Wrapping my 50th Sale!

Yesterday I reached a bit of a milestone in my little Folksy shop - 50 sales. Yippee! I put a little extra felted owl in to say thank you, and the parcel is now waiting on my kitchen table ready to be taken to the Post Office on Monday morning. I love wrapping parcels, and try to use recycled and leftover materials whenever possible.

I've got a stash of ribbons saved from Birthday and Christmas gifts,

I've just bought a letter stamping set to label up my parcels using recycled card,

...and I never throw away leftover wrapping paper. There's always something that it can be used for...

I think they still look pretty, despite my slightly scavenger approach! For a different approach to presenting gifts and purchases, have a look at the beautiful gift boxes that Becky at  The Fluff Pot makes - lovely, aren't they?

Right, I must go - it's my turn to cook!
Liz x

Flowers, owls, bowls

Since we got our allotment, life has been busy, busy, busy! Not just because of the clearing, planting and tending, but also due to lots of lovely social occasions and celebrations. Work has been hectic, too, but is now quieter with most students off for their summer break. One big piece of news is that I begin a new job in September - doing the same thing, but in Leeds rather than Sheffield, which means I can finally wave goodbye to my exhausting 90 mile return commute. Phew...
Anyway, the allotment is coming on well, we've already picked a fair amount of produce, and all the flowers I planted to attract insects are doing well, too. 

The other plot holders are so friendly and helpful - they are always happy for me to have a nosey at their more established spots and admire all their hard work. They are also really generous - today someone gave me a huge bunch of gloriously scented sweet peas. And I mean HUGE!! I've filled 10 little vases that are dotted around the house...everywhere smells lovely.

I've been busy with my felt making, too. I had a bit of a brainwave last week...perhaps my bowls

...could be combined with my owls

To create some of these?

This one is available from my Folksy shop, others on the way!

Well, thanks for dropping by - have a lovely weekend,

Liz x

Japanese Style

Is any one else out there in love with Japanese craft books? I love their whimsical slant on all things crafty, and their beautiful styling. I've been browsing MeMe Craftwork's etsy shop trying to decide which felt-making book to buy...there are loads of gorgeous ideas to take inspiration from. After looking at all the cute little needle felted animals I had a sudden urge to make some of my own. I opted for a couple of sort-of rabbits - my own design, but inspired by the Japanese characters I've been looking at. I think I may have discovered some new companions for my needle felted owls!

My partner has been watching me with a concerned look on his face...is it OK for a grown woman to spend an entire Sunday morning making cute little woolly creatures, I wonder?

That's all for now. It's dark, cold and rainy here, so I'm off to the kitchen for further felt-making indulgence. This time something a little more grown up :)

Thanks for looking,

Liz x

Felt Pebbles

It's been a while since I made any felt pebbles. I made some back in January for a disastrous craft fair (my first, and probably my last at that venue!), and another couple of sets as gifts for friends. They are so relaxing to make - so yesterday, I went into the garden armed with a bowl of hot, soapy water and my basket of wool tops, and happily whiled away a couple of hours. 

The first set of pebbles is already sitting in my Folksy shop, and the others will be available in the next couple of days. I can hardly believe that I've made 48 sales since I opened in October! Well, it's not enough to give up the day job, but it does mean I can indulge my wool fibre obsession without taking out an overdraft!

Hope you have a good week, everyone.

Liz x

Making Half Felt

I've had a lovely day off today. In the morning I made a trip to World of Wool near Huddersfield which, as the name suggests, is a treasure trove of all things woolly. I stocked up on lots of un-dyed British breed wool tops, as well as buying a few bits of beautifully coloured Merino.
This afternoon I made lots of sheets of half felt - wool tops which are only partially wet felted, so that the felt is sturdy enough to cut, but still loose enough to integrate into a bigger piece of wet felting at a later stage. I cut shapes from the half felt and add them to the surface of felted pictures, in a similar way to the needle felted dotty designs I've shared in previous posts. 


I used some of the half felt to make a summer garden/meadow design for a friend. It was partially inspired by these photos that I took last year,

...but a large pinch of the inspiration also came from the gorgeous floral felt artwork that Annie at Rosiepink creates. I love the embellishments and textures that she adds with stitchwork and embroidery to the felted surface. 

My attempt lacks the beautiful embellishments, but I loved making it, and I'm very happy with how it's turned out...

It's been great to have a whole day devoted to felt! 

Thanks for reading - let's hope the rain moves on and that we all have a sunny weekend,

Liz x

  

Gorgeous Reds - berries and cherries

This week I've been busy picking soft fruit from the garden that has suddenly ripened in the warm sun. I'm not a particular fan of red, but the colours of the fruit are so gorgeous - when the sun shines, the redcurrants look like little glass jewels. 

I'm using the redcurrants to make jams and jellies, as they're a bit seedy and sour to eat raw. I've used a recipe from Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook, a lovely book with seasonal recipes and lots of tempting photos. I think the jelly may be be a bit runny, but it looks very pretty in the glass jars. It was hard to take a photo without capturing my reflection, too!

The cherries and strawberries, however, are perfect just as they are, freshly picked and eaten straight from the plants. Yummy!

If I get a chance this weekend, I'm going to make some little wet felted bowls in shades of deep pink and red, inspired by all those gorgeous berries. I'll let you know how they turn out, of course :)

Liz.