today i'm loving...

Have you seen this gorgeous wee film from the lovely ladies behind the new Mollie Makes craft magazine... !?

Isn't is just the sweetest thing!? The music and animation are just so cute and I love that it is oozing with beautiful saturated colour... It makes me want to be able to step right into it for a crafty afternoon with peppermint tea and chocolate topped cupcakes! What better way to spend a very rainy (and very British!) summer afternoon!? (Although I must admit the sun is shining here at the moment, but who knows for how long... !?)
It was filmed around Bath, where the lovely Mollie Makes ladies are based, and at The Makery craft workshop, also in Bath. It features Sara Sinaguglia’s adorable crochet apple cosies that graced the front cover of the very first issue of Mollie Makes, if you missed out on a copy you can find the lovely pattern here. Oh, and Lori Marie’s fabulous wee panty flashers, too cute... !
Mollie Makes have set up their very own YouTube channel so I'm guessing there will more loveliness to follow... can't wait!

Here's hoping you can find a reason to smile through the rain today... !
Emma, x

today i'm loving...

These stunning crochet leaves from British based artist Susanna Bauer (discovered via this Pinterest pin). I love how delicate and fragile they are while having such strong structural forms, it is such a beautiful contrast...

"Most of my pieces are small sculptural objects often based on found natural materials. I like giving time to the inconspicuous things that surround us and often go unnoticed, paying attention to small details and the tactile quality of objects. Appropriating traditional craft techniques like weaving and crochet as a means of sculpture brings a contemplative element to the development of my work. I am interested in unusual combinations of materials, the experimentation with fragility and strength and the individual stories that evolve and shape themselves in the process of making."

All images: Susanna Bauer

Of course I am completely smitten with the delicacy of her crochet work in these pieces, as well as that of her pebbles and sticks, which are certainly worth a wee peek too... :)

A lovely day to you all,
Emma, x

a very royal to do...

Okay, so I will be the first to admit that I am not the kind of girl that goes all gaga over anything vaguely wedding related... Which is why it surprised a lot of people when they asked and I said 'Yes, of course I will be watching the Royal wedding!' Don't get me wrong I'm no royalist, or even anti-royal for that matter, but why wouldn't you want to watch such a huge historical event as this!? When the eyes of the world are watching why wouldn't you want to share in a wee bit of pride for your country... goodness knows that can be a rarity at times!
Of course my other reason for watching was to share in another, happier moment of their story. As a British girl I have grown up with stories of the Royal family, both happy and tragic, and always at the centre there seemed to be those two wee boys. But on Friday, while everyone else was gushing over the lovely bride and 'that' dress, the thing that I noticed the most was how happy William looked... :)

All images: The British Monarchy and Clarence House.

I also had a few thoughts about these two ladies and their outfits, but I shall keep those to myself... ;)

Wishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge many happy years together,
Emma, x

today i'm loving...

Actually today I am completely head over heels in love with Orla Kiely's Poppy Meadow kitchen collection... !

I love this print so much and I think it's fast becoming my favourite Orla Kiely one ever, really lovely! The only problem I'm having is deciding which colour I like best... I love the classic looking 'Blue' because of that gorgeous flash of red, which I'm such a sucker for! But then the 'Brown' has that perfect granny chic retro vibe going on with that yummy yellow...

But which is better? I suppose there's only one way to find out....... FIGHT!!!!!

Happy, happy Wednesday... :)
Emma, x

ps ~ I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to get that into a blog post... ;)

handmade artist ~ tinctory...

so i'm guessing that a lot of you lovelies will have already discovered and fallen in love with the amazing tinctory jewelry line? made by the fair hands of the extremely talented miss Eva...
at the moment i am absolutely in love with her most recent collection of smocked fabric necklaces that were inspired by the theme 'late summer'...

~ don't go yet & bittersweet ~

~ tempered & gather and hold ~

~ first blackberries & setting seed ~

again i am inspired by miss Eva's attention to detail, not only does she hand stitch each piece with exquisite detail but she also hand dyes the fabric pieces herself. since closing her Etsy shop to open an independent store she has been exploring natural dye processes, gathering and growing the ingredients herself and experimenting to find the most beautiful colour combinations. you can follow the journey and evolution of her designs over on her equally inspiring blog.

i am yet to own one of miss Eva's gorgeous pieces but maybe one day soon... as there are only fourteen weeks left til christmas you know... !!!
with that thought i shall leave you and wish you all a fabulous day... ;)
emma
x

coming up roses...

...i just spied these gorgeous tiles on Sharon's lovely blog Blossom and just had to post them up here :)

~ patchwork ~

~~ roses ~~

...they are by Welbeck Tiles and these floral ones in particular are from their 'vintage collection'. each one is individually handmade here in the UK, in Cornwall, which makes them kinda pricey but all the more beautiful...
...i think the chintzy, Cath Kidston style florals of the patchwork collection are my favourites. i really like the way they've been interspersed with plain white tiles so that the overall effect isn't too much. also, i'm sure they would look great if you had a completely white bathroom or kitchen but filled the sink splash back with them to create a pretty wee focal point...
...i know for a fact my man won't entertain this idea especially in our tiny wee flat, which i agree needs as little visual clutter as possible to create the illusion of space. so, i'm going to store this idea away for the day i have a huge studio which, from now on, will include a wee kitchenette corner decorated in such loveliness :)

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

knitted chairs...

...i was catching up with some of my blog reading this morning when i found these fabulous chairs by the extremely talented Melanie Porter on the decor8 blog...

...Melanie is based here in the UK, and after spending ten years as a knitwear designer she turned her hand to making these stunning one off furniture pieces. each chair is salvaged from antique auctions and markets here in the UK. she then starts the process of stripping each one back to it's frame before restoring and re-upholstering them with textured hand knit panels, she even crochets each of the wee button covers herself!

...seriously, how cosy do they look!? oh how i would love to have one of these in every room and maybe even a customised dog bed for the wee man!

...have a great monday :)

emma
x