under a white blanket

we in Ireland are currently experiencing a total shut down of normal life, as we are totally under snow! so much snow! Since Saturday, it has been snowing on and off, never really melting, and just freezing.

The airport is now shut, which is kind of scary! But mostly, i kind of love that Ireland is so unprepared for these kinds of events, it has a sort of war-time, emergency feel, and actually it does make people talk to each other and help each other out. What really amazes me is how many people own sleighs! and moon boots..!

anyway, really nice start to the Christmas season, people have no option but to sit down and have a mince pie!

This is from last year...

little shiny tree

last year i began my campaign to convince my husband that a white tree would not only be lovely for a change but also very cool. It didn't work last year.

It won't work this year.

so, i have now begun my mission to convince him of this little beauty... i have been wasting a far amount of time just looking at this, and noticing new things about it.. it's so funny and sweet and shiny and tacky and funny (did i say that it is a bit of fun??)



can you not see every one standing around it, having a glass mug of eggnog (i have never had egg nog, the idea of it kind of repulses me, but i still think i would like it) ladled out from a punch bowl.

i found this last night on ebay, and i would have bid for it ( would have won apparently as no one else bid) but the P and P on it was going to be over 60 big ones!!!



you can see that what you hang on it is as important at the tree itself, this could be a long term investment..

anywyay for now, i will just put the first picture on our computor desktop background....


image no.1 courtsey of Martha Stewart No.2 Ebay

Hello!

I was tagged recently to join in this fun little interview, by the lovely notperfectbutnice (aka my sister!), and here are my answers!

1) What would be your dream job?

i have many dreams. i would like to have a little shop one day, that was beautiful and had fresh flowers in it every day (or week, that is ok too), and had a lovely little cafe at the back which made delicious coffee and wonderful lemon tarts. in the front it would have crafts to buy from local talented artisans and also some hand picked vintage items. We went to this cafe a lot when we visited Mum in the summer, and i could live in it and never leave. The Cornershop cafe.

that is just on of my dream jobs. Others include having a little studio to tuck myself away into while it design and sew up my creations and actually be somewhat sucessesful.

if that fails, i have often envied the job of the Dulux paint person who decides the names of the paint. Actually, i find that Farrow and Ball really have this down pat. "Mouses Back" so true, so true...





2)Where would you like to live?
Melbourne



3)In what century would you like to live.
This one. I think i actually couldn't do without my washing machine.

4) What would be your last meal?
Ohh, that is a good one. I would have some Irish creamy white seafood chowder, and then some lemon tart, and also some sort of pastry with creme patissere in it. I would also enjoy a nice coffee after with a couple of Speculaars..mmm



5) What made you start a blog?

i thought it would make me cool. i was wrong.

6) What's your favourite piece of clothing?

Yes. shoes. also, i do love my wallet at the moment, (made by Scottato, i bought it in Melbourne). When i take it out to pay, i hold it in a way to make sure everyone has seen it.


7) What's your favourite film?

not sure, but certainly Anchorman is up there.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

"It's so damn hot... milk was a bad choice."




8) What would you like to do before you turn 100?

Learn to drive.



photos taken from a number of unknown sources.. thanks...!


now, i have to tag 8 people to fill out this lovely interview:

hmmm, who will i pick...

sewing help is at hand!

I have been busy studying and trying to teach myself basic patten drafting from this excellent and much raved about book, called "Metric Pattern cutting for childrens wear and baby wear" by Winifred Aldrich.

I will admit, i need silence, a calculator and a brain that works (all of which are in short supply here) and i repeat each sentence i have read atleast 3 times before i make a mark on my paper... it is a slow process!

Even slower when there is something fundamentally wrong with what i am doing! I cannot figure out for the life of me what i am doing wrong!

I keep producing these wide, broadbacked patterns for little children! something is very wrong here...

i have however come across this really interesting and helpful forum called (surprisingly) The Sewing Forum , and i am hoping for someone to help me out with my litle issue....!!!

If you have any useful info on this topic, i would be so happy to hear what you have to say!!

struggling to let go...

They say you shouldn't name your cattle, and i think i shouldn't name my fabric...

You know, you have to think about how you name it, and sometimes that is what sucks you it! I am trying to list fabric with i have had lying around for ages, years in fact, and some of it is proving to be too difficult to let go of!

Take this for example:

I have named it Piccadily Circus, cause there is so much going on in it! I once made really badly made sacks out of this when i was pregnant and impatient. I just butchered it, and sewed it together. Then i found out it was vintage slik... whoops...

the thing is, i wasn't too sure i liked it before i named it.. now i don't want to let it go.....!

New supplies store on Etsy Ireland!

Yes!

I have set up a new store and am (very) slowly photographing and listing all those supplies i have in stock!

I called it Little Lemon Tree supplies (although i did like your suggestions very much, i was swayed by Andrew, who is a man and i probably shouldn't have listed to him in this case, since my customers will be mostly female i imagine....)

click here to visit! oh, and excuse the banner, still trying to figure it out... feel free to enlighten me..!

library boxes

yesterday we when down to Buckleys auctioneers in Glasthule, if any of you know it.

Its fully of everything and anything you can imagine... you can pick up some great bargains if your smart and unafraid to bid! i find the whole thing quite exciting, its like a sport or something!

We picked up these handy little boxes, the are old library card files, which will need a bit of a job done on the inside, you remember they had those slits on the base (still can't figure out what they where all about.. anyone know? ), but they will hold my basic stationary and probably random junk that always ends up on my desk..

May fair!

Time for a little fair!

This Sunday from 12- 5:30 pm, if you find yourself in town do drop in!

It is above Sheebeen Chic, which is on Georges st in Dublin, which is quite a quirky little place, if you have never been to it, you should probably check it out, it's an experience...!

Hope to see you there! click here for directions

new supplies shop

lemon birds in love print from Pictorialboom

Last week, i realised how many lovely materials i have that i have been hoarding for some time now, so long that i had forgotten that i had it!

Some of the stuff is silly to hold on to, cause i know that i will never use it, or even if i did, i would never use the amount of it that i actually have!! you should see it....

I'm considering opening a small supplies store, so that i can move about again in my studio, and i wont fell bad cause it will have gone to someone who will definitely use it.

the question now is, what shall i call the shop?

I have short listed a few names that i like:

Truffle
Pearlbay
Clover
Little lemon tree
Dandelion street

which of these is your favorite? At the minute, it could go either way!

lucy

last week, i had Lucy over for work experience with me. It was a lot of fun, and we also managed to do a little work!

Amoung other things, we made up a number of these little pencil cases, which are lovely and thin, but which hold a surprising amount of pens and pencils. Ideal for your handbag actually!

Since Lucy helped to make the pattern for these ones, i have named them "Lucy" pencil case.

Thanks Lucy!

mmmm...

i am just loving this !! i am especially loving the teeny tiny bunting! i may have to make some of this....!!


oh and check it out, featured here on this cutie pie blog!

act of God?

We recently booked ticket to go to Australia, and are very very excited, especially since it's not all that long to go now...

however, i got to admit, slightly concerned about the volcano... does anyone know if insurance would cover the cancellation of a flight due to this "act of God"?

We were dissuccing this over pancakes this morning and we couldn't agree... i think that my better half may be right.... insurance companies don't pay out for God's acts...

Anyone know either way????

oh and how about post? it normally would travel on the plane right?? any ideas?

little friend

we have a little friend coming over to play this afternoon, who was born just 2 days after Poppy, so they are almost exactly the same age! I've noticed that Poppy has recently been taking anything that resembles a bag and goes "shopping" around the house with it! Yesturday she was using a pull up nappy (it was clean!), i thought it would be nice to make a little bag for each of them to "go shopping" with :0)

prefect for a chilly spring!

i love these blankets, this one is especially nice!

check it out here!

green

Last weekend was my friends wedding , the one who wanted some bunting made, and here is how it turned out!

This is it just hanging in our conservatory, but it was used to hang from the edges of the tables, cvered in white linen with yellow and white daffodils! it was so lovely and springy!

i have some of this fabric left over so i think i will make some for the store since it turned out so pretty!

so sorry and old man pants

well. It's been a while.

So sorry for the silence, just been busy with life! but i guess that is healthy and normal, to have a life outside the cyber world!

been working on a few patterns recently, i'd like to get them up for sale at some point!

Here are some "Old man pants" , that is what i heard a customer calling them when i had them on my stand at a craft fair this weekend! oddly, the title fits them perfectly.

also available in my store at the minute

Easter thinking...

Photo: CatNip Studio- Easter egg gift tags

Aren't these tags just really pretty and cute?!

I have just applied for a stall at the Crafty Market in the Dublin Co-Op for the start of March, i hope i get a stand, cause i am thinking of making some Eastery things! It's mad to start that early, but really you have to be don't you??

Not sure what new items to introduce, but i keep thinking about Easter egg treasure hunts and something to do with that! Of course, i hope to have my new spring/summer girls clothning range out, and this the motivation i need to get it there.. a deadline!

i think a lot of people work best to a deadline. I have learnt that i need to set the date and then work towards!

Today i read this quote " Goals are just dreams with a deadline"... so true...

would you rather...

Recently, a friend of mind asked me to make some scalloped bunting to use as decorations at their wedding, they are have daffodils and so their colours are yellow, apple green and teal.

I put together some suggested fabric combination's, but what i want to know is, which combo do you think is best?

what would you rather?



Tweed notebook



Islander spring


Picnic party



or Granny's kitchen?


what would you rather??
(now that i have gone to all that effort, they all look a bit the same!! lol..)

baby steps

Last july i bought a book, Metric Pattern Cutting for childrenswear and babywear by Winifred Aldrich, great book!

My intention was that when we moved into our new house, that i would have hours of time at my disposal to go with my specially dedicated studio room to learn how to cut patterns from this book.

Not so...

However, this past week i have been giving it a shot, just a hour or so at a time, while the little one has a brief cat nap, and i am so proud of myself to have created from scratch, a very very simple pants pattern! i have made them to be drawstring genie pants, i'm so chuffed. I know i could have just bought a pattern, or perhaps even just winged it, its so simple, but what i have now learnt, is some good foundations. Very pleased with myself.



These are a tad too boofy, making her look a bit meaty in the thigh department, so i will adjust the pattern, but these are some pj bottoms for the summer..

spring jug

i was just delighted yesturday, when i had to go to the dentist... and because i did, i was allowed to roam around child-free for a few hours!! (i had to complete that sentence, i know it was confusing for a moment...!)

Does anyone actually enjoy going to the dentist? probably people with perfect teeth. probably the same people who love clove rock... eugh. bad memories...!

In my travels, i hit the mother-load of gorgeous vintage glass! i found so many things, 2 vintage glass cocktail shakers, a champange pink glass vase and this....




my lovely, 50's glass jug of matronly proportions! i cannot tell you how happy this jug makes me. It's hope that spring is not too far away! i will be filling my window boxes with some traditional red geraniums, and pouring from this beauty in just a few months time...

personal art gallery

When we went to Galway last year, we saw this really lovely poster, it was a reproduction print of a picture from 1975. We just loved it, and bought it for our little one.





When we go it home, we realised just how big it was.... its about a meter and a bit high and nearly that in width! To frame it was going to cost a bomb!

But thankfully i married Mr Handyman, willing to dabble in all sorts, who now has a thing for framing, so this worked out nicely...and as you can see, not too shabby a job on the framing, what do you think?

Interestingly, this very large picture seems to have made our daughters tiny box room seem bigger... i think it is because your eye are drawn up to look at how big the wall is..what do you think? any designers out there who know this trick already??

under a white blanket

Ireland has been under snow for the last number of days, and it usually doesn't snow like this, the last time was apparently 30 years ago!

For us, it means a kind of extended christmas break, because roads are left untreated and icy, school is cancelled and people are told not to make unneccesary trips...lol, its pretty cool actually! (no pun intended...!)

Check this out, snow on the beach!

spring

yes, it is very early to be thinking about spring, especially since i still have to take down my christmas tree!

but i have been starting my brainstorming process of what sort of things to make for the spring/summer collection, and i decided to start by choosing colours.

pink champagne, turquiose, coral and grey eucalyptus...

a new year, and some new finds!

The sun is shining and it feels like a brand new clean year!

I've just been down to the charity shop to snatch the first bargains of the year and here is what i came back with.

A treasure chest, for all those "X marks the spot" games, i'm imagining pirate parties with a bit of authenticty about them.. pity that someone wrote 3 euro on the front....!


A vintage set of linen damask tea-towels in their orginal box! they are still folded, never having been used! i'm not sure if these are for the kitchen or the bathroom as hand towels, what do you think?




Actually this photo is of a gift we recieved from some kind friends, these are hand crafted ceramic discs, which i am not sure where to put or how to hang, where would you put them, and how would you hang them? do drop a note with some suggestions!




(these are accompanied by some rosewater madelenes that i made, which my husband aptly re-named cuttlefish biscuits... mmm, they sound so appealing when you put it like that!)