cabin with some friends, we didn’t get any snow but we had a great time!
Valentines Day is fast approaching so I’ve been busy making personalised engraved love heart plaques and sending stock to new galleries (more details to be announced soon!)
A couple of days ago I was contacted by someone on behalf of Richard Curtis, the writer/director of Notting Hill, Love Actually etc. Unfortunately his mother recently passed away and for her funeral next week he was interested in purchasing 200 of my ceramic plant markers with his mothers name engraved! Sadly it was far too short notice for me to get a batch of 200 plant markers made in time by myself, especially for each one to be individually engraved, but it still feels so exciting being approached by someone so famous!! Luckily a company was found who could mass produce the markers in enough time. I wonder how they came across my plant markers… perhaps in one of the magazines they have been featured in such as House Beautiful!?
If you are a regular reader of my facebook page, you might remember me mentioning an exciting opportunity last year where my website was going to appear in a book. I am now pleased to announce that imagery from my website is going to be printed in a new book – ‘The Workshop Guide to Ceramics‘ by Quarto Publishing, which is out in March! Can’t wait to receive my complimentary copy
While on the subject of exciting news… my new kiln is going to be delivered in March! It will be fantastic to finally have a more reliable and much bigger kiln. New work is already in progress in the workshop ready to fill it up!
Homemade Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
I made this soup a couple of days ago using a recipe by Rachel Allen. Perfect for cold wintery days!
Ingredients:
- About 8 ripe tomatoes, halved
- 1 large red pepper cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 50ml double cream
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200′C
2. Arrange tomato halves and red pepper chunks, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking tray and scatter over the onion, garlic, thyme and sugar. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until softened.
3. Once cooked, tip the entire contents of the baking tray, including any juices, into a blender. Add the stock and blend until smooth, then pour into a large saucepan. Bring the soup to the boil, add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to heat through.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crusty tiger bread!
I tried my first bowl full of this soup for lunch yesterday, and the verdict was….. delicious!! Although I had been told I smelt of garlic a lot, so I might cut down on the garlic cloves next time!
