Lovely Little Thing

The past few weeks have creeped along, as days seem to do here in January and February but in the last week or so I've felt a noticeable change of the pep in my step with the days becoming longer. It makes such a huge difference to me when it's not completely dark at 4:30pm! Light! Bring on the SUN! Ahhhh. Keeping busy is the best cure for the winter blues, I think. I finished reading Life After Life, which was wonderful. I've also been doing the usual crafting. Finally finished a simple scarf and now I've started sewing the quart coat but I probably should have done that in the autumn because now I'm feeling a bit over winter and would rather sew summer dresses. I made a detour for a while to make some of the Purl Soho City Gym Shorts. Love those, but I must finish the coat! I also have a few little Easter dresses in the works for the girls. AND it does help to have some lovely press about your life and work from wonderful magazines to get you through a winter funk.

Melanie Barnes for 91 Magazine

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Barnes of the beautiful blog Geoffrey and Grace when I went to shoot her cozy house and cute makery beach hut in Worthing for 91 Magazine. In addition to being a busy mom, Melanie is also a talented crafter who sews children's clothes and accessories from vintage fabrics. She also runs a shop with two other talented crafters out of their beach hut studio / shop named Margot.

Hello 91

I always love seeing a new issues of my favorite magazines, especially if the issue includes an article (or two!) that I wrote. In the current issue of 91Magazine I had the pleasure of writing a style feature on decorating with collections and a vintage piece on the history of wallpaper. Here's a look at my articles, but this issue has a lot of great other features as well, including a craft project to make embroidered cloth napkins, which I wouldn't mind making myself. The magazine is well worth the small subscription price. Also, in the current issue of Mollie Makes Home is nice print edition of 91Magazine, which is worth picking up if you haven't already. Happy reading!

Just Keep Sewing

Lately I feel like every day goes by in a flash. I guess that's a good thing though! Though don't have a regular full-time job, I feel much busier than when I did have one. Not that having children isn't a full-time job, but really I only have Ellie 3 days a week now since Lois is in school and Ellie goes to nursery. Still, somehow I always feel frantic trying to squeeze all my need-to-dos and want-to-dos. And I'm almost always vacuuming regardless of what needs doing. I swear I'm attached to that thing. But of course I can usually manage to cram in some want-to-do time like making a visit to Sew Over It.

At Home in 91 Magazine

Also in the current craft issue of 91 Magazine is our little abode! I was really happy to have our place featured in the craft edition and happy Caroline wrote the article. I've not shared many photos around our house on my blog because I don't feel like anything is ever finished (I know I always say this), and I often hesitate to take photos thinking things look too unfinished. It seems each room is a perpetual work in progress! But I imagine that is how many people feel about their houses. We're renters so that's one thing I have to keep in mind as well. My dream of painted white floors will have to wait! Part of the fun in making a house home, whether you rent or own, is finding things at different places at different times, and I just have to remind myself of that when I look around the house a bit frustrated that it's not "done." I have the thrill of the hunt to look forward to. But things are coming together around here and everyday it feels more homey.

Crafty with 91Magazine

In other related magazine news, I'm also really happy to have two pieces in the recent craft edition of 91 Magazine. Actually, one is a craft project I did, this doll who I've named Frances, and the other is a piece on our little abode which Caroline, the editor, wrote. I'm really happy with the way my dolly turned out, so I thought I'd share that first. This issue of 91 is really great! It has quite a few craft project features like how to make an origami vase and upholster a chair cushion, it includes a helpful guide to haberdasheries, and there's an informative Q&A piece on some of the makers from the London Renegade Craft fair. But back to Miss Frances for now...

Cozy with 91Magazine

This week, Caroline, of Patchwork Harmony released the latest issue of her magazine, 91 Magazine, which is great as usual. Vintage, crafty, and all pretty. Some of the highlights for me are a nice article on apothecary bottles, a vintage lover's guide to Brighton, and of course some really great home and shop tours. Lots of eye candy in this issue! So have a read for yourself here.

Mollie Makes Home

I love getting good things in the mail, especially my favorite magazines! I'm looking forward to getting the second edition of Mollie Makes Home later this week. I can tell this issue will be filled with interior eye candy galore, and I'm also super excited that Caroline from 91 Magazine and Patchwork Harmony was the editor for the issue! I'm always interested in seeing how designers, crafters and creative shop owners live, and even more so when it's a collection of people carefully chosen by Caroline and the Mollie Makes team. Here is a peek below.

Rooms for Wee Ones

A while back I wrote an article for 91Magazine on decorating children's rooms, and since I was out of town when it came out, I only recently realized I never shared the article. I'm still collecting little things here and there for Ellie's room and think I could use some of my own advice as a lot of it is piled up in a jumble of my own indecisiveness! If you're needing a little inspiration for decorating your wee one's room, here is the article.

Selvedge Report

The second part of my crafty weekend last weekend was spent at the Selvedge craft fair in Chelsea Old Town Hall. The hall was really beautiful, more grand than I was expecting, and it was laid out well, giving each artist / crafter a nice amount of space. I didn't give every stall a close look as I had the baby with me and she was a bit fidgety so I spent most of my time at tables that quickly caught my eye, like Jess Quinn's table. I think her work stole the show for me. I just love her dolls! They each have so much character, and the details are really amazing.

A Merry and Bright Home Tour

I'm very excited that my most recent article for Mollie Makes is now out in the Christmas issue! It is a home tour on Jasna Janekovic's adorable, colorful apartment.

Good Reads

Whew, it's been a little busy around here! I don't know how people manage with 3+ kids. Two children is quite enough for me, and I think that way even with Lois in nursery school a few days a week! It's hard to keep up... laundry, cooking, cleaning, bathing, feeding the baby, errands, etc. Just taking a shower can be a challenge. And then there's a bunch of things I just want to do for fun that I feel lucky if I can even get to them, like reading the new issue of 91Magazine. This issue is really great! I've been trying to write this post for 2 days now telling you a little bit about the articles in this issue, so rather than drag it out a few more days, just make a cuppa and take a look for yourself. Here's a peek. Oh, and you'll find one article that I wrote, page 49, here below!

Lise Meunier for 91Magazine

I'm very excited to have another article in the UK based 91Magazine! This might be my favorite issue yet.  It's really a wonderful magazine packed with wonderful articles and lovely photos on all things craft and vintage. Here's a peek at my article on Paris ceramicist Lise Meunier. You can read the full article here on p48. You can see more photos from my photoshoot of her work and home here.

J&B The Shop for Mollie Makes

I'll get back to Paris posts soon, but for this post, we're headed to London. I was going to post about this tomorrow, but I'm so excited I can't wait! An article I wrote and photographed for Mollie Makes on Jessie and Buddug's wonderful shop on Columbia Road is in the current issue and on stands tomorrow. (You might recognize some of the photos from previous posts!) The editor emailed the feature to me today, which I was not expecting, so it was a fun surprise to see it, and here it is! Mollie Makes is such a great magazine. I can't wait to see the rest of this issue. If you don't already know of the magazine, it's perfect for anyone who loves crafts or vintage and even better for anyone who loves a great mix of both. I feel honored to be a part of it and to have shared a bit of Jessie and Buddug's story.

Tea Feature for 91Magazine

I've hinted at a tea project recently, and I'm really happy to reveal that it's an article on a few London tea rooms I wrote and photographed for 91Magazine! Here are some screen shots of the article. You can read the feature here. It's on pp. 18-25. And if you'd like to see more photos of these tea rooms, you will find many more in my "shop photos" flickr set.

Good Reads: Mollie Makes

I've found a new magazine that I love: Mollie Makes. I first read about the British craft magazine on Alicia Paulson's beautiful blog. Her studio is featured in one of the early issues. Unfortunately I missed that one, but I'm happy to have found the magazine. It's really wonderful. Finally, a great craft magazine! I feel that the majority of craft magazines on newsstands are stuck in a previous decade. But this magazine features current designers and crafters, both their work and studios, and it features fun, contemporary projects, and it has a great vintage-modern aesthetic. Making, thrifting, collecting, crafting... here's a peek at Mollie Makes.

Meet me in the Blue Tent

I don't often buy magazines off the news stands because they're so expensive and I'm pretty cheap. I used to subscribe to a few, but these days I usually go for the free online eye candy since there's just so much of it, but when I saw the cover of the recent issue of the British version of Country Living, I busted open my wallet without hesitation. A cute table in the woods, bistro chairs, cosy pillows and blankets, books, yarn, a radio, sandwich and juice. Um, yes, please! Then when I peeked inside, I almost fell in--wished I could have anyway. I didn't post all the pictures from the spread and the images in the magazine are much better, so get it if you really like the look of this feature. Country Living, April 2011. 

Kicking Back with Papier Mache

A while back my friend MN over at Interior Divine told me about Papier Mache magazine, a quarterly online Children's magazine. I've been wanting to make Lois a doll and remembered seeing some really cute ones in one of their magazines. I thought I'd peek back for some doll-making inspiration, but then I just got lost in reading the magazine and looking at all the pretty pictures! It's a very fun, creative magazine. Don't you think so too? These images are from issue three, where I saw those cute dolls made by Jess Brown. A handful of the first images here are from an article on her, her work, and her home. And I could just look at her web site and blog all day. I'm in love with all of her dolls! 

This image above is from Jess's blog. The dolly on the right is wearing the Liberty fabric I just used for coasters. Looks very cute on a doll. And the images below are just a few other random images I like from issue three. 

Country Living British Style

Soon we'll be unpacking our things--I hope so anyway! We've secured the little row house with the garden that I mentioned before, and now all we have to do is find out when the movers can deliver our things. I'm so excited to have a place finally! And it is soooo cute. I love the back patio garden and will post some pictures after we move in. Of course I've been looking at magazines, getting inspired to decorate our little place. We have all the same stuff, but it will be nice to see it in a different arrangement in a new place. Here are a few eye candy pages of the most recent two issues of Country Living (the British version).

Bottled Up

I love old pharmacy bottles and would like to start collecting them one day when we have more room. I found this great one below at the Salvation Army a few weeks ago. It's a citrate magnesia bottle with the text embossed and a great cork style closure on a hinge. I found an incredible amount of information about apothecary bottles here on the Society of Historical Archaeology's web site, including specific information on citrate magnesia bottles (scroll almost all the way down the page here to read that info). The site doesn't give any information on the possible value of the bottles, but I wonder what the value of mine might be, if it has any. I really just think it would be fun for holding bath salts or something like that, but I do wonder if it's valuable.


The image below is small, but you can see it larger when you click on it--from the Society of Historical Archaeology.

In the last issue of Country Living (June p.53), there was an article on vintage pharmacy bottles. Some of the most valuable ones are the ones with colored glass or painted labels, but the article doesn't mention anything about bottles like the one I found.

The two pictured below with painted labels are from ebay. The bidding for these ended, and it looks like someone snatched them up for $40. By Country Living's estimates, they're probably worth $150 - $200. Ebay has quite a few others listed as well. It's really fun looking at them, but I think I'd rather hunt for them at the flea market!


The top image is a painting by Holly Farrell. I love her paintings.