2016 : A Year of Crafting

Hello......... I wasn't planning on doing a year in review post, this year as well I didn't think there would be a awful lot to share, 2016 was not so great here at the Summerhouse I spent most of the year trying to recover from a relapse of my ME/Lyme disease that hit in the Autumn 2015.

So instead of a general review I thought it might be good to just focus on the fun stuff and look back on all the crafts, so this is going to be a happy little post. 

  Over the past week I've been putting together 12 colourful crafty mosaics, enjoying seeing the colours change throughout the year with the different makes but all in a way still linked by the same colour palette I always seem drawn to here at the Summerhouse. 

You see she maybe a bit old and shabby but magical crafty things happen inside this grand old lady, who is known affectionately around these parts as 'the shed'

I hope you enjoy them.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

So there you have it, a whole year of Summerhouse crafting fun, although I have to admit a great deal of it has take place and been created from my comfy bed.

Here's to 2017.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Thank you for all the kind comments left on my last post, I'm going to try my very best to stick around in blogland, I might not be able to post as often as I'd like to and I'm sorry I probably won't be able to make it round to visit all you're lovely blogs but as always I'm going to keep trying.

January Cards

Hello and a very Happy New Year to everyone out in blogland.  It's not been the best start to the year here at the Summerhouse as I've had the dreaded lurgy since Christmas and so far I don't seem to be feeling any better, I think it's a sinus type thing as I've had the most awful head pain, which has really wiped me out and kicked off a flare up of my ME/Lyme disease.

But hey ho life goes on and January just seems to have so many birthdays in it?  As I've not been well enough to go out, there was no option but to make some cards.

Energy levels low I decided to make up some card kits I had.

layering up with foam pads to make a 3D effect

and of course I couldn't resist adding some sparkle.

Ta-dah

 Card number one, some happy post for a friend.

I also did some foam pad layering to make up this card.

Ta-Dah

Ta-Dah

and finally I made this card, using papers from the same kit.

Now as for the blog I've been wondering recently whether to keep going with it or not,  as last year my posting was not very regular and as my health declines it's becoming harder to keep it up and it so much easier and quicker to use instagram !!

I've thought about having a break for a while but I do like to share my makes with you, so I think what I'm going to do is post as and when I have something to share and see how that goes, not putting any pressure on myself to post regularly. I was Hopeful that I was coming out of the relapse that lasted all of last year but now with this lurgy who knows.  

I will hopefully have another post for you soon as I've recently finished off the Wrist warmers I started making last summer. 

Until then......

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx

Patchwork October

Hello.............. October was a month of slowly moving forwards here at the Summerhouse.

Thankfully my energy levels have slowly been improving, after a year of full on relapse, there is just the tiny hint of a little more energy.  Restarting my herbal medicine with the addition of some Ginseng and going back on the antibitoics seem to have really helped, it's slow going though and this last relapse has left me so much weaker.  I'm still mostly resting as the slightest thing finds me exhausted. 

Sorry I've not been about too much in blogland these past months, I've really missed catching up on you're lives and crafty antics.

October did see a couple of Ta-dahs and some new crafts I even managed to write a song, new songs have been few and far between this year.

Out in the Summerhouse garden there was still lots of lovely colour to be found.

October saw my complete one of these long term projects, as for November I hoping to get my hand warmers finished asap as it's getting really cold now and my hands are freezing.  I'm also hoping to get on with some blanket making.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Patchwork July

Hello.......... patchwork time again

July was quite a busy month here, lots of get together's with friends, for birthday's, a wedding and even a spot of garden table decorating, which of course took a bit of a toll on my health, that's the nature of ME/Lyme disease there is always a price to pay for spending too many spoons (spoon theory), there was of course a little bit of crochet though........

While I was inside recovering, out in the garden summer was in full bloom. 

Well not much else to say about July it seems such a long time ago now, I really must get better at posting the patchworks on time

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Crocheted Heart Card

Hello....... A couple of weeks ago, two of my good friends got married, so I decided to make them a wedding card.

After a bit of pondering I decided that yarny hearts were the only way to go, I wanted to make a little charm that could be removed from the card and then perhaps used as a Christmas decoration, to remember the day.  

So off I went to cyberspace in search of the perfect heart, I found the pattern for the above heart 'here' and as it turned out it was the perfect size for my card.

I also made this little cutie, using Lucy over at Attic24 tweeny tiny heart pattern, at first my plan was to used both hearts on the card, but in the end it just looked a little bulky, as you can see I crocheted both my hearts in twinkle sparkly yarn, in silver and a silver/blue.

and you know what I'm like for a bit of sparkle !!! I just couldn't resist blinging them up a bit.

For the larger silver heart I made a little charm, threading beads, sequins, and gems onto a piece of crochet cotton, before securing it by

stitching it in place on the heart, I also threaded a couple of beads onto the hanging thread.

I then found this pretty silver doily in my stash and went about blinging that up too, with pearls and sparkles

As I mentioned earlier I wanted the heart to be detachable, so it could be used as a decoration, so I simply attached it to the card with a sticky spot.

I wanted to make my card look a little rustic, so I used a plain cardboard blank and added some larger pearl to the corner, before adding a greeting to help hold the hanging threads in place.

Ta-dah

One handmade yarny wedding card with added sparkle.

Sorry I've not been around much recently I've been struggling with my energy levels again,  I did however have a wonderful time celebrating at the wedding party.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Butterfly Birthdays

Hello........... Just a quick card making post for today, more butterflies they do seem to be a bit of a theme for me this year.

These were a couple of cards I made for friends birthdays recently, using some pretty butterfly attachments I received for Christmas. Using cream and blue card blanks I added the butterflies and a  paper border

some pretty ribbon,

not forgetting a bit of added sparkle

Ta-Dah

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Craft Club Exhibition - Summerhouse makes

Hello......... It's time again for our local craft clubs annual exhibition,  having several chronic illnesses has led me over the years to discover my creative side and was in fact the reason I started this blog. It has also helped me meet some wonderful creative people.

 I spend most my time either in bed or resting on the sofa and my days are structured with paced activities  and lots of rest in order to try and help manage my health and energy levels.  Within this I'm allocated 10 minutes crafting time a day, it's my favourite part of the day an escape and a lifeline

A few years ago I started going to a local craft group run in our library, (when I was well enough) in fact it turned out most of the members also have chronic illness, so it appears crafting seem to be a perk of these horrible illnesses, any road once a year we have a exhibition in the local library and this years one start tomorrow, so for the past year we have all be crafting away making items.

The themes this year are Hans Christian Andersen, Rohld Dahl and a group project based on the seasons.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Ice Maiden

As I've struggled a lot with my health over the past year, a lot of the makes I'm putting in the exhibition this year, were not specifically made for it, you could say I've done a little bit of borrowing and if it can fit one of the themes then it's going in.

So I because of it's wintry icy colours, I'm going to put this mandala in, I made it here in memory of the lovely Wink here

The Snow Queen

 For the Snow Queen I made a few things including something new, yes a friend and I decided we would make a tiara, as every queen needs a crown.  So last weekend, we had a go, neither of us, has ever made one before but with beads, wire and a little help from you tube.

Ta-Dah

We made this !!!

I'll write up a post all about it soon.

I'm also borrowing putting in this flurry of snowflakes for my yarny advent calendar

and I've put together this collection of Roses and winteryness from the fixings of my crocheted wreaths, you can read more about them here

The Little Mermaid

For the little Mermaid I made this paper cut which you can read all about here

Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I'm entering my Ice Cream Cushion  

and these candy coloured

Mandala's made back in 2014 for Charlie and the Chocolate factory, none of them were made with the theme in mind so are kind of borrowed, but hey ho

Fantastic Mr Fox

Another old make going in is this fox also made back in 2014, well with the theme it would have been rude not to let him go in the exhibition, you can read more about him here 

and finally we have my Spring panel for the group project.  So that's it for this year all the makes are ready and waiting to go.

I'll do another post when the exhibitions up, so you can see what every ones been making.

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx