Jubilicious!

I am going to be partaking in a vintage fair in Saddleworth on June 3rd in celebration of the Jubilee! YEY! 

The stall is part of a 'Craft and Design month' to help support local craftspeople and creatives! It is a brilliant idea and the day I am assured will be even more brilliant- with vintage themed goings on around Uppermill town and in the Civic hall- where the fair will be held. 

More importantly the fair happens to be held on the day of the beer walks weekend (I festival I have been to since my early teens!) Which means there is even more fun to be had as the streets are lined with people all ready to celebrate! 

Go check out the website for more details of exibitors and events for the day and where to eat, where to stay and where to play! 

See you there 

xxx

Your Great- part 3

I have been doing a few posts on Ma Bicyclette  recently about body image- and have really been enjoying getting into it! 

Go check them out, in the most recent one you get these printable freebies for your mirror! 

xxx

More distractions

I am not quite ready to do more work yet so following on from the previous post, I have decided to write some more about happy things.(And due the fact that a it has just started to rain Wolves and lynx on the 'raining cats and dogs scale' - I feel I need to remind myself that there are many things to be grateful for- even if the weather is not one!)


                           Reasons to be grateful:


                 ~ I have working legs that can take me to lovely places

Picture by Blue Bicicletta

                 ~ Hanson (yes the band- and no i'm not listening              
                          to their 3rd album as we speak!)

   

                               ~ Lemon meringue pie

                        ~ Notebooks and smooth black biros

                         ~ Hand picked daisies in a bottle

                         ~ Long, hot baths in the winter

                        ~ Beautiful ginger dogs that smile,

               

Lola enjoying some sand

 (she's easily pleased)

                  ~ The sound of the Icecream van ringing it's bell

             ~ Movie nights in, complete with a huge bag of maltesers
                     ~ Laughing at really unfunny things

               ~ And given time, I can grow my hair as long as this...

  

Picture by Sandra Dieckmann

I think I should get back to work now, but I hope this has inspired others as much as it did me :)

For the life lovers

Why are we happy? Because we ARE! even though the weather is playing cruel tricks on us so we go outside in flipflops and get caught in a storm... There are still things to smile about I promise!

Here are some things I like off the top off my head (And even writing that I am going to write them already makes me beam!)

5 things that make me happy:

 ~ Warm croissants with real butter and jam
~ Waking up with perfectly 'disheveled' hair
~ Stripey tops that hang just right
~ My homemade mint and lemongrass salt scrub
~ Hammocks and blankets in the summertime (if we ever have one!)

(P.s Can you tell that I am distracting myself from my long list of worky things to dooooo?)

Do you ever have those days where your mind just wonders and you start to think about unusual poems to match your business name? Yes you do? Well that makes two of us :)

And whilst I was in my merry rhyming World laughing at some of the sayings I came up with I actually managed to piece this beauty together and I loved it so much that I had to share it!

(I imagine it knitted onto a pillow...)

Cushion by Donna Wilson

Believe in yourself 

and not what is real

like a book made of sugar 

or a crochet eel

See past the ordinary 

and what has been dealt

Like a sky made of honey 

or a mountain made of felt

I seriously think I may have missed my calling as a poet somewhere...

Rain rain go away...

Whilst the weather has been so up and down, I have found that on those glum days I like to spend my time experimenting and making new cushion covers (whilst also trying to finish my book- nearly there dammit!)

Anyway it seems that cushions are the new sliced bread, because people are snapping them up like nobody's business! And I have to thank everybody here for there interest, and 'digging' what I do :) As I really love seeing my creations go to a good home!

It is on those lovely sunny (but rare) days when I can manage to parade them out in the sunshine and take some pictures (whilst, you know, fitting in a cider or two as well- this sewing business is hard work you know!) 

So anyway I shall keep on designing and making with the hope of creating the best cushion in the universe... but in the mean time here are some pics for your peepers :)

Smaller size Home Tweet Home (With patterned back)

Oooooo long one!

With paisley design back!

Make your own World books

I decided a long time ago that I wanted to do some creative books for my 'Make Your own World' side of the business. It has now been over 2 years, and 1 Granny Splash children's book later (which has no relation to Making in any way!) And there are still no books!

Part of the reason I thought it has taken me so long to get my act in gear, a part from the fact that I have been pretty busy getting the business off the ground in the first place (I am a little bit hard on myself...) is the fact that it takes a fair amount of time to get a book done! Especially when I had it in mind to design each page as a mini piece of art work in itself. 

Also the cost of printing a full colour book with more than 150 pages is preeeetty steep, unless you get like a zillion printed at a time!

And so I had a bit of time recently to re-organize and revisit my original business plan and decided why does it have to be a full blown book? Why do I have to sit at my computer for 6 months dolling out 200 pages of designs and projects, when I could do 'mini' books of about 20 projects at a time! 

I always enjoy doing craft projects, and I actually thought to myself that if I did a set of books that had their own theme, then people can pick and mix which they want to do- rather then just buying a massive book that gives you perhaps too much (and costs a bit too much too!)

So with that slight change, Here are the books I have decided to do: (Each one has 60 pages of fun filled crafty projects for you to make and do- and comes in handy sized A5 booklets instead of 1 big, hard back book!)

Volume 1: Vintage Home (Easy peasy projects to transfer your home into a vintage haven- from handmade bunting to personal designed wallpaper! All using 'pre-loved' or recycled materials.)

Volume 2: Handmade you (fantastic step by step guides that will teach you how to create a spanking new wardrobe for yourself. From beautiful jewellery to vintage dresses- and it will hardly cost you a thing!)

Volume 3: Natural you (Wonderful projects that will allow you to make delicious body and bath products that will transport you to a new world of relaxation! Inspired by my mum, a maker of natural body products, you will learn to make everything from Sea Salt body Scrubs to your very own perfume!)

Volume 4: A Journal of Self discovery (A beautiful book that will allow you to let loose all of your hopes, dreams and emotions, and help you lay down your unanswered questions. You will find out all of the parts of you that you may have forgotten about, and reach the end as a new, uplifted person!)

 I am already a quarter way through the first one, and I hope to have it finished by the end of next week (I am pretty quick when I get my mind focused!)And I've left a sneak pic of the front page up there at the top for you :)

 I still have a tiny bit further to go to get them all done, but I know I definitely will do it this time and would love to hear what you think! If you have any ideas on names, themes or even projects I can add to them then please let me know! I want to make them as usable and lovely as possible, so your opinions really matter to me :)

Thanks a lot and happy Friday yey!

xxx

Make believe- in cushion form!

I was really looking forward to see how my 'Make Believe' design printed onto fabric because it's one of my faves!

 Turns out it prints quite well :)

 Complete with flowery patterned 'envelope' back...

The House continued...

I've not done much on the progress of our house for a while, so these are the what nots on the happenings so far...

(in picture form)

The 6 barn doors we found in a SKIP! Handles and everything- Best find ever!

One of the doors with a first coat of primer on

The 'entertainment' centre

Our lovely kitchen lights we have been dying to put up!

Bargain of the century: Welsh dresser, farm house kitchen table and chairs and a brand new washing machine for just £150! 

The dresser with the first coat of primer

The dresser painted and waxed, so far this it totally my fave thing in the house!

Helpers, hard at work

Men 'fixing' things...

Still fixing things...

The House with it's newly cleaned roof and re-painted fence

Just one of the bags of moss from the roof!

Gaz still had time to make planters... (priorities!)

And some lanterns to match of course!

The foggiest day ever (perfect working conditions!)

Our doorbell!

Some brill scaffold boards we found on a recent trip to the reclamation yard- Would look ace as flooring!

We hope to be in by my birthday (June 21st) which would actually make it a whole year since we started it!

I have high hopes we'll be able to finish it, and I know that it will be completely transformed the minute the plasterboard starts to go on!

Me and gaz are thinking of having an early sleepover in it at the beginning of May- so I hope it at least has all the insulation finally put in by then!

Either way I will be definitely putting up more pictures when it's onto the best bits- decorating :)

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday x

Oodles of doodles...

Here are some of my general doodley sketches before some of them have been made into my finished prints.

They look completely different from when you first scribble them on, to when you scan them into the computer- it must be the lightness of the computer screen- but I actually thought they looked pretty groovy in their own right!