After six weeks away in Connecticut, America, we landed back in a drizzly cold England last week. It was cold there (-6 most days in February), but it never seems to drizzle – sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it’s cloudy, and sometimes it’s chucking it down with rain, but it never seems to drizzle. Is it weird that I missed it?!…
I still haven’t worked out what to do when I grow up! I’m mainly a writer, an artist, and a fairytale dressmaker with various crafty hobbies! Here (and on YouTube) I share bits of my life, thoughts, and what I’m learning along the way. Let’s find magic and inspiration; join me for this creative living adventure!
rayburn
Review of the Natural Dye kit by Fibrecrafts
The timing for this experiment was important: I needed the weather to be good enough to be able to hang fabric outside to dry, but cold enough for us to still have the Rayburn lit so that I wouldn’t have to use the electric hob for hours on end to heat the dye pan…
Hashtag Authentic by Sara Tasker – a book review
I absorb all of Sara Tasker’s content – her blog, her Instagram and her podcasts – maybe in the hope that some of her talent, style and confidence will rub off on me. So I thought I would have already heard most of what she has to say on the subject of photography and Instagram, but bought the book, Hashtag Authentic anyway to support my favourite blogger….
Magic in the Mundane – inspired by Sara Tasker
As per usual, I fully intended to write about something immediately afterwards so it was fresh in my mind, but stuff got in the way and before I realised it, it was a couple of weeks since reading Sara Tasker’s Instagram and photography guide book, Hashtag Authentic. Although I got side-tracked thinking about how to take photos of moments, not things; I still haven’t written my review….
Monthly Memoir – January ’17
We’ve done it! We’ve successfully reached the end of January! I hope it hasn’t been too bad for you all, and you have managed to stay warm enough through that cold snap! We’ve been piling on the logs in the Rayburn, but have been topping up the heat in the evenings with electric heaters and layering on the jumpers and blankets! I actually like the beginning of January; I allow myself a little time to get over Christmas and make plans for the year ahead. Planning is fun. It’s when the actual work begins things start feeling a bit crap. Don’t get me wrong – I love my work – well, I love 50% of my work. Unfortunately the other 50% is admin, advertising and accounts, which I don’t love. So it’s more important than ever that I look back on my highlights, favourites and things I’m grateful for this month……
Exposing a fireplace and other renovating adventures
Some of you have been following the renovating side of this blog since we moved in eight and a half years ago; so I thought I’d do a quick update of a couple of the smaller jobs that we’ve done recently.
The first clue that there was an old fireplace in our bedroom was the hearthstone that we found when lifting up the beige carpet to reveal the Georgian floorboards. The second clue was the obvious difference in sound when knocking on the wall. The third clue was the whacking great hole behind the plaster when we hit it with a hammer….
Home,
Monthly Memoir – November 2016
I’ve never in my life known such a cold November! We thought before it got any colder that we should replace our back door that was literally falling apart. Why do we always leave these things till the last minute? Why didn’t we happily have a day in summer with no door on? That’s just us I suppose, so once Chris finally got the door to fit, I was outside with my hat and gloves on painting it before it rained!……
5 Ideas to do in October
1. Kick some leaves. Next time you’re on your way to work, walking the kids to school, or generally going about your day, and you spy a pile of leaves at the side of the pavement; kick it! Go on! Even if there are people about to see; scatter those leaves in the air! (Just make sure there are no small children nearby you might accidentally kick in the face. And make sure the foot not in the air has secure purchase on the ground – not on a wet slippery leaf. See? I struggle with letting go.)…..
Making a pineapple and walnut cake – a picture guide for beginners
These pictures were taken when I made my favourite cake to celebrate twelve years of this blog. The recipe is nothing particularly special or exciting, and now that the Great British Bake-off is such a hit, this is probably incredibly tame, but I thought I’d share it anyway. (At least I’m assuming that’s likely the case – I’ve never actually watched the show apart from one Children-in-need episode.) There’s a possibility you’ve never put pineapple or walnut together in a cake before, and now is your chance to be inspired! …
Monthly Memoir – February
January was such a crappy month, I was relieved when it became February and now I can’t believe it’s over already. That always happens. Those one or two days less than most months somehow make a huge difference. So anyway, this is my very first Monthly Memoir and I aim to do this every month (obviously). If my time is accountable to you guys, hopefully it will encourage me to stay busy…
Fairytale coats
Well, we think we have solved the chimney problem. We were doing well with sweeping it ourselves, but unfortunately, the brush snapped off the end of the stick part way up and we couldn’t get it down again. In the end we decided to light the Rayburn anyway and let the bristles melt. So at the moment, the Rayburn is going really well, but part of a sweep brush is still stuck up there! We’re warmer inside than we’ve been all winter, but the wind outside is icy cold. I’ve been looking around Etsy for some snuggly winter coats to keep warm in on those crisp walks in the countryside…
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