Introducing...

We have a new addition here at chez abigail*ryan...

Everyone, meet Mister Angus Bell.

He is eight weeks old (and a day) and is a Lhasa Apso (The breed were originally the alarm dogs for Tibetan Monks, and as such, they love sitting on your feet when they love you to keep you warm and show their affection... :)).

We have had him since Saturday and he is doing very well so far... he was a little sad being away from his mummy and sisters on the first night, but he is getting used to us and we're making great friends!

His bed, which firmly resembles a cloud, is helping greatly - especially as he's been feeling a little poorly since getting his jags and tablets at the vet yesterday. A hot little tummy and him being off his food is making Ryan and I quite worried and jangly as new pup owners... but he is perky as anything today, playing and being cheeky and drinking lots of water - so we think he is on the mend.

Best gift ever. (Thank you Mister R. Bell, xox)

*small paw high 5 from Angus* ;)

Abigail@abigail*ryan

New Tea-towels...

At LAST, our brand new tea-towel designs, which we had been working on so hard, have finally arrived back from the printers and we are *delighted* with them!

I managed to find a few hours of sunshine yesterday, helped with the external natural reflector that snow is (!), to shoot them all and they are now full live and online, in the SHOP.

We have three new designs, in two colourways each... Dahlia in Raspberry and Mango, Agapanthus in Heather and Cornflower, and Hydrangea in Avocado and Duck Egg Blue!

We hope you will love them as much as we do, and will enjoy their new introductory price of £9.50, which, we think, makes them the perfect gift for Christmas... especially if you are going to parties, as they make idea host/hostess pressies!!

Happy Browsing!

much more to share, *very* soon!!

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Abigail's Sale is LIVE!!

My Sale is LIVE! To claim your 25% discount, and ensure Christmas delivery, enter the code 'HAPPYHOLIDAYS2010' at checkout...

Happy Shopping!

xo Abigail

Castle Ward Craft Fair Weekend...

Hi everyone - we're back from a brilliant weekend at Castle Ward where we were exhibiting at Crafted 2010...

It was a really successful weekend for us, and our brand new lavender bags and tweed roofed houses went down a storm for Christmas gifts! Here are a few shots from our wee corner...we were really happy with our stand, and now those fairy light are adorning our living room as they made us feel so cheerful! ;)

We have a little bit of re-stocking to do, however, we are hoping to get our new items photographed this week and online for sale asap!

It is *so* cold here, and being in the basement of a big stone castle only made it colder... this was me on day one, but by day three, I was three layers of knitwear deep, plus scarves and the hat. Ryan, and my folks were the same - I'm sure we looked like abominable snowmen!!

For all of you who visited our stand, or purchased some a*r goods, many thanks for stopping by... :)

Back soon,

Abigail@abigail*ryan

p.s. we've heard our teatowels are going to be with us at the end of the week, and we are over the top excited to see them, and share!!! eeeep!

Stacks and stacks (and stacks!)...

Two very long days, hard at work in the studio...we're making stacks and stacks of lovely a*r goodies for the Crafted Fair this weekend (and to debut online very soon!)...

Come and see us at Castle Ward from this Friday through to Sunday.

A*R

Round the houses...

A wee bit of fun from us this week, ahead of attending and exhibiting at the Crafted Craft Fair at Castle Ward next weekend...

Some small bits of softness, for little hands to hold and squish or to decorate a small persons bedrooms - all in the form of little houses. What wee one (or big one, for that matter) wouldn't want to choose their perfect house combo?!

Hand-woven Scottish tweed roofs, Irish linen facade's, Italian lambskin leather doors (oh-so buttery soft) and hand embroidered window panes...I love lining them all up to make terraces ;)

More from the sewing studio all this week as we work on more quilts, brand new cushions, fill yet more lavender bags and all sorts more besides!

See you soon!

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Opening night at Pop-Up TANK Gallery...

Hi everyone - stopping in quickly tonight to share some photos from the opening of the pop-up shop in Armagh which we are part of!

Here is the stand we put up in our little corner of the gallery space...we were really happy with our wee display (and our newly finished lavender bags - they smelt amazing!)...

Click HERE to see the full slideshow of everyone else's work from the show. Info on each maker is available beneath each photo, along with websites (where I can find them etc) - so you can all get a lovely feel for how much fab Art and Craft is in the gallery, even if you can't make it there in person...

If you are local, though, I would thoroughly recommend you make the trip... it's open from now until Christmas Eve, from 11am-9pm... further info can be found on the TANK facebook page HERE!

Congrats to Rachel and Stephen on all their hard work pulling the whole event together - it looks fantastic!!

Abigail & Ryan

Lavender Bags!

Well, let me tell you - our house smells *amazing* and we got one heck of a good sleep last night! ;)

...that's because several kilo's of Provencal Lavender arrived with us so we could begin to fill the gorgeous little lavender bags we have been working on...

Unique and exclusive a*r fabric on the front - all new designs, featuring dahlia blooms, rhododendrons, dahlia buds and sycamore seeds in gorgeous hues - and our locally sourced unbleached Irish linen on the back...

Slip one of these on a hanger in your wardrobe, in your drawer, or under your, or your baby's, pillow at night, and calming, soothing lavender will seep into your home.

Coming Soon... (I am just finishing filling them, and hand-stitching them closed)... some will be at TANK Gallery from Friday, and they will also go online with us, shortly...

A@a*r

New, New, New!!

Some brand new abigail*ryan fabric arrived with us today and we wanted to share right away, even though, frankly, it's pitch dark and not the right kind of light to be showing it off... but we just couldn't wait!

On top is our new Dahlia fabric... it's going to be cushions in three colour-ways (grey with pinks, yellows and duck-egg blues)... and the artwork I designed for our forthcoming Lavender bags in a variety of shades and designs...

We will be starting to sew tomorrow, I should think! I hope you all love it as much as we do!!

**WORD UP!!! Some of these goodies will be on display at a pop-up shop we are taking part in in Armagh... you can read a little more about the gallery space, TANK, on the facebook page, right here. If you are in Ireland (North or South, we are very near the border), or know someone who is, please do spread the word... the gallery pop-up is going to be running for six weeks from Friday, right up until Christmas eve and features 20 of Northern Ireland's best Craft and Design talent, all under one roof!

Of course - they will be debuting online very soon, too.

Gosh, well, it's been a very long day - so I think a big cup of tea and an evening of sitting down is in order... seeing the fruits of our last few weeks labours today, it's really no wonder we're beat!!

More soon,

Abigail@abigail*ryan

This Works...

...and it smells scrumptious too!

The Black Spice and Cedar candle from 'This Works' is a new favourite for us - the sweet orange, cinnamon, clove and cedarwood making the house smell warm and welcoming... perfect for Autumn.

'This Works' was launched by Kathy Phillips' who worked as Health and Beauty editor at Vogue for seven years... so, if she says it works, it really does!

The smell from the parsnips I am roasting right now for soup compliment it perfectly ;)

(FYI - we found ours for a bargain in TK Maxx, so if you live near one, check to see if they have any more 'This Works' candles you could try! I like it so much I would definitely buy it full price too!)

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Off to Print!

We're so excited... and just had to share!

After MUCH wrangling and issues with our printing this year (gah!), we have finally sent three new designs off to print (and are re-printing Rhododendron)... and they will hopefully be arriving with us in a few weeks time...

Here is a small preview of one of the new designs - Dahlia, which will be coming in this deep delicious Raspberry, as well as in a hot coral orange ... and will be centered on a lovely unbleached cotton tea towel!

We hope you like it...

More to share VERY soon :)

Abigail@abigail*ryan