tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53083647665323528332024-02-19T11:38:23.229+00:00BoutonnerieCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-69226935503239949972018-03-10T16:59:00.001+00:002018-03-10T17:09:07.192+00:00Coeliac and cookiesWell, it's been even longer, hasn't it? In my defence, I was ill. Indecisively, uncertainly ill, but finally we figured it out. Wheat. Yes, we can now add coeliac disease to the familial collection of auto-immune problems. And so began the long and tedious process of reworking all my favourite baking recipes. I love to bake, but not every recipe translates well to gluten-free flour. Here's one that does, though<br />
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<br />
Squidgy chocolate cookies<br />
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110g butter<br />
85g golden syrup<br />
340g gluten-free self-raising flour<br />
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
175g sugar<br />
50g cocoa powder<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
100g block of chocolate, chopped<br />
(for this you can use flavoured chocolate, if you like. Orange is good, mint is....odd? Coffee would probably be awesome)<br />
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Heat oven to 160'C / 325'F / Gas 3<br />
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment<br />
<br />
Melt together the butter and syrup. Mix all dry ingredients together well.<br />
Add beaten egg and stir, then pour on the melted butter / syrup. Stir well.<br />
Add a drop of milk if needed to bring the dough together to a soft mass that holds together well<br />
<br />
Pinch off golf-ball sized knobs of dough and place on baking sheets. The dough will spread, so spread them out well.<br />
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Bake for 15-20 minutes (you know your oven best) and cool on the sheet for a few minutes before moving to wire racks. Makes around 24 soft squidgy cookies with slightly crisp outers.<br />
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<br />
FOR GINGER<br />
instead of cocoa, add 1tbs ground ginger and instead of chopped chocolate, use 2 knobs of stem ginger (the kind in syrup, drained).<br />
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-77630217407621467672017-03-03T23:52:00.000+00:002017-03-03T23:52:34.256+00:00Oh Hi!<br />
<br />
Look what I found...<br />
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Been a little quiet around here, hasn't it?<br />
<br />
Sorry about that - normal(ish) service may resume soon<br />
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In the meantime, here's some pretty lace to look at<br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-57999581183371382242013-11-15T12:11:00.000+00:002013-11-15T12:13:28.337+00:00Yarn CrateYup, the bin is empty and the yarn has been packed into a crate. This is progress!<br />
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The dismantled cardi has become a collection of squares that need to be remantled? mantled? stitched up!<br />
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Next on the list are these lovelies;<br />
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which will be heading off before christmas to lurk under somebodies tree<br />
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and in the interests of working my way down through the crate;<br />
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these lovely stone-coloured cottons are marked up as my 'evening knitting'*</div>
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*it's simple enough I can watch CSI without losing the plot.</div>
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A few small knits have knocked a hole in the leftovers stash:</div>
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Heading soon to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/theoccasionalpurl">https://www.etsy.com/shop/theoccasionalpurl</a></div>
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-68413272959549377262013-09-16T15:24:00.000+01:002013-09-16T15:24:00.234+01:00Yarn Bin, the next stage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once upon a time there was nearly a cardigan. Sadly, by the time I got around to the 2nd sleeve, I hadn't a clue how I'd done the first one. Also, I couldn't really see me ever wearing it.<br />
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Back to basics it went<br />
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and it is headed for blankethood...</div>
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-85682353198892988402013-09-13T15:00:00.000+01:002013-09-13T15:00:09.068+01:00Golden RodThe golden rod is nearly ready. It is another happy accident - I'm not that keen on it as a border plant, but it was in the garden when I got here and I've been too <strike>lazy</strike> busy to dig it out.<br />
It does make quite a nice dyeplant - yellow, of course - but it doesn't hold it's dye well when dried. I picked bunches one year and hung them to dry. While the shed smelt fabulous, the flower heads turned to seeds and the dye didn't happen.<br />
<br />
Neither have I had much luck with commercial herbstuffs. What I got appeared to be almost all leaf and despite my best efforts, only produced a pale yellowy green. Quite pretty, but not really what I was after.<br />
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I have wool, cotton and random mixed yarns skeined and mordanted and this time, I'll see what can be done with the fresh flowers!</div>
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-31235817748884299082013-09-11T15:11:00.000+01:002013-09-11T15:11:00.503+01:00The View of the back room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cotton and wool, skeined for mordanting</div>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-78272819906966486042013-09-10T14:37:00.000+01:002013-09-10T14:37:01.748+01:00Yarn Bin, month 1A bit slower than planned! (isn't everything?)<br />
The snuggly alpaca blends gave me a couple of neckwarmers<br />
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and the next week, I carried on the theme with a bundle of pure alpaca that has been sitting around looking at me for far too long.<br />
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2 weeks intermittent knitting and many dvd's later, I have this!<br />
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For practicality, it is useless. Doorhandles are a particular hazard and there are a few too many holes (deliberate!) for it to be much help against Derbyshire weather. But it is silky, and snug and the closest I'm going to be able to get to wearing a blanket at work. So it's mine!<br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-69023123994979635862013-08-05T14:42:00.000+01:002013-08-05T14:42:15.342+01:00Yarn Bin week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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150g soft and fuzzy alpaca and wool blendsCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-46232956159953832662013-08-02T11:03:00.000+01:002013-08-05T14:42:39.460+01:00Yarn Bin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The yarn bin<br />
Ever so slightly, the bane of my life.. Full of bits and pieces, odds and ends - all too good to throw away and in desperate need of being turning onto something. Something other than a slightly tangled heap that inspires glances of pity from other, better organised knitters.<br />
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Some years ago, I tried a Year of Yarn project, to try to get on top of my overwhelming yarn habit. It rather fell by the wayside, as I'd underestimated how much time would be taken up with a new business, a new baby and trying to prop up a flood-damaged house.<br />
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This time round, it's the slightly less catchy 6 Months of Yarn. 6 months (ish) till Candlemas. 4kg of yarn bits.<br />
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Got to be do-able, right?Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-4228804866428328372013-07-18T13:30:00.000+01:002013-07-18T13:30:01.808+01:00Dyers ChamomileThe last week of hot weather has brought the plants on a treat. I was a little worried if they were going to survive, having been flooded 5 times over the winter, but it seems they are made of tough stuff and have come back bigger and better than before.<br />
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I love this plant. Even if I wasn't hooked on all things dyeing, I'd probably grow it for itself alone. Delicate, soft grey-green foliage, tall strong stems topped with amazing cartwheels of brilliant yellow. The plant itself isn't that elegant - a bit straggly, tall and leggy. If you don't have a dedicated bed for dye plants it might be worth growing it through something leafy. I'm tempted to move a plant or two to the front garden - to have it rambling through our reddish purple sumac might be quite something!<br />
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So, the plant, Anthemis tinctoria. Long known as a dye-plant- hence it's scientific name. As a rule of thumb, if a species is called tinctoria, it's going to dye things. The 'how' and 'what colour' is another matter, but dye it will.<br />
These plants I raised from seed. Sown in seed trays in the spring with no protection (it's do or die for seedlings round here, only the strong survive!) they quickly form little rosettes of frondy grey-green leaves on a tough white, scaly root. When big enough to handle comfortably (about 5-8 cms across) plant out at about 30cms apart. They wilt. Almost immediately, they will flop and you will think you've killed them. Fear not! Keep them well watered for a week or so and they will quickly perk up and grow away fast. It is native to the Mediterranean and it's fine, slightly downy leaves are a protection against too much water loss in it's typical dry habitat. So is the wilting.<br />
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It's a tough plant. Though it's distribution and form should mean it prefers dryish soils, I've grown it well on everything from pure clay to sand. And while it is in a light sandy soil at the moment, I can't really say it's in a dry position, what with the Amber coming out of her banks to play each winter. Still, the plants have taken no harm and have been bursting with colour for the last few days.<br />
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The flowers are now drying, flat on a board and out of direct sun. They are best used fresh but I've used several years old dried ones in the past. The colour is a little paler and it takes a little longer for the dye bath to develop, but they still work perfectly well. As you might expect, they give a lovely warm yellow on wool - a clear sunshiny colour. On cotton it is paler, but still beautiful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroline-hardy/2709307967/" title="chamomile by Boutonnerie, on Flickr"><img alt="chamomile" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3098/2709307967_0daaa43564.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I thin, weather permitting, it's going to be a great crop this year. Plenty for me, plenty for sale. And next year, with luck and the co-operation of the Amber, there should be new young plants from cuttings<br />
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-52342578464107491022013-06-27T10:30:00.000+01:002013-07-11T11:36:41.233+01:00The View Through The Window<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroline-hardy/8747113669/" title="Through the window by Boutonnerie, on Flickr"><img alt="Through the window" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8415/8747113669_7a7f4844a8.jpg" width="500" /></a>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-75881235516520715572013-06-26T11:26:00.000+01:002013-06-26T11:26:47.165+01:00Clay DayOne small problem with the new set-up is that I can't just disappear down the pottery shed or the potting shed whenever I feel like it. On the other hand, not being here all the time, does impose (a small amount of) discipline, and Wednesday's have been declared Clay Day. Doesn't always work - weather, plants and The Boss's unexpectedness sometimes get in the way, but when it does work, it works well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroline-hardy/8748236138/" title="Glazed and fired by Boutonnerie, on Flickr"><img alt="Glazed and fired" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/8748236138_30e31c43e8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I've been playing a lot with a bunch of Indian wooden printing black I picked up. They work beautifully on clay and I get to do a lot of detailed bits with coloured stains. I usually end up with cramp in my back and a dead arm at the end of it, but generally, I think it's worth it!<br />
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These pieces were designed as brooches and pendants, but I've got a few ideas, using the same technique for hanging ornaments, like my birdies<br />
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So, today, I shall be in my wonderful new shed - which doesn't look anything like this anymore! - up to my elbows in mud and colour<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroline-hardy/7886947576/" title="pottery shed by Boutonnerie, on Flickr"><img alt="pottery shed" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/7886947576_6ceb234761.jpg" width="500" /></a>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-16160907068323500772013-06-25T14:15:00.000+01:002013-06-25T14:15:06.571+01:00String TheoryWell, I am well and truly moved, settled in and starting to find a routine. rather strange after 10 years of working on whatever the weather dictated I could, but now I have set hours, set times and the very faint hint of organisation.<br />
I no longer post at weekends, so Monday is a big packing day. Which means Tuesday is restocking day. Today was down for refilling the linen drawer<br />
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and as winding string onto card is slooooow, it became a thinking day too.</div>
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First thought - and it is a fairly frequent one for me - was<i> I need more colours. </i>So far I have some marbled, some natural shades and a few pastels and a few brights. But it seems my supplier has some new shades in, gorgeous darks and brights and so, soon, shall I.</div>
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The next thought centered around "what to do with...?"</div>
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Moving the studio brought to light all sorts of bits and pieces, including these little boxes. I've been using them for packaging the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/60967691/embroidery-diy-gift-bag?" target="_blank">Embroidery bags</a> but there are still rather a lot.</div>
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Handily, they hold 6 wooden spools of linen!</div>
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Coming soon to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/paperspill" target="_blank">Paperspill</a> in assorted mixes of colours. And yes, you can pick your own :-)</div>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-91768830051473308312012-08-16T15:18:00.000+01:002013-03-14T16:38:33.198+00:00Naturally DyedI have been using the excuse of waking up <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheOccasionalPurl" target="_blank">the textiles shop</a> to fill as a reason for indulging my love of dyeing with plants. I grow a fair few of them myself and as such, it's a bit of a slow process, waiting for things to be big enough and (this year particularly) waiting for things to flower.<br />
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There are a number of plants that I don't (or can't grow) so for now, I've been playing with those. And I have been dyeing pretty much everything I can get my hands on<br />
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There are embroidery threads:<br />
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calico:</div>
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wool:</div>
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and a whole stack of mixed threads for embroidery and textile art:<br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-8010012252688087992012-07-18T11:38:00.001+01:002012-07-18T11:38:11.003+01:00Barbecued Pots Part 2So, after leaving things to smoke and smoulder for several hours, the contraption was cool enough to open.<br />
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The wood underneath had burnt away and the shavings were reduced to a fine crumbly ash, as had much of the seaweed. I had expected it to burn away completely but it was still there<br />
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(sorry about the picture quality - the camera objected to taking photos of dark things at dusk)<br />
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So, a bit of cleaning and we had 6 pots of assorted shades of grey. What hadn't worked was the bean tin saggars - the shavings were still completely uncombusted. The answer to that was simple<br />
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1 enthusiastic pyromanic + <span style="background-color: white;">1 restored Victorian kick-forge</span><br />
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= 1 collection of smokefired beads and buttons<br />
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The <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TerracottaToys?section_id=7793377" target="_blank">pots</a> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TerracottaToys?section_id=7793404" target="_blank">beads</a> are now for sale <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TerracottaToys" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-42978093684441286142012-07-01T22:27:00.000+01:002012-07-08T00:35:46.522+01:00Lavender's Blue...dilly dilly...<br />
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Well, it used to be. It also used to be pink, purple, white and in one amazing plant, green.<br />
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When we first moved here, part of the attraction was more land. I had a burgeoning herb plant business, supplying small food shops and a regular farmers market stall. I was, despite a reasonably large garden, fast running out of space.<br />
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We moved and I set up greenhouses, bought a polytunnel and plants and business continued to grow.<br />
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Then, in June 2007 it rained. And it never really stopped. And on the 25th, the land gave up. The river burst her banks and the water table rose. The garden was underwater, the house was flooded and I was 5 months pregnant and as agile as a beached whale<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroline-hardy/685588799/" title="view_1 by Boutonnerie, on Flickr"><img alt="view_1" height="297" src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1084/685588799_bf7ed1fa5c.jpg" width="448" /></a><br />
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The water came up very fast. Overnight, it went down again, leaving mud and devastation. We were luckier than many, but of what we lost, the most precious was my business.<br />
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Every single plant for the herb business was gone. All stock, all parent plants, all seedlings and cuttings. Some were rare, some were special and some were (and are) irreplaceable.<br />
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It still hurts.<br />
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Since then, I've ignored herbs. Concentrated on getting the house finished, the garden resurrected, keeping Little Button out of trouble and the haberdashery business. But recently, ideas have started creeping back. I found some old copies of The Lavender Bag and though reading through the lists of plants and seeing familiar names made my heart hurt and reminded me of everything that went sailing merrily down the river that night, I was excited. Though we are (again) getting short of land, there is still a patch of unclaimed wilderness/rubble that could be cleared. We could make raised beds there and a sand bed for cuttings. Little Button will be at school in September and there will be a fraction more time. <span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">This winter the greenhouse will go back up and there will be more growing space.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I think I may have found myself a new project!</span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-60969929218272998382012-06-26T13:05:00.000+01:002012-06-26T13:05:28.915+01:00Buttons and RibbonsSummer is the quiet time<br />
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No, scratch that. Summer is the quiet time for selling buttons and ribbons, as I'm spending most waking hours outside battling the wilderness and trying to coerce recalcitrant poultry into doing what they are told<br />
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A job that goes about as well as you might expect.<br />
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Been a bit damp, this summer, though, so I did for once have time to play<br />
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New at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperSpill" target="_blank">PaperSpill</a> are these mixed packs of ribbons and buttons<br />
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in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/103002634/dusky-rose-ribbon-and-button-craft-pack" target="_blank">rose</a><br />
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in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/103002684/spring-green-ribbon-and-button-craft" target="_blank">spring leaf</a></div>
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and in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/103002751/black-and-red-ribbon-and-button-craft" target="_blank">winter red</a></div>
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-82366770423240675502012-06-18T11:16:00.000+01:002012-06-18T11:16:39.143+01:00Barbecued Pots Part 1I love smoke-firing. I love the unpredictability of it.<br />
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What I didn't love was having to get the The Boss to fire up the forge and the fact we could only do things small enough to fit in a baked bean can.<br />
<br />
So when our friendly, neighbourhood flytippers dumped a barbecue, himself was sent straight out to fetch it home. It was a little wonky but 5 minutes with an angle grinder chopped all the legs down to the same height, and wedged in the soft sandy soil of the riverbank, it was just fine.<br />
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And so, we got started on very small pit-firing.<br />
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First in was a stack of kindling, laid as flat as possible and the grid put back<br />
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On top of this went a layer of wood shavings and assorted 'organics' from the duck and goose shed</div>
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While The Boss was busily building pyres, I was adding various things to the bisque pots</div>
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There are 2 tin cans of beads, packed in more shavings. Sulphur powder was added to one, Bordeaux mixtures (copper sulphate and lime) to another. Wetted fine seaweed was draped over one terracotta bowl and dried seaweed wrapped around another. The larger bowl was filled with seaweed and wrapped in foil - an impromptu saggar. One white saucer was left plain.</div>
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A few pyromaniac moments later and the kindling started. The idea is that the shaving smoulder, rather than burning, with the assorted organics creating different colours.<br />
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We left it to smoulder...</div>
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-51514382802944264762012-06-14T13:39:00.000+01:002012-06-14T13:39:13.970+01:00Hello? Hello?Sooo, another great long gap in blogging. Haven't really got the hang of this, yet. Ho Hum.<br />
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However, the new years resolution is to be a bit more consistent (what do you mean, it's June?)<br />
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so in between setting fire to things<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRBmMxqBca1pYpjjfV9cwmIeS5R5iSHaV9H-rRsN9wEAddCIA4xRQkSwfZb_gfKt-k78p4hJaEVcdcmOAOj469r744KisbdIBVbqHRxir6y443CUY_0bq23fvKKpIta_8qCkl5eidqtE/s1600/IMG_8857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRBmMxqBca1pYpjjfV9cwmIeS5R5iSHaV9H-rRsN9wEAddCIA4xRQkSwfZb_gfKt-k78p4hJaEVcdcmOAOj469r744KisbdIBVbqHRxir6y443CUY_0bq23fvKKpIta_8qCkl5eidqtE/s320/IMG_8857.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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dyeing things<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdMpaOLv_ILq-5n2Xs2oIPS7bZ-EHxbYor8FLVTrfa3J9tjo-72oGaBBzQzK55Bv3J7ef8Qig7UF_YuUA3DZCXCZwTZpbWNy4RJZpIa7afI8teBN2MI1CykMW1pjkNoeW3RLZJMAReBQ/s1600/IMG_8132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdMpaOLv_ILq-5n2Xs2oIPS7bZ-EHxbYor8FLVTrfa3J9tjo-72oGaBBzQzK55Bv3J7ef8Qig7UF_YuUA3DZCXCZwTZpbWNy4RJZpIa7afI8teBN2MI1CykMW1pjkNoeW3RLZJMAReBQ/s320/IMG_8132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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restocking the hen house<br />
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and a bit of sewing<br />
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I shall try to get back here a bit more often.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-19159894272329813092011-09-28T00:05:00.000+01:002011-09-28T00:05:09.752+01:00The GreenhouseTo some extent, it is where I've been living the past week or so, as everything has ripened, all at once, and demanded attention.<br />
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But it is, also, however the name of my new <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenHouseBazaar">Etsy </a>shop, GreenHouse Bazaar. I struggled a little for a name as all the ones I wanted were taken, but in the end, the idea of Green, Home and the fact I live in a mishmash of styles on a smallholding, all came together.<br />
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Some new pieces are listed already, others will be moving over from my original <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/carolinehardy">textiles shop</a>, and more are in progress.<br />
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I have a head full of ideas, shelves full of fabrics, some <i>incredible </i>samples of organic and fairtrade textiles, so do please come by and visit!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzTsMCYce6AMKYuw5L8KoMQatGsn1pdbcxHZ5fJbl-NIkbWooddHiQKAk3RZmOJ_r6UlwfPdGRHOKg2RWFDSUUpl0xiNjqVD2uAhbwXnvcI6hTMloeLtpo_i8px3pkMFaz7zIMlW49fo/s1600/IMG_4621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzTsMCYce6AMKYuw5L8KoMQatGsn1pdbcxHZ5fJbl-NIkbWooddHiQKAk3RZmOJ_r6UlwfPdGRHOKg2RWFDSUUpl0xiNjqVD2uAhbwXnvcI6hTMloeLtpo_i8px3pkMFaz7zIMlW49fo/s320/IMG_4621.JPG" /></a></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-88359473314746353132011-09-13T22:12:00.003+01:002011-09-13T22:16:59.660+01:00Sneak PeekI have been cutting. And stitching. And, as I once wrote as a job description"I take big pieces of fabric and cut them into small pieces. Then I sew them back into big pieces"<br /><br />This is the unfinished top for '3 shirts to the wind'<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UtdPQPAK1bueJH3oaB-ci59WogDx2WkYTWBrJEghZ6qPKcgB_wJIedHSUFVwxbmKWaFSvCm7Hqz0pwHzcfJ-Zp0RkiVigGYiT9g0aCju66UiC9YdCsZt9xB66KEY6DsiAvRbI2LF7Co/s1600/IMG_4763.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UtdPQPAK1bueJH3oaB-ci59WogDx2WkYTWBrJEghZ6qPKcgB_wJIedHSUFVwxbmKWaFSvCm7Hqz0pwHzcfJ-Zp0RkiVigGYiT9g0aCju66UiC9YdCsZt9xB66KEY6DsiAvRbI2LF7Co/s320/IMG_4763.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651955714805521058" /></a><br /><br />The lines and stripes are staggering drunkenly all over and it was made from, well, 3 shirts of mine. Couldn't really call it anything else!Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-30449938165529474222011-09-10T21:04:00.006+01:002011-09-10T21:18:24.637+01:00An apple a day......keeps the Dr away<br /><br />if this is true, we shan't be visiting him any time soon. Not that we ever actually <i>do</i>, but that's another matter.<br /><br />September is here and whilst trying not to fall into a mire of cliche about mellow fruitfulness, the garden really has surpassed itself this year.<br /><br />Remember <a href="http://boutonnerie.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-outside.html">this</a>?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0s1eb5nSf4XgsdVCSQcb37uvRh3CYosAHyQSyxSYqrAr3M80_tcZ47hu9WnOfJ5-iU5ikxfuDNeZysLOXI7h5q8fYmrjJxer-jXfYbR0VPB0lpt6DMie-yqeVfxpOsYJzy027_czt8/s1600/IMG_4782.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0s1eb5nSf4XgsdVCSQcb37uvRh3CYosAHyQSyxSYqrAr3M80_tcZ47hu9WnOfJ5-iU5ikxfuDNeZysLOXI7h5q8fYmrjJxer-jXfYbR0VPB0lpt6DMie-yqeVfxpOsYJzy027_czt8/s320/IMG_4782.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650826161536051986" /></a><br /><br /><br />today it looked like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K4ewkTIQEsAnrQIxYL2aPp0JFZEGsprqOldtc_tOCCJyHMxNgn4YLu5nfmwqgTg_GsRyw4YM9R2HVWmGntDHk1QSndWYhaZbnbFRIxstbl1sUoO1Y6Ie3npEYUTIMm0YlKGowY0uyXA/s1600/IMG_4733.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K4ewkTIQEsAnrQIxYL2aPp0JFZEGsprqOldtc_tOCCJyHMxNgn4YLu5nfmwqgTg_GsRyw4YM9R2HVWmGntDHk1QSndWYhaZbnbFRIxstbl1sUoO1Y6Ie3npEYUTIMm0YlKGowY0uyXA/s320/IMG_4733.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650826555460155490" /></a><br /><br /><br />The fruit trees have done well this year (cue gratuitous pic of pretty apples) after being transplanted, we have nearly recovered from shifting 20 tonnes of brick rubble and top soil and all in all we are quite pleased with life at the moment.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62a2jv2vcg-iul-PEnw6VbG44r0jUf6NxKmBaGtLGhJn4Ju_QSo5aZrFULDontEMbKYzljEVo9C53o8-7Pv8EG5ZRLrq_Rg69NMQMRDAWcguCve8ucnzfRZWj1hnLAtxhE3NRyHl4oMU/s1600/IMG_4734.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62a2jv2vcg-iul-PEnw6VbG44r0jUf6NxKmBaGtLGhJn4Ju_QSo5aZrFULDontEMbKYzljEVo9C53o8-7Pv8EG5ZRLrq_Rg69NMQMRDAWcguCve8ucnzfRZWj1hnLAtxhE3NRyHl4oMU/s320/IMG_4734.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650826886313535314" /></a><br /><br />What I am slightly less pleased about is the prospect of finding homes for these<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6ZoCX886i1u5z3o8F0wOA8IwCtf1BF__hBYMcdNZ2TorOuY5GeaNN5N3dRyTlpHONiGTI6T0ZzfGSixB5gBegeKtXe_ANYRtL2AvuJa-I9Y_g3uMeXzkNQNe6RcfEmpAXKBhGojwB68/s1600/IMG_4755.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6ZoCX886i1u5z3o8F0wOA8IwCtf1BF__hBYMcdNZ2TorOuY5GeaNN5N3dRyTlpHONiGTI6T0ZzfGSixB5gBegeKtXe_ANYRtL2AvuJa-I9Y_g3uMeXzkNQNe6RcfEmpAXKBhGojwB68/s320/IMG_4755.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650827606432553714" /></a><br /><br /><br />Anyone for pie?Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-25537372986801856372011-09-10T01:33:00.003+01:002011-09-10T01:50:51.683+01:00Rags to RichesWell, that is the idea!<br /><br />A long time ago (though not very far away)I started my first business, making quilts, bags and generally anything that could be made out of patches. I loved it, it was fun and I used almost exclusively remnants and roll-ends of fabrics.<br /><br />I loved the recyclingness (grammar police? shush!) of it and I loved the unexpectedness of creating. What I made came from what I had, what I could find. Nothing was really planned and a huge element of luck and chance influenced the final results.<br /><br />For some reason, I downplayed this aspect and even deliberately tried to move away from it. Instead, I chose fabrics and colours simply for what they were rather than what they could be.<br /><br />Looking back, a mistake. I lost the fun and I lost the excuse to hoard scraps and pieces "just in case". Life was a little more organised, but ever so slightly more sterile. A number of other things got in the way - losing my studio space, a prolonged renovation of a new house, Little Button* - and a pressing need to have the haberdashery business in a state where bills could be paid.<br /><br />*I love her to bits, but toddler + pins + shears is never going to end well.<br /><br />But this past week, a visit from the incomparable <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/AliBaliJewellery">Ali</a> made me rethink. And so it is back to basics - a new look, a new online store and a new range of bags, quilts, throws - anything I can make out of patches - from recycled, upcycled, (bicycled?) or eco/organic/fairtrade fabrics.<br />There will be handmade haberdashery along the same lines, a revamp of <a href="http://www.boutonnerie.com/">boutonnerie</a>, a changing focus at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Overspill">Overspill</a> and all in all, a quiet revolution in where I am going and what I am doing.<br /><br />I doubt it is the easiest decision I've ever made, but I do hope it will be one of the best ones.<br /><br />Of course, if it isn't, I shall just blame Ali!Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-41278247699734897792011-02-16T13:29:00.002+00:002011-02-16T13:38:21.954+00:00The View Across The Table<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxVml9K6hWYmvS9-c8jnG5By-tH4eorLnycGFeNftTs_g9p4ETGf3T_DrxAsxGYlWxm0gGxpyo-nQ3YIw4zK-z8c0U2ac-gmDF6mKhOl9Kshf2VwUKBaomfqMZyBoYZsvS6wDasMALvY/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxVml9K6hWYmvS9-c8jnG5By-tH4eorLnycGFeNftTs_g9p4ETGf3T_DrxAsxGYlWxm0gGxpyo-nQ3YIw4zK-z8c0U2ac-gmDF6mKhOl9Kshf2VwUKBaomfqMZyBoYZsvS6wDasMALvY/s320/IMG_0384.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574279222156342498" /></a>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5308364766532352833.post-70640437369627499442011-02-11T13:04:00.004+00:002011-02-11T13:17:01.503+00:00FinishitisBit of a new one for me, I'm usually suffering from the opposite!<br />Whether it is spring, the gentle discipline of 101 in 1001 or the sudden realisation that if I don't get a move on, we're never going to move house, all sorts of things have started to come together.<br /><br />Making a book has been at the back of my mind for a long time. There have been some tentative forays with scrap fabrics and spare paper <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4332496408_542352df52.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4332496408_542352df52.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />but with 101/1001 I realised I wanted something big enough to write in and to stick things in.<br /><br />As I'm clearing out, it all had to be made from things to hand. So, 1 stray bamboo placemat, some pieces of faux suede from the fabric mountain, printer paper and linen thread hanging around from windchime experiments:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBW4KlJsFI1R-1qovwk_wuJ3N_ddPCvH_gA6NK16iS7KPv6FVel10odeMO29yoF9xnHk687Qsi8uIHrQdcUBb1dCQbvDXPOS9uwno04zzfjiy2XNnXIHJGgx_Sw0mJPNPNeMOSb8AVQ4/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBW4KlJsFI1R-1qovwk_wuJ3N_ddPCvH_gA6NK16iS7KPv6FVel10odeMO29yoF9xnHk687Qsi8uIHrQdcUBb1dCQbvDXPOS9uwno04zzfjiy2XNnXIHJGgx_Sw0mJPNPNeMOSb8AVQ4/s320/IMG_0738.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572419781490664738" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O5LrC87_HCBEGoYSB2r1rvryGw7Nthq-v7EQ285sNd8ELSTrXPedNs31oIz__jDQv0fYrwovQuY6ULCtgZIX1-qcAS7ILa86TCXcpPwzHqJ4Pdu7zJO-DCTjiSCE3jYoXwOIPDr4Abk/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O5LrC87_HCBEGoYSB2r1rvryGw7Nthq-v7EQ285sNd8ELSTrXPedNs31oIz__jDQv0fYrwovQuY6ULCtgZIX1-qcAS7ILa86TCXcpPwzHqJ4Pdu7zJO-DCTjiSCE3jYoXwOIPDr4Abk/s320/IMG_0742.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572420049682246290" /></a>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923707856755487450noreply@blogger.com1