New Look, new start.

I am getting very excited about the move to our new shop. On the 29th of May we are closing the Gillingham shop and moving it to 59 High Street Wincanton. It will have a new look and new direction.  With the emphasis on Recycle, reuse and reinvent. I will be mixing vintage with Handmade (which I have been doing gradually in Gillingham over the last year or so), but there will not be the bought in products from India ,  I will be buying off  British crafts people, locally and across the country.

Kate from Magpie (often seen at the Anonymous Travelling Market) is going to put her gorgeous work in the shop and also help out on a Friday.  Kate makes beautiful things from vintage fabrics and reworks linen tablecloths etc into egg cosies and bags.  She also has a 'magpies' eye for china and little vintage finds.

Maria from 'Just Sew' will be supplying the shop with bunting and appliqued pictures.

There will also be the lovely pottery from Karen Harrison, often seen exhibiting across the country.
Mixed in with fabrics, vintage and new, vintage making books (if I can manage to part with 

them. ), ribbons, 


Vintage buttons as well as ceramic and modern (as you know I am a buttonholic.) Vintage haberdashery,
Little vintage luckydip packs,
and I am going to rework these fantastic vintage knitting patterns, for the shop and the website.
Don't you just love them :)...or is it just me???
There will also be a large amount of my handmade bits, made from recycling jumpers and buttons. As well as my paintings and photography.

The website will get a lot more of my attention and I will gradually get all of the stock on there.
Just a few of my handmade brooches and necklaces.


So quite a packed shop really!!!

We are only going to open 3 days a week, Wed, Thurs, and Friday.

When sitting down with Tony to discuss the new venture we realised we had not had a weekend together for 6 years!, and also George and Harry will be leaving school from July , George will be going to Falmouth Art college in September and Harry may be joining the army ( he has to have a medical in June and then we'l know more.) So it will be amazing for me to be at home more and around for all the boys through the summer. (I may spend a bit of time making in the sunshine..but I will be around!)

From September when Arthur starts school I am looking forward to going back to supplying Galleries and having the excuse to visit different towns (some of which may be by the sea lol)

It all sounds great doesn't it, I am very lucky that I have Tony to support and encourage me, We all are actually!  ( more than words can say) I am hoping that I can give the same back over the next few years as he embarks on putting all his ideas into action.

over the rainbow

Yesterday was full of storms, torrential rain caught me and Arthur out when we walked into town to get a paper..sunny when we started a down pour when we came out. We huddled under cover and waited for it to slow down so we could walk back up the hill. I turned to Arthur and said "I bet your Daddy will come out looking for us", turned around and there was Tony, bless. :)
Then when it cleared (after an hour!) this amazing rainbow appeared the first we had seen from this house, and how amazing to see the whole rainbow over the landscape. I could not fit it all in the picture.
Today was beautiful and sunny and we decided to make the most of it and go for a picnic.
In this meadow next to the river.
Arthur loved it, and spent the time running around and worshipping dandelions ;)
With a special dance..





One happy boy :) then he had lots of races first with me then Tony. (I don't know why the writing is coming out blue and underlined! must have pressed the wrong button somewhere?)


When we got back we spent some time in the garden, this is my new flower border , sweetpeas,borage,marigolds,nasterciums (can't spell),poppys and lots of other seeds I can't remember.
There are some gorgeous blossoms and lots of old cottage plants appearing now.





and my nettle crop at the bottom of the garden, we have had nettle soup which was dellicous and I'm tempted to try the nettle beer that Norfolk Kitchen has had a go at before Tony takes the strimmer to them.
All in all a fab weekend :) X

Spring Greens

We have had a lovely bank Holiday Monday, doing odd jobs around the house and the garden, me and the boys had nettle soup for lunch, made with nettles, potatoes,onion lovage, rosemary and oregana yum. Tony was not convinced that it would be delicious and stuck to bread and pate.
It was so nice to have lunch together, the boys are rarely around over the weekends now. We all went for a walk around our local woods after lunch.
They all have a bit of a competitive streak..as you can see from the top pic, I was taking a picture of Arthur and Harry, but the others wanted to see if they could jump higher Lol :)

Lots of chatting on the way (inbetween the jumping and climbing).
The colours of spring are fantastic, the vibrant greens of the new leaves against the blue sky..
The fields are full of dandelions and daisys, the wild garlic is all along the hedgerows and ready to flower.
The blue bells are just starting to come out. I will have to go back next week to see how the colours have changed.
How high can Arthur be lifted! and for how long? Harry ran up the hill carrying Arthur building up his muscles ready for the army.





Arthur is so going to miss his big brothers soooo much.
I am desperate to capture every moment of these last few months of us all being together.
More competitions in jumping, Arthur wanted to do it all by himself..and also refused to hold my hand on the walk.




More pictures of the beautiful spring flowers, happy colours :)

I have also been making a lot, inspired by Arthurs beading above where he used everything to hand regardless of shape or colour. I have made some allsorts bracelets, I loved the way the buttons were bunched together, I have not been able up to now to find a use for the shank buttons.
I have also made another scumble cushion, I am trying to get a collection together to get into Galleries. I have added buttons to this one.


I had a great day last Monday taking pictures of the new bracelets for my website, the bracelet above is made using recycled jewellery and wooden beads.
I hope you all had a good Bank holiday weekend. x