in which the hens get a new home....

Yesterday, I did venture out with my camera - loved spotting the bits of Spring-like newness sprouting in the garden - new budding leaves on the apple trees.....and finally those naughty hens have plenty of room of their own and my flowers are safe from pecking!!

They have space to dig and scratch around and plenty of cosy places in the sun to make a round hole for sunbathing which they absolutely love to do. This is Flora, Dora and Cora.... I think Nora must have been busy laying an egg!!
Oh, and you simply must pay my lovely and extremely talented friend Lisa a visit here

as she is having the most generous giveaway to celebrate blogging for a whole year!!!! xxx

Third of 3....

Last vintagey cushion for a while - getting a bit addicted to these though!! This one, in it's inspirational 'bossiness' reminds you to do something everyone should do every day!!With four vintage fabrics including the seventies sunburst that makes me smile!Well, moving on to coffee cosies next in preparation for the up-coming folk festival. Must think of a name for these cushions, something vintagey but glam!! - although knowing my indecision with names, it could be a while...... any ideas? xx

imagine... a cushion.....

I love this olive-y green 70s fabric and have teamed it with a really beautiful piece of cotton lacy crochet. Again, there is velvet - this time a sludgy khaki gold.

This one is embroidered with 'imagine' which I think is one of the best things anyone can do....and which I do a little too much of!The back has a cut-out of the fav olive fabric. Might just do another one of these before I move on - they are a lot of fun to do with all the fiddly bits!!

Now on the one lovely day we are supposed to have this week, I must go and hang out the sheets!

Think I'll take my camera so you can see the new hen pen!! At last, those naughty girls are not climbing all over and eating my flowers!! Have a lovely day whatever you're doing! x

new cushion range...

I have added a new cushion to my 'words of inspiration' range - this one is the 'dream' cushion and is patchworked together with a mix of vintage and thrifted fabrics in pinks and yellows-

of course, there is some velvet and some beautiful vintage cotton crochet-and the reverse has just a taster of Grandma's curtain fabric in a calico linen-ey sandwich!!

just need a little more time and about four more pairs of hands for all the other stuff I need to do!!! xx

My creative space....

today has not been too bad on the productive front.....

I have achieved 2 of the 6 things I wanted to do today making-wise!! (really - lately that's fantastic!)

Here is an all-action shot of the making in progress.....!

I am still completely absorbed with using my vintage fabrics (I love this one which was an old curtain and a truly thrifty find) and doilies, and today I tried out a new design for fabric brooches....and discovered 1)that it is really difficult to take a picture of yourself sewing!! and 2) that I really need to use some of the gorgeous hand cream on my dressing table right now!!!

I am absolutely besotted with the doilies and their different shapes and colours, I've experimented with dyeing a few and left others, like this one, natural. I like to imagine the ladies who crocheted them whilst I sew too, who had no idea what they would end up being used for.....

The little owl twins, who are my latest thrifty find, seem to approve of the finished brooch. (They are looking slightly wary as they know I am still in two minds as to whether to paint them or not. So far they've escaped but every time I get out my little paint tins, they look nervous. Hmmm....)

Find other creative spaces at Kootoyoo. xx

Addicted.....

to blogs.

Yep, that's how it is becoming for me - and it's all too easy......there are so many talented, interesting people out there that it's so easy to start with a cup of tea in the morning....thinking 'I'll just have a little look-' and before you know it, a couple of hours have gone by and the impetus to 'get on' has diluted into 'Oh, well, it's nearly lunchtime now - time for a coffee, then I'll put a wash on...'

And before you know it, school pick-up time has rolled around (or that magic hour before school pick-up time when you can't actually do anything because you have to watch the clock).

So, she says, in a determined manner....it's going to change.

No, all you interesting blogs, I am NOT abandoning you, but I have to get myself a little organised for if I don't, then there won't be anything interesting happening here in this little blog!

This week I am getting organised with the bigger picture in mind. Hmm, sounds like a great plan.

There will also be a lot more making going on. A whole lot more. Much much more. Oh yes, indeedy.

On this note, I must tell you, I've got a incy wincy bit ahead of the game and spent yesterday making another Marguerite bag. My Marguerite Believe bag sold at the weekend and it is, as I write, nestled amongst tissue and on it's way to it's new home.

I did miss it, hanging prettily in my room, so I decided to make another.

Actually, I want one for myself, and I did think I might have this one, since the colours are very me.....

and after all, it has got my name on......

I do enjoy making these....I like the placing the fabrics, finding contrasts, adding special bits...like oh-so-touchable velvet.....

and I like the fact that the back and the front are different, so you can change the look a little....

It's my favourite type of bag as you can wear it over your shoulder, or across your body where it feels like part of your clothes.

Then I remembered that I am getting more organised and that this is supposed to be a business, albeit a 'starting-out-and-fledgling' business.

All the same, it is a business and you can't can't eat all the chocolates if you won a chocolate shop!!! So I am putting the beautiful, so so pretty Marguerite Hope bag very reluctantly in my Etsy shop. And here she is. xx

getting re-acquainted.....

after what seems like weeks and weeks, I have been getting re-acquainted with the lovely Aurora, my trusty Bernina.

"Well hello," said she.

"Fancy seeing you here," said I.

and so began an hour or two of blissful making as we worked together side by side, choosing fabrics from my ever-growing vintage stash (me, not her) and piecing them together....this one here, that one there.....(again, that was me) and then, calmly sewing each piece together (that was her) until a cushion begins to emerge..... of such flowery beauty that I can't help smiling as I sew.....meet Dilys....for Aurora and I both agreed that such a flowery cushion should have a suitable name.....

The back is a wonderful 'find' - heavy-ish linen with stripes of teal.

and so as Dilys snuggles into the red chair by the fire, it is time for me to go and attend to more domestic chores - there is a huge huge pile of ironing (actually it is too enormous to be one pile and is in fact covering the chair and 3 baskets in our bedroom) which is calling me name.....

I wonder if it will hear me if I creep by and get a cup of tea first? x

so I've had a rethink..........

There was something not quite right.

I didn't know quite what it was.....but it just didn't feel right.

Do you know what I mean? My lovely new room didn't feel quite as lovely as I'd thought it would. My buttons were quite hard to get at, two deep as the jars were on the shelves........my back hurt every time I had to choose some felt for an order.....hmm, this was not how it was supposed to be!

So, I did what I always do in these circumstances....I stood back and looked at it all for a long time.

Then, in my mind, I imagined just exactly the right place for the buttons....a better place for the felt....and lo and behold, another move around was under way.

This time, it's much better......this time, there is a more accessible place for my beloved button jars.....

the felt shelves finally look 'right'......there is even a place for all my ribbons......(can you spot the giant ric rac in the two new colours?)there is even a perfect place for part of my collection of crocheted doilies.....don't they look lovely?

Of course, as it always is, it is on-going....when I was little, I was forever changing my bedroom around, moving furniture here and there... I do love a good change around....it's like a new beginning....let's start again...but better! x

New studio space part 1

Hmmm... having a little play around with dear old blogger - what do you think?

Not completely sure but I do like a change!

Well, A LOT has been accomplished in the days I've been away. I hope you're all well and getting on with lots of yummy creative things as usual!

Thought you might like to see a couple of pictures of my new studio space!! Yes? I know I LOVE to see where other people work. I must say, I was very fond of my little sewing room but it had, as you may recall, got to the point of being screamingly frustrating as I tripped over fabric and had nowhere to put the iron down!!!

Dear S moved out, or should that be 'was moved' out little by little.....and apart from the completely annoying and totally time-consuming problem of a dodgy connection deep in the depths of the ex-little sewing room......now has a very cosy office where books line the shelves that once held fabric and buttons.

And so, to the front room, which is where I am now taking up residence. It is not as naturally light as the sewing room as it is at the front of our house and faces north but it has a beautiful fireplace and I have already made it quite cosy....

I have plans for the wall over the fireplace but wanted to get everything in first.

It took absolutely ages to move everything - had no idea fabric was sooooo heavy!!! Even with help from the four people with younger legs than mine... it still took many many trips up and down stairs with much moaning. It was lovely having help but I can't say it was altogether willing - and during the week of the move, my children, I noticed, developed a habit of disappearing quickly whenever something needed to go upstairs or down.

There was a constant refrain during this time (from yours truly) of "take something with you!!" every time anyone went up or down stairs!

This is the fab new poster which was a birthday present from my lovely Aunt in London. The colours are perfect for my new room and I love its cheerfulness! xx