Julie's blog
Monthly Archives: October 2014
-
-
My life in crafting…
Posted at 12:40 pm , on October 18, 2014
I was fortunate to grow up in a very creative environment. In the spirit of ‘Make-Do and Mend,’ Mum was always cutting up old clothes to make rag rugs, or recycling newspapers and magazines to make bowls and waste paper bins.
I always wanted to follow in her footsteps (and make some pocket money) so, when I was eight, inspired by a dangerous combination of Blue Peter and Ladybird books, I began making Christmas decorations and persuading my neighbours to buy them. I was also inspired by the shells I collected every weekend on Cleethorpes beach – I’d stick them on anything and everything: découpage boxes, mosaic surrounds for mirrors and picture frames.
Me when I first started crafting! (At Butlins – kept losing room key so mum pinned it on me…)
An antique frame and postcard with a personalized mount I made in my teens. Couldn’t believe it says “Washed up by the tide at Grimsby” – My home town!
As an adult, hours have been spent upcycling old furniture, rubber stamping wallpaper, beading, making collages, transforming socks into teddies and creating mobiles, lamps, candle holders and jewellery from old tins, plastic bottles and soft drinks cans. I’m like a homing pigeon for anything that can be recycled instead of being chucked away. I just wish I had a huge crafts workshop to store it all, rather than having to cram everything in cupboards (with the risk of concussion once they’re opened because of everything falling out!)
An old cupboard (with broken door) that I disguised by adding punched tin inserts
What started as a hobby has grown over the years into a passion and, in spite of a busy schedule, I’m managing to devote more time to arts and crafts as I get older – especially now that Crafty Beggars has become such a big part of my life. In fact, it’s actually because of my schedule that I’m making the time to be creative. Being a driven person can be a mixed blessing and – according to my husband – crafting is the only time I’m truly relaxed!
A pair of my sock teddies
The therapeutic effect of making things with our hands can’t be underestimated and crafts enable us to express our personalities too – plus there’s such a feel-good factor about designing something unique and original. At a time when it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in a sea of technology (which can compound stress rather than reducing it) crafts can be the perfect antidote. Besides which, home-made is so contemporary, and bespoke products are in such demand, there’s no better time to become a Crafty Beggar!
Part of a mobile I made from soft drinks cans
-
The Clink
Posted at 8:38 am , on October 17, 2014
I am extremely proud to be sustainability ambassador for The Clink Restaurant at HMP High Down. I first visited The Clink in March 2012, and in May that year I was asked to present them with the Footprint Award for Corporate, Social and Environmental Responsibility. I have visited many times since then, and also recently had the pleasure of dining at The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton.
I’m always impressed by the excellent standard of service, the quality of the cooking and the elegant surroundings in The Clink restaurants – most of the stylish furniture is made by the prisoners too. But most importantly, the Clink Charity programme is proving hugely successful in raising public awareness and dramatically reducing re-offending rates – through the running of eco-friendly, fine dining restaurants that not only train prisoners to work in the catering industry, but also find them a job to start when they are released.
If you’d like to know more about The Clink please visit www.theclinkcharity.org
P.S. In 2013, under the guidance of the admirable Alberto Crisci (who set up The Clink Charity) and his talented team, I devised two limited edition flavours of speciality ice cream, ‘Ultra Violet’ and ‘Julie’s Delight’. These were launched at Gelateria Danieli – a boutique ice cream parlour in Richmond upon Thames – with £1 being donated to The Clink Charity for every ice cream sold. What an honour to have an ice cream named after me – it looked like molten Turkish Delight and tasted like heaven on a stick…(well I thought so anyway!)
Gary Webster (Wendy’s husband!) and I enjoy the big chill
As a Clink Ambassador I’m also honoured to be in such distinguished culinary company – food royalty!
Group
- Albert Roux OBE, group chef ambassador
- Vic Laws MBE, group restaurant ambassador
- Graham Bamford, group mentoring ambassador
High Down
- Giorgio Locatelli, chef ambassador
- Antonio Carluccio OBE, chef ambassador
- Andrew Etherington FIH FCSI, restaurant ambassador
- Peter Bramich, restaurant ambassador
- Julie Peasgood, sustainability ambassador
Cardiff
- Gareth Edwards CBE, restaurant ambassador
Brixton
- Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, chef ambassador
- Esher Williams, restaurant ambassador
-
Travel Writing
Posted at 8:56 am , on October 16, 2014
One of the things I enjoy doing most is travel writing. I’m very fortunate in that I’ve done a lot of travel presenting – I was recently with the Travel Channel for three years and I had my own travel show ‘The Great Escape’ on LBC radio. I was even a reporter for ‘Wish You Were Here?’ (Far longer ago than I care to remember!)
I’m now writing about travel too – for the Mail on Sunday and The Telegraph, and I’m Contributing Editor for Cruise International magazine. I also write a bi-monthly column for Magnet magazine with my husband Patrick Pearson. We visit various different ‘Destinations on your Doorstep’ within the Sussex area, where this popular magazine is distributed. In the October issue we looked at Brighton’s fascinating Kemptown, and if you’d like to read this – or to check out some of my other travel writing – please click on the various links below.
Land of the rising sun: a cruise from Taiwan to Japan
(Click to read at cruise-international.com)Cruise review: River Douro
(Click to read at cruise-international.com)Destinations on your doorstep: Kemptown
(Click to read)Highland Fling: Hebridean Princess
(Click to read at cruise-international.com)Peace and tranquillity in glorious Provence
Julie Peasgood on why she loves cruises
Vienna: for old-school glamour with a twist, give it a whirl
-
Get yourself shipshape
Posted at 8:49 am , on October 10, 2014
The Mail on Sunday
-
Out of Africa
Posted at 10:20 am , on October 9, 2014
Cruise International
-
-
