Jubilee Weekend Coming Up!

Some very pretty and very British accessories from Cath Kidston: 

- Victoria Rose Pearly Zip Purse 

- London Charm Bracelet 

- Guards Hankie 

- Royal Rose Zip Wallet

- Crown Brooch 

- Jubilee Hankie

Three Things

Making me happy these days: 

- pretty colourful windmills on my windowsill (inspiration Lucy from Attic24)

- fresh lemonade prepared and served by my ten-year-old (eleven in nine days, yay!)

- my gorgeous and totally adored Boden mac (remember the wishlist?) 

Enjoy!

Being Creative Again

Well, not all in one go. I made these lovelies over the course of the last year. I suppose the linen glasses case was made some time last spring - I used it over the summer, that much I can remember. I love the idea of a pretty crochet flower on just about everything (you might remember this or this or this or this)  and after several bigger ones I decided to shrink it a little bit.

I used some vintage linen (I guess) and some pretty Liberty Tana Lawn for the lining - I was quite pleased with it when I first made it so naturally, come winter, I decided to make a Tweedy version as well...

I got some precious scraps of Harris Tweed from my dear blogging friend Alison and I still haven't used many of them - they are very tricky to come by in my part of the world! - but I did make a 'winter version' of my Flower Glasses Case.

I used the exactly same pattern as with the linen one but I made a wooly flower. I picked some colour-coordinate Liberty Tana Lawn and, if you don't mind my saying so, was quite pleased with the Tweedy version as well.

The last Tweedy creation was this tiny little purse - another combination of Harris Tweed (thank you so much, Alison!) and Liberty Tana Lawn. With a zipper!

They are very well-loved, my little cases and purses. I don't use them all the time, but every now and then I take them out of my drawer and admire them. I'm weird like that.

Here's to more creative thoughts and ideas!

Three Things

All earrings this time! The three pairs found their home with me in the last six months.

The precious little tulips were bought as a souvenir from our trip to Slovakia's capital last December. It was love at first sight, I can tell you. Hand-painted on balsa wood. Worn a lot.

These were purchased just before Christmas - made by my dear friend Marysia. Aren't they absolutely adorable?

Last but not least, of course, this pair was a surprise spur-of-the-moment gift of a very good friend of mine. Thanks again, M.!

An Owl For My Girl

A couple of months ago, when Spring/Summer catalogues were being delivered to our home, I fell in love with some oh so pretty items from Boden - for my little girl. Given that she only wears clothes for two seasons at the most as she's getting bigger by the day the ones from Boden are rather on the pricey side for us (Mummy wears hers much longer...). After a considerable amount of thought I came to the conclusion that I could give it a try and after many many years produce a piece of clothing by myself. And I did!

Proudly presenting.............(hear the drums roll?)................ta-dah!!! The Owl Skirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd had the pink fabric for ages, I bought it several years ago thinking I'd have a skirt made for myself. Never got round to it, I'm afraid. It came in perfectly handy for my little project!

There's never a problem with scraps of colourful fabric in my home. I love Liberty Tana Lawn cotton and I have a tiny stash of some ancient Laura Ashley fabric in my box.

 After seeing this and this I had plenty of inspiration and, if you don't mind my saying so, I rather like the result of my endeavours. I even put a tiny zig-zag bow at the back of the skirt...

And here you can see the skirt in action : )

'I want one of those': whatever happened to those childhood must-haves?

Do you remember those brands you just had to have as a kid? The ones you asked for to gain serious kudos in the playground? Do you ever wonder what became of them and if people still wear them now? Well, so do we!  

Kickers shoes

 

Kickers shoes were absolute playground essentials. The Kickers crusade entered into the mainstream through indie bands in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The Stone Roses, Jarvis Cocker from Pulp, and Noel Gallagher were all seen proudly wearing their Hi Kicks. What you may not know is that Kickers are still hugely popular, and have expanded to produce a massive range of footwear. They’re still prominent in the playground today, so don’t be surprised if your little one asks you for a pair, just like you asked your mum.

MA2 Jackets – Fantazia, Dreamscape, NASA

Part of an everyday raver’s uniform, the MA2 jacket filtered down through the music

industry. Your jacket would show the brands you admired, and would be individually

personalised with ‘cool’ patches. Although you’d do very well to spot one on the street

these days, they do actually have some value. One former owner said that they saw one sell

for £60 on eBay, so it may be time to dust yours down and put it up for sale! 1

Eclipse jeans

Gangster rap hit the UK mainstream in the 90’s, and Eclipse jeans were bang on trend.

Huge baggy items with strange assorted zippers, buckles and belts were the order of the

day. The only question was, could you get away with wearing a pair instead of your school

trousers? Old school Eclipse jeans seem to have died out, and shouldn’t be confused with

the massively popular modern Eclipse jeans for women.

Tab Clear

Tab Clear – a clear soda drink manufactured by Coca Cola – was marketed as “a completely

new idea in soft drinks […] unlike any other product available.” But it didn’t last very long.

It’s not hard to figure out why though, given that its unique selling point was its clear colour

and it was only sold in cans!

P.S.: This is a sponsored post. A little while ago, Catherine, who works for an advertising agency, contacted me and asked if I was willing to publish an article on her behalf, including some links. Well, this is it, I sincerely hope it doesn't bother you, but I was actually taken down the memory lane as I really used to own a pair of shoes like the one above. I can't remember whether they were actually Kickers, but I loved them and completely wore them out!

Fancy A Giveaway?

Not mine, I'm afraid. Yet again... It's over at Fleur Cotton's blog and you can win this absolutely gorgeous handmade bag.

Do pay Fleur a visit - or keep your fingers crossed for me!

May Blossoms

Our garden in May.

Not much to add...