Smitten with knittin'...

...so for the whole of january and most of february i didn't pick up my knitting needles once! then i promised myself that i wouldn't start any new projects until i had finished all my wips! it gets worse - as an extra incentive i instructed myself that i wouldn't use my fab new knitting bag until all my wips were done! technically my red cardi isn't quite finished but all the knitting and seaming is done and that's good enough for me, anyway, i'll press it tomorrow - honestly ;)

...so here she is, my beautiful new knitting bag :) she is designed and made by the very talented Hsin of Walking Wardrobe on etsy, i just adore this green fabric!

...and how perfect do my brooches from Sophie (Sophie Isobel Designs) look perched along the top?

...the two best things about this bag are, a - it has a really wide opening so you can get to all your bits and bobs without having to rummage around in fear of being stabbed by a knitting needle, and b - it's so roomy, i've got two wips living comfortably in there! think of how many wips i could have on the go if i got another one ;)

...now i'm off to satisfy another knitting urge, hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

emma
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My moodboard...

...i'm pleased to say i have achieved a couple of things this week, i have re-hung my mood board picture frame with a new print in it. actually it's a sheet of wrapping paper designed by Hanna Werning, you can get it in the uk here...

...i've also got a couple of her prints on postcards too, the yellow and brown ones on the left, you can see more of them here...

...this butterfly one is my favourite, i love the mix of motifs and the colours are just gorgeous...

...part of this AnimalFlowers collection is also available as a wallpaper-poster, such a cool idea!
...

...another thing i achieved this week was to tidy my spring fabric collection and arrange it in pretty colour groupings...

...despite being surrounded by all this beautiful pattern and colour i just can't seem to lift myself out of this design funk i've been in for the last couple of weeks. i don't know what's going on, i feel like i've got lots of ideas in my head but they're not working their way down to my fingers and into my work, so frustrating!

...i have managed to finish my last knitting wip though, my gorgeous red cardigan, it just needs to be blocked and a button added before i can show you some pics...

...anyway, i hope there is more creating going on in your space than there is here, and remember to check out Kootoyoo's blog for more creative spaces...

emma
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Wonderful colour...

...to inspire your monday!

...i'm loving brights at the moment, especially turquoise and mustard yellow, with hints of red and green - so fresh, vivid, exciting, optimistic, playful, fun and full of energy! they're definately inspiring me today, how about you - what's inspiring your monday morning?

emma
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Fields of flowers...

...as far as the eye can see, it seems that i got carried away with my little crochet hook and threads and made far too many flowers for my custom order, even too many for me to use up in my design work! so, i've added three little batches of these lovelies to my etsy shop...

...spring shades...

...winter blues...

...autumnal tones...
...

...it seems that the search for a white picture frame, or a frame that i like and could paint white, is going to take a little longer than expected. once i do and once i get it looking all pretty i'll be sure to post a pic :)

emma
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Picture tag...

...the very sweet Sophie, of her library adventures, tagged me just the other day. thankfully it's a picture tag so i don't have to rack my brain to come up with yet more random facts ;)

...i know there a couple of these tags going about and the rules say you're supposed to pick the fourth pic from the sixth folder and so on... but once i started looking i got lost in all my old pics and eventually found this one of my studio before i renovated it (try not to notice the awful wood chip!). i completely forgot about having this frame on my wall and using it as a mood board to show off some of my postcard collection. hmm... i think this may be a plan for my sunday afternoon, find some nice white frames and freshen up my studio and ideas a little...

...i'm not going to tag anyone directly for this one, but if you've read this and feel like doing it yourself go ahead, and leave me a wee note...

emma
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Where has the week gone...

...i can't believe it's thursday already! so many lovely and pretty things to blog about...

...firstly, a huge thank you to the lovely Linda, of stripeymonkey - you know, the button lady who makes the gorgeous jewellery ;) Linda wrote a lovely post for me last week after snapping up one of my embroidered cards, i hope Mr.Stripeymonkey loved it too :)

...also, i found out that last week another of my cards was featured in a treasury by Julia of materialised, check out her etsy shop for some really cute little purses and pin cushions...

...and, one of my cushions made it to the etsy front page - yay!
...

...oops, edited to add - how could i forget that my stunning red treasury made it to the etsy front page too!!! thank you to everyone who sent a message letting me know, fortunately i was sat at my computer at the time and saw it with my very own eyes - yay and double yay :)
...

...now onto this week, where i have lots of knitting and crochet ideas going on. this was the state of my creative space this morning...

...a mass of little crochet flowers, some of which will be making up a custom etsy order, maybe some for cards and a few for my kids designs. a new batch of swing tags for sending off with orders and just in the corner there you can see 'ruby' waiting patiently for her buttons - she's gone red with embarrassment at being snapped in such a state!

...here she is with buttons and stuffing looking much happier, now she is waiting patiently in my etsy shop for someone to give her a new home...
...

finally, this week i've also managed to get another two scarf patterns written up and in my Ravelry store, you can see 'Beryl' and 'Vivienne' in the left hand column of this page. i'm so excited about the prospect of others wanting to knit up my ideas, i can't wait till some pics are posted :)

...now i'm off to finish those flowers, chart a couple of knitting pattern ideas, catch up on some blog reading and take a well earned tea and chocolate break...

emma
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...ps - thanks for tagging me sophie, i'll get onto it soon :)

Stunning red...

...will always be my favourite!

...i love that today changes the meaning of red, it stops being about christmas and that sense of cosy warmth. today it's about passion and beauty and we all need lots of that in our lives ;)

emma
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My very own tinnie...

...have i mentioned i have a thing for tins? not really? well i do, i think i have around thirty of them now both vintage and new ones. the more shabby and battered a tin is, the more interesting it is. it has a story, it has been used, it hasn't sat on a shelf and gathered dust, it has lived (well, as much as an inanimate object can live...). although i do love the idea of new tins and giving them their own story, so that one day they will go and live with someone else, someone who would treasure them as much as i did...

...today i have added a new tin to the family. these lovely ladies are from Tinniegirl, who has the most wonderful etsy shop. beautiful tins as far as the eye can see and all filled with vintage crafting goodies, in the colour of your choice no less!

...the top of this tin is beautifully embossed, and i love all the detail...

...i chose a red colour theme for my tinnie, just look at all these beautiful fat quarters of vintage fabrics and all those buttons :)

...my favourite fabric has to be this piece of folk printed linen, i'm thinking of some gorgeous new tea-towels, for display purposes only! i think this little embroidered car badge is so cute and would look fab on a little purse with some of those red buttons. oh, the possibilities!

...seriously, i think everyone needs a tinnie or two in their life. they're a brilliant idea and so inspiring, i know i'm planning to add a few more to my collection...

...hope everyone has a lovely crafting weekend...

emma
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Red, white and blue...

...this week my creative space has been filled with lots of gorgeous patterned fabrics in all shades of red, white and blue for some nautical themed designs...

...i had to get a pic of these little applique pieces before i started cutting and stitching them. i love the simplicity of the shapes and how vibrant that red is...

...remember to call into kootoyoo's blog for more lovely creative spaces...
...

...i have been inspired this week by this lovely range of 'bloom' cards by the strawberry card company. i know it's one of their older ranges but their collections never fail to inspire me, the simplicity of the shapes and colour is just beautiful...

...

...oh, and after all my boasting about the lack of snow here, we've had two dollops of it his week! spanner absolutely loves it, i think he's eaten his own weight in snowballs every time we've gone for a walk :)

emma
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It's taken a while...

...but i've finally got organised and opened my own designer page on Ravelry. admittedly i've only uploaded one pdf pattern so far, but i'm so excited that i managed to do everything right :)

...so this is 'Lily', a beautiful mohair lace scarf. she is so soft, cuddly and warm, perfect for these cold winter days. i've knit her up a few times now as gifts, the latest one being this gorgeous blue version that was a christmas present for my mum-in-law...

...at the moment she is only available as a Ravelry download, for $3.00, until i figure out how pdfs are sold on etsy, then i will list her there at the same price. now that i know what i'm doing i'm hoping to get a couple other patterns written up and listed as free downloads (ravelry only). then, after all that, maybe i can get some actual knitting done instead of just writing about it! can you believe i don't have my own 'Lily' - shocking ;)
...

...i want to give a huge thank you to the lovely Gunnel (blog and etsy shop) for being the first person to feature a piece of my work in her treasury, yay! my 'lace star' card is in good company with these utterly beautiful textile works. unfortunately i think this treasury has expired now, i was a bit slow with my blogging today :(

...they always come in pairs, the three lovely ladies at las lopez las have included my granny cushion 'molly' in their pretty purple treasury, double yay!

...and to top things off, i also want to say a huge thank you to Michelle for dedicating an entire blog post to my work and my blog. she fell in love with my little notebook pages and was inspired to start her own creative thinking space - you know i still want to see them some day Michelle :)

emma
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A hint of romance...

...for everyday!

...my man and i decided a long time ago, at the beginning of our relationship, that it's the little details and gestures that are important. those little things that you do everyday that probably seem insignificant, but if they weren't there that bond would become fragile. we also decided that we wouldn't be 'told' when we should be romantic, so valentines day isn't so important to us. love and romance should be natural and effortless...

...i know my man reads my wee blog, so this is for him...

...i love you...

emma
X

Tea break...

...a steaming hot cup of peppermint tea and a thick slice of homemade banana and sultana bread - yum!

...this light and airy corner of my studio is my creative space today. as it's such a glorious sunny day i thought i would get some pics of the newly finished ethel and mavis, who will be popping up in my etsy shop over the next day or two, so keep you eyes peeled...

...remember to pop by kootoyoo's blog to see more creative spaces...
...

...yesterday the weather was a completely different story, it didn't seem as though there was any daylight at all. after a very unpleasant dog walk in the icy cold rain and wind i came home to find this wonderful little parcel waiting for me...

...so many thoughtful and delicately wrapped layers were gently peeled back to reveal my custom order of these delightful 'I heart...' brooches by the lovely Sophie, take a peek at her etsy shop where you can find more 'I heart...' themes...

...'I heart Buttons', 'I heart Crochet' and 'I heart Chocolate', and i just love that she called them 'The Emma Lamb Collection' :)

...Sophie writes a beautiful blog too, full of elegant and quirky things as though you had taken a trip down the rabbit hole with alice...
...now i'm off to browse etsy, continuing the quest for the perfect knitting bag and one that i can pin my new brooches to ;)

emma
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Lovely surprise...

...this morning i got a wee message from the lovely Jennifer Ramos, of MadeByGirl, letting me know that she had included isobel in a blog post...

...it's such an honour that she would choose to feature one of my cushions, especially along side other very talented etsians! Jennifer has such a great eye for beautiful clean colours, i highly recommend a peek at her blog and shop, just make yourself a cup of tea first as you'll be drawn in by all the beauty and the hours will fly by...

...over the past week i've added another set of embroidered cards to my etsy shop, here are just a couple of them...

...one of them is already winging it's way through the postal system, yay! i had a lovely morning deciding how i wanted to package it up. i love brown paper parcels so i went for this idea, but used a satin ribbon instead of string - i didn't want to get too mary poppins with it ;)

...before it went on it's way i did manage to get a few lovely macro shots, they're up on my flickr pages...

emma
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ps... i hope you're all enjoying the snow! not so much of it here, but it may be a different story in the morning...

Soft blue and taupe...

...and a little bit of love!

...some nice soothing colours and beautiful items to ease us into a relaxing sunday morning :)

...okay, so not only is this a lovely treasury, it's also a blatant plug for my mams new etsy shop, A Crooked Sixpence. as well as some beautiful handmade cards, you will also find those very cosy (trust me, i've tested them) cushions on the left. she hand knits them herself with a variety of aran style cable patterns and they are finished with handmade waxed buttons, made by my dad no less! they have already proved very popular, within a day of opening the shop four sets of them were snapped up! she plans to expand her range to include table sets and hot water bottle covers, amongst other things. although my mam loves knitting, her first passion is handmade cards...

...this little baby boy design is one of my favourites, so cute! so if you have a few minutes to spare go and take a peek at her shop, i know it will make her day :)

emma
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