Wistful

I am feeling wistful today.  It seems that summer has bypassed me once again.  I didn't get to go strawberry picking, visit a beach or even lick an ice cream.  My earlier intentions for a garden 'full of flowers' didn't materialise and most of the plants in the garden have now gone to seed.  Next year I won't 'wait' for summer.  I will just make the most of each sunny day as and when it comes.

My voluntary work keeps me close to nature and I will be able to witness the changing seasons around me.  I will give you a clue as to what my voluntary work involves : my favourite work of fiction, ever, is 'The Grapes of Wrath'.  Any ideas?

Along the Way

As mentioned in a previous post, I have taken up some voluntary work.  I wont reveal what I am doing just yet. but I meet these lovely ducks en route.  Their antics make me smile!

All Tagged Out!

I promise this will be the last of the tag posts for while!  I have added bunnies, pigs, pumpkins and cats to the collection and will add new ones as and when I think of them.  As previously mentioned, they are £10.00 for 20 tags plus p&p.  For now the method of payment is by personal cheque (UK only).  If you would like to purchase a mixed selection of 20 tags then please email me at simone.lindengrove@gmail.com and I will give you the address and p&p details.

 To give you an idea of sizes: the dog tag is one of the largest.............

and the apple is one of the smaller tags.   I am on my second day of voluntary work tomorrow.  It is not in a charity shop or even in a building.  All will be revealed in a future post!

Hats and Gingers

I have made some hat tags and used some distress ink around the edges to give them a 'vintage' look.
Which one is your favourite?

In my previous post I asked for suggestions for tags and Clare came up with gingerbread men so thanks Clare!  Any more ideas are most welcome.  If anyone is interested in purchasing tags then please see my previous post.  Please don't feel obliged and don't let it put you off leaving comments.  The only reason I wish to know if people want to buy is so that I can get a rough idea of how many I need to make.  Have a great weekend and don't forget to leave suggestions on different types of tags for me to make.  I am up for the challenge!

Woof!

I have been busy playing with paper this week.  This wavy dog is one of my latest tag designs but he still needs to have a lead put through his/her collar.

The handmade nature of these tags means that they will all have slight variations.  I have had a few enquiries as to whether I will be offering any of my tags for sale.  If I get enough interest I will consider opening a Pay pal account to accept payment online otherwise I will have to stick to personal cheques in the UK only.  I was thinking of offering a bag of 20 assorted tags for £10.00 plus P&P.  That works out at 50p per tag.  A bargain when you consider that I have designed, hand drawn, hand cut and paper pieced (where necessary) each tag.

The tags can be used to tie onto gifts or bottles.  All you need to add is some brown paper/ tissue paper or fabric for wrapping, or you can use the tags as bookmarks, as presentation tags for jams, jellies, chutney's and other homemade produce or anything else you can think of - suggestions welcome!

To register your interest in purchasing some tags (no commitment - just want to get an idea of how many I need to make) then please email me at simone.lindengrove@gmail.com.

If you have suggestions for other types of tags for me to make - I am making some hats at the moment - then please leave a comment at the end of this post. 

Woofs and tail wags and thank you!

Boot Cut

After a deluge of weekend rain I was inspired to design and paper cut some Wellington boot tags.  Not any old boots though.  These are William Morris designer boots.  A pity they are made of paper.  I am off to do some more rain inspired crafting now.  Have a lovely day!

*I still need to punch holes and thread ties through the tags but thought they looked cute like this.

Friday Flower Splash

 Sunflower - the star of the show.

 Zinnia Elegans.

Another Zinnia Elegans.  I think if I was a flower I would be this one.  A bit dishevelled and quirky with a warm centre!

Pot Marigold otherwise known as Calendula.  The bees and butterflies adore this plant and I love its cheery colour.

The lavender.  Fresh and vibrant and my all time favourite.  I can never have too much lavender in the garden, even when it is straggly and windblown.  It evokes a sense of the past to me and I feel a deep connection to it.

'Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green

When I am King, dilly dilly, you shall be queen'

Part of a traditional English nursery rhyme of which there are many variations.

Hello

Just popping by to say hello.  I have been busy creating as you can see in my new header.  I have lots keeping me busy at the moment.  Gizmo is doing well and so are the hens. Thank you for visiting and I will be back soon!

Summer Break

The past month has been a particularly stressful time.When I think life is on the up again I get slapped back down to square one.  Normally I can bounce back quite quickly but there is only so much bounce in a ball before it becomes overstretched and not fit for purpose.

Gizmo has stopped vomiting but has started sneezing regularly.  A new symptom altogether.  One of my hens is poorly, I doubt that she will see the end of the month.  My animals' welfare continues to give me great concern and the worry is impacting on my own health and state of mind.

I have loads of personal issues to resolve too.  I need to focus on getting myself back together again.  I don't want this blog to become an unhappy place, regaling nothing but tales of woe but it seems that is the way it is going at the moment.

For now, I am going to step down from the blogging platform.  I hope to return with a new vigour and zest for life once more.