How does your Garden Grow..?

I have always enjoyed looking at a nice gardens but it is only recently that I have started to take an interest in our own garden.  Up until now my OH has taken care of all things garden.  Earlier in the year we were given a huge batch of purple sprouting brocolli.  We put some in the allotment, they have failed due to neglect.  We went on holiday and the weeds took over and swamped the little plants.  We put most of the plants in the garden, we have recently moved to our new build and the garden has lots of blank spaces.

We have seen the Cabbage Whites on the plants for a while and thought nothing of it 'oh how lovely to have some wildlife in the garden at last'.  Ofcourse Cabbage Whites love cabbages and they also love purple sprouting brocolli!  This is what we returned to after our 1 week holiday

The plants have been stripped of pretty much all their leaf....  However, its not all bad news.  I really love to have flowers in the house but they are expensive to buy on a regular basis.  We have had Sarah Raven's book called something like 'The Cut Flower Garden' on the shelf for a while and I have flicked through it several times.  This year I decided I would take action and have a go so I headed out to the local garden centre and bought some packets of seed thinking that I would get them started to have a crop of flowers next year.  However, when we got from out hols this is what we found

You should be looking at the white flowers as they are the flowers I grew from seed I can't believe it.  Seasoned gardeners out there will be rolling their eyes now but I am really proud.  There wasn't much to it to be fair, just scattered some compost then planted the seed and let nature do her magic.  The flowers in question are Gypsophilia by the way and they are great for filling out an arrangement and adding some elegance.

I have picked quite a lot already and arranged a few vases with dahlia, roebeckia (spelling?) Michelmas Daisies and some other very pretty yellow daisies.  I haven't taken pictures as it is too dark in the house now to get a decent shot.

Feeling very pleased with myself!  Now to go sort the beads from last night's session at the torch, here is a sneaky peek

Behind the Scenes

I know things have been quiet on here for a while but there has been alot of work going on behind the scenes.  Not least working on some buttons for Jumble Jelly here is a sneak preview of some of what I have been working on

An assortment of shank style buttons that can be used in all manner of ways.  They can be added to a hand sewn purse or bag, they could become a clasp on a necklace or bracelet, the centre for a crochet flower... the list goes on.  Indeed they would also make a beautiful addition to any craft stash to await that 'perfect project'.   I am working on some larger shank style buttons and two holed buttons.

I have also been working on different ways in which I can use my beads to make accessories and came up with these lovely bag charms

They are the perfect way to bring colour to a bag that needs a spruce up.  These are a great way to use odd beads that don't necessarily want to become a necklace or bracelet.  While thinking along the lines of using up odd beads I came with lapel pins

These are my first attempts but I have plenty more pins to use.  I have been looking around for something to dress up a red jacket I have got so I think I'll put red and white glass out next to my torch to work on during my next session.

So, better get posting some bag charms on my Etsy shop which is also looking very neglected.  Then its a quick freshen up and off to our friends' BBQ to celebrate their 40th birthdays!

A Quick Note

Just a quick note to say 'hi', I'm still here.  I have made some beads but my poor oxycon is still not 100%.  In case you're wondering the oxycon is a reconditioned NHS oxygen concentrator which is rigged up to my torch with propane to give a nice hot flame.  It is essential to the bead-making process.  I am going to poke around inside it tommorrow, and if I have no joy I think I'll have to invest in a new one - Yikes!  And yes, I would love to include a photo of said beads but we seem to be encountering technical difficulties with the camera!!!!

I went on a jaunt around the countryside on Tuesday with my OH, we finished up in Bradford on Avon which is a very pretty town on the edge of Bath.  We visit BoA periodically, but haven't done so in a while.  We went on wander up Silver Street and stumbled upon Jumble Jelly Oh my goodness!  What a fantastic shop, it is eye-candy to any yarn and fabric addict, even the OH was impressed.  Beautiful products, beautifully displayed, it was so hard to walk away without making a purchase.  I am currently working on a blanket which I am determined to finish before I move on to the next project.  They do hold a 'Knit and Natter' session, which I am definitely going to attend, along with some very tempting workshops.

If you are ever passing Bradford on Avon it is well worth a detour to visit, there is also a fab-looking ice cream parlour which I will definitely taking the children to.

Hang out the bunting

Its back!!!!!!!!  Finally my oxycon has returned.  I did have it back before but it stopped working during the first session.  This may be a premature celebration but I have every faith that all will be well and I can get melting some glass again.

Meet Wonka

We haven't ventured into the world of pets until now.  There has been much talk in the past about getting guinea pigs, but we totted up the cost of hutch etc... then we decided we would move house so it wasn't a good time.  Anywho, a friend of mine takes in tortoises that people can no longer look after and then finds new homes for them as part of the work the British Chelonia Group do.  We joined the Group and then I took Reuben to pick a tortoise for re-homing. 

Wonka, which is the name he came with, seems to be settling in nicely.  I'm sure he must think the garden is 10 times bigger than it is due to the fact that he wanders so far then Reuben picks him up and turns him around to go back the way he came. 

Its a great feeling to have a pet, I didn't have any growing up because we moved around alot.  I will confess though it is similar to bringing home a new baby, especially the first night, we were fretting about he was ok, was he going to be warm enough?  But all seems to be fine so far.

Wonka is rather partial to lettuce, freshly picked from the allotment ofcourse! 

Something for Girls

I still don't have my oxycon so no new beads to share.  Instead I have been focussing my energy on using the beads I have in my stash.  Just thought I would share these really cute girls' bracelets with you.  The bangles are made of nickel free metal, incorporating my own lampwork beads and buttons.  They are fastened a bit like a safety pin with a hook on one end and a ball on the other.  I will be getting around to listing them in my Etsy shop over the next couple of days.  I hope you like them!

I also had some bits and bobs to use up from a previous workshop.  These are lovely little bracelets made with cotton cord.  Again all the metal components are 100% nickel free.  Here is a sample, I have a few more in different colourways.  These will also make their way into my Etsy shop, unless they are sold in the meantime!

Learning New Skills

I have had a fantastic couple of days annealing, bending and soldering silver.  My hubby bought me some vouchers for birthday and christmas to use at Urchfont Manor.  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful facility on the doorstep.

I signed up for the silver jewellery making course with the brilliant Pauline Payne.  We started by learning how to make a ring.  How to anneal the silver, add texture to the silver, bend it into shape, get a good join and solder. 

Next lesson was how to cut a shape from sheet silver.  I cut the flower shape to mount on my ring.  I also mounted the turquoise in the centre, so I made a bezel etc.. I have always wanted a couple of silver bangles so they were my next project.

I still had a morning to fill so I decided to make something for my little ones and came up with an initial pendant each.  (I did one for Fay too but she was out wearing hers when I took this photo).

I learned so much I can't get it all down in words.  Pauline was a fantastic tutor, so patient with us, and has a style of teaching that made us all feel at ease.  The company also made for a very enjoyable couple of days, with 9 other ladies to chat to and compare notes with.

I'm going to start saving for another course next year!