Follow Your Bliss

Follow Your Bliss

"To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose". Eccl 3.1

Thursday, 5 June 2014

June crafts

Sew Inspired to Sew!
While browsing through a friend's craft book "Sew Fabulous Fabric" , I saw a peg bag with a little appliqué clothes line on the front. I just had to make it. Is there anything more satisfying than a line of freshly washed clothes, blowing in the breeze.

Inspiring projects for home and fun. 
I began as soon as I got home, I made the peg bag and then made some of the flower corsages, two really enjoyable projects for using up scraps of pretty material.  I'm not comfortable borrowing, hence the immediate use of the book, I want to return it on Sunday when I meet my friend at Mass.

Front of peg bag with appliqué  
Made from Cath Kidston cotton duck material, strong enough to hold the pegs.
       Finished Appliqué Pegbag

Monday, 26 May 2014

A wet and windy May

"A wet and windy May, fills the barn with corn and hay".  My grandparents used to have this saying. This May has been quite wet, windy and cold.  The rain makes everything so vibrant, luscious and green, it's gorgeous. It also saves having to water the garden and flowers. The trees and grass are so beautiful and green at present.  Last year May was also a cold, wet and windy month,  I am hoping that the spectacular weather which followed in June, July and August  2013, will be repeated this year.  Ever the optimist!

I have been doing a little patchwork sewing.  I decided to use up a lovely Breath of Avignon charm pack to get me started. I bought it a few years ago at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. I also had a few metres of some of the lines of material, which helped as I needed to add more squares to make up a quilt.

Breath of Avignon 5" charm pack.
First border made with the white Breath of Avignon fabric. 
I intend adding one or two more borders, to use up the red, yellow and blue metres of the Breath of Avignon material I have in my stash.

Another hobby of mine, and one of my favourite things to do in Spring and early Summer is to pick wild flowers.  I love to put them into a little vase or jug.  It is something I have done my whole life. I really appreciate their beauty and think that they brighten up any kitchen table, bathroom or dressing table so simply. Buttercups and daisies are so plentiful in the parks, fields and meadows, I find myself bringing home a little bunch after being out for a walk. Bliss.

"The best things in life are free".

Buttercups and Daisies
Our shed was looking very old and shabby.  My husband was about to paint it a dark green again, to clean it up.  I suggested a brighter colour from the colour chart, so off he went and bought a lovely bright green. I said that I might make little blinds for the windows to smarten them up.  Instead, my wonderful husband made shutters for the windows and we decided to paint them cream to add a little dimension. I think they turned out very well.  Our little dog hanging basket holder (bought at Crufts a few years ago) also got a lick of paint.  Unfortunately, the flowers always die in the hanging basket, I think it is the position or the ivy on the shed.  I had forgotten about this, until the petunias died during the week.  We had to move the basket elsewhere.
Shed makeover.
There were baby blue-tits in the bird house, but alas the activity stopped over the weekend.  We found three dead little baby blue-tits in the wonderfully made nest when we went to investigate. We're not sure how many there were originally. It was so sad, as we had weeks of enjoyment watching the male and female flying in and out of the little birdhouse feeding their young.  We don't know what happened. Nature's way, perhaps!

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Earth's crammed with Heaven

"Earth's crammed with Heaven and every common bush afire with God".  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Last of the Spring wild flowers

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Happy Mayday

1st May or Mayday.
"Ne're cast a clout, till May is out".
The old Piseog - "Ne're cast a clout, till May is out"!.  My Mother used to use this piseog, when as children, we wanted to shed a layer of clothes or start wearing our Summer clothes, thinking Summer had arrived. Piseog is an Irish word which means Superstition in English.  Given how cold it is today and how warm and sunny it was earlier in the week, this old saying makes sense.  

Bluebells in the Woodlands grow.




Tuesday, 29 April 2014

London in Springtime

We visited London last weekend and had a wonderful time.  On this visit, we started at The Victoria and Albert Museum. We decided to take the bus to most of the places we visited and we soaked up the wonderful atmosphere of London. We walked around some of London's beautiful streets passing the former homes of Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Sherlock Holmes. On Sunday morning we took a stroll in Regent's Park. The weather was lovely which made the whole weekend very pleasant and enjoyable. 

Victoria & Albert Museum
This wonderful museum has floors of magnificent displays of art and design.  There is art, ceramics, sculptor, glass, textiles, furniture, medieval and religious objects to name a few.  My favourite floor was the one with hundreds of displays of porcelain and china. I spent 3 hours and still only touched the surface.  Below are some of my favourite exhibits.
 "Kimono for Women" Silk with embroidery and tie dying kimonos. 1800 - 1880
Just one of the hundreds of blue and white porcelain samples on display
More blue and white examples of porcelain and china.
An English copy of an Amari original plate.
Its design reminds me of the Dresden plate used in patchwork.
French Sevres
Beautiful array of English china and object d'art.
A few of the lovely teapots on display
Unusual green object d'art From China
This beautiful Armchair on display is from the late Ming or early Qing dynasty about 1600-1700
The V&A houses millions of items and it is wonderful to see such a collection of treasured items carefully displayed, appreciated and obviously loved.  I was so grateful that these treasured object d'art were collected and on display for the public to enjoy at no cost. So wonderful.  Thank you.

We also visited and did a little shopping at Fortnum & Mason, my favourite London shop.  I bought some beautiful fabric in Liberty and lovely gifts for my family at Harrods.
This wonderful shop is the essence of England.
Lovely Emma Bridgewater jug and Breakfast Tea bought at Fortnum and Mason
It is always a pleasure to visit London.  There is so much to see that a single visit is never enough and a return visit is always a possibility.  Until the next time, cheerio London.

Saturday, 19 April 2014

Happy Easter

We are celebrating Easter Sunday this year with all the family and friends at our granddaughter's Christening. Easter Sunday Mass which includes the Baptism followed by Lunch with the people we love.

I made some Easter crafts and gifts.  Easter material is hard to find, but thanks to the Internet, I bought some really lovely material and made some pretty little hearts and gifts for Easter.  

Easter Tree 
Teacosy and heart ready for Easter
Cowslips and Patchwork

Patchwork squares for Easter teacosy.

Co-ordinating heart

Pixie House and Bunny made from pretty flannel

Hearts galore!
More Hearts
Bunny Heart.