Getting my first coop

woohoo, it’s my first day of chicken keeping and I’m so excited. Since so many if you are interested and back yard chickens really have taken off , I thought I’d share my experience and research to date.  

 
My gorgeous coop was super reasonable and easy to assemble from the folks at http://www.farmfowl.com. Free delivery was the clincher but I also spotted some lovely coops on inthemarket.com 

It arrive in two boxes and I managed to assemble all by myself! Except the roof bit, that had me totally flustered! It’s fairly lightweight but once assemble it’s very sturdy. 

You will need hay, water containers feeders and food! I would recommend getting a starter kit as I didn’t and well it’s been a pain in the arse trying to get the feeder and waterer. 
 
Littlehill sanctuary of Mrs. Doyle fame, rescues over 10,000 hens twice a year and for a nominal cost will provide you laying hens for your new adventure into chicken keeping. I was waiting on a few of these when a neighbour asked me to re-home her little white hens who were being picked on. Still planning on dime of these gals though for the farm.  

  
After only 1 hour!! A precious white egg! I loaded the nesting boxes with dried herbs (basil, parsley, coriander) and they gobbled it all up. The girls will be coop bound for 2 weeks and then I will leave them roam free during the day . To stifle the boredom until then, I plan on lots of fun things. 

Hanging a lettuce from the coop to play and eat 

Wedging a roosting perch in the fence to sunbath 

Watermelon brunches! 
Lots of useful tips here

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.ie/2013/05/herbs-and-their-uses-for-your-chickens.html

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/443681/what-can-i-grow-to-feed-my-chickens

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2014/jan/29/grow-your-own-chicken-food

https://www.farmfowl.com/product-category/chicken-coops/

June 6, 2015June 6, 2015 by ewesir Categories: Chicken keeping, Completed WorkTags: backyard hens, chickens, first coop, grow your own, hen keeping starter kit, herbs for chickens, raising hens, tips for getting hens Leave a comment

Back to the grindstone with some birdie love

Back to work after a lovely holidays filled with wildlife, nature cycles and kitty cats 🐓🐤🐈🐆

Actually I’m delighted to be back to work, because tragically I love my job. I have re-opened my webstore http://www.ewesir.etsy.com  with a lovely special offer on my garden bird range. You can choose from any garden bird I have available. At present I have some robins, blackbirds, nuthatches and bluebirds. If you fancy an owl or hen instead… Don’t tell anyone but that’s no problem 🌼I only do this offer twice a year as it keeps me busy, so grab a bargain while you can.

I am am working in a fab little video at the moment if all the lovely wildlife I saw abroad.. So keep posted.

**limited time only and don’t forget to let me know which bird combo you would like.
Lots of love
Molly xx

May 30, 2015May 30, 2015 by ewesir Categories: Completed Work Leave a comment

tickle piggie wiggie

 

A lickle piggie wiggie to tickle!! 

I have are started my very own YouTube channel to store all my videos of the dogs, birdies and of course the piggies I love and create. If if you fancy giving a

piggie a tickle press here

 

May 30, 2015 by ewesir Categories: Completed Work, Needle Felt, PigTags: Animals, etsy, Felted pig, flat needle felting, needle felting, Oink, Pig, Piggie, Pot belly Leave a comment

Percy Robin, the robin not the footballer !

Lately I have spotted this cheeky fat and adorable robin in the garden. Bold as brass he pops down and finished the dogs porridge (I know-spoilt).

Having learnt his routine, I set up the camera to capture the rogue.

Hidden behind the curtain, and patiently waiting, he wouldn’t come!! Realising he was onto me and suspicious of the quiet, I opened the doors and completely ignored him. Worked a charm!!

                                                    Heres a few pics, and some of the work that followed.

 

 

         This is the branch he sits on every morning, next to the only apple on the tree!

 

 

 

          Some of the pieces that Percy inspired.

 

 

 

 

      You can view some of my robin prints here and theres more on the way!!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/163986024/robin-red-breast-european-bird-needle?ref=shop_home_active

 

 

Molly 🙂

October 10, 2013 by ewesir Categories: BIRDS, Completed Work, Needle FeltTags: felted animals, felted birds, flat needle felting, irish artist, irish birds, irish wild, robin Leave a comment

And what’s a butterfly?

And what’s a butterfly?, At best

He’s but a caterpillar, at rest.

~John Grey

Inspired by the stunning butterflies on the wild Buddleja growing outside, I veered away from my typical wildlife and fabric applique to try something truly different.

I made a few gift cards of these too. Wrapped in a little twine bundle, they make a perfect little gift in themselves.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/160787312/peacock-and-swallow-tail-greeting-cards?ref=shop_home_active

These are the three butterflies,

Left to Right

emperor, peacock,swallowtail

 I wanted to do predominantly Irish butterflies as I love to work from my own images, but I was taken by a few colourful exotic species too! I kept the plant life home grown though, with buddleja, thistle and wild daisy.

I had in mind that one could display their favourite two or three in a row, but when photographing, I just loved this little formation. Something extra quirky and distinct about it.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/162166492/instant-butterfly-collection-botanical?ref=shop_home_active

  I framed these up in a raw wood frame from a sustainable forest, must take some pics of that soon… actually lots more pics to take but in the middle of shooting, I had a liitle visitor get very jealous!

Hamish

I’ll post more soon,  but if you interested in following me on facebook to see more progress shots and of course more of Hamish!

http://www.facebook.com/EweSir

I also recommend

https://www.facebook.com/IrishWildlifeTrust

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Butterfly-Monitoring-Scheme/171699046218823

for fab info and pics o n Irish wildlife and butterflies, they are a great source of inspiration and information.

Molly

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013 by ewesir Categories: Completed Work, Flutters, Needle FeltTags: butterflies, embroidery, emperor, flat needle felting, irish buterfly, irish wildlife, needle felt, peacock, swallowtail, Vintage Leave a comment

Badgers, squirrels, and birdies

Been working away here, preparing for some exhibitions, so lots of new stuff, and unusual hangings.

These are my fab new prints on the etsy store, I just love them , they turned out so textural!

Tese are the next batch I hope to turn into prints. I really focused on expanding my Irish Wildlife Range

Don’t Forget to like the facebook page to keep up to date with new prints and offers.

https://www.facebook.com/EweSir

oh..heres a few pics of some mad shows these guys were featured in!

What you can see is the knitted cups and tea cups hanging from the roof!, The next picture is from a 24hour walking gallery where all the pubs/shops/restaurants are hijacked by artists to become art galleries for a week!

Hope you Liked

Molly

July 11, 2013 by ewesir Categories: Badger, Bears, BIRDS, Completed Work, DEER, FOX, heronTags: badger, birds, blue tit, etsy, heron, illustration, irish wildlife, needle felt, product photograpghy Leave a comment

Woodland Print Photography

Well I have been searching for inspiration for quite some time on how to capture the essence of my work in my photography. I wanted to show my little fuzzies in their natural environment and also where I spend most of my time. There is the most beautiful forest in Kerry, where all the birch has been stained a stunning copper colour from the sea air.

Taken in Glenbeigh Co.Kerry, Ireland

I just new this spot of closely knitted avenue of trees would be perfect. Had a different idea in mind though. The following are some fun images and images from the evening..

I was never one for hanging out my washing!!!

Love this shot… the wind was just picking up and a car in the distance makes the background light up.

Close up of the fox.

and tidy up time with my little helpers Hamish & Sir…

May 31, 2013May 31, 2013 by ewesir Categories: Bears, Completed Work, DEER, FOX, FOX, Needle FeltTags: bear, deer, felting, fox, illustration, irish craf, needle felting, photography, product photograpthy, woodland Leave a comment

What your Granny threw out…

Been busy preparing for a fantastic vintage fair here in Cork, and luckily my mom has been holidaying abroad.

While left me a fantastic opportunity to turn her entire house into a workshop!

They say vintage is what your granny threw out, well its safe to say if my mother walked in the door right now..I’D BE THROWN OUT.

In Ireland we have this unique thing called the “good room”. That refers to a sitting room that is only used when royalty or posh neighbours call around, and is not, i repeat not to be used as a storage area for prints and display stands like so…

Nor is it a place to staple ribbon onto notice boards…

but when the result is soo lovely I.m am positive she wouldn’t mind if she never finds out!

Heres a link to my facebook, here you can see lots more, but no telling mom.

http://www.facebook.com/EweSir

Love Molly

March 28, 2013 by ewesir Categories: Completed Work, image transfer, Notice Boards, pinboardsTags: craft fairs, enoch bolles, good housekeeping, magazine covers, pin up, Vintage 1 Comment

Hand Needlefelted Fox

Been so busy lately have really been neglecting my blog.

But I have been working on foxes since January.

This was the first one done over January. I’ve stuck with those earthy fabrics and colours throughout as its cutesy and rustic.

You can see where I have used fabric marker to outline the main charcteristics.

I gently build up the colours and tonal areas.

The face has such a pursed look and softness.

The tree came almost last, I felt it was a little lonely looking in terms of composition so added free hand stitching and fabric to create depth.

The second fox, I have made into a Giclee Print.

WHats a giclee print as opposed to all the others?

well its professionally scanned and edited to fully represent the original in terms of texture, colour, depth and longevity.

The image above is the beautiful Sarah holding the smaller of the two sizes with Hamish, but below is the actual print.

Its amazing to look at and touch, defies its flat surface.

Here it is with FREE P&P for a limited time only.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126721405/small-fox-print-fox-illustration-giclee?ref=shop_home_active

Here is a sneak peak of my two new foxes, not yet framed, as the frames have just been painted and need waxing

They will be a bit tighter in the mount, but like the overall composition and a true representation of the stunning clever and cute Irish Fox.

March 27, 2013 by ewesir Categories: applique, Completed Work, FOX, FOX, Needle FeltTags: etsy, flat needle felting, illustrations, irish craft, needle felt, red fox 2 Comments

LIMITED EDITION GICLEE PRINTS

Have a selection of some pieces recently made into prints.

Size range form A5 to A3 approx

Price range form 20euro to 45euro

plus P&P.

All are mounted, backed, & signed.

March 2, 2013 by ewesir Categories: Bears, Completed Work, DEER, FOX, FOXTags: flat needle felting, GGGRRrrr BEARS, giclee, GIFTS, illustration, prints, Vintage Leave a comment