Rotten weather and inspiration

Greetings from a wet, very wet corner of England again. Sorry, just couldn't resist mentioning the awful weather. No ofcourse I'm not affected by it or fed up of it even if it is nearly the end of June. At least the vegetable garden doesn't need watering:

and what if Amber did come back from a camping trip with bag loads of wet clothes and shoes. Hey, I have a washing machine and an Aga to dry it all on:

and did you see a bit of blue sky in those dark clouds. It can only get better. But wait - I just looked out of the window and there's now a torrential downpour. A girl can only take so much especially when it's nearly the end of June.

So what does she do on another wet day? Well, even though I seem pretty affected by the colour of the sky these days I did have a moment of inspiration yesterday. Raj was playing with his Lego Crazy Contraptions and I was shifting things from one end of my work table to another. I was just about to dump these in the bin:

They're the edges of some of the blanket pieces I've dyed. I don't usually cut them off before I dye (laziness, I guess) and end up trimming each piece if I want to sell it. Anyway, I was thinking how pretty they were and next to them were some flower shapes cut out of felted jumpers and blankets and before I knew it I'd turned one into a brooch.

Raj played and I sat and rolled up blanket edgings and sewed them onto the flower shapes. In fact, I was so inspired by these that I just kept going - only stopping to make supper and put the boys to bed. Tom walked in the door at 10.40pm and I was still sat here sewing. Mind you my eyes were pretty tired by then. Here they all are:

I'm really pleased with them - it's recycling at it's best I guess. Here's a close up of one:

and a side view of another:

What do you think of them? Do you think anyone will buy them?! I might list them on Etsy later ..........when the weather clears and I can take some photos. By the way talking of Etsy, I've made up sets of the blanket pieces now and will be listing them very soon. Here's what they're like:

Well, I'm off to have some comforting cocoa and to look at the sky again.  Hope you have a lovely weekend.............

PS I can't take any credit for the vegetable patch - it's all Tom's work.

PPS Brooches listed here now.

Comments

[Lucette]

Simmy I am envious of Tom's vegetable patch. It looks so lush and green and everything is big. Over here my plants are just starting out. And today being the first day of summer, well it is cool and breezy feels more like fall with thundershowers on the way.

Love those little flowers. You are very creative.
happy weekend.

[Marsha]

My own vegetable garden is quite tiny, but I see we're both fans of raised beds! :) Will you be sharing favorite recipes with us as the harvest comes in?

[caroline]

I am only growing some tomatoes and tomatillos this year but I am grateful for the rain - they take an awful lot of watering. Of course I want the sun to start shining when they need ripening!

The brooches are beautiful - they make a gorgeous bouquet all together like that.

[jo]

The flowers look great Simmy, I'm sure people will buy them.

[Wylie Hunt]

Oh my gosh, Simmy, the vegetable garden is beautiful!!!!! And so are the flower pins. Sorry about all the damp weather. Am praying for hot sunshine when you come in August!

Love, Wylie

[carol]

It all looks so lush and beautiful to me having spent the past 3 days out white water rafting through the dry wilderness and canyons here on the american river. Beautiful scenery, just different really. Great idea re the flower pins, love the colour combinations.

[Sonya]

Have I mentioned my Aga envy before? Well it's there. And I love, love, love those flowers. How wonderful to get hit by inspiration - they are lovely.

[HildeC]

I think your flower brooches look beautiful. The plants in your vegetable patch really seem to thrive, Tom must really know what he is doing :-)

[Tracy]

LOVE the flower brooches! It's raining here too...Great not to have to water the garden for a day or two! Happy weekend to you & yours! :o)

[Angie at www.threadcatcher.blogspot.com]

I love your flower brooches!!! They are just wonderful...and what an excellent idea for the blanket edges! You continue to inspire me, girlfriend! :D

[ramona]

simmy, they are beautyful.

I played with those yesterday:

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2007/06/this_house_is_w.html

And it's raining dogs & cats here, too. With an occassional thunder inbetween.

[janet clare]

I just thought that I should let you know how much I enjoyed my visit to your blog (and Etsy shop). I live in Hampshire and have been complaining about the weather for days too! Just bought our 3yr old a bike for his birthday and am fed up of getting soaked while he learns to pedal!

[Sue]

I am sure that your vegetables will grow in leaps and bounds with all the rain you have had. I love those brooches, and what a novel way to use the binding of the blankets too. They are just so nice and pretty to look at. You are so talented.

[little jenny wren]

Cute brooches. Your kitchen looks like mine with damp clothes draped everywhere. I hear England has had some pretty serious rain over the past days. I hope you haven't been washed away.

[katie]

those flowers are wonderful! I cut the edges off and used them as loops for the big curtains I made in our bedroom! wool blankets are so versatile - but charity shops are now getting wise to our interest in them and - for me at least locally - the prices are crazy!
love those flowers though!

[Kathleen]

Lovely Lovely Blog. I've enjoyed reading today.

[kristin]

i would just LOVE to spend one afternoon in your beautiful lush garden! and i'll happily send you two days of sunshine for two days of rain...it's absolutley scorching here!

gorgeous brooches by-the-way :)

[Steph]

The brooches are beautiful! And I love the garden!

[Rada]

I showed my dear friend (that is an obsessed brooch wearer) your felt flowers. She went wild. Oh my goodness, They are fabulous! I may have to bother you when you return from the states by ordering her a present. They are so festive!
We have had a drought here. It is raining now and I am sooooo glad. I can remember other times when it would never stop raining and I was lamenting as you are.
I enjoyed looking at your gardens. My husband never raised anything in his life except a ruckus now and then. He finally decided to try his hand at making mini gardens by our deck and house. He prepared two areas for me to use. I found out after planting the first area, that he had beat me to the next one. He let me plant cucumbers toward the front, but he said he had already planted beans and corn in the back. "YOU PLANTED WHAT!", I yelled. I am talking tiny space. About 9 X 3 feet. I tried not to laugh too hard. Well, darned if we don't have corn growing high to the sky. He came in excitedly one morning hollering he had beans on his plants. I went outside to pick them. I came in and asked him if he planted two kinds of beans? He couldn't remember. I answered him with a big grin. "Honey, you planted two kinds of peas - sugar snap and snowpeas." They were delicious. I thined out the corn. I can't wait to see what kind of ears we get.
The End.

[melanie ashton-hosseini]

Hi Simmy,
the flowers are great, you're so inventive! It's rainy season here in Japan too...sooo hard to dry my felt, I ended up setting the dehumidifier on it.
What a great garden by the way.
Have a creative summer