Tasha Tudor Day

Happy Tasha Tudor Day! This is the day we stand still to remember a remarkable woman who influenced so many while living but still does so their her legacy after passing 4 years ago.

My collection of Tasha books are a reflection of her lifestyle of simplicity. She reminds me to stay close to the seasons and celebrate what they bring.

I find it somehow fitting that she was born on this day back in 1915. She was born in a time when two seasons begin to merge. Summer's bounty is giving over to autumn's richness and harvest. This weekend I bought a little pumpkin to turn into a delicious soup while I also bought a bouquet of sunflowers which remind us of the sunshine of summer.

I am joining the Tasha Tudor Day celebrations with Clarice over at StorybookWoods. She posted a beautiful entry about Tasha glam which prompted me to think about many items of clothing I wear that are also Tasha glam inspired. Last summer, I learned to crochet and one of the items I made were a pair of wristies. To me, they are pure Tasha!

I hope you will look into Tasha Tudor today if you are not familiar with her works. She was a beautiful artist as well as an inspiration in living a gently and simple lifestyle staying close to each seasons own gifts.

Make do and mend Mondays

Oops! I messed up with a "play date" afternoon with a friend. She was here on my doorstep today and I did not know she was coming. I have to put my make do project off until tomorrow. It was half done yesterday but needs more work. I promise to show a fun project later on this week.

Visitors!

Some visitors are welcome to a home...

Like this toad! We have so many toads in our back garden including lots of sweet little baby ones. When we are out doing work in the garden, we suddenly see them jump from a plant. We also have a frog which hangs around in the front garden since it seems to like to use the large drinking bowl for the birds.

And hedgehogs are always welcome! What is it about seeing a hedgehog in the evenings that does something magical. This Mrs. Tiggywinkle was not so pleased that we followed her with my camera to take a photo though.

But this visitor was very, very unwelcome!!! This past weekend, I had just brushed my teeth and went to get into bed early to read. I was greeted by this big spider smiling down over the headboard at me. I screamed for Jos to come get it. It was huge (about 4 inches width) and I just could not get into bed after Jos sucked him up in the sweeper. I said I wanted to go upstairs and sleep in the guest room but Jos said his girlfriend was probably up there. Men are no help! So I came back out in the living room and picked up my crocheting to get my mind off it. An hour later, I feel asleep staring above the headboard hoping that this spider had no family members on the look out for him.

Make do and mend Mondays

This Monday is a smorgasbord of items for my Make do and Mend...

By our front door, we have a tiny little recess in the brickwork. It has been hard to find anything we could put in this after as most things are too large. One day, I was looking out at the items we either need to start using or sell on to others. It finally struck me that this candle holder might just work in the space. I had accidentally broke the glass that belonged with it when I was trying to pry a melted candle out of the thin glass tube. I knew I could never find another glass tube but thought I could use a flower pot in the ring holder. As I started looking for a flower pot, I realized that I had this vase (a gift from a friend and very thick glass) that looked narrow enough to work in the ring. It was a perfect fit and I could make do with things I already had. Look around your house as you probably have more than you think...

Jos has been on spray can duty for me once again. If I start to do anything with spray paint he comes and takes over. *grins* We have an ugly house number at Cranberry Cottage. It is metal and was looking rather worse for wear. I thought why not spray paint it in black. As it is cemented to the bricks, we placed newspaper over the brick and got started...

A primer coat and two coats of black later, it looks so much better. These are not great photos so my apologies. My camera battery was dead and I did not have my charger with me so Jos took them with his phone.

This project was an inspiration from a good friend's Make do post. Tammy had a hook that was a color that stood out too much on her front door. As soon as I saw her post, I knew I had to take it as inspiration. I have a metal hanger for wreaths/baskets for my front door. My door is black so this really stands out!

Two coats of black spray paint and you see the hook no more...

Make do and mend Mondays

Sorry to have been missing in action with my Make do and Mend Mondays. Even though it is Friday, I wanted to share one this week. My friend Tammy posted a Make do project using an empty wipes container to hold plastic bags. I told her about one I made out of fabric from my stash. It is a perfect project to make do with.

I had created a photo tutorial to these on my handwork blog at the time. Since people email me that they still look at this old blog, I did not delete it. You can go to this link and make a plastic bag holder for yourself. I know they are for sale everywhere but it is fun and easy to make plus making it to match your own room.

Among the honeysuckles.....

...is where you will find me. At Cranberry Cottage, our living fence is bursting with green, flowers and berries this year. We are now completely surrounded in green as we sit in the garden. We look out to the woods on one side...

We also have a fully grown living fence now against the drive of the next cottage. We planted up a number of honeysuckle vines when we put in the fence as this is a natural plant in wooded gardens. They are just bursting with blossom even decorating our wood shed with their beauty...

In the language of flowers, honeysuckle is a symbol of devoted love and sweetness of disposition. It was considered a bond of love when a Victorian gentleman included it in a bouquet of flowers given to a lady. But the folklore I think I love the most is that it is said to protect a garden from evil and induce dreams of love. How sweet is that (pun intended)?

Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted Jane Morris holding a honeysuckle vine in his painting The Day Dream.

"...how sweetly smells the honeysuckle in the hush'd night..."

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Enjoy your weekend!