I've moved to a New Home in The Country

After a long time of dreaming, designing and a serious amount of hard work and head scratching I have created a new Home for you and all my animals I sew and draw.  We have all packed our bags and headed off to our new Home in The Country - Bumpkin Hill.

You are all welcome. Let's daydream together under the shade of the Old Oak Tree - www.bumpkinhill.com

You can find me from now on at my new Blog (with all my previous posts too)

http://bumpkinhill.blogspot.com/

See you soon,

Catherine

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Garden Days & Cottages - Fabric Design Inspiration

Garden Days = Happy Days for me!  So I'm very excited to introduce a new Fabric Design close to my heart.  Inspired by my love of Cottage Gardens, full of the sweetest flowers... silk like Poppies, the bluest of Delphiniums, Cornflowers and wispy pink blooms fluttering in the Summer breeze!

Last Summer I visited Furzey Gardens back home in the UK.  A gorgeous Garden complete with this precious Cottage.  

So inspired by this trip I sat in the sunshine freely painting my dreams of the flowers I love the most.  

After a lot of design work I have brought these watercolor paintings together into this delightful "Garden Days" Pattern, available for you as Fabric from my Spoonflower Store.  The wonderful part of Spoonflower is that you can choose from a range of fabrics, from Silk for a summery Scarf to Linen for Upholstery & Cottons for gorgeous Dresses.

Here's the even more exciting part!

Every time a customer purchases any of my

Fabric designs they will be entered into a Prize Draw.

One lucky person will then win: 

A 20€ Gift Voucher to spend in my Fabric or Etsy Shop .

(running from April 10th - August 10th)

1 entry for every design you purchase, so if you

purchase 2, you are entered twice etc.

Fabric Store:

http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/bumpkin

Wishing you all Happy "Garden Days".

Catherine

x

Feeling Blue....

Feeling Blue, in a good way... lost amongst vast carpets of Bluebells in the most beautiful woodland here in Belgium.  I still remember the Bluebell woods I explored as a child back home in the UK and later rode through on my horse.  My most favourite sight at this time of year and I hope you will enjoy getting lost amongst them now too.

Loving painting Patterns inspired by my collection of Blue & White China.

I am working on new Fabric designs, in the meantime you can find my

first Collection "Friends for Tea" right here in my Spoonflower Shop.

Available in pale pink, yellow, cream & white colourways.

Hugs,

Catherine

x

It's Fabric Party Time!

I have dreamt of designing Fabric for a long time and I have been studying The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design with this goal in mind (amongst a zillion others).  So I'm super excited to share that my very first Fabric Collection is now available!

I am working in collaboration with Spoonflower that print the most beautiful fabrics.  So please join the Party and welcome "Friends for Tea" - a sweet hand illustrated collection of Bunnies enjoying Tea Time together.  Available on a range of fabrics and in 4 different colour ways.

Just to add to my celebration these designs are also available as Wallpaper and Gift Wrap!

When the Samples arrived in the post I had to take these photos to show you!

So make a Cup of Tea and hop on over to - www.spoonflower.com/profiles/bumpkin

These Fabrics are also designed to go with my Embroidery Patterns available here .

I can't wait to see what everyone will make. I'm imagining the cutest outfits, quilts, cushions... oh my!

Hugs,

Catherine

x

Painting Joy

"Sing me a Song" Art Postcards & Prints available here

At this time of year every time I step into my garden I discover a new little flower that makes my heart skip a beat!  The Bluebells are just starting to open, the pale yellow Primroses are still going (they have flowered all Winter!), the wild Geraniums are filling the air with their beautiful scent.  The tiniest but most perfect little flowers are the Forget Me Nots.  I get such a thrill to pick a tiny bunch of flowers from my own space to enjoy in my Studio.  They looked so beautiful I have pressed a few (I've done this since I was a child) and felt pulled to painting them.  

I love that absorbed feeling when I paint and hours flutter past as fast as the blink of an eye.  Today has been like that, painting without an end goal because I just felt I needed to for my soul when I looked at these flowers.

I have had such pleasure painting today that I would love you too to share in this Joy, so I think I will turn them into something fun.... another day.

Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world.

I always love to read your comments, what are you enjoying most in your little patch?

Catherine

x

New life & new patterns

We have had the most wonderfully warm sunny days lately, a real treat for the soul and the garden!  It finally feels that Spring has sprung here in my garden with Blue Tits nesting, Butterflies waking and I even saw this wee little Lamb enter the world and take its first wobbly steps in the field backing onto my garden!

I am busily working on a new website design and drawings for a Picture Book but today I have finished stitching a new Embroidery Pattern.  I find Embroidery so relaxing, I even managed to stitch some sat outside in the sunshine listening to the birds singing.

The Giraffe Ride is now available for instant download as a PDF file in my Etsy Shop

www.bumpkin.etsy.com

Created from my Watercolor Painting, available as a Print here

Hugs,

Catherine

x

The Story Tree

Today is World Book Day so it seems like the perfect day to introduce you to some new friends. 

Join them in "The Story Tree"!

Available as a Print here

What are your favourite Children's Books, nowadays or in the past? 

I am always drawn to the illustrations and then the Story.  Black Beauty for me combined both.

Talking of books I am busily working on some new Picture Book ideas which I'm very excited about.

Maybe one day you too can read them in your own Story Tree.

Hugs

Catherine

x

Peek

Busily working away on some Picture Book ideas and new illustrations for my Shop.  These animals can't wait for me to finish painting their scene!  

The weather is swinging between sunny days full of Spring promise and cold wintery days with wind that stings your face!  Those kind of days are great for painting and stitching new embroidery patterns in the warmth.

My daffodils are out early this year, it's my Birthday tomorrow and normally they are not out by now. This year they are all in full bloom, I picked some this morning to bring them in out of the rain and enjoy them indoors too.

Hugs,

Catherine

x

Spring Memories

This post is especially for all of those feeling that Spring may never arrive, with snow storms in America and flooding in the UK.  Just last week the Sun encouraged me to wander around my little garden and to my delight I discovered all these sweet treasures!  Even a lone Snowdrop that I had not planted myself!  The birds are busily making nests up high in the Oak Trees, just amazing watching them building it all day long with twigs from the garden that I like to leave for them.

When I was a child we had the most beautiful Cherry Tree full of gorgeous pink blossom in our garden. I would climb right up to the top and sit up there surrounded by flowers, pure heaven!  

Happy memories inspiring my new Painting available as Art Print & Notecard

- The Blossom Tree Party - 

 As a Special Valentines Treat from my heart to yours I am offering a 

Buy one Print, get One Print as a Free Gift.

Simply climb up to

www.bumpkin.etsy.com

Make your purchase and let me know at check out which Print you would like as your Gift.

Valid until Saturday 15th Feb Midnight GMT

Hugs,

Catherine

x

Samuel

20 hours of hand work and love later and Samuel is here to meet you and look for adoption.  Samuel enjoys listening to piano music and writing poetry about flowers, honey and bees!  However most of all he loves having a hug and listening to your thoughts and dreams.  He will be a dear friend for life.

One of a Kind 18" Artist Bear
Made of the most gorgeous, silky soft Schulte Mohair
Unique hand dyed Teal colour
Soft velvet hand dyed Paw Pads
Black glass eyes with hand shading
Hand Embroidered nose and mouth
5 way Cotter Pin jointed
Filled with polyfibre & plastic pellets for a wonderfully cuddly Bear
Not suitable for young children due to small parts

Adoption details:
185 euros plus registered postage for his journey:
20 euros for UK/Europe & USA/Canada
27 euros for Australia
Payment via Paypal

If you would like to adopt Samuel and make him a part of your family or have any questions then send me an email at catherine@bumpkinbears.com

Big Bear Hugs

Catherine & Samuel

xx