Tea Party Invitations

This August my Grandparents it will be both my Grandma's 90th birthday and their 60th wedding anniversary  which is certainly worth a celebration! They have decided to invite friends and neighbours to an afternoon tea , and I offered to make the invitations for them. Here is the final design I came up with:

I chose sweetpeas as these were the flowers at their wedding and in my Grandma's bouquet. The little teacup is detachable so that invited guests can simply fill it out and return it to my Grandparents - and can then keep the invitation as a reminder of the date and time. Overall I feel pleased with the finished product, I would have liked the writing so be a little more elaborate and decorative, but as the majority of the invited guests will be elderly, I felt it needed to be clear and easy to read.

Happy Birthday Grandma and congratulations on your 60th Wedding anniversary!  

Isobel's birthday card

A birthday card I created using  a mix of watercolours and collage for my Sister's partner's daughter. They have a lovely border collie mix called Poppy who I have drawn in a birthday hat! As I was taking the photographs, my cat Betty got jealous that she wasn't the centre of attention as usual so she decided to get in on the act...

Mint Humbugs

Today marks 2 years since my Grandad passed away. He had a talent for writing funny poems, a song for every occasion and he always had a mint humbug in his pocket! We miss you Grandad!

DIY Festival water bottle carriers

Hello! With all the summer music festivals approaching, I thought I would create a DIY tutorial for an essential festival accessory... 


Carrying a handbag around at festivals is pretty impractical and it can be annoying when you want to dance etc, using a rucksack is one way of keeping your hands free, but for quick access to your drink, this pretty bottle holder should come in useful!

These are really quick to make and can easily be customised to personal taste. I have included a step by step guide below.

You will need:

1. Roughly 12x 12 inches of plain coloured fabric, 12 x 4 inches of patterned fabric. The size can depend on how big a bottle you are intending to carry around. 

2. Three different colours of bias binding or ribbon roughly 48 inches long

3. Brightly coloured thread or cotton.

4. Fabric scissors or pinking shears if you have them.

Step 1

To begin with, fold the plain fabric in half. This will help strengthen the water carrier and gives a neat finish to the top edge and will stop it from fraying.

Cut the patterned fabric (using pinking shears if you have them) so it comes to about the third of the size of the plain fabric and sew it so there is a 1.5 inch of plain fabric showing at the top. I machined stitched it which speeds the whole process up, but it would also be quick to sew by hand. Alternatively you could use bondaweb to adhere the two fabrics together.

I also did a simple running stitch about a cm from the top of the fabric. This isn't essential but if you use a bright coloured thread it does make the carrier look even prettier :)

Step 2

With the right side of the fabric on the inside, fold it in half and stitch down the right hand side leaving an inch seam allowance. At this point you could just check that the sizing so far is right by using a standard empty water bottle - adjusting the seam allowance if needed.

Step 3

In the same way that you would wrap a present, fold up the ends of your carrier, pin them together and sew! Strong thread is needed here - don't worry about it looking too neat as it won't be seen but its important that the ends are secure so you don't lose your drink!

Step 4

Tie your three colours of binding or ribbon together and plait them - ending with another knot. Sew each end   on to the insides of your carrier - again make sure you use strong thread and go back over your stitching several times as you don't want the strap to break.

Step 5

Cut off any lose threads and ta da! Your drinks carrier  is complete!  Enjoy!

Wild Geese - Mary Oliver

I thought I would begin my blog by posting its namesake; the poem Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. A friend introduced me to this poem a few years ago and it has since become a favourite. I find it comforting and inspiring - it seems to capture that sense of wanderlust I often get too. 

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Image taken from: http://people.tribe.net/fbf438e6-da8f-485a-8257-37d8e53d010c/blog/86033082-8a84-4b3d-a10a-3bc447804456