Yesterday, 1 July 2017, was National Meadows day here in the UK. Our favourite local conservation charity, Denmark Farm, were hosting an event to celebrate, and Mr Snail and I had volunteered to go along and help out. After a cold and rainy week, we were delighted to wake up to sunshine and the prospect of a lovely afternoon.
There were local artists and artisans there, as well as experts on bumblebees, gardening and plants. Once we were set up, it looked lovely:
And, despite being in competition with other similar events in the area, lots of visitors came along… many for the first (but we hope not the last) time.
I led a walk and talked about the different grasslands at Denmark Farm, whilst Mr Snail was on car park and welcoming duty. However, maybe my biggest success was teaching a whole lot of small children how to crochet…
making crochet flowers © Mara Morris, Denmark Farm
And the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed two little bees on my table – one kindly given to us for our craftivism exhibition in Manchester by Helen, Maker of Beasties and one made by me from her pattern. These two felt bees are now going to live at Denmark Farm to help to teach people about the importance of conserving pollinators.
little buzzy bees and a bee house! © Mara Morris, Denmark Farm
The Snail of Happiness 
Murtagh's Meadow
/ July 2, 2017Sounds like great event. Well done to all concerned 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017We were lucky with the weather – it does seem to make or break such events.
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nanacathy2
/ July 2, 2017What a wonderful event and how super to teach the children how to crochet.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017Interestingly I didn’t have any adult takers, but the children were very enthusiastic.
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katechiconi
/ July 2, 2017What good luck the weather was so helpful! As for the crochet – well, you just can’t help yourself, can you! Still, catch ’em young and get ’em trained up right and you’ll have crocheting conservation warriors for life!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017Ooh, I do hope so!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ July 2, 2017What a lovely way to spend the day! And such a good activity for the kids to learn – I hope there were some boys in the mix too?
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017There was one boy, and he did splendidly, despite only being 3 years old.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ July 3, 2017🙂 Good on him!!
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the happy bee
/ July 2, 2017Love the bees! What a great idea to teach people the importance of pollinators.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017The idea came from Helen and I really think her design is inspired – she makes hers out of recycled felt too!
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ July 3, 2017Thanks, Happy Bee! 🐝 Let me know if you have a go at making some yourself 😀
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the happy bee
/ July 3, 2017I’d love to have a go at making them but sadly mine wouldn’t end up looking anything like bees!
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ July 3, 2017Hahaha! Funny you should say that, I had the same concerns when I was making the templates 😆 I included a couple of cheats at the end of the pattern though, if you’re not crazy about sewing 😉 Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017they really are very simple to make.
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the happy bee
/ July 4, 2017They look it & I definitely should as I keep thinking about the links between creativity & happiness 😁 My enjoyment for crafts definitely outweighs my skill level!
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anne54
/ July 3, 2017Lovely! If I had been there I would have spent time looking at the art work. from peering at the photos I can see that they look right up my alley. Good work teaching kids to crochet ~ that’s quite a specialised job!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017I think you would especially enjoy Lil Tudor=Craig’s work. It is amazingly detailed and she always has a magnifying glass on-hand so you can examine the life-sized paintings of insects in their habitats. https://www.tudor-craig.co.uk/
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Born To Organize
/ July 3, 2017I’m glad the sun came out to add to your pleasant day. I love those little bees (and the real bees, too). Thanks for spreading the word.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017The lady from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust had her eye on them… perhaps I’ll make her a couple!
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Born To Organize
/ July 4, 2017Oh, she would love that! You have a wonderful heart.
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ July 3, 2017Oh wow, thank you SO MUCH for finding those bees such a good home! I checked out Denmark Farm on Twitter, and it looks like the most beautiful place. I’m also glad that the sun decided to shine on National Meadows Day – seems like you had a super day, and good on you for getting a new generation hooked on craft! 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017We thought very carefully about where your three bees should go. Two stayed in Manchester, but Danielle wanted me to choose an appropriate home for the third one. Denmark Farm is a fabulous conservation project and they run lots of courses on bees, so it seemed like an ideal home. And, should you ever decide to holiday in Ceredigion, they have lovely accommodation for humans as well as bees!
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ July 4, 2017I saw that! Very tempting indeed. And thanks for taking such good care of the bees… I’m really glad I got involved in your event, so much good seems to have come out of it! 😀
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Laurie Graves
/ July 3, 2017Sounds like a wonderful day! Such bright, perky bees.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 3, 2017and really easy to make!
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painterwrite
/ July 5, 2017What a lovely day!!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 6, 2017It was… I really can’t believe how lucky we were with the weather – it had been horrible for the few days beforehand.
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painterwrite
/ July 6, 2017I love having good weather luck!
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