Hat Conversions & The End of the Giveaway!

I think I have briefly mentioned that I am going on holiday next week- destination: Portugal (The Algarve to be more precise). So naturally I need to take a hat with me. You would not believe how difficult it is to find a nice hat!! Someone needs to tell the manufacturers that 'one size fits all' is a downright lie and some big brained people (like me) have bigger heads!

Anyway, I finally found a hat that fitted me, but didn't like the decoration it already had on it, so decided to do a Beth style makeover. Here is what it looked like when I bought it....

I decided to add some crochet flowers on it, and fiddled around with some pure cotton yarn until I had a few flowers and leaves that I was happy with (tutorial will be coming up on the right there shortly, I'll let you know when it's up and running).

Then it was simply a matter of removing the offending existing decoration and sewing on my own! A set of three flowers and three leaves on each side of the hat.

So what do you think?

Of course, now I have a hat to put all the names for the giveaway into, so I wrote them all out on little pieces of paper and dragged The Mother outside to lend her choosing services, and the winner is....

Lucy!!!

So many congratulations- I just have to decide what to put in your box and then your prize will be winging it's way to you in the post.
Sorry to those of you who didn't win. Thank you for entering and keep reading the blog, you never know when I might do another one!! =D

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Edit to add: The tutorial for the crochet flowers and leaves I made for my hat is now ready. Find it in my sidebar or click here to view.

Postcards & Poppies

I know you are all tense with excitement and anticipation for the winner of the Big 200 Giveaway, but I think I will keep you in suspense a little longer.... instead I will write about a lovely package the postman delivered to me this afternoon with my green fabric postcard returns and some lovely poppies from Wendy.

 (By Becky)                                                     (By Mary)

(By Wendy)

And some lovely Poppy ATCs. I love it when they are all different, then they really are unique!

All of the above made by the lovely Wendy.

Flowers & Rainbows

One of the best things about summer are the flowers! The garden just bursts into life and one of the most prominent inhabitants are my Dad's lilies. He is quite protective of them and checks them regularly for the dreaded lily beetle- heaven forbid if one is found! An immediate expulsion of the lily beetle is required and much dancing and squishing follows just to make sure it won't come back! It does mean that the lilies come back year after year, growing taller and taller with more and more flowers. And the colours are lovely!!!

Of course the issue we are having this year with it being colder than usual and more wet is that there is an abundance of slugs and snails who tend to go on nightly raids and  attack the lilies, so some of them look more like this...

Never mind!! Yesterday there was a very exciting albeit slightly rumpled letter pushed through the letterbox- another set of poppy ATCs, this time from Debbie. (She also sent me some little extra bits and pieces, so thank you Debbie!!)

 Wanna take a closer peek???

Cute aren't they? The printed bird is a nice touch too.

I have also been working hard, finishing off my last two rainbow pages before I go on holiday next week. The swapping system has got a bit muddled as a few of the ladies have dropped out half way through so no one really knows who sending who what anymore, but at least I have mine ready for when we figure it out.
Here is my indigo page:

And my violet page:

So hopefully they will eventually be posted to their new owners- who I hope will like them!!

New Designers

So yesterday I went to London with my friend Amy to visit a highly prestigious exhibition called New Designers. This is where the creme de la creme of graduate designers from all over the country  exhibit and sell their work, and the standard of work was completely staggering!!!
We didn't really know where to start so just took the plunge and dived in, collecting postcards and business cards of everyone we liked the look of-- which was practically everyone. There was lots of dribbling and drooling and 'I'd buy that', 'that would look fabulous in the living room' and 'if only we had lots of money....'. I came away clutching 101 postcards and 110 business cards, with a handmade button (made by me using some of the fabric one of the designers had printed herself) and a pretty sticker. I can't show you all of the cards I picked up otherwise we will be here for YEARS! But I can show you some of my favourite ones and I will link to all of their websites if I can so that you can take a closer look yourself.

Michele Rimmer                                    Ruth Foster

Amelia May Petherbridge

(the link isn't to her website, which doesn't seem to be working, but to the Art's Thread website which has a bit about her)

 

Amy Baxter

(who doesn't seem to be on the internet at all! Love love love her work though!!!)

Emma Rawson

(again not her real website which doesn't seem to be finished- the address should be emmasglass.com)

Vicky Richardson                        Miche Follano

Emma Evett

So that was the ceramics and glass favourites- now on to the textiles, fashion and accessories!

Gemma Fernandes                                         Shayna B
 

Sophie Wyn Parry

(She is advertising using facebook, which is what I've linked to above. She also has a blog though if you prefer)
 

Lizzie Rose Hughes               Helen Whitworth

Diane Blackford                                Rebecca Ann Boden

Rebekah Marshall

Hannah Simpson                Roxana Jebreel

Louisa Knox

Jennifer Hollidge                   Julia Katherine Williams

Netanya Barber                        Nicola Flint

Claire Brookes

So there we go! Just a small selection of the AMAZING work on offer. I really recommend going to see this exhibition yourself, you will be blown away! It's not on for long though so get a move ON!!