Simplicity. Space. Summer.

A creative catch-up summer blog post, with news, super simple projects, and embracing some slower summer days for rest and recuperation.

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After an incredibly busy few weeks at the end of the school year, I've been enjoying the change of pace that the summer break brings - and I hope that is true for you too... it's not necessarily always less busy; keeping up with work, different outings and activities and being out of the usual routine can be a juggle in and of itself, but it's definitely lovely to find pockets of time for a few things that often fall away during term time. I've enjoyed catching up a bit with some personal, just for fun craft projects, as well as catching up with friends, reading books I've had on the go a while and the occasional later start to the day..

At the end of July I ran a fairy-making workshop for a local charity, and I felt so lucky to have been invited. I so enjoyed seeing everyone's different creations at the end, each one so unique and personally meaningful.

Since I usually work with children or family groups, I've mainly only ever taught needle felting (and fairy making), due to the very sharp needles, 1-1. Ideally children should be over 10 if being taught 1-1 and even older in a group setting, so it was absolutely wonderful to have the chance to put a workshop together for an adult group.

Make Your Own Fairy Tutorial Booklet Cover Page

I took the opportunity whilst preparing the workshop, to put together a tutorial booklet and video and I hope to share these in due course (the video still needs a few edits but is almost there!).

The booklet contains a list of all the materials needed, and where to find them/the suppliers that I use, as well as ideas for other reference books to explore.

Some of the techniques I share in the tutorials are slightly different to the techniques I use when making my fairies for sale, so as to offer a starting point, and so that the fairies can be made in a workshop setting which are often a set amount of time.

I love the way these whimsical wings let the light shine through when hanging in a window!

I kept the embellishments on these fairies quite simple - leaving room for individual imagination and freedom to add whatever you choose, or even leave them as they are - the simplicity of the wool fairy figures alone can be very beautiful just as they are.

I would so love to run more fairy workshops and hope to do so before too long :-)

At the start of the summer I also finished a long-dreamed-of personal project of making some stickers of some of the fairies that have flown the nest over the years... I love stationary and even just browsing the stationary isles without buying anything makes me happy! Stickers are the same :-) I love to include a few in my fairy boxes and now that I have these, might include some too... I was so pleased with how they turned out!

Whilst setting up my workshop I thought I could do with some little bowls to pop things in like buttons, beads, bows, flower embellishments too, but I wanted them to be quite small and portable (non-breakable), something that I could keep with my kit, and fit with my colour scheme if at all possible. I didn't manage to find any before the workshop, and I'll keep a look out, but in the meantime I had the thought that I could just make some :-)

Summer holidays are the perfect time for paper-mache projects as they are quick to dry outside... I made these three little paper-mache bowls by using some small bowls that we have in our kitchen here at home as a base and decorated them with some recycled tissue paper that my birthday gifts from my mum were wrapped in this year. I loved the colours - hot pink with red polka dots, and some light pink tissue paper - and was so glad to find an excuse to re-use it! I love the way these simple little bowls turned out - they cost next to nothing to make (I always use a flour & water mixture as my 'glue' or paste), and will definitely serve the desired purpose!

And finally, my latch-hook cushion cover project, gifted to me at Christmas from my sister, is very slowly coming along - it's almost halfway there now, and I'm loving seeing the pattern emerging. It would be so lovely to have it finished by the autumn in time for the cosy, snuggling down days, but it's also just so nice to have a project that doesn't have to be rushed, doesn't have a deadline or a timescale, and really unfolds at its own pace in small spacious moments here and there...

I hope this blog finds you well that you are having a nourishing summer break with plenty of restful moments, summer adventures, connection with family and friends, perhaps some slow summer crafting and definitely some time to catch up and take a breath :-) ♥

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