Fabric printing, painting and more... 2017.

 I showed Alfie a short video painting clip posted by Irish Botanical Artist Shevaun Doherty, whereupon he was inspired to paint the flowers on the table. In true Alfie fashion the painting was given as a gift the very next day.

 Alfie saw a wildlife program about an American bird, the loggerhead shrike, that captured his imagination so he asked to find a picture so he could draw one. November 3rd.

 He drew it freehand and then coloured it in.

This is it.

Alfie drew a free hand dinosaur and coloured him in. It became a lovely 85th birthday card for his wonderful Grampa.

 Zoes hands...

 

... decorating a box lid.

 

 Zoe...

 ... leaf printing...

Zoe used some of her sheep's wool to stuff this cushion that she made.

Alfie had an airplane production line going this summer, this was the first of a few he made and painted.

Zoe...

A few years ago we came across easy to use fabric paint...

....and wooden stamps

Zoe's hand printed fabrics, with seasonal themes 2016.

Alfie printing a t-shirt.

and another t-shirt with his own choice of colours and prints.


Alfie did these ones last year.

Tivon printed t-shirts too...  this one by simply laying it on the garden table and letting it dry there.

 This is just a small flavour of the various projects that we have been up to this year and last. Most of the time our creativity is too messy and absorbing for me to pick up the camera!

Making Soap 2015.

Ingredients, Olive oil, organic coconut oil and our own bees wax are melted together, allowed to cool and then mixed with lye.

This batch has spirulina added with lemongrass and citrus essential oils .

Poured into moulds.

Sorting and wrapping for winter gifts.

Winter crafts.

During some of the dark evenings in November and December we made soap and candles. This year I took no photographs of the making process and just a couple of the finished gift baskets.
 

Coloured dipped beeswax candles.

Soap, ingredients.... Organic coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, lye, essential oils. Some have calendula petals or salt and are coloured with spirulina, turmeric, cayenne and cocoa.

Calendula petals drying on a tray in October.

Beeswax Candles

 

 We had so much fun with the colours to add to the beeswax that we dipped candles again on new years day and for the following week.

The dipping pots and glasses are now put away until next winter. I thought the kitchen counter top space would be clear again , it was,  for a couple of hours. Seed sowing time has come round again and the kitchen doubles as a little nursery. The counter tops are already shrinking to make way for seedling trays!

View previous candle post.

Winter crafts.

In November and December while the garden rests more, we enjoy a few winter crafts.

A little knitting.

At last we have an (old) sewing machine again..... and I have willing helpers.

 

We sewed bags.

We had fun with fabric printing.

We had the iron out for the first time in years!

....and of course we made a bag with the orienteering symbol.

Soap making

I made several batches of soap in November and December, here are some photos I took along the way.

 

Organic coconut oil, olive oil and home rendered bees wax are melted together.
Lye is added to make the soap base to which extras can be added.

Adding cream, oats and honey to one batch.

Pouring a batch of poppy seed soap into moulds.

First batches of milk soap curing.

Freshly picked Calendula petals drying.

Dried Calendula petals added to soap.

Zoe pouring soap into moulds, a swirly batch in the foreground.

 Finished Soaps.

Beeswax candles

Finished candles, I like the bendy ones.

 As soon as the wood-fired range goes on in the autumn the requests come "when can we dip candles?"
All day the beeswax melts on the range and evenings are spent dipping.

 It is a wonderful activity for wet dark days, but the light is not good for photos.

 This year we have 6 colours to add to the beeswax.

View more candle making.

Tivon's Weaving

Tivon was looking for a project to use the wool from his sheep.

 Weaving was the craft of choice.

 Threading the loom.

 

Tivon weaving his sheep's wool.