Little pictures and a garden update

This week I've been able to get a bit done in the garden but I couldn't resist a bit of crafty fiddling yesterday when this pretty frame die from Marianne Creatables arrived in the post.  Its cut from my favourite recycled tomato paste tube (the insides of course!).  I added a scrap of linen, a die cut, a tiny bit of embroidery and stamping.

There's still loads to do in the garden but I always say the best bits of my large plot are the bits that do it themselves.  The fruit trees put on their show with me doing nothing (I do know I should prune and care for them a bit but I choose to ignore that job), daffodil and tulip bulbs come up year after year on their own........
 

and the front garden under the oak tree has put on a wonderful show this year with garden bluebells and purple honesty flowering in profusion.

Although very pretty, these aren't our native bluebells - those that carpet woods and verges with a blue sheen.  These are a hybrid of the wild and Spanish bluebells that have taken over in our gardens.  They are still very pretty of course and in my garden have mixed themselves up to produce not only blue but pinky lilac and also white versions.  There's a nice video explaining the differences between wild, Spanish and hybrid bluebells here.

But enough of this - I don't have time to lie around on the wet grass like Kyffin, there's still lots and lots of digging, weeding and planting undone!

Bits and pieces

As I'm sure you are aware, crafters just hate to throw anything away and I'm no exception - as a single glance into my craft space will confirm.  I keep the teeny tiniest scraps of fabric and felt - especially the left over bits of the old embroidered linens I have been turning into scented sachets for my craft fairs.  I've been experimenting with the tiny embroideries as brooches and made this little collection over the last couple of days. 

And these little peace brooches are a perfect use for those tiny bits of vintage printed fabric I hoard too.  I often browse through the dies sections in my favourite on-line shops for inspiration and thought this set of two peace signs from MFT Die-namics would be useful.  The smaller of the two dies makes a sweet little brooch.

Thank you all for continuing to visit and your lovely comments.  They really do encourage me in my crafty endeavours!

Happy May Day

A happy May Day to all who read this!  Its a beautiful sunny day here with only that persistent chilliness in the shade to keep one from casting a clout!  This pretty illustration is by Dorothy Heather and you'll find it in Enid Blyton's Twelfth Holiday Book published in 1957. 

Putting together my month remembered page today its hard to imagine how we started April under a thick blanket of snow.  But here are the photos to prove it!  Hope its spring-like where you are.

Our summer visitors are here!

I was delighted to see my first swallows here in North Wales on Saturday (27th April) whilst driving home.  They were swooping over the river fairly close to the coast - but I couldn't stop to admire them there.  Then yesterday I saw two of our local swallows from the window of the top bedroom at my workplace.  They were resting on a TV aerial and I wondered if they had just arrived from Africa.  Its always a happy day when we see swallows and feel summer is really on its way at last.  

Looking back to last year I noted first seeing swallows on 3rd May and I made a card to celebrate.  This time I thought I'd make a quick embroidered picture - well more of a stamped applique really - for my celebration.  I stamped onto some blue fabric, cut out my swallow, attached it to some plain linen using iron-on adhesive, which I then attached to a pretty printed cotton.  A few running stitches and french knots were added and I stamped on the date.  The swallow stamp is from a set of four pretty bird images by Hampton Art - a US company but I think I bought them on ebay.

I was reminded of the swallow's lustrous blue feathers when I was browsing the way to blue's gorgeous stall at the fair on Saturday (I make no apologies for harping on about this fabulous event - see my last post).  I couldn't resist a couple of purchases - but what to choose!  In the end I went for this pretty notebook and a tealight lantern.  I was drawn to this image of a robin silhouette and once lit and sitting on my mantlepiece I didn't regret buying it even thought it took me ages to decide which design to go for.

(source)

I do remember reading about cyanotypes and I have a dim memory of a nature project in a children's book showing how to transfer an image of a pressed flower or leaf onto paper or fabric using sunlight.  However this is the first time I've seen this process being used to such beautiful effect - and by a local artist too!

Note to self for 2014 - Swifts arrived Bank Holiday Monday 6th May

Vintage in the Vale - Take 2!

Yes, a very happy day was had by all at Vintage in the Vale.  So pleased for Gillian - the clever creator of this fabulous fair. 

Clever, clever crafters...........  this is Lisa's gorgeous stall.......

Lovely stall holders................ here's Nia from Wish in Rhuddlan......

Lots of original creativity.....................

And delicious vintageness (I suppose that's not a word).....................

Really hard not to spend all my takings on such loveliness - these gorgeous aprons created from vintage dresses being very difficult to resist!

Add songs of the 40s and 50s from Paula Rose and lots of tea and cake, what more could you ask for?  Don't you wish you'd been there!  But wait.... don't feel downhearted, you could be at the next fair on 17th August - save the date!  I'll see you there!

Fairings

I freely admit that in the past I had an addiction to craft magazines (I'm over it now - honest!) - especially ones with free gifts on the cover.  I couldn't resist buying them but after an initial browse through I rarely picked them up again and when the pile got too high they ended up in the recycling box.  I kept the free gifts though - you know the type, a kit to make a small item from felt or fabric, but I never made any of the items as the felt was not nice to sew with, being very thin and stiff.  I much prefer my lovely plant dyed 100% wool felt offcuts from Myriad for my felt brooches.

However I recently found a good use for this felt - its perfect for cutting with dies and the stiffness is just right for these felt garlands I've made for my next craft fair.  I die cut two shapes, stitched them together and threaded them onto twine or cotton yarn with some wooden or felt beads as spacers.

There's a crochet version too.  And I had the idea to package them in small glass jars, generously donated by a work colleague's baby grandson (thank you Denise), and decorated to match.  Hope they tickle!

Twas World Earth Day

As always, I'm late.  Monday was World Earth Day - its now 1.50 am Tuesday, but as I haven't been to bed yet as far as I'm concerned its still World Earth Day.  And I did record the fading sunset at 6 minutes past 8 - looks like tomorrow will be a good day .  

At last I've managed to make a start on tidying the garden after the winter and with no help from me I found these beautiful Snake’s Head Fritillaries had pushed their heads through all the dead stuff to celebrate the day.

Well, its late and I've a lot to do in the morning so I'm keeping it short.  Just wanted to acknowledge the day somehow - and encourage myself to keep on with the tidying!