✴ all the way from...

...Oregon, USA!! My pincushion has arrived from Kellie at Eclectic Chica and I just love it.

So beautifully crocheted and sewn. Thank you Kellie, and for the extra lovelies, a packet of pins and a granny square necklace. Oh and such a sweet message in the botanical flower print card.

Loved taking part in this swap. 

✴ my creative space

Now that the baba has discovered her legs my time is mainly spent on trying to control the mayhem that often ensues...

Such daily pursuits as; falling in/out of the toy box, climbing over the furniture, chasing fearful cats, pulling the books off the shelves, throwing rice cakes/blueberries/peas into random corners of the house/ironing basket/my pocket, and graffiti style crayoning.

This all requires careful monitoring ignoring and controlling tea supping....

It's futile to try and control a determined toddler who has new legs, and shoes.

Consequently my list of unfinished projects is deficient of triumphant ticks and so I have decided to focus on things I can actually achieve, which has led to picking the wildflowers in the garden.

Bluebells, forget-me-nots and ...er... crushed daisy heads...(thankyou Ella...).

Aren't they pretty though? And so delightfully fragrant. I love that there is at least one tidy, beautiful and, perhaps a little stylish space, on this unreachable mantlepiece, that helps me stay positive and focus on the creative.

My creative space at Kootoyoo.

✴ weekend gardener

lovage, fennel, chives, black peppermint and catnip 

spinach, lettuce, rocket and runner beans awaiting planting

hello garlic!

gooseberry bush blossoms - hopefully enough for jam this year

 and taking it easy!

As weekend gardener I found myself taking a leisurely relaxing approach to getting jobs done in the garden.

In other words, I didn't really get my hands dirty but there was much wandering, admiring and patting of one's back over small accomplishment so far ( in that things do appear to actually be growing, yay! ) and of course much tea supping.

There is still so much to do though. For example, is it possible to over chit (careful..!) seed potatoes?? As mine have been merrily chitting ( again..!) away in the kitchen for a few weeks now....Hhhmmm....

What's happening in your garden?

✴ the woman in must

I live in a 1930's house, surrounded by other 1930's houses an an area which still hints at this homely and iconic era. From the quaint parade of shops and the deco style train station to the croquet lawns, allotments and the abundance of parklife.

The local charity shop, nestled within the quaint parade, is often a treasure trove of this time. Many 1930's pieces can be found there. Often tea sets and serving dishes and tureens with a crackled glaze and a pretty floral pattern.

This time I picked up these two lovely romantic ladies,

Ilka The Captive Maiden (print edition 1922) and The Woman In White (print edition 1933).

The first book struck charity shopping gold with the handwritten inscription on the front page;

To Greta Campbell Betty Millar

from Jean Robertson.

Mission S.S. "Jan. 10th 1932"

Oooohhh....Mysterious, no? Why was Greta's name crossed out? What's Mission S.S? And why was the date in quotation marks?? Curiouser and curiouser, I thought as I peered through my imaginary Miss Marple style half-moon spectacles....

I love the smell of old books. That musty damp sort of smell. I know it's not everyones cup of tea but for me it's so synonymous with old costume departments and theatres in which I have spent rather a lot of time over the years.

It particularly reminds me of work experience I did at the Royal Exchange Theatre costume hire dept when in my first year at uni. The musty old smell of the cramped rails of costumes, fresh coffee brewing in the corner and classic fm on the radio, such a sensory delve into the past!

Must noun. Mustiness, dampness, or mold: a pervasive smell of must.

More hints of must over at her library adventures.

✴ my creative space

My poor bride-to-be is stuck in L.A thanks to an erupting volcano so had to miss our first headdress fitting on monday.

Which has meant extra time for titivating!

In the meantime, someone much closer to home commissioned me to make them a headdress...

It's years since I've made a daisy chain. What memories of childhood!

If anyone is interested, a daisy chain circlet for a fairytale princess of 15 months takes approximately 14 daisies and 10 minutes make.....And about 20 seconds to rip apart and strew across the garden!

Daisy chain to Kootoyoo for more creative spaces...

✴ knit one pin one

I think by now my 'Knit One Pin One' Pincushion as part of the great pincushion swap, should have reached it's destination. I hope the recipient enjoys my pincushion as much as I enjoyed making it.

What fun this swap has been. Almost 120 of us taking part all across the globe.

Bring on the next swap I say.....ahem... well maybe not too soon...need a breather......sighhhh...

I'm off to go have a looksee and an 'ahhh' at all of the pincushions, here.

✴ a holey plate

Last week I happened upon this lovely plate in a local charity shop.

I have to admit that I had a bit of a 'Homer Simpson' moment and it took a few seconds for it to sink in what this plate actually was.

You see, at the moment I have my eye out for pretty vintage side plates to go onto a spare bit of wall above the front door and I thought I'd stumbled across another lovely to add to the collection.

Hooray, I thought, and then looked closer with dismay. Oh no, there is a hole in the middle of the plate, what a shame.... 

Yep, wait for it.......wait a few more seconds......probably a few more... (image of me still staring vacantly at plate hole...), and then....

AAAaaaHhhhhhhhhhhhhAhhhaaaahhhhhhhh....(choir of angelic voices can be heard, ray of light from above shining down on....ok am I going too far with this??...........) and then the penny dropped....

A cake stand plate!

Just what I have (completely forgotten about ) been looking for.

A couple of months ago I noticed a large crack in a glass plate cake stand that had been given to me as a hen party gift by a lovely friend who presented it to me laden with yummy cupcakes....Mmmmm.

The plate had to be turfed but I kept the metal stand in the hope that I would be able to find a replacement plate. And here it was staring me in my (slightly slow on the uptake) face.

I'm no pottery expert but the plate is relatively old, perhaps 30's /40's/ 50's? And has the makers mark, 'HT & sons made in England' but so far I have not been able to find anything out about them.

No matter, it's a lovely plate, fits so well onto the Laura Ashley plate stand and was only £4!

 I'm so happy to fix something treasured (and used often!) but broken and mix the old with the new!

More Flea Market Finds over at Sophies...

✴ done and posted

Pincushion made ~ tick

Pincushion posted ~ tick

Ok, here is the confession. There was a slight necessary late addition of a drop of glue yesterday afternoon and the decision had to be made to wrap and post immediately to make the deadline, or wait several hours for the glue to dry properly. So to avoid any sort of glue malfunction, I chose to wait.

It went first thing this morning. Hope you don't mind. 

My swap partner should receive it monday, fingers crossed.

I'll post pictures then so as not to spoil any surprises.

And we all like a good surprise, don't we?

I will just say that the quirky side of my brain stepped up to this challenge and kind of took over...

And thanks to Cadbury for sponsoring this project...( he, he!)

Thanks also to Kate for organising such a fab swap.

✴ my creative space

It's all about deadlines!! 

The pincushion must be posted tomorrow! And the first headdress fittings....Monday!!!

I'm not sure how it happens. I always start out with such good intentions of getting things done immediately.

But I invariably end up at the last minute, frantically working against the clock.

I actually think I thrive off pressure. It's the freelancer in me.

I have so many memories of stitching and glueing, ironing and bejewelling at some ridiculous hour in the middle of the night... 

It'll all be ok on the night, as they say. It always is (touch wood!).

Pop along to Kootoyoo for some far more time conscious creative types!!

By the by, if you have commented here recently and I haven't popped along to yours yet, I'm soooo sorry and will do very soon, I promise. Can't wait to see what you've been up to. x

✴ learning how to walk (and other minor incidents)...

I've been elsewhere, preoccupied, caught up with stuff, you know how it is...

I don't know where the time goes I really don't! There has been a lot of stuff happening. 

Like walking for the first time (not me, I grasped that a wee while ago, although there is still room for improvement...)

I'm feeling a bit like Dee Wallace (the mum) in E.T. Most specifically the scene in the kitchen when she is completely unaware that a small hobbling alien is following her around everywhere she goes...Well a bit like that...Although my alien is much cuter than E.T and of the girly toddler variety.

Here is what I have learnt recently;

1. Never leave the buying of a husbands birthday gifts to the last minute, (likewise, the last minute rule also, and possibly more importantly, applies to impending deadlines...)
2. Avoid bragging to friends and family of the 13 hours of sleep your child is currently having, because it's bound to put a jinx on this run of good sleep fortune, and then you'll be sorry, yes you will...
3. Don't even bother thorough vacuuming of carpets during breezey cherry blossom blowing season (yes that is a real season...)
4. When offering your small child a tiny taste of chocolate cake for the first time try to be aware of the incredible similarity in looks to the freshly laid compost in the garden...
5. Obviously, a never worn before white dress, new shoes, an unsteady walk and a polished kitchen floor is bound to end in tears, and a cut lip, and a bloody mess.... (again, I don't mean me...)

And the most important thing, when all this other stuff is going on?

Never ever skip afternoon tea.

It's ok really to forget about breakfast (despite what all the nutritionists say...)

But it really is quite bad to not have that 4pm cuppa and big slab of cake, or muffin, or biscuit...

Honest!

✴ my creative space

Bunny- "Oh my, thank you kind maker for my oh so pretty (but practical) cheesecloth dress with the gathered sleeves and the ric rac hemline......."

"......And for the delightful petticoat with the frayed fabric frill ( err...for rustic charm....) and the very useful itty bitty pocket......."

"...But please, if you will,  just tell me one thing, dear, darling and oh so busy maker......"

"......WHERE ARE MY FLIPPIN' EARS?????......."

My creative space at Kootoyoo.