Making things

from here

I love this quote, it's just how I feel. I have been enjoying making things without the pressure of having to sell them, simply for the joy of creating something. Here's what I've been up to..........

I painted some paper with cupcakes, coffee beans, ice-cream cones, I don't know what for, just for the hell of it.

I made Elvis Presley's favourite ice-cream......Peach.......it's not the usual custard based ice-cream, basically just pureed peaches and cream and it's pure summer heaven!

I made Peach Cake with Butterscotch Sauce......very naughty!...................

My husband doesn't like jam, so I make him Lavender jelly in the summer and Crabapple and Clove jelly in the winter. I love making jelly, I don't have a jelly bag, so I do it the old fashioned way by turning a kitchen chair upside down and tying a muslin hammock to the legs and straining the juices overnight into a bowl. Then I boil up the juice with the sugar and it gives me such a thrill when it is bottled to see the sunlight passing through the jewel-like jelly, as in the picture below..............

from here.

I had borrowed a book from the Library by Poppy Treffry. I have often seen her handmade goods featured in magazines and longed for one of her coffee cosies. So, I thought I would make myself one. Hers as you will see below are tall and thin, but my coffee pot has a protuding handle, so I had to alter the shape. Poppy's work is machine embroidered, but that would be my idea of hell, so I appliqued and embroidered by hand. I am rather pleased with how it turned out, especially as it was made entirely from recycled material.

It's not as finely sewn an article as I know many of you talented bloggers can produce, but it's fun and has personality I figure. Finally, I had a little go at crochet, it's everywhere you look at the moment, and in such vibrant colours, it's very appealing. I used to be able to do crochet, many many years ago, but had forgotten how, but with a little help from a magazine, I am off and running. Not too sure what I will make, a throw is a bit of a big first project, perhaps a scarf?

Last but not least, I dried some artichokes. I had hoped that they would just dry, sitting in a bowl, but no, one or two went mouldy. I then put them on a double radiator and kept turning them to dry them out completely. They are a bit browner than I would have liked, but still have the lovely purple colouring. This morning when I looked at them I couldn't believe my eyes, as the largest one had grown vibrant lilac tips to the centre part overnight, it looks fabulous, I just hope it's not some kind of mould! I think perhaps a more successful way to dry them would be in some kind of dessicant, or silica gel. If anyone has any tips, I would be grateful.

Before

After





Thankyou to all of you who are kind enough to leave comments, I love receiving them, love Linda x.