IT'S A JOLLY HOLIDAY

I have just spent a week in Sweden were I visited a small town called Norberg. It's an old mining town from the 15th century with lots of pretty Scandinavian red wooden houses. I'm lucky to have parents who own a summer house out in the middle of Sweden as it makes for a great break from life in Oxford. 

While there I started on one of my most stereotypical crochet projects - a granny square blanket for a friend's baby. It's nice to get into the swing of crocheting again as I have been too busy writing my second book to make things with wool. 

RETRO MAT

A couple of weeks' back I was given a bag full of craft cotton. My friend who bought it thought that it was the same as normal cotton yarn and didn't realise that it is much tougher to knit or crochet with. So I ended up with it instead. I don't mind it being tough, but the natural cotton colour has discouraged me from doing anything with it. Drawing some inspiration from African patterns and the retro-looking doily that I made for my friend's wedding, I came up with this mat. It's funny how a little bit of colour makes such a difference to something that otherwise would just have blended into the background.  

ELDERFLOWER

Elderflower trees are absolutely everywhere in Oxford and I mean everywhere - in the parks, in people's gardens, along the roads. I went to one of the nature reserves to pick the elderflowers I've used to make this summer cordial. 

Elderflower Cordial is one of those things that are so simple to make and taste so awesome. I have become a bit inspired. I think I will try my hand at some Elderflower Champagne next - if you have ever done it let me know what your result was. Did your bottle explode? Was it fizzy enough? Did it taste nice/awful? Any feedback appreciated. :) 

APRICOTS AND PLANTS

Gosh I seemed to have been very busy lately - I don't really notice it until I stop. Lucky for me I did STOP this weekend which was great!  A bit of cooking-therapy was all I needed to re-charge my batteries. Mmmh apricot compote - can't get more summery then that!   

DING DONG THE BELLS

Two weekends ago I went to Laura and Richards wedding in summery Hertfordshire. The day couldn't have turned out better - the sun was out and the service was perfect. These are just a few of the snapshots that I was able to take. 

Thanks to Laura and Richard for such a lovely day.   

ALL ACTION POP UP BOOK

I don't know why but I have always loved pop-up books. They are the coolest books out there. This is one of my finds and it doesn't disappoint, after all it is an "All Action Pop Up Book".

SPRING CLEANING

Last weekend I had a visit from Crafty Magazine, which wanted to take some pictures of where I live. The house has never been this tidy. I'm not going to lie - it was an effort to make everything look nice and neat. Two minutes after they had left, everything was back to normal, with things everywhere. Oh well at least it looked nice for a brief moment. 

This is the start of one of the doilies, for my friend's wedding, based on this design. I don't know if I'm happy with the result yet. This weekend I'm going to Sweden so maybe I can find some cool inspiration from there.