I grew these everlasting flowers (sometimes called 'straw flowers') but the wind snapped the plant in half so I've brought them inside to admire. I found some orange ones of these growing wild and have been trying to grow them ever since. I love their papery layers, and the way they almost look like someone…

The kids wanted me to make something for the school fair which takes place at the end of this week (more details here– please come along, locals!) and I've been helping out with the crafty stuff at the fair. I've also made a few things for the table, including these soft rabbits and owls. They're…

The kids and I went to see the spring plants at the Botanical Gardens the other day, but they enjoyed the lily pond most of all. Gazing at goldfish never gets old, it would seem.  All those gorgeous lilies, combined with the spring flowers outside the greenhouse, inspired me to make some more pins from…

I was given a sweet gift from my friend Karuna– a set of leaf stamps and some inks in earthy colours. I had a lot of fun printing up pieces of linen last night, and now i have a lot of things covered in ferns and maple leaves. Although in this picture they look quite…

I found this piece of buttercup printed linen neatly folded underneath a stack of other fabric, and since our lawn is covered in buttercups right now, I thought it a good time to feature it on this little bag. I recently made myself a couple of these linen pouches to keep belongings sorted- there's one…

Craft 2.0 was great fun on the weekend- thank you for the support and it was nice to meet so many blog readers and fellow makers. It was cosy up in the theatre with the rain and wind putting on a show outside- classic Wellington stuff. Today my mind has been in the USA- my…

A few last-minute preparations for my table at Craft 2.0 tomorrow. I have been collecting old, printed linen for a while now and finally finished a collection of cushions to take along with me. Thought I'd make the most of living in the same city as a craft fair as usually I have to fit…

I was given a present last week, wrapped by Helen in this amazing vintage botanical wallpaper. Those pop flowers and general cheerfulness of the colours used inspired these wool cases, all hand-embroidered in brightly coloured wool. I used scraps of wool fabric in dark colours for the actual purses. They are all a bit different…

This week I made up a stack of bright and new cotton clothes for children in Uganda. I was at the library the other day when I saw a poster for Make a Difference as part of the Global Volunteer Network, which appealed to me- after all, I always have my machine set up and…

As promised, here are two more salads from the spring-time kitchen. Thank you for your suggestions last week– they all sound brilliant, and quite a few are now in my hand-written recipe book. Will be sure to report back soon. Here are two new salads I made over the weekend. The first was inspired by…