Friday 23 July 2010

Self Sufficient (ish) 2010

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I started blogging last year about growing fruit and veg at home. As I mentioned previously, veg grown at home tastes better and have travelled a very small distance, which means less road and air freight.

Yesterday I tipped out my last bag of homegrown spuds and made a handful of them into a salmon, broccoli and potato pie for our baby girl. She absolutely loved it and gobbled a big bowl down for tea. I used a recipe from the Truuuly Scrumptious Book of Organic Baby Purees, it is brilliant, I haven't found a recipe that our baby doesn't like (yet!).

This year, I have very little time for gardening with a young baby to look after. But I've still managed to grow some spuds, tomatoes, blueberries, pak choi, various salad leaves and lots of herbs.

Due to lack of time, I chose flowers that were tough and could look after themselves with very little help from me. One plant which thrived on neglect was the Ragged Robin Poppies. The original seeds came from a friend's garden in North Wales, so they have travelled quite a distance. They are absolutely stunning, although they are short lived.

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I also love these Balloon plants because the slugs don't eat them and they are a perennial so no faffing about each year, it just dies down over the Winter and reappears in the Spring.

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I try to be a thrifty gardener and very rarely buy plants and always try to grow from seed or cuttings. This Hydrangea came from a cutting my Gran took about four years ago.

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Likewise the snapdragons were grown by my Mum from seed, they don't get eaten by slugs either and look after themselves, so a big thumbs up from me.

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These Allium bulbs were a gift from my Mum and the bees love them, which is always a bonus as their habitats and survival are under threat.

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There was one weird thing which happened with my potato plants this year, they bore 'fruit'. I'm not sure what they are, I thought their fruit was underground in the form of spuds. I'm thinking maybe they flowers were cross-pollunated by an insect from my tomato plants? What with me not being a botanist, I'm not sure if this can happen!

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Monday 19 July 2010

And the winner is...

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The winner chosen at random is...Bells and Unicorns

She wins the Summery Canvas Stripey Tote, it will be in the post asap!!

Many thanks to all who entered the giveaway - check back for more competitions in the coming months!

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Wednesday 14 July 2010

Vintage fabric lavender hearts

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Over the past few months I have been busily making lots of vintage fabric hearts. They always prove to be very popular both online and at craft fairs. They are very versatile, either hang them in your wardrobe (lavender acts as an eco friendly moth repellent) or place on the bedside table to help you drift off to sleep.

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They also make lovely eco friendly wedding or anniversary gifts. If you are planning your own wedding, they make ideal keepsakes to give to your bridesmaids to thank them for their hard work and remind them of the happy day. Many people choose to have a more 'handmade' look to their wedding theme, and these hearts fit in perfectly.

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Each heart is made from vintage fabric and filled with chemical free lavender. They have a satin ribbon hanging loop and feature a vintage button for added detail. The backs of the hearts are made from vintage broderie anglaise fabric.

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I currently have four different colourways for sale at the moment, but I have lots more planned, so keep checking back to see more. If you have a particular colour theme you are looking for, please do get in touch!

Lavender hearts on Etsy

Saturday 10 July 2010

Celebrating 15 years of the National Cycle Network

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Sustrans is inviting people to capture on camera how cycling routes have changed their lives. Anyone who enjoys using the National Cycle Network are being asked to make a short, two minute film to mark its 15th anniversary.

Sustrans the Bristol-based sustainable transport charity now wants to compile a collection of stories about the impact the network has made on people's lives so far.

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The entries will be judged by Merlin Crossingham (Creative Director for Wallace & Gromit), Alice Roberts and Adam Hart-Davis. Full details of the prizes can be found here

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Take a look at the Sustrans film below and then check out the competition website to get started.



The image at the top of this blog post is of me on the Bristol to Bath cycle track. You can find out more by visiting the Bristol and Somerset section of the Sustrans website.

Monday 5 July 2010

Lavender Rabbits: new colours and work in progress

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Summer is traditionally a fairly slow time sales wise on sites like Etsy and Folksy. Rather than panic about sales, it is better to use this 'quiet' time to build up stock for the Autumn and Christmas sales period. I have recently sourced some fantastic vintage fabrics and I have been filling my evenings with sewing lots of lovely rabbits and owls.

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One of my favourites is this spirograph style vintage fabric in yummy citrus shades. I'm looking forward to finishing this batch and getting some photos taken.

I have already added two new colours to my etsy shop. First up are these bold lime zest rabbits

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And just added today are these fab olive and lemon rabbits

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