✴ sea nymphs

I've been making some new headdresses inspired by the salty sea. The things that are washed up by the shoreline, natural organic garlands of seaweed, kelp and shells are just so very pretty in their rustic briny ways. And glittering sands on a sun dappled beach could so easily be crystals, don't you think?

These enchanting nymphs are, Morwen, Coralie and Ione. They are made with brass wire and are so delightfully light and easy to wear. They have no combs or pins but two wire loops at either end for placing hair grips or perhaps a narrow ribbon or hair band could be threaded through for wrapping around a bun or updo. 

I'm loving working with brass at the moment, a nice change from silver and gold. Brass has a vintage appearance that I find so very charming and develops it's own natural patina with age.

We don't live on the coast but a winter retreat to Cornwall last year, with blustery walks along the sand and shell seeking in rock pools provided just the inspiration for creating these pieces.

✴ happy monday

Cough , be gone, I will have no more of thee...

Yesterday, I managed to drag my weary and still slightly poorly body out to the Country Living Spring Fair. Never to let a dose of illness prevent a day of shopping! The little one and the mr headed off to London Zoo after dropping me in Islington. It was a perfectly balmy day, the first official day of Spring now that we have given up an hour {a precious hour to someone with little sleep...} but it was worth it for a beautiful fresh day and lovely light evening. Wasn't it warm?

I trudged through the crowds and managed to keep my consumptive coughing to a minimum thanks to a big bag of wine gums. And bought some lovely lovelies. 

Hankies {no surprise there...} and tea towels from Thornback and Peel, pretty little girl dresses from Bread and Jam, wooden toys from Croglin Designs, and a vintage jug from Garden Brocante, plus some cakey bits and fabricy bits.

The best bit was bumping into an old friend from the north! Fancy seeing you here, Mrs A...Such a lovely surprise! 

Today I'll be mainly playing with the little one in the garden and filling in the census form - have you done yours yet?

✴ the tale of the fish and the bird

Once upon a time, in a distant land called 2010, there lived, in a musty old - although surprisingly treasure laden - charity shop, a fish and a bird.

Alone and unloved, there they sat. The fish hidden from view in the large window display, the bird even more so at the back of a dusty shelf, next to a toast rack, behind the shop counter.

And so they waited. In the dead, dark loneliness of night they recounted their past days of glory, the fish as an ashtray, the bird as a sideboard ornament. Would they ever again feel so cherished and worthy.

They feared the worst. And then one day, a rather harassed looking mother pressed her nose to the window of the shop {as she was often inclined to do} and she spotted the fish. Dragging her small child inside she asked to see the fish more closely. The fish could hardly believe his...ermm...ears? 

"Two quid? I'll take it" said the mother. She thought it might make a pretty trinket dish for her 'Nemo' obsessed child. And then on paying she spotted the bird. 

The women of the shop were used to the harassed mother. And her strange ways. They couldn't quite fathom her penchant for kooky old nik naks {not to mention crocheted doilies} for someone so relatively young. Then the harassed, but much happier mother left the shop, with the fish and the bird. And the child, of course.

The bird cried out to be painted, "Oh, cover my chintz and transform my old fashioned-ness...", the mother thought she heard it say. And so she obliged and a new creamy coat with porcelain hues the bird now wears. It occurred to the mother that with his newly painted coat, the bird might just make a perfect mannequin for displaying her handmade jewellery. The bird was delighted, as he had always fancied himself as a bit of a model and had perfected the art of keeping positively still. 

The mother wondered if the fish would like to have a go, but he was more shy than the bird and really couldn't make his mind up whether he should be painted or not......and neither could the mother, she had begun to grow fond of his brassy ways......The end.

{ brass 1950's fish ashtray, £2 :: china bird, £3 :: embroidered linen pillowcase £4 }

Jewellery made by me, yonks ago, forgotten by me, then discovered by me, yesterday!

Flea Market Finds for more tales of treasure.

✴ meringues

At four pm everything stops for tea. Ok maybe not a stop as such but a slight pause, a quiet second to refuel and take a moment. I'm a huge fan of the afternoon tea. In every job I've ever had, there has been a call out for 'tea?' at four, and a packet of biscuits is ripped open, or if really lucky, a piece of cake, or sticky bun.

I've decided to get organised with all of my scraps and cuttings of this and that, pretty things and inspirations, and start sticking them all into a journal. I was never that good at keeping a written diary, but cut & paste {the old fashioned way} I think I can do. I already have 6 files of recipe cuttings!

I came across these cuttings on my desk and with some new {old} supplies currently holding my interest, I can't help but think of an afternoon tea of delectable prettiness.

I'm imagining scoffing a raspberry meringue with lashings of fresh cream from a china dish on a crisp linen covered table scattered with periwinkle blue petals. Of course, I'd be wearing this tulle frock by Marchesa, and perhaps an olive green feather coquette in my hair....There would be an infinite calm to my surroundings with the soft playing of a piano and gentle background chatter....

Hhmmm....the reality is not entirely parallel to this daydream and is likely to involve a chipped mug, mr kipling, tatty jeans and peppa pig....So there you go!

It's nearly time to put the kettle on. What will you be having for afternoon tea?

{ps. In a completely blushed way of blowing a trumpet, that is mine.... I am so thrilled to be a winner of the Straw Styling Competition as hosted by Tea for Joy! How lucky am I?! I have the delight of a voucher to spend a papermash, and I'm already thinking, journals!!!}

✴ post

Isn't it just so fab when a bundle of packages arrives on your doorstep, all at once. Like Christmas.

Recent purchases of vintage lace and beads have winged their merry way to my humble step all the way from California and Hong Kong.

Sometimes, in a dreamy state of yearning for an antiquated and rustic way of life, I do have to sit back and marvel at the wonder of the internet. And internet shopping. I do still find it just a wee bit amusing when buying vintage online. It's a paradox of shopping delights. But one I quickly come to terms with!

Last week I was a lucky winner of a giveaway hosted by Traci of  My Handmadehappiness. I won 4 vintage sewing patterns. I love old patterns, although sometimes they can be a bit tricksy to make up due to sizing and different body shapes. I think with a bit of creative tweaking I can probably rustle up something pretty pretty with these, so watch this space.......

{Ummm....but do go off and make a cuppa though, I may be a while...}

✴ light & space

I'm still milking this sickness with a hacking cough which is keeping me awake most nights. So not good. Especially now the weather is turning a rosy pink and sunlight blue of springy perfection. Today was glorious, although perhaps less so with a bad nights sleep and a morning meeting to discuss pensions...followed by a meeting to discuss building plans { the trials and tribulations of which are a post in itself which will have to wait for another day - yay! lets talk building regs.......Zzzzzz......}.

Did I mention I have a new desk...? I can't recall........maybe I mentioned it just once.....?!! 

Anyhoo, I'm just loving my new space the light around which is just divine and makes me wonder if BD {before desk} I wasn't just stitching away in a little gloomy cave in the dining room. Like a hobbit.

Note to self~ check quality of stitching in new well lit space on work done BD.

I'm finding in my current state of 'below par' that the simple and quite relaxing task of glueing resin flower cabochons onto hair grips is about all I can muster. But I'm loving in nonetheless.

My Creative Space at Kootoyoo.

✴ happy monday

On a morning wander around the garden with the little lady, watering the new trees recently planted. I noticed that the pear tree seems to have grown significantly already. I was quite pleasantly surprised and started to imagine all sorts of pear based culinary delights I could whip up in the kitchen...I know, waaaay too early to be thinking of a bountiful pear crop! Of course, I may have imagined any sort of growth spurt, I've had so much cough medicine in the last few days I could very well be hallucinating...

No matter, there is so much of spring about the day today, glorious sunshine, blue skies and blossoms fluttering on the breeze. I have onion sets to be planted but that will have to wait until there is more of a perky bounce to my step.

Meanwhile, back on the new desk {yay!} I've taken delivery of several recently ordered supplies. It's always so exciting to open packets of pretty bits of this and that and leads to creative making dreaming and possibilities. I'm just a bit in love with tiny resin flowers, especially these little roses. 

So pretty and kitsch. 

Have a Happy Monday. x

✴ the straw that broke...me

{ down the ale }

Morning. I am having a very poorly weekend. I feel as rough as onions {?} and generally a feeling of 'yak' has descended on my poor achey bones. I'm trying to make the most of being able to stay in bed, but am all twitchy with things I want to do and get done.

Having left things to the very last minute {so not like me!?...ahem....} I spent most of yesterday taking piccies for the straw styling challenge as hosted by Tea for Joy. The theme was the Royal Wedding. 

I had loads of ideas but I'll be honest I do have a problem with keeping things simple. I get a bit carried away with the story telling aspect of an photograph and so find it hard not to crowd the image with tons of 'props'! Oh well, it was all good fun and such a lovely theme, made me itchy to arrange a street party, although probably not on my street.....

Also, my new desk is now in place {hooray!} and I spent a few hours on friday morning in a brief break from feeling yukky, to start tidying and sorting all my bits and pieces and stitchery wot nots into neat little piles. It is truly smashing to have my own little space again I must say and as it is nestled in the bay window, the light is amazing. Also it's pretty nice to be working next the mr of an eve. It's cool to be sharing an office, although his corner is neat and tidy and full of proper grown up worky stuff and my corner is, well, not, but rather looks like a haberdashery department that has been 'turned over' by some very untidy thieves....

Things I have learnt;

• Cats have absolutely no regard for a perfectly set up 'shot' when looking for a place to curl up and go to sleep.
• Kate may be marrying a different prince, according to this company.
• An addiction to shopping on etsy is heightened when ill
• Probably a good thing, but a two year old doesn't appreciate the sadness of the 'Bambi's mum is killed' scene in said film and actually gets bored after the first 10 minutes of any old Disney film, dismissing them all in favour for the preferred and watched often, 'Finding Nemo'.
• Hot elderflower cordial with a spoonful of honey is a lovely alternative to hot lemon.

Hope you all have/had a lovely weekend.

Check out the straw styling over here.

✴ a place for everything...

...and everything in it's place.

On saturday I had a much longed for day on my own. I had looked forward to it all week and had many plans and grand ideas of lovely things I would spend the day making, away from yoghurty toddler fingers.

Of course, it didn't quite work out as planned. Once laundry had been sorted, the dishwasher emptied, the table tidied, a quick {ok, not so quick} peruse round t'internet, materials and trimmings fussed over... and so on and so forth.....it was lunch time already!! 

I had that much whirring away in my little head I didn't know where to begin. Don't you hate it when that happens?

I did bits of things. A bit more of the tatty linen brooches. A bit of silky yoyo stitching. A bit of flower stitching. A bit of this and a bit of that. But nothing finished. No ticks on the To Do list.

When the mr and the little one returned home I was feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. In that a whole day had passed and I had achieved very little. And that was that day, gone.

I had a little rant. Yes, I did.

Waaa....it's not fair I don't have any space to call my own....why can't I use your office too, it's not fair.....Waaaaa, woe is me.......me, me, me, me, me.....Waaaa........ etc etc.....

To which mr h replied a calm, Yes, of course. We'll buy you a new desk, we'll get rid of some bits of furniture, I'll clear a space......No problem. 

Gosh don't you just hate it when men respond to your wailing in a positive and productive manner?! 

So  I have a new desk {ok still in it's box but we're getting there..} and a new space to create a mess and not have to eat dinner around...Don't get me wrong, it'll be tight in there, but it'll do until the house is done.

I picked up these little baskets and old utensils tray which has been 'shabby chic-ed' in a rustic painted sort of way, from my local antique market on a quick shop late on sunday. They are just so perfectly pretty for storing all my unfinished bits and pieces and I've spent a few stolen moments today sorting and tidying all my creative mess. I'm going to make little basket inserts out of the spotty fabric which was  a bargain buy from the local charity shop just before christmas. But I think I'll save that for another day!

Apologies for the ridiculous length of this post but I'm a bit poorly with a horrible chest infection and can't be bothered to cut and paste images together in a montage way so just put them all in as are - sorry!

My space has taken on quite vintage vibe of late and so I'm linking this post to both Flea Market Finds and My Creative Space. This week is all about multi-tasking!

I'm off for an early bed, night night {cough...splutter...}x

✴ happy monday

Warmer days...woodland walks with the wee one...wellies stuck in mud puddles...cherry blossoms on the trees...sunday lunch with friends...supplies shopping on etsy...Boardwalk Empire...stitching yoyo's from colourful silks...winning prizes...digging out old forgotten treasures...pineapple cake....

So many delightful distractions from the horrors and tragedies of the news. 

With constant reminders of how lucky we are. 

My sympathies and thoughts to those affected and those who grieve. 

Have a positively distracting start to the week all. x

✴ unfinished embroidery

Quite a while ago I bought a mixed lot of vintage linens and doilies. In amongst them was this embroidered cloth, unfinished by the stitcher and now a faded brown colour from many years of storage. Even several dips in biotex couldn't revive it's former pallor. It was doubtful I was ever going to finish the embroidery, and really, would it even be that pretty if I did? What to do. 

After much deliberation, constant digging it out from my vintage linen stash...and then putting it back again, I eventually decided to take the plunge and just do something, anything with it.

Those with a nervous disposition should turn away now because I went at it brazenly with a pair of scissors and cut it into many tiny circles for covered buttons. There, done, breathe.

I hope the stitcher doesn't mind. I thought it should start a new life as some pretty brooches and finally get to see the light of day and possibly enjoy some small adoration for its embroidered beauty. 

Most people would probably refer to this as a musty bit of old tat, this antique linen, once a treasured pastime and which for some reason was abandoned in its stitchery completeness. 

Maybe now at last, it can be moved to the pile of finished projects.

Erm...when I get round to finishing the brooches.....which I will, I will, I promise.........

{...coughs sheepishly...}

More finished and unfinished loveliness can be seen over at Kootoyoo.

✴ well, i didn't expect that...

...and how pleased am I that I am just a bit behind with planting and sowing this year.

Because, after picnics in the garden yesterday, digging out summer jackets from beneath the mound of winter woolies, and searching {in vain} for misplaced {read: moved by toddler} sunglasses, you just wouldn't expect to see frost the next morning...oh no, you wouldn't. You would probably find that just a wee bit surprising....yes indeedy....it's March for goodness sakes!!!

Although I have to admit to being just a bit in awe of the beauty of it all.

Sparkling sugar dusted leaves, twinkling in the sunlight and the fresh {oh so fresh...Bbrrrr....!} frosty air.

Of course it'll all be melted soon enough, and good thing too, as quite frankly, we were promised spring, so, off you go frost, see you at the end of the year...!

✴ happy monday

Oh! What joy, to be able to get out into the garden. The feeling of spring is finally upon us and the bitterly cold freeze has at last turned to an amiable chill, and lets face it, as stalwarts to the cold and the rain as we are, here in blighty, a little chill isn't going to put us off getting outdoors after a long miserable winter.

I have now the task of fixing up the garden, which remains in a bit of a hapless state. The vegetable plots need weeding and soil turning ready for some onion, garlic and shallot plantings.

I have new things to plant too. Trees and plants of the edible kind.

So far, me and the little one have planted an apple tree {cox's orange pippin} and a pear tree {conference} and a little quince bush is waiting for me to decide on the perfect place to plant it. I have a big list of other lovelies I'd like to plant but more on that later.

What's going on in your little plot/ acreage/ windowsill? 

Happy monday. x

✴ precious metals

{silver card tray, £5}

{pearl knot clip earrings, 50p}

A magpies haul of shiny metals from the local charity shop this week.

The brooch and earrings will be fashioned into new vintage style headdresses and I  had hoped that the silver tarnished card tray might well prove to be a precious metal of sorts. 

I had been practicing my 'pleasantly shocked' face and picked out an Antiques Roadshow appropriate outfit. I think I may have got a bit carried away. 

It clearly isn't real silver. There is a slight copper tone over the pattern which would hint at years of exuberant Brasso scrubbing by an eager maid, I'm guessing that if you owned and used a card tray, that you probably had staff...It's such a piece that depicts a bygone era, don't you think?

The custom of 'calling' in Victorian society and the etiquette of leaving a calling card for the lady of the house. 

Texting just seems so crass in comparison!

{goldtone pearl brooch, 50p}

Here is the method I used for cleaning the tarnish from the silver tray. It should work well for silver, silver plated and EPNS {but not best for gemstones and pearls} although care should always be taken when cleaning antique treasures.

Even though this is an eco cleaning method, there is a slight sulphurous odour during the cleaning process so it's best to do in a ventilated room or even better outside.

• Line a large bowl with aluminum tin foil.
• Sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda.
• Place pieces to be cleaned on top.
• Pour over freshly boiled water from the kettle to just cover pieces.
• Leave to soak for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove and buff gently with a dry clean cloth, tea towel or silver polishing cloth.
• See your silvery bits sparkle in the sunshine....or, under a very bright light....

Flea Market Finds here

✴ all things...wish you were here

I've just recently ordered a bike from here. I'm quite excited and have been imagining all sorts of 1940's/50's style cycling. Probably getting a bit carried away as usual.

I can't help but think of Emily Lloyd in Wish You Were Here. 

The floaty summer dresses, retro sun glasses, with just a dab of rosy tinted lip gloss and balmy summer breezes through your hair....Ahh...sounds lovely doesn't it?

Of course this is probably NOT how it is going to be {imagine, stuck behind a lorry with Sainsburys carrier bags dangling precariously from the handlebars...} but for the moment this is the daydream and I'm not parting with it for anything!

{ Hollander Bike; £169, made.com :: Cherry Print Satin Hair Bow; £6, Johnny Loves Rosie :: 

Benetint Lip Balm; £14, Benefit :: Winter Rose Saddle Bag; £68, Cath Kidston :: 

Peacock Retro Lucia Liberty Print Sunglasses; £130, Liberty :: Polka-Dot Cotton-Poplin Dress; £815, Miu Miu @ net-a-porter.com :: Strappy Python Flat Sandal; from £180, Alexandre Birman @ style.com }

image via

✴ apples and plums

Last year when I was making a beautiful silver tiara for a lovely bride and then cufflinks for her groom, I gathered lots of different leaves for imprinting into pmc. I practiced with a fair few different varieties to see which ones worked the best and looked the prettiest in all their silver glory. 

My favourites were the young baby leaves from the plum tree. I just recently found a little stash of these 'practice' leaves and so turned one of the better ones into a long necklace, with a faceted amethyst bead and a creamy pearl. 

Today was surprisingly sunny and pleasant {although still bitterly cold, Bbbrrr....} and me and the little one managed to sneak into the garden for the afternoon. We had blustery spring fun on the swings and the slide and I even managed to do a spot of gardening {much needed and long overdue tidying and soil turning} ready for new planting. Whenever I do any garden work I am usually joined by a small chattering assistant {...What you doing,Mummy?}...and two excitable and frisky cats. 

Together we worked as a team {me doing all the hard manual labour...} and we planted the first of the new fruit trees I have planned for the garden. An apple tree. I've wanted an apple tree for so long I don't know if I can cope with the three or more years of waiting for an apple to grow!!

I suppose I'll just have to make do with plums until then.

She looks like a sugar in a plum.... plum, plum...

My Creative Space over at Kootoyoo