May - possibly flowers later

This is the garden I grew up in. It's in central Scotland so the seasons are a little later and May flowers are quite often postponed until June. At first the garden was a wilderness then my parents had their house built and tamed the jungle. Where willow herb ran rampant they established lush lawns and exotic herbaceous island beds. Annoyingly, a semi-decent sled run down the garden was 'ruined' by installing a pond and ornamental trees as they pursued their vision. In my teen years I don't think I gave the garden much thought (although the wooden shed did come in for a bit of a hammering late one night .....).

I have long since forgiven them and now appreciate a gentle potter around the leafy pathways when I manage a trip back home. It is now a hidden tangle of pathways, abundant flowers and leafy nooks. What was once a large open space is now a collection of outdoor rooms and vistas. Each season, not just May, brings changes in flowers and foliage, surprising the visitor with sudden unexpected glimpses. Returning from weekend trips home from university my arms would be laden with wrapped bunches of flowers for my room. Since then I've always appreciated bunches of flowers around the home, replacing the garden which is no longer just outside the door. It's also a small haven for my Wee Guy to run around in (as long as he misses the pond). It's become more meaningful for me the further away I travel.
The garden influences a lot of my work. Flower designs figure prominently in a variety of mediums, ranging from metal to stone carving to polymer clay. If I'm doodling a flower will appear on paper nine times out of ten.
... you can't get the garden out of the girl!

come into my garden ....

on the left: "tapestry" available from ebbandflo



For the first time in an absolute age I decided to take a wander thru Etsy's treasury. This is a member-curated area where Etsians can compile their own wish lists or themed posters in the hope of getting some exposure on the famed Front Page.

It is absolutely taboo in certain circles to include an item of your own, although the TOU do allow inclusion of one (but it's generally regarded as naff since the idea is to promote others).





Amazingly one of my new items, the Into The Garden flotsam wire crochet cuff was included in this gorgeous themed wishlist by Misslo, along with some beautiful items from some really talented artists.

Don't forget to visit Misslo's store for some incredibly stunning (but as she says, functional) ceramic ware. You won't be disappointed.

Anyone who can receive inspiration from Fiesta Ware is worth visiting (and I'm totally assuming that this fiesta ware is the disposable plate stuff unless I've made a huge cultural boob).

... but back to my Garden cuff (since I'm all about self promotion too).


This is one of my range of flotsam wire crochet cuffs. Flotsam? - because they rather graciously look like they've been tossed around in the oceans for a while and have gathered a huge amount of detritus on their journey.

The idea combines fibre with metal, with a small nod to felting and beadwork. I loved the idea of bringing it all together in something wearable.

Garden is one of my favourites, combining gloroius pale green hand dyed alpaca (which I had to buy when I first saw it for sale) with synthetic yarns, plus glass charms on top of tinned copper wire crochet. I have my own version of the garden cuff and wear it lots.