Sweet Spring

It's still officially winter in Australia but Nature is definitely saying it's spring.
The mornings are warmer, the days are longer, the birds have begun to gather nesting material, freesias and jasmine are sweetly scenting the air...I love this time of the year. I spent the weekend in my garden,
sweeping and weeding and repotting,
clearing up the damage from the March flood,
kept company by industrious bees



and small, squabbling honeyeaters.




Amongst the debris from the storm, lots of flowers were blooming,
including a delicate native flame pea




and the coral gum I planted when I first moved here.




It was a lovely way to spend Saturday and Sunday.

I spent time crocheting a new blanket too. I'm making one with Lucy's Granny Stripe pattern. I haven't taken any progress shots yet but I have managed to take a picture of the yarn I'm using. I've chosen colours to go with my living room. It's going to be bright!



In other crafty news,

• I've crocheted a One Row Lace Cowl:

which I have given to my good friend Robbo,

• I've worked on a stirling silver and copper ring:

which I've since oxidised and polished

• and, lastly, I have had the pleasure of seeing my What the Dickens Fingerless Mittens being made by somebody else! A lovely and busy blogger from Holland has crocheted four pairs, which you can see here. I really like the yarn she's chosen.

And you?
I'd love to hear about what's happening in your corner of the Earth.

Blessings..
x

Cosy

I'm almost done for the day ~ after I post this I'm going to curl up on the couch with my cat, some crochet and Dr Who on the television for company.
Yay!
It's been another good weekend.
There's been enough balance between paper work and play for me to feel relaxed and to have been really productive...not something that happens often and definitely something to savour...

I spent part of Saturday in my silver smithing class working on this ring:





You can probably tell from the photos that I need to finish riveting the glass bead to the silver cup, and that I also need to clean up some solder and straighten it all too but,
I hope,
I'm almost done.

I've also been sewing up the Monroe Lacy Stole that I crocheted last Winter:




and I have been admiring this gorgeous array of wool (and the little glass button) that I received in my Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler Box:




(If you follow the link above and look at the contributors for the April 2010 box you'll be able to find out who created all of this hand made goodness.)

I've been enjoying the change in season too.
My poetic friend Jen (who writes beautifully and very very honestly)
says that Winter is a quiet, sacred, restorative time.
I do so agree.

I love wintery skies:



and late roses:





and daisies that bloom valiantly despite the rain:





I hope you, too, are enjoying the time of the year,
wherever you live on our beautiful Earth.

Blessings.
x

Textured

I've had to spend most of Saturday and Sunday writing reports and I'm still nowhere close to repairing all the damage that was done when my home was flooded...but I have had a nice weekend anyway!

I've been admiring this lovely begonia as I've been working on my computer:



I have also managed to get out to a jewellery workshop at Fremantle Arts Centre where I've had fun playing with texture:

(These are little copper samples that I embossed with an onion bag, some upholstery fabric and a dried leaf.)

started to make a new silver ring:



and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings:


(This carved lino floor was installed in the Centre's main hallway as part of an exhibition which was held at the end of last year. Isn't it gorgeous?)

Importantly for me and for my sense of well being, I have been listening to Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun, who has, I think, a fantastic perspective on life and its challenges.

It's also become cold enough in the morning to wear scarves. Hooray!

(I'm currently crocheting this Sweet Lorraine scarf. It's my second ~ I really like the pattern.)


...and I am just about to eat a large piece of delicious home~made white~chocolate cheesecake.
(Thank you Nikki!!!!)

I hope, dear readers, that your weekends have been full of simple sweetness too.

Blessings.
x

Love Notes in Library Books

I love the internet and the way it allows me to connect with and be inspired by creative people. I've just been reading a beautiful blog post on joy, written by a dear soul called Brandi. She has a wonderful, whimsical take on random kindness and senseless acts of beauty, and has had me secretly posting love notes in library books, telephone boxes and bus stops.

It's fun!

...and I've also been drawing inspiration from my friend Andrea at abccreativity. Amongst other things, she facilitates creativity workshops and gives great guided meditations.

Meanwhile, I'm still painting. I've had trouble with the the feature wall in my living room and have changed the colour three times. I started off with a french wash in a butterscotch colour but couldn't get nice, clean edges so I painted it over with a matt paint called Banana Crepe:

Frustratingly, that colour came out too bright and clashed with the lime~washed pink walls in my bedroom:

so I've just painted it again with the cafe~au~lait shade I used in the kitchen
...and I really, really like it!
Phew.

Of course, I've been crocheting and currently have a chevron lace cardigan on the hook:

Although the pattern's written for wool, I'm making it out of cotton and so far it's draping well. It's a great design ~ it involves top~down construction so I can try it on as I go and it's really quick to crochet.

I've been growing silverbeet too:

It's extremely easy to cultivate and it's lovely to have fresh greens on hand. I've been putting it in salads with fresh and sun~dried tomatoes, marinated fetta and avocado, as well as trying recipes from here and here. (Edited to add: silverbeet is called Swiss chard in the USA and Britain.)

I have been working really long hours as well. I'm glad I have enough energy to spend some time on living creatively outside of it.

Wishing you all a week that's touched by kindness and beauty.

Fresh

I'm sitting writing this surrounded by freshly painted walls and ceilings.
Hooray!!!!!!!!!
It took double the time I expected it to
(the last lick of paint went on the day before I went back to work),
the process felt hellish at the start ~
when it became apparent just how much bigger a job it was than I had first thought,
but
I am soooooo glad I've done it now that it's over.

So, for those of you who have asked,
here's a close up of the french washed wall
(which has more ochre in it than shows up in the photo):

and a shot of the other feature wall:

which, again, doesn't really capture its cafe~au~lait colour
but does show, in the reflection, my pristine white ceiling and cornices
of which I am ridiculously proud!
I'll try and post more photographs, that give a broader picture of what I've done, soon.

Life hasn't been completely dominated by renovations.
In between painting there's been some cooking.
I've been going through a Nigella Lawson phase and have made her One Pan Sage and Onion Chicken and Sausage casserole:

This, by the way, was at it's best on the third day after I'd cooked it, when the flavours had been given lots of time to develop.

I've also made Nigella's Pomegranate Meringue Mountain
which was so quick and delicious I was inspired to go out and buy my own potted pomegranate tree:

There's been a little bit of crocheting too.
I've added a few extra rows to the border of my Easy Daisy blanket:

I'm so happy I have time to craft again!

...and yesterday, with all the painting done, I was able to wander around the garden with my camera in hand:

Despite the steamy heat, it was bliss!

I hope that life
is treating you kindly too,
wherever you are in the world.

Have a wonderful week.

Today's post is brought to you by the colour...

pink!

I have an array of rose~coloured items for show and tell,
including:

• Pink cotton that's in the process of being crocheted into a wash cloth for a secret swap partner over at Ravelry:
  
  
  
  

• A chunky pink necklace that I've just strung together:
  
  
  
  

• A pretty silk top,
  found while I was op~shopping,
  that has pink roses embroidered into it:
  

• Pink geraniums, blooming at my back door:

• ...and more pink (and blue and green) beads:

Continuing my theme,
I've also been feeling in the pink,
ever since attending a vocal workshop led by the fabulous Tony Backhouse. I haven't been to choir for months; I'd forgotten just how joyful it is to sing and to be surrounded by beautiful harmonies.

Best of all, I'm tickled pink.
I've just had six month's leave approved for the second half of next year.
How lucky am I?

What's colouring your world?

Enough

I took a little time out from my job last week and did lots of crafting,
which was fun ~ and I've made quite a lot of progress on the things that I have been creating.

The wire cuff that I've been crocheting is nearly finished.
Here's what it looks like when it's worn:

and when seen close~up:

I like its boldness and its weight; it feels good on. (Now I just have to work out how to fasten it off!) Working with wire is very more~ish. I want to make a wire crochet necklace next, and I'm planning on following this YouTube tutorial.

I've also finished the Crocus Scarf:

It's very soft against the skin and, as you can see, matches one of the affirmation stones that I've recently received from the lovely McCabe at dancing mermaid.

Here are the rest of the pebbles that McCabe's sent me:

I think that they're all delightful!
Since I've had them I've been reflecting and meditating on the idea of being enough:
I often get caught up in busyness and perpetual hurry, especially at work,
and it's good to stop and remind myself that I really am enough.
I don't have to push myself all of the time
and I'm allowed to be creative and to play.
(Robyn Posin explores this notion beautifully.)
I'm wondering, does what I'm saying resonate with anyone else?

Wishing you all a week that's graced by creativity and playfulness.