Mousy Brown's House-Creating, crafting and collecting. Enjoying Life.

A Birthday, a journey and a to do list.

On the first of April my big boy turns twelve and we are off to Cornwall to celebrate with friends and family on the beach.

 

Lots of cake will be eaten,

 

kites may be flown

 

and computers will be nowhere to be seen!  I hope you will all forgive me if I slip away for a few days to just enjoy being and living and forget about recording for the moment.  For fun, while I am gone I thought I would share my 'To do list' with you and some links to things I have been enjoying around the world wide web.  There are some things to see, some things to do, some hints of things to come and something to listen to.  Enjoy your Easter and when we come back I promise to have lots and lots to show and tell!

Things to do:

* Check out the new issue of Rhythm of the Home which I learnt about through Valarie (read more about her at Shivaya Naturals:Circle of Stones.)

* Make some more of these oaty cookies from Attic 24 - delicious!

* Finish details of the very special custom order that I am planning with Amy at Elemental (something to show and tell at a later date!) and try out that fab tutorial she did about block printing.

* Book myself a special spring treat facial at Dr Hauschka - part of a plan I have from reading Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy , more of that to follow.

* Enjoy some quiet time and plan what I am going to make from the two new books I am getting for Easter - Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style  and  Amy Butler's in Stitches: 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects

* Turn my bedroom into a sanctuary using ideas inspired by my quilt and bag  (and a new pillowslip that I will show you when I get back).

* Carry on enjoying my crochet - I have been gathering ideas for my next project on flickr - might have something to show you when I return.

* Turn Mumford & Sons up loud and enjoy singing in the sunshine (??!!)

 

Have fun exploring!

 

Elspeth Thompson.

I was so saddened to learn of Elspeth Thompson's tragic death via her blog this week.  While I had never met her in person, her books and blog had touched me deeply with their beauty and I had shared that enthusiasm with many of my friends and family.

The excitement I felt when she emailed me earlier this year, after I posted about her Wonderful Weekend book, was boundless.  Her kindness and gracious words will always stay with me, a feeling shared with many others across the web.  Her ability to create and see wonder in the the most simple and unlikely of places inspired us all and will live on in her writing to offer comfort to others.  My thoughts and prayers are with her family and all those who knew her well.

String-a-long Monday - Week four.

As String-a-long 2010 comes to an end, I have one more bag to show you.  For the first time this one actually looks like a shopping bag and is a size that could be considered useful.

It was crocheted in the same cotton as my previous bags, using a 6mm hook.  The pattern can be found at www.squidoo.com/string-bag but don't ask me how I discovered it.  I think I must have been just looking about and came across it but if one of you suggested it to me and I have forgotten please accept a humble apology and tell me straight away!

I loved this pattern, it was super easy (even for my quite amateur crochet skills) and it grew very quickly.  As you can see in the photo above it expands to an enormous degree and would fit a serious amount of shopping.  The handles are nice and wide and a good length for comfortable carrying and it folds up nice and small to fit in a bag.  Ticks all the boxes for me and I would definitely recommend this version to anybody wanting to give a string bag a try.  

There are many reasons why I have really enjoyed the experience of joint organising and taking part in String-a-long.

Getting to make a new friend in Dawn - who has been endlessly patient with my technical dopiness and has come up with some great solutions along the way.  I think she shares my willingness to join up again in a joint challenge in the future - So a big thank you for Dawn! (and watch this space....)

Trying new patterns and coming to love crochet - facing a few fears and pushing my comfort zone - somehow so much easier with all of you along for the ride! 

Discovering a whole new group of friends and a wonderful new list of blogs to read - connections I hope will continue way past the end of the challenge.

Three beautiful new hand made string bags - each completely different but all made by me.

So thank you to each and every one of you who took part or supported us along the way - I hope the experience has been fun for all of you too!  As a finale Dawn and I would like to make a special photo mosaic of all the bags that were completed.  The Flickr group will stay open and it would be great if you could all post your finished bags there but please don't feel left out if you don't fancy Flickr - just send a photo to Dawn or I and we will add it to the mosaic.  We would like all the photos by April 7th and we plan to have a grand unveiling of the mosaic on April 12th.  I look forward to proudly showing them off and reckon that between us we have saved a truck load of plastic bags from being used - Congratulations all of you!

An update on this months Small Change and a confession.

As this month of small change draws to a close I thought I would update you on how 'no spend month' has gone and make a small confession!  Our challenge was to avoid extra expenditure this month in any way we could, re-using, doing without or just making the most of what we had .

•  Household bills and mortgage costs were obviously fairly important and couldn't be avoided but I like to think that the whole ethos of not spending concentrated our minds a bit and we have been very careful to not waste electricity (turning off un-needed lights) and heat (shutting doors and curtains).
• Fuel costs were not included in the challenge but I have tried to be aware of how much petrol I used in my car, combining trips if possible or deciding to postpone the trip if that was an option and I have only had to visit the petrol station once this month.

• Incidental spending on sweets and treats has been completely avoided and I am so proud of my boys who have taken this completely in their stride.  My little one even told me all about a lego set he really wanted and had saved for but assured me he wouldn't buy it until 'no spend month' was over!
• Lack of spending on shop produced cakes and sweets has benefited us and the planet all round. We have made all our cakes and biscuits at home (using organic ingredients I bulk buy from a whole food co-operative) saving on waste packaging as well as money and food miles and increasing our time together.
• Apart from my organic box delivery I haven't been buying food, we have had great fun using the contents of the larder and the freezer (both of which have benefited from the good clear out and clean) and in the process we have realised what items we really want to replace and which ones were just there due to impulse buys.

I find the best possible way to avoid spending is just to not go anywhere where you can buy anything and this technique has again benefited us in ways we didn't expect. 

• More time at home equals more time together and more time making things from what we have!
• In the first week our total spending as a family came to £5.23 (not including the big stuff that goes out of the bank) that was just for milk and some stuff needed at school. 
• Our cash envelopes have remained full and all in all I think we can consider the whole thing a big success in many ways.

Now is the time for the blushes and a small confession.  As I said avoidance is the best way for me to not spend and this was proved when for reasons beyond my control (I had to go and get a prescription filled in a local village)  I just happened to pass my favourite charity shop and there just happened to be the most gorgeous and lovely and irresistible little pot in the window and I came over all weak and couldn't stop my feet from turning and taking me in and I sort of had to do it didn't I?

This is the culprit and I have to confess that it was I who failed to manage the whole month without spending on things I didn't need - my 8 year old managed it while I fell at the first hurdle.  It only cost 50p and it's not new and it didn't cost any extra in fuel and it is really recycling so I am hoping you will all forgive me - will you please? 

Only a few days left to go now and then spending can return to normal . I like to think though that we have all been taught to think a bit about where our money goes and what we really need to spend it on  and that might mean that normal for us is a bit more thoughtful than it used to be.  Have a lovely weekend and I will be back on monday to celebrate the last day of String-a-long - will that last bag get finished? I know what I will be doing all weekend!

An easy effective home-made wasp trap.

I am very keen to preserve almost all forms of wildlife but with a severe allergy to wasps (that entails always carrying an adrenaline pen) they are one visitor to my garden that I would prefer to avoid.  At this time of year here in the UK a simple homemade wasp trap can capture the scout wasps as they emerge in the warm sunshine and their demise leads to far fewer visitations later in the season.  I was making my traps outside on Sunday and I thought I would share how I make them here. #For those of you that listen to Radio 4 - I think I got the idea originally from Bob Flowerdew on Gardeners QuestionTime#

Start with a glass jam jar, with about a tablespoon of old jam in the bottom.  I save all the mouldy bits especially to do this job!

Next add about an inch of very hot water to the jar and give it a good mix together.

Once the mixture has cooled down, place a piece of silver foil tightly over the top  and secure around the jar with an elastic band.

 

Using a very sharp pencil, push straight down into the middle of the foil to create a hole.  Be very careful not to enlarge the hole and try to remove your pencil without damaging the opening you have made.

   

The theory is that the wasp is attracted by the sweet smell and crawls into the hole, which is just large enough.  When it has had enough of the jam it tries to get out but the foil that is sticking down around the hole makes it impossible for it to get out.

I generally make 5-6 of these traps and position them around the garden at this time of year.  This does seem to be effective  at lessening the number of wasps we see later in the summer.  If we do eat outside, I will often make a fresh trap and fill it with orange juice to catch any wasps that arrive while we are outside.  I do recommend that you empty them wearing gloves as the smell can be somewhat disgusting at the end of the season.  While mass murder of a flying creature is not ideal, in the circumstances I am understandably not too contrite and at least this way avoids the use of nasty chemicals.  Let me know what you think if you give them a try.

Tutorial to make a simple Easter hanging decoration.

Last week Kate, at Marmalade Moon, asked in a comment if I had any plans to adapt my Christmas decoration for Easter.  I am ashamed to say that despite all I said yesterday about how important Easter is in our home, that was an idea that had never passed through my head!  Lots and lots of homemade goodies have been given at this time over the years - these were last years gifts:

But for some reason the boys new decoration has always been bought from a shop.  Well this year I am glad to say Kate has inspired me to make their decorations and here is a tutorial so that you can all have a go too if you'd like to. 

To make your decoration you will need some felted wool ( an old sweater washed on a hot wash is great), some fabric scraps (one solid colour -one shear), a piece of yarn/ coloured string/ribbon and some dried lavender.

Start by cutting out two identical egg shapes from your felt.

Next place your layers of fabric across the centre of one of your egg shapes (laying horizontally).   You can do as many layers as you like and use any combination of colours.  I used a solid purple underneath and a chiffon layer on top.  Stitch a straight line across your layers again horizontally.

 

Stitch two lines diagonally forming a 'x' across your fabric (see above) - all three lines should meet in the centre.  I did my lines freehand but feel free to draw your lines on with tailors chalk first if that helps.

Using very sharp scissors cut away the triangle of fabrics that has been formed above and below the centre line.

This will leave you with a bow shape on the front of your egg.

Now cut carefully between your lines of stitching towards the centre point - cut through all the layers.

Take your other egg shape piece of felt and spoon in some dried lavender (or other dried fragrant herbs).

 
Lay your piece of yarn, ribbon or coloured string over the lavender and form the hanging loop.

Place your top piece of felt (with the bow) over the lavender and stitch the two layers together carefully with a running stitch all around the outside of your egg shape.

 
   

Finish off by cutting into your bow to release the edges you have just stitched and ruffling up the layers underneath.  You can also snip all your loose ends of cotton if you wish.  I used a high contrast white cotton on this version so that the stitching was easy for you to follow but if you use a similar colour to the bow or a decorative thread you can leave the ends to hang attractively each side.

Your decoration is now ready to be hung on your tree or branch, where it will gently perfume your room.  Feel free to adjust the size of the bow, what cutting you do or the number of lines of stitching. You could also embellish it with beads or sequins once you have finished - just have fun and enjoy yourselves and don't forget to show me what you come up with!

Easter tree and decorations.

Easter is a celebrated in a big way in our home.  A time to recognise and celebrate re-birth and Spring.  The return of light after the Winter dark, growth after the stillness of the colder months and plenty after the harshness of the frozen ground.

 

This weekend our Easter tree was decorated - using ornaments collected together over the years.  A tradition that was started long before the children were born and has grown with them each Spring.

 

We cut a bough from our apple tree - its buds tightly furled and hang on it's many twigs, eggs and chicks of every colour and description.  Each year we gift the boys a new decoration each and our tree becomes heavy with ornamentation.  They receive their new eggs on Easter Sunday which we try to share with family or friends.  A giant egg hunt in the garden is always a highlight of the day - even if we have to wear our coats to do it!

Usually our tree is positioned by our front door to welcome everybody as they enter but this year the number of eggs has become so huge that a lager branch was needed and we have placed it in our sitting room window to glow in the sun.  That doesn't mean that the rest of the house has been neglected - rabbits, chicks and eggs have found their way to the  kitchen dresser:

 
The heart shape lights:

 
The kitchen table:

 
The windowsill by the door:

 
My plants:

 
and the shelves above the sofa:

 

This year, inspired by a comment last week I have made a felt egg for each of the boys, based on my Christmas decoration and tomorrow I will post a tutorial so that you can make some too.  What special traditions do you and your family keep to celebrate this time of year?

String-a-long Monday - Week three.

My second bag is completed and packed with gifts for a friend (more of that in a moment).  My rather hesitant start at this crochet bag turned into real pleasure as I found my rhythm and the bag grew and grew very quickly.

I knew I was going to end up with a rather small version of this bag as I only own one crochet hook and I was too impatient to wait until I could buy the right size - so my finished bag is more of a handbag size. As before I couldn't resist embellishing it and when I saw this post on Attic 24 I found the perfect simple crochet flower to use.

The end result was very pretty and as one of my best friends was celebrating a special birthday this weekend I decided it would make a lovely re-usable gift bag to hold her gifts.

 
 Ripping Things to Do: The Best Games and Ideas from Children's Books

and Hummingbird Bakery tinned notecards (Paperstyle Notecards in Tins). (Both items that I have myself and love - hope she will too!)

With one week left until String-a-long is finished I already have my third bag started (crochet again, I am well and truly hooked - ha ha!)  The photo's of your bags on flickr are fantastic, I hope you are all very proud of what you have made this month and of all those plastic bags that won't get used.  Keep knitting / crocheting lets see how many we can manage before the end!

Simple pleasures.

 

 

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. "  John Burroughs.

A bag for my quilt.

I teased you yesterday about something I have made to complement my new quilt - did you guess it was a carry bag?

I was left with lots of lovely scraps when I had finished my quilt and as you might have noticed on my washing line I still had quite a few vintage finds that I hadn't found a home for.  I was wondering whether to start another quilt straight away but then I stumbled across the Dottie Angel blog and a use for all those gorgeous bits and pieces instantly became apparent.

After all what girl doesn't need a beautifully co-ordinating carry bag for their hand made quilt?

It is just the right size for my quilt and the pocket on the front will carry my phone and purse with no problems.  It is also large enough to be borrowed on crafty nights to carry all my knitting/spinning/sewing paraphernalia while my quilt sits safely at home.

I hope you will forgive me this awful self-portrait but I wanted to show you how well it fits with my somewhat eccentric style of dress and how comfortable the length is as it hangs across my body.  (I will practise funny shots in the mirror I promise!)