About Me

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Isle of Bute, West Coast of Scotland, United Kingdom
Too old to be a rock chick, so I am the hippy hen! Environmentally and socially conscious, eco aware vegetarian goddess. Human and animal rights activist Against discrimination in all its forms. LGBT Ally. Lover of music, chocolate and crochet.. Womb cancer survivor.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Bute Art

Some of you might know that I live on an island off the west coast of Scotland called Bute. Its a lovely place. We moved here just over 9 years ago and have made lots of friends - quite a few of them are very talented artists and creatives.
So today I thought I'd let you know about some of the wonderfully talented people that there are on Bute.
One of the first "arty" people I became friends with is the lovely Gill, who moved to the island just after we did. She is a potter; well actually she's lots of things!! Gill is an extremly creative person. Not only does she make wonderfull ceramics, but she makes stunning textile wall hangings! She is also musical and sings aswell!
Check out some of her work on her website http://www.beautifulbaboon.com/

Another arty friend is Nicola Jones. When we first met Nicola, she had a small art shop on the island selling craft supplies and also prints of her artwork of scenes around the island. Now a mother of 2, she is still selling her work, this time via other outlets on the island and also at http://www.zazzle.co.uk/nicolajonesartist

A man who paints some beautiful paintings is Brian Large. He's well know for his paintings of puffers; but also paints some stunning landscapes from around the island.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Large-Artist/208620999170754

A lady who creates some stunning jewellery is Shirley K Lloyd. Her Isle of Bute shaped pendants, earrings and cufflinks are a wonderful way of promoting not only her skills but also the island itself. https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyKLloydJewellery?sk=wall

Living in such a beautiful place is a photographers dream, and Bute has its fair share of talent in that area aswell. Four that I know of personally are John Lawson, John Williams, Zak Harrison and Dave Murty. All have a great eye for spotting a photo opportunity!

Aswell as all the talented artists and craftspeople around, we are lucky to have some fantastic outlets for these people to sell their items.
We have the Castle Gallery, http://www.thecastlegallery.com/ situated across the road from Rothesay Castle; Picture Bute, http://www.picturebute.com/ which is stuffed full of artwork, jewellery, handmade cards, aswell as t-shirts, mugs, coasters etc all printed with various images from around the island.
Then we have Brandish Bute. This was set up as a social enterprise to bring together some of the talented people on the island and give them a platform to market themselves and their products and also the island itself. It has a small shop but also an online presence http://brandishbute.com/ and has been busy visiting trade and craft fairs over recent months to take the "Bute" brand to a wider audience.

Its a small island and it seems like you are never far away from a creative person! Whether it be a painter, a potter, a photographer or a jeweller.

Why not come and visit our little island and see for yourself! Visit http://www.isle-of-bute.com/ and find all the details you need!

Thursday 29 September 2011

Auction full of goodies!!!

My activities as "buteartism" have taken a bit of a back seat lately, not just because of the goings on over at Folksy either!
I'm not going to bore you with all the details as no doubt you already know, and besides, because I've been busy doing other things, I don't really know the full story myself.
However, I know enough to have decided to close down my shop on Folksy and just continue to sell via the Facebook page.
The fact that Folksy intended to charge us more because of VAT was one of the factors behind me leaving as more money for them meant less money for Macmillan Cancer Support - which is where the money I make from selling my items goes.

Anyhow, on top of raising money for Macmillan, I am also fundraising for womb cancer research via Womb Cancer Support UK http://www.wix.com/wombcancersupportuk/home the online support group that I set up earlier this year.
We have our own blog; twitter and Facebook so we are reaching out to the many women with womb cancer who want and need support.

As part of raising awareness of womb cancer we designated September "Womb Cancer Awareness " month and held various events to do just that, raise awareness.
Members of the support group distributed awareness leaflets; held coffee mornings; - real and virtual ones!!! - and I have also been selling some of my jewellery to raise funds for womb cancer research.

Our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/WCSUKFundraising has details of some of the wonderful items that have been donated to the auction which runs until 6pm Friday 30th Sept. We have about £250 of bids so far, so thats a great way to finish our 1st Womb Cancer Awareness month.

We are also runing a petition calling for a dedicated womb cancer charity - as there isn't one at present. Please will you add your signature? http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/wombcancercharity
With over 7,500 women each year being diagnosed, you never know when you or a friend or relative might need some help and support so please share the link with as many people as possible!

Kaz xx

Sunday 19 June 2011

Midsummer Solstice

Well, its nearly Midsummer, although it feels more like mid-October than mid-June up here on the west coast of Scotland!

As lots of folk will be gathering to watch the sunrise at Stonehenge on 21st, I thought I'd share some appropriate goodies with you in this blog!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1682913




http://www.folksy.com/items/1664109-Solstice-Sunrisese

http://www.folksy.com/items/1427473-Stonehenge-Box-Canvas-and-Easel-Watercolour-Painting

http://www.folksy.com/items/1431381-World-Heritage-English-Site-Stonehenge


And finally, this is one of Terrys - an acrylic on canvas!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1402337-STONEHENGE-ACRYLIC-CANVAS?shop=yes




Whatever you do to celebrate the longest day, enjoy!



xx








Monday 30 May 2011

Every little helps!

I've posted before about fundraising auctions that held on Facebook and I myself have no worries about supporting them. I have held a couple myself and they have both been well supported.
I am running another soon for a German Shepherd Rescue centre that is run by a lovely lady called Marcia. You can find more about their work here
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001931876969

I also run a regular auction of crafting goodies that I no longer need to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer care. The last 2 raised in excess of £100 and I shall be handing over a cheque this Tuesday.

Another charity that I regularly support is Jades Smiles - run by a very brave young lady called Jade Swain. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jades-Smiles/108058812609330?sk=info She has au auction running at the moment to which I have donated a few pieces.

A new one that I've just found is this one
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-A-Hedgehog-Hospital/194675883882015 and again I've donated a couple if items. They have some lovely items up for grabs so I shall definetly be bidding on a few items there!!

The last one I want to mention today is one that I simply couldn't not offer to help out.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Home-crafted-Auction-for-Lillie-Mai/162886860442060

Little Lillie-Mai Jackson contracted meningitis at 14 weeks old. Despite being given just hours to live at one point, she pulled through. Unfortunately though, she lost both legs and an arm in the process. She will need many prosthetic limbs as she grows up, and they are very expensive.

Again, some wonderful people have donated some lovely items to this auction so I shall be there when the auction starts to support them.

I know that times are hard and sometimes it can be difficult for crafters to donate items to all these charities but even sharing a link on FB helps, so next time one pops up in your list of posts please, please repost it and share the link love.

Take care.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Pretty, Pretty Beads!!!

I just love beads! All shapes and sizes and colours! I especially love handmade lampwork beads and have been lucky enough to purchase some beads from some very talented artisans!
So today, I want to share with you some of my favourite bead makers!!

First up is the lovely Claire Morris, also know as Rowanberry. http://rowanberrydesigns.co.uk/wp/
Her beads sell out faster than hot cakes so you have to be pretty quick to catch them! Aswell as selling the beads, she also turns some of them into stunning items of jewellery and she's also a wonderful artist!! Her tree beads are to die for!



Next, is Vickie at http://beads4breakfast.co.uk/ She's only been lampworking for a couple of years but she produces some lovely colourful beads in her kitchen workshop!!

Next up is http://www.folksy.com/shops/dragonglass I bought a huge bag of her orphan beads last year!!! There were some stunning beads in there!!!

Over on Etsy is where you will find the lovely beads made by Jane http://www.etsy.com/shop/janehamill

I adore the cute little viking beads made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/MadCatGlass







Here a few beads from my ever growing collection - if you like them as much as I do then check out some of the above stores!





Until next time!

Saturday 23 April 2011

Calorie Free Chocolate - well almost!!!

The shops are full of easter eggs and hopefully there will be some left by Monday that will get reduced to half price!! So today, I thought I share with you some of the lovely guilt free chocolate things on Folksy!


http://www.folksy.com/items/1077021

http://www.folksy.com/items/1647005-Chocolate-Egg-Bath-Bomb

http://www.folksy.com/items/1607141-Milk-Chocolate-Homemade-Soap

http://www.folksy.com/items/1536501-Death-by-Chocolate-

http://www.folksy.com/items/1350925-Brown-Bag-Charm-Keyring?shop=yes


See, no calories ingested so no guilt when buying!!


Have a Happy Easter!!



Sunday 20 March 2011

To Bid or not to Bid?

There has been some discussion over on the Folksy forums recently about charity auctions being run on Facebook.
I for one think they are a great idea and help to raise funds for some wonderful charities - big and small.
I have not yet been directly asked to put anything in an auction but I have offered items to various auctions being run and indeed, I even ran an auction myself of my own items a couple of weeks back.
So this week, I am going to highlight some of the auctions that are happening on FB and some of the great causes that I know of over there.
The first one I want to share with you is the one that I held my auction for. http://www.facebook.com/Cefnigermanshepherdrescue?sk=info Its a wondeful place that rescues and rehomes German Shepherds. Thanks to everyone that bought items over £200 was raised.
Next up is something that is very close to my heart; fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Care. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=163410227043207&aid=52533 This is being run by the lovely Clare Holmes, who like me, has a very personal reason for raising money for such a wonderful cause.
One of the reasons why I like these auctions is the chance to see the work of so many other talented people! Over at this auction http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44178&id=154395241249972&fbid=196596747029821#!/photo.php?fbid=196596760363153&set=a.196596747029821.44178.154395241249972&theater there are nearly 200 items up for auction, and there is some lovely stuff there!
An auction that will be happening soon is this one http://www.facebook.com/Eneshelmetappeal
and I've gladly offered a necklace.
Another auction starting soon is this one, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=163628576994623&aid=47753 and again it has some wonderful items in it!

Please check out these auctions and if possible make a small bid. They are all being done for some wonderful causes. If you get asked to help out, then please consider it. If you feel that you can't offer an item to them then just share the link around to your friends - the more people that know about these auctions the more money they can raise. If Comic Relief can raise over £74m
in one night, then I think it should be possible to raise a few hundred pounds for some often very small charities that are in desperate need of funds.

Share the love and make a bid!
Thank you xx

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Small is beautiful!

We, buteartism, are a team! I make jewellery (amongst other things!) and Terry likes to paint. He usually paints large canvases and watercolours but recently we were both introduced to something called ACEOs.
The acronym stands for Artist Card Edition and Original.
They are miniature works of art created to sell, trade and collect. ACEO's come in all mediums, subject matter and styles as larger works of art but should conform to the standard size of 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.
So armed with some offcuts of watercolour paper, he set to work and gave it a try! Whilst he was doing that, I set about looking to see what others had been producing! http://www.folksy.com/items/1406665-ACEO?shop=yes
http://www.folksy.com/items/1257909

http://www.folksy.com/items/1246617

http://www.folksy.com/items/1409545


I hadn't realised that an ACEO could be made out of any material; as long as it measures 2.5"x3.5" then anything goes!! Well, I might even give this a go!! As for Terry, he is quite getting into this, so here is one of his to finish with!


http://www.etsy.com/listing/69319120/watercolour-aceo?ref=pr_shop

Hope you like this little selection! Why not have a go yourself! It sure looks like good fun!

Saturday 12 February 2011

Motorbike Madness

I love motorbikes!!! OK, so I havn't actually ever ridden one or even been a pasenger on one, but my husband used to ride them and I have a friends who ride them!! I stand and stare like a kid in a sweetie shop whenever I see one go past on the road and have been known to go ga-ga if I see one parked up!!!


So in honour of my motorbike fetish, this blog
is dedicated to all those bikers out there!

Well, all bikers need the right gear! http://www.folksy.com/items/956765-Hand-Painted-Biker-Jacket-T-shirt-18M


They also need a bike!

















When they are not out riding, most bikers have their head stuck in bike magazines, so this next item will make sure that they never loose that important article!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1118861-Bookmark-Motorbikes


And finally, just incase they ever forget who they really are, then my last item will really help!


http://www.folksy.com/items/1345137-Biker-Kilt-Pin-Brooch

Right, time to hit the road! See you later!

Sunday 6 February 2011

Vampy Valentine's

Its coming up to Valentine's Day and if you want to snare the man of your dreams then you might consider becoming a Vamp for the day!!
Here are a few ideas that are bound to set his pulse racing and help you win him over!
Every Vamp needs a pair of killer heels but if yours are a little bit on the shabby side then how about these
http://www.folksy.com/items/1343769-Steampunk-gothic-style-black-lace-shoe-clips to jazz them up a bit!!

Next, you'll need a bit of bling to catch his eye!




This lovely gothic style ring will go lovely with that sexy LBD!! http://www.folksy.com/items/1071841-Gothic-Black-Rose-Ring



Next up, you'll need a pretty necklace!







If you want to add just a little bit of intrigue to the evening you could always get yourself one of these! http://www.folksy.com/items/1241681-GOTHIC-ESQUE-Masquerade-Mask

And if he doesn't get the message after all that, I guess you're going to have to spell it out to him. http://www.folksy.com/items/1345401-Vamp-Kilt-Pin-Brooch
Hope all this has got you in the mood for Valentine's Day!!
Have fun xx

Saturday 22 January 2011

New from Old

I am an avid recycler - have been for years! And I don't just mean putting out my papers and tin cans to be collected for recycling! I love the idea of turning something that you no longer have a use for into something completely different!


So today, I'm going to showcase some of the items on Folksy that are just that - something old turned into something new!!


First up are these fantastic planters made from old vegetable sacks! http://www.folksy.com/items/825777-re-cycled-planters Would look really cool on a balcony or patio!!


Next are these funky coasters made from old magazines! http://www.folksy.com/items/1054965-recycled-magazine-coasters




Now the next items are really good fun to make! I made a few myself last year and gave them to my local Cancer Research Charity shop and they went down very well!!












The next items are a really cool way of using up the metal cases that you have lying around after you've used all those tea lights!!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1228097-Recycled-tea-light-flower



Here is a great way of reusing all those empty bottles that you might still have around after xmas!! http://www.folksy.com/items/1120317-Recycled-Spitfire-Beer-Bottle-Clock


Finally I want to share something recycled from my own shop that I set up to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Care. Its a pretty green leaf bracelet made from an old broken necklace! http://www.folksy.com/items/729497-GREEN-LEAF-BRACELET?shop=yes
I hope that you like this little selection of recycled items and will maybe look at some of your old, unused items arounds the house in a new light and get creative and re-use them into something useful!!
Until next time! x

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Where did all the snow go?

It doesn't seem like over a month ago that virtually the whole country was beneath a blanket of snow!
We are now in a new year, even a new decade! Up here, the snow has gone, but they keep saying that its on its way back!! Today is damp and dreary!
Enough of the weather forecasts, lets look at some pretty bits of jewellery and cheer ourselves up!!

I have just found these stunning earrings
http://www.folksy.com/items/1232585-Curly-duck-feather-earrings-FREE-UK-SHIPPING


There is some lovely stuff in this shop, so go along and check it out!








These earrings are also lovely! http://www.folksy.com/items/1231673-Tribal-Inspired-Earrings



This is a lovely necklace! http://www.folksy.com/items/1230469-Green-jasper-necklace-with-purple-agate-pendant


http://www.folksy.com/items/1216097-Be-My-Valentine-Broochm/items/1216097-Be-My-Valentine-Brooch
This is a lovely brooch and would look great on a simple black jacket I think!


This is one of my latest pieces!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1198893-Blue-Glass-Necklace?shop=yes


And don't forget that I have a sale on of a few of my items so pop along and check them out! http://www.folksy.com/shops/buteartism


Until next time!