Grey June days

It been one of those cold grey English weekend here at the summerhouse, to be more precise it's been freezing proper woolly jumpers and warm socks cold,  with a cold wind blowing straight off the sea, not like June at all. I feel sorry for my Geranium's which were planted out the other day in the Summerhouse window boxes they look like they are shivering in the wind. On a postive note windy days mean I get to see the newly renovated windmill working, which always cheers me heart. Hopefully it's just my little corner of the world that been like this and you've all been enjoying more seasonable weather.

I've been having a very quiet weekend, as my sister is having a significant birthday later on this week so I've been resting up, trying to find some energy for the celebrations.  Above is a picture of our Horse chestnut tree, full of blossom, I love it so this time of year. I took these pictures earlier in the week.

It's such a gorgeous colour, hopefully some of the blossom will survive these Easterly winds.

Here is a painting I did last year of the tree in bloom, it's a water colour and ink, which is  how I mostly like to paint.

I'm not that great at it but when I'm well enough, painting is something that I do enjoy doing and I think that's all that counts really as long as you enjoy what you do.  I'm hoping to do a few more mini postcard watercolours for my Alice in Wonderland craft club project in the next couple of weeks.  You can read more about it 'here'.  I'd love to have the energy to be able to paint on a larger scale again, but for now I happy to be able to paint the postcard with my field paints set, it great as I can paint on this smaller scale from my comfy bed.

We have lots of wildlife that visits the garden here at the Summerhouse, which we love to encourage. I took this quick snap the other day, of Terry our local Squirrel raiding the bird feeding station. I think he lives in the nearby Church yard, where there are lots of squirrels including a family of albino Squirrels I've never seen them but 'P' has when going to the village shops.

There also used to be a three legged hedgehog who lived under the Summerhouse, we named him/her gimpy as he walked with a limp he was around for years living in the safety of the garden, we used to  feed him on cat food to help supplement his diet and one year  there were baby hedgehogs, three tiny ones who used to follow the Mama hedgehog around the garden at dusk,  so sweet we used to sit out and watch them on a summer evening.  We also have bats who swoop over and around the garden of an evening which are great to watch.

So sometime it gets a bit Beatrix Potter around these parts (I used to love those books as a child although I think my favourite books were 'Brambly hedge' do you remember them? ) any road I think the wildlife round here knows a organic gardener when they see one. As once when we had vegetables growing, I was doing a bit of weeding a tiny mouse ran out from the hedge had nibble on one of the radishes that were growing, and ran back again, only to do it all over again, while I stood and watched 'I was like 'excuse me I'm right here watching'.  I didn't mind though they have to eat too.

One day I'll have to tell you all about the baby Starlin 'P' hand reared too.

So as  you can see this cold weather has cut short Dylan Summerhouse siestas he's back in the house again, trying to convince us to put the Central heating back on. Here he is in the hall, radiator hogging.

 I've spent most of the weekend hunkered down on the sofa under a blanket, I've nearly finished a couple more bunting pennants, (these ones for the Summerhouse) I'll tell you about them another day when I made a few more.  Above is the Rose I was making in the garden the other day remember 'here' I can share it now as the friend who I made it for came round for a cuppa yesterday. I made the Rose using one of Lucy's wonderful Attic24 tutorials that you can find 'here'

I  also finally finished writing my first song of the year, over the weekend. Do not fear it's not taken me the full six months. In fact it probably only took me about couple of hours over this week. I'm counting it as a win though as it's the first time since Christmas that I've been able to play guitar again and therefore write due to a bad back.  Hopefully things are starting to improve a bit, so I think I'll be able to try playing for about 10 minutes each day again on my pacing program, which will be good as I've not  picked either the guitar or the mandolin up for months.  Then hopefully I can build my strength up to be able to do some recording on the 8 track.

The other crafty thing I've been up to this weekend is to finish making these tiny hatpins for another craft club make, I made them with some charms, beads and buttons, and painted cocktail sticks (mine is a strange life indeed !!)  but more on all that another day,

I hope you had a lovely weekend what ever you got up to.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Three things 06/52

Posting eash week for a year about three things that have made me happy skippy happy.

Number one:

It has to be the wondeful carpet of bluebells, they really are most most magically sight, just to be there made me so happy happy happy. It's so lovely to be able to look back on the photo's.

Number two:

Is the weather finally being warm enough for some outside hooky time, pure bliss to sit out in  the shade of the Summerhouse with a cuppa, some yarn my hook in hand.

Number three :

Is our Easter Cactus, running late this year like the rest of nature, but boy was it worth the wait it has  so many blooms on it this year.  It's pretty ancient this Cactus as it used to belong to my Nan, I can't remember the last time it flowered like this though.

Well thats all for this week. What's made you smile this week?
Have a happy week.
Clare x

Outside Living

We've finally got to the time of year here at the Summerhouse when the focus flips to outside living again, it been such a long cold winter and late Spring, but over the last few days, something seems to have changed and a hint of Summer seems to be in the air.

At  long last the Summerhouse doors have been flung open again and fresh air let in.  In didn't take long for our cat Dylan to discover this as yesterday afternoon when the Summerhouse door was left  wedged open by the doorstop, it wasn't long before 'P' said Dylan's in the summerhouse, he was in his favourite summerhouse snoozing spot having a siesta on the futon. So it must, must be summer as it takes a lot to entreat him from the warm comfy beds in the house.

On Monday my sister took me over to the local garden centre to get some plants to cheer up the summerhouse border and window boxes, here's a little selection, Daisies, Verbena Petunias, all in pinks purples and lilac, my favourites. I also bought a new cover for our mini green house, to keep them all snug and warm and hopefully snail free until they are planted.  If you thought I'd bought some plants, you've seen nothing yet ! come with me along the stepping stones to the Summerhouse and see.

The little mini greenhouse sits just outside the summerhouse and it packed to bursting with plants, so many they didn't all fit, there are still some on the garden table too. 'P'' sure is going to be kept busy planting this little lot.

How lovely are these Petunias they are called Monet mix and I've been buying them over the last few years for the summerhouse border as I love the colours so.  Over the next few weeks hopefully they will get planted a little at a time with 'P's help. Other outside stuff has been happening too, lunch has been eaten outside and.....

yesterday was another Summery first for the year, some outside Hooky time, to be able to sit out for a bit in the fresh air  was pure bliss. Even if I have to stay in the shade, it lovely to be outside and the weather was just warm enough to not feel cold in my shady corner of the garden.

It was lovely to sit at the little table and chairs, put my feet up and do some crochet, I can't tell you what I 'm making yet as it's for present, so I need to keep it a surprise, for now

Yay for Alfresco Hookiness.

I can however show you some of the crochet I'm been making over the last week or so. Remember 'here' and 'here' when I told you about the Granny bunting I've been making for Yarndale. Well I'm managed to make another couple of pennants,  a berry mix one, which reminds me of blueberry smoothies

and this crazy pennant that's oh so colourful. It was made as a experiment with rainbow wool.  So that's three Summerhouse pennant made so far for Yarndale and it's world record bunting attempt.

Before I go there's just enough time for one last look at the Summerhouse flowers, Aww Lovely

I hope you are enjoying some sunshine where ever you are.

Happy Crafting 

Clare x

Fairy Toadstool Card

Today I thought I'd tell you all about the Toadstool card, I made last week for my Guide Daughter 6th birthday. She's not really a little girl who's into pink and the last time I asked her she said her favourite colour was red, so I decided that a Red spotty fairy toadstool card was the way to go.

The inspiration for this card came from some card designs by Andrea Willis, that I saw in a craft magazine tutorial last year. The first thing I did was a very rough sketch with the first pen I grabbed as you can see it was a green biro,  to figure out the basic design for my card. When I say rough sketch I mean it as you can see above, I'm a bit embarrassed to put it on my blog, but I figured it helps show  my entire card making process.

I then cut out a square of water colour paper with my scalloped scissors and drew the design on free hand first in pencil then I went over the top with a fine black stablio pen.

Then it was time for a bit of crayon therapy, colouring in my card, I do love a bit of colouring. In fact I recently ordered a lovely secret garden colouring book for grown ups, but more on that another day. Then I tried out different backing papers, at first I thought I would go with this green backing paper

but then I found this lovely plum coloured paper, that I knew was just the thing to set off my card.

I cut a piece of it to size and then stuck it to a card blank with double sided tape, I then use glue dots to attach my toadstool topper.

And Ta-Dah my card was complete.

I really hope she likes it and that she has a lovely birthday.

Fairy Toadstool Card ingredients.

• Card Blank
• Water colour paper
• Pretty backing paper
• Scissors Scalloped
• Glue dots
• Double sided tape
•  Pencil
• Stablio pens
• Crayola felt pen (I'd love to be able to use something like a Pro marker but find them too toxic)

 Why not leave a comment and let me know what you are making at the moment ?

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Into the Blue

Aww need I say a word, lets just stand and stare at the wonder of it all, I told my sister back in April that I really wanted to and see a sea of bluebells as you know I've seen some 'here' and 'there' over the last few weeks, but what my heart was yearning for was carpet of Blue.

And bless her heart she found them for me, all that was needed was a quick detour on the way home from the shops and a bit of determination, from my sister with the wheelchair on the muddy footpaths

and we were there amongst all this, so stunningly beautiful, and right by the roadside.

I could'nt help but escape into it all, they might not have found me again until bluebell season was over if my legs worked better, I'd have disappeared off into it all.

 Now where have I got too?

Look high

Look low

There I am, one sneezing but very happy Clare.

 Then back along the path, not forgeting to look up

 Aww the greens

and Oh those blues

Oh go one then one last look from the car park.

 

and then off home to dream of blue's. Well worth a few days in bed recovering to see all this.  For now we've found them, we'll be going back next year  and the year after and who knows one day maybe I'll be well again and able to go for a long walk in the Bluebell woods.

Clare xx