Creative Friday.

Over the last week we have been decoration's in a thrifty kind of way. Arthur has started to want to play in his own space, so what was called his bedroom was really filled with every ones junk. So out with the old and in with the nearly new or new to Arthur!

Using inspirational from this lovely book we made special bunting. This is a great book, I just loved to many of the idea, I think Amanda and I share a love for old blankets!

 
We also put up this wonderful print found at a local boot fair (flea market) for £!.

And finally Arthur made ART ! We has a lovely time, after making this we had a huge peace of paper and a free for all.

So I hope to get round to sharing this with everyone else on creative Friday  http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.co.uk/ , have you been busy or still relaxing after the Easter break?

Community crafting and Super Soup.

This post has been a long time coming! About a year in fact, when I started blogging I was so impressed by the support and creativity in this community I was inspired to do more. Here was the birth of a community quilt project. I gave everyone young, old, male, female, stitchers, non stitchers a blank square. All you had to do was decorate it.

After some time I got the square back and I have made a village quilt that is to have it's home in the village hall. A place that needs lots of love and making pretty, a perfect place then.

So today we hung the quilt and invited everyone along for tea and cake. So here is a our final quilt.

This Arthur's square he was the youngest (he had a little help)

These where my two squares

Plenty of tea and cake to go round!

We also used the village hall along side two lovely ladies that ran an event called Super Soup. For a donation to Christian aid you could some truely wonderful soups and home made bread.

All the hard work of making the quilt was really worth the lovely day  sitting around having soup then tea and cake. Villagers just dropping by for lunch and to see their square in the quilt, a really relaxed time but a real sense of community. I just love bringing like minded people together for crafts or food music whatever it just feels so great ( after all the worry of will any come or want to take part goes!)

I think I will really strive to work in groups more often.

PS a litle sneak preview of my OPOW!

Knitting inspiration

I was lucky enough to have an amazing day trip to London with my Mum and sister at the weekend. We went to the Stitch and craft show at Olympia, it was really fantastic I didn't expect there to be so much.

This was a highlight for me though

Yes these amazing blankets from the Simply Knitting Magazine stall. They had a campaign called Comfort Blanket in aid of Refuge. http://simplyknitting.themakingspot.com/blog/refuge-comfort-blanket-campaign-the-details

There was an e book available, each square was designed by famous knitters. They raised a whopping £2,049.50

I was totally inspired. Firstly a way to improve my not very good skills, secondly and project that can build slowly. I was thinking a square for me a square for charity, what a way the to improve. Any one else interested in joining me, I was thinking autumn time?

Celebrationg our hands 3/31

Following along with Josie at http://www.myhomemadehappy.com/ , her efforts are on day 3 but this is my first entry but I am keeping up with everyone from now on :

Today I had 2 1/2 tons of poo arrive on the path, so I had to move it over my wall!

Lets just say Mantra's DO work, I kept running through my mind "my beautiful garden" and I have managed to move two thirds of it today, just a little left for tomorrow.

CRAFTIVITS

I have been recently following Craftivist Collective http://craftivist-collective.com/ who state a spoonful of craft helps the activism go down. Well anyone who loves Mary Poppins and crafts as much as I do will have a friendship made in heaven!

There is a serious side, using craft to put across messages about human rights, environmental issues the list gos on as do the worlds in equalities. By highlighting issues hopefully we make the world think and act.

So my first attempt at craftism has take some time, I struggled with my message, I wanted it to come from the heart and also know enough about my comment that if I was challenged I wouldn't wilt away.
I though inspiration messages or quotes, then I thought something simple goes a long way. BE KIND, as simple as that. Then ofcourse the time spent sewing of which I chose to hand sew, I also spent time pondering the message for myself and how I hope it will inspire others.

So my inspiration bunting as the collective call it is placed in my village bus stop. Yes it's a little dark and dingy but the local notice board is housed here too so most of the village should get a peek and hopefully take some note.

As I was putting up my bunting an older lady asked what I was doing and said what a wonderful idea and not enough of us where very kind these days and could I make a be happy one too!

If the idea of prompting goodness has sparked an interest have a look at the website with a valentines project coming up http://craftivist-collective.com/  . There is also book for avid knitter called knitting for good by Betsy Greer.

Give it ago it's surprising how liberated you feel !

Crafting in the community.

During my blog time of just under a year I have come to really enjoy this past time. I feel that I have some real friends in a cyber world, I feel supported, inspired and encouraged along my journey of crafting, dressmaking, family and anything else that happens to come along. But what about 'real life', do any of you get involved in crafting projects within the community you live?
Recently I have started a community quilt project which is a massive task, and I'm just not ready to explain it all yet but there has also been some wonderful light relief too. The back ground to this post is that my local town holds a Christmas tree festival in the church where all sorts of groups, charities and business decorate their tree, over sixty in total.
I have been really luck to be involved in two trees. The first being Shobrooke angels (shobrooke is my little village). We had a workshop in the village hall (all 1940s fans would adore it) and we made peg angels. It was a lovely experience of young, old newcomers and old timer all getting together and having a real laugh!

Here we can see Arthur's little angel, who looks as if she has had a little accident!! He was very insistent on making it all himself, I just managed brief moments of putting it together. Some of the others really made some beautiful angels.

The second tree I helped to make decorations was WEN the women's environmental network they are a very worth while group and I urge you to take a look http://www.wen.org.uk/ . So for this group we wanted to up cycle our clothes or fabric stash to make hearts and stars. here was my offering

it was also a real enjoyment putting our decorations up and then bringing the family back to have a look at our own and every ones elses efforts.

                       the lace makers made about fifty of these and it took all year to do.

It has been a wonderful experience and I will now seek out opportunities to craft as a community or group again. Does other communities have projects that you get involved in?

MMmm CAKE.

 

I just wanted to share with you a little story of cake, quiet possibly one of my favourite things pf all time. This is a special sour dough cake mix, passed on by Nicola a lovely potter in our village. Herman is a friendship cake that is alive and continues to grow over ten days.

This is Herman the cake mix on day one, we had to keep him on the side stirring him on each day, adding ingredients on day four and nine. Watch hoe he grows, it is really amazing!

On day nine we split Herman into five equal parts, in theory you keep one and give away the other four in friendship. Because we are greedy we gave away two, leaving us with two cakes to make up and one to start all over again.

The mix is quiet dense and you can add what you like, we had one with a fruit cake mix and the other choc and choc chips! I was really surprised at the size and the flavour is great. A real interesting taste that is thick but not over sweet.Looks like everyone else like it to as there isn't much left!

Just as well I kept a batch to do it all over again, I think it was a real success. I wish I could tell you how to start the sour dough but I I don't know. What I really like is the fact that it can keep growing and growing!

Rosehip Syrup and Leg Warmers

Each year I seem to have a passion that I follow, lets say strongly. In the past wild food or foraging has been one of them, and to my delight I have some amazing recipes that I will seek out year after year, one of those is Rosehip Syrup. I used a recipe from the most fantastic book, Wild Food by Roger Phillips, it is a must in the world of food for free, the photography is stunning and creative.

After completing a lovely Autumn walk this weekend I had enough rosehips to make my syrup. Knowing that this syrup is so utterly amazing I have cut my rosehips by hand for the last few years, but this year I had a new gadget to help. MrPB bought me a little present from the recycling centre which at the time didn't go down to well! But now all is forgiven as this wonderful creation made my job so so much easier.

OOps picture gone a bit funny, sorry! This is the recipe :

1kg of rosehips

4 and half pints of water

450g sugar

. Mince up the rosehips and put in pan

. add 3 pints of boiling water, wait for it all to reboil

. infuse for 15mins

.strain through jelly strainer

. put rosehips back in pan

. add another 1 and half pints of water, bring to boil again

. infuse for another 10 mins

. strain again

. now reduce the rosehip water to a litre

.add your sugar and dissolve

.bottle

eat on everything, but our favourite is with stewed apples, cream and syrup poured over the top.

I have also been busy knitting my first pair of leg warmers. I am not really a knitter although I am keen to improve. I really enjoyed making them, this pair will be off to Kent for my sisters birthday, but I am making myself a pair now.

Creative Fridays, Mythic Garden Visit.

I really enjoy taking part in creative Friday, following Natural Suburbia blog.I naturally find I am creative as often as possible and it is good to challenge myself by getting my children to be more creative too.
Today though I thought seeing as the weather has picked up again here in the UK it would be a good time to explore others creative efforts. So of to the Mythic Gardens on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon. I truly love this place, set in 5 acres of woodland, an arboretum with many species of silver birch. The sculptures are wonderful, magical in fact, along with those that are homed here permanently, they have new offerings every year, so it is a great place to go year after year! Although out of my price range, all the sculptures are for sale.
Now you will have to excuse me as this now becomes a photo fest, something I don't normally do is put many many photos up in one go. But this is such an amazing place I wanted you to experience it as much as possible!

The lady on the sheep is actually made by someone I know, not only does she have a smallholding, make here clothes, knit and make everything!! She is also a talented artist, one of my favourite pecies at the Mythic Gardens. If you are ever pass, do pop in !