HAPPY BIRTHDAY

To me! Happy Blog Day.

It is, in fact, 1 year since I embarked on this journey of blogdom. It’s no real surprise that the year seems to have whooshed by but I’m pleased, looking back over my blog that I have done quite a lot of stuff. I’m also really pleased that in writing Initforthehoney I have come across some very interesting and inspiring people whose blogs I’ve become quite attached to.

So, 2013. Bring it on! I’m going to do even more ‘stuff’. This time last year was hard work but all that is now a long way away. I won’t bore you with my resolutions. It’s more of a checklist anyway which I’m gratified to note that i’ve ticked off 14 already. Hooray (slaps one’s own back in a demented Trevor & Simon way).

There are some outstanding projects from last year that I didn’t finish due to Christmas crafting (pics below but not as many as I would have liked because, of course, they took longer than I had allowed time for) and these I look forward to achieving early on in the year. Quilts! Yes my Japanese quilt is still not done but it will be. I promise.

Here’s how Bath looked today at about 3.30 in the afternoon.

The sun was just beginning to dip below the rooftops and there was a most glorious misty, pastel light hanging everywhere:

The one above is my favourite from this set. There is such an astonishing depth to it. The land drops steeply here at Camden Crescent and you can see all over and across the valley towards Bathampton. I’d love to live up here. It’s just as remarkable at night when the city lights twinkle like a grounded galaxy.
Even Twerton looks pretty in the sunset.

New year and a new background colour. Fresh green to signify a fresh start and new life. The sprouting plants on my windowsill suggested it. I’m charmed by them. Their little green shoots so perfect against the rough mud. In one way, it’s this stage of their growth which is most exciting. There is nothing else around so these early sprouts seem all the more magical. Of course I’ll be delighted when they flower but the fact that they’ve got this far is great! I’ll take a photo of my window box tomorrow. Perhaps it will have a sprinkling of snow on if the weather forecast is anything to go by (it usually isn’t).

For my Christmas crafting…

I made felt coasters from The Purl Bee which turned out just as they should! (the exclamation mark is there because it was a surprise) I also made some baby bandanas from their website too.* Purl Bee have great tutorials on their website so even if you are a novice like me you can find something stylish and easy to make. They have all kinds of amazing knitting projects too but those are far beyond my capabilities. Based on how well both these turned out I then turned my hand to a free style project making a tablecloth and matching napkins using plain calico and blue Toile de Jouy. Perhaps Devon Country Diary will be kind enough to photograph these as I could not. She has and they’re now at the bottom of this post.

Pictured above

are the Christmas cards I sent out. They read Ho Ho and inside, He he. The bright red and green with the block printing in black worked very well I think and are a bit different to the usual chocolate box affair of bulk box buys. I sent them in contrasting envelopes for maximum colour overload.

At the Knitting & Stitching Show

that I went to at Alexandra Palace some weeks ago now there was a stand devoted to decoupage paper. I had it in mind for ages that I wanted to decoupage a mirror for my friend Colouring Carolyn so this was my opportunity to go wild. It was a frenzy at that stand! So I watched and waited like a lioness and then went in for the kill stampeding over a wavering teenager to get the sheets I wanted. Little does Carolyn know how much blood was shed over her dainty christmas present! Not really but it was as busy as day one of Harrods’ sales. Then I also did a ‘batch’ of paintings. Don’t know what collective noun for paintings is… an embarrassment? An exhibition? Whatever … you can see them over here . And I think that’s roughly it. It seemed like an awful lot more when i was working on it all but now doesn’t seem so much. OH! I’ve just remembered another one but it’s a bit rude so not for here. Sorry! Matt James was the recipient of that one. Oh and I made a hundred weight of ginger biscuits for people, which was also my staple diet for most of December hence my jelly like appearance. I used Rachel Allen’s recipe from her Bake book but tripled the amount of ginger and used fresh ginger too. I LOVE ginger! And again, These turned out perfectly. I think I am finally becoming A) An adult, B) A Domestic Goddess and C) Good at Stuff. Finally!

Okay. So that’s brought you up to speed for now I’d say. Happy Blog Day to me and to you for reading!

My art site is up and running now

So do check out the delights there please and follow for updates too. One of my NY resolutions is to get PayPal or similar up there. Any tips much appreciated. I’ve kept the two sites separate for this year while I was finding my way but it’s so much a part of me now that I want to share more. I hope you like!

I’m going to look out the window now to see if it’s snowing yet. Fingers crossed xxx

*The baby I made the bandanas for is far cuter than featured on Purl Bee website 🙂