What Katie Did

Willow Bower...

...though Ruth calls it an arbour. Ruth is a Wonderful Willow Worker who was up for a bit of barter yesterday. I mended her canvas yurt covering and she made me this

I think I got the better deal, though the white yurt now has a couple of bright patches!
I have a plan for the seat that will go inside here. As a living structure it will come into full leaf soon and be a cosy place to sit and admire my shed! We just need the weather now and wow, what weather we have been having! Long may it last!
made these this week

in here

Lovely

Little Books

Well - I have been overwhelmed by your comments about my little books! Thank you all so much! I made some more to celebrate.
and I have listed some for sale in my Folksy shop. It has been ages since I put anything in there, ages since I even checked it in fact! - I see I have some other things for sale too - (only one bag of juggling balls left now - I put together some more paper packs the other day, some new envelopes too and there are still a few of the beano badges in the shed)
If you are not in the UK I would be happy to enter into negotiation for a custom order on Etsy? I haven't got anything in my Etsy shop - I really am a dead loss when it comes to flogging this stuff!
I am so enjoying the process of making these little books - it's something about getting a production line going - all the pages cut and selected, the piles all ready to be sewn
the bin full of slivers of trimmings
and the enjoyment of choosing the covers. I have been saving books and papers for so long now, I knew there would be a reason.
Hey ho!
And here is the reason I was late for knitting on Thursday Thank you to everyone who left comments about the little books - I can't tell you how important that is to me!

Paper, glue, craft knife, thread, time - books!

Piles of paper
Lots of cutting, folding, sewing, sticking and assembling. A great deal of Radio 4, plenty of fresh coffee, a whole bar of fair trade chocolate and a lovely creative wave of energy.

Here they are. 12 little books made from old papers. Martha and I had a discussion about the right term to use - recycled? upcycled? preloved? gently preloved? vintage? What do you think of all these words that describe what I make things from? All I know is that I take something that might have ended up in the bin, keep it for months in piles and boxes in my shed and my house and then, when the mood takes me, like now, make them into something else.

It gives me a huge amount of pleasure, and if you like them too then that is a big bonus.

I like this one best
the cover is a page from a fabulous old bible that was falling apart - I rescued this one over a year ago and have been using bits from it ever since.
I am on a roll - back to the shed for some more!

Babysitting

Those of you who are frequent visitors (I thank you) may remember some old posts about my friends babies - Cala and Nancy who are no longer babies but four and two years old and in need of a bit of cake making yesterday.

Chocolate and vanilla with butter-cream icing and sprinkles

Nancy likes it.
We went to visit the hens earlier and collected the eggs to make the cake

Tasty
Magic cake - brown and white
Lovely

Keeping hens for eggs and fun and a few puppets - this blog is getting very birdy!

So - that last post had a few of you going! I hope Matt's links (see comments in last post for reference) were useful to people who share my grumpy dislike of other people's music.
I have been getting ready for a few workshops lately - all bird related. First, with the Humshaugh Theatre Group some bird puppets with Louise...

we were making Fire Birds with sparkly fabric and willow

But today the birds were the real feathery kind at the course at the Garden Station - Keeping Hens for Eggs and Fun.
learning how to hold a hen - one of my girls here being very patient!
This was a very comprehensive course designed with my Dad - who has more poultry knowledge than anyone I know. Here is one intrepid participant wondering if I really mean her to check out this hens bottom...

before lunch too! We had quiche and cake made with the girls eggs and if anyone was in any doubt about the joy of fresh eggs, this soon dispelled them!
Another bird workshop tomorrow!
Its all go here!