Colouring in

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last six months or so, you will have noticed that the latest craze is colouring in for adults.  Why should the children have all the fun?

I thought it was a lovely idea but decided that it wasn't for me and would take up too much of my precious time which should be put towards other, more productive, pursuits.  That didn't stop me buying colouring books for others however.  I admired their efforts and ignored their attempts to persuade me to join the fun as it was so 'relaxing'.

Then one day as I was pottering around blogland I came across this download.  We Are Scout is a lovely blog and has many other printables.  You might have to subscribe to download them.

Little houses!  I can never resist them, whether they be to collect (as in miniatures), embroider, make into a quilt, photograph and now, it seems, to colour in.  And guess what - it is relaxing, therapeutic, meditative, restorative and, therefore, probably beneficial and, yes, I probably should be doing something else but, you know what, it is FUN.

 This little bird will be my next project  - all in the name of doing something beneficial for my health!

Making progress.

Making rope

If I saved all the fabric scraps I generate from my quilt making, I wouldn't be able to get into my sewing room.  However, I do save some and often wonder why I do as I rarely use them.   Then I saw this idea to use up scraps and thought I would try it.  I was immediately hooked as the process is very addictive and easy to do while watching TV.  Added to which the end result just looks SO pretty.

I started with a bag of scraps.

Which I cut/ripped up into narrow strips and, after a bit of twisting and turning, turned them into fabric rope.

My old wooden bobbin, which has been sitting in the sewing room for a long time looking decorative, but without much purpose, turned out to be the ideal place to house my finished rope.

I think it is really pretty and so colourful.

Once finished, the rope is incredibly strong and I am sure there would be a lot of uses for it. One that comes to mind is to use it for wrapping brown paper parcels.  For the moment, I am happy to enjoy looking at it as I find it so appealing.

Now my bobbin has a purpose and looks so pretty on the shelf.

I do love the internet for all the wonderful ideas and inspiration it provides.  In years gone by I would have happily paid for a class to learn how to do this.  Now it seems that everything is accessible with a few clicks and the generosity of a lot of people willing to share their good ideas.

Bits and pieces from an unproductive life

It has been a while between posts and, to be honest, that is because my creative life has fallen into a bit of a hole of late.   Many projects have been attempted, but nothing has borne fruit.  Some of my failures are too embarrassing to share.  I endeavoured to try a little vignetting when I saw this idea. 

We live near the beach so I thought a little coastal chic might work but I am not sure that this is working for me.

I thought a little time in the garden might help my creativity as that is about the only thing that is bearing fruit at the moment. 

The orange tree is laden and looking beautiful.

Even the passionfruit vine has a lot of fruit. 

It seems very out of season to me and I am not sure if the fruit will ripen, but some of them seem to be making an effort.

My tiny vegetable garden is full and I have started to pick the lettuce.  I hope to harvest the beetroot and rainbow chard soon.   This week I planted some broad beans, but as there was no room in the garden I have put them in a bag.

 I hope this idea works as if it does I will get more bags and, hopefully, double the amount of  growing space and, ergo, vegetables I can grow. 

The winter garden gives me hope that I too can be more productive in the not too distant future.

It's official

Well I knew that, and if a 'university team' says so, then it must be true.

Happy Easter

I know there are lots of digital cards out there, but they really annoy me as they usually involve clicking on a link and they take ages to download.

I just love this new app from Cartolina.com. For a special message when an email or text is a bit boring, this app lets you send a lovely hand-written card with the look of a bygone era by 21st century email. Very cute.

Colourful containers

It occurred to me when I was getting out some cupcake cases, in preparation for some cupcake baking, that they would make very colourful containers for little treasures.

Such as a fluffy feather from a white cockatoo,



or some delicate rose buds



maybe some freshly picked tomatoes



or even a radish just pulled out of the garden.



Of course, in the sewing room, there is no end to the uses they can be put.

They would be just right for pins



or cherry buttons



and especially these lovely little buttons which are so cute I can't bring myself to use them.



So colourful but, of course, totally impractical.

The very unattractive plastic mess under my work table has been replaced with this old suitcase (picked up from a roadside collection) which I painted white and added a new red handle for Christmas.



Much better.

May your Christmas be filled with joy.

Lucky me

Someone I know has been to New York and been to my favourite shop.



That someone brought home for me a gift from that shop. Lucky, lucky me.


Isn't that the prettiest butter dish you have ever seen?

A little bit of what you fancy

What do you do when your near 90 year old mother calls you with the news that something has crawled or flown into her home; laid its eggs, those eggs have hatched; her kitchen ceiling is now covered in a heaving, seething mass of maggots and she feels as though she is living in some sort of Alfred Hitchcock nightmare? You go to her rescue of course. By the time they have all been removed you both feel as though your skin and hair are crawling so you escape the house of horrors and take a trip to the river.


There, all is peaceful and blessedly maggot free. You drink coffee; watch the swans and the boats bob on the water; admire the bougainvillea climbing on the fence of the yacht club;




and look at the hibiscus which are still flowering prolifically and you wonder if summer is ever going to end.



Then you visit your favourite fabric shop and buy some blue and white stripes with which to bind the shirt-stripe boxes quilt.


After all that you are both feeling much better - just goes to show that a little bit of what you fancy does you good.