News & Updates from Karen Adair

As well as designing, I have other pastimes which I can now spend more time doing, since retiring in 2019.

One of these is running my allotment with my husband, which we started just 12 years ago.

We had never grown anything before this, so it was quite a challenge, as well as a steep learning curve.

Now 12 years on we produce enough vegetables to prep and freeze and last us right through until the following years harvest.

We only grow what we eat, and we have 4 grandchildren who not only love to come down and work the plot with us, but who also love their veggies, so thats a bonus!

It is hard work, but being outdoors, and getting all that fresh air and exercise is good for the mind as well as the body.

I was so thankful that we were allowed to continue with our allotment throughout the covid pandemic, it was a godsend to us during this difficult time, and with the plots spaced so far apart we had no difficulty social distancing from other plot holders.

We are busy planning and getting ready to plant our seeds and potatoes for this season, and I cant wait for that first crop of peas, my absolute favourite!

I have been a bit lax creating new designs for Craftsuprint for the last 3 - 4 weeks, as I have been busy looking after my daughter, who was pregnant and expecting her second child.

Unfortunately she has some disabilities and had a few problems, especially in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. So she needed a lot of looking after. Then, on Tuesday 17th June 2014, she delivered a beautiful, healthy baby boy by C section. He weighed in at 9lbs and 5ozs and he has been named Rogan. My daughter is recovering well, and enjoying being a Mummy.

Despite a difficult time she and her husband and daughter Holly are overjoyed, as are the whole family. I have three 5 year old granddaughters, so a little grandson really is the icing on the cake. It's a really special time.

The one thing I have always regretted is never having a big enough garden to grow anything. Then, about 5 years ago, I was lucky enough to get an allotment.

Having never grown anything but flowers in pots, and with no knowledge whatsoever in horticulture, both my husband and I were on a steep learning curve.

Last year we had a bumper crop, and I was freezing, pickling and preserving for weeks. I donated a lot of pickles, chutneys and jams to a craft sale for Help the Aged, and my family had stores in their larders to see them through quite a a few months.

This year we are well organised, and everything is planted and growing well. I am really looking forward to watching our progress this year, nurturing and looking after all our veggies. I just love flowers, they are my favourite thing. That's why most of my designs are floral.

I have been a bit absent from CUP in the last few months. The reason for this is that I and some of my work mates decided to plan and hold a Craft Fair for Children in Need.

Suffice to say that there was a lot of work involved, not least of which was making a good supply and variety of hand-made items for sale.

There was only a small group of 8 of us, and we all brought different crafty skills to the endeavour. I concentrated on card making, jewellery making and homemade chutneys.

We had knitters, crocheters, quilters, dressmakers, bakers and more. And everyone tried their hand at eachothers crafts.

There were also Christmas decorations, photo frames, beautiful silk make-up bags and clutch bags, home-made jams, and everything was hand-made to a very high quality. We received some fantastic donations of luxury food items from Fortnum & Masons and Harrods, which were put together into a hamper, and with a number of other lovely donations, we were able to get a great raffle organised as well. We whipped up a lot of excitement in the workplace prior to the event, with posters and emails, and of course selling the raffle tickets in the week leading up to sale day.

And when the Craft Fair opened on Friday 15 November, our customers were queuing up down the corridor, waiting for the doors to open. I have to say, we were overwhelmed with the support we received from colleagues at work, who supported us on the day, purchasing our hand-made items, and making extra donations as well.

We raised a whopping £1,933 for Children in Need, and I have to admit to shedding a few tears when I heard the grand total.

One of our team went to the BBC studio in Northern Ireland for the Children in Need show that night, to present the cheque.

This was an amazingingly rewarding and worthwhile experience, and I can't wait to do it all again next year! These are my latest designs, I hope you like them. I'll be getting more designing done now the craft show is over, so watch my page.