Getting there...

Not sure where "there" is, but I think I'm getting somewhere at least.

The problem is, my brain is either chocka full of ideas or empty.  When it's full, I don't know where to start.  And same when it's empty.

I've started playing around with some cut-through thangs (we've been doing this in class), cutting and re-arranging:

Still not stitched down or embellished, and one piece still not cut through...

I then had a sudden urge to paint lots of Bondaweb, but then couldn't remember why.

So I stuck it onto some felt and then stuck more stuff on top

Still unstitched, obviously.  I think these are destined to become book covers.

In the time that lot took to do, my birthday flowers have gone from this:

to this (see them wilting on the end of the table?)

But look!  A tidy desk - hence the photo, to capture the moment.

Tidied so I could begin THIS:

(don't forget the cocktail stick, folks)

The great Amulet Making of 2013 - to follow up the momentous Amulet Making of 2012

The first Mini Amulet off the production line.  

Question: what is a fair price for something like this?

Rustic pursuits

As mentioned before, I have been outside indulging in some rustic pursuits...

There was a spot of Shed-Building without a Divorce

In a couple of hours we transformed a neglected area outside the kitchen window and created a space for all the odds and ends that have been left out in the rain for the past four years since the old shed was demolished to redo the garden.  

But even better than a new shed is a new shed with an Integrated Bespoke Shelf System.  We were SO chuffed with ourselves!  We took an old shelf unit from the garage, took it apart completely and then screwed it back together in-situ to make it fit - it's perfect!  

What could be more exciting than a new shed with shelves?  Making bramble baskets in the woods, that's what:

It's tough on your hands, even without the prickles!

Mine was the smallest one, at the bottom...

Here it is now, shrunken and trimmed.  Bit of an odd shape...

A lovely peaceful day in the woods, crafting something out of a plant that I thought was only good for blackberries.  I particularly enjoyed the camp fire that burned all day, supplying a constant supply of hot water for tea.  Thus inspired, back home we finally built our outdoor FIRE area for BURNING THINGS:

The girl likes burning things with a magnifying glass, Mr Gonecycling loves building and playing with fire and can now play with his Christmas-present fire steel, and I wanted somewhere to put a barbeque so I can practice suitable camping recipes - and as luck would have it, since my birthday I am now the proud owner of a camp fire grill.  So we're all happy!  Just need some log stumps to perch on while we char our sausages now...

Yikes where does the time go

There I was announcing a come-back and I disappeared again...

I've been busy this time, not avoiding.....I've indulged in a few rustic pursuits (pics of them another time) and a stitchy workshop - again, pics of that later!

Meanwhile, today I was torturing myself with trying to start some Work with a capital W.  Art Trail is only a matter of weeks away now...aaagh!

Mucking about with fabric paper.  Not sure what this stripey thing will become.

Quite pleased with this one.  View down the hill and across the valley at family place in Wales.

A bit of a stormy Breton day (is there any other?)

And a Breton sunset.

All destined to be stitched, no matter what.  Currently hanging up to dry.  But I've started something!!!

I'm back!

And not a moment too soon.  I'm not sure that was such a good idea - I've just logged into Blogger and have realised that it will take me another month to catch up with everybody-else's blogs.  Doh!

Did my internet ban go according to plan?  Well......I cheated a bit, in that I checked Facebook occasionally and knew that Gina was baking a ridiculous number of chocolate cakes.  I also found myself straying occasionally into Pinterest.  Now that really is a black hole - you can lose whole days of your life in there.  But I did get a few things done.  Not as much as I would like, and a bit of an eclectic mix, so nothing's changed there...

First up, I did some baking. 

This is the version of the no-knead bread that you bake in a cast iron pot.  Pretty darn nice, and it made a mean bacon sarnie for lunch that day...

And this is the recipe for fig and goat's cheese fougasse from the Waitrose magazine.  Also pretty darn good, and the Girl loves it even though it has "goat" in it....

And this "little" number is an exceedingly delicious rice cake from some Italian cheffy type in a recent Good Food magazine because we found ourselves with over a litre of milk about to go out of date.  Any excuse...

And of course, I'm aware that there is now a certain amount of demand for a recipe for a certain cherry and marzipan cake.  I'm not sure I should pass it on, having recently vowed to drastically cut my own and the family's sugar consumption (thanks Sheila Dillon).  Maybe next time!

I did manage a little bit of stitching

Some small collagey bits on paper

This is my favourite - greetings card size.

And I mucked about for a good week or so cutting wood and funky foam to make my own set of Adinkra stamps. This is a mosaic collage of some small cards I've made with the stamps.

I also took advantage of a sunny day (?!?) to dye some scrim and thread

And made up some packs of fabric scraps to try and get through the stash!

And I also finished teaching my village hall class for the summer with a few relaxed weeks practicing our free machining, stitching Klimt inspired bag panels a la Angie Hughes.

Unfortunately my overall feeling at the beginning of June is "I really must get my act together and start doing some proper quantities of work" (i.e. things for Art Trail in July).  Unfortunate, because I hoped a month away would achieve that - it seems to be my constant refrain and quite frankly I'm getting sick of it!  But nevertheless it is quite pleasing to look back on a month and see all the different things I did do....