a walk in the woods

We love to wander in the woods and see what new and wonderful things we can discover. These are some of today's discoveries...

make do & mend

I bought a cheap plywood box in B&Q that I wanted to use as a toy box for my daughter but it needed a bit of a makeover first.

I started by taking off its hinges; it was too dangerous as it was because she could lift and bang the lid. I cut some lengths of mdf to fit inside the lid so it could be lifted on and off instead. I also wanted it to double as a seat so I cut up and folded a piece of fleece for a cushion (ikea fleece blankets - great for large cheap pieces of fleece) and covered it with some funky fabric I had in my stash.

I buy alot of fabric from a wonderful company I know online called Fabric Rehab. This piece was a fat quarter I'd bought for a quilting project. (A fat quarter is a quarter metre, 50cm x 56cm approx.) Check out their site, they've got some great stuff!  http://www.fabricrehab.co.uk/  One fat quarter was enough to cover the top perfectly. I didn't bother to sew a proper cushion cover I just pulled the fabric tight underneath the lid and stapled it in place. The pieces of MDF I'd cut were then glued in to secure it and the fabric tidied up with a knife. 

After painting the box with some left over tester pots it's done. My daughter can now use it as a toy box and she can use the lid on the floor as a seat until she's big enough to use the box aswell. Not bad for an afternoons work!

in my garden

We moved into our flat 3 days after my daughter Isla was born. She arrived 6 weeks early, the day after we completed on our house, and its been a roller coaster ever since. She turned 1 last week and I still can't quite believe its been a year. We've been working on our house most of that time but as summer fast approaches its the turn of the garden. We both find it really hard to be indoors when the weather is good and especially now the evenings are getting lighter. We have cleared loads of debris, built a studio for me (which I will tell you about another time) and emptied all the old, overgrown flowerbeds.

The first one to be re-planted is one of my new herb beds. I have always wanted well stocked herb beds but never had the room so I'm really excited about being able to do it now. So far I have 3 different types of mint including chocolate peppermint (which smells like after eights!) lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, feverfew, lavender, sorrel, sage and rocket. I've also planted marigolds and edible nasturtiums and made a step up to the deck out of an old tree trunk.

I made a mad dash yesterday to get this half finished; my daughter was asleep and it felt like a storm was brewing. That's probably what gave me the burst of energy to get it done. My partner says he can always tell when there's a storm coming because the cats and I start acting really hyper! I will get the other half done soon.

In other parts of the garden we have some beautiful roses in bloom and we've made a seating area from some more tree trunks that a friends gave us for our open fire. They were so well cut we couldn't bring ourselves to chop them up and they make a such a lovely place to sit.

welcome to my world

To be honest, I'm not really sure why I decided to start a blog, it was just something I felt I wanted to do. I wanted somewhere to write my thoughts and musings, things that interest me and moments in my life. Anyone can tag along and if I happen inspire, amuse or educate, well that will be a welcome bonus. 

I'm a real creative and I love to make things whenever I get the chance. Of course this usually means I have at least 3 unfinished projects on the go at once! I love writing, sewing, painting, taking photographs, making jewellery and pottery and I'm generally happy to try my hand at pretty much anything. Jack of all trades you could say. I have been a professional model maker for many years so I have tried almost every material going, although natural materials are my favourite; wood, clay, fabric, stone etc. I'm taking a break for a while to raise my daughter so I'm exploring starting a jewellery making business. I have a studio at home and I'm working on an etsy shop. Watch this space...

I am interested in herbs, both for medicinal and magickal purposes and I love my garden (another work in progress) I go through phases of being on top of it and then it takes over and runs away with me. It is the same with many things in my life I'm afraid. I have learnt many remedies and rituals along the way, but I am not a qualified herbalist so any remedies I write about are ones that work for me; definitely consult a professional if in doubt, before trying anything.

I take great pride in the fact that I have met so many very creative and talented people along the way, from whom I take great inspiration and whose work I will no doubt be sharing with you as part of this blog. I love creative people and I find their passion both inspiring, infectious and motivating.

"The world is but a canvas to the imagination" - Henry David Thoreau