Hazel Catkins Week

Hazel catkins poke me in my eye every time I walk through a gap in the trees in the field near to where I live, so how could I not choose Hazel catkins and the Hazel tree for my subject to study last week. What an interesting study the Hazel tree is and there are tonnes of them around where I live including a branching one in my garden by the stream. Unfortunately we didn't get much of a look in on the hazel nuts in the Autumn as the squirrels had them all!! The year before we did manage to forage a stash and cooked them in the oven with sugar and cinnamon and they were delicious. I was wondering if the squirrels were extra stocking up this year because they knew it was going to snow? 

There is a tonne of interesting folklore around the Hazel and uses too, I have written it all down in a book that I started making for 2021. 

I picked just a few catkins for an indoor display in the kitchen. These are some left over tiles from this weekend's DIY. We have had 4 boxes of deliberately odd tiles since the week before we moved in to tile the back of the cooker and finally this weekend it was nearly done (the tiling was done - just some units to finish off!) Simon had Friday and Monday off and we made a long weekend and I painted the downstairs loo!

Really pleased with how the tiling has come out it warms up the pine in the room and there are some spare tiles for placemats and the window sill.

Si took out the horrible old extractor fan and discovered that the 'chimney goes up higher and so we can properly vent the cooker outside later on. He also very cleverly put two lights in above that go with the rest of the ceiling lights as it can get a bit dark in there without a good light! The walls are changing from yellow to white.  

This is the larder to the right of the cooker which has some herbs added and later we will add some spice racks to the top of the door. 

Other projects :

have mostly been work in progress as I have been doing major sort outs of rooms and furniture and crafting stash!! I am selling quite a bit of my Stampin' Up stuff on Facebook buy and sell sites. Mostly things I have used and I don't think I will use again as everyone has now had the cards!

I made these cards using a really old stamp and punch with co-ordinating treat boxes as 'Galentines' cards along with some sunflower seeds for the birds. There is an evnvironmental campaign called #showthelove linked with #TheTimeIsNow for climate action and you can contact your MP with a green heart to create change. I have sent one of these to my local MP. You can make, wear and send green hearts and I am making a pompom one for our local WI who will be collecting everyone's pompoms into a heart wreath. 

This is my cute Grandson who is now modelling the little jumper I made him a few months ago - that now fits. He has such adorable expressions on his face! I have printed off hundreds of photos to scrapbook of him!

I have posted quite late on last weeks project because I was finding it difficult to find something to make with Catkins and then while tidying out the craft room in amongst some of my mums old embroidery bits - were some iron on embroidery patterns and this one was in amongst them - how fortunate! 

The catkins are embroidered on some linen and the stalks are split stitch and a couple of green buds in chain stitch and then a tonne of french knots in two yellows. I didn't used to be very good at French knots but I have definitely got the handle on them now!!

 I finish by showing you this photo from my walk yesterday - you have to zoom in a bit to see them but there are hundreds of snowdrops - my last week subject - even through the middle of the trees and down the bank just so very delicate. 

This week I have chosen Moss as my subject to study and I have not thought of anything I can use for a project - Yet!!

Take Care Love JoPx