Nautical Series Part 1: Seaside Bunting

I decided to push myself to sail uncharted seas by making a series of craft projects with a nautical theme. You may be wondering why I have chosen autumn to do such a thing when all things seaside are generally associated with the summer. Well you see, to me, they aren't! 

Traditionally four generations of my family gather in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby every October, so I associate the seaside with warm boots, turbulent waves crashing over the pier, stormy skies and eating fish and chips all cosy and warm in the kitchen of whichever cottage we're renting that year. For me that week is full of seafaring legends and ghostly goings on, the gothic Whitby Abbey and looking out for seals in the harbour while wrapped up in a scarf and coat. My nan also lives by the sea in North Wales, so I've always been used to visiting beaches at all times of the year, whatever the weather!

 I can't make it to Whitby this year, so I decided to fuel a series of creative projects instead. 

Over the next few weeks I'll be exploring all things seaside and nautical through a variety of art and craft forms, playing around with ideas and sharing my results here with you.

So first of all, I made my first ever bunting!

It does actually look rather summery, doesn't it, but then bunting is supposed to be cheery and I made it to brighten things up a little. 

In traditional bunting fashion I used fabric scraps left over from other projects and appliqued on some seaside scraps I bought for a few pence on eBay. I have quite a stash of bias binding because it's one of those things you see in craft books and think 'where on earth would I buy that from?!' so when I see it, I tend to buy a couple of metres, and it turns out I'd got into a bit of a habit and built up quite a stash!

I really enjoyed making this project and found it a lot less nerve racking sewing such a long length in a straight line on the sewing machine than I thought I would. This piece is only short at eight pennants, but I can now see me making bunting in longer lengths and for every occasion!  

And I have a new entry in my sewing journal...

I really hope you'll join me for the rest of my nautical series. I'm going to be posting projects erratically because I don't want to lose the fun of creative exploration by pushing myself to produce them by a certain deadline, but there will be more soon.

What does the seaside remind you of?

Rhubarb and Apple Autumn Pastries

I'm a huge fan of pastry but must admit I'm a little lazy when it comes to making it myself. For the cost of a packet of puff pastry from the supermarket (£1 in this case - hurrah!) and some grown or gifted late summer fruit if you're lucky, you can knock up a batch of these seriously tasty breakfast or afternoon tea treats in minutes. Perfect if you become tempted while watching The Great British Bake Off!

You will need:

5 sticks rhubarb

2 apples

1/2 handful sultanas

1 pack of shop bought puff pastry

A little milk

1 tsp brown sugar

Chop your rhubarb and pop it in one bowl, and chop the apples and place those in another. Sprinkle both bowls with a little sugar - or add some sweet cecily - and stew in the microwave for a couple of minutes until softened, but not too soft.

Roll out (or unroll) your packet of puff pastry, and cut it into squares depending on how large you want your pastries to be. Pop a spoonful of your rhubarb into the middle of half your squares, and apple on the other half, adding a few sultanas over the apple ones.

Brush round the edges of your squares with milk. I folded the rhubarb squares in half to make triangles and the edges of the apple ones up to make squares so I could tell the difference, but the shape you choose is entirely up to you! Sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of each.

Now just bake in the oven according to the instructions on your pasty packet, then once cool dust icing sugar on top.

I'm extremely impressed if any of you have mastered homemade puff pastry, I just never seem to manage it. I am excellent at eating it, though! 

Happy Monday!

A Feature in Pretty Nostalgic Issue 3

Regular readers of this blog will know that I've been in love with the independent magazine Pretty Nostalgic since its first bi-monthly issue appeared in May. I had a small piece in that first edition, and am now thrilled to  have a feature in issue 3, which landed on my doormat on Thursday morning. 

Recreating a Mrs. Beeton recipe for the modern day family has been something I have wanted to try for a long time - since starting this blog, actually - and there was much amusement as I reported to friends and family that I was sourcing partridges to make an authentic partridge pie, especially as at the time I wrote this piece they weren't yet in season! Luckily I avoided flouting any bird protection laws by tracking down some frozen ones, and spent a happy afternoon in the kitchen.

The pie really was delicious! 

Pretty Nostalgic magazine is a project I really want to champion because its ethos sits so well with my own. Calling themselves "The independent vintage lifestyle magazine celebrating everything that's brilliantly British" the magazine aims to promote making more of what you have, bringing an ethical approach to life, promoting British independent manufacturers, artists and businesses and looking to the past to learn how to live in a wonderful present.

It's an attitude I believe is becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK since the recession, and so often when reading this magazine I find myself nodding in agreement with the talented contributors packed into each issue. And it seems I'm not alone. Since launching I have watched the magazine's popularity soar across social media as growing numbers find themselves relating to the Pretty Nostalgic way of life. 

The magazine is also beautifully presented with rich, inspiring images and a real sense of community. I'm so proud to have been able to contribute in a small way to this new issue. 

Another little snippet:

If you love vintage, sustainable living, handmade, upcycling, living by the seasons and appreciating what you have, you will love this magazine. Not only do the issues not date, but they are printed on thick, strong paper and the magazine resembles a book, so you'll be able to pick up past issues to read again and again.

I also blogged about Pretty Nostalgic founders Nicole Burnett and Sarah Legg's book Pretty Nostalgic Home: Happy Days from Vintage Ways here, which really changed my outlook on how I want to live in my home and the possessions I treasure within.

                                      

You can buy Pretty Nostalgic magazine and their book direct from their website, or limited copies are on sale in WH Smith stores nationwide. 

Enjoy your Saturday!

Pressed Flowers: Reminders of Summer

As a child I remember my nan showing me how to press flowers. We would carefully place them between sheets of newspaper then stack a huge pile of books on top before I had to practice that quality which children find so difficult: patience.

After two weeks I would be able to go and unveil the final result; papery, delicate works of art, nature preserved for ever more. 

I've been doing a lot of walking in overgrown woodland this summer on my adventures with Beatrix, and it occurred to me that perhaps it was time to have another go at flower pressing. I really love the idea of being able to pick a piece of summer 2012, preserve it, and then keep it forever, and it will never wilt and die. 

I used the same heavy stack of encyclopedias as all those years ago, made my makeshift flower press, and attempted to get on with other creative projects for the next fortnight while I waited.

One of the flowers emerged looking like a miniature bent blossom tree, so I popped it inside my sketch book ready to make it into just that. The rest I used to make my first ever smash book page. (More on this new pursuit soon!)

Sticking such precise and perfect specimens of nature in a haphazard way somehow seemed really satisfying,  and helps to give the overall impression of a chaotic bouquet on the page. I haven't finished the page yet, but I'm already enjoying being able to look at and touch a piece of the summer, created in the summer, and caught in a single moment in time for ever more. 

(My new washi tape was great fun too!)

Do you have any childhood crafts or hobbies you'd like to revisit now? I'm considering starting a ladybird farm next!

Organising My Craft Stash

This is a topic I have been meaning to post about for quite some time, but it's a tricky one too. You see, by nature I'm quite a tidy and ordered human being. I like everything to have a place and [mostly] to stay in it. When it comes to my professional life I am the one with a list of lists, am highly organised and methodical.

But... I am also creative. I have a plethora of crafting interests and one heck of a lot of supplies dotted around my home. And we all know that artistic sorts are not always tidy by nature! In other words, I'm a very tidy girl but a very messy crafter. This leads to something of a problem when it comes to keeping all of my arts and craft materials tidy and organised, but accessible too.

The following is how the system currently works. My crafting materials are kept between two rooms - my study and my sitting room:

I call these 'chuck boxes' as while the fabric box is full of neatly folded material, the middle one is for everything that doesn't fit anywhere else, so is just chucked in. Dried lavender, feathers, items to be upcycled, etc. all live in there. The top basket is for projects I have in-progress; I can just grab my knitting or my latest sewing project from the tray whenever I have a spare half hour to work on it. Having Beatrix around means I need to keep such projects out of her reach (she's like a kitten with knitting and tries to sit on it). I also keep a teacup and saucer in the basket which holds pins, needles, spools and all the other tiny parts of any project because I used to put them down and then lose them; again, losing a needle is really scary when you have an inquisitive pet!

This storage 'cabinet' is called a 'Didrik' and was £7 from Ikea. I love it so much because it holds a lot, and I usually keep it turned to the wall so it looks tidy and stays dust-free. I even have a second one for all my stuff in the bathroom. Audrey the sewing machine sits happily on top - I didn't use her as much when she was packed away in her box - and on the top shelf I keep jewellery components and cabochons in a Tupperware box, my smash book, a tin full of paper templates in envelopes, my tile for Fimo modelling, and a pencil case containing, well, pencils, as well as Sharpie markers, fabric markers, a ruler and my craft knives. 

On the bottom shelf is a tub containing all of my Fimo materials, a box of lace, lace collars and other fabric items like old cheap leather gloves for cutting up, and my beloved magnifying daylight lamp - a real friend for working with miniatures and embroidery. The didrik is on wheels so I can wheedle it to wherever I'm working, and even has two handy cup slots and a slot for small tools on its top so I can enjoy a cuppa while I work without risking dipping a paintbrush in it by mistake! (It's happened). 

Jars for buttons, washi tape and ribbons. The ribbons spring out everywhere like a comedy snake when the lid is lifted. Who said crafting isn't thrilling? 

Crafting books are kept together on top of my bookcase.

My sewing box. I was given this when I was very small, and I lost interest in sewing until about a year ago, so it's lived in my loft for years until I rescued it again! It needs some TLC but I love it now, and it holds a huge amount. Everything from my box of embroidery threads, to bias binding, spools, needles and iron-on interfacing lives in here. Again, handy for carting around the house. I also have a fabric pouch for taking sewing materials or a current project away with me, and that lives in here too. 

I don't print many articles and tutorials these days because I bookmark them on my computer or use Pinterest, but I keep my notes on blogging, inspiring pictures, the odd magazine article, craft material receipts and magazine subscription details filed in boxes in my study. 

As well as boring office supplies I stash all sorts of fun stuff in these metal Ikea drawers in my study. Pens, stickers, markers, notelets, paperclips and staplers, rulers and fountain pen cartridges live in the top drawer. I have a huge collection of notebooks (just can't resist!) and while all of the ones being actively used live on a shelf, the yet-to-be-used and dull-looking ones live here. Decorative papers for crafting live together with lined A4 and plain papers in the third drawer down, and the rather grandly named 'Correspondence' drawer contains jazzy writing paper, my address book, wax stamp and sealing wax, notecards and stamps. Ever written a letter only for it to still be unstamped and on your desk a week later? Me too - that's why I now keep everything together, no excuses. I often wheel this over to my desk so I can access everything I might need. 

Some people would be concerned if they saw my collection of glues! Everything from PVA to my beloved mini glue gun (small enough to get to the back of doll's house rooms) lives in a drawer. I also keep all my paints, brushes and sketching pencils in here. Don't inhale!

I often browse magazines before going back to read them properly, so I keep the current issues in a magazine rack on the wall of my study, as well as the odd crafting catalogue. They make the room look warm and inviting, and because the study doubles up as an extra guest room sometimes it means I can give my guest some nice reading material too! I used to buy magazines only for them to sit in piles around the place, but I realised they weren't being appreciated or properly enjoyed so I now subscribe to only two magazines and old issues are filed away in concertina files so I can access the craft projects inside or seek inspiration whenever I like. Catalogues are cut up for projects or recycled.

My doll's house supplies aren't pictured here because they all live in one large cardboard box in a dark cupboard, together with a set of mini drawers full of old jewellery findings, beads and other handy materials for making miniature items. 

As you can see my wide variety of creative interests means that I have an awful lot of stuff! My rule is that it must stay tidy and packed away, or I have to have a clear out - and I am relieved to be able to tell you that I do regularly use all of my materials so I don't want to have to do that! 

How do you organise your arts and crafting supplies?

Enjoy your weekend!

Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

The more blog posts I've read over the past week or so, the more it seems that autumn is creeping into our consciousness, rather earlier than usual, I suspect due to to the none too summery summer we've been having! While I adore autumn for bringing wellie socks, reading in front of the fire, crisp woodland walks and  well, Doctor Who (what?) I'm still hoping for a warm September because I don't feel I've had my full quota of sunshine before being plunged back into darkness.

I decided to share this Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding recipe with you because for me, it's the perfect way to celebrate the last of the summer rhubarb while looking forward to the warming comfort food of autumn. And it's divine with ice cream or custard, depending on which season you're currently leaning towards.

On family chalet holidays to Scotland during the summers of my childhood I used to be bought a bowl of bread and butter pudding from the onsite pub after a day of running around in the fresh air among the heather, and it was the ideal comforting end to the day, sometimes while watching a spot of Scottish singing and dancing. Great memories!

Serves 6 (or Anna three times)

6 slices white bread

1 oz butter

2 eggs

1/2 pint milk

The rind and juice of a small orange/satsuma

Pinch of ground cinnamon 

2 tablespoons brandy or rum

1 oz sugar

1/2 lb rhubarb, stewed

Remove the crusts from the bread and butter the slices on both sides before cutting each into two triangles. Grease a large dish, then arrange a layer of bread on the bottom and sides, followed by a layer of stewed rhubarb, then another layer of bread. Beat the eggs and milk together, then stir in the orange rind, juice, cinnamon and brandy or rum. Pour over the bread and leave to stand for an hour (this is really important because the soaking is the secret to a truly scrumptious b. and b. pud!). Sprinkle the sugar on top of the pudding just before going in the oven, then bake at 180C/ gas mark 4 for half an hour, or until the top is crusty and brown.

There are of course many variations of this pudding you can play with - I like raisins in mine but was sharing this with someone who doesn't, and who likes their pudding not too sweet (just call me Goldilocks) so instead of stewing the rhubarb with sugar I used the herb sweet cecily instead, which does the same job as sugar but isn't quite as saccharine. Sweet cecily is an ideal substitute for sugar if you're cooking for a diabetic, too. 

Whether your Wednesday is summery or autumnal, I wish you a happy one,

The Fairy Caravan by Beatrix Potter

It's no wonder that I've been after a copy of The Fairy Caravan by Beatrix Potter for so long. Firstly, Beatrix Potter. Need I say more? Secondly, it's a tale about guinea pigs. Third, there is magic afoot in this book! 

Every copy I had come across on eBay had been £40 or more, so you can imagine how excited I was to bag this 1952 copy for £2.99, and such a beautiful copy it is too! 

A novel at 225 pages long, it was first published in 1929, making it one of Potter's later books. And this was because it was never intended to be published at all:

Through many changing seasons these tales have walked and talked with me. They were not meant for printing; I have left them in the homely idiom of our old north country speech. I send them on the insistence of friends beyond the sea.

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                               BEATRIX POTTER.

In the Land of Green Ginger there is a town called Marmalade, which is inhabited exclusively by guinea-pigs. They are of all colours, and of two sorts. The common, or garden, guinea-pigs are the most numerous. They have short hair, and they run errands and twitter. The guinea-pigs of the other variety are called Abyssinian Cavies. They have long hair and side whiskers, and they walk upon their toes. 

When an attempt by Tuppenny the common guinea pig to grow his hair using a mis-sold elixir goes horribly wrong, he runs away into the big wide world to join the circus, making new friends along the way.

The book is beautifully illustrated by the author, as you would expect, with a combination of watercolour and black and white ink drawings. The story is set in Potter's favourite landscape - the Lake District - like her other stories. It retains its original dialect, to the delight of her intended American audience, who loved her tales of the English countryside. 

The book is divided into chapters to form a whole novel, yet each chapter could almost stand alone as a single story in its own right. Fairies are littered throughout the book, and the animal kingdom operates as a society, just like in Potter's more famous tales. 

Despite being a very different format to her other tales, I'm so pleased I finally managed to own a copy of The Fairy Caravan because this is Potter as she was when she wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit, writing for her friends and her own entertainment, and not necessarily for publication. 

Having been a life-long owner of guinea pigs myself I think she captures their sociable, brave - yet sometimes naive - personalities perfectly, and her love and respect for animals, as always, shines through. 

All this talk of guinea pig adventures inspired Alfie to go on one of his own. He was still back by teatime though, as guinea pigs always are. 

Do you have a favourite Beatrix Potter story? 

Enjoy your Monday!