Friday 27 April 2012

Folksy Friday - Fire

This weeks Folksy Friday's theme is Fire.  I thought it might throw up an interesting mix of reds, yellows and orange, and maybe a few interesting items too. Though yellow is definitely not among mu favourite colours, I do like red, so I'm hoping to find some vibrant reds among my choices this week. Here goes....



First up are a pair of gorgeous fire Opal earrings from Whimsical Wren Jewellery





 Next is a cute little Jute bag with a stencilled Fire engine by Beenbags




An amazing handmade felt merino fire waistcoat from Elfnfelt




A fabulous patio fire basket from Homestead and garden




A stunning glass fire plate by Melting Point




An amazing fire encaustic art painting from rainbow butterfly cards and paintings




A great Fire Dragon tea light shelter by  HeartsDesire




A beautiful Fire Carnelian and Agate necklace from Glitzy Gecko




A lovely Fire Feathers bag made by Little Lovely Stuff




And lastly, a super cute Fire Engine cushion from Dollydoo

I'm afraid I had nothing even remotely fire related in my shop, so nothing from me this week. Hope you enjoyed my selection...

Linda

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Staying young

Yesterday was my Mum's eightieth birthday, and whilst this is a great milestone, she is still very young at heart. From my earliest childhood, I remember my Nan as an old lady, yet she was probably only in her sixties. I will be sixty this year, but I certainly don't think of myself as old, in my head I'm still in my thirties! I know that years ago although peoples lives were not full of the modern stresses that we live with nowadays, their lives were much harder than ours. Most of them had lived through two wars and had lost loved ones, and they physically worked harder and had much less leisure time than we do. They were old at a much younger age, and I think they resigned themselves to old age much more readily than we do. My Mum on the other hand is not old. Yes she is old in years, but she still acts as she always did. She has kept up with technology, she has a mobile phone and regularly texts, she has a laptop which she uses daily... she sends emails and has recently joined facebook! She already has more friends than me! I think that keeping active in both mind and body is the key to staying young... 'Use it, or lose it', and of course good genes help you to keep looking young, and my Mum has been blessed with these. I hope I look as good at eighty as she does!

I don't think older generation are appreciated as they once were, everything now is about youth, but we need the knowledge and experience that comes with age. We need to talk to them more, ask them questions and maybe get them to write about their lives, before all that history is lost. I got my Mum to do this a few years ago. You'd be surprised at what interesting reading it will make. The world is changing so quickly, perhaps this is something we should all do for our children and grandchildren. 

To celebrate her birthday, my Mum organised her own party on Sunday afternoon, to which over seventy family and friends were invited. My Sister, Brother and I sorted the food, but my Mum made her own Birthday Cake! One of my cousins even traveled down from Birmingham just for the occasion. The Birthday girl had a great time and we presented her with her gift - a new laptop!




Mum and my Brother at her party, I think you'll agree that she looks pretty good for an eighty year old!

Friday 20 April 2012

Folksy Friday - Accessories

The theme for this weeks Folksy Friday is Accessories, and as someone who makes them they are very important to me. I know that a lot of people tend to think of them as just 'fluff', but the right Accessories can really make an outfit. A plain and simple black dress can really come alive with a tasteful bit of bling  - not all bling is tacky. The right cushions or art work can turn your home into something special, they are not just 'dust collectors' as my Husband likes to call them. Carefully chosen Accessories say a lot about who you are, so  choose  them with care..

Here's this weeks selection - enjoy!




A stunning Fascinator from  The Millinery Studio





A beautiful Rose headband by Crown & Glory





A very pretty and unusual handbag by Crystal MoonCat





Gorgeous Silver and Lapis Lazuli earrings from  Kaila jewellery





An absolutely stunning pendant from Wire Works





A pair of simple but elegant Tea light Candle Holders by  Melting Point





A lovable Owl Cushion from  Handmade with love




An unusual driftwood Table Lamp by  Artyxan





A gorgeous green mosaic Mirror from  Katian Mosaics





And lastly from me a green Gingham Scented Heart  Wild Rose Designs

Monday 16 April 2012

An interesting commission

Usually when I'm asked to do a commission it's a variation of an existing design, but my latest custom make was a little different. The customer wanted a small shoulder bag that was in two sections. It was for her holiday, and she wanted one section to hold the passports and tickets and the other to hold money etc. She also wanted to be able to remove the passport section while she was on holiday (she would keep it in the safe in her hotel room) and then just use the second section. An interesting commission! After consulting with her this is what we came up with..........



The bag is basically two small clutches just big enough to hold several passports.




The shoulder strap is detachable and can be attached to either section or both at the same time.




The two sections are attached back to back.




The two bags are attached by magnetic snaps, so are held securely but are easy to separate.





The flap is decorated with a self covered button in the jade satin of the lining. The inside of both bags have slip pockets and the inside of one of them has a dividing zip pocket.


The customer was delighted to see her idea made real, and I was delighted to be able to make it for her!

Friday 13 April 2012

Folksy Friday - Travel

This weeks Folksy Friday theme is inspired by having driven to Heathrow and back on Wednesday to pick up my Daughter and Granddaughter. They'd had a fantastic holiday in San Francisco staying with friends. I'd originally thought of America as a theme, but couldn't find enough items in the search so had to settle on travel. I must admit that I do love to travel and have been to many lovely places, including the USA and Canada, but am sadly resigned to the fact that so many wonderful places will remain unvisited by me, unless I'm lucky enough to win the lottery - I live in hope ( I'm an eternal optimist.)

Here's my selection for this week..........I hope you enjoy them!





A beautiful handmade travel journal from  peony and thistle





A great travel inspired card by  Aunty Joan Crafts





A really useful clean/ dirty lingerie bag from One Legged Goose




A shabby chic travel themed trinket box by  Ginger's Altered Bits





A handy travel organiser from Little Daydreamers





A cute starry eye mask by  Lucky Dragonfly Craft




A stunning graphic print of St Pancras Station from Lucy Dodsworth - Graphic Prints and Photos




A beautiful set of oilcloth travel bag set by Margosha





A bright colourful case for your Kindle by SewYou handmade





And finally a Summery tote from Yours truly - Wild Rose Designs

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Perfection

I'm always striving for perfection, I just can't help myself! When I design a new bag or accessory, I have in my head a picture of what it will look like when it's finished.......... and it's always perfect! Utterly perfect. The reality, when it's finished always falls short of my expectations. Is this a fault in my work or in my character?
Is it actually possible to achieve that level of perfection  in a handmade item? or in fact in anything? And more to the point is it desirable? Doesn't the term 'Handmade' imply that the item will have little imperfections? And isn't it those very imperfections, slight and almost imperceptible though they may be, which give the item it's charm and desirability? I'm not trying to knock other people's work, quite the opposite. Other people's work always seem so much more perfect than mine. But I think this is really all about perception, we crafters are always super critical about our work seeing imperfections where others can't. I know that if I pick up any item in any shop, no matter how expensive that item is, I can always find faults if I look hard enough, but I still can't stop myself from trying to produce an item that is perfect....

Friday 6 April 2012

My Folksy Friday theme this week is Flowers, inspired by the glorious weather we've been having down here in the South. Apologies to all those of you enduring the cold weather conditions.

My favourite flowers are the big showy blooms, preferably scented such as old fashioned Roses, Peonies, Camellias and oriental Lilies. I also love the scent of Stocks.......... heavenly!

Here is this weeks selection of Folksy goodies...enjoy!



An unusual box picture from Papillon





A watercolour sketch of wild flowers by  Catherine Warburton





A stunning brooch by Beastie Brooches




A lovely needle case from PantsandPaper




A fabulous Poppy scarf  by Broomhead Designs




A beautiful pincushion kit from Laura Bateman Embroidery





A fabulous floral tote from Handmade by Edwina



A stunning corsage by Talulahblue



A hand painted flower pot from TatraCottage





And finally, a pink satin bag from me Wild Rose Designs