in my studio today...

...a wee bit more 'pink' than usual...

...the sun finally broke through rain and snow clouds today and i was able to snap a couple of pics of these pretty pink carnations before they all turn brown and wither completely...

...(for the last few days poor old scotland has been hit with some torrential downpours and gale force winds, which then turned into a snowstorm yesterday!)...

...also, a new lady that i can't seem to put down today. she seems to be turning out much 'pinker' than i had planned her to be, but when the colours feel right so you gotta go with it...

emma
x

colour your monday happy...

...inspired by gorgeous greens...

...Can smell Spring already... ~ Mundo Flo...

...Atelier LZC Hanging Peacocks ~ Paola: mirrormirror...

...untitled ~ Kelty of Steep Street...

...weekend is here... ~ Kobo H...

...Vintage coffee cups ~ svankatwijk...

...spring greens and vintage greens ~ from chartreuse to teal, and every shade in between...
...in my mind the colour of life and new beginnings, optimistic and refreshing...
...but also a familiar and reassuring colour that gives me a lovely sense of warmth and nostalgia...
...it always makes me think of holidays as a child, driving around the british country side on gorgeous sunny days. exploring nature and wildlife with a sense of wonder and fascination...
...it still fascinates me today...

...remember to pop on over to 'all colours in...' if you're in need of a wee colour boost this (dreary!) monday morning...

...wishing you all a creative day!
emma
x

palette ~ spring sunshine...

...1. bubustudio, 2. chara*coco*, 3. lush bella, 4. tovemichelle12, 5. meandmypictures, 6. Paola: mirrormirror, 7. meplusmolly, 8. Planet Fur, 9. Kelty of Steep Street...

...you may have noticed that i'm quite taken with the 'aqua and yellow' combo at the moment. it's such a perfect pairing for spring and i can't help but think of beautiful blue skies and bunches of bright yellow daffodils ~ bliss!

...do you remember the 'colour palette generator' i mentioned a few weeks ago?
...well i've tried it a few times on some of the other mosaics i've made and it hasn't worked nearly as well as i hoped it would. it seems to work best with a group of images that have an even colouring, like the white one i originally tried it on. whereas with this mosaic it seemed to pick out lots of the more murky colours instead of focusing on the lovely yellows and blues. not that this isn't a lovely palette in itself, but it's not very springy is it?

...so to get this wee swatch palette i mocked up my own version in photoshop. then got busy with the 'pipette' and 'paint bucket' tools and picked out a much fresher and more springy collection. the only thing it's missing is some fun and colourful names ~ any ideas!?

...wishing you all a sunny sunday afternoon :)
emma
x

etsy ~ euro week...

...etsy is celebrating all things european with their 'euro week' this week. they have even launched french and german editions of their blog to go with the already established 'uk edition'...
...yep, there are lots of changes going on over on etsy just now, and i think it's really exciting to see them take such a keen interest in their international community as the site has evolved into such a vibrant international marketplace...
...so this morning i have taken a leisurely wander round the isles of that european corner of the marketplace in search of some beautiful new shops, and along the way i bumped into one or two old favourites...

...A Alicia Handmade Accessories ~~ 13threads...

...Super Duper Things ~~ strawberries and cream...

...Verte Adelie ~~ namolio...

...chocolatecreative ~~ Carambatack Design...

...A Crooked Sixpence ~~ summersville...

...Gifts & Stars ~~ niuTaller...

...Prince Design UK ~~ Moss Mountain...

...Planet Fur ~~ bombus...

...Art Mind ~~ fleur fatale...

...i do hope you enjoyed the lovelies i picked out today and that you have maybe even found a new favourite yourself :)

emma
x

garden party...

...hello my lovelies, i just wanted to drop in and show you all this gorgeous treasury featuring one of my 'forever flower garlands'...
...it was curated by the lovely Jessica Torres and is themed around a spring garden party. i think it's about to expire soon, but if you get the chance do pop by and have a peek at these lovelies, i promise it will brighten your day no end, as it has brightened mine :)

...at the moment our wee garden only gets the sun very early in the morning, like 6~8am, and as i don't haul my ass out of bed til at least 8am there's not much chance of any kind of garden party just yet!
...but the lovely thing is, i get to throw open the bedroom curtains and let the sun stream through my windows for the last lovely half hour in bed. it has been so sunny here the last few weeks that i've been able to do this nearly every morning. do you know, i've just about forgotten the trauma of the chilly winter snow ;)

...wishing you the most wonderful spring day...
emma
x

colour your monday happy...

...i must admit i don't really have a theme today. i just started browsing the lovely submissions in the 'all colours in...' pool and pulled out a few that 'spoke' to me...
...et voila! ~ five images that i absolutely love because of their beautiful pattern, colour and texture :)

...Down my street ~ Laura Amiss...
...if you have a few spare minutes this morning i highly recommend that you check out Laura's Etsy shop too, for more of her exquisite textile illustrations...

...buttons ~ Darling Dexter...

...Sometimes We Give More Than We Can Spare ~ Ciel Photography...

...Checkerboard Quilt ~ One Flew Over...

...untitled ~ Purple Blossom...

...wishing you all a fabulous monday...
emma
x

refreshed...

...yes i am refreshed and raring to go today! last night my quiet evening was just as planned ~ wine, brownies and a good film...
...(Kill Bill part one, if your interested!? my fave of the two, because of the 'O-Ren Ishii' storyline, the 'anime sequence' and the homage to the anime with the 'Crazy 88' fight scene)...
...

...anyway less about samurai swords and onto some crocheted lovelies! i have added three new ladies to my wee shop this morning, let me introduce you to them...

...first up is wee 'greta' a sweet and lovely springy looking lady who was inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland' as part of this months challenge set by the Artisans Collective etsy team...
...she was directly inspired by wee Alice herself, with her blue dress, white apron and golden locks. i had intended her to be called Alice too, but once she was finished she just looked more like a 'greta' to me :)

...and so that wee 'greta' didn't feel so lonely i made up a couple of pretty spring 'forever flower garland' friends...

...meet wee 'ethel' and 'yvette'...
...with the addition of these new ladies i'm quite pleased with how flowery and springy my wee shop shelves are looking ~ yep! my wee brain is completely flowery just now :)

...wishing you all the most flowery weekend...
emma
x

busy bee...

...i have been as busy as a bee this week crocheting and tending my wee shop shelves, but today i seem to have run out of time...
...i had wanted to do the wee shop update today but it's already getting late and i'm pooped, and to be honest i quite fancy a quiet evening with a glass of wine, a good film and a pack of my favourite chocolate brownies that my man thoughtfully brought home today :)
...

...but before i go and settle in for the evening i thought i would leave you with a couple of my favourite images from flickr this week ~ springy perfection...

...dottie angel...

...LolaNova...

...lulaland...

...wishing you all the most wonderful evening and i shall see you bright and early tomorrow morning :)
emma
x

coming up roses...

...this week seems to be disappearing fast, i can't believe it's thursday afternoon already!
...although things may have been a wee bit quiet here on the blogging front, there has been lots of things going on behind the scenes...
...lots of crocheting and a few things almost ready for a wee shop update...
...a wee bit of embroidering, and a handful of new gift cards already added to the shop...
...a lot of pondering of new ideas and how i can make them happen...
...and a whole lot of tea drinking and chocolate devouring!

...i've also been updating my wee tumblr blog with a few new inspirational images. it wasn't until after i had added a dozen or so images that i realised that a lot of them are quite 'flowery', especially this one. it seems that my creative mind is tired of waiting for nature to offer up it's floral display this spring and has taken matters into it's own hands!

...so with my subconscious leading the way we have browsed etsy for some floral lovelies to brighten your day :)

...Spring Bouquet ~ Ameelia Bedelia...

...Peach paper roses ~ Sixpence Supplies...

...Vintage Towels ~ The Gingham Owl...

...Leisel Headband ~ Bebecha...

...Spring take me away Hobo ~ Cindymars7...

...Vintage Lilac and Rose Stripe Fabric ~ Beautiful Vintage Fabrics...

...wishing you all lots of tea and chocolate!
emma
x

colour your monday happy...

...with a rummage through a yummy fabric stash, either your own or one of these virtual vintage lovelies!

...fabric ~ Kitschcafe...

...stash ~ ATLITW...

...Pieced quilt binding ~ Sue McLoughlin...

...Hexagons ~ milliemorgan...

...box 'o scraps ~ kale handmade...

...Waiting... ~ One Flew Over......

...absolute bliss! really there's nothing quite like a beautiful pile of fabric with all it's gorgeous colour and pattern to get the creative juices flowing...
...as much as i love my neatly organised yarn stash sometimes it doesn't offer up the same level of inspiration as a fabric stash can...
...no matter how you organise your collection it can always surprise you with unexpected but exciting colour, pattern and texture combinations, with fabrics that you wouldn't ordinarily put together...

...so now that i'm feeling inspired after browsing through all this loveliness over at 'all colours in...', i'm off to work on a few of the projects i have on the go just now ~ more about them later :)

...wishing you all a wonderfully creative monday...
emma
x

light and shadow...

...on a sunny sunday walk by the river...

...this last pic is my favourite from the day ~ you can just make out a shadow of the wee man's tongue as he pants in the heat of the spring sunshine :)

...wishing you all a sunny sunday...
emma
x