About Mary

Hello and welcome to my blog, a place all about me, my volunteering, my creations, and much more! 

I am very loving, caring and fiercely loyal towards my family and friends.

I first got into arts and crafts in school, gaining an A* in GCSE Art & Design, however life got in the way, and I eventually went into the field of healthcare and had a career as a nurse.  

Everything changed in 2010 when I struggled with my health and had to rethink my lifestyle and career choices. I returned to arts and crafts initially for their therapeutic benefits, but was bitten by the crafty bug and it has now become a major passion - out of limitations comes creativity! 

I love experimenting by creating pieces of art on canvas using a mixed media approach; I like to mix my own bursts of vivid colours by using inks with pigments as well as acrylic paints. I use various mediums to include interesting textures for a tactile experience as well as the addition of layers to add depth and dimension. I like to give a heightened sensory experience to every angle viewed of a piece I've created.  I also paint other framed pieces of art, i often use acrylic paints and an airbrush to create artwork, as well as the traditional painted piece.

My jewellery making is something I am extremely passionate about. I take great enjoyment and pride out of making unique sterling silver jewellery using precious metal clay or sterling silver wire. I also make other jewellery using semi precious stones and original resin pendant pieces.  Sometimes, I volunteer to run an occasional jewellery making workshop, with Compass Community Arts, a charity based in Eastbourne. 

I am a keen amateur photographer and never without my trusty Nikon close by!

I enjoy papercrafts and make greeting cards; I make both the traditional shaped greeting cards as well as the more complex and exciting 3D fold cards! 

I craft purely for the therapeutic benefit I gain from being able to express myself creatively and have a network of craft pen-pals in both the UK and internationally, with whom I will write to and exchange/swap my work with, on a fairly regular basis. I also enjoy creative writing like poetry. I love listening to music and find that what I choose to listen to will always reflect my mood at that particular time. I do enjoy a quiet coffee in the early mornings, collecting recipes, cooking and writing letters to my penpals. 

My love of the outdoors and bushcraft began with enrolling one summer as a student with the Sussex Recovery College. I am now passionate about nature conservation, having completed several 10 week nature conservation courses, and achieved my Discovery and my Explorer John Muir Trust Award in nature conservation. 

I also really enjoy whittling, there is something so tactile and satisfying about sawing a branch off a tree, stripping it down, and carving a functioning set of cutlery from it. Sanding it down, finishing it off with oil to bring up the grain in the wood. I will often go to a whittling group where with like minded friends, we will enjoy a chat and a cuppa while whittling something. 

I am also an occasional volunteer with the Sussex Wildlife Trust and help to do conservation work with their rangers. I have helped to plant wild flowers, participated in building hurdles, and done some coppicing in and around Friston Forest.