i am over here...

olive and harry

click on the link and come and say hello

t x

changes...

it would seem that a few changes are happening around me at the moment...

little things taking me in new directions craft wise...

how i look out at the world and realising who i can trust and who i clearly cannot...

and one huge change that if all goes well in the next few weeks looks set to change mine and stephens life forever.....

so

one of the small changes is how i feel about what i sell... in the days when i had my bricks and mortar shop i loved going to trade fairs and choosing mass produced items that i would buy in to sit next to the handmade..
i carried on my cupcakes shoplet and joined not on the high street when we moved and just transferred all goodies to online selling - it was a great way to stay in touch with old shop customers and it of course paid some bills..
now i live so far North and have the life that i do, it is not possible for me to gad about at trade fairs looking for the next delight, and browsing through endless brochures is a chore i could do without...
so
i have slowly started to wind down cupcakes.. it will still remain over at NOTHS but will have a smaller more select range - i am undecided if i will keep my own website for cupcakes active..

with my mind shifting firmly from the mass produced to the handmade i have made the decision to start blogging over here

olive and harry is the name of my handmade company that has been pretty much just sitting around doing nowt for the last few years - now is the time to start looking after it a little more and hopefully watch it slowly grow

so

that's where you will find me

t x

catch up #1 ... dogs and ducks

as i have totally neglected my dear blog i plan to catch up on all that has been going on here over the next week..

the first post today will be a catch up on the hounds and ducks...

our group of bandits are all doing well.. two girls continue to guard a nest but no sign of any more ducklings as of yet....

the sweet pair of ducklings are growing at an incredible rate... the pale yellow one chats from the moment you open the door in the morning until it is put to bed at night...

the hounds have enjoyed some sunshine and the long grass

no picture of george or mcdog as camera run out of steam :(

back soon with catch up #2 ... makes :)

t x

sorry to be away so long...
i have been poorly but am now slowly crawling out of my sick bed...

good to be back blogging
good to be back sewing
but most of all it is good to be back walking my amazing hounds through our field...
the grass has grown so much in a week!

long update of all the news from here very soon

t x

sheep for the sheep raffle

vintage and recycled fabrics..

sheep merrily grazing along the velvet hillside....

available as a raffle prize as soon as the powers that be manage to finish testing the payment pages...

in other news....

a gross act of bullying took place yesterday evening....

this poor hooded crow was attacked by its own kind, at least fifteen other crows took him down in one of our sheep fields..




the screaming alerted us enough to reach him in time - it looks as if he has a broken wing...

he has spent today in a rabbit hutch, eating duck food soaked in warm water and gazing out to sea...

this evening a very kind and sweet inspector came and collected him - he is off to a rescue centre where they can assess the damage and see what his chances are....

we have everything crossed for our hooded friend

t x

excuse me madam .... i seem to have something on my foot....

ahhh..

that's better...

managed to get all the poo off by rubbing it on your trouser leg.....

will you just look at my shiny clean feet...

i can almost see my face in them....

perfect for a spot of lamb dancing....

now
do excuse me while i rush and tell my friend about the disgusting mess left on your last pair of clean jeans....

oh
how
we
laughed

t x

the banana splits....

our sweet ducklings are lucky ducks indeed....

they get to drink from a rather lovely old banana split dish...

they also have vintage china plates for their food and a sandwich dish for a very shallow paddle...

seriously cute.....

and growing so fast

t x

the summer according to george.....

so
the summer begins....

warm and light evenings perfect for lots of hound adventures...
walks with my hound family and the two people i love most in the world..

life
is
good

i shall spend my days eating and relaxing gearing myself up for my evening jaunts and high jinks...

bliss....

whats that you say?

big brother has started?

oh....

on every single night you say....

for the whole summer?
really truly?

oh...

still

only one of my very favourite people will be watching so if i attempt a quick calculation....


that still leaves one of my most favourite people to spend evening whippety adventures with...

hip hip hurrah....

whats that you say?

the world cup?
really truly?

then there is simply no hope....

meh

g x

surprise!

look who we woke up to this morning....

two perfect ducklings....

we honestly thought our duck was sitting on failed eggs and we were just planning on when we should remove the nest in the hope that the girls would lay a fresh batch....

thankfully we planned on leaving it another week which we will now obviously do just in case any of those other eggs plan on hatching :)

t x

a super weekend...

sunshine, veggie bbq, garden sorting and much planting out of vegetables, reading, sewing , laughing, and playing with hounds and lambs...
not bad eh?

ERROR

now
a book suggestion for your summer reading...

if you are going camping this summer then take a copy of this book..
perhaps refrain from reading it before you take off for your trip under canvas especially if you have a slight fear of camping toilet facilities (or lack of)....
never have i laughed out loud so much whilst reading
real howling belly laughs
i love emma kennedy
she is also on twitter making me laugh daily


the book also prompted me to finally make these badges which have been floating around in my head for the longest time....

and the badges in turn made me think about the badge machine dilemma i am having...
i used to make badges years ago in the days when i was a nanny and then a dress wearing shopkeeper...
i made them for children's parties, weddings and for the shop...
when we packed up and headed north the badge machine was shoved in a box and that is where it has remained...
with so many other beautiful badges being made i felt totally unsure of bringing out my dusty machine and having another go.....
i have carried on making these by hand and they have sold reasonably well ....

- my panic only rises when i receive a wholesale order for them as they do take time, but as i am hopeless at finding shops to supply and wholesale orders are few and far between i have not worried....
now my mind is turning to getting back to promoting myself and my wares a tad more i have to attempt to streamline a wholesale range..
my hand embroidered badges have to be part of the collection so i have to accept that the old badge machine will cut down making time a great deal...

i have checked that the part needed for rectangular and square badge making will fit my old girl and they do - now i have to just swallow deeply and invest the ridiculously large amount they want for the extra parts...

in other news...

poor bella boo has cystitis and is totally miserable as you can imagine - treatment is working but as far as she is concerned it is taking its time :(
she is however enjoying the extra cuddles, being allowed to be first in line for the best bed right next to the Rayburn and tuna.....

... and joy of joys i have found a recipe for Vegan coconut macaroons...
and folks they are good

very

very
good

t x

the rather lovely rescue sheep raffle is coming....

and here are a few pictures of just some of the prizes ...

hip hip hooray
so much loveliness all under my roof...
fleetingly thought of running away with the entire lot but was stopped by the thought of being hunted down by folk that already have there eyes on certain prizes :)

lots more available to see on the raffle page and for the kind folks who have contacted us worried that they may be too late to donate prizes then worry not... prizes will be accepted for awhile longer

t x

we are slowly weaning .....

... the milk is getting less and less in the bottle as super cute jimmy lamb takes in more grass, hay and lamb feed....

it is not going well..

this is what he thinks of it all....

lots of headbutting to try and make more milk.. (him not me)

chewing of wellingtons in anger (him not me)

lots of crying at the fence... (him and me)

but each day it gets a little easier...

t x

thrift....

six plates
six cups

very, very pleased :)

t x

the rather lovely sheep raffle should, with a little bit of luck, and a good wind behind it.. be ready to go, go, go on the 1st June....

if we knew it would have taken this long to have the script written and put in place and the legal side of things finalised we may have said nothing until it was all done!

hey ho

almost there

t x

rather hot here today.....

:)

t x

the misfits.....

today i thought i would give you a general update on our group of misfits...

they all seem to be doing o.k, we have had a few issues with sore feet but a quick trim and clean up seems to have solved all hobbling :)

they are still wearing their huge coats as the weather is not quite warm enough for shearing yet - it will be an incredible shock to them as they are carrying a good few years fleece....

they are all eating very, very well, both hay and sheep food and little jimmy lamb is merrily working his way through bags of lamb milk powder!

dear hilde still shows no signs of giving birth ...

she spends most of her day resting and looking so gentle and sweet..

she will now eat happily out of my hand x

jimmys mama has had a really sore foot :(

lots of limping which was not helped by the fact she spends her day watching and running after her lamb....
we have given her feet a good trim and the foot spray has helped hugely...

she is still a little wary but will eat out of my hand but backing away if i even move an inch!

her little chap jimmy (named after the man who assisted in his delivery in to the world) is growing at an alarming rate...

life is one huge adventure for this boy...

he now leaps up on my lap at bottle time and is just starting to enjoy solid lamb feed too x


jimmy's best mate is jack....

oh boy - what a character this boy is..

i sit for ages in the field watching his antics - the whole flock adore him and he gets away with being so naughty!

today he was sunbathing and i watched as he slipped in to a deep snooze...

slowly, slowly he started to tip over...

going
going
going

and then he was down!!

he will now play around me and even stole a chocolate wrapper out of my coat pocket today..
will not accept food from my hand yet but i can stroke him without causing him any alarm x

jacks mama is a funny girl...

you can see that she desperately wants to come closer but she is just not quite brave enough yet...

and as for nora?
well...

she took a pee right in front of me the other day and it would seem that nora is in fact a norman...
hey ho!

here is a picture of the two lambs together..

it shows that even though jimmy is being bottle fed it is not affecting his growth at all...
they are such great pals x

the raffle is still in motion..
still waiting for Everyclick....
still accepting any prize donations *ahem*

prizes received so far can now be viewed on our website ..

back soon

t x