Sewing corner revisited...

Well hello! It is Friday, the weekend is knocking, and I am looking forward to some crafty time...hopefully! That is once the laundry pile has been conquered! I have had a good tidy of my sewing corner recently, and a few new additions too, so while it's in an orderly state I thought I'd share some pictures with you. I don't have a separate room for sewing and crafting, but a desk that hubby built a few years ago in the corner of our living room. As you can imagine the challenge here is to keep it relatively organized, as to not turn our main living space into a messy work room! One day, I would love a space of my own where I can create to my heart's content, without having to worry about the inevitable mess it creates. One day...But equally, it is good to be able to sit in the same room as the rest of the family, to still feel a sense of togetherness whilst taking the time to sew. So today, a few pictures of my ever evolving crafty space...

Stripped bare, ready to re-organize...

A recent project...A gift for a friend...

Hmmm...what's next?

Here's to a weekend of creative pursuits!

Blessings

Light work...

Today is a good day. The sun is boldly strutting in the bright blue sky, and a light breeze is flirting with the leafy trees outside my window, making them sway just ever so gently to the tune of early summer. Perfection. When the days are bright and warm like this, my mind tends to wander all the way down from Blighty to the very bottom of the African continent...my homeland. I get rather nostalgic when reminded of balmy days spent in the southern sun. And it seems nostalgia has gripped my heart strings rather tightly over the past week!

I have been itching to make a new lampshade for quite some time now, a little sewing project that I hadn't attempted before. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do...some kind of naive applique scene...maybe little houses, or beach huts? Whilst flicking through our wedding album (a little self indulgent walk down memory lane!), it suddenly dawned on me that I could do the little chapel where we were married. It was a beautiful sun kissed day like today, with a light breeze tickling my veil. We said our 'I do's' in a pretty school chapel out in the country, where white daisies framed the entrance to the altar. The church was surrounded by beautiful old Cape Dutch style buildings, so typical of South Africa, and I decided incorporate this into the scene. Yes, I am a soppy girl. A sentimental fool. I do love to add a little nostalgia and sentiment to our home, as I believe it reflects who we are. And of course I've allowed myself a little poetic licence in the design...a few flirty kites stretching their legs above the rooftop, and cheerful bunting blowing in the breeze...

Blessings

Frivolous Fripperies

If there is a quote that sums me up, this is it. I wake up every morning with the urge to create 'something'...'anything'...It's like a deep need that cannot ever be met. I make something, I feel satisfied, but after a while a deep hunger sets in for another creative pursuit, and so the cycle continues. And, I do it because it makes me happy. I find solace in the quiet times spent thinking up new fripperies...Sometimes I make something wholly useful, and then other times it is just a little bit of frivolity...making what some may refer to as 'silly decorations', or 'unnecessary objects'.

* frippery: definition 

a tawdry or frivolous thing; 
a silly decoration or unnecessary object


This past week I felt compelled to give in to my creative urges again...I think this time it was brought on by tactical thoughts of procrastination...a need to avoid doing the ironing, a job which I loathe! So, instead of putting on my apron like a good 1950's housewife, and dragging the laundry basket closer, I cranked up Absolute '80's on the old Roberts radio, and made some fripperies to tart up my sewing corner.

Floral flags of frivolity...

A few golden touches...
An old box and crown gets the gold treatment...

Newly printed Polaroids in a frame...

An afternoon spent doing what makes me happy!

Are you a frivolous fripperies creator too? I know I'm not the only one! And as we speak, I'm already dreaming up new ideas...bring on the glue, bring on the paint! Let's make something new until we faint! Ahem...perhaps only once I've tackled the ever growing Everest pile of pants!

Blessings

Happy Love Day...

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. How will you spend it? Over in our corner of the world, it will kick off with a nice family breakfast. Hubby is working the night shift, so he will come home to fried eggs, and pancakes...the pancakes are more for mummy and the kids...It will be a normal day, just like any other, with a little bit of love shown with small gestures...tiny tokens of 'I love you's'...

♥Handmade with love♥...

Some treat envelopes for the kidlets...Yip, I'm no Monet, but then they don't ask for much! Hopefully my efforts will cheer their day!

And inside? A few sweet treats...

The house has also had a little 'love' sprinkled in places...The dresser is dressed in hearts, and the colour of love...red...♥

To me, nothing says 'I love you' more than a thoughtful bit of 'handmade'...

So, no grand gestures here...just little celebrations on 'Love Day'...May you know that you are loved too...

Blessings

Fall-ing in love with autumn...all over again...

Hello! Well, what a crazy busy week it has been! School trips, work commitments, celebrations and 'normal life' have filled every second with a sense of  'busy'! But, I have finally managed to dress the mantel in the living room for autumn. I like to change things for every season, and this September has been no different. I did however, decide to try something a little different than usual for this beautiful season. I do love autumn...It is almost like nature is taking a deep breath, pausing, waiting, before it exhales a warm glow over an ever changing landscape. Nature is painting a pallet of gold, rust, crimson and warm browns, comforting colours to usher us gently from the brights of summer into the deep of winter.

Autumn, to me, is a time of feathering one's nest, in preparation for the long cold winter that will soon come knocking. I imagine the little woodland creatures hunting and gathering, wisely making hay while the sun still shines! So, for the mantel, I decided to go for a woodland theme with an autumnal feel...

A leafy garland, carefully sewn together and hung from the mantel...

I found the free printable on Pinterest...A great reminder that we should be grateful for this season, for the harvest is to come...

A few happy creatures...Mr Bear, Raccoon and a feisty little fox...I drew the template for the bear myself, but the raccoon and fox were featured in 'Mollie Makes', and can be found online.

Some woodland toadstools perhaps?

A few woodland tales so we can snuggle and read together...'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Squirrel's Autumn Search', 'It takes two to twit-twoo', and 'Freddy and the Fairy'...We love nothing more than cosy story time on a crisp autumn evening...

A few pumpkins and painted pine cones for a bit of colour!

And so we fall in love with autumn...all over again!

Blessings

Pastel polishing...

Hello my lovelies! Well, it's finally here. Sunshine, daffodils and brighter evenings! I revel in the changing seasons, as they are so beautifully and characteristically defined here in the UK. Every season inspires a little nest primping in our home, as I love to change things around to reflect the time of year. My favourite corner to dress is most definitely the dresser which sits in our living/dining room. Since we acquired it, it has always been styled with red accessories. Red is my favourite colour after all! But, for while now I have longed for a change, something a little more brighter, ethereal, springlike! It felt like it needed a bit of polishing...with pastels! And, what better time to tackle a change of mood than spring, with a little Easter celebration thrown in for good measure!

The dresser before...in red at Christmas time...

The dresser now...pastel spring colours of pinks, blues and yellows!

Some Easter chocolate bunnies in jars...

An old favourite...'E' for Easter...

Some decorative altered books in a stash...tied with velvet ribbon...
I cut out a display window through the cover, added some gold leaf, glitter and Scrabble letters...

Fresh flowers...

And a few favourite things...

A basket of eggs...and an egg box prettied up...





























And who said deer are just for Christmas?

I'm in love with the cheery lightness in this corner. It might stay like this well beyond Easter!

Blessings, Tania ♥