etsy favourites : Lobster and Swan

Have you seen Jeska's latest edition to her gorgeous Etsy shop, Lobster and Swan... !? If you haven't then you are missing a truly delicious feast for your eyes...

All images: Jeska Hearne for Lobster and Swan

I know, I know... they are gorgeous!

In everything I have ever seen Jeska create, in the few years I have been following her lovely blog, she always seems to find the perfect balance between the bold, the delicate and the colourful. She never puts a stitch wrong and always creates such harmony. These beautifully bejewelled Bon Voyage charms are no exception and are entirely created in her sumptuous shabby chic style. If you have already discovered Jeska's work, as I am sure many of you have, then I know you will be nodding your heads furiously in agreement... :)

If not and you would like to know more about this incredibly talented lady then please do visit her beautiful blog and Etsy shop. Oh, and you can also find a lovely wee interview and home tour with her in the brand new British online magazine Heart Home... I suggest brewing up a cuppa before you visit any of these wondrous places because I am sure you will lose hours there just as I do.

Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

Image credits: 1. erica hogenbirk knitwear, 2. {brooke} april two eighty, 3. knitalatte11, 4. rainingsheep, 5. 甜心莎莉 (Sweet Sally)

Good morning... !

Today when I hopped on over to our fabulous 'all colours in' Flickr pool I found this perfect combination of black and grey inspired images just waiting for me on the front page... I do love it when that happens! They do have a lovely autumnal vibe too but without being full of traditional motifs and colours such as orange pumpkins and whatnot. Yes there is one lovely autumn leaf, captured so perfectly by knitalatte11, that she has paired with delicate white flowers and those black berries. But this hint of traditional mixed with lots of neutral black and grey makes for a more 'grown up' approach to autumn colour and beauty... at least I think so!

Oh, and I do love Sweet Sally's Waiting for the moon as it captures something about the autumn that I have a love hate relationship with. Yep those miserable dark nights when the rain is pouring which I hate but they do provide such perfect opportunities for such beautiful night bokeh shots as this... I am sure I have said this before but I do love a wee bit of bokeh!

Wishing you all a fabulous Monday,
Emma, x

colour palette : rose gold...

I've had a bunch of these dried yellow roses hanging in my studio for months now, they were a wee gift from my Man when he came home from work one day. They were really pretty buds when he gave them to me, but within a day or so they began to droop and dry out. I'm the kind of girl that like to see a bunch of flowers fade and die. I am always fascinated with the way the petals and leaves twist and contort into new shapes; the way the colours change and become more muted while also taking on more depth; and the way they take on a whole new sense of fragility as they become brittle.

But it wasn't until the start of the autumn that I really noticed the colour in these delicate blooms... the papery shades of gold, mustard and burnt orange. I love them against these muted greys and greens along with that gorgeous pop of bright pink (from one of my Cath Kidston bags). I think they make for a very pretty autumn palette, don't you... !?

Happy Saturday and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend... :)
Emma, x

and the winners are...

Good morning my lovelies... :)

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to delve into their fabulous button stash to share a few delicious pictures as part on my wee Pretty Peggy Garland pdf giveaway! All your collections are quite fabulous indeed and I have been perusing them with much jealousy and even a tiny bit of drooling... ;)
So without further ado and in no particular order, here are the three winners and my reasons for choosing them...

Laura of nimble fingers and steady eyebrows (I so love her blog title, don't you... !?) ~ Laura shared a picture of a very special tin of buttons on her blog and wrote... "As you know, I love buttons and I have quite a number of receptacles full of them in my craft space. These are my most precious buttons though. My Granny doesn't sew but she is a thrifty Yorkshirewoman and has saved spare buttons over the years. She kept them in an old tobacco tin of my Grandad's. When she moved house, she gave them to me and I love them for the tiny pieces of family history that they are. My favourite is the yellow sunshine button- I'm waiting for just the right project to use it..." I smiled a huge happy smile for Laura when I read this... :)

Vivienne of Green Rabbit Designs ~ Lovely Vivienne has inherited a gorgeous collection of her mother's buttons including one from her wedding dress (dating back to 1944!) and a very yummy flowery teal one that instantly caught my eye! She has also arranged them so beautifully in her Flickr picture here... :)

HoffiCoffi ~ Really I think the winner here should be Mr HoffiCoffi, for making a very special cycle trip just to buy this huge stash of buttons for his lovely lady... but I am sure that if I sent the prize to him he would then gift it to his lovely lady anyway... :) Thank you to Mrs HoffiCoffi for sharing such a fabulous find, I dream of the day I will happen across a Quality Street (or maybe even a Roses) tin that is full to bursting of fabulous buttons and rummaging through them to see what treasures lie within. Although there would be no pondering from this button hoarder, I would grab that tin with both hands and not let go... ;)

Congratulations lovely ladies... I have left you all a wee note, please do get in touch with me and I will send your wee prize right away... :)

Wishing you all a fabulous button filled day,
Emma, x

studio details: yesterday and today

Yesterday I tidied my wee studio. I always let it get in such a mess as I am completely terrible at putting things away properly. Usually that results in organised chaos but if I don't keep an eye on things it turns into pure, unadulterated chaos and I can't find anything I'm looking for. The worst thing is when I lose my crochet hooks, sewing needles or embroidery scissors. I know they will be in one of the many boxes, baskets or tins that hold all my projects, but which one!?

Do not fret, I have found them all! My hooks are safely in a wee jar on my desk, all the pins are back in my fabby Japanese pincushion and I think the scissors are in the drawer. At least I hope so because if they're not I have no idea where they are and will have to go buy yet another pair! So today I am ready to make a wee bit more chaos... :)

Btw, today is the last chance for you to enter my wee giveaway. I'll be closing the comments first thing tomorrow morning and will be choosing the winners soon after.

Until then have a fabulous day,
Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

Image credits: 1. Edera Jewelry, 2. Three Red Apples, 3. One Flew Over..., 4. endlesshue, 5. freefallingletty

Happy Monday to all you lovely folk... :)

Today I am loving lots of warm gold, autumnal yellows and yummy mustard from our 'all colours in' Flickr pool, I hope you are loving them too... !?

Talking of things autumnal... As part of the Celebrate Color festivities the lovely Kate Dixon, of One Flew Over, has put together a wee tutorial for a lovely crochet scarf / shawl (third picutre). The design is perfect for beginners and is really quick to make so if you are looking for a wee project to enter into the Celebrate Color September prize draw then this would be perfect for the yarn category! There are some very delicious yarn prizes on offer (so delicious that I am wishing I could enter too!), so why not get your hooks out, get crocheting and Celebrate Color... !?

Wishing you all a fabulous day,
Emma, x

colour palette : button stash...

Happy, happy Friday my everyone! I hope all of you have had a fabulous week... !?

I feel like I have been super busy catching up with everything after having a few days off last week but it has been great, kinda hectic but in a good way. Oh, and I am so thrilled you all love my Pretty Peggy Garland pattern. Thank you so much for all your kind words of support they really do mean so much to me, you guys are fab... !

As you are all rummaging through your gorgeous button stashes as part of my wee giveaway I thought I would have a wee rummage through mine and see what inspiration I could find for today's colour palette. This wee collection features some of my favourite vintage plastic buttons... see those two large floral moulded blue ones and the the two white carved flower ones... I adore them! Those I know will be in my collection forever because it will have to be a cold day in hell before I even consider parting with them... ! Hehe, so don't expect to see them on a cushion any time soon... ;)

I particularly love the contrast of muted blues and greys with the bright red and green in these vintage buttons, At first I wasn't sure these colours would hold together well in a palette but after a lot of fiddling and twiddling with the arrangement everything seemed to fall into place and hey presto... I love it just as much as those delicious buttons... :)

Oh, warning! I am about to toot my own trumpet again... This morning I was so excited to see a few of my lovely ladies featured over on the UK Handmade website in a wee craft profile article dedicated to crochet... yay!

Well my lovelies, I am off to finish up a few more bits 'n' pieces before signing off for the evening. So I shall wish you all a wonderful weekend... :)
Emma, x

Pretty Peggy Garland...

Hello my lovelies... :)

I have been busy pottering away this morning, twiddling and fiddling with loose ends here and there and finally everything is in place for my Pretty Peggy Garland. As well as the wee pattern in Issue 5 of Spoonful I now have a more comprehensive version available as a pdf download in my wee Etsy shop and on my Ravelry pages... yay!

"Let me introduce you to Miss Peggy, possibly the loveliest garland to ever come from my wee hook… ! At least if you are anything like me you will think so, because if you are anything like me then you will obviously love all things crochet, have a huge stash of pretty vintage buttons stashed away somewhere and will adore anything that uses such kitschy granny chic colours… !

This pattern is great for beginners who want to try crocheting flowers for the first time, as it is a simple pattern using the basic crochet stitches. A basic diagram is included with a chart for both UK and US terms."

Oh, and you don't need an account with either of these sites to get your hands on a copy of my Pretty Peggy Garland pdf as this handy dandy wee button here will allow you to buy a copy directly from my Ravelry pages without being a member... :)

Oh, and better still... why don't we have a wee giveaway!?

Now I know each and every one of you out there will have your very own button stash... be it large or small, vintage or not... organised by colour, size, material or age... or like mine, just randomly jumbled together in several different pots all around my wee studio! Thing is you get to see my buttons quite regularly on my lovely ladies, so now it's your turn to show me... !

Over the next week I would love it if you guys could take a wee snap of your button stash and either blog it or post it on your Flickr pages for example... basically post it somewhere we can all see it then pop back here and leave a wee comment with the link, easy peasy!

And the giveaway... this time next week I shall figure some way of choosing three of the most fabulous button collections and the owners of said collections will receive a free copy of my Pretty Peggy Garland pdf... :)

Nitty gritty...
- Please only post your entries / links in the comment thread of this post, entries / links posted elsewhere will not be eligible.
- Please ensure that you leave a way for me to contact you directly in the event you are chosen as a winner, preferably a current and valid e-mail address. If there is no way to contact you, you will not be eligible to win.
- I will contact the winners directly and place an announcement on this blog. If I do not hear back from the winner within three days I will choose an alternative winner for this giveaway.
- This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide.
- I will choose the winners myself (in some way) and all decisions are final.

I hope you all have a fabulous day and have fun with your buttons... !

Emma, x

a Spoonful of happiness...

Hello, hello... I do hope everyone in the UK is safe and well after the wild winds yesterday!? I know the forecast is still 'breezy' for today as Hurricane Katia passes us by... stay safe you guys!

Now then, lets get on with some of that exciting news I've been promising you. Have you seen the latest issue of Spoonful yet... !?

Spoonful has to be one of the loveliest wee indie zines I have ever had the pleasure of reading and delivers just as it promises on the cover, to be a wee happiness companion... :) This wonderful publication is the vision of the fabulous, passionate and creative woman Anthea Krook who has made it her mission to spread a wee bit of happiness one spoonful at a time...

"Spoonful is a short and inspiring little publication which, in light of our insanely busy lives and increasing ‘oh no, I must find time to read x’ can be finished by the end of a train ride. It’s quick to consume, beautifully soft, & after reading will genuinely make you smile."

As soon as Issue 5 dropped through my wee letterbox I carefully opened the envelope, popped the kettle on, grabbed a few squares of yummy dark chocolate and read it from cover to cover in a jiffy... Then I stroked the cover a few times and smiled to myself (Anthea was right, it genuinely makes you smile, you just can't help yourself!)... After a few more moments I re-read it, this time taking more care over the beautiful pages and thoughtful words. Christine Laennec's short story on page 6 struck a particular chord and immediately made me think of the discussions I have with my Man to pass the time on long car journeys to visit our families... really touching... :)

Of course there is another reason I am particularly loving this issue and that is because the fabulous Anthea invited me to write the Craft Therapy article for it... yay! I can't tell you how thrilled I was to be asked, especially as it includes a wee project tutorial... double yay!

So I put on my very bestest granny chic thinking cap (metaphorically speaking that is as I am not really the hat wearing type!) and gathered together lots of yummy bits 'n' pieces and deliciously coloured threads to whip up a wee 'Pretty Peggy Garland'... which I shall tell you more about tomorrow... :)

Until then if you would like to have your own gorgeous copy of Issue 5 of Spoonful you can find it here or here... or checkout the stockists page on the Spoonful website. Of course a bunch of the back issues are also available and I can't recommend them highly enough, I just know they will make you smile... :)

Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

Image credits: 1. Miss.5, 2. carriestrine, 3. All Things Bright, 4. Little Tin Bird, 5. hollybairy

Hello and happy Monday everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend... !?

I am fresh back from a wee break visiting my parents which was so lovely I almost didn't want to come home, at least not yet anyway! Before I left last week I had grand plans for a few wee pretty blog posts during the week as I have more exciting things I wanted to share with you... But of course the moment I arrived at my Mam's house any silly ideas of work or blogging vanished completely! Which was great in the end as I really needed the break... :)

Anyhoo, I do hope you enjoy today's wee selection of beautiful images from our 'all colours in' Flickr pool, I am quite in love with all this autumnal colour and beautiful pattern... so pretty!

Wishing you all a wonderful day,
Emma, x

Celebrate Color : delicious yarns...

Good morning! Are you all ready for some squishy deliciousness of the yummy yarn variety... !?
As part of the Celebrate Colour festivities I foolishly appointed myself the arduous task of trawling the isles of Etsy and the internet to find a collection of stunning yarns from some great independent dyers and spinners. I say foolishly because I have some serious yarn envy going on now, seeing all those sumptuously coloured skeins of wool, silk, alpaca and bamboo made me realise how un-colourful and puny my own stash actually is... (although I am pretty sure there would be some disagreements if I mentioned that wee fact to the man in my life!) ...anyhoo, of all the yarns and stores I looked I have picked out a few favourites to show you today. I am sure you will have already discovered some of them yourself (I know they have been in my favourites for as long as I can remember!) but hopefully there are a couple of new ones too. Get those credit cards ready... !

Fyberspates...
~ I'm guessing a lot of folk will have already heard of Fyberspates, but there is no way I could do a yarn post such as this and not include their Scrumptious collection. I am a huge fan of solid colours in particular and this range is full to bursting with rich saturated tones, even the pastel shades like 'baby pink' seem to ooze colour. It is a blend of 45% silk and 55% merino which makes it a really soft yarn but with a gentle sheen. - (Find them on Ravelry here).

On the Round...
~ On the Round is a new wee Etsy shop to me but as soon as I saw the muted pastels of Rachel's hand spun merino yarns I loved them. I think the colours are perfect for late autumn / early winter and think a chunky cowl would look perfect in any of her yarns... lovely! - (Find them on Ravelry here).

Wild Fire Fibres...
~ Oh Wild Fire Fibres, such a great Etsy shop for semi solid hand dyed yarns. I am particularly coveting these four colours currently available... Silverdale, Harvest Gold (Light), Redwood and India. Apart from the alpaca and silk blend Redwood that is a lace weight, they are all 4ply merino and silk blends making them perfect for cosy socks... I just wish I was better at working with dpn's! Hmmm, maybe a wee shawl scarf instead then... !? - (Find them on Ravelry here).

Kitty Grrlz...
~ As we are celebrating all things to do with autumn and autumnal colours I just had to include Kitty Grrlz hand spun bamboo and Falkland wool yarns. The rich yellow, orange and olive immediately made me think of fields of pumpkins and woodland walks with colourful crunchy leaves underfoot. Oh, and I just adore the colours in Woodland Holiday... I think I would happily have that one just so I could admire it! - (Find them on Ravelry here).

Juno Fibre Arts...
~ Juno Fibre Arts is another Etsy shop that has been in my favourites since the moment I discovered them. At the moment the shop is full of delicious superwash merino sock yarns in those most lovely earthy colours including lots of peachy pinks, browns, olive, grey, plum and taupe. Absolutely perfect for a wee spot of autumnal knitting and crochet... :) - (Find them on Ravelry here).

Of course I am barely scraping the surface here when is comes to all the fabulous indie yarn brands that are out there so it is impossible to include them all here today. There are one or two that I purposefully left out today and I'm saving them up for their very own post sometime soon, stay tuned for those won't you!?
In the meantime I have started yet another new Pinterest board, one that is dedicated entirely to 'delicious yarns'... I did have a similar one in the past but kinda lost my way with it, but now I seem to have a new found enthusiasm for searching out yarny goodness. Oh, and if there are any other indie brands you think we should all know about please do a leave a wee link in the comments so we can check them out too... :)

Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

Image credits: 1. johnnyvintage, 2. dottie angel, 3. Christianna's Earthly Delights, 4. such pretty things, 5. jek in the box

Happy, happy Monday everyone... !

Lately I have had a couple of wee reminders that it is in fact not autumn in every corner of the world. It is actually early spring in some foreign parts, who knew... !? Hehe, so today I thought I would bring you a wee collection of fresh springy pictures from our fabulous 'all colours in' Flickr pool. Of course these lovelies weren't too hard to find as you guys know that I'm a sucker for this kind of styling, that is lots of white sprinkled with snippets of pretty rainbow colours. I'm drawn to them like a magnet and don't think I will ever tire of your stunning interpretations of this look... :)

I know I have a few more autumnal posts planned as part of Celebrate Color (I'm working on a particularly delicious one for tomorrow!) but I will do my very best to keep a sense of balance around here for both you and me.

I hope you all the most fabulous day,
Emma, x

Celebrate Color : my autumn favourites...

Hello my friends, I do hope you are all having a lovely Sunday afternoon... !?
I'm having a quiet one today... While my man is feeling a wee bit under the weather with a wee cold I'm happily crocheting a custom order and pottering around the interweb looking for lovely finds to add to my wee Pinterest pages.

As part of Celebrate Color I have started a brand new 'currently loving' board dedicated to all things 'autumn / fall'. A wee place where I can gather together all the images that make me think of autumn, whether that is colours, clothes, art, activities, home decor, recipes, projects or supplies... absolutely anything that makes me think 'Oooh, that would be perfect for the autumn!'
So far I have bagged myself over 100 delicious pins and have gathered a few of my top faves together into some very yummy mood boards... enjoy!

Image credits: 1. two spoons, 2. unitedthread, 3. Honeytree, 4. Sophie Digard via Needleprint

Colours ~ rhubarb pink, olive green, warm grey, cream, rich russet and silvery sage.

As well as the fabulous show that is the changing colours of the leaves, for me autumn is about those other simple pleasures like wearing my favourite scarves (I so wish I had one of these Sophie Digard pieces!) while taking long walks to appreciate said leafy show. Maybe while we're out picking up some seasonal fruit such as rhubarb, apples, pears or plums and making something hearty, delicious and sweet with them once we get home... :)

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Image credits: 1. stepanka, 2. Jayson Home via Design*Sponge, 3. Sweetnellie, 4. Whitaker Photography

Colours ~ warm olive, rusty red, deep ochre yellow, cobalt, gold, vintage cream, soft teal and taupe.

But of course if it is a dull and soggy Sunday afternoon and those heavy rainclouds aren't budging then what could be more lovely than brewing a pot of tea and curling up on the sofa with a spot of crochet... !? I know I do this quite often anyway as there are lots of soggy Sunday afternoons here in Scotland (as well you know!) but in the autumn it's that much sweeter because I'm not bitter or moaning about the lack of summer this year... ;)

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Image credits: 1. Three Sheep Studio, 2. mowielicious, 3. Alexandra Grablewski, 4. =anja=

Colours ~ deep plum purple, charcoal grey, rich berry red, golden yellow, indigo and warm vanilla cream.

Of course now I'm back to those delicious fruit puddings again, I think crumbles are my favourite especially when they're straight from the oven and they are topped with a dollop of lovely vanilla ice cream that starts to melt right into that sugary topping... so delicious! Oh, and don't forget comfy woollen cardigans... Whether you've made your own in that snugly yarn you had stashed away for so long or maybe one that you just couldn't resist when you were out shopping because you made the mistake of trying it on and of course that was it... you just couldn't bear the thought of taking it off again until at least next spring!

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So now that you know a wee bit more about the things I think of when someone mentions 'autumn' and all the beautiful colours this wonderful season conjures in my mind... I would like to know what it makes you think of too! I would love it if you guys would join in and put together a wee post of your own with either pictures, thoughts or mood boards. Maybe you've already started an autumn Pinterest board and you'd like to share some of your favourite colours and images from it... !? Come on, it would be great for me to see someone else's take on colour inspiration for a change... ;)

Once you have written your lovely wee post please do let me know down in the comments section and I'll pop by for a read... :)
You can also add your posts with a clever wee link at the bottom of the Celebrate Color {inspiration} page... have fun!

Emma, x

Celebrate Color : time for a celebration...

Hello my lovelies... !

Today I am so excited as at last I can share some wonderful news with you all, news about a three month long blogging event that starts today, yay! So without further ado, let me introduce you to... Celebrate Color!

This fabulous celebration was dreamt up by the lovely Rachel Hauser, of Stitched in Color and is in honour of one of the most creative season's we have... the autumn (or the fall if you are one of my lovely American friends!). It is about inspiration and community (with one or two contests and prizes thrown in for good measure!) and about celebrating all things autumnal through our crafting.

Over the next three months Rachel, myself and the lovely ladies that are Mollie, of Wild Olive, and Shannon, from luvinthemommyhood, will be bringing you inspiration for projects with mood boards, guest posts, tutorials and round-ups of fabulous materials and supplies. Between the four of us we have a bunch of posts lined up for each week of this event that will cover all aspects of crafting including crochet, knitting, dressmaking, embroidery, kids art and more. So I am sure that each and every one of you will discover something you'll love! Oh, and as this project is all about community we really want you guys to join us and there are a bunch of ways you can take part...

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/p/celebrate-color.html" title="Celebrate Color"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MybSYPxNptg/TlZf4LsF1xI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/lmGAEeGXD_M/Celebrate%252520Color%252520simple%252520photo%252520150.jpg" alt="Celebrate Color" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

To help launch Celebrate Color you can grab this handy dandy wee button to display on your own lovely blog and if you would like to do a wee post to tell everyone what autumn colour is to you that would be fabulous!
Of course the best way to get involved would be to make yourself busy with a few autumn inspired crafty projects and enter them into the monthly prize draws. There are four categories in all that you can submit your lovely projects to ~

1. Fabric {Home Decor}: quilts, pillows, runners, etc. Think anything at all for a home.
2. Fabric {Wearables}: clothing, bags, accessories (like jewelry). If it goes on the body and it's made of fabric, it totally counts.
3. Yarn: anything knit or crocheted. Really, anything.
4. Needlepoint: with elements of hand embroidery, crewel, cross stitch, etc. The finished item is probably sewn, but needlepoint is an important design element. This category spans a hoop for the wall, a bag embellished with embroidery, and even a quilted item that is decoratively hand quilted.

You can find all the nitty gritty details up on the main Celebrate Color page over on Rachel's fabulous blog under the 'how to enter' link. In fact everything you will need to know will be posted on this main Celebrate Color page, think of it as the hub for the whole event. At the moment a few of the links don't lead anywhere but they will just as soon as things get underway and we have lots of lovely posts to link to... :)

Really, I can't think of a more perfect way to bring our creative community together for a wee spot of seasonal inspiration and crafting... so exciting! Oh, an I'm not really keen on mentioning the 'C' word just yet, but what better motivation do you need to get a head start on all those pressies you're planning to make this year!? Come on, join in the festivities with Celebrate Color... :)

Emma, x