HELLO! And there I was, feeling sooo smug that I had committed to sending a monthly newsletter for one year exactly. Wahoo, feeling good about myself. Then August came, along with the school holidays, wedding orders and childcare juggles/struggles.
We tried to spend as much time as possible as a family and squeeze in some more wholesome activities other than the ipad, like camping and days out. Soooo busy August came, and went, and I dropped the newsletter ball.
What that means however, is this is a BUMPER edition with quite a lot to share. But if you don't have the time to read now, please do quickly scroll right to the bottom where you can see the new collection, and me begging for some help.
Thanks!!!!!
Margate is a great little place and lots of small independent businesses to frequent.
In summary, here are my top 4 Margate tips;
1. Book somewhere to eat dinner if you are going during a busy bank holiday weekend, otherwise you'll be walking round hangry finding somewhere with space. Like we did. We did get lucky and found some space at a really tasty Indian restaurant called Masala Gate (don't judge a book by it's cover) and then the next day at a great Thai restaurant called Mama Jinny.
2. We also tried out a few bars/pubs :) and the best were The Two Halves (friendly, great selection of beers and ciders, very reasonably priced plus a great view for sunset) and then Fez, which is really fun and crammed with so many knick knacks inside to look at.
3. Visit the shell grotto. We spoke to a few other Margate tourists and they hadn't heard of this wonder, so just spreading the word about it here. I still don't understand how it can't be carbon dated, but assume they would like to keep some of the mystery going…
4. Visit The Turner Contemporary- I loved seeing the Anthony Gormley figure in the sea and the colourful bodies in Sophie Von Hellerman's work.
And now August (and nearly September) is over, I have a new collection to reveal...
September's collection is inspired by the turning colours (I LOVE the beautiful bright colours we see in Autumn) and getting cosy. I love looking at quilts for colour inspo, but painting quilt designs is quite tricky on candles, so I have created a simple quilting motif as a nod.
I spent my summers as a child visiting my dad who used to pick apples and hops in Kent. I love the traditions and sentiments behind Harvest festival and will always remember the huge towers of tinned food piled up at the front of our school hall.
We love Halloween in our house. We love decorating the house and getting dressed up. I wanted to do some candles that would have longevity beyond the one day, so mixed some folky flowers with mushrooms and crescent moons. This all black collection is great for a Halloween table, plus continuing into winter too.
Okay now onto more serious stuff. Did you know more than 33 million people have been affected by the flooding in Pakistan? With at least 1400 dead and a third of the country under water. The floods have also been a direct cause of global heating. They were a 1 in 100 year event, but similar events are going to more frequent. It is major devastation but the news here is filled with the Queen, so I just wanted to reiterate how awful it is over in Pakistan.
Currently, over 73,000 women were expected to give birth this month and they have been abandoned without healthcare, food and access to clean water. I have read accounts of women drinking water from rivers where dead animals lie.
So this month, I wanted to create a new fundraising candle design made of the Pakistan national flower Jasmine (which happens to be a personal fave- the smell!) with a crescent moon and stars to reflect the flag.
100% of the sale of the candles will be split between the DEC Pakistan Appeal and a local emergency charity called Mama Baby Fund that is directly providing women and babies with essential medical care and supplies, and facilitating safer births.
This special design will be available on Friday 23rd September 8pm
And then as it is a bumber edition, there is another charity candle this month.
I painted these in support of Blankets for Rhinos charity. They raise money for wildlife conservation in South Africa through craft and fundraising.
The charity are raffling them via their Facebook page. So if you fancy winning some sweet little rhino candles with South African flowers and supporting wildlife in the process, then click below.