thrifty weekend

I visit the local car boot sale most weekends - it's quite a big one and there is always lots on offer - although you really need to be picky.  I tend to steer clear of the resellers of new items (aside from the man who sells stationery and packaging supplies) as they don't really tend to hold my interest.
I do enjoy picking through boxes that have come from a loft/shed/garage as this is where I tend to find the kind of thing I'm looking for, and often there are a few gems hiding under the surface.
This weekend I picked up quite a few goodies - some vintage embroidery threads, which also had a packet of needles tucked into the box, some vintage button cards from Jones&Co and what I can only describe as a pigeon hole cupboard, which will be prefect for the spare room/office/studio when it undergoes the planned overhaul (soon).

minimal waste

I really don't like wasting things that could be used for a purpose other than the originally intended one. This means I have a bit of a tendency to hoard things, as anyone with a 'stash' would no doubt appreciate.
Don't get me wrong wrong, I'm certainly no Mr Trebus and I do know when enough is enough and it's time to throw something away, or give it to charity.
I recently did a print commission, and as with most these things, I printed more than was needed for the job, for quality purposes - as I find it's far better to have too much and be able to pick the best quality, than not enough.
Overprints and additional card have now been transformed and made into gift tags, which are for sale here and here

I'm a bit of a sucker for all things wrapping. The way something is wrapped says a lot about a person, I think.

inspiration (from scraps)

I've just finished a lovely custom order of some hanging birdies, which are mid flight on their way to their new home

These are destined for a Christmas tree. Yep that's right, some very organised people are already buying for Christmas.
Next thing on the ever expanding to do list - get myself and my shops organised for Christmas.

Various scraps remained after cutting up the birds. There were some very pretty colours, so I took a picture of them and then used the picture as colour palette inspiration for a design I'm working on at the moment:

 More felted jumper goodness is in the pipeline...

green

It seems like a long time since I last blogged. I feel a bit guilty for not documenting some of the things that are going on around here, it's what I have my blog for after all. So, I'm giving myself a telling off - I'm on the naughty step thinking about what I've done.
In the meantime, and until I can get my act together, I'll leave you with some of the green that has come off the camera in the last few weeks:

le weekend

As we all know, rain seems to be the norm in the UK when there is a bank holiday in the offing.
At the very last minute, a will we? won't we? kind of decision (largely dependant upon the weather) led to a camping trip on the south coast, as the weather looked like is was going to hold.
In a bit of a weird kick back to girl guides, I actually enjoy camping. Well, my kind of camping, which involves a carpet in my tent (I'm not kidding - you can buy tent carpets), and a handful of other home comforts (like a camping loo) which make the experience a whole lot more pleasant.
The night time temperature was about 10 degrees - a bit chilly honestly but bearable with a sleeping bag and a trusty crochet blanket to keep us warm.
We managed to eek out a couple more beach days - something I am really favouring a lot at the moment. The landscape and colour palettes are so different with each beach. The ones we visited this time were mainly stone, which made for a couple of impressive fossil finds - an almost complete sea anemone fossil and part of another sea creature - although I'm not sure what it is exactly.

I wonder, with the onset of autumn, how many more days this year will be beach days?

for my sister

Seventy Six

I'm bursting with ideas at the moment - there just doesn't seem like enough hours in the day to realise them all. Regular visitors to my blog will know that I'm currently doing a lot more in the way of design using my new found illustrator skills. I'm really loving this, and have many plans under way, however there really is no substitute for the real thing, and I still love the process of making something physical with my hands. With this in mind, I have opened a new Etsy shop.

Seventy Six is where I will sell my printed design work - which will take the form of printed artworks, cards, gift wrap, tags and anything else that I can think to print!

I have just 2 limited edition screen prints in the shop at the moment, but there is more in the pipeline and I'll post more about this as it happens. For now, I'd love it if you'd pop in and have a look - and favourite me if you like what you see

how times change

60 years doesn't really seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, but if you think of the advancements in technology and subsequently lifestyles in the last 60 years it is really quite significant. Attitudes and ideas of what was right and proper back then just seem so archaic now.
I'm quite fascinated with mid century design, and was chuffed to bits with my recent purchase of the Festival of Britain guide:

I really need to sit down and have a good read of this, but what swung it for me was the adverts it contains (there are loads of them).
I've snapped a handful of the one I like best - some because of the design, some because of the message or style of advertising.

Cigarette adverts
Cigarette advertising is no longer permitted, but just look at some of the messages on these, 'Have a capstan, made to make friends' for example.  
click on the pics to enlarge

Carrs biscuits

I actually just like this because I studied in Carlisle and often saw the Carrs factory

I love the colour choices in this ad:

Sanderson and Liberty - both still going strong 59 years on:

 

and this one just makes me laugh - look at the strap line 'the famous comfort-in-action trousers'. SOLD! I must get me some Daks

Imperial leather soap
'The quality toilet soap everyone wants' apparently. This ad must have worked though, because we used to have imperial leather soap at home when I was a kid, and I'm guessing that was because my parents had it when they were kids.
Today this would be considered as racist - back then, it was just the norm:

a week that was and the FoQ

another busy week has been had in Monda land. Where does the time go? I have achieved a lot this week, but I can't believe it's almost over.

I went to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC yesterday. What an amazing amount of talent on show. Not everything was to my taste, but I appreciate the work that has gone into each an every piece. So many tiny stitches and hours upon hours of work. Sadly the light in the venue is not great for photo's - I took lots despite this though. Here are a handful of my faves (click on images to enlarge):

and I have to say I was very restrained where fabric was concerned. I only (really!) bought some silk to make my wedding flowers and accessories.

This rest of the week in pics
testing colourways for print (purple again):

a commission, she's called Olivia:

a new print design, entered into the latest spoonflower comp

Now I'm off to look for a rain free part of the UK to see if I can cram in some seaside time this weekend.

printed by hand

Recently I had a commission for some invitations. The client wanted the print in silver, so the only option was to use my gocco screen printer. Having finished the commission (which incidentally, I didn't find that enjoyable - the design was just not my thing, although it was what the client wanted), I was itching to make something for myself again - it's been too long.
There is just something about the texture and irregularity you get from a screen print that really appeals to me. 
This is my new design - a limited edition print into two colourways:

I'm so pleased with the way these have turned out, and it has really fuelled me to print my designs more often.
They'll be available in the shop later this week.