Happy Easter!

I always love the spring, but especially this year after the long, cold winter we've had here in the UK.  It's lovely to see our garden springing back to life.  Just look at the lenten rose (hellebore orientalis) above; isn't it pretty? I've had this plant for about 5 years, I think I bought it as a tiny thing from one of the Sheffield Botanical Gardens plant sales.  In the picture below, you can see the seed pods just starting to form on one of the flowers; they're the green pod-like things right in the centre of the flower.

The next photo shows what our clump of lovage looks like at the moment. In the summer, this grows to a massive 7ft!

Now, look at the picture below... this is what the lovage looked like just 14 days ago!  Tiny, isn't it!  All that growth in just 14 days...

Now for some Eastery-crafty goodness!  Here's a few of my recent Etsy favourites...

Art Textile. Sparkle Cloth - contemporarystitches

I love Karen Ruane's work, it looks really pure and clean, and pretty.  Her embroidered art is unusual in some aspects (like how she adds little loops of fabric to the edges of a piece) but traditional in other ways, with the flower motifs.  Just gorgeous.

Pattern to make a little baby Bun - VivianneGalli

I would love a little bunny like this.  I think it's that worn, "well-loved" look that a little bear of mine has (which I had when I was little, and cried when some boy turned his legs the wrong way! There was no lasting harm though) And that old bell around her neck is just too gorgeous! Tinkle-tinkle!

Spring Bunny Schnibbles Lampwork Bead Set by keiara SRA - bykeiara

Keira is SO talented with glass, I just marvel at how cute and perfect all her little beads are.  Look at the bunnies!! She is a lovely person too, so friendly and is happy to make custom beads for you.

Couple of Love Birds - Gingermelon

How lovely and sweet are these? Very very much so. And if you go to the Etsy shop, you'll see that they both just fit in the palm of your hand! What is it about tiny things that makes them so adorable??

Finally, I wanted to show you my little efforts to make the kitchen look slightly Eastery...

I've had these felt die-cut rabbits for about 3 years; I bought them from Paperchase and I've only just got around to doing something with them!  All I've done is simply string them together with invisible thread to make a garland for the dresser.

I bought these little glass egg ornaments from John Lewis Stores (otherwise known as Cole's here in Sheffield... it will always be Cole's to Sheffielders!) for half price and happened to have a child's clothes hanger lying around so hung them on it, sellotaped them at the back to secure, and used a jolly bit of braid to hang them in front of our kitchen window!

Have a great day!

Joey xx

Spiders Infest!

This is my latest treasury (which you see here if you're really quick! It will disappear forever on Saturday...) and despite it's spidery theme, I'm not a particularly big spider fan. I don't hate spiders like I used to, and I can just about take a photo of one if it's not too big (and definitely NOT like The Marvelous A's massive spider!!). I do love cobwebs, especially the ones like in Damaged's photo, glittering with droplets of dew or rain.

I do generally like all insects, even though I'm not keen on getting close to many of them. I appreciate them, and especially the pretty ones like ladybirds and shiny beetles! If you care about insects too, you may like to join in with a Bug Hunt - organised by Buglife, the UK conservation charity. Click here for details: http://www.buglife.org.uk/News/
... but you'll have to be quick, it's taking place this weekend, Friday 2 October - Sunday 4 October 2009!

The photo below was taken by Mathew, my partner, who isn't scared to pick up spiders at all, and he wanted to get a pic of this one so he's the photographer as well (thank you Mathew!). However, this isn't really a true spider.

It's called a harvestman, or harvester spider, or daddy-long-legs (but not to be confused with craneflies which are also referred to as daddy-long-legs, but they are completely different... they've got wings!). The harvestman differs from spiders in a few ways but the most notable is that it only has two eyes, mounted on a tiny little "turret" called an ocularium. And neither do they spin webs. These things used to creep me out when I was a kid, and they still do!

More information on harvestmen on UK Safari: http://www.uksafari.com/harvestmen.htm

Sweet dreams (ie not of giant spiders!)

Joey xx

I'm Likin' this Lichen...

This is my latest Etsy treasury west. What do you think to it?

Take a closer look at the treasury items above in the Etsy shops, from left to right:

Thredworx, Elin Art, Bodhitree, Budpnq, Wee Green Spot, Jessica Doyle, Mandella Glass, Element Clay Studio, Natalie's Art, Little Creek Yarn, Nature Mandalas, Love All Around

I really love lichen and mosses, because although they're usually very tiny, their little details are quite beautiful when you get very close, which I love to do by taking pictures with the super-macro facility on my camera, like this:

I hope this inspires you to look more closely when you see a bit of insignificant-looking lichen... a natural work of art!

Joey xx

Etsy Treasury and a Haiku - Still and Quiet Yellow Trees

Etsy Treasury - Still and Quiet Yellow Trees, originally uploaded by Joey 7.

This is the Etsy treasury I made tonight. Click here to see it in person. And this is my haiku to go with the treasury:

I pass deathly still
golden yellow trees, sallow
leaves clinging to life.

Have you ever tried to write a haiku? If you don't know what it is, it's a poem which expresses a feeling or mood, usually about nature, and should have three lines. The first line should be 5 syllables, the second, 7 syllables and the third line, 5 syllables again.
Here's a quick guide: How To Write a Haiku

Joey x

Sheffield Botanical Gardens in October

Montage of Sheffield Botanical Gardens in October, originally uploaded by Joey 7.

I went for a walk and photography outing in my favourite park, the Botanical Gardens this afternoon.

It was a lovely day after the heavy rain all last night and early this morning. There's nothing like a quiet walk and taking pictures when you feel bitter and twisted inside, like I did today. I'm sure you know the feeling, when you get out of bed on the wrong side and everything and everybody in the whole world is out to get you.

Anyway, I was happily snapping away, taking pictures of flowers and bees and squirrels, when the ground - yes, the ground - got me! I slipped on some very very soggy grass, sodden from last night's rain and went "a over t"!

I think it must have looked very comical at the time but I felt ridiculous, embarrassed and silly. My glasses flew off, I was covered in mud and worst of all, my camera went face down, and the lens is still full of grit and muck even though i've tried to get it all out.

My pride was bruised but nothing else. And I have these lovely pictures and a funny anecdote to tell, so it was a good day I think.

Have a great week, everyone!
Joey x

Daft-odils?

Is spring coming already? I saw my first daffodils today, maybe they don't know that it's still February. I went for a short walk in Clay Wood, which is really just a few paths running through a smallish clump 0f trees fairly near Sheffield city centre. I shouldn't really go there by myself, but I thought, "the sun's shining, it's Friday morning and I haven't a care in the world!" so risked it. Luckily, there were no flashers, murderers nor muggers, just a few birds... and daffodils! I always associate them with March, seems that they're blooming earlier every year.



Where we live in Sheffield, we have a choice of three parks, and I think this one, in which the Cholera Monument is set, is the nicest for quietness and solitude, only the occasional elderly dog walker interrupts your reverie.