A good spread.. and this was after we’d eaten quite a lot!
So, today we had our first Cake and Craft session at Denmark Farm. We are raising funds for the Shared Earth Trust, an environmental education charity, by meeting up to eat cake and have a lovely sociable time whilst using our craft skills to create some things that we can raffle off in the autumn. It all started with my masterpiece blanket… I thought – if people round the world want to contribute to a community craft project, why not people in my local area?
Everyone hard at work (if you look carefully, you can see the Masterpiece lurking in the background!)
And so, we planned a few afternoon get-togethers. Today ten ladies arrived full of ideas and enthusiasm… and many of them brought cake. So, we chatted and we ate cake and we had some ideas: a blanket of six-inch squares; a community quilt; a needle-felted tree of life with all sorts of embellishments. Then we did some crochet and knitting and patchwork and ate some more cake (there was quite a lot of cake).
After two hours, we’d made a few things for our blankets, some of us had improved our crochet skills. And we’d had a lovely creative afternoon, full of positive energy and cake (did I mention, the cake?).
Some of the afternoon’s creations
We’re meeting again next month and we’re setting up a Facebook group so that we can share ideas in the interim… oh and we will probably have a stall at the Lampeter People’s Market, to get word out about our project and try to engage with lots more people.
Much of the impetus to do this has been because of you… all you lovely blog-readers out there who were so enthusiastic about my first community craft project and made my masterpiece into such a special creation (I took it with me this afternoon and it was much admired). So thanks to all of you… it looks like I’ve found a real way to build community and build a better world!
The Snail of Happiness 
Linda Winn
/ April 23, 2014Had such a good time! THANK YOU, Jan, for helping me negotiate the granny square again – the yellow one is almost finished and I’ll start another before the week’s out so that my fingers remember for a bit longer this time.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 23, 2014That’s great… you’ll have done a whole blanket of your own at this rate!
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Nanette
/ April 23, 2014Wish I could come, I love this kind of ‘many hands-fun-community building-with cake -project’.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014Oh, I wish you could come too! All my blog friends did get a mention and everyone was keen to see the masterpiece when it’s finished, so a little piece of all of you will be there at the next session!
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davidprosser
/ April 23, 2014And there you go, spreading the joy again…….and the cake of course. I trust there’s a piece in the post for all those of us who couldn’t make it or who can’t,knit, crochet or sew.
xxx Massive Hugs and Huge Good Wishes xxx
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014A piece of cake will always be available to you if you are down in Aberaeron!
xxx cakey hugs xxx
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nerdinthebrain
/ April 24, 2014That looks fantastic…the cake and the meeting of the crafty minds! Just a brilliant plan. 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014It was such fun… can’t wait for the next one!
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katechiconi
/ April 24, 2014Gosh, there was quite a lot of cake, wasn’t there…? I see Welshcakes there, of which I am particularly fond. One event I really wish I could have attended. I hope it goes from strength to strength.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014I really wish you could have been there too… there were even two gluten-free offerings: my chocolate brownies (also dairy-free) and a wonderfully squishy lemon drizzle cake. The rest of my browines went in the freezer for next time!
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katechiconi
/ April 24, 2014Maybe we should have one meeting with skype attendees! Of course, it makes sharing the cake a bit difficult, but it would allow the more distant among us a chance to join in.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014Something like this?
http://teddyandtottie.com/2014/04/08/more-lady-edith-than-audrey/
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katechiconi
/ April 24, 2014Yes indeed! But perhaps with fewer hats… and more cake!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014Certainly not soggy shortbread, anyway!
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teddyandtottie
/ April 24, 2014No, I certainly wouldn’t recommend the soggy shortbread!! It was such a shame the heavens opened on my Skype tea party setting! What a fabulous idea to Skype at one of these amazing craft and cake get-togethers. You all look like you had a lovely time. Love the yellow tulips, too!! xoxoxoxox
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 24, 2014I thought you might appreciate the cake stands too… both the 3-tier china one and the Indian silver one are mine… they don’t get an outing very often!
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teddyandtottie
/ April 24, 2014Gorgeous! Love them. Glad they are getting out and about. xoxoxoxox
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katythenightowl
/ April 24, 2014It all looks wonderful Jan – both the crafting, and the cake – so I hope you have many more sessions like it!
I think I envy you most for the enthusiasm everyone seems to exude from your pics – and, of course, the cake! Lol
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gentlestitches
/ April 25, 2014three big cheers!! I feel inspired reading this! 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 25, 2014Me too!
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willedare
/ April 25, 2014A wonderful event and a wonderful post (“there was quite a lot of cake”) about it. My 4th grade teacher taught all of us students how to crochet, but I haven’t made anything for decades. The elegant simplicity of someone’s yellow crochet square may inspire me to buy a crochet hook and some non-itchy yarn…and maybe bake a cake.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 25, 2014Ah, that yellow square is one of mine… glad it provides some inspiration… I call the simple ones ‘meditation squares’ because I often make them when I want some time to think, and doing something like crochet increases those creative alpha brain waves 🙂
Perhaps I should also bake ‘meditation cake’!
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Jacquline Cappuccino
/ April 25, 2014This is such a great idea! I love it.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 26, 2014Thank you… everyone should do it!
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narf77
/ May 5, 2014Wonderful! 🙂 I love seeing the effects that good wholesome hooky and cake have on others. I doubt that there is anything that abstinence from either of these magnificent pastimes would make better…except for maybe diabetes? 😉
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narf77
/ May 5, 2014(and you would really only have to give up the cake for that…)
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 7, 2014We even had dairy and gluten-free cakes (two types)… but they were quite sugar-rich!!!!
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