Dear friends,
You have probably seen already a widget on my sidebar, and a few words from me, asking you to, please give generously. I wanted to tell you some about it, so that you know what it is about.
I have posted in the past over at The Happy Turtle about a lady friend of mine, whose work I love. Vanessa Arbuthnott (seen above, at work) creates beautiful fabrics inspired by the English countryside, the sea, and nature. In her own words:
I initially trained as a nurse and a teacher before marrying Nicholas, an architect, and having four children. Together we converted a cow byre in the Cotswolds. Since we couldn't afford curtains, I had to create my own fabrics. I found srceen printing and block printing liberating and enriching and, to my surprise, friends started using the designs in their own homes. Seven years on my enthusiasm for designing fabric burns stronger than ever and I just hope that people continue to humour and fund my passion!
The Cotswold countryside is the setting for my life and it hugely influences the look of my fabrics. The developing fashion in interior design is towards simple patterns which reflect a basic and rustic way of living and I have been hugely fortunate that this mirrors my life and, thus, my designs.
The Cotswold countryside is the setting for my life and it hugely influences the look of my fabrics. The developing fashion in interior design is towards simple patterns which reflect a basic and rustic way of living and I have been hugely fortunate that this mirrors my life and, thus, my designs.
Over the years I have worked with her all natural fabrics which are delightful to see, to work with and to live with, a pleasure to the eye and to the touch, as delightful and real as she is as a person.
Following her husband's diagnosis and treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, their son George, is now organizing The Gobi march. The Gobi March is a 155 mile, six-day, ultra-marathon across the Gobi Desert described as “one of the four toughest endurance races in the world”.
In his words:
"We aim to raise money for Professor David Cunningham’s Research Fund (a smaller fund within The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign). This fund ran the cetuximab trial that saved Nick’s life and it is currently financing further monoclonal antibody trials giving people, who could not otherwise afford the drugs, a chance of survival. By doing this, Professor Cunningham aims to provide irrevocable evidence to the NHS that they should be saving lives by providing monoclonal antibodies across the country.
In this way we hope to prevent as many people as possible from falling through the net and potentially dying because of their inability to pay for a cure that can defeat cancer".
In this way we hope to prevent as many people as possible from falling through the net and potentially dying because of their inability to pay for a cure that can defeat cancer".
Please click on the badge at the sidebar to find out more and offer your support. Also stop by Vanessa's website, see more pictures of her work, order a free sample, and get a taste of her beautiful creations.
