Walk in the Woods.

This little Liberty print pincushion was inspired by a solitary bluebell that I found while I was walking in the woods. The weather is unseasonally hot for the time of year and the dappled shade from the trees was lovely and cooling!

I took the pics with my new camera. My friend Dave is a great amateur photographer and the first person I turn to when I need any sort of technical help with any kind of gadget, so I asked for his advise with the settings on my new camera, naturally he told me to download the manual!

I'm really stubborn or maybe just plain lazy when it comes to things like that, I think I'll be able to pick the thing up and just figure it out and use it straight away. Note to self : It just ain't happening! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. So I did and now I love my new camera, it may cost less than the macro lens on Dave's fancy Canon but it can still take great pics! ( when you know how to set it ) so this Easter I'm hoping to get some great pics!

Hello Monday!

Well there's another weekend gone already! I went to a car boot sale and got some interesting things for very little money. My favourites are the shoe trees, I was pleased to find these as I bought some at a vied grenier last year and left them behind !! Just for display purposes only but I think that they will look great in my new studio - which has yet to be set up. At the moment I work in a very small space and I'm beginning to feel claustrofobic when I'm in there so the move to a bigger room will be a welcome one, I just need to find a weekend to rearrange all the furniture and put up shelving and organise my stuff! Phew!!

On the crafting front I made some bunting which I think will also look nice in my studio, the colors are great, very vintage looking and a bit different to the normal pennant style bunting.

I've added some bunting to my Etsy shop items too, quite patriotic and of the moment with the impending wedding of Wills and Kate! I can't wait to see the dress...........

There's an awful lot of speculation about what Kate will wear - will she wear a veil or a tiara, will the dress have a train as long as Diana's, will it be white or ivory??????? Oh well not much longer until we find out. Happy Monday to you!!!

Everything's coming up roses.............

It's been a long week but not too busy to do a little crafting! I keep veering towards things of a floral nature and maybe that's because I'm still waiting for the lilac and bluebells to show me their true colours in my garden. For me these two are a real sign that spring is here. So at the moment it's a bit of a barren landscape, hence my obsession with the flowers : if I can't grow em yet then I'll make em! So I made a little flower garden pin cushion and another rustic rose pincushion in ivory with a dusting of German glitter glass , oh how I love the way that stuff sparkles and the way it already looks vintage when it's brand new!

Have a great weekend!

Back Again!

Wow it's been a long time since I left a post here but since reopening my etsy shop I thought it seemed appropriate to reopen this poor little neglected blog too!

When I started this blog it was my dream to stay at home and make my living by creating and selling my wares both to shops and on line. However my dream was very short lived and just a few weeks after my last post here I was back at the 9-5 after having a few sleepless nights as my meagre bank balance veered quickly towards the red. Working from home is not as easy or rosy as it looks and I take my hat off to the millions of women who do this and take care of their family and homes as well! It's still my dream but I'm still working at the 9-5 but I somehow find time to make a few new things every week. I love sewing and creating and would go crazy if I did none at all.

So I'm back again and thought this would be a good place to log my progress and thoughts and share my ideas. Check back soon !

The view from my window.

The view from my bedroom window has changed! Every morning when I open my curtains I'm greeted by these magnificent icicles, every day they get longer some are 1m !Luckily the porch roof will save anyone from a nasty mishap if one of them decides to break free :-o Have a great weekend!

Winter Walk.

And still the snow continues.........
As I type this more flakes of the white stuff are falling from the sky and I am becoming au fait with the careful negotiation needed to avoid falling flat on one's bum! The walk that I did yesterday with my friend Linda was just what I needed to lift my spirits, the sky was a perfect sky blue and the sun beat down relentlessly albeit with rays that were too far away to make a jot of difference to the sub zero temperature. We had more of the same today but I stayed home and made cushions from some gorgeous vintage linen that I've had kicking around for a while.
This year I've made a pact with myself to use what I already have when it comes to crafting and repurposing fits nicely into that category (and also in my quest to be more green savvy.) The cushion that I made has its very own collection of old pearl buttons!

New Year.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It's a new year and what better way to start it than with a resolution or should I say a lifestyle resolution. For a long time now I have been shying away from opting for a more eco friendly way of living, and I'm ashamed to say that this is more than likely down to laziness than anything else. So I'm challenging myself to find out just how hard it really is, and I guess that by posting this to the world that I may just have half a chance at sticking to it, or at least that's what I hope.
One of my commitments for the year is to use my car less and go by foot or bicycle whenever possible. This week I have no choice in the matter anyway as my car is snowbound and the roads are like glass. Walking to my local Cooperative yesterday was a new experience, the quiet hush that the snow creates is quite humbling. The sounds of car engines are replaced with birdsong and every tree is swathed in a white cloak. Because of the lack of distracting noise your senses sharpen and you are naturally more aware. The former farmland where I live must have been like this all the time 50 years ago. With more of the white stuff to come, it looks like I'll be doing a lot more walking. The picture above is from my walk to the shop, my reward I guess for choosing to walk! Ta ta for now .