Framing memories

My parents were tidying their loft last week and they found a big box of my Birthday, Christmas, Graduation and Good luck cards that we had kept from the past few years. It was great to go through them and read all of the handwritten notes, but I loved rediscovering the beautiful, quirky and individual images that people had personally chosen for me. 

Two of my favourites that I found were prints by Angie Lewin, the printmaker, painter and designer. I first saw her work in Country Homes and Interiors, and when I found her prints amongst my cards, I decided to frame them. The artist works in a whole variety of mediums, including wood engraving, lithograph and collage, however the most interesting method to me was linocut. I remember using this medium at school and in my A-levels, and enjoyed how it created very bold geometric prints. Angie Lewin has created a beautifully delicate style of cutting designs for florals and fauna and printing them in gorgeous colours, but at the same time retaining the boldness of the lino.

I decided to frame the cards in my NKUKU frames, and once again I loved how the simple frames showed off the delicate nature of the gorgeous 'Agapanthus' (above) lithograph print. I also framed her 'Loch with Dandelions' print (below) with a completely different style design of a white rabbit with butterfly wings jumping out of a hat. 

The colours compliment each other and I love the flash of blue, plus I love the text on the bottom of the card, because, as always...

...and long may it remain that way!

"I've been cheating on fashion with furniture" - A Country Homes and Interiors subscription

I have been reading Vogue magazine as a subscriber for as long as I can remember, however this year I fancied a change. Since moving into The Nest, half of my time has been taken up with decorating, furnishing and generally obsessing over how my home looks. 

As Carrie Bradshaw said in Sex and the City 2: "I've been cheating on fashion with furniture"

I have been picking up occasional copies of Country Homes and Interiors, and have fallen in love with their styling, photoshoots and things to make and do. Their articles cover a great range of topics from country businesses to gardening, recipes to decorating, and with a fab layout and a gorgeous mix of country homes to dream about, what's not to love!

There was a brilliant offer through magazinesdirect.com that I took advantage of, so if you're thinking of trying a different magazine, why not click over to Country Homes and Interiors to have a look!

Below are a few of my favourite pages from the last few issues and to be honest it was difficult not to photograph the entire magazine!

And who could resist these fuzzy little faces!

Sparkle is for life, not just for Christmas!

If, like me, you are feeling bereft of sparkle after Christmas has been and gone, I suggest that you get yourself some gorgeous crystal lights that will make sure that your home sparkles year round, and not just three weeks out of fifty two!

I found this string on Not on the High Street, and for the amount of choice on their website it was very hard to come away with just one set! The crystals are a mix of clear, caramel and a smoky purple (they don't really show up very well against my carpet!) but when they're all lit up they look gorgeous!

Now the fun but will be deciding on where I'm going to hang them! I'll keep you updated.

P.S It can't just be me that's feeling a little miffed that it's all over when you start typing 'How ma' into Google and this is the first result that comes up!

Writing with thread...Glitter and sparkle

Spurred on by my love of my 'darling' picture, I started my next one of 'glitter and sparkle'. Last year in The Nest, my boyfriend and I had christmas just the two of us, and we bought two gorgeous gold glittery crackers. The card was so pretty that I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, and kept it all last year, until I suddenly remembered about it and used it in my latest piece.

I embroidered the words in the same way as last time, only this time drew around the aperture in the middle of the frame so I didn't go outside the boundary.

To cover the frame in the glitter card I carefully measured, marked and cut out the card and then stuck it to the frame with PVA glue. If you're trying something similar and it doesn't quite match up and goes over the edges, just neaten it up with a mat and craft knife to give a lovely crisp edge.

After pressing the calico I stuck it to the back of the frame first to ensure it was in the right position, then stuck it to the backboard of the frame, which made sure it was anchored in position. If you find once removed from the embroidery hoop and stitched you can see some of the pencil marks, don't worry as when you stretch the fabric again to glue it, you can often make the marks disappear.

I love this piece, especially when fairy lights are reflected in the glitter and it really does glitter and sparkle! it looks lovely with all of the Christmas decorations, but I think I am going to leave it out year-round as hopefully when the sun hits it, it will be equally sparkly and pretty!

The most beautiful presents to give and receive

I was very lucky this year to give and receive some stunningly beautiful presents for and from friends and family, and below are my absolute favourites.

This was the favourites present that I gave this year. Fuelled by the love of my 'I Fell For You' piece that I found in My Little Vintage in Olney, they gave me the details of the artist and I asked him to create another leaf cut piece for my Nan. The words come from the first line of 'To Autumn' by John Keats as it is my Nan's favourite time of year.

Unfortunately this isn't the best photo as I had to hurry to get it wrapped, but I hope you will take my word that it is exquisite.

My very talented friend crocheted this stunning round cushion for me, and I absolutely love everything about it! From the colours to the design, to how lovely it looks in my lounge to how comfy it is! It's so tactile and I love the added texture that it gives to my chair.

I first heard about Ashley Thomas designs in Country Homes and Interiors magazine (which I have just subscribed to and am very much looking forward to receiving my first issue) and now I have my very own piece! I love my tea for two set and the illustrations of the gorgeous little mice on the tea pot and the 'Make do and mend' text on the sewing machine makes me want to get mine out immediately and make something!

I don't know about you but I find it hard to find photo frames that I actually like, so when I spotted these simple brass and glass frames from Nkuku, they went straight on my Christmas list. The ties are made from recycled saris, and give a lovely splash of colour to the frame. I love the fact you don't have to spend forever matching a frame to an image or your decor, and you can simply add your picture and go! I have several different sized frames now, and think I will put together a display in my hallway and will let you know when I've completed this project!

I have so many one pot recipes, but lacked the actual one pot to do it all in! So I was very pleased to receive two beautiful cast iron pots for Christmas. The red Chasseur pot is the perfect size for two, and I have already made Lobster Mac and Cheese and Fondant potatoes in it (If you haven't already tried fondant potatoes I strongly recommend that you give them a go as they are absolutely delicious!) I haven't tried my Le Cresuet pot yet (Funny that it should match my Kitchen Aid in colour) but I already have a queue of recipes ready for action. 

You would expect all of your kitchen utensils to be purely utilitarian, but that doesn't mean that some of them can't be gorgeous! This lovely little whisk will be perfect for hot chocolate or sauces, and has a gorgeous pink and shimmery ceramic handle to make even the dullest jobs in the kitchen a little bit more fun.  

A Weekend of Baking...Mint Chocolate chip cupcakes

To continue my journey through my cupcake menu, this weekend I have tried my Mint Chocolate chip cupcakes.

I picked up some baking cups in TKMaxx a little while ago, and as they were green and white I decided to give them a try. However, as I was decorating the cupcakes I noticed a bit of a design flaw! As they do not have the concertina edges of regular cupcake cases, it may be little difficult to eat the cupcakes, but if you're determined enough I don't think they'll pose that much of a problem!

I used my trusty delicious chocolate cupcake recipe, then for the buttercream I added peppermint essence and a few drops of green food colouring. I then grated some chocolate and blitzed it together in the blender. In hindsight I think it may be better to keep the chocolate in slightly larger chunks, as it has taken away the nice mint green of the icing and made it a little more brown than I was looking for!

I then finished the cupcakes with a chocolate mint thin and they were finished! I am looking forward to tasting them however with a few more tweaks I think they will be perfect!

Writing with thread - Embroidered pictures

After reading the November edition of Ideal Home, my eye was caught by their monthly feature Boutique Hotel Spy. This month they featured The Wild Rabbit, a gorgeous traditional 18th-century inn in the heart of the Cotswolds. 

Image from The Wild Rabbit Website - You can see the picture that caught my eye on the back wall.

On an exposed brick wall was a very simple print in a black frame that I absolutely loved. It said 'darling' in red in a hand lettered style and really stood out and complimented the design of the room and this fitted in with my idea of creating my own artwork based on my favourite quotes in embroidery. I love collecting images of quotes and the typography chosen by the artists always looks amazing, however I wanted to create something more tactile and I thought that hand embroidery would be the perfect way to do it.

I have always been interested in embroidery, and would love to learn more about it, however to give the simple and clean aesthetic I was looking for, I decided that a simple backstitch would be best (and is really the only stitch I can do!) I drew out the size of the frame on some calico, then sketched out my design in pencil. I know this isn't the best material to use, however once I get better and have more practice, I will buy a washable dressmakers pen.

I then stretched the calico in an embroidery hoop and got to work! I added a wooden heart button for the 'i' and then pressed the calico to settle the stitches. I then used double sided sticky tape and PVA glue to stick and stretch the calico over the backboard of the frame and then placed it back in the frame. 

I was really pleased with the finished item, and I have lots more plans for other designs. Although i've never through that my writing is particularly neat or interesting, in embroidery it took on a different style that I actually quite liked!