Trying to balance everyday life with creativity.

Whew!  I’d forgotten how difficult it is to balance creating and the demands of everyday life.  My sympathy goes all of you in the same frustrating situation.  I have just finished renovating a house and garden, and now am in the middle of doing the same for my own home.  This has been really frustrating in that, as a result, I have been too tired and had too little time to be able to do much art or craft.  However things are looking up, and I am rediscovering how creative gardening is.  This is the first of my garden makeovers:  a little courtyard with what will hopefully become a manderine hedge, a collection of succulents. a fountain with goldfish and water lettuce and surrounded by pig face, and borders of hellebores, limonium and wild iris.  It reminds me a bit of some of the places I visited in Spain.

 

Lately, I have been finding a little more time for more artistic creations too.  It is baby season round my neck of the woods, so I have been flat out making gifts.

This is a little knitted rabbit I made for a friend’s little baby using Julie William’s “Little Cotton Rabbit” pattern.  I loved it so much, I am making another one for some other little child.

 

I have also been making embroidered wool  felt mobiles for other little babies.  This bird one is for a little boy who has arrived.

 

 

 

And, this rabbit one is for another little baby.

 

All this rabbit craft is due to my new, beautiful little rabbit, Ralph.  He is the sweetest most docile little rabbit I have ever had and I adore him, as do my grandchildren. Unfortunately, Maisie, the cairn terrier loves him too – as a potential meal- so I have to be very careful to keep them apart. 

 

I have also enjoyed making sculptures in the park with this young man, one of my gorgeous grandchildren.

 

And, I am still working on my penny quilt.  I am working on decorating the joins right now.