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‘tiny happy’ was a journal of my handmade life from 2006-2025.

solstice jasmine

Jasmine 1

Jasmine 2

Jasmine 3

Jasmine 4

I can't remember if the jasmine vine normally flowers on the winter solstice, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't. In any case, I picked some for the kitchen table today. The leaves are so glossy and green. Come to think of it, there are many plants in the garden that seem to be having some seasonal confusion. I wonder, is it the same in the northern hemisphere?

The flowers inspired a few embroidered items for my shop update today.

This week I fell in love with this album by British electronic artist James Blake. It's beautiful and makes me want to get my own bedroom-recording-studio.

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20 responses to “solstice jasmine”

  1. Margaret Oomen Avatar
    Margaret Oomen

    your embroidery work always makes me smile

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  2. Hadley Avatar
    Hadley

    In this little pocket of the northern hemisphere we are having a wee bit of garden confusion. First it was unseasonably warm by 20 degrees, then unseasonably cool by 20 degrees. As a result, all the plants had a kind of schizophrenic shift in blooming cycle. Still, it must be lovely to have things actually bloom outdoors in winter time!

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  3. Louana Avatar
    Louana

    I’ve seen lots of magnolias in bloom around our neighbourhood, very strange. I love the jasmine pin! and I’m kind of wishing you had it for sale at the fair I would have snapped it up. Beautiful shop update melissa

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  4. Emma Avatar
    Emma

    I’m deeply jealous of your jasmine. Apparently it’s supposed to grow like a weed and does… everywbere except our house. At the rate ours grows I’ll be an old lady before I can enjoy it!

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  5. Miss Pip Avatar
    Miss Pip

    I love the idea of confused flowers. It seems so natural.

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  6. bianca Avatar
    bianca

    My granddad has a huge walk through arch in the garden of this jasmine.
    It’s been there since my mum was little, (about 40 years!) One day he cut it down because he got tired of trimming it and we were all so upset, but it grew back in about 3 years 🙂 I will have to check if it’s flowering on my next visit.

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  7. Brittany Avatar
    Brittany

    lovely as always. and unfortunately, there is no seasonal confusion here. everything is BLOOMING and i am dying just a little bit every day.

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  8. jenni Avatar
    jenni

    my yesterday today and tomorrow is also confused..it is flowering in winter..love your work!

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  9. stellacreations.vardaki@gmail.com Avatar
    stellacreations.vardaki@gmail.com

    so lovely 🙂

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  10. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    I love the smell of jasmine. And your embroidery is so pretty.
    But I love James Blake even more… and I’d be VERY curious to hear what a Melissa Wastney album would sound like!

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  11. Caitlin Avatar
    Caitlin

    Very pretty, I’m sure they smell wonderful. Our strawberries are a couple of weeks late here in Ontario, we’re just getting them now.

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  12. Jan Avatar
    Jan

    You have captured the jasmine perfectly! It’s so pretty.

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  13. Properties in north london Avatar
    Properties in north london

    This article is a great source of information, you Pictured the things really well. Keep it up and keep blogging.

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  14. Sis Avatar
    Sis

    Yup, here in Christchurch the out of season flowers are almost as disturbing as the earthquakes. I’ve got aconites and daffodils flowering at least 2 months early. I saw a Kowhai flowering in May. I’ve seen magnolia’s in flower and my Jasmine isn’t frosted like it normally is. When the weather is unseasonal enough for the plants to get it wrong it worries me.

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  15. Alicia Ryan Avatar
    Alicia Ryan

    I’ve just done a blog post on the same thing! I have a little vase of jasmine in my kitchen, and it’s tripping me out when I smell it, I think it’s spring!

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  16. rachelle Avatar
    rachelle

    That is confusing and I can also understand why its disturbing for some with all the global warming talk and such, and for our whanau in Christchurch who are experiencing so much disruption. For me the smell always reminds me of childhood, a villa in Glen Eden in Auckland and my grandmother. Lovely lovely lovely Melissa. I love your ‘makes’. x

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  17. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    That brooch is gorgeous, the petals are just perfect. We’ve been having some confused magnolias in Auckland!

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  18. jamara Avatar
    jamara

    In our little corner of Nelson bliss we have strawberries flowering and ripening in our berry bed. I know that certainly should not be happening at winter solstice!

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  19. Regina Avatar
    Regina

    While picking black raspberries this week I found a flower I don’t typically see in our backyard. I picked one so I could make some embroidery of it as well. Now I need to track down what it’s name is. Happy Weekend to you!

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  20. Nicky Avatar
    Nicky

    Thanks for the recommendation about James Blake. I had a listen online then found I had to download his album, amazing! Listening to it while I sew tonight. Am very excited to see that his is also playing at Latitude Festival which I am going to in a couple of weeks, here in the UK 🙂

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