✴ my creative space

{ Wild Plum & Sage Leaf Cufflinks }

There has been much of the precious metal in my space for quite some time now.

With bridal commissions creating lovely silver pieces and much experimentation with leaves.

Now the leaves outside are starting to turn brown and wilt or crumble I'm in a race against time to create some new pieces. 

I made a lovely tiara for a lovely september bride with jasmine leaves and am hoping to create some other pieces. It's a long and slow task, painting silver clay slip onto a tiny fragile leaf, layer by layer...

I have some other design ideas for bramble, wisteria, lavender, sage....I'd better get a move on...

Winter's only round the corner...

My Creative Space

✴ not so square

I am envious of the expert knitter. The sort of knitter who can shove her knitting under her armpit and produce a perfect piece of woollen wonder while doing the ironing, changing the baby and putting the bins out, you know the sort {may include some slight exaggeration...}.

I am not that sort of knitter. I have to remind myself each time I start {which is often} how to cast on and which is knit and which is purl...and don't even think of asking me a question while I'm knitting. I have to concentrate so hard that I'm pretty sure I have one eye closed and my tongue sticking out.

It's something I've always wanted to be good at and have tried for some years with many frustrating hours of dropped stitches and bad tension and I've never really produced anything that could be considered a 'garment'. When Mr H innocently asks what I am knitting the answer usually screamed back is "..A SQUARE!.." or sometimes with a particularly good run of wool, "..A RECTANGLE!.." 

Alas the rectangle never quite makes it to the desired outcome of a scarf, not even a teddy bear sized one...

So now I am trying really hard to go beyond the square. I'm increasing and decreasing for the very first time and I finally, after much unravelling and starting again, achieved some rows of ribbing. It's not perfect, but then here's the charm; when knitting for an almost two year old, you're unlikely to hear any fashion protests and comments of ill fitting. Any dropped stitches or wonky bits can be blamed on snagging a bramble bush during a hearty walk round the park on the very first outing in the brand new jumper...would you believe.....ahem...

{ I'm knitting a square hooded jumper in 'Parsley' organic wool 

using a pattern from Cool Knits For Kids }

✴ out of season

There is something enchanting and a little bit magical about a British seaside on a grey blustery day, out of season.

Ghostly, with remnants of Victorian architecture, dilapidated and rusting from the harsh salty sea. It saddens my heart to see the deterioration and loud, tacky intrusion of the rides and the games arcades.

Why is no money invested into the restoration of these British treasures?

Once, amazingly grand and beautifully ornate.  Now, run down and slowly crumbling into the sea. 

 Promenade :: Pavillion :: Esplanade 

Candy Floss :: Peppermint Rock :: Fish & Chips

{Sunday in Southsea}

✴ joy in the task of coffee

A couple of months ago we took a drive out to Dorking one sunday afternoon. It wasn't so much that Dorking held any captivation or interest but was more of an exploratory drive out to see what we could find. 

Dorking is pretty much closed on a sunday it has to be said. Except for the usual 'open all weathers' like Costa Coffee shop {phew!} and Marks, I also stumbled upon The Quilt Room and although that too was sadly shut on a sunday I was able to spend a few minutes ogling the fat quarters with my nose pressed to the glass of this quaint little shop, yes, a bit like a weirdo...

I was lamenting the loss of a fabric shopping spree when we walked past a rather busy and bubbling leisure centre {obviously the place to be} with a bit of an antiques fair going on inside...

It was right at the end of the day and the stall holders were starting to pack up. I spotted this coffee set straight away and instantly fell in love. I'll admit I'm not much of a coffee person but what's not to love with pretty vintage china? The pattern is just so pretty and the shimmering gold leaf and jade green and tangerine flowers makes my heart sing, yes it really does!

The entire set - 6 coffee cups and saucers, coffee pot, milk jug and sugar bowl I got for £30.

Royal Staffordshire bone china and about 1950's I think.

So dainty delicate and I'm reckoning not at all dishwasher safe....and I don't drink coffee....

Will these ever get used and does that matter?

William Morris famously said,

'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'

But he didn't say anything about them having to be both, right??

Playing along with Flea Market Finds.

✴ the goldfish ate my homework and other lame excuses...

I have been away from here for so long now that I suspected I would login to my blogger account and see a big sign reading 'No longer available - this blog has been taken away due to neglect.....'.

Of course it didn't say anything of the sort. Gosh, I can be so melodramatic sometimes...

I could tell you that I have been unable to post because I was daintily dipping my toes in the rippling warm waters of the Indian Ocean whilst flip flopping along a golden archipelago shore while a turtle carried my Louis Vuittons up to my granny square {surprising} crocheted hammock, and the sand plays havoc with Broadband, don't you know...........

But alas, that is sadly untrue.

The simple truth is that I've just been caught up with stuff. Some of it boring - take the bins out and feed the cats - kind of stuff. Some of it creatively stimulating - paid commissioned work - kind of stuff. 

But most of all and most importantly, day to day mama - tear my hair out tantrums but melt my heart hugs and kisses - kind of stuff.

I will get myself organised and post some images of the things I have been making and doing in any scraps of free time I was lucky to get {not including the time unashamedly reserved for slumping in front of Corrie after a long trying day} but in the meantime I'm going to ready myself with a reservoir of builders tea and spend this, oh so cold and wintry, weekend catching up with all my favourite blogs...Oh how I have missed you.

Care to join me in a cuppa? 

xxx