Strawberry Fever

So the strawberry season is well and truly among us, and the kids have been happily munching their way through our crop so quickly in fact that I have failed to get a photo of our best crop ever to show you or even to eat one myself!

All this 'strawberry' fever has had an effect on my latest choice of fabrics. I couldn't resist this fun berry print when I saw it and I have enjoyed teaming it with a dark pink gingham fabric to make this bib and burp cloth set which is available here and here.

I've also been making some girls tote bags for the fairs I have been doing. There size makes them ideal for a young girl to fill with her toys, hair clips or books and to carry them around with her just like her mummy!

I can't believe how quickly girls get into their bags my 19mth old already loves filling hers up with what ever she can find and I do mean 'whatever'! I have added one to my on-line shop and one to my folksy shop a crafty hen   

As for our crop of strawberries, I think the kids have eaten most of our crop and have now started on our raspberries and loganberries. I wonder if I'll manage to get to eat a few myself or even better to get some into the kitchen to do some cooking with them?

Yes it is the summer

We have spent the last few weeks trying to convince #2 (our 3 yr old) that it is indeed the summer. On a daily basis he asks the question "Is it the summer now?" and however hard I try to explain that yes it is even though it may be a tad cold and wet it is the season we call summer he looks at me through very disbelieving eyes and smiles rather patronisingly and shakes his head! Well finally yesterday with temperatures suddenly soaring into the mid twenties he announced to us all that 

"Today, it is summer", 

so with that we headed up onto the moors to do a bit of paddling!

 

 

I think we forget sometimes what is on our door step.

 

And with views like this we all enjoyed our 'day' of summer very much.

And today, well as it gets darker and darker and looks like it's about to rain, #2 has just asked me what season is it today! When will I finally convince him that it is the summer it's just the British summertime weather that he needs to come to terms with!

At Home With The Blues

I love the colour blue, especially when found on this Cathrineholm coffee pot that Mr D spotted at a vintage fair on Saturday for the ghastly sum of £6! 

 

 

I'm hoping this means that our thrifting drought has ended! 

It's now taking pride of place in our kitchen. And taking centre stage in our garden is my new blue hydrangea. The photo does not do the vibrancy of the colour justice. It is such a gorgeous blue and a welcome splash of colour in the garden especially under the grey skies we have been having lately.

And on my work table this small fat quarter makes my heart jump, every time I catch a glimpse of it. It is such an attractive blue and being voile it is so silky to the touch.

My regret is that I only managed to buy such a small amount off Kate from misformake. It is such a powerful blue and I am having to stop myself from getting too distracted by it's charm. 

Vintage Solution

I got some very strange looks as I carted my newly bought vintage suitcases home this week. There we were youngest in double pushchair sat next to 3 suitcases piled on top of one another in the seat next to her, with #2 walking alongside. Not only did we get some puzzled glances we also got some odd comments! I couldn't decide in the end if people thought it was cruel that my 3 year old was having to walk whilst the suitcases travelled in style or if they thought I was a gypsy travelling alone with two young kids either way, I couldn't help but laugh!

And here they are safely at home with the other two I bought a few weeks ago. I must say I am totally in love with there usefulness and charm. Each one is so different, in size, colour and in condition, and even the most scruffiest one tells a story. The large suitcase on the bottom fascinates me with its stickers of countries visited.

To me , they conjure up some fantastic images and stories in my mind!

They work so well storing all my excess fabric and are great for transporting my handmade goods to the fairs, it was an ingenious idea of Mr D, though at the time of suggesting it I don't think he was expecting five to appear in our bedroom! He is beginning to think a studio would be a very good idea, I wish!!

For now I will be grateful for my new found storage solution, at least they stack neatly away on top of my wardrobe and I can spend my nights dreaming of where they have travelled and what they have seen.

I can imagine they have a tale or too to tell!

Just one more day!

I'm trying to ignore the fact that today is Monday and Mr D has just gone off to work, and tomorrow my two boys return to school and nursery. We've had a lovely week off and had our first camping trip of the year, made even more exciting as we met up with my Brother in law and family which meant the kids had two older cousins to play with, or should I say to keep entertained!

There was plenty of 'follow my leader' going on! 

And plenty of new places to visit even though we never left the county of Devon!

Bicton Botanical Gardens did not disappoint and there was so much to see and do that it was impossible to explore it all in a day.

Though I know there will be no complaints from the kids when we say we want to go back, they loved it!

And with memories of days like this it is so difficult to contemplate the thought of returning to our normal routine tomorrow. So the plan for today is a morning spent in pjs and an afternoon for the boys spent at the park with Grandparents, and for me time on the sewing machine, a great end to the holiday then!

Taking Time Out

I was so excited when I got back from the fair on Saturday to see that my copy of  Molly Makes had arrived. I first read about this new handmade living magazine on twitter and had high expectations and so far I have not been disappointed.

Sitting there Saturday evening, flickering through this gorgeous magazine which is packed with lovely photos, inspiring articles and things that I want to make was just what I needed to help me relax. Such perfect timing as I had given myself Saturday night off from sewing!!

My photos do not do this attractive magazine justice and with contributors like Dotty Angel, Fine Little Day and Lola Nova you know that it's going to be high quality it reads like a best ever blog list.

Like many of us I had high hopes for Sew Hip which started so well but has never really recovered from losing Manda from treefall design as Editor so I do think there is a place for magazines like this. Even with most of us following blogs which are great inspiring reads I do love to buy and hold a paper magazine. 

Even Mr D has picked this magazine up and commented on how well it is put together. There is a great mix of things to make, ideas for sewing, places to go, but it is the articles of people's homes that interest me the most. It has come at a time when I really need to rethink my work space and try and organise it so I can be better prepared and more productive, so pictures like the one above and below have given me loads of ideas on how I can go about achieving my goal. Wouldn't you just love a space like Zee Longenecker's workspace below!

There is a very reasonable offer on at the moment 3 issues for £5 which is a great way of trying this magazine out at very little cost. And believe me you will be left wanting more. I am so pleased that this is a monthly magazine, I am already counting the days until the next issues comes through my door!

Here We Go!

Well I'm all packed up and as ready as I'll ever be for my second fair tomorrow. 

I'm surprisingly more nervous about tomorrow than I was about the first fair I did a month ago and I feel some what less organised largely down to all the holidays and short weeks the boys have been having lately. When I agreed to do to this fair I completely forgot about the Easter holidays and no school/pre-school means I get very little sewing time so the last few days whilst they have been back at their various places I have been sewing like crazy!

 

I haven't finished all the projects I had hoped to have completed and some have been shelved for another time! But I have managed to get a couple of tea cosies sewn up one in a gorgeous retro tea time print and one out of some vintage fabric out of my stash. I've also made some mini bunting that looked so perfect on my daughters shelving that I'm almost tempted to not take it to the fair!

As I type this, the photos are starting to appear blurred so I think it must be time to get some well earned sleep, well after I've finished hand writing the last of my labels for my bibs. I must look into a better way of doing my care labels! I can only hope that the rain that is pelting down now eases off tomorrow otherwise there won't be a single sole at the fair!! Never mind!

Right now I'm actually looking forward to an evening tomorrow doing 

No sewing!