Home Corner

With the start of term in just a couple of weeks I thought it was a good time to prepare. I am a childminder to Arthur's friends, and we have had a lovely summer on our own soon the boys and girls will be returning to play with us most days.
I thought a home corner would be really nice as Arthur is really into role play at the moment. I moved everything away. I love doing this makes my living room feel new all over again! Unfortunately I had a small piece of plaster coming off the wall, by the time I had finished it was a rather big space! Knowing i don't have time to deal with this I have made the homely corner more homely by just covering it up!
When I was looking to cover the space up I found an old rag rug the I had many years ago and it fits in perfectly, Arthur jumped on it straight away.

  I think my make do and mend or rather more of the make do effort looks good. A duvet cover and a felt animal scene that I have been waiting to get up somewhere all seems to have come together. Arthur likes the home corner and rushed in to tuck baby into the crib.

I am pleased with my days work, but I feel a little something more is needed. I feel it is good that areas grow over time, I was thinking a table and chairs in the form of a tree trunk and logs for chairs all sandpapered and varnished. A little secret woodland home?

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 !

There's a little place I know..........

Have I told you how much I love this time of year? For the simple fact that there is masses of lovely fresh fruit and veg everywhere. There is always something to make, and my taste buds are buzzing making all sorts to see us through till next year, when I get to start all over again!
There is a little place I know that has three wonderful plum trees. I have never seen anyone else picking from these trees and every year there are kilos and kilos, I pick bag fulls ready to make all sorts. This photo is in fact my second batch of plums.

I have become a plum snob as I can only eat good English and in season plums, nothing else compares. I make a good batch of jam, I like it rather tart! I also add loads to chutneys and I make a plum ketchup which is received with love from Mr PB as he has an allergy to anything from the tomato family, so he often lacks sauces and chutneys  ( but luckily he married the right girl and now his taste buds are happy).

I have also been rather inspired by rag rugs, in the past I have made a lovely wall hanging but what do you think of my rag rose broche?

First week of the summer holidays.

After an amazing birthday party for Liam now 15 we were left a little jaded after tidying the village hall and debris of 30 odd teenagers. The sense of achievement was great but made better I think by the fact that it was the first weekend of the summer holidays and we all needed a party.
I am a stay at home mum, but I stay at home with other people children too, yes I'm a childminder. I love it but I am really excited to spend some time with just my family!
So is it just me, do I find it hard to adjust or am I someone that just can't stop writing lists and ticking those actions off as if my life depended on it? Well yes I am but I think I am torn in many directions. My mind is saying yay its the holidays, do fun stuff and experience life. One of my main aims has to live more in the now, particularly in British summer time. I did manage this I spent two great days on Dartmoor with Arthur, the weather was perfect and I did feel free, I really find it easier to be outside with children. Climbing, pic-nic and sheep spotting with the most amazing views made those lists of things to do just disappear. I wish you could see better but photo's never show off the real thing.

So fun time was had, and it does feel like summer here, really warm! Any time I have been at home has just been filled with things to do, I I my own worst enemy, I create more than I need to. Mr PB has been away working this week and we are also getting everything together to go on holiday to Wales. By the end of this week I will need a holiday! Although I have been shopping and washing and lots of paperwork stuff has been done I did sneak a lovely walk along Tiverton canal where the it was peaceful and the nature was brimming.

So I feel I have been learning about myself this week, little ups and downs, learning to let go of stuff that isn't important (like putting new stuff on Etsy - it's  supposed to be fun!) I find I push myself harder when Mr PB is not here, but my older children do help out more. Maybe I have had a different routine that actually has allowed myself to think differently than the normal term time routine. I think I think to much!!

Electric changes, why did it take me so long?

Today I am making a big change in my life. The sad thing is I have been meaning to do it for so long, why are we so often full of good intentions and struggle to do simple actions that have big impacts?
 I am changing my electricity company, a simple step that takes five minutes but is probably the biggest step I will take in reducing our household emissions.
I will be changing to Ecotricity the green power house. The first UK company (maybe the world) that uses all the money from out bills to make more wind mills so they can provide more greener energy. In four years they have doubled the amount of green energy that they are supplying, with just over 50,000 customers. I will be very proud to be one of them.
Ecotricity don't just build wind mills either, they now have a solar powered farm too. They are also planning greener gas powered by algee and food waste, sounds interesting, whats more these new aspects can become a reality is we put in the support.
It's not support for a company to become big and rich (after all isn't that all we have known so far), no this is far far more important. By changing my power supplier I will be reducing my emissions and helping our beautiful planet.

Ecotricty, take a look http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/about/

Getting Crafty

Since Jan 2011 I have been a dedicated dressmaker. It was my pledge to leave the high street behind and make all my own clothes. I have been really proud and slightly big headed of my own achievements, yes I do have a summer wardrobe, I now wear at least on item of hand made clothing a day!! I
Although this is a great achievement I have come to a stop recently as I feel I have enough summer clothes and I'm not ready to start thinking about winter yet. So what is a girl to do, have rest maybe, I wish I could. I am just one of those people that needs to be doing.
So that brings me back to my other loves, crafting of one kind and another. I have been enjoying it so much. I have made two more table top puppets that can be bought from my Etsy page, Sew Excited. I think they are a little cute.
I have also dug out of the unfinished projects pile 4 hessian bags, with lovely fabric trims. These too may make it to the Etsy shop, or presents.
I am keen to build up some stock and gather ideas from fellow crafters for some easy makes. There will be  a community market in September and I would like to have a stall.

Wild Swimming or Extreme Paddling!

I have yet another new book (we all have our vises!) Wild Swim by Kate Rew, it is fantastic! If you are not from the UK do excuse me but I'm sure will appreciate the feeling rather than know the places!!

The photos are just lovely and inspiring if you love wild places, and it is a easy referance book for the whole of the UK . Lots of areas described in detail and how to get there, and a whole map of the UK with lists of 300 different places to swim. I was so thrilled to see that I had one been to  a few of them already and two knew sevral of the others aswell. I was so inspired that I wanted to be off wild swimming that very evening, luckily it was a sunny day, and luckily I knew of a lovely little spot just a few miles away from home, perfect!

My enthusiasm was there but not queit enough, it was freezing!! So rather than wild swimming I managed extreme paddling, but I really enjoyed myself and the best was yet to come.

Being out and about can be a hard time when you know we were all going to be hungry, so we bought dinner with us. I was so lovely shelling broad beans that I had picked from the garden an hour earlier, Arthur was a little dissapointed as he thought I was going to catch a fish and have it for our tea! Ater paddling and eating we just explored and threw stones into the water and genrally had the best evening, I even had enough time to get back for my yoga class, all simply perfect but slightly amazed at ouselves as it's not alway like this.