today i'm loving...

Open publication

Have you seen the gorgeous new magazine from lovely stylist and blogger Heather Spriggs Thompson... !?
It is called 'Gatherings' and is packed full to the brim with romantic vintage styling and lashings of granny chic charm. There are interviews, styling tips, diy projects and some very yummy looking recipes. I absolutely love the wee interview with Mary Ann Saunders and am completely smitten with all her vintage collections! The diy for 'doily cones' is so sweet and I am sorely tempted to run out just now to pick up the ingredients for the 'Lemon Curd Roulade'... such a lovely summery (and easy!) recipe... :)
I am sure you guys are going to love this wee magazine just as much as I do... and if you do you should definitely check out Heather's inspiring blog and lovely Etsy shop, also full to bursting with gorgeous vintage finds!

Happy Tuesday to you all,
Emma, x

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

etsy trend : black and white stripes...

Hello my lovelies... :)
Well it seems the whole of blogland has gone crazy for 'Stripe Mania' thanks to Holly, of decor8, and her facebook friend Igor. Together they came up with the ideas of uniting all us bloggers in one big, virtual, Stripe Mania party... yay! Holly asked all her readers to snap a pic of themselves wearing something stripey before Sunday and she would gather them all together in a fabulous stripey Pinterest board. I organised my pic today and you can see it up there right now and maybe take a few minutes to get to know a few of the other faces too... :)

So what more inspiration do we need for a few black and white stripey Etsy faves... !? Whether you're looking for a stripey summery outfit (yeah, scarves are an essential summer staple in Scotland!) or want to add a few graphic elements around your house... enjoy!

Links: 1. YYStudio, 2. rib & hull, 3. ikabags, 4. Lana Stepul, 5. La Marquise des Anges, 6. White Moth

Links: 1. Grainne Photography, 2. LennyMud, 3. artiseverything, 4. be still., 5. Heidi Adnum, 6. Stock Exchange

Wishing you all a stripey happy day,
Emma, x

the most perfect cup... ?

Ah, one of my most favourite things about Pinterest is seeing the sheer joy people have for searching out the most gorgeous looking tasty treat recipes. Especially when those tasty treats feature chocolate high up in the ingredients list... ;)
As you all know I am a self confessed chocolate addict, but what you might not know is that I am completely rubbish when it comes to whipping up tasty treats with the stuff. Yes I occasionally dabble... (I did make these for myself and yes they were very yummy, but so ridiculously addictive too and I ate almost a whole bar of Green & Black's in one sitting, which even for me is a wee bit excessive!) ...But my dabbling is always with very simple recipes, ones that don't have a high dairy content, which I'm shouldn't eat a lot of...
That is such a huge sticking point when it comes to the most yummy looking chocolate recipes, they are always laced with lashings of butter and double cream... *sigh* ...That's why I'm always on the lookout for simple and adaptable ideas and that's why I was completely smitten when I saw these yummy chocolate cups...

Image: with kind permission from Jane Ko, of A Taste of Koko. Recipe: Hot Chocolate.

Apart from the cream and coffee (another 'no-no' for me), I love the idea of the chocolate, rum and cayenne pepper combo. And I'm thinking it would work perfectly with a super simple mousse I make, extremely thick coconut milk and Nutella whipped together then chilled to set... maybe with a dash of rum or even the cayenne pepper in there, Oh, and I just had a thought of topping if off with delicious rum soaked raspberries... yum!

Wishing you lots of chocolaty goodness,
Emma, x

colour palette ~ spring colours...

Happy, happy Friday my lovelies...!
I do hope you have all had the most wonderful week? Thank you so much for all your kind words about my wee Selvedge stall, I really do wish you all could have stopped by for a wee chin wag... :)

As you can see I haven't yet got back into any kind of blogging routine. This week I have mostly been catching up on a wee bit of rest and filling up my shop shelves with the lovely ladies who didn't find their forever homes last weekend. I still have a whole bunch to go and am busy sifting through lots of photos just now. As usual I'll be popping the details onto my Facebook page as they land in the shop... :)

Now then, lets have ourselves a wee bit of colourful fun to end the week! If you didn't know already, Poppytalk has been running another colour week all over on Flickr and their lovely blog ~ Spring Colour Week 2011. I haven't had the time to take part myself but I did find the time this morning to mooch through all the submissions to the Flickr pool. I always keep a wee eye out for this seasonal event and I have to say that the submissions this time are super lovely, but maybe I'm biased because I'm so fond of the spring!? Anyhoo, I've pulled together a fab mosaic of my favourites and because it's Friday a yummy colour palette to go with it... enjoy!

Image credits: 1. le meli melo de val, 2. David.L1, 3. Elza D., 4. mayalu, 5. flowerpress, 6. SuperDewa, 7. Cozy Memories, 8. sushipot, 9. xojy, 10. prettykitty3, 11. SappyApple, 12. bheuer, 13. avelottes, 14. SappyApple, 15. tam.me., 16. creatocrat, 17. 0o_irene_o0, 18. fold greeting cards, 19. David.L1, 20. myhideaway, 21. Janis Nicolay, 22. spiralgirl1, 23. jek in the box, 24. creatocrat, 25. Indianablue

I told you, yummy! I really can't decide if either the second or fifth column of colours is my favourite... But the top 'white' row of photographs is definitely my favourite, they are all just so perfectly spring and summer... :)

Wishing you all the most wonderful weekend,
Emma, x

while we're on the subject...

...of winter colours, here are some of my favourites from last weeks 'Winter Colours Week' over on Poppytalk...

line 1~ red: 1. RitaFinn, 2. linaloo1, 3. la.daridari, 4. ethanollie, 5. artstreamstudios;
line 2 ~ white: 1. knitalatte11, 2. Maggie Marsek, 3. CozyMemories, 4. jennyndesign, 5. kristin~mainemomma;
line 3 ~ blue: 1. knitalatte11, 2. Bekkah, 3. mary vican, 4. lucyjan, 5. jek in the box;
line 4 ~ green: 1. quercus design, 2. IlluminatedPerfume, 3. domesticali, 4. Lizzie Staley, 5. Scarlett Design;
line 5 ~ gold and silver: 1. CozyMemories, 2. xanthe berkeley, 3. Telling Stories / Hettle, 4. Telling Stories / Hettle, 5. artsymama

I love this wee feature that Jan runs to celebrate the changing colours of the seasons and I'm always fascinated with everyones interpretations of those colours. To see the all the other inspirational images submitted for this seasons edition check out the Flickr pool too.

I shall be back later to announce a winner of my wee giveaway... :)
Emma, x

today i'm loving...

~ (click the image to go full screen) ~

Gifted Magazine from the incredibly talented Ez, of Creature Comforts.

Ez has been working so hard over the last few months putting together her very first christmas gift guide. I have to say, and I'm sure you'll agree once you've had a peek, that she has done the most amazing job! She has gathered together some fabulous holiday gift ideas, a few Q&A's from some wonderful bloggers in the 'Bloggers Dish' section, a whole bunch of inspiring projects from some great designer makers (I absolutely love the leafy fabric twist ties!) and so, so much more!

I know I will be taking lots of Gifted inspiration for this holiday season. Do you think it's too early to early to start right now... !?

Emma, x

colour palette ~ a Blissful special...

good morning my lovelies! i do hope you're all having a lovely one and if you're in Edinburgh i do hope you're not getting soaked in this miserable rain!?

today i have a very special colour palette post for you to take a peek at, it is over on the ever so lovely mrs. French's beautiful blog Bliss. if you already follow mrs. French you will know that she is taking a wee break from her blog to spend time with her beautiful new baby daughter Lu. while she was away she asked if i would like to contribute a guest post or two, and of course i jumped at the chance being a huge and long time fan of everything Blissful... :)

~ image credits : 1. Horse ~12 ~ Cassia Beck, 2. grasses embroidery detail ~ me plus molly ~

so the first of my posts went up yesterday, a super sized colour palette inspired by warm autumnal neutrals. please do pop by and take a peek and maybe brew yourself a cuppa for a lazy morning browsing mrs. French's inspiring posts and amazing finds... :)

emma
x

ps ~ i shall pop back later in the day with another wee palette of colours that i'm also loving just now... :)

horse...

good morning! today i'm feeling very perky and happy ~ partly because for the first time in a wee while my 'to do' list doesn't look so epic and with the exception of one or two i seem to be on top of my messages too ~ of course i know this won't last too long, but just now i'm enjoying the moment... :)

i'm also in such a good mood because i've been looking at yet more wonderful eye candy from the incredibly talented photographer and collage artist ~ miss Cassia Beck! i'm sure you have all heard of miss Cassia and are already aware of her sublime nostalgic style, i know i have included her inspirational work in my Monday and Friday posts many times... !
but today i want to share with you some snippets of a brand new 'year' project she has embarked on called 'Horse'. the goal she has set herself is to take a daily photograph of a toy horse she played with as a child... to find out more please do check out the blog miss Cassia has set up to support this project... :)

if you love this 'Horse' project then i urge you to check out the rest of miss Cassia's work which you can find in her Etsy shops ~ Cassia Beck, Lola's Room and Violet May

wishing you all a day that is as sweet as miss Cassia's photography... !
emma
x

so exciting...

so have you been on the edge of your seats all afternoon? waiting for another instalment of exciting news? no? oh well, i don't blame you, it is a gorgeous sunny day and if i hadn't got a wee bit too toasty yesterday i would be out there too... ;)

~ Kristybee Photography ~

so yes, i have more exciting news... another guest blog post in fact!
this invitation being from none other than the fabulous Victoria, of sfgirlbybay, who is treating herself to a wee 'staycation' and has called upon some fellow bloggers to help keep her lovely blog ticking over while she takes a well deserved break.
seriously, i can't tell you how thrilled i was when her wee e-mail dropped into my inbox! that was until i had a mad wee panic wondering what on earth i could write about for her... ;)
but after browsing both my Etsy and Flickr favourites i had a plan and if you'd like to know more pop on over to sfgirlbybay for a wee read of my post... :)

a fabulous day to you all... !
emma
x

friday is my day...

so last Friday you may remember me mentioning some exciting things that were happening? well one of those things is happening today ~ yay!

a few weeks ago i got a wee convo from a lovely lady called Heli asking me to be a guest on her blog 'My day is Friday'... intrigued i hot footed it over there to have a peek and found the most wonderful blog! Heli tours around Europe (in the virtual sense!) inviting fellow handmade artists and crafters to visually document a day in their life and post it on her lovely blog ~ such a fabulous idea!
so of course i said yes immediately, but as i have been a wee bit busy of late i was only able to do it this week... so if you would like to see what i had for breakfast or where we took Spanner for a walk on a random working day last week, hop on over to see my 'Friday is my day' post... :)

also, while you're over i recommend you take a peek through her archives to find some lovely posts from some of my favourite Etsians such as ~ Carambatack, Lila Ruby King, fric de mentol, La Pomme, Yoola, Star of the East and so many others!

oh, and be sure to check out Heli's Etsy shops too where she sells her beautiful handmade bags and adorable wee brooches... :)

emma
x

a girl after my own heart...

...you know how much i love a good colour palette, don't you?
...well since i discovered the Color Collective blog ~ via this equally colourful blog ~ i have been absolutely smitten with Lauren Willhite's inspirational colour palettes and her eye for the gorgeous images which she draws her ideas from...

...these are just a tiny few of my favourites, if you love them i highly recommend a wee peek through her archives ~ you will not be disappointed!

emma
x

published... !

...look what dropped through my letterbox this morning!
...my very first copy of 'Artful Blogging', and guess what ~ my wee blog has been featured in it, how exciting is this... !?!?!?

...i'm so thrilled to finally see some of my pretty pictures and lovely ladies in print as i've been sitting on this exciting news since January, i know! it's taken me every ounce of restraint not to blurt it out ~ with my tipitty-tapping wee fingers of course ;)
...the response i've had so far has been so lovely and i want to thank everyone for their sweet messages and comments, and to say a big 'hello' to all the lovely new faces that have been stopping by recently. i'm so thrilled to have you all here and i do hope you enjoy my wee 'mood board' style blog and maybe even find something new to inspire you too :)

...i also want to give a wee shout out to some of the other lovely blogs featured in this summer issue, of course all of them are beautiful but these ones in particular caught my eye today ~ some of which are already in my favourites and some new ones to completely fall in love with :)

~ Simply Hue ~
~ { a-black-pepper } ~
~ Paintings by Cathy Nicols ~
~ a creativeMINT ~
~ twoandsix ~
~ lavender and limes ~
~ show & tell ~

...wishing you all the most fabulously colourful day!
emma
x

a delightful rainbow...

...this weeks was the first time i've followed one of Poppytalk's colour weeks and i'm so pleased i did! it has been incredibly inspiring discovering such gorgeous images and talented photographers...
...what i find most inspiring is how a simple colour theme can be interpreted so widely and so creatively, and how some of the most mundane, everyday objects can be photographed from a perspective that turns them into the most precious and beautiful works of art...
...here are just a few of my most favourite images from the week...

...line 1 ~ L. Grainne, gwen, abbytrysagain, poppytalk, indierocket, IlluminatedPerfume...
...line 2 ~ cori kindred, ethanollie, suffragettedesign, orangesparrow, heather pauline, suffragettedesign...
...line 3 ~ zsíta, cori kindred, tielsk, janetguertin, Corset Laced Mannequins, shannonblue...
...line 4 ~ Lily's {Sketch} Pad, cookoorikoo, Betty Jo Designs, cazhancox, wildrosesgrow, super ninon...
...line 5 ~ Veronica TM, LoveRoots, love, liette, pinkorchid_too (Sandra), Divesin, cori kindred...
...line 6 ~ cori kindred, shannonblue, honey trees, CozyMemories, cynthiacallan, Mandy.Bryant...

...actually i'm quite surprised at how much purple and green made it into this selection, especially purple as it's not a colour i use very much ~ maybe i'm being influenced by wee 'edith' and her crocus loving ways!?
...you can see all the other submissions in the 'Spring Colours Week' flickr pool...

...oh, and for everyone who is just entering into the autumn season (and isn't feeling all these springy vibes at all!) then you can check out the 'Autumn Colour Week' pool from a few months ago which is equally as beautiful and inspiring...

...wishing you all the most lovely weekend :)

emma
x

festival highlights...

...possibly the best festival i have ever had the pleasure of attending ~ 'a festival of granny love' ~ partly because there wasn't a drop of mud in sight, but mostly because i got to meet so many liked minded 'granny chic' loving folk...

...and the whole festival was hosted by the queen of granny chic herself, the ever so lovely miss Tif, aka dottie angel, in the grounds of the stunning mossy shed...

...highlights include special guests such as Ingrid of Wood and Wool Stool, Michelle of The Royal Sisters and miss Tif's lecture on how to turn a 'no' man into a 'yes' man with just your trusty paintbrush, a tin of paint and a thrifted wardrobe...

...but the biggest highlight for me was that i actually got the honour of being the headline act that closed the whole festival ~ with my very first interview :)

...all images ~ copyright dottie angel...

...so thank you for the opportunity miss Tif, my very special granny chic loving cyber buddy ~ until next year!

emma
(off to do a wee bit of embroidery)
x

ps ~ thank you so much to every one for your lovely comments about wee 'aggie' who has been made to feel very welcome :)

apartment therapy...

...another quickie to let you know about a wee bit of wednesday afternoon reading "channelling granny chic with crocheted pot holders"...

...yesterday morning i got an unexpected request from the lovely Beth Zeigler, a contributing editor for Apartment Therapy LA, she wanted to do a wee feature about my wall of pot holders! so exciting, i've never had a wee feature before ~ thank you Beth for your lovely words and i love the new term 'granny chic' :)

...and if you do pop by for a wee read make sure you check out the comments, none of us are without our critics!? ;)

emma
x