Tag Archives: Crafts

Weekly Photo Challenge – Purple with Traidcraft

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Weekly Photo Challenge – Purple

Two weeks ago, I attended a Traidcraft Roadshow in Andover with my friend Tricia. Tricia has been promoting Traidcraft for many years, especially in the Eastleigh and Chandler’s Ford area in the southeast of England, and she didn’t mind me being a tag along, on a glorious summer day.

We previewed new items for the new season to be marketed from August. We tasted new chocolate too — but chocolate-tasting will be in another post.

I love the beautiful handmade glitzy items,  such as pens, notebooks and mirrors. These gifts are delicately made by real people with fine skills and a bit of patience.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside a gift

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside

Today we celebrated my mother in law‘s birthday in a serene English village called Pirbright. It was a glorious summer day.  Summer has finally arrived in England.

I made mum this gift. What’s inside of it?

What’s INSIDE this gift?

An attractive side view

2 hidden tea bags: high quality Ahmad Tea for a lovely English summer day

It’s a beautiful hand-made tea bag holder. It holds 2 tea bags. I added dazzling rhinestone jewels and striped grosgrain ribbon on the cover of the tea bag holder.

I also made mum a hand-stitched notebook. Hugh bought a handsome bay tree from Brambridge Park garden centre to adorn mum’s garden and for cooking. At our barbecue lunch, we discussed about pruning the bay tree into a lollipop shape. Continue reading →

Traidcraft inspiration

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Tricia ran a Traidcraft stall at the Parish church of Chandler’s Ford a few weeks ago.

Amongst tea and coffee stood some stunning hand-made cards.

Later, on a typical miserable English summer day, I enjoyed a pleasant Fair Trade coffee morning with Tricia at her home. I met a few lovely ladies in my community in Hiltingbury. Some of them are retired nurses. Their stories of nursing were fascinating.

My eyes were drawn to colourful glitzy boxes, flower purses, fabric journals, embroidered bags, scarf and jewellery.

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Origami joy with William Morris prints

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William Morris prints

Two William Morris’ pocket diaries from V&A museum caught my eyes at Waterstones bookstore in Winchester last Sunday.

I gasped at the price of £0.59. I would have starved for a week to buy 100 copies, but these were the only 2 left.

I kept one as my pocket diary, and carefully cut off all pages from the other copy.

Who could resist a William Morris print?

I cut each paper into a 12cm x 12cm square.

I transformed them into my favourite origami models. I remembered all the steps of these creations by heart. It was pure joy turning William Morris prints into origami cranes, boxes, Chinese vase, boat, iris, water lily, ball, butterfly, tortoise and a spinner.

I completed these models in one and a half hours.

Origami models with William Morris prints

Cranes

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