weekend inspiration...

...1. xadrez e flores, 2. Camillas place, 3. score!, 4. new print - rainy day in autumn, 5. ., 6. made some boxes, 7. boutons-detail, 8. em Belém, 9. rain...

...i have decided that this weekend i should try to embrace the rotten weather ~ yes i think i may have finally gone loopy!

...i shall pile on the layers of jumpers, scarves and gloves (no hats though, i don't do hats!) and brave the beach, yes the beach in winter! that is as long as it doesn't snow, i don't know about you but i think there is something so very wrong about seeing the sand and seaweed covered in snow...

...i shall go armed with my wee man and my camera to see what beauty can be found on a very grey and very british day. hopefully i will be able to snap at least one pic that is half as pretty as these in my mosaic today, which was inspired by my planned expedition and the thought of the rough waves lapping against the pebbled beach. i know that all sounds very romantic and once i get there, with my numb fingers unable to work the camera buttons, i'm sure i won't be nearly as enthusiastic about it all... ;)

...wishing a wonderful weekend, and hoping that you find some small nugget of beauty that makes you smile... :)

emma
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cryptic...

...and colourful...

...but i'm not nearly as far along with this project as i wanted to be today, i had hoped to have them finished ready for tomorrow but i've been lacking in motivation this week. the outside world has felt so grey and uninspiring, not one ray of sunshine has poked through the thick clouds...

...so absolutely no chance of a decent photographing session! that is unless you have a whole lot of determination, a strong daylight bulb in your desk lamp, a basic knowledge of the macro function on your camera, and then a whole lot of patience for editing the best of what can only be described as an iffy bunch of pics...

...et voila! a few cryptic and only slightly iffy pics!

...anyway, i shall tell you more about them next week, along with a shop update and maybe even a giveaway... ;)

...here's hoping you all had a far more creative week than i did!?

emma
x

midnight ~ indigo ~ navy ~ blue...

...peacock fan no. 1 ~ spinthread...

...Charming norwegian cocktail tray ~ jawaddel...

...Snap pouch in navy daisy ~ PonderandStitch...

...Three Ornate Italian Metal Frames with Classic Prints ~ susantique...

...Wooden Cupcake Pincushion ~ raycious...

...i have a wee bit of a thing for blues today, particularly kimono style deep dark indigo and especially if it's next to a lovely rich mustard yellow. not very spring like i know, but i couldn't help my eye being drawn to these lovely finds on etsy today...

...as you can probably tell i still haven't had any luck in snagging a treasury slot, the treasury gods certainly aren't smiling down on me at the moment! but if they have their way it won't be long before we can all grab as many as we like, whenever we like! to be honest i'm not quite sure what i think about that... on one hand it will be great because i won't need to hang around the pc for ages waiting for old treasuries to expire, but on the other the thrill of the chase will be gone! it will kinda take a bit of the fun away if you know what i mean, if you don't... then yes, you're right! i probably should get out more... ;)

...it seems there are lots of big changes planned for etsy, now that it's founder is back on the scene. you can read about them in the announcement section of the forums (a place i dare not tread very often!) and specifically here, here, here and here. it all sounds very exciting and i can't wait to see what it means for my wee shop!

emma
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colour your monday happy...

...with utter loveliness and more thoughts of spring!

...DSC_0318 ~ jowrites365...

...My Afternoon Corner ~ sophieisobeldesigns...

...untitled ~ E L K...

...Over Sized, "I Feel Pretty" Bow Brooch ~ Mrs:B...

...untitled ~ Yvette Inufio...

...i so hope this wee group of images goes some way to inspire you just as much as they are inspiring me today!? they are all recent additions to the 'all colours in' pool and are some of my absolute favourites. not only are they gorgeous in themselves, but they are reminding me that the winter doesn't last forever and before long there will be flowers everywhere and not just my own crocheted ones! soon the bulbs will be sprouting and our local park will be full of snowdrops and daffodils, and the flower shops will be full of hyacinths and tulips. i know it will be a while before the butterflies a fluttering about but i do love Yvette Inufio's image... :)
...

...now then, i really must thank my wee helper for filling in for me yesterday, i'm sure a few tasty treats and a wee cuddle on the sofa should do the trick!

...i also really need to thank all of you too for being such lovely blogging buddies and casting your vote my way in the Crafters category for the Poppies. i am completely heart warmed and almost speechless, but thank you so much!!!
...and, well... ummm, if you're interested i have also been nominated in the Housewares category. but i think i would be pushing my luck a wee bit if i asked follow this link and vote for me again, let's face it you aren't the kind of people who are going to fall for my dreadful attempts at flattery again. no, no, you are all way too intelligent to be putting up with any of that nonsense! so how about if i begged, or is that being too needy?

emma
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dear blogging lovelies...

...please excuse emma's absence over the last few days, she has been ever so busy with her homework. lots of writing, editing photos, crocheting lots of wee flowers and adding a few new things to her etsy shop ~ all very exciting but also a wee bit tiring, and so she has not been able to keep up her blogging duties like a good girl should...

...but be sure she will be back bright and early on monday morning with lots of yummy pictures for the pleasure of your colour hungry eyes. until then i hope you are enjoying these colourful pics of what she has been working on...

...and if you fancy a wee read, then feel free to pop over to 'tea for joy' where you can find a wee interview she did with the lovely Lynne as part of her 2010 Style Resolutions...

...thank you kindly, woof!

spanner
x

...ps ~ on behalf of emma i would like to thank you all for your votes and wonderful comments regarding the poppies, they have made her especially happy this weekend and i am sure she will thank you all personally when she comes back tomorrow...

...pps ~ if you would like to see more pics of me, rather than all this crochet nonsense, follow this link... ;)

oh my!

...i have been nominated for one of the 'Poppies' in the 'Crafters' category!
...the 'Poppies' are the first annual virtual awards run by the Poppytalk blog, and aim to honour all those who are part of the ever inspiring handmade community...

...firstly ~ a huge, huge thank you to every one who nominated me, i am utterly thrilled and stunned and can't stop smiling... :)

...secondly, yes i am going to be shameless here ~ if you like my crochet work and want to make me extra specially super happy and smiley, please click this link, choose my name from the list and click 'vote', easy peasy!
...and thank you... :)

...oh, and did i mention you're looking lovely today, have you done something new with your hair? ...and might i say that outfit you're wearing today looks especially fabulous on you! it's your pyjamas you say, well i never! i wish i looked that good in my pjs... ;)

emma
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a happy find...

...today, while sorting through some old image files on my computer, i found these shots of my vintage darning silks. i absolutely love the rich and sumptuous colour so i thought i would post them up here...

...and what makes it a very happy find is that i had completely forgotten that i'd taken them... :)

emma
x

colour your monday happy...

...with colourful crochet!

...Organic Cotton Crochet Flowers ~ Annie Design...

...Crochet Blankets ~ snailtrail.co.uk vw camper hire...

...Multi Granny Squares ~ london mummy...

...ripple blanket ~ kec19...

...granny squares ~ mialiv...

...it has been the most lovely crochet filled weekend, making a huge pile of flowers, and squares, and roses, and all kinds of pretty things! i had a lovely wee crocheting 'epiphany' last week and have busied myself with making it a reality, but it's not quite there yet so i have to make you wait a wee bit longer... :)

...so today i thought i would share some of the wonderful crochet images that have been added to the 'all colours in' pool. crochet is possibly the most popular theme in the pool with seventeen pages (over 400 images!) coming up when i did a wee search this morning! so if you're in need of some inspiration, or even motivation to get on with your own crocheted yummy-ness (i know i have a neglected ripple blanket that still needs it's ends weaving!), then pop on over for a wee peek... :)

...wishing you all a colourful and creative week!
emma
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weekend inspiration...

...turquoise ~ Pantone's colour of 2010...

"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being."

...i agree, not so much with the tropical waters, but certainly with soothing and dreamy. for me it is a very nostalgic colour reminding me of beautiful vintage housewares, such as this phone, this soup tureen and this lunch box! and if you're one of those lovelies who has a thing for vintage typewriters you'll know exactly what i mean... :)
...and i absolutely love it teamed with a vibrant red as Bird in the Hand has done with her retro styled bedroom vignette in the centre of the mosaic here...

...1. Turquoise corner of my home ~ Karin A ~, 2. A happy vintage find! ~ holiday jenny, 3. Room 606 in the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen ~ ooh food, 4. Snowblind ~ IrenaS, 5. bedroom vignette ~ Bird in the Hand, 6. bok choy ~ snappingtwig, 7. *~*~* ~ Madeline Bea, 8. bamboo pieces ~ Lila Ruby King, 9. Chrysanthabean ~ Claudie C-G...
...

...now that i'm feeling all soothed and dreamy i'm off to spend a quiet weekend with just the wee man (my not so wee man has gone off to a card magicians convention!), my hook and yarn, and a stash of chocolate ~ although my chocolate stash is looking quite small, less than half a bar in fact! so i may just have to venture out into the weather tomorrow... *shudder* ;)

...wishing you all the most wonderful and relaxing weekend and i shall see you all back here on monday morning!
emma
x

getting organised...

...i have done my de-cluttering, i have organised, tidied, sorted, filed, recycled, shredded, arranged and re-arranged...
...all that is left to do is to take one quite large bag to the charity shop, stop fiddling with my newly and neatly arranged yarn stash (now guarded by the happy girls!) and get down to some crafty business... :)

...although, as you can see i have already been up to a wee bit of crafty business ~ i did find a few minutes for crocheting some new flowers, and a few more minutes to string them together into one or two garlands. so as soon as the sun finds a few minutes to shine and i can spend a few more minutes photographing them ready for a wee shop update...
...

...amongst all the de-cluttering i did find a few minutes to put together a new wee blog over on tumblr. although it won't be quite the same as this one where i waffle on between the pretty pics! no, my tumblr blog is only going to be about the pretty pics, 'woo-hoo!' i hear you cry... ;)

...for a while i've been wanting a wee space where i can collect and organise my most favourite and inspiring images. usually i just save them into a folder on my computer, trying to get as much info into the file name as possible so i can remember where i found them. but of course that never really works, does it!?
...the thought of using tumblr didn't occur to me until a few days ago when i was reading Jennifer's unique blog, which almost feels like a galley with the beautiful images she has gathered together. so now i have created my own wee gallery space and am feeling quite organised indeed!
...

...and what is really surprising me is that amongst all of that, i even found a few minutes to take part in a wee interview for the lovely Gina of 'bright and blithe'. so if fancy a wee read then grab yourself a fresh brew and a sweet treat and hop on over there... :)

...yep, i am feeling super duper organised! okay, okay... so we'll agree to gloss over the huge pile of e-mails i need to write ~ i promise they're on my to do list for tomorrow! along with something really exciting that i can't wait to tell you about, but i'm going to have to... ;)

emma
x

happy girls and singing birds...

...there's nothing quite like the most lovely parcel of goodies dropping through your letter box to cheer you up for the rest of the day, or even the week!

...this wee bundle of loveliness came from the ever so talented Mitsy of ArtMind ~ with one or two extras from both her and the equally lovely Anna of Lila Ruby King, but more about that in a bit...
...over the last few weeks i've been browsing etsy armed with some christmas pennies, and mostly i've been quite indecisive as to what to buy. that was until i popped into Mitsy's wee shop and saw these two wee singing birds. they are actually inspired by Anna's tiny bird inspired artwork, so as i am a massive fan of both these lovely ladies i just had to have them!

...and on their journey from Belgium they were chaperoned by a gaggle of giggling 'happy girls'...

...who made themselves at home in an instant, and who took upon the job of guardians of my newly organised yarn stash! it makes me smile and helps me sleep well at night knowing my yarn is safe... ;)

...so as i said there were a few extras in my wee parcel, these lovely ladies were one of them along with a set of postcards from both Mitsy and Anna. they were my prize for getting second place in a competition over on Mitsy's blog. the idea of the competition was to guess who she was working with as part of her 'secret project', luckily i guessed it was Anna and her jewelry designs...
...and honestly this collaboration is a match made in heaven. Misty has made the most delicately textured porcelain beads and pebbles for Anna to use in her designs, which are just beautiful...

...the first time i saw these i was completely mesmerised. i adore the Loop Necklace but i must say my favourite has to be this brooch, Formation No 1. you can see the rest of the range here, in Anna's jewelry shop. i'm guessing that there will be more designs yet to come as the infamous Barbie hands are yet to make an appearance, i so can't wait to see what is made from these... ;)

emma
x

colour your monday happy...

...with pretty flowers in refreshing pinks and greens!

...pink orange & green ~ wood & wool stool...

...new slippers ~ Ravenhill Designs...

...vintage fabric ~ Creature Comforts...

...Home Sweet Home ~ MayaLee ♥...

...Masterwort ~ Craft & Creativity...

...this week i'm feeling much more refreshed and optimistic! i've managed to pull myself out of the 'cold weather funk' i was wallowing in, hugely helped by the fact that we've had a tropical five degrees here the last two days and most of the snow is now gone. so obviously i'm have delusions of spring being just around the corner and not another two months away, but hey, i like the delusion... ;)
...so in my deluded state i thought i would search for some pretty flowers in the 'all colours in' pool over on flickr. it turned up so many gorgeous images that i feel completely inspired to create a wee bit of my own spring cheer with a few crochet flowers...

...wishing you all a wonderfully creative week!
emma
x

weekend inspiration...

...staying cosy at home with beautiful handmade textiles ~ layers of crochet and quilted textures in soft whites, with rainbow coloured details for a fresh and optimistic feel...
...oh, and the occasional sweet and tasty treat!

1. detail02 ~ EmiShimosato02, 2. lemon cups ~ Creature Comforts, 3. forgotten... ~ dottie angel, 4. a bedroom ~ good mood factory, 5. newbandos ~ danske, 6. IMG_9372 ~ tovemichelle12, 7. white and green ~ littlejennywren, 8. Untitled ~ ntmtk, 9. * ~ aixxx
...

...my start to the new year has been a wee bit slow to say the least. i feel like i've been way too focused on the chilly weather and trying to stay warm, and now that the forecast is for things to get colder and more snowy it's all just a bit too depressing!

...so today i think it's high time to snap out of it, shift my focus to more pleasing thoughts of crafty goodness! it's a new year, a fresh start, a time for optimism and creativity, time to get going on all these new ideas that were so gracious enough to pop into my head during the holidays...
...time for a wee bit of de-cluttering in my studio, and definitely time to dive into my yummy yarn stash and get a few new ladies ready to replenish the ranks of my wee shop... :)

...wishing you the very best of crafty weekends and i shall see you next week with one or two exciting new things!

emma
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