Creative Happenings

Hello loves!

This week has been half term, so we have been doing what we usually do in these short breaks from work and school, pottering, playing and finding beauty in the city and slightly beyond if possible. Of course at the beginning of the week it was Valentine’s Day and as Jenny mentioned in her last post (did you see Jenny’s iced heart biscuits? - delish!) we are not really into it, but we are huge fans of love and we enjoy giving it and receiving it all year round! This tulip petal heart is for you, lovely readers.......

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a wish list of all the things I wanted to do or start to do. It is different from my to-do list, which details all the nitty gritty stuff that I need to get done. For example one of the items on my wish list is ‘to write more’, whether that is poetry, a children’s book and so on. One of the items on my to-do list is ‘to update a document listing all my writing ideas’, which is more specific and leads on from the ‘wish’. Another example is that I wish to have more colour in my life and so I have been buying weekly flowers which give me a well needed colour boost, especially during these dark Winter days. I really am starting to struggle with the lack of sunshine.

I love having these two lists that relate to each other in this way. It is really working for me. I have been reviewing my wish list and thinking about my year thus far and I realise firstly that almost everything on that list is a creative ‘wish’, and secondly that I am doing very well in making those wishes a reality! So far, this year has been a whirlwind of creativity and I love it! I love that crafting, sewing, baking, photographing, writing, designing, dreaming up schemes and projects have become the things that makes me happy. I know now that if I am not doing one of these activities regularly, I will not have that wonderful sense of fulfilment and joy. That is a good place to be in life I think.

 Let’s start with that colour! Flowers, how I love thee…..

 

Sigh........

I’ve been doing a spot of baking too. I discovered this gorgeous book through instagram and ordered it straight away….

You can read all about the story behind this beautiful recipe book here but briefly, proceeds from its sale go to Unicef’s Syria Relief Fund  which helps the children of Syria, too many of whom have lost so much.

So far, I have made the Barazek shortbreads, which are made with wholemeal flour and topped with crushed pistachios, but there are so many more delicious sounding recipes I’d love to try! Yummy in our tummies!.....

My boy turned 9 in January, so I made him a chocolate cake decorated with buttercream and shards of marbled chocolate…….

I have also done a little bit of baking for our local WI meetings. Beetroot brownies (recipe from Waitrose Food).......

.....and vanilla cupcakes (Victoria sponge recipe) with raspberry ripple frosting…….

A few weeks ago, the Winter light was beautiful, so I got my camera out and snapped away. These pics were all taken on Hampstead Heath, North London which is just 20 minutes away from us. We are very lucky to be city dwellers who live so close to such a wide expanse of green…….

We noticed small signs of Spring..........(yay!)

I hear you cry, “What about crafting Lu? What have you been up to? Tell us, tell us, we’re dying to know!” Of course, last but by no means least, I have been getting busy with needle, with crochet hook and with self-adhesive glitter foam sheets too (oooooo, love this stuff!). It is great to have little projects on the go, things you can complete in an evening or two as well as the lengthier tasks. So as well as learning to cross stitch and writing my first cross stitch tutorial.......

I have done a little bit of crochet….

Some macramé….a Mollie Makes Mag free project, as is the little pin cushion above…..

A spot of embroidery…….another Mollie Makes Mag free kit…...

A tiny bit of sewing (my machine was dusty! tut tut!) with leatherette...............

And a little bit of prop making for the selfie booth at the kids’ school Valentine’s disco.…..

I had to take a pic of this sweet little lad who was transfixed by the light from the lightbox!......

In case you were wondering, yes I was in charge of the selfie booth (which was bonkers!) and yes I did embarrass my kids by wearing said props and dancing about! Job done!

Silliness makes the world go round don’t you think? Kindness and love too of course! Oh and cross stitch might play a part…..and embroidery….and crochet, paper cutting, decoupage, embossing, spray painting, pouch making, clay rolling, jewellery making, upcycling, quilting………… tee hee!

All the love poppets!

Lucy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxzzzzzzzxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments

[Kelly]

What lovely photos all through your post today!

That cookbook looks interesting - and for a good cause, too! I've developed a taste for middle eastern flavors, so maybe I should check it out.

I might have said this here before, but I think it's part of our job as a parent to periodically embarrass our kids. ;)

[Anne Donald]

I still do my best to embarrass Stuart - and he is 38! Lots of wonderful things in this post. I love having fresh flowers in the house, but sadly can't have hyacinths, as they make me sneeze! When we get settled in our new house, I should make more effort to bake - your and Jenny's creations always look so good! Fortunately the days are getting longer, and we have even had some sunshine - an instant lift after the dark dreary days of winter. I am looking forward to getting my sewing machines out of storage - who knew you could miss sewing machines so much!!
Love, Anne xx

[Two Crafty Brownies]

Ha, yes it is definitely our job to embarrass our kids! I would definitely recommend Cook For Syria. It has some lovely recipes. Thank you so much for your lovely comments Kelly! Lucy xxxz

[Two Crafty Brownies]

Thanks so much Anne. I am glad I dont have to stop embarrassing my kids when they get older! I fully intend to embarrass my grandkids too! I hope that you can get your sewing machines out of storage soon! Lots of love, Lucy xxxxzz