Handmade Monday 110

Happy Easter and Happy Handmade Monday, too!  Find out more about Handmade Monday here.

Has your Easter been filled with chocolate eggs and good food with family and friends, or with chickens and bunnies?  Mine has been about chickens...

how is it I can see those mealworms but not eat them?

We decided to add to our brood (of chickens, not children!!) and bought three young hens from a local farm on Thursday.  Only now am I beginning to relax - the poor new girls have been mercilessly bullied by three of our four older chickens (Sally, currently at the bottom of the pecking order, has decided her position is not worth fighting over).

the two at the front are youngsters 

the white one (Mary Jane) is the biggest bully of all 

(looks like she's getting ready for a hen-pecking session in this picture!)

They are all now beginning to eat side by side (albeit at a slight distance) but I still have to supervise bedtimes as the newbies get thrown out (rather loudly) if the coop door's still open.  They aren't yet fighting back, although they ganged up on one of the local cats today, so it looks like their confidence is increasing.

Meanwhile, you may remember I told you about the sofa clock being published again?  It's now featured in a rather lovely magazine called Handmade.

It's quite expensive (£7.99 - it always shocks me a little bit when a magazine costs more than a fiver!) but it is packed with projects which would probably justify the price if plenty of projects is what you are looking for (it has far more projects than many books I've seen).  It's jam-packed with ideas for the home - this is the home issue - and it's beautifully presented.  In fact, it's so gorgeous, I'm quite proud of my clock being a little part of it!

The little fabric-style borders you can see on the edge of the page (above) are featured throughout the magazine, but vary according to what "room" you are in.  This is the living room (above) - the kitchen pages have a cheery red gingham border!  I love it.

Regulars of Handmade Monday will know Sarah from Tilly Mint Boutique, who has set up an online fabric shop with her friend Maeri Howard from The Make and Do Studio.  They're both very lovely ladies (I'm privileged to have met them both in real life) and they tell us a bit about their new fabric shop here, over some virtual tea (and maybe there was some cake involved, too!) - do pop over for a read.

In between sorting out chicken squabbles and doing even more drawings and paintings...

line drawing and marker pen illustrations 

(these ones are earmarked for digital cardmaking printables)

... I'm hoping to put my feet up and enjoy some lovely inspiration from some gorgeous blogs.  You know what to do, so please ...