lace and buttons

These earrings were featured in the Etsy Victorian inspired Storque article along with some fabulous vintage and victorian inspired pieces.


I am particularly in love with the little doily pouches from forestbound whose etsy shop is here and blog is here

P.S - Keep an eye out for a shop update - I'm awaiting an important delivery, which I am hoping will arrive soon!

home is......

I have been thinking a lot about 'home' recently. What does it actually mean, and where is it?

I've moved around a lot, especially in the past year.......maybe more mentally than physically......I am not yet settled into my own nest. I feel like I am in a suspended place between the past and the future....this place doesn't quite exist and it refuses to fit. I'm like a snail who has found a new home in an empty can.

erica browne - city bird

That all sounds a bit dispondant. It isn't. I know these things must happen, and we must go through these periods of change.....we all (hopefully, anyway) find a place where we fit eventually, or I guess make the place we are in fit a bit better, or realise it fitted all along.....or something!

And also, these times make you think....get ideas flying around your head, albeit at 2am when you're trying to sleep in the bed that doesn't feel like yours.

Happy New Year

Aikey Brae, Aikey Brae,
Awa we gaed on the Sabbath day
The sichts that I saw nearly turned ma hair grey,
On the day we gaed tae Aikey.
(George Morris)


The decorations have come down (in theory, as we didn't actually have any in the flat), family have once again dispersed across the country and it's back to work for me. I'm working on new designs and new art work....I've seriously let this slide since moving to Edinburgh - tut tut at me.
But, with the new year comes renewed enthusiasm and such....(haha, so much enthusiasm I left this post open in another tab for hours and completely forgot I was writing it!)

Anyhoo, back to usual tomorrow, new things coming to the shop soon! I'll have a better date in mind later......and update in a proper manner when I can concentrate on something!

My present to you

It's nearly Christmas!! I am half way through putting up my decorations just now - paper heart and leaf garlands and star shaped lights! There is a cake of the birthday variety in the oven and it smells lovely. So anyway, this festive feeling appears to have put me in a good mood - and from now (well, a little earlier today actually) until 12pm GMT (midday) 19th December 2008 there is free shipping within the UK from my Etsy AND Folksy shops! The 19th is the last day I'm able to post anything that isn't being sent super fast special delivery as I'm travelling 'home' on 20th. So order early!!

Made in the Shade

I'm sitting here wondering where the week has gone....it seems like yesterday I was in Glasgow at Made in the Shade! My stall is pictured above - towards the end of the 2nd day, so really not looking its best! It was great fun, a little tiring, but nowhere near as much as I thought it would be on my own!
The Made in the Shade ladies did another fabulous job of organising things and will hopefully be back soon with another great event! Make sure to check their website regularly (or do the RSS thing) to find out about next years events!

Oh, and I did get a little bit of a chance to do some Christmas shopping, and as predicted it was mostly for myself! Shhh!

Oh - P.S Happy Birthday Chloe (little sister)

lines and lines and lines

I am a prolific list writer. In fact, right now I am sat in bed, with coffee, surrounded by lists. I like writing lists, I like organising things and I like crossing things off.

My current lists reside on various bits of scrap paper, but 'proper' lists, not just to-do lists are kept in my fabulous hand printed moleskine cahier from the fabulous Champignons on etsy.


Last night I was ignoring my to-do list, as if frequently the case - I am also a prolific procrastinator and time waster - I guess that's why the lists are so important....I find myself day dreaming or going off on a complete tangent and completely forget what I was doing....
So last night, I found the most wonderful dinnerware from Fishs Eddy. Now I can keep my coffee in line whilst sitting in bed writing my lists, or organise my cheese into a list of which should be eaten first! (Brie is obviously top of that list by the way) . It is a little sad that they don't come as dinner plates, but peas would be flying off all over the place and to put a lip on these would be sacrilege , and that's just not good, is it?


Anyway, this discovery took me on a little Google adventure, albeit quite a disappointing one. How fabulous would it be to have stationary cutlery.....you know, a knife that looks like a ruler, things shaped like pens and pencils.....these are all I found.
Ummm....yes.....pen lids with plastic forks on the end. How completely useless.

Apparently....

"These eating tools work in conjunction with your ball point pens, this makes it easier to eat with and handle the food properly without getting it all down your clothes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing ! "

Or just use a real fork.

I chew pen lids. I would stab my mouth. Not fun. I often forget to take a pen with me, or loose them, so this wouldn't really be very handy for impromptu eating either. Ridiculous.

Now, real cutlery shaped like stationary is perfectly acceptable and any cutlery designers reading this should take note (ha!) and make some for me please. I don't want to be resigned to cutting my cheese with a plastic fork taped to a Biro. Thank you.

Folksy Angels Competiton

The lovely people at Folksy & Wemake have been running a festive competition 'Folksy Angels' calling for people to make Christmas (or other denomination holiday) decorations from recycled materials. Nothing should be bought. Above is half of my entry. My little houses pale in comparison to the rest of the fabulous decorations entered - there are some fabulous things made from ring pulls, corks and cans - I obviously don't drink enough as all that was in my recycling was cardboard & paper scraps!!

Please go and vote (for me if you like!) right here