I remember in my previous blogging life, before the arrival of the delicious time vacuum that is my daughter Audrey, I found I would get frustrated by my ability to spend more time looking at other's crafting productivity than producing my own craft.

I had a similarly 'humphf' moment this week when I realised that I'd spent hours (and hours) on the craft blog internet circuit, leaving my many WIP to gather dust. Don't get my wrong ... I was inspired and excited by much of what I saw out there ... but like going to an art gallery, there comes a point when you want to go home and get your knitting needles out. And if you don't get your knitting needles or sewing machine or sketch pad out ... its like all that inspiration seeps slowly out of you and all is forgotten.

But it seems I have actually been crafting of late, I took a look at the recently finished projects and there's quite a lot kicking about ... so I'm going to begin my show and tell with cushions:


This is a cushion I made a couple of months back from two woollen jerseys I found at a charity store. I felted them in the washing machine then cut little scales and sewed them down. Not the neatest sewing ever, but I like the result nonetheless.


I made these last three from Echino fabrics sourced from Superbuzzy. I love their bright colours on a natural base, really gorgeous.

It was Christmas time and being New Zealand orphans living in London we didn't have the usual family obligations for our festive celebrations.

So it was decided that we would go 'somewhere'. Oh the fabulous destinations we toyed with ... Sardinia, Luxembourg, Rome. But the snow came down and the fabulous destinations list came down with it.

So where to go? Well fate directed us toward the Devon/Dorset coast, specifically Lyme Regis. My obsession with River Cottage meant I had Axminster (a nearby town) on my list of things-to-do-before-we-go-home.

And oh, what a truly wintry English holiday we had. Three days of fog, unable to see the country side or sea views we had read about. Three days of changing directions as activities we had planned (albeit planned earlier than morning) were thwarted by Christmas closing times.

But as to be expected, the clouds did hold some silvery linings for us and I have some wonderful memories of our foggy, activity starved holiday in wintry England.

One of my favourite being the walk on the pebbly beach, unable to see much of the sea at all, but instead inspired by the colours of the boats,nets and buoys so richly revealed by the low lying cloud. Still and cold it was like walking into a postcard.