20 !!!!!

20

What a respectable old lady !

At the age of twenty ?

Old ?

YES

when you're a Burmese cat

you are !

(but our dear Bella is still going strong !)

*

These past few weeks I was busy with the concertina booklets

of Mandy Pattullo's workshop.

But my first fabric book was for daughter

so I only showed the second one in the tin box.

Today, while celebrating the summer holidays with a BBQ

I could give her the finished book,

her own Fire-keeper story.

 When still working on the covers and inside stitching with

MAGIC thread ...

Some close-ups :

Fire  !

Inside the hut 

at the end a new start !

*

The garden is as full as it ever was :

no sigh of the empty spaces after all the work at the terrace

and hardly any fence left to see

And inside, in the bathroom upstairs at the north facing window,

one of the orchids is very happy

and started flowering again

We're happy too

in our green oasis !

wet summer solstice

Today was a wet and cold day,

only now, in the early evening,

the sun is shining through the clouds.

(I hope all the people who are celebrating summer solstice

do catch that bright spell)

This last week I was very busy preparing things for yesterday

festive headdresses

and finishing off the last of my rainbow pots.

Yesterday, 

however rather cold for this time of year,

daughter and I were at a small summer festival in Nijmegen.

(to celebrate the 25th aniversary

of the Jungian Institute over there)

We were invited to come with are felted items

and give a few workshops.

It was cold, but dry all day !

All's ready to go !

Though it wasn't a very crowded feast

there were lovely people who really took great interest

in all we had made.

There was music, many other activities, but I didn't take any pictures

except of this spectacular fire-eater !

(uhmmm ... don't try this at home ...)

It all ended in the early evening with a ceremonial fire

that was build earlier in the day 

(by one of the fire-masters of daughter's course)

The fire is lighted traditionally with flint and tinder

in half a minute !

More music and dance at end the party

and a special little visitor ...

We had a wonderful warm day

not warmed by the sun but by the people !

Happy Solstice to you all

busy felting

Apart from some minor internet problems

(which are  -more or less-  solved now)

I've been busy felting

not to loose my touch with my newly learned "Judit"-skills !

I have my notes and some pictures

.....

but, I need to practice too !

First I finished the red pendant,

made a necklace out of it : "fire"

Because it was fun, I dicided to start with some embroidery

(also took it with me on my Saturday Stitch'nBitch tour)

But,

in order to finish it properly, 

it was on the wet table again ...

(well hadn't thought of thát before ...)

However, I found the perfect solution :

a plastic bag !

So I could easily finish it off now.

Next was felting the little bag

that will be part of a belt.

Still a lot to be done, but this bit is almost finished.

Then I had another idea, when I was thinking about the necklace I called "fire"

Wouldn't it be nice to make "earth", "water" and "air" too ??

Here is "earth" in the making with a fixed cord, and the pendant.

Finished "earth" 

(but when it's dry I need to start with the embroidery)

Today I did the last bits on the ring that was already nearly finished when

the weekend with Judit was over.

(maybe a bit posh, but I love the old, old button that was in my stash

from times when I went to Austria with my parents)

So, I made a brooch to go with it 

(with the same colours : orange red and magenta

but the picture isn't quite right)

*

The last thing I want to show is the lovely page I got

from my Challenge - partner Cathrina (UK)

front ...

and back

It was so much fun to see some bits I sent her during the Challenge

were in this piece  ;-)

And this crocheted "coffee pot" filled with flowers

was my gift for her.

(Ahhhh we're just waiting what Sara has in store for us again)