Thursday...A Moving Day

5ftinf is moving!

This is probably the last blogger post I will write as I’ve now moved everything over to my new site:

http://www.5ftinf.com/

It all feels a bit strange re locating, but I actually think it will make life much easier...

I am also running a giveaway on the new site too, so you could win a selection of 5ftinf bits and pieces at the end of next week if you enter!

This was where 5ftinf was born...long before Instagram, and I just want to thank everyone who has followed here along the way... this is a new beginning! x

Monday...

Last week I got a bit caught up with sending out masses of my calendars...it was one of those things I thought would take a whole day, and which actually took nearly a whole week!

The other thing I’m currently working on at the moment is my new blog...

I’m moving everything over to Wordpress, and weirdly I’m actually quite enjoying the re-categorising and organising of posts and images...it feels a bit like re-decorating the house...

The blog ( which is www.5ftinf.com ) may well be ready by sometime this week, although it is already live...just not quite finished/re-decorated, so this is just a little heads up that things will be changing a bit and hopefully you’ll be able to all shift over with me...

The temperature has definitely changed over the last week. 

The seasons are gently moving; cranberries are appearing at the grocers, I lit a fire for the first time this season and I’ve worn gloves twice...

I thought it would be a great idea to roast the giant chestnuts I’d bought from the green grocers, but unfortunately I forgot to cut them, and they loudly exploded over the fire guard, narrowly missing the cat!

I did manage to scrape a bit of the soft chestnut, which was left, out of the shell, and sprinkle it with salt, so at least I got a small taste of the Winter to come...which is probably all I want just at the moment!

Wednesday...

The garden is thinning, but there's still colour hidden amongst the sticks...

Monday...with Yellow Canvas Beauty

This is the second of four posts showing some of the process and images I shot for Australian based Canvas Beauty who asked me to create some unique table photographs for them...

I had so many shasta daisies over the Summer that I decided to work on two yellow themes...

As the daisies are bold, I tried to soften them with honeysuckle, ferns, marjoram, fennel and seeds whilst reflecting the yellow centres with the lemons...

As Canvas use loads of natural products I wanted to include at least a few edible and aromatic flowers too...

( although these beautiful hand made wooden boxes used for storing oils smelled amazing anyway! )

As Canvas is based in Australia I found a couple of vintage maps to include in the composition...

( you can see the other one here and here... )

Canvas Beauty pride themselves on their products which are full of wonderful herbal extracts and unique essential oils harnessing natural power as well as a natural healing therapy.

Follow them on Instagram @canvasbeautyau and on Facebook where you can see more of my photos

* this is a sponsored post 

Friday...

It’s been a bit of a busy, multi tasking week, as tonight I have the Private View for my new exhibition ‘Sea Marks’ at 35 North Contemporary Art Gallery in Brighton...

It’s an exhibition which combines all my work process with sketches, texture studies, paintings and photographs with inspiration from Brighton, Hastings and Cornwall...

I’ve been cutting it a bit fine with the painting and some of them were still a bit wet when they were framed and when  I hung them yesterday! 

You can read a bit more about the gallery and exhibition here, and if you’re in Brighton over the next 4 weeks and fancy a nosey, the gallery is open Thursday - Sunday.

Next week I’ll be tidying the garden which is getting overrun by Autumn!

Thursday...

Just a quick post to remind you that you still have a few days to pre order your calendars on my etsy shop with the 20% discount using code: 5ftinfcal20 ( you use it at the checkout )

...and I've also just listed some packs of cards too! 

(...and the floor is definitely getting a re-paint next month! )

Tuesday...

Westonbirt Tree Arboretum in Autumn is one of those places which sum up childhood for me...

My parents used to take us virtually every year and I was always aware of how much my dad loved it...( usually the only things he became really enthusiastic about were electronics, radios, phones and batteries! )

I loved it too, and I still endeavour to visit every Autumn, although some years  I don’t make it...

( 1976: Me, my brother and my Dad in front of a tree that we always look for...and never find, probably because it’s much bigger now! )

( ...could this be it? )

We went a little early this year ( the 3rd weekend in October is notoriously colourful ), but it was still one of the best Autumn days out of 2014...

...And I’m also pretty sure I discovered what that mystery nut I found last month was!!

I saw the tree and the nuts at the arboretum, and as every tree has a label in Latin, I photographed it, looked it up and it was...Hickory! ( the leaves didn’t seem to match the ones from before, but it must be a type of Hickory )

Westonbirt is a wonderful place where nature’s colours are at their best, and I’ve been coming home in the car with leaves, chestnuts, lichen and sticks stuffed into my hat, wellies and various pockets since the early ’70’s!