Sunday 28 August 2016

Hooray - the #ab_onmytableseries winners announced!

Helen Naylor @helen_a_naylor, the creative and inspiring ceramic artist who I am featuring for the Instagram #ab_onmytableseries photo-challenge in August, has chosen a winner. In fact, Helen has decided on sending small gifts to all of those she mentions below.Thank you Helen, what a wonderful, generous soul you are!

I shall hand over to Helen now to tell you in her own words why she chose the selections she did. Congratulations to all of you and please DM Helen on IG with your postal addresses and Helen will send you your prizes. (And lucky me, I am getting a gift too. Thank you Helen x).
Claudia x

"This was so much fun and so difficult at the same time. Every single one of you that took the time to follow Claudia's blog, commit to the rules and decide what to share with us all, what was going on, on your private table tops, deserve a prize and special mention. I really do mean that. There is not one image that I did not like looking at.

In the end I really had to pull in all sorts of issues to try to make decisions. If only I had more bowls.

Drum roll please, Claudia ..........



In 1st place is the image of Christall Lowe's @underthekowhaitree_christall outside work space illuminated by light from all directions. A table filled with all sorts of items ready to play with and two chairs. I keep looking at the wood of the table, chairs and basket and want to run my hands over them and experience them.

You can never have too many work spaces. I felt odd when we started talking about building me a second studio at the other corner at the bottom of our garden, but our spaces are so necessary even if it is a shelf in a cupboard, we all need our spaces. 

In 2nd place is ...

@elkprints - I love feathers. We had a little bird, our baby as we still call him, for six weeks shy of his twentieth birthday. Not a day goes by that we do not miss him. I love that there are the real ones to take inspiration from and her idea of them. What I like the most is the story that she is making this for her son. Well done. 

In 3rd place is 

@helen_recycledinteriors - Purple is my favourite colour, I love green with it. These kokedama plant balls, I covet, but fear I will kill them, so do not have any. The mirror, to make sure we remember who we are, along with the earthy trees behind. Well the whole setting just speaks to me. I like the light reflecting off the shinny things. If you get bored of this scene please ship them off to me please.


To our four runners up.

@partial2patina - I so want this whole box with all these lovelies inside of it. Linda, you drew me in with your words to go with this. Friendship is so important and you know how to look after your friends from what I read in this post. Again when you are bored of any of these they have a home here.



The light coming in on @junk.beaucoup's paint worn side table, which I want! Makes me think of a different light than that I have now been living with for more than half my life. Light is different on the other side of our planet. I am a sucker for Cornishware, time pieces, spoons and little tables. I have to be near the ocean too. I have my name down for your table, cup and time faces. Hahahahaha.

@che_crc's Christmas in July just tugged at me. Chrystal, glass, clay and silver with red and green with a splash of yellow, so lovely. I do miss a cold Christmas with all the rellies and frozen toes in wellies. I always think in August, oh we forgot to do Christmas in July again. The old bells given as gifts were a great dinner gift for guest. I am sure they all want to be invited again next year.

@fourcornersdesign. Cogs, time pieces, feathers, keys - oh my word! And all on dots. I would have liked to see what you made with all of these.

Well that's my wild jabberings about the pieces. I would have liked to have written more and more about all the others that came so close too. All of these were so close to the winner. It really was a hard hard task to do. I hope you are all not too disappointed that your have not been included. As I said I see you as all winners and I hope you all feel wonderful from making your images and chatting to all the others about their images and that you have found some new friends. I hope that my feed will continue to hold your interest and you will stay following me to see my journey with my son, my clay, my love of cake and this planet we live on called home.

Thank-you for waiting and being understanding while I had my surprise trip to hospital at midnight. Your words and thought were a great comfort to me, they really were. Please know that I think you're all special, lovely ladies. Thank-you.

Thank-you Claudia for your wonderful feed and blog. Thank-you for asking me to be involved with you. It was such a heart singing moment when you asked me I could not believe it. I am still smiling ear to ear.
P.S. Your bowl will be making its way down to you very soon. Helen"