Unbought Delicacies: 12/08/2012

Saturday, 18 August 2012

My wee festy

http://mrsloneowomanfestival.blogspot.co.uk/

Time for a bit of one woman fun :)

MrsL's property of the week

Just lovely :)

http://www.symondsandsampson.co.uk/residential/searchresults.aspx?display=details&pid=STU120287#

Friday, 17 August 2012

My friend makes some beautiful soaps as part of her business, and I did a great barter with her for some dishcloths I knitted her, 3 bars of luscious soap and a bo of grapefruit bathmelts. Almost good enough to eat. They're beside me in my little bag of knitting wool, which I hope will catch just a whiff of the lovley patchouli...............

This is her: http://www.greenheartgifts.co.uk/

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Good post..............

........... as in delivered by the postman :)

Wool and book - doesn't get much better..............

The book is about slowing down to have a better life, was recommended by someone on Facebook.I've read the first couple of chaters, and it's very good so far; I like the tactics bits at the ends of the chapters - things you can do yourself on the theme of that particular chapter.

The wool (oh the wool..................) is just gorgeous; vintage 2 ply pure wool in cream. So beautiful, can't top stroking it and sniffing it lol. Have some ideas for it too.................. but must get on with what's underway first. Delivery of this should spur me on though I hope :)

Nice small cheerfuls for a stormy and wet Wednesday :)

Life is easy

Words of wisdom for a rainy, sunny, windy Wednesday. Yet another TedX gem :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21j_OCNLuYg

Monday, 13 August 2012

A beautiful piece of writing

I found this piece this morning just - have a read, it's a lovely piece

http://printedland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/summers-slow-decline.html

There are a few bloggers who would do well to read this carefully and take note of the skill with which this is written - no floweriness or overkill, completely natural and unforced, not too wordy and over descriptive, using the language of everyday to convey the miraculous in nature.

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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