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Category Archives: craft

Masks, Flowers and Cake

A week ago I made some masks for a friend and her daughter who is about to go off to University. I made plain black for the student and prettier ones for her Mum.

Masks for M’s daughter

Masks for my friend, M

When M collected the masks, she brought me some beautiful Carnations and Freesias all in bud to say thank you. Now they are open and just beautiful. Thank you, M!

Thank you flowers

I read an old Cornish recipe today for Autumn Cake. The recipe came from an old Cornish Women’s Institute booklet and sounded good despite the fact that I didn’t have all the ingredients. I had the cooking apples and one eater and all the basics but substituted the cherries with ginger pieces and the nuts with fat raisins. It’s a success!

A warm slice waiting for ice-cream

Autumn Cake

Sunflowers, Silks and More Masks

03 Sep

We chose a different route into town today and walked past a garage where they have planted Sunflowers on the grass beside the pavement, such a delight to see them!

Yesterday, after visiting friends in Truro, I went shopping for more embroidery silks and now I have all I need for the special wall hangings I’m making for Christmas!

I’ve made myself six more masks in the hope that choir will start again before too long. Research says we will need three per rehearsal so I have pretty ones, ones for Christmas and musical notes. I am so missing singing with my choir pals. I live in hope!

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 3, 2020 in environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2020, Redruth, sewing

Tags: embroidery

Fabric, Sewing and An Oak Tree

27 Aug

A few days ago I ordered some Ghanaian batik fabric and it arrived today, just glorious! Now to decide what to make with my one metre.

This came my way today. I shall probably declare many days National Stay at Home and Sew Day!

Our brief evening walk today took us along Church Lane and under the ancient Oak tree. There were lots of acorns and these…….. Any ideas?

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 27, 2020 in environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2020, sewing

Tags: batik designs, Ghanaian fabric

Lunch, Rain and Embroidery

19 Aug

Lunch today was our version of a Portobello Mushroom Pizza , mushroom with passata and basil with halloumi grilled on top, very tasty!

It’s been a day of wind and rain and stormy weather, the garden getting blown to shreds though no doubt the roots are loving it all.Consequently, I have been indoors doing a bit of therapeutic embroidery, starting on another wall hanging for Christmas.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 19, 2020 in Food, garden, Photography, Postaday2020, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: stem stitch

Mask, Flowers and A Bug

16 Aug

A quiet day today, pootling around the garden catching up with dead-heading, weeding, and some pruning after days of hectic family fun!

Butterfly mask made for Daughter No 1

Collected from the garden

The lovely Mr S spotted this Grasshopper on the slate terrace but it didn’t hop anywhere. We think it was trying to lay eggs but the slates were not the right place to be.

Common Grasshopper

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 16, 2020 in flowers, nature, Photography, Postaday2020, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: Common grasshopper

Not All Fairies can Fly

06 Aug

I first fell in love with Samantha Bryan’s Fairies in the early 2000s when I saw an exhibition in the Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds. The invention, the humour, the whole premise and the beautiful construction entranced me and I bought my first Fairy. Who knew that fairies don’t simply fly but have to learn? That they wear L plates to warn others of their inexperience? That they need various intricate contraptions to help them learn to fly? That they do stretching exercises before setting off on their roller boots, or with a lifting device, under an air balloon or with a propellor? That they need special protective equipment? My quirky collection of ‘Brains Fairy Aiding Inventions’ shows all these and more.

My first Fairy

Fairy doing an exercise designed to strengthen leg muscles in preparation for impact during landing

Waiting for repaired wings and looking a bit sad 2004

Air balloon assistance

Beautiful detail

I love her pleased expression

Brain’s revolutionary V.T.O.L. Apparatus (assists fairies in vertical take-off and landing) 2003

Improved pedal powered fairy vehicle

All the Fairies have labels typed on an old typewriter adding to the quaintness of the whole.

When I retired from teaching in 2006, I was also mentoring student teachers and commissioned Samantha to make me a Fairy piece showing a Fairy being encouraged in her efforts to become fully fledged and ready to go out on her own. Samantha sent me four beautiful designs that she had sketched and this is the one I chose.

Mentor with fairy in training 2006

It’s time I added to my collection!

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 6, 2020 in art, craft, Happiness, Postaday2020, sculpture, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: brain's fairy aiding inventions, Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds, Samantha Bryan

Fairy Wings, Garden Colour and Singing

24 Jul

I fitted the repaired wings to two of my Fairies today and am delighted with how they now look and that now they will be able to fly, albeit that they are learners!

We are delighted with the serendipitous odd pops of colour in our garden. Both the Poppy and the Crocosmia are self-sown.

In the last few days, members of The Inglehearts’ Singers have recorded themselves at home singing new words to Trelawny, the Cornish anthem, words designed to encourage people in Camborne to wear their masks and to help each other in these uncertain Covid times.

ttps://www.facebook.com/CamborneTown/videos/280043376609260

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 24, 2020 in art, community, Cornwall, craft, environment, garden, nature, Postaday2020, sculpture, sewing

Tags: #CamborneTown.com, Brain's fairies, crocosmia, frilly poppy, Gladioli, Samantha Bryan, The Ingleheart Singers

Fairy Wings, A Feather and Macro Delight

23 Jul

Some time ago I mentioned that a couple of my beautiful Fairy collection, made by Samantha Bryan, had poorly wings. See here for that post. I wrote to Samantha to explain the problem and she wrote back telling me how to remove the wings and to send them to her for repair. This I did, with the beautiful feathers given to me by my dear friend, Nicky. The repaired wings arrived in the post today along with two tiny bits of leather in case any further repair is need. Just look! Aren’t they beautiful? I shall show you when I have attached the wings in a day or two.

Feather wings from Samantha Bryan

Our eggs arrived today, one with a feather attached – seems just serendipitous for the day!

I love my new camera and the macro facility. I have missed it so much! Here, some Rose petals and an Alium.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 23, 2020 in art, craft, environment, garden, nature, Postaday2020, sculpture, sewing

Tags: Samantha Bryan

Swaps, Cherries and A Spider

23 Jun

A brilliant trade happened today! One of our choir friends runs the lovely cafe at Chapelporth, renowned for its Hedgehog ice creams, Croque Monsieur and homemade Flapjacks. She and her staff, who have just been allowed to re-open, were in need of some masks so several of her friends have made some. R came this morning to collect the three I have made and brought us some of her delicious Flapjacks.

Chapelporth Cafe Flapjack

SeaSalt fabric masks

Another lovely choir friend does extra bits of shopping for us and today found a big box of cherries, a bargain!

We found a very small green and yellow spider on the Peony today, busy spinning a web.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 23, 2020 in Chapel Porth, Cornwall, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday2020, sewing

Tags: Chapel Porth cafe, flapjack, Seasalt fabric

L R Knost, Sewing and Gifts

08 Jun

A friend shared these words today and they strike me as very pertinent. They are the words of award-winning author, feminist, and social justice activist, L.R. Knost who is the founder and director of the children’s rights advocacy and family consulting group, Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting.

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”

Be that light.

I have been sewing hard for a week, making two little fabric books for a friend’s one year old son. We’ll deliver them to their doorstep tomorrow.

A dear friend called by today with some shopping and we sat in the garden for an hour or so, catching up and being together (in a socially distanced way!) Lovely J brought with her some scones she had made this morning with a pot of Cornish Clotted Cream and a beautiful posy of Suffragette colours. What a gem, what a very thoughtful and much needed gesture of solidarity and friendship.