Hello Spring!

Having a birthday on the very last day of winter often means I'm a little late appreciating the change of season. A little like a bear who decided to have "a nightcap" before its hibernation and just needs a few more sleeps to recovery...

...but I am now fully recovered and ready to say

  Hello Spring!

Boy, it is a welcome season! and though I've not had much chance to get out and about to go on a Spring spotting adventure, there are signs in the craftroom...

There are tiny Baby Bunnikins hopping around, fresh faced and freckly...

...in Easter egg Chocolate brown, on an Easter treasure hunt collecting up my pearly egg beads....

...then hopping back to their egg box home, showing off the fresh little daisies on their derrières! 

Hope you're enjoying some lovely Spring days!

xo

Spring Bunnies

I've a couple of new friends to introduce...

Neville and Hunny Bunny

Neville and Hunny are twins, cut from the same cloth quite literally.  

You may recognise one of them from the mugshot but they are not really the troublesome type. In fact, they are very sweet and helpful around the craft room, Neville likes to sort buttons, while Hunny is a lace and ribbon connoisseur. It didn't take them long to ask for their perfect   outfits, Neville opted for a waistcoat with felt buttons and Hunny always longed a lace collar and heart patches.

Unlike the next bunny who just couldn't decide what to wear.

First there was a dress, that was just too girly for this little one...

Then a tomboy waistcoat, that didn't really suit her either...

Finally we found the clothes that were just right...   

...a little red coat!

This little bunny's favourite thing to be outside exploring and her little red raincoat is perfect for when she gets caught in the odd spring shower. She looks for green shoots peeking through the earth and visits them everyday to see the beautiful flowers appear.

Her name is Rain and I am quite smitten with the rain cloud patch. Once upon a time they was a cloud pocket dress that I fell deeply in love with, but I did not take notice of the 'last chance to buy' note and it was lost forever... maybe like Rain I will find the perfect item to add a rain cloud to one day.

Well, Neville and Hunny have begun their journey to new homes and Rain will soon be exploring the little shop looking for one too. Inspired by her love of spring greens, I have promised her the shop will have a few flowery pieces popping up here and there...

xo 

A Little Bit of Luck

Happy St Patrick's!

This post may look very similar to yesterday, but I promise if you look carefully there is a difference...

...Lucky Four Leaf Clover!

I spent many sunny hours searching patches of clover for a lucky four leaf clover, but I never did. Then while making the shamrocks (and thinking I should have do it earlier, I do hope someone got some use from my little how-to...) I realised I could make my own luck!

These Lucky Clover Charm Pins are in the little shop now.

Happy Green Wishes

xo

Shamrock Freebie

I made a couple of Shamrock pins for St Patrick's Day.

Quite last minute, but if you want to make one too here is a little how-to...

All handstitched and takes about half an hour.

You need:

*small pieces of felt in green and white*

*Embroidery floss*

*Brooch fastening (or safety pin)*

*scissors, needle and pins*

First, cut three little hearts about 2/3 inch tall and wide from the green felt and two circles about 1 1/2 inches in diameter from the white felt.

Placing the point of the first heart in the centre of one white circle, stitch about 3/4 of the way up the centre with a back stitch.

Stitch the next two hearts in the same way, and then embroider a stalk using two lines of back stitch.

Place the second white circle on the back of the first covering the messy back stitches and adding strength, then Blanket stitch around the edges. I started just under a leaf and I like to put a pin in to hold the first stitch in place. My blanket stitch was terrible until I found this great tutorial (Thanks Karin!)

Flip it over and stitch on your brooch back fastening (or a safety pin works just as well) and then the final touch... 

Pinch the shamrock leaves in half to make them sit up in a 3d kinda way!

Pin to your sweater and have a very jolly St Patrick's!!

xo

Thank you...

...so much for all the pre-Birthday wishes!

My actual B'day is a whole week away still so I feel a little princess-y having presents and days out already :)

(Another buy I missed but had to share, sorry!)

This is a big tote for shopping, PO runs and general lugging from Artbox again. One side has this super sweet Cookie/Gingerbread cutie and the other a recipe for... a cup of tea. Whoever would need the recipe I don't know, but it was too cute and odd not to take home.

Well, on top of B'day gluttony, I have to admit a slight craft famine which is never a good thing for a 'craft' blog. Next week will be better, I promise.... and I'm trying to think of a little freebie for you all too...

I hope everyone has lovely weekends

xo

Perfect Days

I just had the best day ever!

As a pre-birthday treat, I spent a wonderful day wandering around London. There was a couple of place and a couple of things I wanted to do. First stop, Ryantown 

I am stood in the middle of the shop trying to pick my treasure. It was hard enough, picking just one thing, that I have to carry around all day and not break without the fact I wanted everything in there, but I get close to picking, narrowing it down to a sherry glass with a bird and says "I love what you hate" and a short list of 4 tiles, when the door opens and Rob Ryan himself walks in the door...

Gaz had asked would I recognise him? Uh yea!  and I was a little star stuck! My brain instantly turned to noodles, couldn't pick, couldn't think anything except "omygod omygod" Then this tile just spoke to me...

Oh how I love it!

Bird, thread, small brains, inspirational... could it be more perfect!

There was one other, a sweet-yet-creepy note about stealing buttons from someone's shirt and sewing them on your own, which I see now may have summed up my slightly obsessive love and awe of his work... 

So I maybe arrived in London an hour ago and there, already, great great day, could go home happy! But it just got better with...

*Lunch in the middle of Covent Garden Market while listening to Royal Opera House musicians

*A string monkey from Octopus

*Giant Jelly Baby topped Cupcakes 

*Raspberry cocktails 

*the Japanese kawaii goodness of Artbox 

*general wandering, lovely weather and good company :)

 

All resulting in a lovable stash of pre-birthday goodies and big smiles!

I think I could quite happily say I've had my birthday now and can miss the getting older next week...

Hope you had lovely weekends and half-weeks too!

xo

Coat Ornaments

Last night, while searching around on Etsy for nothing in particular (something I seem to do a lot), I spotted a gorgeous little brooch by OhMyCavalier on the front page.

"Oooh, I want one!" was obviously my first thought :)

But my second was that I have a brooch a little like that and I really should share...

The sweet little framed bunny illustration is from Marmee Craft and started actually a Victorian-style hanging ornament (there is still a couple left... and they are on sale!!) It came with the lush mossy green velvet ribbon (is they anything as lovely velvet ribbon? I think not) so it could be tied to the branch of a Christmas tree. I thought it would look cuter on me, so I tied the ribbon and stitched a brooch fastening on to the back of the bow... et volia! a Victorian hanging coat ornament it became!

I love how they look a little like medals, the kind of medal that would be given out if I was ever put in charge of that kind of thing.

Just thinking of a good reason to award myself a medal, so I can buy the OhMyCavalier one now...

xo

Rainbow Babies

While looking around for some pink and blue dummy (pacifier) beads to stitch up some Babycakes, I stumbled across a tiny packet of multi coloured one and a rainbow of little cakes was born.

I just love seeing all the colours together like that!

Its taken me quite a while to put this batch together, more Babycakes have been on my to-do list for a while. But I think the wait was a good thing, it has given me the chance of a little re-design. Getting cuter is always a good thing...

The first one in the little shop is this little pure white one.

Pink and Blue will follow soon, and the other colours will be available through those listings as a "note to seller" kinda thing (is that a good way to do it? I'm never sure they'll be found?)

Also a little shopling thing to mention is my Xmas Sale items are about to expire and I won't be relisting them. Christmas in March anyone? :)

xo