New Greeting Cards - in the gallery and online

Frans Wesselman - blank Greetings Card with envelope - £2 - buy online

I have just been restocking our online shop and I've added lots on new Greetings Cards by our favourite gallery artists. 36 different cards! They are all only £2 each. I particularly love this card - 'Owl' by Frans Wesselman.

Irises Everywhere

Our friend Anne, gardener extraordinaire, must have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. Last night she brought us tons and tons of flowers - if they'd stayed outside they wouldn't have had much of a chance in the rain storm that we've had today.

We now have five huge vases of gorgeous blooms in the gallery, ready for our Saturday visitors.

Antony's First Day At Work

Antony is enjoying his first day in the gallery. I think he's going to make a great gallery assistant!

Dress A Girl Around The World

On Sunday I had a lovely afternoon learning from So Sew Pretty's Leah Halliday how to make a sundress from a pillowcase!

The afternoon was organised by Leah as a charity event for the charity 'Dress A Girl Around The World' and was held at her lovely workshop and shop in Castle Street, Dumfries. Well worth a visit for ribbons and trims and many other delights!

We made 12 pretty sundresses all individually customised with beautiful trims, the dresses will be sent to little girls in developing countries around the world.

I used 'bondaweb' and a zig zag stitch to sew a heart on the front my dress. The fabric I used for the heart had been for a skirt or a pair of shorts that I'd had when I was little. I loved the fact that when I learnt to sew I could make things with so many memories attached: using buttons from my granny's button box and lace which she bought from gypsies that came to her door over fifty years ago! Can't wait for my next project. I want to do some free hand machine embroidery I think, oh and I'd love to learn to patchwork.

'Song' - a new painting by Leo Blamire

LEO BLAMIRE 'Song' oil on gesso wood 10 inches x 8 inches

My brother Leo has been quietly working away on a series of exquisite oil paintings and I wanted to share one with you. This is a portrait of a whippet we know called Song Bird, or Song for short.

He is having an exhibition with us in September. We are also looking forward to some new screen prints from him as he has just joined Glasgow Print Studio.