Yesterday I finished a set of lovely Ash slice cottage signs for a wonderful self-catering haven (and wedding venue) Little Quarme Cottages in Wheddon Cross www.littlequrame-cottages.co.uk Please see more pictures of signs made for Little Quarme in the Vivid Dove Gallery Business signs

The last sign from my length of beautiful Oak...which I beleive to be Tiger is now finished. What a fab sign to make.  The request was for a fox with the house name to be written in his tail! Have a look at the result. Please see more detailed pictures in the Vivid Dove Gallery under House/Farm Signs 

Having had a long needed day of work on  my website and the virtual world of Vivid Dove I feel I have to say something about weebly.com. This site has proved to be one of the biggest blessings I have found on my rootlings about for a perfect (for me) site. I have tried different hosts, designers and dynamic looking web site companies but by far the best for what I want is these lovely people...weebly! I love my site, it looks fantastic with that rich burnt background and firey gold where I need it. It is not perfect yet but that is up to me as I build it and tend it and learn as I go along. I so enjoy this part of the business as it is nearly as creative as the art it displays, and weebly just lets me get on with it...and for free! It's so great not to have to make that decision between spending the latest sales money on a 'web site wizard host thing' or on a delicious pile of new stock and raw woody material anymore! Why not try it out, weebly's so groovy :)

One of the projects that I am dedicating the month of June to is a wonderful commission that has come to me in a form I really love. I have been given 3 words to express as an image or design - "Wholesome, Natural and Refreshing". I have been given a  size limit and a budget to work to so that makes it a little easier to start...I could get overexcited about a project like this! Woo hoo!

Vivid Dove has been nominated for the Balvenie Whisky's Masters of Craft awards programme 2012! "This is an awards programme that champions British craftmanship and the people that care about it." It came as such a surprise, and such a lovely one, so I've just submitted my application in something of a daze and am now sitting back to see what the panel of judges may have to think. If you are interested to see who the judges are or to read any more about these awards (or the Balvenie Whisky & distillery) please click on the Balvenie button below:

It seems to be an Oak month. I am working on 2 signs from the same slice of absolutely beautiful Oak (Tiger Oak I believe) for 3 houses in the village. I needed to find a wood that is tough enough to stand up to the Exmoor weather with the occasional TLC. The grain in this wood is so tight it's amazing, and the patterns are stunning...almost like a Tiger's Eye stone in places. 

It's not every day a local farmer turns up in his tractor and asks where to unload the bucket of wood he has for me. I was promised a lovely piece of Maple by said farmer but today he brought me 6 lengths of tree trunks...2 Maple, 2 Holly, 1 Elm and 1 Hazel. How fantastic! The Maple and Hazel are the thickest I've seen, they never normally grow that big around here. I need to be patient with Holly and Hazel as they need to sit for another year to fully season, but I can't wait to see what waits inside the Elm and Maple for me... 

Wow! What a fantastic 4 days! A huge thanks to Barbara, Nic and Ian Wigley for their generous invitation for me to have my Vivid Dove stall at the Golden Horseshoe Endurance event. I sold and talked and received commissions beyond all expectations. A local farmer brought a gift of a lovely chunk of Beech from his fields and I have been invited to have my Vivid Dove stall at the Exford Christmas Fair and at the Red Dragon event at the Royal Welsh showground in October! The contacts I met have been amazing and I have even been asked to make 6 prototypes for a saddler...watch this space to see what I'll be making....I could tell you but ...!

The Beech, thank you to Ken Dykes. Can you tell what it is yet? I can see a rhino...no doubt. I can't wait to see what else is waiting in there once the chainsaw has done its work!

The Exmoor Golden Horseshoe Endurance Riding event is on the horizon...so much prepping and horsey business is afoot. As I have the perfect target market (I am a horse lover too) I am LOVING the equine subject I'm pyrographying onto anything that feels like it needs a spot of 'horse energy'!

I found this today and love it so much I thought I must share it... :)