Bettyjoy

Our early Christmas present

2011-12-19T00:32:00.001Z

Our baby daughter, Winter Wren Wilkinson arrived 10 days early on 9 December weighing 6pm 2oz. She is obviously inpatient, like her mother! We are super-happy and proud to have created such a lovely little bundle of joy. It is likely that there will be less post on the blog for a while whilst we get our heads around parenthood, lack of sleep etc, but I will be back probably with lots more baby-related design posts in the New Year!

Abigail Brown - Birds

2011-12-14T17:45:00.000Z

I first featured Abigail Brown's work in the early day of my blog. Since then she has further developed her style and created these fantastic feathered friends. There are many more to see on her website.

Before and Afters

2011-12-12T17:28:00.000Z

If you haven't discovered Designsponge yet, get your asses over there quick smart! I've long been an avid follower of their blog, but it struck me that some people may not have come across their blog, and I felt I ought to point you in their direction. One of my favourite regular features are their Before & After posts.

Here is one of my favourites.

Tattoooh!

2011-12-09T16:16:00.000Z

I've never managed to brave having a tattoo done, Im too much of a wimp! But these beauties above from Butterfat are pretty special and almost make me change my mind!

Link

This one is pretty stunning too, not sure I could pull this off though!!

More Christmassy inspiration...

2011-12-08T16:50:00.000Z

...for a crafty Christmas. There are TONNES of ideas and inspiration for christmas decorations on the web, but here are just a few simple ones I like. I have just made my alternative Christmas tree by taking twigs from the park and painting them white and decorating with decorations and delicate lights. Its simple, looks lovely and festive and there will be no needles to hoover up after Christmas!

Link

Its a wrap

2011-12-07T16:32:00.000Z

Christmas is fast approaching and each year, I try to find new ways of wrapping my gifts to add an extra 'christmassy-ness' (Is that even a word?) to them. Here is some inspiration if you are looking to give your gifts some extra pizazz!

Link

Fab fonts

2011-12-06T16:24:00.000Z

A couple of beautiful and creative fonts, which I found online over the last few months.

Link

Crackin' christmas gift ideas

2011-12-05T17:12:00.000Z

This is a great book by Meredith Gaston which I first saw on Decor8 earlier this year. It's perfect to snuggle up with in front of the fire with a hot chocolate.

Beautiful Hand embroidered birds from Catherine Frere-Smith, available on Etsy

LOVE these little bandits by Adatine

This guy is called Winston and he is pretty surly-looking! He comes with a side-kick, Squeak. Super-cute and available from Hilary Cosworth on Etsy

I love pretty much everything Sweet Bestiary makes and this beautiful bunny brooch is no exception.

2011-12-02T16:20:00.001Z

I'll be back ...

2011-12-02T15:52:00.001Z

...in the words of Arnie! Huge apologies for the lack of posts over the last few months. Things have been pretty hectic which meant I ended up taking a longer than hoped for break from the blog. Im working on some new posts which I am going to schedule for over the next month or so as my baby is due in a couple of weeks, so I don't think there will be much time for blogging when our little one arrives.

Here are some pretty birdies to start with.

link

Baby clothing DIY inspiration

2011-08-16T21:42:00.000+01:00

Yikes! Aodrable baby booties from I Think Sew

Fitted crib sheet easy tutorial from Joanne Arbour

'Cute as a button' button top tutorial by Shwin&Shwin

Yay! A tutorial from Dana Made It for an easy skirt, and a cute one at that!

Lotta Jansdottir's book, Simple Sewing for baby has a lot of lovely simple patterns for baby, like this little swaddle blanket.

Every baby needs a bib, find out how to make your own at Purlbee. For your baby, not you, of course!

There is nothing cuter than a little bundle of joy in stripes. Made by Rae shows you how to make your own

With a little bun in the oven, I am starting to think about making some cute little clothes and baby accessories while I still have a bit of energy left and there is a tonne of inspiration and ideas on the internet, here are just a few.

Big Props

2011-08-11T20:25:00.001+01:00

After spending a lot of time collecting items to use to decorate our wedding venue in July, I decided to put them to good use after the wedding by hiring them out. I had collected about 100 jam jars, 8 belljars, vintage typewriters, birdcage, bunting, easel, vintage china etc etc.

I have added a page called Props to my website, which you can see here enabling other people to hire out my decorations instead of having to spend ages trawling charity shops or online looking for items to decorate their wedding/party/photoshoot.

There are lots more items to be added over the coming week or so.

Hen party craft workshop

2011-07-31T15:10:00.002+01:00

A few weeks back I did my first hen party craft workshop, I've done lots of craft workshops before, but never a hen party workshop. As with all my workshops, I used Jam jar Beads' upstairs studio, which is a great light space for workshops. The ladies had come from all over the country to Sheffield for the the hen do. I had a lovely time teaching them how to make feathery fascinators and beautiful button-bejeweled brooches while the ladies got to snack on Fancie cupcakes and a spread of sandwiches and dips too (and of course the obligatory teas and coffees) to fuel their creativity. It was a hive of activity and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and went away with some super accessories to be proud of. If I get any photos from the ladies showing off their lovely wares, I will be sure to show you.

Invite only

2011-07-27T21:34:00.000+01:00

My husband designed all our invites/menu/order of service etc for our wedding, including the tea towels we had printed as invites. The idea for doing the invite as a tea towel came because we wanted something a bit tongue in cheek. Chris saw a lot of the tacky memorabilia that was bought out to celebrate the wedding of Prince WIlliam and Kate. We came across old tea towel designs from previous royal weddings and decided to do our own which Chris designed and then got digitally printed.

We had a rough colour scheme of yellow/white/grey and pink which we used in the printed materials. The little bird pegs I made by cutting out bird images from an old bird book and gluing them onto wooden pegs. I made lots of them for the wedding so guests could pin up their messages and pictures to us at the reception (we had a table with an old fashioned typewriter and an easel with pens and paints for people to type, write or draw messages for us.

Wedding Belles

2011-07-15T18:27:00.016+01:00

Its been a loooonnnnng time since my last post. I have been busy in the last months since my last posts....My TV show aired, I found out I was pregnant (BIG surprise!!) and I tied the knot with my wonderful (and often long-suffering) husband who I has stuck by me for over 8 years (and now hopefully many, many more!!) in a lovely ceremony and reception in the Peak District!

Our wedding day was a great sunny day surrounded by family and friends. We found a great barn last summer that fitted the bill, down a tiny leafy country lane in the glorious Peak District countryside.

We decided to go down the route of a DIY wedding as it fitted the venue, fitted us as a couple and also meant we could have the wedding we wanted.

Because of our decision to have a DIY wedding, we had to call on help from our friends and family ALOT. They did SO much to help us over the days leading up to the wedding and the day after's enormous clear-up (that is one of the downsides of DIY weddings-all the setting up and taking down!).

My mother-in-law (aka Queen of Cakes) made not only the wedding cake but wedding favours, and tonnes of other sweet treats. She literally makes the best cakes EVER!.

My brother was photographer for the day, my sister-in-law was cinematographer (on the cool old Super8 camera!)they also helped out with a last minute snack food to have at the beginning of the reception (mini PB&J sandwiches wrapped in little parcels and sweet and spicy popcorn) and my Mum and Auntie did the church flowers.

So we had palmed off quite a few jobs but we still had a lot to do ourselves! Chris designed the invites, order of service, menus, stickers etc. I made my wedding dress (which became a bit more difficult once I knew I was pregnant!) and accessories. I made our wedding favour seed packets, the place cards, the popcorn cones, the boutonnieres, badges, cutlery ties, curtains, cushions, wooden signs, and sourced everything for the wedding. (It started off being a lot of fun, but when morning sickness decided to rear its ugly head for a straight 8 weeks before the wedding, things started to feel a bit like hard work!)

Me and my fab bridesmaid, Amy, did all the flowers at the venue too on the morning of the wedding, which I thought looked pretty good in the end as we were going for country wildflower sort of look, it didnt need to be neat (which was a good job, as we were just chucking them into the jam jars towards the end!).

Getting hitched probably never goes without a hitch and we had a few hiccups: One involved me buying fitted sheets instead of flat sheets (which we were using as tablecloths). Needless to say fitted sheets did NOT look the business and my so brother dashed off to Sheffield on a flat sheet emergency mission! I also over-ordered the flowers (I was panicking so much about under-ordering that I went a bit berserk at the flower wholesalers). Likewise, Chris was a bit keen in ordering the alcohol and went well and truly overboard on that one!! But the sun shone on the day and there were no big problems.

The day was just as I had always dreamed (with the exception of not being able to drink due to bump of course!) and I had my wonderful new husband by my side and we were surrounded by the best group of family and friends and all the hard work was definitely worth all the hard work but I definitely don't plan on doing it again (he he!!!!)

Grey area

2011-04-28T09:39:00.000+01:00

link
link
link
link
link
link

I love a splash of colour as much as the next person, but when it comes to clothes I do often stick to neutral colours I know I should try and wear more colour but when neutral colours look this good how can I argue? Add a spot of sequiny sparkle into the mix and I'm sold!

My pallet obsession continues...

2011-04-27T20:24:00.006+01:00

link
link

link

link

I have a thing for pallets. Every time I see one discarded in a skip or leaning up against someone's bin looking lost and lonely, I want to rescue it, take it home and spruce the fellow up and make him pride of place in my home. As I have so many 'works in progress' at the moment, I am making do with swooning over these fine looking pallets instead.

Make Do and Mend- New TV show co-presented by yours truly

2011-04-14T18:29:00.007+01:00

(Presenters: Lucia Kempsey, Simon Wright, Jo Behari)

Last summer I was shortlisted for a craft expert TV presenter role, and after a lot of nailbiting and embarrassing appearances in front of the camera, I got it!

Last autumn we filmed 20 episodes for Channel 4 for the series which is called Make Do And Mend and features 3 experts: me, the craft expert Jo Behari, the DIY expert and Simon Wright, the food expert. We spent time with a different group of people each week, in a different town or city teaching people how live life more thriftily. We tackled all sorts of projects for the show, I showed contributors how to make and upcycle all sorts of things including including reupholstering, altering clothing, charity shopping, making driftwood mirrors, and tonnes more simple projects, and all on the super-cheap!

The show starts next Monday at 12.05pm on Channel 4 and runs for 20 episodes each weekday for 4 weeks. Please watch if you can and also head over to the Make Do and Mend Facebook page

Bonkers about Buttons (and fifties style dresses)

2011-04-11T09:33:00.000+01:00

link link

A rather disjointed post but I just love these two images. This dress is adorable, love the contrast of the grey and red underskirt. Think it might go prettily with this lovely necklace seen on Bonkers about Buttons.

On a shoestring

2011-04-09T09:43:00.000+01:00

link

OK, so some of these are probably not really shoes you could buy on a shoestring really, but they are all ones I would like to own! I'm all for having a shoe closet like Imelda Marcos but I think I'm gonna have to settle for one full of smelly old plimsolls for the moment.

All things bright and beautiful

2011-04-08T09:28:00.000+01:00

link
link
link
link
link
link

Mark making

2011-04-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

link
link
link

I love how these monochrome designs are so striking. The tape is available to buy (see link) - yes!! Buy it and stick it all over your house - that's what I intend to do!!

Unbearably cute

2011-04-06T09:35:00.000+01:00

link
link

A couple of adorable little handmade chaps to confide your deepest secrets in. The mohair bear is by Missy Ballance and she sells patterns too! So you could make your own little version of cute

Pirate Fashion

2011-04-04T09:53:00.000+01:00

link
link

Loving these military/pirate style jackets

Lightbulb moment!

2011-04-01T22:16:00.005+01:00

Flippin' amazing! Absolutely loving this unique way of repurposing an old lightbulb, into something beautiful - found via feefearn, this is the work of Souther Salazar. You can see more of her work on her blog. Click here to visit his etsy page.

New website!!!

2011-04-01T19:50:00.005+01:00

Yay!!!! I finally got myself organised and got myself a new website with the help of my boyfriend (who designed it) and Applebox Designs (who did all the tech bit and the online design). There are workshops, tutorials, surface pattern design and more to have a gander at on there so go check it out the new Bettyjoy website here and let me know what you think.

Fashion forward

2011-03-30T20:44:00.009+01:00

link
link
link

link
link
link
link
link
link
link

link

Apologies for my absence - the wedding planning and such are sending me a little Bridezilla to put it mildly. I'm all over a lot of the new fashion trends at the moment and thought I would share some of my finds this week.

Mellow yellow

2011-03-04T09:40:00.001Z

link
link
link
link
link
link

Put a bit of a spring in your step with this sunny spring inspiration

Color scheming

2011-03-01T08:50:00.000Z

Make choosing colour schemes easy by picking images which jump out at you because of their colour and use this as a base for your colour scheme.

Yummy in my tummy

2011-02-28T08:24:00.000Z

If I had kids, I'd stamp their sandwiches every morning

link
link
icing stencils - I missed the boat on this one, but Im all over this idea for next xmas

Peanut and chocolate homemade spread - yikes!
oooh heavens above
Some sort of maple syrup amazingness

Finger buffet for one please! - mini mac n cheese
Peppermint Patties - I don't even like peppermint but these look awesome

Probably not the best thing to do while I'm trying to eat healthily (not doing brilliantly at that it has to be said), but I can't help looking at pictures of amazing looking food. Which one of these delicious offerings should be my prize if I manage to eat heathily for 1 month? I'm leaning towards the french onion soup.

They call me mellow yellow

2011-02-27T08:13:00.000Z

link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link

They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

Prints charming

2011-02-26T08:10:00.001Z

link
link

Lovely hand-drawn prints in great colours

Kate Winslet

2011-02-25T08:40:00.000Z

I dont think I have ever used the acronym OMG before (and I promise not to again), but I did let out a small yelp when I saw this photograph and exclaimed oh my god! (See bigger pic here) Doesn't she incredibly classy and beautiful? Making me want to grow my hair long, dye it blonder, buy lots of smart clothes and learn how to do my make-up properly. P.S Anyone got a number for a budget plastic surgeon??

Su Blackwell

2011-02-23T08:57:00.000Z

Anyone who knows me knows I am a big lover of all things to do with nature. I love birdspotting and collecting books on birds eggs and british mammals, so when I came across Su Blackwell's work I was immediately struck by her papercut nature guides. Her work is stunning. How on earth does she create such delicate and intricate work?

Summer Barn Wedding

2011-02-22T09:36:00.000Z

Some summer barn wedding inspiration from Ruffled blog. There are quite a few wedding blogs out there and a few great ones that I regularly check out for inspiration are Ruffled, Oncewed, Project wedding, i do it yourself.

Wedding dress inspiration

2011-02-21T08:10:00.000Z

link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link

So our wedding is in less than 5 months and I haven't got a clue what wedding dress I want, or rather I have but they are too dear and I have left it a bit late to get one made (plus can't really afford that) so I'm thinking of making my own which given the amount of other wedding stuff I'm trying to do at the same time may be a dreadful idea! But here are some images I found lately which are serving as inspiration.

Style Lookbook #1

2011-02-20T08:03:00.000Z

link
link

Turquoise

2011-02-19T08:35:00.000Z

link
link

link
link
link

I thought I wasn't a huge fan of turquoise but judging by these images I think maybe i've been a bit harsh - (P.S - Robins egg soaps - how cute is that!)

New tutorial blog

2011-02-18T22:36:00.004Z

I have just set up a new blog where I will post my crafty tutorials, you can visit it here

Neutral but nice

2011-02-18T08:07:00.000Z

link

Simple warmth and elegance using neutral colours - wonderful!

Full metal jacket

2011-02-17T08:13:00.000Z

Link

If this jacket was much shorter, I would be all over it like a rash! It does have an element of OTT pearly king to it, but I'm still very keen on it. It has inspired another future customisation project! Lots of brooches, buttons and ribbons required. For lots of classy high fashion images (and beautiful illustrations) that make you wish you had a tree that sprouted money click here

Beauty in Black and White

2011-02-16T08:12:00.000Z

link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link

Too much awesomeness!

Pimp your shoes

2011-02-15T08:52:00.000Z

I saw this tutorial the other day on Craftzine and wanted to share it. I like the idea here, maybe with different shoes and cloth though you could make it look more utility style which is a bit more up my street, but I think its a great idea - maybe one to try next weekend.

pleats please

2011-02-14T08:42:00.000Z

link

link to tutorial

Love these skirts, its all about the length, the high waist and graphic lines. Found the tutorial above too which is kinda similar in style, maybe just take it up a couple of inches.

Some crafty goings on in Sheffield

2011-02-13T20:58:00.006Z

I finally remembered to take my camera when I toddled off to teach my craft workshop this weekend. Here are a few shots of people crafting away making lots of different accessories. (fabric covered banges, fabric covered necklaces, fabric covered beads and embellished fabric hairbands) Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and made lots of pretty goodies to take home. I am teaching one more workshop the weekend after next (laminated image fabric brooches) before I take a break from workshops to concentrate on trying to sort out my wedding stuff, website and other little projects. But, like Arnie, I'll be back - I'm working on a programme of workshops for later this year, so if you are interested keep your eyes out for my new website in the next month or so which will have all the details.

Lets go camping

2011-02-13T14:28:00.003Z

link

Im dreaming of warm, sunny weather and camping out in a meadow in a super-comfy tent set-up (does such a thing exist?!) but for now the weather continues to be frightful so I shall set up camp at home instead like this. Its cute, its comfy and I don't have to worry about slugs getting in my shoes when I leave them outside my tent or spending half the night shivering due to being rained on inside the tent (they are never as waterproof as you think - they simply don't cut it in anything more than a light shower!)

Lights Out

2011-02-06T08:58:00.000Z

link
link

Some enlightening ways to brighten up your space! I nearly had to call a doctor when I saw the lighting set up above featuring paper houses by Hutch Studio - stunning!

Sewing the seeds of inspiration

2011-02-05T08:52:00.000Z

link

Last year I made my first forays into gardening with mixed results! I have to admit I had more fun making the the little gardening area look pretty by using old crates to grow my veggies than the actual gardening itself. I like the idea of repurposing old household items to grow new life. I think a bookcase on its back could work well, but I guess its not going to look as pretty as this idea. Have you used any unusual vessels to house your veggies or flowers?

Grey Days

2011-02-04T08:47:00.000Z

link
link
link

Pallet beds

2011-02-03T08:38:00.000Z

link
Link

I have a thing for pallets. If I was rich and had my own lake, I would have a bed floating in the middle of it - I guess part of the irony of the beautiful bed in the lake its that its not gonna look so pretty when you have swum through the algae and dragged yourself onto the pallet and soaked the pretty bedding through - nevermind, I could just go with the hanging bed instead - less mess!

Glum and Glummer

2011-02-02T09:00:00.001Z

Link

I don't count myself as an artist as such (have you ever seen my drawings - they are more like cave art!) but i think many creative people would understand this list well. I do probably 6 to 7 out of 10 of those things of the list above and it is ridiculous it makes for a grumpy and not very creative person. Making things and working with my hands makes me happy but once I have finished, the analysing of the finished product that goes on in my head is far less productive. Must.stop.doing.that!

More lovely blogs for your viewing pleasure!

2011-02-01T21:54:00.007Z

See Saw
Bedlam of Beefy
Where the Lovely Things Are
Where the Lovely Things Are
Where the Lovely Things Are

I was on twitter the other day and saw much hoohah about Altsummit, a blog summit based in Salt Lake City. Altsummit is dedicated to the blogging world and many of the craft and design big hitters were there including Oh Joy, SFGirlbybay, Once Wed, Snippet & Ink, Designsponge, Creature Comforts and Sweet Paul - some of my favourite blogs to go to for inspiration . The aim of the summit is to help bloggers grow their site, learn more about funding their site and keeping it one step ahead of the rest. From the tweets I saw, it sounded like a resounding success and looked like a perfect place for meeting like-minded folk. Shame we don't have anything like that here. Or do we and I don't know about it?

Whilst looking at all things Altsummit, I came across Altsummit's list of up and coming blogs which is a bit of a dangerous thing - see, I already spend too much time lurking about on the interest looking at pretty pictures, and now there are even more reasons to waste time! I haven't visited every blog on the list yet, but a few I have visited before and are firm favourites and fully deserve their place on the list are Where The Lovely Things Are, Bedlam of Beefy and SeeSaw all of which I can heartily recommend. So make yourself a cuppa and get settled because you could be gazing at pretty pics for a while!

Sliding doors

2011-01-29T22:36:00.000Z

link
Link

A great space saver, sliding doors can be a feature as well as functional. Sliding doors are used a lot in Japanese buildings but I'd like to see more of them over here too, especially if they look like this.

I've got the key...

2011-01-28T09:28:00.000Z

...I've got the secret...well its not a secret, its out in the world wide web for everyone to see. So get your beady eyes on this little tutorial from Craftzine by Jessica from How About Orange. QUick and easy, just the way I like my crafty projects!

Print Workshop

2011-01-27T09:20:00.000Z

Oh Joy featured this book, Print Workshop on her blog recently. Its by Christine Schmidt of Yellow Owl Workshop and the images inside are super inspiring, think thats one for the shopping list next week. Her stamp sets are fantastic too.

Grocery store meltdown

2011-01-26T17:12:00.000Z

link
Link

Depending on how well you cope with the ditherers in the supermarket, super-long queues and the self-service checkouts (seriously, they never work - Im having a meltdown just thinking about them. Yes, I have placed my items in the bagging area b**ch!) , one of these two bags will do the business. I like both designs, but only one gets across my loathing of grocery shopping!

Brrrr

2011-01-26T09:15:00.000Z

Link
Link
Link

....Its cold outside so here are some heart-warming images

my alternate reality

2011-01-25T09:54:00.000Z

link

link
link
link

Ok, so in my dreams, my partner and I live in some amazing loft apartment in Montmartre in paris, I have great dress sense and great hair - like these lovely pics...

Hello my pretties

2011-01-24T21:48:00.003Z

link
link
link
link

Some beautiful bits to cheer you up on a winters day. Loving those wooden flags, so many uses so little time!

Salty Sea Mouse

2011-01-16T20:00:00.003Z

My wonderful boyfriend designed this super book cover for my imaginary children's book as a Christmas present. I once told him that I was going to write a children's book and the first title that came into my head at the time was 'Salty Sea Mouse does it Again' - very silly, I know! Especially since it sounds like a sequel and I've no idea what it is that poor ol' Salty is going to do!) But my boyfriend's illustration for the book has made me want to write my first children's book about Salty the seafaring pirate! (I've since come up with an equally inspired title for the, as yet unwritten prequel, Salty Sea Mouse- Adventures on the High Seas)

New Crafty Social Dates for Jan/Feb/March

2011-01-16T16:03:00.002Z

The Crafty Social at Jam Jar Beads in Sheffield 6pm-8pm Cost £3

New dates:

25 Jan 6-8pm
8th Feb 6-8pm
22nd Feb 6-8pm
8th March 6-8pm
22nd March 6-8pm

Love tea,coffee and biscuits? Love craft too? Well, you'll be pleased to know that the Crafty Socials are being revived as of the New Year. So why not pop along with your current crafty project or start a new one at the Social, all crafts welcome. We will provide tea/coffee and biscuits and plenty of basic supplies, as well as a library of inspiring crafty books for you to peruse! The socials take place at Jam Jar Beads on Leopold Street in Sheffield City Centre. To book, contact me at craftyworkshops@yahoo.co.uk or contact Yvonne at Jam Jar Beads at info@jamjarbeads.co.uk or on 0114 327 7232.

Bag Lady

2011-01-15T08:57:00.001Z

link

link -

I've always been a bit of a bag lady but now I have set my sights on something a bit different - the manbag, which I seem to have a penchant for of late! I love their sturdy, no nonsense look.

Little Lord Fontleroy

2011-01-14T08:04:00.000Z

link

I am becoming increasingly enamoured with old retro style fonts and hand-drawn fonts, so here is a selection of a few of my recent faves, I should have some of these on my wall to remind me that fortune favours the bold etc!

I am rich beyond my wildest dreams!

2011-01-13T08:02:00.000Z

link

If broke is the new rich, I am rich beyond my wildest dreams!

Hello My Pretties...

2011-01-12T08:10:00.000Z

link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link

Gone Dotty for Dottie

2011-01-11T08:27:00.000Z

shop

blog

I came across Dottie Angel a little while back and love how Tif, a brit living in Mossy shed, Seattle encompasses the retro look but her work has such a fresh crafty feel to it. One of my favourite things of Dottie's is the crochet covered jars.

Colour Me Bad

2011-01-09T08:12:00.000Z

Link

Some pretty pics with a splash of colour to brighten up a dull day

Bright & Beautiful

2011-01-08T08:38:00.000Z

Link
Link
Link
Link
Link

A few bright and beautiful things to pretty up your home and person. Loving those shoes especially.

The Last Supper

2011-01-07T22:55:00.005Z

Collard Manson is a wonderful Sheffield retail store which stocks all manner of accessories, jewellery, clothing and shoes. The sort you wont see anywhere else in Sheffield. Their own brand pieces make fantastic gifts too (to yourself, of course!).

I have long been a fan as I love seeing independent creative businesses throwing something new into the mix, and I was especially delighted when I popped in a few days ago and saw they have expanded into the property next door and created a stunning coffee shop. I havent had a drink there, but I plan to very soon - I dont even care if the coffee isnt great, I'd pay just to sit in such a great environment. I pretty much want whoever styled up this place to come and do the same to my house! I can imagine sitting and penning my first novel there, fuelled by cups of their coffee, which if the rest of their set up is anything to go by, will taste delicious. (These are the only pics I could find on the internet and they are a bit small, so I will try and find/take some bigger ones so you can see what I'm talking about - or if you are in Sheffield, why not pop along).

My Boswell

2011-01-07T14:51:00.002Z

Link

Dr. Samuel Johnson was a famous English essayist and scholar, and James Boswell was his admirer and companion.

Boswell kept a diary and wrote all about Dr. Johnson.

In Arthur Conan Doyle's books about Sherlock Holmes, Watson is Holmes' companion and to a certin extent, admirer, on many a case and he also writes about Sherlock Holmes' escapades.

In "A Scandal in Bohemia," Watson is at the Baker Street residence and proffers, "I think I had better go, Holmes," and Holmes replies, “Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell," In comparing him to Boswell, Holmes is giving him a compliment..

I like the name Boswell, it sounds a bit old fashioned to me. I feel a new nickname for my poor beleaguered boyfriend coming on, after all I would be rather lost without him, even if he doesn't write about my escapades hugely admire my crafty dabbling, he does put up with my hairbrained schemes, is always kind and supportive and is my companion through thick and thin (literally: we are on a post new year diet at the moment!!). Anyhow, if he protests at the nickname, I will save it for my imaginary future pet - I like the idea of pets having serious old fashioned names.

Do you have a Boswell?

Fork-poms

2011-01-06T16:25:00.000Z

Fork pom-poms, what a great idea and it involves less faffing than the cardboard rings or the wrapping of yarn round the fingers method. Eskimimiknits has written a tutorial on her fork-pom method which you can see in full here.