Shaping my felt flowers for a show,"Floral Art in the Garden" at Broad View Gardens, Hadlow College, Hadlow, Kent from Jun2 10th -13th, I worked the flowers over a flat resist, then when felted poured in some PVA, put in a balloon, blew it up to shape flowers, when dry remove balloon. There are several flowers going from bud-flower-seed head, worked in black and white Norwegian wool, did not want to compete with nature. The whole thing will be in a willow arbour. I am trying to work out how to make gruesome bug or butterfly to sit next to it, the original idea came from crewel embroidery and carnivorous plants.



Hadlow College is and agricultural and horticulture college with a floristry course, there is a garden centre(good plants) and tea room, so if in area and have the time do come and see the show.

This is a rather belated Easter blog, I was lazy about down loading photos. After Easter we had a special Eggy Day at the Farmers Market, with egg related activities for the children. Planting cress, marbling and blowing,a few people went home with bowls of duck eggs, Omelets! Cakes! There was also a collection of eggs to be identified, from Quail to goose and turkey, with all sorts between.
The Cress growing well




Marbled eggs










The Church Yard was looking lovely





The primroses have been spreading over the years, they welcome spring in a wonderful way and are one of my favorite flowers, have not yet tried to do any work based on them, don't think I could do them justice, snow drops are another favorite, those i have done in a wall hanging.

Today I went for a walk through the kentish apple orchards, they are just coming into flower, it was lovely to See so many new orchards being planted. We saw Swallows flying low over a field of sheep with lambs, more than one so summer is here.

London Duck

Today I took the proxy Grandchildren for a day out, went to London, saw a water colour exhibition at the Mall Gallery,some great work, I love Micheal Morgans work and a painting by Jean Robinson.






Then a trip to Cass Art, best value shop for painting materials, then over to the south bank, so lovely and full of life on a sunny spring day where we got on our duck






A short sight seeing trip, being told about various sights, then splash down into the Thames near Vauxhall Bridge, up the river to Westminster bridge, back on dry land to return to the London Eye where the trip had started.



This was a fun and informative trip and not too long for younger folk, we had a good day out, I am very blessed to have such great children to take out. The London Gardens are doing great, the park keepers do a grand job.

I had a wonderful time on Monday, my proxy grandchildren came for the day and we did some scree printing, the eldest doing her GCSE, working on Klimt's kiss, she had to do a response, so photographed her self under water with blowing bubbles, so was experimenting with ideas.her face fits into space in middle.








The younger one really took to it with very detailed design.






He did it in lots of colours then printed on to a cotton bag.
They also had a friend with them who was working on her AS level art, based on festivals, we had been to celebrate the Chinese new year and her work was based on the lanterns that were strung across Gerrard's street.
A tiring day but fun, lots of clearing up but they all went home having achieved something.

Today the weather has been lovely, busy at Farmers' Market this morning, (Don't sell )but help run it, set up tables and chairs, get coffee lounge ready, help stall holders, quite a quite morning, normally is the day after a bank holiday. Then home to my garden.I think Spring has finally arrived. I know Celedine are weeds but they are a real harbinger of spring and so beautiful.




I have redone my fish for the pond, pleased with it.



Prize plant in garden at the moment is the black Helbores

I have just added some flicker pictures, (of work done over the last few years)
to my Blog, quite pleased with myself, I am learning lots as I set this sight up.

The piece the one a prize was called fantastagoricale Pods, it is quite big, the orange seeds are tennis balls covered in felt the whole thing was made using Piku wool, which comes in marvelous colours and felts a dream.



This is the drawing before I started on the piece, it is based on Iris foetidissima, having looked at the seed head, I realised it would be easier to have the felt pods haning rather than standing up, easier to display.

There are five pods altogether.

First Entry

I am working on a 3 dimensional piece of felt for an exhibition in a garden, Floral Art in the Garden, at Broad View Gardens, Hadlow the week end of June 11th, and I know how quickly that will be here.My piece is loosely based on Crewel embroidery, carnivorous plants and a lot more.I was asked to take part after a piece of my work won a prize and was then shown in a garden setting.