Apologies.......Changes

Hi All,

It's been well over 2 months since my last blog post!!! so I apologise for that. I even missed my own blogging birthday!!!

So much has happened in my personal life that I felt I had to take a break from alot of things to focus and get my head together.

At the moment I am no longer working full time. My boss decided she couldn't handle trying to run two businesses simultaneously and decided, unfortunately to cease the fashion business that I was working with her on.

My first priority on learning this was going to happen was to put my portfolio together and if you have ever had to do this, you know it takes a while to get it to the stage where you are really happy with it. Although I got it done, I didn't want to apply for another job straightaway, but instead I have decided to use the holiday time to rest, plan and organise some things while I have the time to do so. I have included a few pages from my portfolio to share with you.

I am thinking of re introducing Womenswear back into my Etsy shop, but I am looking at the best way to do it. I didn't relist the items when the listings expired, as I felt the items were a little Summer in style and fabric and due to making the bridesmaid dresses, was unable to make any new styles to add in. Womenswear has always been the thing that I like to make best and I guess I find it really easy because it is the thing I also do in my full time job.
I also have been getting alot of comments from friends and random strangers lately on the vintage dresses I have been wearing out to various functions, so another idea is to perhaps introduce a vintage element into my Etsy shop also or even as another side line - I 'm not entirely sure. See, this is what happens when you come out of working fulltime, you suddenly see things differently and you seem to have lots of ideas springing into your head!

Will keep you posted on everything.

Have a great evening. X

Vintage Knitting book

Knitted Scarecrow on the front cover
I love these penguins. I especially like the attention to detail in items like the skis, hats, scarves and the backpack. There are knit instructions for these items too.

These are fun individual items that can be knitted and given as gifts, depending on what sort of things your friends and family are into, these can easily be adapted to say a chef's outfit for a friend who likes cooking. Again great attention to detail - loving the little painter and the cowboy!

A great Topsy turvy doll!

Cute miniature animals. Loving the bees and the ladybird!

I am having some major refurbishment done to my home at the moment which I will blog about at a later date. My dad is overseeing all the work but had an appointment today and as someone needed to be at home all day from 8am, I decided to work from home.

After 6 hours of drilling, banging and sawing, they completed what they needed to do for today.

I decided I needed some fresh air after being couped up for so long and ended up taking a trip to my local charity shop.

I was on the look out for some vintage jewellery boxes as amid packing everything away, it has occurred to me that I need better storage for my jewellery and just though getting vintage ones would be great.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any jewellery boxes but in the book section, came across a really great vintage book called Knitted Toys by Jean Greenhowe.

I remember as a girl my mum giving me a knitted doll as a present and I loved it - I still have it but it is kept at my mum's house and all my nieces have had the pleasure of playing with her. She is well over 20 years old now!!!!

Anyway, this book has some really lovely knitted dolls and toys as well as Christmas decorations. The instructions are pretty straightforward even for a beginner.

I love the little animals especially. I will be hopefully making some of these as presents.

Have a lovely evening. X