So today was the 160th Birthday celebrations of the Arboretum, an established public park that was opened in 1852 to provide city dwellers with a tranquil escape.

The event was well attended, encouraged by the promise of sunshine and live music, and the atmosphere had a hint of lazy summer days ahead. Relaxed and happy people strolled around the trees, soaking up the spring sun and stopping for a while to picnic on the daisy dotted grass.

The Bee was tucked amongst the trees, around the corner from the bandstand, with the rest of the MollyQueeners. There were many familiar faces buzzing round The Bee’s stall throughout the day, which emphasised the social aspect of the day (one of these presented The Bee with a bag full of retro bedding just asking to be made into something groovy- thanks Beth).  Similarly there were also alot of new faces which were just as friendly.

A rather smart gazebo was filled with jams, flowers and The Bee’s garden of recycled purses, bags, brooches, hairclips and retro pinnies. As well as Lesley of Rainbow Flowers’ array of gorgeous blooms, The Bee had been making her own flowers.

An eco conscious friend had donated a large pure white polycotton sheet earlier in the week, which has now been made into ‘apple blossom’ and could be seen adorning the nearby trees. Thank you kindly Lou, it was like sewing fondant icing!

‘Give Bees a Chance’ gained a few new supporters this week, with four packets of FREE seeds being sent out to new ‘likers’ and several handed out with sales today. If you haven’t already then please ‘like’ my facebook page to receive your free seeds and keep up to date with what’s happening in the hive.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bees-Make-Honey/184662801638175?ref=ts

And so to end this splendid day with a cloudy cider in the last of the evening sun….

Look out for the webshop being re-stocked with an exciting new range for summer, including a limited edition ‘bee’ range.

‘bees make honey’

‘so that life can be just that little bit sweeter’

x

The month of May started off busy (with a lot of rain!)

Firstly, The Bee was invited to be involved with her first ever online craft fair, organised by a fabulous lady called Kate. The local business she is involved in is all about promoting the local crafter, and serves as a showcase for their work.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Locally-Produced-for-You/239137336144012

Here were some of The Bee’s favourite things…

I was really impressed at how well the ‘May Fair’ was organised and how many (virtual) visitors we had…I even made a few sales!

Following on from that The Bee attended the first MollyQueen Marvellous Market at Sneinton’s ‘regenerated’ market place. It was a cold and windy day ,but that didn’t put off the MollyQueeners who kept warm by chasing after their stock!

The entertainment did it’s best to keep the community busy, with first a wassail (to bless the newly planted apple trees) then a mummers play about a naughty Robin Hood stealing apples…and then an enthusiastic dance around the maypole!

See the pics here…

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=232097796894675&set=a.203537673084021.36414.184662801638175&type=3&theater

…and to follow the MollyQueen Collective and all of their exciting events click the link below

http://mollyqueencollective.wordpress.com/

Well the next event is one The Bee is particularly excited about as it is to celebrate the 160th Birthday of the Arboretum.

The MollyQueen collective will be setting up their gazebos with pride at this outdoor event in Nottingham’s oldest public park (and the raindrops will be falling on the trees and not us!)

The Arboretum was designed by a bloke called Samuel Curtis and opened in 1852. It was recently restored and many of Nottingham’s residents enjoy it’s tranquility away from the city chaos. There are plans to install a cafe and toilets, which would attract even more visitors to the park. Why not pop over on Sunday, to chill…

hug a tree..

take a ‘tree tour’…

find out about the history of the Arboretum,…

climb a tree…

watch wood being sculpted…

browse the local craft stalls…

and enjoy a walkaround the park.

Keeping it local

The Bee

x

A few weeks ago a thoughtful aunt send me a link through facebook about ‘The Bee Cause’, the ‘friends of the earth’ campaign to ‘Save the bees!’

http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_cause_about_35042.html

As a ‘bee lover’ (kinda obvious) I signed the petition, took the ‘bee quiz’ and claimed my free seeds to plant in my garden and ensure I have a better chance of attracting bees, a pastime I have always paid attention to but thought it wouldn’t hurt to step it up a level. Then I posted it to my page to spread the word and was pleased to see that some people responded.

Summer bag in front of 'bee loved' nasturtiums

But somehow that just didn’t seem enough….

and so I thought I would look into this deeply worrying matter some more….

…and here we have it!

Everyone needs bees. One third of the food we eat wouldn’t be available if it wasn’t for honey bees.

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man,” said Albert Einstein.

In the UK about 70 crops are dependent on, or benefit from, visits from bees. In addition, bees pollinate the flowers of many plants which become part of the feed of farm animals as well as wild animals and birds

Bumblebees are fascinating and beautiful creatures that deserve conserving in their own right. However there are also good ecological and economic reasons for looking after them.

Bumblebees are major pollinators of our wildflowers. If bumblebees disappear then these plants will produce fewer seeds. This would result in dramatic changes to the countryside. It would lose its colour and any rare plants might disappear. In fact, there is evidence  that this process is already underway.

These changes would have catastrophic knock-on effects for other wildlife. Butterflies, birds and mammals would all suffer if bees disappeared.

 ‘Bumble bee numbers are on the decline in a big way. Researchers can’t tell us whether the bee declines are causing the plant declines, or vice versa, or indeed whether the two are locked in a vicious cycle in which each is affecting the other. It’s also not clear what the actual causes of the declines are, although land use change, agricultural chemicals and climate change may be important factors. The researchers hope to clarify these issues with follow-up studies.

One thing we do know though, is that bees need pollen & nectar in order to feed the colony. In return the bees pollinate the flowers which later in the season produce fruit and seeds. This is beneficial to us as well as a multitude of birds and other wildlife which visit our gardens.’

http://www.complete-gardens.co.uk

So all bees need flowers! Easy and cheap enough to do I think…

Their favourite flowers and plants are probably in your garden already…aquilegia, asters, borage, clover, cornflowers, foxgloves, geraniums, honeysuckle, lavender, lupins, mint, nasturtiums, poppies, red campion (although apparently bees can’t actually see the colour red!) rosemary, sunflowers and thyme to mention a few. To encourage honey bees plant plenty of the nectar rich varieties (in bold)

My favourite ‘bee friendly’ flower is the sunflower.

Honey bees on a sunflower

There seem to be a few of initiatives happening in favour of the ‘not so’ humble bee at the moment.

https://www.facebook.com/rowsehoney?sk=app_219072418200820

http://www.co-operative.coop/Plan-Bee/

We can’t join them all but we can take positive action.

Which brings me to my new initiative…’Give bees a chance’

I am planning to send out FREE sunflower seeds to all new ‘likers’ on my facebook page…and all of my customers.

So if you enjoy a bit of honey on your toast, or just love bees…

'Like spreading a bit of sunshine on your toast'

…plant, share and spread the honey!

Stay sweet

The Bee

x

A good week for The Bee this week!

Lots of ongoing projects finally came together and were completed and then hand delivered, which is always the best bit.

First was the salvaged denim jean custom made pen/pencil wallet which was presented over a german beer in a cool European cafe bar. The gentleman’s joyous laugh when he opened his brown paper package was a delight to hear.

Next were the replacement cushion covers made from recycled blue denim jeans. The cushions inside had long since lost their covers and were in desperate need reviving. They now have pride of place in a small boy’s bedroom, he loves hiding things in the pockets.

Last of all was a mammoth multi purpose messenger style bag made almost entirely of materials rescued from skips. It was made for a generous supporter of The Bee who is responsible for a fair amount of the reclaim she uses (and this website…but that’s a story for another day…)

…anyhow, this last project was the most successful (and industrial!) salvage project I think I have made to date and created from heavyweight indigo denim jeans, reclaim fabric and discarded ratchet straps…(broke a few needles on this one!)

A love of creating keeps The Bee buzzing, and creating for individuals is especially enjoyable.

At the end of the week, The Bee was presented with her own piece of handmade joy, by someone very sweet.

This made her a very happy Bee…

…and so the hive continues to buzz with activity, with more custom orders and a church craft fair to prepare for.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/280297018720595/

Bees n love

The Bee

x

Easter weekend was filled with family lunches and birthday parties…oh, and of course the obligatory chocolate egg or two! So after all that excitement ‘The Bee’ was in much need of a day buzzing quietly about at home. But for any of those who know ‘The Bee’ well, being idle is not something she does best!

Luckily a small package caught her eye…an unopened birthday gift from a close friend which had been placed carefully on the desk and was partially hidden by old receipts and discarded jewellery. The clear cellophane package contained a length of silver wire, some small coloured beads and a large black button and had the name ‘Betty Ching’ written on the side.

Intrigued… I opened the package and deduced that it was some kind of jewellery making kit, so I googled ‘Betty Ching’ to find out more…

https://www.facebook.com/sassysam/posts/10150938398003018?ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply#!/pages/Betty-Ching-Creative-Jewellery-Handmade-Goodies/136301713066027

…she had a facebook page! So I had nosey and was inspired to create my own piece of ‘Betty Ching’ style jewellery. I was not sure how I would incorporate the beads in the set so I put them to one side, knowing I would rediscover them some other rainy day. Remembering the pretty glass beads that had been recently salvaged from a broken necklace, I dug them out and set to work…

…this is what I made from my wire and beads on a rainy bank holiday.

A cosmic ring…

…and cosmic wave earrings.

It was great fun and as I love jewellery, I know I will be wearing them on my next night out.

Thanks Julianne, that was a great gift!

Bee inspired.

The Bee x

Last weekend saw ‘The Bee’ at a new gallery in Nottingham with the rest of the ‘MollyQueen Collective’. Tucked away on Long Row down the alley by ‘The Works’, you will find this compact well lit gallery filled to the brim with local art. Saturday was also opened up to local crafters with their handmade treasures, which is where MQ came in. The collective shared a table (and a large bag of mini eggs) and had an enjoyable day meeting fellow creatives and admiring their work.

I was particularly taken with this ladies fabulous range of must have recycled goodies! I might have even made a purchase…

http://www.studio-sweepings.com/p/shop_2611.html

Cufflinks made from comic book scraps

Go on treat yourself to some local craft this Spring…

Buzzin around…

The Bee x

It’s Spring!

‘MollyQueen is back with a spring in it’s step’ and the first ‘Marvellous Market’ took place this Sunday. Busy and bustling, with just the right amout of sunshine, there were lots of familiar faces and many new ones too.

The very first ‘Molly Queen’s Marvellous Market’ (almost exactly a year ago)  was also the very first public outing for ‘bees make honey’ and so this one had a special significance for The Bee. Of all the fairs I did in my first year, this one has to be my favourite. They are  so well organised with the greatest attention to detail and Lauren (the organiser) always manages to create a welcoming a friendly vibe with her choice of venue and community activities. The variety of stalls means there is something for all and no-one is disappointed by their visit.

Highlights of the day for me were

Beth’s marzipan figs

A generous donation of a large bag full of jeans by a stylish lady with a wide red-lipped smile (thank you)

Visits from loyal followers and friends…

and meeting new people, like this lady

Bee back soon

The day started at nine, with the first stallholders arriving with their carefully packaged crafts, and by ten the front room of the community centre was filled with an array of lovingly made objects, beautifully displayed.

By lunchtime the ‘The Underground Bakery’ was attracting alot of eager customers who took advantage of the variety of delicious salads, bread and cakes on offer.

Whilst the grown-ups enjoyed a welcome sit-down, the little ones were kept out of mischief by the craft activities and the expert face painter’s colourfully creative designs, which also allowed them a little bit more shopping time. The atmosphere was bustling and busy with cheerful chatter whilst homemade products were admired, purchased and carefully wrapped ready to take home.

Altogether it was a fun family event which brought the community together to raise money for the ‘Pearson Centre for Young People’. The tombola raised just shy of £100 thanks to the generosity of local businesses who donated prizes and the gentleman who bought numerous tickets but didn’t win a prize…unlucky.

Photography by ‘Pauldale Foto’

Am now looking forward to the next event…

https://www.facebook.com/pauldalephoto/posts/322214574509393#!/events/327518447268711/

Hope to see you there

The Bee x

…most definitely if this weekend’s weather holds out!

So preparations for the first fair of the year are almost complete and the fabric pile is shrinking steadily. With Mother’s Day at the forefront of my busy mind, I have been working on a new flower brooch which works on the principles or origami …and is very fiddly! I have also been making some sweet little ‘retro pinnies’ which are both practical and fun. The fresh colours of spring have inspired my bags and purses which pay homage to delicate pink blossom, pale blue skies and the eagerly emerging daffodils, I cycle past on my way to work. Here is a sample of what you will find on my stall…

For full details of the fair, please click on the link below …and for up and coming fairs, please check my ‘store’ page or follow me on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/events/251436254937884/

https://www.facebook.com/events/251436254937884/#!/pages/Bees-Make-Honey/184662801638175

That’s all I have time for today. Labels to sew in and recycled packaging to make…

and so I leave you with this lovely tune….

Stay sweet

The Bee

xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Za59uCJCA