Tea, guinnea pigs, pompoms, fairies, and a rainy day weekend

Oh thank god for rainy days!!!!! : ) I have to say that quietly, because I am in Ireland, the true home of rainy days, and not everyone is enjoying the weather presently.
I am though. Its kept us in on this first weekend at home for a while. I have been so busy between studio, school and other commitments that I have hardly come up for air, and that never suits me too well. Now long lengthy tea days do. And I mean real tea making with pot warming, tea cozies and refills: ) that is a tea day.

Madeleine is choosing her tea, she always goes for liquorice every time but still likes to browse

So we unusually didn't make it into the woods this weekend but we did make tea and craft and be together, which was just as lovely and just what we needed. 

I cant go a moment further though without mentioning our two new additions to the household. Patches and Nutmeg arrived a couple of days before Madeleine's birthday in April, we have quickly become friends and Madeleine has assumed the role of Mother, asking me repeatedly if I think, they think, she is their mother. She speaks to them with a Mary Poppins like tone, like, "Come along now little guinnea pigs", and brings them for little adventures around the house, or makes them treasure hunts of carrots and cucumber under the couch or behind a shoe: ) She especially likes laying on the floor and places them on her chest so they can hear her heart, I think I may have encouraged that by doing the same with her. 

We discovered on You tube that guinnea pigs do like a luke warm bath with rub down and Madeleine has been very enthusiastic to say the least about doing this. 

Yesterday was the day!! They weren't so keen on the idea, but did settle down after a bit of cuddling in the towel, and do look remarkably fluffier today. 

They will be well loved little pigs and although they may have to endure a moment or two in a dolls pram or in Madeleine's dolls house as furry visitors, I think they should have a good life here.

Other weekend pursuits was POMPOM making, Does pompom need capital letters? Such a great sounding word and soooo reminiscent of childhood days. I was making a hat, which was ordered last week and a pompom was most importantly requested. I thought we should make two and Madeleine agreed, helping to make one for her own hat.

Pompom making instructions

below is said hat completed- I think I love the pompoms,  I also think I might be trying to find reasons to write POMPOM.

I edged it with some beautiful hand spun wool from The States. I found it in the bottom of my yarn basket and there was just enough to finish this in hand spun beauty. I remember the spinner called this yarn Dawn on New Snow. Its gorgeous to work with, if a little unwieldy. The main yarn was supplied to me by the buyer, a lovely Mom and Artist herself from School.

In the evening the wind roared around the stone corners of this home and trees bent and pulled up again. their new leaves shimmering wildly to hold on. We watched from upstairs, its been a while since the wind has blown so strongly. We can see the tops of the linden tree in the centre of the village from where we sleep. 

I was getting the feeling we were in for stormy evening, which made all the more sense to stay cozy as we were and allow the sky to be so loudly if it need be. Being in the crafty mood I got out the sewing machine, intending to start curtains for my kitchen, which I have still not gotten around to though I have lived here nearing two years. But, Madeleine had different ideas and I decided we could set ourselves up for a sewing sunday morning and we did, we got the bobbins and spools, fabric and ribbons and my trusty singer machine which I have had since I was 15: )

Its a fickle machine, only works when it really wants to. I have to stay calm and speak nicely to it, otherwise the tension gets all screwed up and it spits out all sorts of tangled messes of thread and ruffled fabrics.

Slowly sunday awoke us and we meandered through breakfast, me still on my detox/raw/caveman/ wanting to get off sugar diet which consists of lots of fresh juices and gorgeous salads, nuts other good things raw, but no dark chocolate sadly. Madeleine had a bowl of honey pops contrastingly.

To sewing!!! A lovely friend gave Madeleine a wee box for sewing for her birthday, stashed with some wool felt, beads, buttons, embroidery threads, and she was more than ready to use them. We set about making a brooch for her, in felt and bead and thread. She wanted to make a moon fairy, and it so happened that Mia had put a crescent moon button in there that made a perfect face. 

We machined the dress and arms, Madeleine having her very first go at pushing the material through and cutting threads, We then needle felted her white hair, as only a moon fairy should have. 

To my amazement Maddy blanket stitched the edges onto a backing where we had sewed on a safety pin. 

She has been learning sewing these last couple of months in school. I am so delighted at this part of her education as you can well imagine and its great emphasis on handwork. I love the thought that so much of it will be natural to her, a part of being.

I pulled out one of my UFO's ( unfinished objects), A Bag O' The Woods I like to call it. It will be my bag for little sketchbook, penknife, apple and whatever else I pick up along the way. I am thinking of making it with straps for the bike, so it will attach on to the front and a shoulder strap too for walking days. I started in winter and perhaps will finish it by summer. Here it is below with handsome heads of lettuce from Jim on the market in Killaloe. 

Its leaves and shapes are appliqued scraps of felt left over from my crown making, sewn onto boiled wool, and next the lining.

  

Well now I look out the window and see the sun is breaking through on my rainy monday and that entices me out to walk in the woods, to walk to the studio and draw before collecting M. 

What a log today for one weekend, and all the other days between will come another day, maybe in May. I love to write here, I get to write and spin words, share my little way back to art, and the lightness of being that comes these days, quite unexpectedly I assure you. 

Thank you dear reader and for all the lovely responses on facebook, by face and spoken word, and email, and here too. Its a lovely thing to share experience, thats another days blog though and I have a sun to catch.

xx