A busy day at Foundry Wood!

We had a wonderful day yesterday at the Foundry Wood which is an urban community woodland in Leamington Spa. As part of the Woodland Fair, I held a few hours "willow wreath making" activity which was extremely popular amoung children and grown-ups as well :)
I met superb people at the event who, for over 18 months have been doing an amazing job turning this tiny piece of nature into a refreshing oasis.
I am planning to run two beginner basket making workshops in the Outdoor Classroom of the Foundry Wood this August (Sunday,11th, and Saturday, 24th).
Should you be interested, please let me know by popping me an email!

Help! I can't stop making them!

Yes, I am still busy making felt fairies of all kinds...This blue beauty is called Alvina; she is a silly little girl who will make everyone laugh :)
Alvina is sitting on a fairy-swing, made of willow (what else? :))

Alvina is a 100% handcrafted felt fairy made of quality merino wool and recycled organza pieces. Her hair is embellished with a shiny crystal button.
Isn't she adorable?

Fairy and airballoon?

Well, it must be the heat here in Hungary that made me come up with something so...khmm...unusual :)
I was busy finishing a basket someone asked me to make, and I was amazed by the beautiful, deep colours of the brown willow I was using.
When the basket was finished, I still had a tiny bit of willow left, so I started thinking about a small object I could make with it. And this is how the airballoon was born!
I picked up one of those rice-paper globes from IKEA, and attached it to the tiny basket.
Of course, the airballoon was very empty without a proper passanger, so I put one of my new felt fairies in it.

I am still hesitating whether the globe should be painted or left as it is...will see :)

Something new: felt faeries and willow!

A friend taught me recently how to make a felt faery out of wool; I was immediately hooked :)
I altered the original technique a bit, combined the wool with organza, and (what else?) willow, of course!
I hope this little creature will finally bring the spring...

My faery is made of quality Hungarian and South American wool, leftover organza pieces and beads; she is merrily seated in one of my green willow wreaths.
A perfect springtime decoration.
What do you think?

Willow Christmas decoration

It's only October, but I have been playing around to see what Christmas decoration I could make using traditional basket making techniques and natural materials. This is a Christmas tree made of green willow; hopefully it can be used for a couple of years; it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

The wreath also has a willow base that I embellished with ivy and some bright red berries.
Can't wait to make more!

Bird feeder, anyone?

It's been a time since I made one of these, but with the autumn coming I thought sooner or later the bird feeders will come handy...
To build the feeder, I used professional American willow which had been soaking for 3 days prior to use.
Although the weaving I used is pretty simple (basically an in-and-out step) it was difficult to make the feeder due to its tightness and size.
If there is an interest, I might be doing a one day workshop focusing on bird feeders this autumn/winter.

Colours, colours...

I have been busy collecting materials for basket weaving :)
Look at all the different shades of willow, dogwood and hazelnut! Aren't they fascinating?
I love experimenting with these materials that are partly new to me...where I come from we have slightly different variations of the same plants. For example dogwood never gets this gorgeous dark red shade in Hungary!

This is how the above sticks look like once woven into a basket base.
Like a rainbow...

First post

So this is my new blog.
Brand new, fresh, crispy!

We have been missing nature since we moved here a month and a half ago, so this weekend we treated ourselves with a little trip...drove up to Willow Withies in Moira to buy a bit of green willow for my upcoming workshop, then wandered around Charnwood Forest for a couple of hours.
What a lovely day!
PS: I wanted to take pictures of bluebell covered woods, but I guess it was too early for that...oh well, we still found a few pieces, plus it will be a good excuse for another excursion :)