It's a risky business....

mmmm.......... ......sniff.....
.....tea.....


.....sniff......

........?
Death by Lavender.....

Matroyshka Pillow Gift Set...

In the shop
Nice for grown-up girls in shades of Teal and Plum. And this Lavender stuffed Pillow comes with a smaller lavender Matroyshka - to make a little set.

I can't resist.
I can't stop making them!
Fabric joy x the Matroyshka fabric i have on order to make a GIANT fllor cushion with too :)

Sweet Scented Fabric goodness...

I have been a busy little Bee...
I spend so many months working on Christmas, that January sees all my creative explosions at once! Spring = newness and i am feeling fresh with ideas. I can put Christmas to one side for a few months and play with my fabric supplies that seem to gradually multiple on the groaning shelves.
These are my latest collection of Sweet scented Pillows. Gorgeous fabrics sewn and stuffed with: Organic lavender & Hops. Both dried flowers are said to promote restfulness and aid sleep.
As always, i started off making one for me and one for the SmallFish... then i wanted to give my Nanna one as she is unwell... then i really wanted to sell a few in a local craft gallery, and so the story escalates.


I love the indulgence of playing with all the fabric patterns and colours and finding a combination that strikes me.
I am mad about Lavender too and i always sleep with a lavender pillow next to my own bed pillows. I find it so comforting and relaxing. Also because this is Organic Lavender - not to be mistaken with nasty chemical lavender 'scent'... which is far from pleasant.

I remember being quite in-love once *sigh* and being given a lovely lavender stuffed cushion on Valentine Day and i thought it was a thoughtful gift and a change from the predictable. Maybe that's why i find these pillows so heart warming.


I have some more, much bigger pieces of the wonderful SUMMERSVILLE fabric in fuscia and in plum. i think it is beautiful and so does everybody else who've seen it so far! The first pillow i sold in the local gallery was a Summersville fabric (she has that magic quality)
I have been using some vintage style lace along the edges and sweet ribbon tags to embellish.

And... if all that sewing and playing, listing and selling, isn't bombus enough for you, i made a large cushion for my TV room - in yummy Teal leaf fabric with a fuscia pink back (and button detail)....

And SmallFish chose THIS fabric below for her own *new* bed cushion. It clashes horribly with her beautiful bedroom - but Mumma made it for her and she loves it :) I appliqued the felt circles to the butterfly wings, to add a bit of interest and also a red pom-pom trim.
If i ever made room in my life for sleep, i would find one of my own Scented pillows sitting and waiting for me.
Stuck for Mothers Day or Valentines? Don't buy these pillows, then i can keep them all for myself and my friends xxx

My Vintage Vice...

....my house was MINGING this morning, minging i say (minging = nasty, messy, horrid for all our foreign readers) so i *knew* what had to be done:
"Come along darling. Mummy wants to go the 'Antiques Cellar', buy stuff she does not need and drink coffee" ...and avoid anything that is boring or necessary at home.
Wanna play vintage rummage with us?

First, i saw this - uhhhhh, how nice are these? Haberdashery drawers... maybe 7ft tall? i wanted them (naturally) but, at £1,200 they are out of my price range. Especially as i narrowly missed a set of these on ebay for £200. This is a lovely wooden filing cabinet with mega deep drawers, maybe 4ft tall.
These, i might be coming back for... as i look around my art room / studio (whatever it is) i realise i could fill 5 of these in the blink of an eye.
This tea set was sooo prettily laid out. Especially for MrsB... there was an amazing pink Bakerlite telephone at this stand too... but i wasn't "strictly speaking" given absolute "permission" per se, to be photographing any part of the shop.... so i was on thin ice already (tee heee)

I love this little unit in the Cellar - all mish mash / bish bosh / throw it together style with handmade kilts and vintage nighties.
The 'Antiques Cellar' is a large basement in a car park full of different Units belong to different sellers, so you never know what you'll find...
SmallFish playing 'desks'... i do like that desk but it is really similar to the one i found at the local Tip for £4..... i think that one is about £304.00.... so i did better me thinks.

The cafe is cold and twee with nasty table cloths, but it's a fair cup of coffee and a good sandwich when you need one.

She is such a good girl coming with Mamma.
Sorry, did someone say we are supposed to be "Home Educating"SmallFish? Lessons for today: self-restraint, budgeting and ummm,,, history. Oh, and we saw that really cute labra-doodle Puppy.... that is practically a lesson in genetics by itself.

I bought a set of Cake Forks.
...the answer is "yes" - do i need to repeat the question?

I bought this wooden Trug, it was big and a bargain.
....the answer is "several" - do you really need to hear that question?
and i bought a stool for my kitchen. I'll save that just to tantalise you :) i might spray paint it pink so maybe i'll do a little "before and after" post - you know how i lurve to perform for you.
So.... it is a fully fledged V I C E.
I get a feeling in me.... i know what it is.... it starts in my mouth as it gets dry and then i can't sit still. I know i will not rest until i have been for a Vintage Rummage. I'm so glad you don't hate me for it. x

More Cute-ness *sigh*

Oh the joy....
i have had such a nice time making these new "PinPuffs". What is it about them that makes me so satisfied? I like their 'littleness' and their oblong / sqaure-ish shape.
And i like the lace detailing with the ribbon tag "sewing story".

I like using lots of different fabrics and mixing them up with contrasting coloured tags and backing fabrics.
I sooooo love this *new* SUMMERSVILLE sweetheart fabric - (i have made large cushions from this too...to be continued)
It's the detail... look at that darling little birdie at the bottom! i never realised i was so very girlie...

Again, using fabric from SUMMERSVILLE with an appliqued Matroyshka.
There is so much variety and brightness.
Of course, there is also the lavender... i am *stoned* sat here in my little studio. Overcome with the fragrant fumes of organic lavender :)

So, yes! i am more than happy with all this new cuteness coming from the PaperFish studio this past week. I suppose i am enjoying NOT thinking about Christmas (for a change)
P.s *must not eat that amazing chocolate cake that i baked last night... must remember that fat thighs are not happy thighs...must think of New Year diet.... must not even wipe my finger round the edge of cake to sneak some icing*

Meet up with "MaKe" at Madcap...

A few people asked me about the MaKe event... so,a few details.
am not an organiser of the event but i write for the local Craftzine "Local Craft Matters" (who DO organise it all) so i am a part of the team in a way.
MaKe is held in Wolverton, Milton Keynes at THIS GREAT VENUE called Madcap. A big sunshiney space with great atmosphere. Easy to bring children and buggies. We are mostly upstairs but i believe it is disabled and 'buggy' friendly, with a lift... (i will check that again)
I will be there with my many Buttons, Felt Packs, Fabric by the half metre, Lavender cushions, Bunting, PinPuffs and Brooches... there will be a variety of artists and artisans with a real variety of handmade goodies.
There will also be CAKE! very important. And Tea! even more important.

Last time i was there (October 2009) there was a bead workshop people could book into. I cannot confirm if / what they will have at the next event.
I am hoping, this time, to have a small children's table for bracelet making. It is a little something to make them feel involved.
If you do have a spare hour or 2 to pop along - we'd love to see you!
If there are items of mine you have seen in the shops online and want me to bring them then you can always pre-order them and pick them up at the MaKe event. I cannot guarantee that what i have online, will also be what i have at the event...
So, keep an eyeout on my blog - when i know more details, so will you...
Our Dates:
Easter B/H Monday - 5th April.
August B/H Monday - August 30th.
Last Sunday in November - 27th.
11am ish - 3pm ish

ooooh, they're *new*...

It is amazing how quickly i turn an idea, into a product, for myself, and then some more for sale... it is like a 'compulsion' - i swear, i need help!

I love my PinPots for the individuality and quirkiness... but i wanted a cushion for my pins to go in my new travel sewing basket (see previous blog post to this!) ... as the PinPots were more for my sewing table. I use loads of pins as i am always pinning items together in "anticipation" of sewing, and then leaving them like that for weeks. So, i found some of the sweetest fabrics i had in my stash that seemed to have gone unused for a while or were too small for much else. Then i decided to make a cushion (or 10).
I am so pleased with how they look :)
BUT,,,, that isn't even my favourite bit!
They are stuffed with polystuffing AND gorgeous organic lavender. So even if it sits in my travel basket or in my fabric stash for a while, it is still doing a job. Making everything smell subtley sweet.

I am slowly listing a few of these for sale:
HERE on etsy
HERE on Folksy
and some i am keeping for my next big Craft Market which is the "MaKe" event in Milton Keynes.
Below is the reverse on some cushions, with a lovely cotton flower.
There is a ribbon tag on each cushion as part of my design style but also so you can hang the cushion on your NeedleBook if you want to.
Summersville avenue fabric has worked really well as a little cushion - possibly my favourite.

And photographed with a bits and pieces from my vintage haberdashery and stationary hoarde.

I do apologise if a bore anyone with my endless pincushions and craft talk, but it is my life you see. It is what makes me happiest (after kissing my little girl to bed) x

Playing with Christmas Presents...

Child says: "I'm bored Mamma"
Mother replies: "Don't be so silly. Go and play with all those new toys you were given for Christmas"
*child skips off to play*... Mother looks down at her hands and thinks *i'm bored*...

So i decided to play with some of my Christmas Gifts: I haven't 'packed' the Cath Kidston sewing basket yet. I am going to fill it with my travel sewing kit. I spend alot of time between my Parents home, my home, and various child related activities. This basket will have all the items i need so i can pick it up and *know* i will have pieces and essentials to work with on 'the move'.

Cath Kidston's craft books have come under some 'fire' from the dedicated UK Designer / Maker devotees and i can understand why. Her items are far from 'handmade' themselves and she is perhaps riding on the back of a growing current trend. I don't mind though. Her books are colourful and fun and i ask little else of my Craft Books.
The "DK Sewing Book" is something i need. I have never had any training in sewing and i get frustrated at my lack of knowledge. I am not a patient person and i want to be 'GOOD' at something immediately... at least i have this book now that might encourage me to, patiently, try some new things.

**Note to Self** take some time off in March and DO things for MYSELF :)

(feel a bit perkier today. A good camera and craft sessions can do that)

Potatoes

Oh lordy..... I've had a break.
It's been the Christmas Holiday.
My life right now is a bit:

It's a brand new year!!
Somebody tell me why i feel like a great big sack of spuds...

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