Jam + Cath Kidston = Cute Cottage Style Preserves & New Year Enthusiasm.

I had to post these wonderful labels I received as a gift for Christmas, they are so cute and are great to make your preserves into a gift for a special friend or relative. Or just to make you feel even more excited about making jam.   I read in a book recently that making preserves evokes deep-rooted, almost primeval feelings of self-sufficiency and survival!   A notion which really interested me, do I just enjoy making jam or is it somehow in our blood, from the hunter and gather within us, waiting to be unleashed again?   Or is this all a bit too much?  

Either way I started the new year by stocking up on some new and some recycled jam jars and bought in a Kilo of Cherries ready to perfect my Cherry Jam after a rather disappointing disaster before Christmas.  They turned out rather well they just need a little more lemon juice and a little less cooking time, think its a matter of getting used to the new maslin pan!   The best bit was decorating them in these adorable Cath Kidston Jam labels I had as a gift for Christmas.  Don't they give you that cottagey traditional jam look?

I will be attempting some more preserves soon, traditional Seville marmalade next, trying to follow the seasons this year, although I need to find the elusive fruit first! I will be attempting some sewing projects too, next is the wooden mini bureau which I will be redecorating into a jewellery/storage box with fabric draws and buttons, this will become clearer when posted I promise!  I also made myself a diary cover on the weekend which I will be uploading on, if not before the weekend so stay tuned for that too.  I have also finally after 4 weeks of waiting tried my coconut soap, and it lathers up a treat, please try it and see what you think, its really moisturising.

I am considering selling some of my crafts this year, I am put off with the amount of people who don't think its worth the trouble but if I only make a few pounds here and there, then that's that, its worth a try.  I would be really interested in anyone's hints and tips if they have had any success or any inspiration stories of Friends of friends for example, please let me know.

So until then thank you for reading and I will be posting the diary cover project soon and starting my hunt for that Seville Orange.

Stephanie x