Life and death

As I send a present to a newly born baby girl I discover that another little girl has been left without a mother.

Last night I was flicking through 'Homemade: Gorgeous things to Make with love' desiring to be inspired by the pages of beautiful crafts. I made a mental note that I hadn't looked at the co author, Elspeth Thompson's blog in some time. Today when browsing the internet I flicked to her blog and with horror read the meassage left by her husband announcing her death. It breaks my heart to think that an innocent little girl (Elspeth's daughter) has been left in this world without her mother.

This week I have been struggling with tiredness and an increasingly adventurous (and naughty) son but I am finishing the week by being reminded of how blessed I really am. When life seems tough it is so easy to believe that we are the only one who is suffering. That is so far from the truth. There is suffering all around us if we just open our eyes and hearts to it.

I want to finish with some words of hope. What comes to mind is a verse underlined in my bible which says ' Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.' Psalm ch 30 v 5.

Inspired by ::

Today I am inspired by

:: Rob Ryans paper cuts. Totally amazed at the beauty and detail in his work. Next trip to London will involve a visit to his shop.



:: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer reccommended by my friend.



:: Dying fabric. As with MJ I want to use 'real nappies' on baby, however some of MJs terry squares were looking a bit tired and worn so I had a go at dying them green! They turned out a bit darker than I had imagined but I'm still happy with them. Although I am disappointed with myself for using a chemical dye and not thinking to research using natural dyes first. Yesterday at 'Craft and Coffee' a friend showed me some wool she has just dyed using turmeric, red onion skins and tea. The results were stunning and totally inspiring. I'm sure there are lots more things I can dye so I will have to be a bit more creative next time and research natural dyes first.



:: My clothes line of green nappies reminded me of the film 'I capture the castle' which is one of my favourites. I really want to watch it again soon.

I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith by Zoella on Polyvore.com

What are you inspired by today?

Highlights of a weekend almost past

:: Catching MJ climbing our apple tree



:: Rice Krispies for tea

:: Finding a little herbal medicine book for £1

:: Starting my two cups of Raspberry leaf tea per day in the hope of a quicker labour!

:: MJ informing me rather proudly that what he and daddy were planting were called peas.

:: Finally getting some snaps of the amazing blossoms all around us this spring. These were taken at George Bernard Shaws home, now a National Trust property.

Bean bags

Bean bags bring back many happy childhood memories. These bean bags I have made for MJ to help teach him his colours and numbers. Tltreeblog gives ideas for lots of games which can be played using bean bags and Mama Mel Loves has an online tutorial for making your own bean bags. Mine were made from felt and were amazingly quick to cut out and sew. If you fancy having a go at making some but have no one to give them to Craft Hope will find a very worthy place for them to be sent and enjoyed.