Blossom

Meet Blossom:

I’m very proud of Blossom. Ok, perhaps the stitches could be a little neater and she did take the best part of an afternoon to make, but she’s something I’ve sewn. Until recently, I considered myself as someone who can’t sew – in fact I was rather scared of sewing. It seemed to me to be something fiddly, frustrating and requiring greater dexterity than I possessed – not that I’d ever really tried, I just knew. Silly really, given all the other crafts I do but I had quite a hang up about sewing. I’d tried to learn before but made the mistake of trying to start off with a sewing machine. It didn’t go well. The sewing machine has been out of its box twice. I’m not sure what made me decide to give it another go but I’m so glad I did. What I’m discovering is that, as with so many things, patience, practice and perseverance really do pay off.

I’m now planning a whole range of little flower dolls – snowdrops and daffodils for next month’s nature table are top of my list – and maybe one day soon I might pluck up the courage to make a proper full-size waldorf doll. If anyone reading this fancies making their own little Blossom, she’s available as a kit fromDe Witten Engel. I got mine from myriad. There are lots of other plants and flowers in the range – holly, snowdrops, and toadstools to name a few – all of them lovely!

Thanks for taking a peek.

xxx

dawdle days*

*days spent making…

…baking…

and creating.

dawdle days  – my favourite sort of day.

Winter Nature Table

Our walk earlier in the week provided a great opportunity to gather some fallen treasures for a winter nature table. Up until recently the space was occupied by the Little One’s advent calendar but now that all Christmas-related items have been taken down and packed away, we can use it to display our seasonal finds and crafts – something I’ve been wanting to do for ages…

As well as natural items, we’ve included animals we’ve observed or talked about this week. Squirrels in particular have been much discussed and we’ve had great fun watching them in the park. The Little One seems to find them hilarious for some reason. Well, I guess they are cute…

a winter walk

Llanthony Priory

Llanthony Priory is a special place. Nestled in the sheep-dotted Vale of Ewyas, it couldn’t have a more atmospheric setting. Giraldus Cambrensis described the area as “ a situation truly calculated for religion”. Foggy conditions added to the drama when we visited.

The Priory dates to the early 12th century. It was founded by a Norman nobleman, William de Lacy and Ersinius, a former Chaplain to Queen Matilda. The two hermits attracted a band of followers and a church was built on the site. Later, the number of monks grew to around 40 and they adopted the Rule of St. Augustine, becoming one of the earliest houses of Augustine canons in Britain.

In 1135, tensions between the Normans and the local Welsh population led to a daughter cell, Llanthony Secunda, being founded in Gloucester. The priory’s valuables were removed there and the fortunes of the mother house seemed to dwindle. The rebellion of Owain Glyndwr in the early 15th century further diminished the priory’s standing. The priory was dissolved under Henry VIII and the remaining monks received pensions. Over the following centuries, the priory decayed and became a ruin. In the 18th century, a house was built within the ruins. It is now a hotel.

St. David’s Church stands adjacent to the ruins and has it’s origins in the sixth century. It is a simple, peaceful place.

Beautiful surroundings, atmospheric ruins and a 12th Century Bar (!) make Llanthony a wonderful place to visit. Oh, and there’s plenty of good spots for playing Hide and Seek…..

Christmas at Rosebud Farm

The inhabitants of Rosebud Farm had great fun joining in the festivities this year. The put up bunting, decorated a tree and were very pleased with their new winter coats and scarves.

Even Bonker Cat* received a lovely warm scarf! I hope you all had an equally wonderful Christmas!

*named so by my daughter for reasons known only to her……

a gift for the birds

The prolonged cold snap can be hard on wildlife. When I heard from my mother that she’d found a dead wren in her garden, I decided we should make some fat balls for the birds. Although they don’t look terribly appetising, they’re full of things that birds like to eat.

We started off by threading some string through some used yoghurt pots and securing with a cocktail stick.

We then melted a pat of lard in a pan and when it was liquid added the dry ingredients to it. We used bird seed, breadcrumbs, raisins and porridge oats but there’s lots of other things you could use – cheese, bacon rind, grated apple, cooked potatoes….. In terms of quantities, I just guessed and kept adding dry until the mixture looked a suitable consistency – don’t make it too dry though as it may crumble when you remove from the pots. Next, we spooned the mixture into the pots and put in the fridge for a few hours to set. I found the easisest way to unmould the cakes was to cut off the yoghurt pots with some sharp scissors then remove the cocktail stick.

The Little One was very helpful choosing spots for the feeders and I’m hoping we’ll have plenty of fat, happy birds in our garden over Christmas!

For additional info about feeding the birds take a peek at the rspb site here.

Ice Art

It’s hard to know where to start after such a long absence. Should I bore you all with tedious excuses and stories of good intentions gone wrong? No, I don’t think that would be a good way to begin. Let’s just plunge back in….

I’ve admired these icy suncatchers on other peoples blogs so when the temperatures dropped last week, I though it was about time we made our own. Even though I’d seen them in pictures, I was still surprised by just how lovely they are – especially when the light catches them and the leaves and berries held within seem to glow….

If you’ve not made one before, they’re so simple. You just need a bowl or plate that won’t crack if it freezes (so enamel or plastic), some string, some leaves and berries (perhaps gathered on a nice frosty winter walk), some water and a very cold night. Arrange the leaves and berries in the bowl fill with a couple of centimetres of water, place string in and leave outside overnight to freeze. The next morning you’ll have your very own piece of beautiful, ephemeral art!

Finished Object Friday: Another Armorique

Pattern: Armorique by Eclat Du Soleil

Yarn: UK Alpaca Baby Alpaca/Merino DK (50g) x 4

Colourway: Buttermilk

Hook: 5.00mm

Notes: I’d been asked to make this for a friend who keeps alpaca. She’d seen the previous shawl I’d made using Rowan Kidsilk Haze and wanted me to make her the shawl using some alpaca yarn that she supplied. As it was DK, rather than the fingering weight yarn specified in the pattern, I used a larger hook to ensure laciness and drape, and made fewer rows and a smaller border. I’m really pleased how it turned out. I must confess to a few moments of doubt about the suitability of the yarn but blocking utterly transformed the piece. Only problem now is that I’m not sure I want to part with it…. 🙂

Finished Object Friday – now with added cuteness :)

These are some prototypes for a beret design I’m (sort of) working on* at the moment. They’re actually adult size but my little one has become quite attached to them so I’m thinking a child-size version will soon be making an appearance!

*Working on = occasionally remembering I was going to write up the pattern then asking myself “does the world really need another beret pattern?”, being unable to decide and then going and doing something else instead….. 🙂

P.S Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a free iPhone Cozy pattern.