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!)