Pink mice

My daughter arrived at Guides embarrassingly late last night and I did wonder if perhaps she should have given it a miss this week - Wednesdays are always a bit of a rush! She came back grinning like a three year old with this plate of mice:

Made from condensed milk and coconut they were very sweet. I did wonder if my daughter would eat them - cute things, chocolate tree decorations etc, seem to be too cute to eat and are left to go mouldy! Keeping photos of these seemed to do the trick. I'll have to get the recipe for my Brownie pack - parhaps we could do snowmen - minus the food colouring obviously!

I really felt driven to test my latest craft idea out last night and stitched until very late. I hope you like the result:

Fireworks and Fairground

Our local display was a great success again this year. Daughter went with two frineds, prior to a sleepover back here. Our son had not made any arrangements. We had decided not to go but felt sorry for our son and said we would go with him. Quick rush for walking boots, waterproofs etc , almost at bonfire-lighting time and a rush up the road. Only to be overtaken by two of son's friends with whom he happily disappeared without a backwards glance. Husband took camera and tripod  - somewhat pointlessly I thought. Anyway, I was proved wrong. These are three of the photos he got:

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Having sold two of my landscape brooches recently, I found enough inspiration in this chilly weather to produce this one:

Fabulous Felt! - Folksy Friday No. 26

I really love the variety of form, colour, pattern, purpose...... offered by hand-felted items. I often 'full' items which I have knitted or crocheted to achieve a closer texture and remove the emphasis from the previously visible stitches. I have produced small quantities of felt to use as backgrounds for some of my brooches. I greatly enjoy the felting process and this produces a good basis for my embroidery. However, my felting skills are minimal. I would have no idea how to form a shape for example. I have only tried wet felting - needle felting is a mystery to me.

I hope you like these beautiful items as much as I do. I could not resist including 'Ignatius' DiddyBear. The character encapsulated in these tiny characters is immense!

Click on any item to view it on its Folksy shelf.

Over the Rainbow

Handmade by Clara Luna

ZM Felt

Colourfield

Soft Ceramics

Diddybears

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Since writing this post I have now finished another brooch - I hope you like it:

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Footnote: 7th Nov - Over the Rainbow's wonderful soaps are no longer in her shop - presumably sold and off to a new home! Hence the missing image!

Winlatter Forest

.. a little to the north and west of Keswick. Mountain bike trails, walks and views down to the distant Derwent Water and the closer Bassenthwaite Lake. As is often the case on family holidays, it took some while for everyone to agree on an activity for the day. It was beautiful weather and, following his sister's climbing session on the previous day, it was our son's turn to choose. We assumed bike riding would be involved, but which bike should he take? and where should we go?

By the time we got up to the forest it was mid afternoon!! Plenty of adequate light for walking and cycling, but not really enough for good photos - particularly without the tripod. I wanted the glimpse of Derwent Water - somewhat distant by eye, it is completely insignificant in the photograph. Thank goodness we are in an age of 'almost free' digital photos. With my poor skills I would never have risked wasting film and processing. At least these go some way to giving you a flavour of the views which we enjoyed:

Not even a glimpse of a lake on the last one, but I wanted to keep this as a reference of the blend of colours on the fells in the background.

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My latest 'daisies'. Well the shape is very 'daisy-like' - but these are wearing the autumn colours of chrysanthemums.

A brooch this time, but a small bag, purse and needlecase planned - amongst others.

Windermere

Camping at Kendal, a few hundred metres from a large in-door climbing centre, with a 13 year old who had excitedly packed her harness and climbing boots into the van, meant that our first activity, on a brilliantly clear and beautiful frosty morning, was the completion of tedious registration forms and an in-door climbing session. Son and I explored Kendal (looking for bike shops - they always know the best places to ride), OH held on to the end of daughter's rope. Actually belaying is hard work!

We had a quick lunch and headed for Windermere - not our preferred area of the Lakes, but not many daylight hours left. Managed to park - always a challenge and very expensive in that area! - and headed up to a view point to the east of the lake. More an up-hill stroll than a serious walk - but some pretty views:

Then a short stroll back down to the lake side. Found a little bridge for 'Pooh sticks':

Then a bit further for 'stone skimming':

Lovely sunset:

and then back to Kendal.

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I took a craft basket with me on holiday. My compact camera - in case husband laid claim to his better one. Some knitting and two notebooks - more about those in a later post. Whilst there, I bought a 'Quilting Arts' magazine - can't get it here sadly, and two craft -related books. Didn't find time for knitting, but spent a little while jotting in one of the notebooks. Not sure whether it was the many breeds of sheep we encountered, a wonderful wool shop I plunged into, or just the realisation that my vast stash of yarn needn't be used for knitting and crochet alone, but I have embarked on two related, but different, new lines of embroidery.

The first is based on 'shaped motifs' stitched in wool on a woolen fabric background, and then lightly felted. Directions sometimes depart from initial thoughts, but, at present, these are likely to be in vibrant, multi coloured yarns. This turtle is the first example:

The second is based on embroidery using wool on a hand-made woolen background. This first is on a knitted background, felted and basted to a wool fabric. Other backgrounds with which I am experimenting include: couched, fused and then felted and woven - possibly then lightly felted. This is the first item of this type which I have listed:

I hope you like them - many more to come!

'PaperSaver' Notepad

In common with most families we recycle as much as possible. I have various containers about the house - on my desk, in the hall etc, with loose paper scraps for notes. In an attempt to find a convenient way of carrying paper notes with me - in a bag or pocket, I made myself a PaperSaver notebook. It worked well and I decided to make some more to list on Folksy.

This is the first. What do you think?

Red - Folksy Friday No 25

I have quite a few cheery red items at present







I thought that I would look for some others to show you. My choices have been taken from the shops of fellow craftspeople who have been kind enough to support Lynwoodcrafts on Facebook, Flickr and here on my blog.
Click on any item to see it on its Folksy shelf!









Court & Spark
A Simple Melody
Glassprimitif
buttercup boutique
Mildunkley Beads
PatsParaphernalia
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