Crafty Crafty

It's been a while, but I have been a productive little soldier.

Work continues to be busy but rewarding, particularly when turning a corner on a sunny morning and seeing the Waterside cafe as a beautiful oasis rather than a concrete jungle.

The sewing that I created last year for my godchildren continues to be put to good use by a very enthusiastic and gorgeous girl

 

while the more serious older sister concentrates hard on taking care of the new puppy...

Crafting continues apace at wedding planner central... do drop by and see what I've been up to!

Try to remember...

When the summer existed...

One day, a long long time ago, we went to Oxfordshire. Hot air balloons laced across the sky as we sat in a garden eating scrumptious salads...

The hostess, parents of a dear friend of ours, is a potter extraordinaire and all of her family tableware is made in her studio.

The studio itself is hidden in the inner corner of a garden full of blossoming flowers, trees laden with fruit and tempting little places to swing, seat, sunbathe and generally relax.

 

 

A delicious day in the heat of the summer.

 

If only I could remember what it felt like to be warm.

Monochrome

For someone who is usually a veritable rainbow of colour, I am loving the monochrome look at the moment. Maybe it has something to do with the DIRE weather we are having: I just don't feel like wearing bright summery colours and black and white just always looks crisp and right.

Indeed, I'm wearing this dress above for a wedding in two weeks time.

As I sit at the computer in this Noa Noa top, black trousers and gold All Stars, my fingers clicked over to one of my favourite American chains:

White House Black Market.

 

My oh my, have they got some gorgeous frocks for the fall....

 

 

 

With a black pair of linen trousers just finished and a white linen and crochet top just finished it's going to take something of a tropical miracle to get me back into any kind of technicolour: glorious or otherwise... 

Tip Top in Tipperary Town

A surprisingly sunny holiday in Southern Ireland, visiting the numerous relatives that abound in County Tipperary. My parents have purchased a plot of land and put cows on it while trying to get planning for their retirement home... Much drinking, eating, driving and sight-seeing to be had in the area...

Picnicing at the Vee

Playing sailor on the loch at Killaloe

And enjoying the wonders of the Irish sense of humour...

 

 

 

 

 

Highly recommend the area... though perhaps not my photography skills which were woefully absent this week, I'm afraid.

When VV Rouleaux Comes to Town

All is BRIGHT with the world...

The delectable Annabel Lewis (left) and her handmade fascinator...

Alongside the disgustingly talented Claudia (milliner extraordinaire) who joined in the ribbon making!

Caravan installed in Silk Street entrance for the world to see until Sunday!

  

Thousands of metres of ribbon draped from antlers on the wall for all the world to fondle.

We learnt how to make roses out of ribbon wire and then pinned them on to my good self.

 

 

 

 

And then it all had to be packed away.

And that was sad.

But we'll get over it.

With another trip to Marylebone High Street.

Pausing for breath

The reams of events that have been going on here at Camp Beholden have finally caught up on me and my body is starting to slow down.

Which is rather a shame as my schedule will continue to be busy regardless, at least for the next five days.

We had an INCREDIBLY popular photography and makeup sesh in the gallery for the First Thursday of July

We celebrated OAKFEST 08 at Oaklands School in Bethnal Green

We crafted and coutured our way to stunning sample technique pieces with Ruth

I will be lying down in a darkened room shortly.

But sadly not quite yet...

July Fourth... When You're Not American...

Good fun, particularly when your guests are only able to sing Bye Bye Miss American Pie instead of the Star Spangled Banner in celebration of the Big Day.

And your fireworks are reduced to one sparkler on top of a pile of cookies...

My ambitions never quite lives up to Martha Stewart's expectations...

Do they??

My Life's Work is Done...

There was a fayre...

There was a Produce Show...

There was a Lemon Cake category...

I came Third...

I'm ignoring the fact that only Three cakes were on Show.

Herewith my father-in-law (to be) successfully catching a long-range egg in the Egg Throwing competition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a weekend...

What a week...

And the season has only just begun.

The exhibition programme that I have been working on since starting my new job in January is finally kicking off this week.

The opening was glamorous without being intimidatingly snooty: I was so pleased by how many people were happy to chat away with me. I even had a jaw-dropping (well for me!) five minutes with Gok Wan ending in air kisses and hugs! Fingers crossed he'll be working with us sometime in the near future!

The beautiful Ruth's work has gone online and her workshop has sold out in record time!

Tonight sees the launch of the public programme proper so fingers crossed and of course, I'll report back!

England in bloom

 

God love the summer sun...

Townies and farmers...

A gorgeous weekend with great friends in Norfolk.

There were freshly picked carrots that made their way into our roast dinner  ...

A restored retro trike complete with trunk for all important storage of creeping crawlies and wriggling worms ...

'Paintfacing' ...

Hard grafting at the computer ...

And general frolicking and frivolity ...

Gosh it's great to give children back at the end of a summer weekend. The playing is great, but the peace is better!   

Literally counting the days until our next visit.

Another day... Another exhibition opening...

A cutting edge duo are exhibiting at the museum I work in... A dress is required... The pressure was on...

And the wallet was empty.

Queue a very old piece of printed silk crepe given to me by a friend's grandmother...

And some scraps of shot taffeta along with a pressing need to jump on the Suffolk Puff/Yo Yo bandwagon that's bouncing all over the internet...

Images are rubbish but hopefully I'm nearly there. Just need to hem it and pick up some cheap-o shoes from some high street somewhere...

Comments on a postcard to the usual address.

Weekend wandering

Borough Market in all its spring splendour offered a smorgasbord of asparagus and pick'n'mix mushrooms.

The Museum of Childhood made me happy in its floor...

and its cavernous ceiling...

Great cafe too...

It's all about the fabric

If ever there were a dress to prove that amazing fabric can bely basic construction and possibly even dodgy methods... this is it.

I'm not saying this dress is dodgily made at all. It's a large rectangle of amazing printed silk shirred all the way around the top. No zip, no shaping, it's all in the elastic. Excellent for the summer and a great way to show off the cutest of prints.

If I only I could get my hands on the fabric. Something tells me I shall now be ebaying for flamingo printed cotton.