More blocking and gifts

Here's my wonderful spring season swap gift - just gorgeous. Thank you Claire xx

And here's the crochet scarf that I started way back in February. I've been picking it up every now and then, intermingling with other things I've made to ease the boredom, then finished it a couple of nights ago. I blocked it yesterday, along with another choker I made months ago!, so now I just need to buy some beads to decorate the ends.

What to do with 5!! mangos and very little time?!

FIL brought a large bag of fruit that he'd bought from a sunday market which included 5 very ripe mangos, so I had to think of something that would use them quickly! I had suggestions from the lovely ladies on The Green Spirit Forum, but in the end I went for mango and coconut ice cream as I'd been delivering my posters, then had to make pizza for tea. I made the recipe up and it's not a 'proper' ice cream, but oh my goodness it was delicious :-

3 mangos (that's about the quantity I ended up with out of the 5 due to bruising and stuff)

1 small can coconut milk (just the white creamy bit, not the clear liquid)

2 desert spoons icing sugar (sweeten to taste)

I blended the mangos with a stick blender, then stirred in the coconut milk carefully, then the sugar. I have an ice-maker, but you can put it tin the freezer, stirring every couple of hours to even out the crystals.

I think I can safely show you my season swap items (fingers crossed but I don't think the recipient reads my blog). One basket with 3 eggs (the lady has 3 children) and one duckling. I made them all up as usual :o).

Welcome 2011

Happy New Year to everyone :o). It's a bit late I know but I was woken just an hour into 2011 (we were in bed at 10.30 as hubby was at work at 6) by a small boy being sick! So we've had a slow couple of days with a poorly boy, although I have managed to catch up with alot of laundry and sorted through my wardrobe and drawers.

The above snowman is the season swap gift I forgot to show you - see his coal-like eyes? arn't they just fab. He's sat on our season table watching the snow which is trying to fall outside.

I was going to look back at 2010 but I'd rather look forward instead. I will just say that the word that would sum up 2010 for me is acceptance - acceptance that my mum died, acceptance that my dad is who he is and he's not going to change. My word for 2011 is embrace - embrace the things my kids love (even if I don't), embrace who I am, embrace my choices fully, embrace life. My mood in general is very positive, which is great, and such a relief. In fact, since I stopped taking agnus castus (which I was taking to try and regulate my periods) I've felt much calmer and my periods are now fully in tune with the moon :o).

I may see you again later as I've got so much to show and tell, but no photo's. Happy, happy new year again xxxxx

No housework to be done until next week?

See, those snowflakes up there? I made those....with a pattern....ALL by myself.....I read a crochet pattern!!!!!!!!!!! :o). They're from Attic24, such a wonderful blog, very easy to follow instructions, with pictures too. I'd seen some stars somewhere else so I thought I'd have a go at those too - no pattern, just looking at the pictures. Once all the yule crafting is finished there may be a minor snowflake flurry in the house.

These, along with a crochet snowflake (think I may have mentioned those all ready ;o) ) are my season swap. Don't know if the person I've sent them to reads this blog but I couldn't wait to show you.

On with the yule crafting then. Here we have the finished bath bags. So easy to make as they take minutes to put together. I made lavender ones and chamomile ones, so I just put a handful of oats and a handful of dried flowers into the middle of a square of muslin, then pick it up by the corners so you can make the bunch then fasten with ribbon. Easy peasy. The sugar scrub was even easier. 2 cups of soft brown sugar, 1/2 cup sunflower oil, 1/4 cup of jojoba oil and 1/4 cup of sweet almond oil, then 40 drops of essential oil of your choice. For this one (as my sister loves sweet smelling things) I've used cinnamon. Mix together in a bowl then put into your chosen container. When my shopping arrives I'm going to tie a couple of cinnamon sticks onto the jar as well. This smelt soooo good I nearly licked my fingers once I'd scrapped the last bits off the spoon!!!

On and off throughout the day I managed to make 12 more gift bags. These ones were super easy as I just cut a rectangle out of fabric, folded it over to make the bag the stitched all the way round. These will be fastened with ribbon tied on them or around them depending on what's in them. The two bundles at the front are the cocoa butter hearts wrapped in muslin.

I must tackle some of the washing today as I can't find the corner of my bathroom and the kids keep asking me for clean pants. I probably should clean the bathroom too, and maybe hoover the house at some point, as we also have a birthday in the house on Monday, which means guests will be in and out all day. Erm.....

The good and the bad, part 2

Lets get the bad over with shall we. My second batch of wild rose petal jam! I had to strain the petals out as they wouldn't dissolve again and then, once it had set it crystallised again. I'm going to have to find a different recipe as this one clearly doesn't work.

A bottle of my rhubarb, elderberry and blackcurrant cordial exploded in my food cupboard!!! Not only did I lose the cordial and the jar, but also some food as well.

It's been an odd week altogether really - my brother and his girlfriend, and my brother-in-law and his wife are separating (none of us are really surprised by either); my Nan had to go for a mammogram as there were concerns, but everything is ok thank goodness; and then there was another incident with my Dad (I wish he would go to bereavement counselling but you can't force someone to go can you!) which has resulted in him and my brother not talking to each other! It's exhausting!! There was some good last week though:-

My finished season swap for the Green Parent Forum. An embroidered sunflower and I found a sunflower poem to go with it.

My brother was taking this to the tip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It used to be my Mum's (not sure where she got it from) so I'm sooooo pleased that we rescued it. It runs quite smoothly when you turn the handle but I'm going to have it serviced when I have a bit of spare cash. I did a bit of research on the internet as it still has it's number on it - it was made in 1893.

The other good bit of last week was the Green Day concert at Wembley on Saturday night. It was absolutely amazing. We have seen them before, but to see them at Wembley was something else. They were on stage for nearly 3 hours!! Hubby and I stayed in a hotel then went into the centre of London on the Sunday morning. I'd never been to Trafalgar Square before, so we went there, and then had a look round the National Gallery. Also went to Covent Garden and Leicester Square.

-o-

A very exhausting week, full of good and bad. Hopefully things will be better this week. The sun is shining for the solstice, let's hope it lasts for a while longer. Solstice Blessings to everyone.

Need a kick up the backside!

I don't know if it's a combination of the looonngggg winter or having the builders in since the beginning of January, but I've been doing bugger all these past few weeks. It still feels like I haven't stopped but I think that's just my brain whirring all the time with things that need doing, orders I should be doing, blah, blah, blah. I know I've been spending far too much time on the computer, though I don't really know what I've been doing as it's been 10 whole days since I posted on here! The things I have to show you (except for the card above) have all been made by talented mama's elsewhere. The card was for my nephew's birthday - the picture is one he loved and posted up on facebook so I printed it off, after resizing it, then made the card. I never got round to making the anniversary card, shame on me.


Now to the gifts we've received for the season swap on the Green Parent Forum. We have a pom pom chick, a daffodil, a rabbit and a hen. Thank you so much Daisypip, they are just beautiful.

This is a daffodil bud baby kit that I bought from Myriad. I was a little sceptical when I recieved it but it has come together beautifully.

These are the season swap gifts we received from Liz, as mentioned in the previous post. We've filled the bowl with our different eggs.

And just look at these gifts! Arn't they just gorgeous?! They were made by the most amazing crafting mama - go take a look at her blog. Dawn very kindly sent these as a surprise for me - my very own needle felted Mother Earth and her root children. Just gorgeous. Thank you so much xxxx.

So here is our season/nature table this year. We also have a vase with daffodils and forsythia in it but I don't put it on here in case the cats decide they are going to sit there! You'll have to excuse the dust - unfortunately the builders only clean the work area, not the rest of the house that likes to share plaster dust!!!!

Swaps and cards

As it's the Spring Equinox/Ostara today it's the day for opening our GP season swap. This is what we sent to the lovely PixieMama - an appliqued springy picture and a finger-knitted then stitched nest with wet felted eggs (made by JJ and myself).

We also took part in a separate swap organised by Liz - this is what we sent. A cherry blossom fairy and a beeswax egg candle. I've received the gift from Liz but I'm unable to photograph it yet. We got a gorgeous felted bowl and a fabric seal/bird (embarrassingly some of us think its a seal and some of us think it's a bird). They are both beautiful.

Two more birthday cards (on the same theme as the last ones) for the remaining girly birthday's this month.

Where is the time going?

I've actually managed to do some crafting! Another heart, and I've finished the first part of the GP season swap but I can't show you it as the recipient may see it. That is very frustrating as it's something I've not done before and I really want it to show you but I can't - I'm really quite pleased with how it's turned out.

I forgot to show you the books on my kitchen side as well - some of my cooking books. The one used the most is my Mum's old bero book, then the Delia book (although I fell out with her over her last series on TV), then the River cottage family cookbook. I tend not to follow recipes exactly (just like my crafting really) but I do love to drool over the pictures ;-). You'll have to excuse the dust - I would blame the builders as there is more than normal, but really I hate dusting.

One off the list and the GP Season Swap

The peg bag for my sister made with some scrap fabric and one of my Mum's skirts. Just got to do the carrier bag holder now.



This is like the Season Swap item I made for the GP swap. I loved it so much I had to make one for us too. Mine parcel hasn't arrived yet, but hopefully it will be here soon.


I also had my very first sales through Handmade Haven - very exciting.

Swaps

A post went up on the GP forum for a Christmas stamp swap - what a great idea. So here's mine that I received yesterday, along with some extra crafty bits that will definitely be put to good use.

Another swap is the Season Table Swap. After sewing all my sisters stuff yesterday I wanted a break from the san pro bits so I thought I'd start my swap item. I LOVE IT! I really want to show you it, can't believe how well it turned out. I'm definitely going to have to make another one just in case this one ends up on our table ;-).

Loads

The Father's Day card I made for my Dad. Things seem to be going ok with him at the moment so lets keep our fingers crossed.

These are the items we received in the GP season swap - a gorgeous foxglove fairy and a dog rose fairy. They are both absolutely beautiful. We also received a display card with the lifecycle of the ladybird on it. Thank you very much.

This was part of the swap I sent out. It's a crocheted sun bowl. I also made a felt butterfly and a lavendar wand but forgot to photograph them.

My Father-in-law fetched some more beeswax from the car boot sale at York racecourse on Saturday. It's surprising how different the colours are compared to the other wax I have. This morning I made 2 candles with them. I think the wicks are had left are actually too thin but I'll give them a go ;-).

My Mother-in-Law brought some fabric square panels that are usually used for patchwork cushions. She's given me 4 and ordered 2 bags from me with the other 2.

I've not done much on the ordered bag this week so I sat and did a bit more last night. Going to try and do a little bit this afternoon while peeping at Wimbledon :-).