Thrifted Treasure

I just had to share this freshly thrifted treasure! I found this vintage oil painting today in a second hand shop just a few doors away from my home, and fell in love with it instantly!

I love everything about it; the frame, the flowers, the lines of the paint and the muted pastel tones.  

As far as I can tell, the artists name was Y. Beauly.  It is not dated and unfortunately the shop owner could not offer me any more information, but I would love to know more about its history and to find more work by this beautifully talented artist...

Until then I shall simply enjoy daydreaming about these flowers...

Much love,

Michelle x

Mothers Day Inspiration

With Mothers Day just around the corner, my mind has been racing with ideas and inspiration for special handmade treats.

I'm imagining cupcakes, bunting, hand sewn hearts and flowers; all with an abundance of polka dots of course!

Today I began drafting this years cards, and hope to share the final designs very shortly.  For now here is a picture of my progress so far, and of some gorgeous dried petals that could make some equally gorgeous potpourri.

Watch this space for Mothers Day gift inspiration, and tutorials for if you should want to create something yourself...

Much love,

Michelle x

Sheepish Heart Bomb

I must have been feeling the Valentines cheer this year, because when I came across the Sheepish Heart Bomb event taking place over Valentines weekend, I thought it was a fantastic idea.  The event was hosted by the very talented Meredith of One Sheepish Girl, and the idea was to 'spread some love' by hanging handmade hearts and messages about your town or city.  I'd seen yarn bomb events before and due to my lack of knitting/crocheting talent, I'd not been able to participate.  But The Sheepish Heart Bomb event was open for any style, so I got straight to work!

The night before, I made four fabric hearts and attached messages like 'Life is good', and 'Have a nice day!' along with the hashtag to the event.  I excitedly packed them along with Noah's essentials in preparation for our trip the next day.

On Saturday morning Noah and I headed on up to Williamson's Park.  I envisioned the two of us strolling through the park on a quiet morning. Perhaps due to baby brain, or maybe to the fact that a stay at home mum doesn't really keep track of what day it is, I had completely overlooked the fact that today was SATURDAY.  And not any old Saturday, but Valentines weekend, and the weekend of 'Bark in the Park'; the canine equivalent of a town fete. 

I did eventually manage to dodge the crowds however, and after much loitering I also eventually mustered the courage to hang my hearts and take the following pictures :) 

The first I planted in a tree overhanging the path and the second on a bridge.  The third I planted on some ruins within the park, took my pictures, and then was startled by some fellow park goers so snatched it back up and made a quick exit, planting it again further down the path.  I don't know why.  

For the fourth and final heart, I just knew I had to involve Ashton Memorial in some way.  The monument was built in the early 1900's by Lord Ashton of Lancaster, in tribute to his late wife, and dominates the city skyline.  This heart's message read 'You are loved', and it was the perfect way to end my heart bomb.

Once Noah finally awoke from his nap, we enjoyed the rest of our afternoon in the park, feeding the ducks and playing on the playground.  It really was a lovely day, and all of my hearts have since been taken, which makes me quite happy! Three of them were posted onto Instagram, which makes me even happier :)

If you want to read more about the Sheepish Heart Bomb event or other lovely things, visit Meredith's blog page One Sheepish Girl

Much love,

Michelle x

Feeling the Love

Happy Valentines Day!

I thought I would share a few handmade Valentines treats.  Yes, it is a massively commercial holiday, but there are any number of ways to make it a more personal occasion.  I believe that handmade gifts are made all the more special by their imperfections (at least that's what I tell myself!)

I stayed up late into the night yesterday to decorate cupcakes in preparation for this morning, and was quite pleasantly surprised with the results.  As this was my first time (my husband is the cook in our family, and for good reason) I kept them very simple; vanilla cupcakes and buttercream, with strawberry sprinkles to give them a Valentines feel.  I enjoyed making these so much I think I may have found another hobby...

The rest of my gifts were made simply with watercolour paper, a typewriter stamp set and some Washi tape.  '52 Reasons why I Love you' took the most amount of time to make, as I wanted this to be a gift that would last for some time.  After seeing the idea being done by a few different people on Instagram, I thought I would give it a go.  Making your partner feel loved and appreciated is what Valentines Day is about after all :)

I hope everyone has enjoyed a fantastic Valentines Day!

Much love,

Michelle x

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

For my first post I thought I would share a small project from a couple of months ago.  I'm always looking for new ways to improve our home, this was both a pretty and inexpensive way to do so.

I began with 4 x embroidery hoops of 8" and 7" diameter, 2 x paint, 4 x fabric fat quarters, a pair of pinking shears and a paint brush.

I then painted the outer ring of the embroidery hoops, using emulsion paint in Powder Purple and Spa.

Once the hoops had dried I put the fabric in the embroidery hoop as normal, and cut to size using the Pinking Shears.  These are great as they stop unfinished fabric from fraying.

And there it is! This was such a simple project, but one which has utterly transformed our hallway.  The  light floral and polkadot patterns add a splash of vintage charm to the otherwise plain walls, with the pastel hoops framing them nicely.

And as the fabrics can be easily removed, it's possible to update the colour and pattern with the changing of the seasons :)

Here they are individually;

I hope you've enjoyed my first post!

Michelle x