Over 150 artists and celebrities are coming together lead by Sarah Graham to make a real difference to people battling mental health issues. Find out how!

What is ‘Samarivans’?

Artist Sarah Graham, who is heading up this amazing project, is very open about the fact that The Samaritans have supported her through some very dark times as she’s battled Bipolar disease. She has now be episode free for 4 years (at time of publishing) and thanks The Samritans for their support of more than one occasion.

Anne’s daughter bought her a one to one Lino print workshop for Mother’s Day. When she booked her session via email, she told me that she wanted to print on paper (there is also the option to print on a tote bag). There are a range of themes to choose from, helping you to narrow down what you want to get out of the session.Read more to find out how the session went and what she created.

In this 2 hour session, Michaela and her hens created a series of Lino prints for both the bride to be and themselves to take home and turn into a gallery wall.

See photos of the workshop and read about how the workshop went and what the hens thought of it.

Valentine’s Day can be another one of those times for needlessly spending money on tat, chocolate and things that nobody wants or needs. My husband and I refuse to go out on 14th February because meals cost at least twice as much and are often naff. We’d rather cuddle up with a film and a takeaway.

A piece of art that you have created is so personal so it will mean so much more than anything else you could give them.

Many of us will be glad to see the back of 2020 and will be ready to usher in the new year. As mad as 2020 was, I have had a lot of highlights. My aim for 2020 was to BE BRAVE and I certainly feel like I achieved that.

This year more than ever before we are watching the budget. Many of you, like me, have pledged to support independent businesses this Christmas. Showing you care for someone isn’t about how much you spend - it’s about taking the time to choose something with that person in mind.

When I wrote down a goal of being exhibited as a major aim for this year, I genuinely thought I was aiming too high. I wouldn’t describe myself as confident but this year, I told myself, is about being brave. The encouragement from my husband was invaluable as he was the one that got the conversation going but I had to be brave and share my artwork and wait for it to be ‘judged’. Lucky for me, Trevor (the gallery manager at The Aviary) has excellent taste and fell in love with my hibiscus and bee prints in particular.

Coming up soon is the Mama Makes Market and I’m really excited to share some exclusive offers and services.

Framing

Selected prints have been framed for the market - the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. There will also be a selection of prints available mounted and backed ready for you to personalise with your own frame.

Special Offers

Mix and Match Cards - all cards are included in the offer. You can get 3 Large Cards for £5.50 or 3 Small Cards for £4.

For those of you that love penguins, you can get a Penguin Sketchbook & Penguin Mug for just £10.

Sketchbooks are only available at markets and the range has expanded to include penguins, gold flamingos and gold dragonflies. Got a request? Let me know and you can order something ready for the market.

Once you’ve chosen the perfect gift, you can make sure that you have it all wrapped in beautiful tissue and raffia for only £1 saving you the effort of doing it yourself. You could even purchase you card and have Mother’s Day all wrapped up before you even get home.

Yesterday was the testy spring market and there were so many great makers there. I was next to the lovely On My Wick Candles (@onmywickcandles) and Urban Cubs (@urban_cubs).

On my wick create amazingly scented candles whose names are linked to children’s stories. My personal favourite was the chocolate fudge brownie, closely followed by pumpkin pasty - delicious!

urban cubs make the funkiest clothes for little ones. They stick to a monochrome palette in order to create fun items that are gender neutral.

Go check them both out!