Pumpkin and Peas

These oval shaped coasters/trinket trays were amongst my first moulds. I love how many different looks I can make with Jesmonite. Love these two that I’ve just added to my store. https://pumpkinandpeas.etsy.com/listing/1718809628 What other words do you think would work well? I’ve done KEYS in the past.

Save the date! Cringle Park Dog Show on Sunday 23rd June. 🐕 One of my favourite events of the year! It’s always such a fun atmosphere for dog owners and anyone who likes dogs.
really know how to organise a fab event.
AND in honour of this occasion, I will start selling dog bowls soon. They can be personalised with a name or left without. The bowls also would make a cute fruit bowl if used without the stainless steel insert.
More details to come but for now, put the date in your diary!


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When there is a perfect match for one of my plant pots. Tradescantia ‘Maiden’s Blush’ - plant and pot available .
As well as a great selection of outdoor plants, Brenda has a number of indoor plants in stock now that the weather is warmer.
So do pay her a visit.
Next to 250 Burnage Lane M19 1FL
Check out her insta







Photo courtesy of Bud.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those celebrating today. We are postponing celebration for a week as my middle child is away this weekend.
But I did get a card already. It was drawn by my very talented daughter. Wish I had her drawing and painting skills - glad she inherited those from her dad rather than my lack of.
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The sun is out - perfect weather for Withington Baths Spring Market today, 10am-4pm. Free entry. Fantastic traders including , and and many others.
There is Cathy from Bob Tails bringing her spring arts & crafts vibes, 10am - 12pm
The baths volunteers are running a family friendly planting session, 12:30 -2:30pm
There will be delicious Afro-Caribbean food all day long!
To top it all off, Withington Civic Society are holding a Village Action Day 11am-2pm.

I’m looking forward to the Spring Market at Withington Baths this Saturday 11th May.

Lots of independent makers selling their wonderful crafts and talented cooks selling delicious foods. There will be spring themed arts and crafts for the children along with seasonal planting with the garden volunteers.

I’m so pleased that you can now find my plant pots at Bud! The best garden centre around. 😊 If you haven’t been to the new site on Burnage Lane, go for a visit. Brenda has a great selection of plants. Always a pleasure to visit.
Next to 250 Burnage Lane M19 1FL
Check out her insta

Just spotted this fantastic Etsy offer!

Following on from my post a few weeks ago about how small businesses really need our support right now.
Etsy is giving you £5 to do that.

It’s £5 off if you spend £30 or more on Etsy (UK only).
Across Etsy and can be applied to purchases from multiple shops!

Available until 30th April at midnight. Just use code SMALL5 at checkout.

Link to my shop in bio or
https://pumpkinandpeas.etsy.com

Sending lots of love and a huge thank you to everyone who visited me at the Spring Market yesterday.
Thank you to everyone who said hi, looked at my stall, took a business card or purchased something. It is really really appreciated. The day was truly filled with vibes. Lots of people miss the market so we are all super grateful for the organisers .v2 , and filling that gap in the meantime.

It’s nearly time for you to head over to for the Spring Market!
It’s looks amazing! Sun is shining! 🌞Lots of fab traders. What a choice of gorgeous items!
There are also kids activities, various lunch options in the café, tombola and it’s dog friendly!!

Last minute makes for Saturday’s Spring Market drying in the sun. Can you guess what it’s going to be?

Who is coming on Saturday? 😊
It’s promising to be a great day out. Family friendly, dog friendly AND it’s indoors!

Swipe to see the fantastic line up of traders and a sample of their makes.

With the lovely sunshine ☀️ we had yesterday, I decided to repot some of our houseplants 🪴. After not massively caring about houseplants for years, I am now obsessed. 😊 My husband is despairing slightly how many I am buying. But who can resist these gorgeous plants?!?
And plant pots! Three are made by me, the blue one is from (on Etsy), the white textured one from

The plants are from , , and finally The Plantshelf which sadly closed last year.

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***Reminder*** A lot of my items can be customised or personalised. Drop me a message if you see something you’d like changed in any way. This was a recent customer request. Instead of the word ‘Home’ she wanted ‘Amsterdam 2024’. A very easy change for me and it means my customer gets something truly unique.

“It’s no joke that almost a third of the UK’s small businesses fear closure by the end of 2024.

So, don’t be a fool, shop small this April!”

And that is on top of all the amazing small shops and businesses we’ve lost in 2023. Work is tough for a lot of us small business owners right now. Currently my revenue is 68% down for this year compared to last year (which was also down compared to the year before that). It’s hard to keep going when it’s such an uphill struggle.

Here are some ways you can support small this month - please share this to remind people how they can support small.

☕️ Opt for an independent coffee shop instead of a chain

🥕 Pick up your veggies from your local greengrocer (they still have an amazing selection and when you shop seasonally you can get a fantastic bargain)

🎁 Buy your friend’s birthday gift or card from a small business

How will you be supporting small this month?”

Quote and Image from

I’ve become slightly houseplant obsessed. Until recently we only had a handful of plants inside the house. But after I was given a tray full of dying houseplants by someone a few months ago, I was determined to revive them despite very little plant care knowledge.

I’m pleased to say that most of them made it. Then I’ve bought a few more and a few more… 🌱 🪴 🍃 🌺
So let me show you some of the pots I made for my houseplants recently.
Don’t forget - I can make pots in any colour you might like. My smallest pots have an internal width of 5.5 cm, my largest 21 cm.

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I love seeing kindness in the world and seeing random acts of kindness can really lift your spirits - even when the kindness doesn’t involve you at all.
On Sunday I witnessed random kindness where three people stopped traffic completely on a busy road to let an elderly man cross the road. He took probably as long as four times the amount of the green man at the pedestrian crossing but people were kind and let him cross at his pace.

So when you can, try and scatter kindness.

I’m still trying to decide if this will be a wall hanging or if I add a piece of wood so I can stand up. Thought?

Home is such a small word but such an important one. Which decoration is your favourite? Lots of different style houses. Any other words or phrases you want to see engraved on the oak?
I do love the combination of Jesmonite and oak.




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If you left it too late to order a Mother’s Day gift, why not explore small local independent businesses in your area?

If you are in South Manchester, pop over to in , Levenshulme.
Liv has an amazing selections of flowers. Stunningly beautiful! If you are after a bouquet, you’d help her massively if you preorder. Contact details on her page.
She also has some houseplants and a selection of my plant pots in her studio.
And I have a few in my Etsy shop.

https://pumpkinandpeas.etsy.com?section_id=35756800

Any questions, please feel free to comment or message me. I accept custom orders too.

Less than a week to go until Mother’s Day! My gorgeous feltbead necklaces are ready to post and can be sent gift-wrapped straight to the recipient along with a handwritten gift card. Lots of different colours and designs available. Most are £14 which includes P&P (but excl gift wrap and gift card).

https://pumpkinandpeas.etsy.com?section_id=37203200

Any questions, please feel free to comment or message me. I accept custom orders too.

Before a meal, Germans often wish each other a ‘good appetite’. It’s a custom I missed when I first moved to the UK. But as I hardly spoke German here for about 15 years, I stopped thinking about it. Although I now only speak German to my children, I haven’t started that tradition. So I decided to make a napkin holder with the saying. I’ve had a bit of a creative block in recent weeks so hopefully things are on the up.

Milo - he is a life saver and the beloved dog of one of my daughter’s best friends.

He has a brain tumour and needs treatment to save his life. Unfortunately, the insurance doesn’t cover all the costs. Without treatment he likely will only have 2-3 months.

He's only 6 years old, and has been a tower of support to his human family in the best and hardest times. The family has had a really really tough few years.

If you can, please consider donating to help him get his treatment. You could also share the JustGiving page for others who may want to help by donating or sharing.
This is the link you can follow and/or share:

Help raise £4800 to Save Milo by eliminating his tumour Weʼre raising money to Save Milo by eliminating his tumour. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

https://chng.it/qCnc4btnKQ

Sign the Petition Lower VAT to 10% for the Hospitality Industry

Hands up - who has a cat, dog or both? 🙋‍♀️
If you ever had a dog or a cat, you know how much they are part of the family.
When I saw the moulds for these cute little cat and dog, I knew straightaway what I wanted to make. Plus it gave me a chance to use my laser again. 😊
Available in store now and words can be changed.

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You can now find Pumpkin and Peas plant pots at Sweet Bud Florals in the Antique Village on the A6 in Levenshulme. Really excited about working with Liv. Love that she is trying to be as eco-friendly as possible and provides a more environmentally friendly approach than many florists.

She has a lovely collection of dried and fresh flowers as well as houseplants. Visit her website to see what she offers.

⬆️ THIS is what I’ve been most excited about with having a laser cutter/engraver. Engraving directly on jesmonite will open up so many possibilities. 😁
I was a bit nervous beforehand how it would look - particularly the smaller letters but I absolutely love it!
And the coaster is so simple but really striking I think.
What would you like me to engrave next?

Love love love my new laser. 😁 Swipe to see. ➡️
Today I’ve made a few engraving attempts and I have to say this is such an easy laser to use. Everything turned out great.
Here are two items where I combined a jesmonite house with oak blocks and engraved onto the oak. Really pleased with it.




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Sneak peek of exciting things coming to Pumpkin and Peas. Eeeeek! 😁🤩

January is here so it’s nearly time to put away the Christmas decorations. Before I also tidy away my Christmas stock, I’m having a little sale. Most Christmas items are 15%, some are a whopping 50% off.

https://pumpkinandpeas.etsy.com

The 15% items require the code CHRISTMAS2023 at checkout, the 50% ones are already reduced in the shop.

I also have some stock that I have taken to markets but not listed in my shop. I’m posting a video in my stories and if you see something you like that isn’t in my shop, comment here or email [email protected]

“Happy New Year!” A greeting you have likely heard a lot these past few days. I have to admit I struggle a bit with New Years. It’s a time where people reflect on the previous year and set themselves goals or resolutions for the coming year.

For most of my life I have struggled with my mental health. The desire to be better, to do better, to look better. I have always felt I need to change something about myself so I can be happy. That’s a hard feeling to have with you at all times. It can sound ungrateful but it’s not something I can easily change though I am working on it.

So on New Years I try not to have too many expectations of and hopes in a new year as life has so many ups and downs that I feel high expectations can lead to a feeling a failure for me. But that’s my typical half glass empty thinking.

Most of the time I manage my mental health well. I’m currently on medication which help me to get through the day to day stuff. I have my flexibility with work and I have a very supportive family and friends who get me through the tough periods.

Plus my faith is a major part of dealing with my mental health. Hope has a very different meaning for me when I think about the immediate future vs eternal life. We are not promised an easy life here on Earth but we are promised an eternal life with Christ which is far better than we can even imagine.

It can be hard for people to understand that part of me just wants to have an early night on New Years and treat it like any other day.
If you have someone in your life who isn’t keen on New Years, try and understand they might not want to celebrate how you’d like them to.

Regardless of your feelings about New Years and how you celebrate, I do hope that 2024 is a good year for you.

Painting done by my super talented daughter Anna.

Holiday mode activated! 😊 Currently in Wales camping for four days enjoying the glorious countryside and gorgeous weather. 🌊 ☀️ 🏖️ ⛺️ 🌲