colour palette : shades of gold...

Image credits: 1. dottie angel, 2. Emma Block Illustration, 3. Whistles at John Lewis, 4. Kiki & Polly

Oh my, it's Friday already... !

And by heck, it's a wee bit chilly today isn't it!? At least it is in Edinburgh... no rain to speak of as yet so we can be thankful for that... !
Anyhoo, I am warming myself up with these lovely shades of golden yellows in today's colour palette. They are always a firm favourite of mine and so versatile too. A great seasonal colour for late summer and autumn but also has such a great retro vibe when mixed with rich brown, teal and coral pink. Today I'm particularly loving it with cool beige and grey next to pops of red and deep orange, see the two columns on the left... a really pretty combination with a hint of retro about it too.

So while we're talking colour palettes, did you see decor8 this week!? Holly, the fabulous lady that she is, put together a wee post featuring her favourites of my pink inspired palettes... eeek! So many things to be excited about there...
1) Holly has been lurking around my wee blog... !
2) that she found my wee colour palettes inspiring,
3) so much so that she chose to feature them on decor8... !
4) all the lovely comments she wrote to go with the palettes she picked out and...
5) the amazing feedback her post had, including all the kind comments left by her readers and some very dear friends of mine... !
Thank you so much Holly and to everyone else, the support and encouragement you give means so much to me... I am so proud to have all you guys as my very dear cyber buddies... :)

Now I am off to channel this happy high and colourful inspiration into a few crafty pieces... I still have a few ladies waiting to go into the shop so stay tuned for those on my Facebook page...

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend... !
Emma, x

colour palette : beach debris...

Ah it's almost the weekend, not long to go now... But first let's round off what has been a very 'beachy' themed week with a suitably 'beachy' themed colour palette, shall we... !?

Anyone who loves to walk along the beach is almost definitely an avid collector of all the tiny treasures that can be found amongst the sand and stones. Of course I am no exception and regularly come home with pockets full of sea glass, pretty shells and beach pottery. There is just something so luring about the possibility of finding a piece of a pretty patterned tile or plate and wondering about it's 'story'... such as where it could have come from, how old it could be and how it could have got there in the first place!?
These wee treasures also have the most tactile quality, I love to run my fingertips across a shell to feel it's soft ridged texture. But I do think the glass and pottery is the best, especially if it has been sitting under the warm sun just before you pick it up... I love that warmth combined with their smoothness and can't help but roll them over and over in my hands... :)
Of course there are all the beautiful and sometimes unexpected colours to drool over too. Amongst all the washed out and sun bleached shades you occasionally find bright olive greens, aqua, yellow and the most beautiful shades of peach and pink... so pretty!
I found this wee collection on our walk last Sunday. A pretty nifty haul of mostly glass tile and glazed pottery with a typical clam shell and a beautiful grey stone filled with white quartz chips. As I was gathering them up I knew they were a very pretty colour palette just waiting to happen... :)

Oh, and if you too love all things inspired by beach treasures you should check out the work a very lovely lady and my virtual friend, Kirsty Elson. She makes the most beautiful driftwood sculptures that she sells in her lovely Folksy shop. If you picked up the latest issue of Making magazine you will be able to read a wee article with this lovely lady and find out how much she loves the beach too... :)

Now I am off to start my weekend, keeping my fingers firmly crossed in the hope that it will stay summery round these parts... :)
I do hope you all have a wonderful one,
Emma, x

meet the girls...

Hello my lovelies... :)
I just wanted to drop in with a quickie wee post before I put together today's colour palette. I've added a few lovely new ladies to my wee shop shelves this week and they're looking quite summery and lovely all gathered together. And after a morning of sitting in our sunny garden, with some crochet work to hand, I wanted to mark the occasion... yes, I think the summer might have just arrived in this fair city... :)

-{ Daisy... tiny wee crochet granny cushion }-

-{ Peggy... forever flower garland }-

-{ Molly... blossom garland }-

Although you can't please everyone as this wee chap seemed to think it might be too warm... !!!

Emma, x

colour palette : floral fancy...

Yay! We're back in business, Blogger is up and running again... :)
I was so disappointed yesterday morning because I was so excited about sharing this yummy colour palette with you guys! And just like you guys I was feeling inspired by all these sunny yellows from Etsy and couldn't help but be drawn to it when putting together this palette. I'm really loving how bold and energetic it looks mixed with those strong pinks (yeah, more pink!) in these gorgeous florals. To be honest I'm kinda surprising myself when I say this, because I have never been a fan of lots of yellow in decorating, but this palette makes me think that painting a feature wall a lovely shade of dandelion or buttercup yellow wouldn't be such a bad idea... !?

Image credits: 1. bluebellgray / Fi Douglas, 2. Heather Bailey, 3. Chaulafanita Photography

Happy, happy Saturday my lovelies and I hope you all have a great weekend,
Emma, x

ps : Thankfully I get all of your lovely comments e-mailed to me, so despite a few of them disappearing from this 'sunny side up' post I did get to read them all... :)

etsy faves : sunny side up...

Good afternoon my lovelies... :)
I'm popping in to share a few Etsy faves with you today, because as soon as I spied this gorgeous sunny yellow, ribbed ceramic lampshade (from Boots N Gus) I just knew you would all love it! I'm sure you will love everything else too and if you're anything like me you will be giddy at the mere sight of Tipico's wee yellow berry basket, not to mention the rest of the colouful mayan baskets in their fabulous shop...

Links: 1. Boots N Gus, 2. Noodle 'n Thread, 3. Pigeon Toe, 4. Nest Pretty Things, 5. Kiki & Polly, 6. tipico

Wishing you all a sunny day,
Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

Image credits: 1. nanaCompany, 2. dottie angel, 3. lobster and swan, 4. super ninon, 5. eugenia papadopoulou

Hello my dears, I do hope you all had a great weekend... !?
I caught up with a wee bit more rest while enjoying the sunny weather and did some all important mattress shopping... Ha! Probably not the most exciting of weekends but I can't tell you how much I'm looking froward to a new mattress arriving... :)
I also got to pick up my crochet hooks again after almost a week of non-hooking since the fair, more about that later in the week...

Now onto today's somewhat random collection of pretty images from 'all colours in'... Okay, so they're completely random and you can be forgiven for thinking I might have just gone a wee bit bonkers! The only tentative link I can see that they all have that lovely golden chicken feather colour running through them... I know, I know, a completely rubbish link! But I do love them all and I do hope they put a wee smile into your Monday... :)
Oh and thank you to Miss Tif's fabulous feathered friend for the inspiration... ;)

I do hope you all have a great day,
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

colour your monday happy...

With sunny yellows and fresh spring greens... enjoy!

Image credits: 1. minna.karuski, 2. dottie angel, 3. whatnomints, 4. Three Red Apples, 5. citrusandorange

Ah, I so need these sunny colours today... ! It is so grey and miserable in Edinburgh this morning and has been all weekend, we even had more snowy sleet and it was so cold... ugh! Thank goodness for our wee 'all colours in' Flickr pool, it is such a great pick me up to ponder over all that wonderful yummy colour... :)

Now that I'm feeling a wee bit more cheery I'm ready to tackle more of that gigantic crochet to do list. Today I'm thinking of pot holder and tiny wee pin cushions... :)

I do hope the sun is shining on you today,
Emma, x

colour palette ~ you're making me blush... !

Image credits: 1. Colourscapes :: Marisa Peterson, 2. Violet May, 3. Hip&Clavicle, 4. Ruti's Roots

eeeek! It's Friday again and that means the craft fair is only four weeks away, which in crocheting terms really doesn't feel like very long at all... *gulp* ...I just need to keep calm and crochet on!
Oh, but I am absolutely thrilled at the response you all gave my new organic pot holders and spring garland colours, thank you so much for all your kind words... :)

But today is Friday and Friday's are all about the colour palettes...

Last year I remember I was head over heels for all things mustard yellow or teal and turquoise shades, but this year I have to say I'm really feeling the pink trend. Particularly these blushing, rosy, peachy pinks after squeezing in a wee spot of Etsy window shopping and finding these gorgeous pieces. How incredible is this folded paper bowl!? If you love that you will love taking a peek at Ruti's other stunning paper creations... she must have so much patience!!!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend,
Emma, x

blossoming into spring...

Good morning my sweets... :)
Today I want to share with you some pictures of a very pretty custom order I worked on last month. Actually I've been meaning to show you for the last couple of weeks but I keep getting distracted by all the pretty things I'm finding around the blog-o-sphere and of course on Orla's site!
So let me introduce miss Agnes, a new 'blossom garland' design that I am so completely in love with! Her dainty wee blooms are so small and delicate with none more that 4cm across and the tiniest of the tiny at just over 1cm...

I'm so thrilled with how she turned out, as is her lovely new owner, just look how pretty miss Agnes looks hanging in the bright sunlight of her kitchen window... absolutely perfect!

Image credit: Ponder and Stitch

I am busily crocheting more of these tiny wee blooms (amongst tons of other pretty stuff!) and hope to be adding a wee blossom garland or two to the shop ready for the spring... :)

Oh, and just so you know I will be spilling yet more very exciting news very soon, but until then I hope you all have a perfect day... :)
Emma, x

colour your monday happy...

-{ image credits: 1. Trisha Brink Design, 2. Fallon Akers, 3. dana.barbieri, 4. janice's valise, 5. Shokoofeh ZD }-

Happy, happy Monday my lovelies... :)
Today I'm feeling the need for a wee bit of 'pepping up' as I do my very best to fend off Mr Lurgy who has been knocking at the door these last few days. So I thought some pretty spring inspired colours from 'all colours in' would be absolutely perfect for colouring our Monday happy. Now that I have a wee spring in my step (and I hope you do too!?) I'm raring to go! I have one or two exciting things I can't wait to share with you this week and some that I must start work on that I will share with you later... :)

Until then I shall wish you all the most fabulous day!
Emma, x

a wee break in the usual programming ~ i heart flickr, part 1...

Good morning my lovelies, I do hope you all had a lovely weekend... !?

This week I'm taking a wee break from my usual blogging routine. I have a few exciting things happening at the moment, in fact some very exciting things! I so wish I could tell you all about them but until they come to fruition I need to keep them under my metaphorical hat. So to make sure they actually do happen and do I do have some exciting things to tell you all about some day soon, I really need to spend a few days working on them... :)

But I shall not leave you all high and dry this week, no! I thought I would share with you some fabulous wee collections of images from my most favourite Flickr, specifically from the fabulous Flickr groups I run ~ all colours in, granny chic and ■ knit ■ solid ■ yarn ■ ~ Every day this week I shall share with you one of my favourite images from each group that I think epitomises the concept behind the group.

So without further waffle, lets kick off this 'i heart flickr' week with some gorgeous images to inspire your Monday morning, enjoy... :)

~ all colours in... : daintytime ~

~ granny chic... : dottie angel ~

~ ■ knit ■ solid ■ yarn ■ : erica hogenbirk knitwear ~

If you would like to find out more please do swing by each of these groups and say 'Hello'. Actually it might be a good idea to brew yourself a cuppa and grab your most favourite chocolaty treat first, because there are so many inspiring contributions to these groups that I'm sure you will lose hours browsing them! Oh, and if you would like to share any of your own images we would be utterly thrilled to see them too... :)

Wishing you all a fabulous week... !
Emma, x

colour palette ~ overcast...

~ image credits : 1. one blue wren, 2. seahorse knits, 3. jardinoMe, 4. David Foster Nass ~

I love this colour palette so much today! Of course you can't go wrong with rich mustard yellows and dark slate greys, such a perfect combination. But today it is exactly what Edinburgh looks like. The sky is completely overcast with rain clouds in that lovely soft grey. All the trees in our local park have bright yellow leaves while the ones that have already fallen are turning to shades of mustard and rich warm browns. Leaving the bare branches, that have been soaked over night with the rain, in shades of dark moody browns and slate greys.
Usually days like this can feel so depressing, with the grey-ness pressing in. But if you choose to look at it in a slightly different way there is so much inspiration and enjoyment to be had... :)

As it is Guy Fawkes night here in the UK today I shall wish you all a safe and fun one, and keep my fingers crossed that the rain stays away for some great fireworks displays!

Emma, x

fabulous vintage homewares...

From Modish Vintage, one of my most favourite vintage shops on Etsy. The lovely Evelyn, the talent behind the shop, has such a great eye for the most beautiful vintage home wares. Especially so for fabulous mid-century style and eclectic pieces, most of which I find myself lusting after. Really, I would happily invite all of these lovelies to come live in my home right now... :)

~ left : top, middle, bottom ~
~right : top, bottom ~

~left : top, bottom ~
~right : top, second, third, bottom ~

~ left : top, middle, bottom ~
~ right : top, bottom ~

If you too are 'falling' for these lovelies you should swing by Evelyn's shop for a closer peek, especially since she is running a 'fall sale' right now! See what I did there!? Ahem, Evelyn is offering a 'buy one, get one half price' offer, but you'll need to be quick as it is only running for a couple of days and will end on Wednesday, November 3 at midnight PST. To find out all the details you can read her shop announcement or check out this blog post.

emma
x

up for a challenge...

Well yeah... !
A couple of weeks ago the ever so lovely Helen invited to take part in Most Wanted's Autumn Home Styling Challenge. The idea of the challenge is to re-style and update a room without having to go so far as redecorating or even touching a paintbrush. That is to find some gorgeous items from around the web to spruce up said room and get it ready and perfectly cosy for the autumn. The only catch being that all those gorgeous items need to be under £50.00 as Most Wanted is the lifestyle magazine of VoucherCodes.co.uk. One of those clever money saving websites that brings together discounts and voucher codes, for all kinds of British retailers, in one handy dandy and easy to find place... :)

So of course you all know how much I love to find pretty things and co-ordinate them together in one happy collection of loveliness! Also, I especially love the idea of sticking to to the £50.00 budget, as quite often I'm also on a tight budget when it comes to home decor delights.

So without further ado my wee collection of loveliness, inspired by one of my all time favourite colour pairings ~ aqua and mustard! I think this palette is perfect for the autumn and winter as it has a lovely kind of rustic warmth. I'm sure you'll agree that you can't help but feel cosy with these lovelies sprucing up your living room... :)

~ Clockwise from top left : Uncommon, Folly and Glee, Skinny laMinx, and furthermore ~

~ Clockwise from top left : Thirtyfive Flowers, the., A Crooked Sixpence, blackoutwell ~

~ Clockwise from top left : Anthropologie, Orla Kiely at John Lewis, Urban Outfitters, OurShop ~

What's more, most of the lovely items I've picked out here are handmade! Seriously, could there be a more encouraging reason to support and buy handmade... !?

Wishing you all a very cosy day... :)
emma
x

colour your monday happy...

With yet more pretty aqua treats, enjoy... :)

~ image credits : 1. citychiccountrymouse, 2. such pretty things, 3. virginia-blu, 4. emilyonasunday, 5. kristenaderrick ~

Hello my sweets, how are you all today?
I'm still on a wee bit of an aqua / turquoise kick at the moment, that's why I've picked out these lovely turquoise images from 'all colours in' today for your appreciation. I just love how it can take a different feeling depending which other colours you pair it with. It looks so refreshing and vibrant when tamed with those bright, clean yellows in the top picture. But then it takes on a lovely vintage and nostalgic sense in the next three pictures when teamed with greens, pinks and reds. Of course in the last picture it looks so bold, fun and dramatic against the dark reddish wood... :)
I did wonder for a moment if it was me reading more into the story of the subject of each of these pictures instead of the colour. But when I considered them more closely their subjects aren't that much different, each one has wonderful elements of vintage crafts and patterns ~ crochet, vintage buttons, doilies and old fashioned rose patterns.
It's all about the colour combinations... and there you have my musings for this Monday afternoon... ;)

A wonderful day to you all... :)
emma
x

colour palette ~ autumn blush...

~ image credits : 1. simply photo, 2. dottie angel, 3. Lola's Room, 4. tsilli ~

Happy Friday my dear bloggy buddies... :)
I'm especially enjoying this palette today as it is perfectly representative of the colours we've been seeing in our local park this week. Edinburgh has been in full 'pretty autumn' mode with the sun shining down on gorgeous golden leaves. We've been walking ankle deep (or belly deep for my wee man!) through piles of crunchy leaves in just these colours. Everything from those soft muted greens to the bright ochre shades and those yummy pinky browns ~ lovely... :)

I do hope you all get to enjoy a wee bit of seasonal loveliness this weekend, have a fabby one... !
emma
x

colour your monday happy...

With warming autumnal yellows and oranges...

~ image credits : 1. orangesparrow, 2. knitalatte11, 3. andrea creates, 4. la vida compartida, 5. taloullah ~

Hello my sweets! How are your Mondays going so far... !?
Mine is a wee bit chilly here in Edinburgh this morning, the wind is blustery and the sky is grey. My man is still home sick and I'm doing my utmost to ensure Mr Lurgy doesn't want to visit me next! All in all I'm in need of 'a wee pick me up', yep it's getting to 'that time' of year again!
Which brings me to today's wee collection of warm and uplifting images from 'all colours in'. They are certainly lifting my spirits and giving me a reason to be cheerful this Monday. I do hope you're loving them too... !?

Wishing you all a cosy Monday,
emma
x