Lovely ladies...

...can i just say 'thank you' to every one who left such sweet and kind messages on my last post. waking up to them this morning was so inspiring, you totally made my day! seriously, you are the loveliest bunch of ladies and i'm really enjoying getting to know you all and your work :)

...so here are the finished swimsuits, just before i sent them away this afternoon. i decided to edge them with bias binding, i knotted the straps and put little bows on the hips. i think the finished look works really well...

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...i'm very flattered that some of you would like dress your wee ones in my designs :) although you would have to go to the US some time next summer to find them, that's if they sell of course! unfortunately my designs as they are, aren't wearable - they are just concept designs...

...i hope you all have a lovely creative day and lots of fun...

emma
x

Busy creating...

...i completely forgot about posting for 'my creative space' last week, too busy with the actual creating. so to make up for it i'm doing this weeks post today, instead of a thursday or friday. i've mostly been busy with more of the little swimsuit designs, this time some bright, tropical, tie-dye florals. i'm thinking of adding ribbon straps and little bows on the hips before sending them off tomorrow...

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...lately, a few people have been asking me if i find it difficult working on such cheery designs in the middle of winter... well, i used to, until i realised that i needed to change my work space to suit the mood of whichever season i was working on. so at the beginning of the spring / summer season i pull out everything that's bright and cheery - fabrics, threads, buttons, beads, sequins, ribbons, etc and put it all on my desk and shelves in front of me. my whole workspace becomes one giant mood board filled with pattern and colour. then i pull out a pile of reference material and start designing, there's no time for sampling or testing ideas i just have to get on with it. once i've got a couple of groups under my belt then my head is in the right place for the season and ideas seem to flow quite nicely :)

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...i've also been wanting to tell you about these delicious chocolates my man bought for me at the weekend...

...little chocolate leaves by hachez, 88% cocoa and utterly delicious, and what's great is that they come in this really cute little tin with a sliding lid...

...yummy...

emma
x

Contrast...

...here's the nearly completed ethel and her wee pal mavis, it's been so lovely to work with these ladies this week. mavis is inspired by the florence broadhurst rug design, by knots rugs. i've got so many ideas for these granny cushions, i just wish i could crochet faster...

...they have also been a welcome break from these eye-wateringly (making up words as i go!) bright swimsuit designs. cute little fishies and underwater pretties...

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...don't get me wrong, they're great fun to work, they just dazzle my eyes a wee bit...

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...i want to say a huge thank you to everyone for your support with my new etsy shop. all of you who took the time to have a wee peek at my wares, and maybe added a few new favourites, you're all very kind and i appreciate it soooo much! i've had such a huge smile on my face all week :)

...thank you...

emma
x

Feeling the love...

...for my fabulous new camera, especially the macro function :)

...and for mustard yellow tones. i've been itching to pick up my crochet hook since christmas and this weekend i found myself with a bit of free time. so freshly inspired by my mimosa treasury i grabbed a few balls of yummy-ness and set to...

...can you tell what it is yet?

...she will be called 'ethel', a lovely new granny cushion, and once she is finished she will be joining molly and isobel in my brand spanking new etsy shop - yay!!!

...as well as getting work ready for the trade show i've spent the last few weeks getting together all the things i needed for my own wee shop. i hadn't really anticipated all the things i would need to consider and prepare for. but the last thing i needed was a decent camera, one that could capture the detail of my embroidered cards (i mentioned them in this post, eons ago)...

...here are a few of the first batch i listed yesterday...

...it's been a wee while since i made these, but i had a lovely afternoon rediscovering and remembering how much fun they were to embroider. i'm so pleased with these pics, i think they really do them justice...

...now i just need to do some promo work and find them a new home - any tips are welcome as i'm a little unsure, it's not something i need to do with my kids designs. thank you in advance...

emma
x


...ps - i just found out tony hart died yesterday, like me i'm sure lots of you were inspired by his talent and have fond memories of his tv programmes. remember morph?

Mimosa...

...hot for 2009!

...i can't remember where i started, but i linked my way to the pantone site this morning. they have chosen mimosa as the colour of 2009. if i'm honest, i'm generally not a fan of yellows. there isn't a drop of it around my home or in my wardrobe and i tend to avoid working with it in large doses. but, i seem to be warming to these dirtier, more mustard tones...

...i'm thinking i need to add to my yarn stash...

emma
x


...ps - picked up my new camera today - yay! while trying to sleep, poor little spanner has been a reluctant model - i'll see what i can upload tomorrow :)

Creative thinking space...

...apart from a pile of paperwork and a quick trip to the post office, today has mostly been about this little notebook - my creative thinking space...

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...this is where i bring all of my ideas together for the kids designs - lots of notes and sketches and as many fabric swatches as i can staple around the edges. this spread is from the last few days, ideas for spring 2010...
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...this one - ideas for fall 2009 that i worked on last summer...
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...this one - summer 2009, ideas i worked on this time last year...
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...this one is a mix of my own ideas and little doodles of designs i've seen and loved. i'm not really one for collecting clippings, i much prefer to make a sketch of something i've seen. i think it helps me form good, solid ideas in my mind far more quickly...

...it's always lovely to see the beautiful things others make, but sometimes what can be really interesting is the is the start of an idea, the raw thought that's scribbled down on a page or scrap of paper. sophie, over at her library adventures, has posted about her inspiration journal and i'm sure lots of others will too as part of the 'my creative space' meme, can't wait :)

emma
x

Butterflies and tulips...

...i've just finished my first group of these little dresses, so here's a pic as promised...

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...it's a great template to work with, i've got so many ideas for different styles and themes so here's hoping they will do well this season...

...i'm currently waiting for the lovely postman to bring me one of these, so i can get some cool pics of my work. you know the pics i mean - the ones that actually make it look like i know what i'm doing with a camera! my current one is a little polaroid 4.2mp, i know, the poor little thing can't cope with any detail...

...it's a short and sweet one today, my eyes are frazzled from all the embroidery work and they need a wee rest, i think a cup of tea and some chocolate will help :)

emma
x

Just enough time...

...for a sneaky treasury today...

...beautiful details... ...in soft, gentle colours...

...just a few of the really beautiful things i've been finding on etsy lately. i'm especially loving how each one has a light and airy feel to them, they remind me that slowly but surely the dark nights will ebb away and it won't be long before the snowdrops are poking their heads out of the soil. i can't wait for late winter / early spring when things start to come to life again and i can peel off the umpteen layers of winter clothing...

emma
x

My creative space...

...okay, so i know i'm a day late with this one - but thursday's are for packing and posting designs, so i think a weekly pic of the post office queue would be a bit dull. instead i'm going to do 'my creative space' on a friday as it's usually when i'm starting a new group of designs and my desk is cluttered with ideas and inspiration. far more interesting i think, so this is my desk this morning...

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...this piece is the skirt section of a dress template, once i've finished the design i'll gather the top edge and attach it to the vest section - i'll post a pic when it's done...

...i've added the link button for 'my creative space' to my sidebar, it will take you to kootoyoo's blog where you can see kirst'y space and a list of everyone else who's taking part. i enjoyed looking at every one's desk last year, sometimes it's really reassuring to see how others work. so i thought this year i would join in :)

...and for continuity here's the mosaic for the crochet flower designs, i'm quite pleased with how they turned out...

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...these and lots of others are now off to the trade show which starts next week...

...this has been such a long and busy week (the christmas holiday feels like it was a month ago!), but i'm slowly catching up with everyone and all the things i need to do. i'm hoping that i will have something exciting to tell you about next week, but with the huge to do list i have it may be a little longer...

emma
x

Fresh finds...

...inspiring a new year.

...welcome to 2009!

...i love the new year - it always makes me feel so bright and optimistic, and excited about new possibilities. hopefully i've captured some of that with this treasury. i love every piece for it's colour, pattern and texture and because each one is so cute and quirky...

...i hope you all had a great holiday? mine was a rare treat as i left all my work at home and spent a lovely time with family - obviously eating way too much, but the brisk dog walks along freezing cold beaches helped combat the expanding waist line! i completely forgot to pack my camera so sadly no pics of the frosty winter wonderland :(

emma
x

...ps - i have a ton of things to be working on just now but i am slowly trying to catch up on all my blog reading and e-mails, so if you're waiting you should hear from me soon :)