✴ a doodle do...

{...Or how to turn a square into a triangle...}

As the baba is probably a bit too small for the festival of chocolate that soon approaches, although she'd give it a good go, I've been making some little Easter lovelies for her to enjoy this weekend instead.

I got the idea for these bean bags in a lovely book I recently had out from the library (for a little too long..Ooops!) called Green Crafts for Children.

They were going to be chickens but roosters just have more decorative bits don't you think?

As I had to return the book (before the fine got any higher...) I just made these up. Actually I made them a little big but they are still ok to be grabbed and thrown, so job done! 

They were super easy to make and I might make some even bigger and fill with sand for door stops, or some super small and fill with tea for tea bags....erm, maybe not.....

 

1. Cut two squares of fabric (6" is a good size for bean bags) 
2. Cut any decorative bits (I did rooster bits) out of contrasting fabric, felt is good. Sew bits, facing inwards, onto right side of one piece of fabric (in the corner). Applique any additional pieces now (like wings)
3. With right sides facing sew up three sides of the square (with the sewn bits in top corner) leaving an opening at the bottom.
4. Turn right sides out. Topstitch over sewn seams (if you want ) and around the felt bits - looks a bit nicer and finished off.
5. Fill with dried beans, lentils or rice, or sand (for door stops). Now fold in the edges of the open seam and instead of sewing straight (which would make a square) hold the opening in the middle and pull outwards with both hands with the bottom of the side seams in the middle and sew across that way. You could add some trim here if you fancied. I stitched in some yellow ric rac to look a bit like feet!

✴ feeling woolly

I have had a horrible cold since friday, it's the curse of all the mama and baba get togethers, rhymetimes and tumble gyms. Today my head feels as fuzzy as a ball of wool.

It's officially summertime here....apparently....We've given up an hour for the sake of it and yet it rains...and rains...and rains.......Ppfffft!

Hooray for the small things that can brighten up a fuzzy day. I know, probably not everyones idea of excitement and joy but a basket of brightly coloured pure wool balls has cheered me up no end today and given some inspiration to the task of the pincushion.....

✴ enchanted palace

I've just read of a new temporary exhibition at Kensington Palace. It looks so positively entrancing and delectable I can almost not breathe!! (Drama Queen...)
In association with Wildworks and featuring installation pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, William Tempest, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and Echo Morgan. 

Telling the stories and mysteries of the seven princesses who once lived there...
Opens today!
Quick grab your coat let's go......

{ All images via The Independant }

More information here 

✴ ranunculus

Ranunculus is such an ugly word for such a beautiful flower, don't you think?

But kind of fitting to the ugly spiky bulbs from which they grow. 

My ranunculus bulbs have been soaking for 24 hours ready to plant out in my little mound of soil by the plum tree.

I really hope they grow well because I think ranunculus may just well be my favourite flower.

{ My bridal bouquet by Joanna Carter Flowers :: In vase at Martha Stewart ::

Napkin decoration at Instyle Weddings :: Botanical print at RHS ::

A Riot of Ranunculus at Flickr :: }

✴ my creative space

It's all about the B's in my space this week.

:: Bridal :: Botanical :: Beads :: Bracelets :: Baby :: Bulbs :: Birds :: Bibs :: Bias Binding :: & Blogging! ::

 After my last post I'm now sketching designs for a bridal headdress.

I'm enjoying letting my imagination go and finding inspiration in the RHS books Flora and Orchids, love, love, love those old botanical paintings.

I found a little time to sort through and finish some beaded bracelets made a while back which were boxed away with all things jewellery making when the baba was born....

....finished the binding on the bibs from last week and began some decorative birdy stitching....

.....and during a bumper baba nap this afternoon and with an unexpected brightness to a grey day I did some brisk bulb planting.

{ By the by, I thought an image of some budding blossoms a more beautiful pic than of a mound of black soil with bulbs buried below! }

Byeee.

For more creative spaces boogaloo over to kootoyoo.

✴ shh...

Yesterday I met with bride-to-be, the lovely Miss L and we talked all things weddings.

It's my first bridal commission in a while, having taken a little break when the baba came along.

I'm now in the process of drawing up sketches for her. 

It's so exciting and I really like her ideas and themes. But obviously it's classified, so better shh.....

It has been good to spend some time looking through my past work, some unfinished and some I had forgotten all about!

It was a bit like Christmas this weekend, sorting stones and beads and opening all the headdress and jewellery boxes and unwrapping sparkly pretty things from deep inside the layers of tissue paper.

I feel suddenly inspired and refreshed to get things looking lovely with the business with some new shots, new website and some new work!

♥

shh...

{All designs Sarah Hemsley Headdresses}

✴ shadow shot

{ Bronze Bulb made by Lucy Bates}

The sun is shining at last. I'm hoping to whizz through the cleaning to head outdoors for some bulb planting and weeding and such. Hooray for Spring!

Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet.

✴ tea + toast

So that was spring... Back to the cold, grey, rain that we are used to!

What's a girl to do? While the defiant sleep protestations echo through the baby monitor and with a large cup of steaming builder's brew, I secure my housework blinkers and settle in with a longing peer through the new Toast catalogue.

Gorgeous vivid colours mixed with sludgey greys and blues.....Ahhhh....

I love the faded 'holiday' shots that lead to warm weather dreaming.

Peace at last from the nursery.

The silence is golden even if the skies are far from it.

Are you thinking of warmer climes and faraway lands?

Dream, dream, dream...

{All images Toast}

✴ my creative space

I have a bit of a bad habit with starting new projects before finishing old ones. It's a curse.

Consequently I often find things packed away in drawers and baskets, half finished waiting for a final bit of  titivation.

So this week, as the itchy spots of the baba's chicken pox finally dry up and go (too much info?) I stumble across something infinitely prettier, as spots go.

A stash of baba bibs, cut out of green spotty pvc ( quite a wee while ago...). Stored away waiting for a trim.

It just so happens that this week I received a lovely package, from Clothkits, of Liberty fabric bias binding I recently ordered online.

It was like it was meant to be. A marriage made in bib heaven.

My Creative Space at Kootoyoo.

✴ following patterns

The weekend was warm and bright and bathed in a soft golden light so perfect for walking out.

I've been on a bit of fabric and haberdashery bender, so to speak. So I seemed to notice patterns and textures everywhere.

It all looked so beautiful and defined in the spring light, man made architecture and natural flora alike.

I love finding inspiration in the great outdoors!

Pattern spotting at Painshill Park

Fascinating flora at RHS Wisley

✴ mothering

A mother holds her children's hands for a while...their hearts forever.
-- Author Unknown

Happy Mother's Day.

♥

✴ grand plans: archipod

Image here 

We are planning an extension. 

Hopefully with thoughts and explorations and planning happening this year. 

Building and construction next year. But we'll see. I'm thinking it's going to be a big undertaking. 

We want to do a lot. Expanding backwards and sideways, and up!

I like the planning and dreaming part. I like to peruse the interiors mags looking for ideas and inspiration.

I thought I might share some of my finds with you. That way I can keep track of all the unusual and interesting design ideas I stumble across.

It's a win:win situation!

I just found this in the april copy of Grand Designs. 

The Archipod.

You too could have your very own Hobbit house style studio in your back garden. How quirky!

I love the old and the new. I love that it looks so rustic and fairy tale on the outside and is uber modern and stylish on the inside.

I'm intrigued by the door. Does it open slowly with billowing smoke pouring out in a 'Back to the Future' type of way? Hhmm probably not, but I love it anyway!

It's certainly a leap up from the garden shed. And I do love a good shed!

www.archipod.co.uk 

✴ my creative space

There have been spots in my space this week. 

Not pretty polka dots but horrible red itchy spots of the chicken pox variety.

Not nice.

Especially not nice on a 14 month old.

At least she's getting them out of the way. As everyone keeps saying.

Done and dusted. Ticked off the list of childhood illnesses.

There has been much staying in. 

Now we are over the worst of the illness there is now the main irritation.

We are both a bit stir crazy and we are getting on each others nerves. I know it, the baba knows it.

Normally I'd love the chance to stay in and catch up with my stitching 'to do' list.

But the baba has other ideas.

Why sit quietly enjoying a pleasant half hour of crochet or cross stitch ( ...yes, I know she hasn't even learnt to walk yet, let alone master simple crafts....) when there are books to be pulled off shelves, wooden blocks to throw in the air and cat tails to pull......

So there has been dark evening sewing. Sometimes it's the best kind. Although often now it reminds me of a past life of freelancing, slumped at the sewing machine into the wee small hours.....Shudder...!

Anyway, I have managed to get started on a few housey bits.

A cushion cover made from some fabric I bought in Australia from Selvedge House.

And I have at last made a start, and actually even finished one set of arm covers for the settees.

To hide the tatters left behind from naughty cats scratching.

Naughty cats! This is not a scratchy post!

Go and scratch one of the 8 or so scratchy posts we have actually bought for you...for the sole purpose of scratching....made of scratching material.....for scratchy cats......Oh I may as well talk to myself.....sigh.....

I added some pockets on the side. I like that I have somewhere to put a couple of magazines and hide the remote controls (but always know where they are...clever!) in a pretty fabric pocket.

I got a bit carried away and started to make covers for the other settee completely forgetting the dimensions are slightly different as it is a sofa bed!

Doh! Unpicking begin......

Side step to Kootoyoo for some far less itchy creative spaces.

✴ shadow shot

Evening sewing.

Poorly baby is at last sleeping, for how long is the big question.

Weekend plans postponed. 

Time to catch up on all those sewing projects...

Although tired eyes and poor lighting may get the better of ticking jobs off the big 'to do' list.

Night, night.

More shots at Hey Harriet 

✴ spring is bursting out all over...

Image here 

Oh the day is glorious. The sun is shining and bathing us in a warm welcome glow. The sky is so blue the sailor may even get a new hat let alone a pair of trousers and the garden is green and bursting with new life. Yes friends, Spring is here!

Alas, so too is chicken pox.

The little one is oh so poorly with the pox. Poor thing, poor thing.

I'm taking comfort in the many comments of 'best to get it out of the way' etc, etc.

So it's Calpol, Calamine, Cbeebies and Confinement for us.

Oh, and Chocolate.

Ponderings of the perfect pudding to delight and amaze the postponed dinner party guests.

Hhmm... Chocolate pudding and spring flower plant pots. Love it!

Recipe at Martha Stewart.

✴ all things...alice

Inspirations for the modern day Alice in her busy, bustling but oh so stylish, Wonderland...

{Lela boned silk dress: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Bead-embellished headband: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Pink hearts two cup teapot: Emma Bridgewater, Flamingos wallpaper: Cole and Son, Kid cashmere lined gloves: Sermoneta Gloves, Alice cup: Max Brenner, Rosella leather flats: Christian Louboutin, Top hat ice bucket: Graham and Green, White heart needle case: Jan Constantine, Vintage pocket watch pillowcase: Branchhandmade, Roses for a year: The real flower company}

Image here 

✴ my creative space

48 granny squares. I thought this may be the half way point. I laid them out on our bed to get a proper look how it may turn out and I actually think I may be more than half way there. Because this will be a blanket for the baba, when she moves into a big bed. So it only really needs to be baba size. 

Do you see what I did there? 

( I cut my workload down by making it for a small person. Clever...eh?)

This has been an evening pursuit. While watching telly or a good dvd. 

Very relaxing and highly addictive.

Also a bit of stitching, for a break from the grannies.

Subtitled films not allowed here!

See more creative spaces by hop-scotching away to Kootoyoo.