There’s so much development going on around there at the moment, it kind of makes your head spin. The Central St Martins building is worth a visit, it’s beautiful both inside and out. Walking around inside made me want to do a course there so badly… it smells a bit like your old school art department inside. In a good way.

There are pretty fountains outside and a great amphitheatre-style area down to the canal side – it’s going to be an amazing space over the summer.

So what with one thing and another, I haven’t really had a chance to be online much and if blogging pops into my mind I feel oddly stressed about it. Which is stupid, as it’s supposed to be fun – isn’t it?! So I’ve decided to park all blogging thoughts for a couple of weeks in the hope that an enforced break will give me a bit of a refresh and a boost. What do you do if you loose your blogging mojo? Any tips and tricks to share? All advice gratefully received!

X

In the meantime, some bits and pieces to brighten up Monday morning!

B and I got going early this morning and headed over the Millennium Bridge to see this exhibition at the Tate Modern — well worth a visit.

I know I obsess a little too much about Purl Bee projects, but these handwarmers are gorgeous (shame I have a cardi for B and a jumper for M to finish before I can even begin to contemplate them!)

Kara has been blogging some of her design projects from last semester (is that American for term?) — and this font she created is beautiful. Totally put me in the mood for spring, even though we’re still in the midst of another cold snap in London…

And I got this book for B recently – the illustration is gorgeous, as is the sentiment. It makes me smile every time I read it to him.

Hope your week gets off to a good start!

X

We escaped to Norfolk for a few days last week and stayed in this beautiful place… worth keeping in mind if you fancy a relaxing break (the self-catering rooms are particularly good if you have a baby on board…)

Found myself a copy of this new magazine at the weekend – if you’re into patchwork and quilting, it’s worth looking it out. There are some nice projects and great tutorials for all abilities.

Love this painting by Elise… it reminded me of this old post.

Might have to give this great tutorial on how to turn an old book into a sketchbook a try.

And I really enjoyed reading this guest post by Erin… it’s fascinating to read about how other people structure their days, especially when little people are involved!

Hope Monday treated you well!

X

It looked so pretty, just like the picture in the mag (More or less. Probably a bit more ‘rustic’). But it was really quite complicated and for me, it wasn’t tasty enough to justify all the faff. But the ground almond pastry was good and the creme patissiere method was nice and easy for a first-timer.

Maybe the rhubarb wasn’t as flavoursome as it could have been. Maybe I was just suffering from ‘it doesn’t taste as good when you make it yourself’ syndrome. Maybe my tastebuds were having an off day. Who knows.

Still, I’m glad I gave it a shot because the way it looked almost out-weighed the mildly disappointing taste. And I now have a rectangular tart tin to play with/clutter up the drawers. I can’t find the recipe online anywhere, but it’s in the GF mag that’s out now… shout if you’re interested in giving it a go and I’ll post the recipe.

X

How cute are the little fellas above above? Tutorial on the Purl Bee blog.

Spotted this amazing hexie dress at the weekend, I know I’m late to the party but I love it! Probably the thought of it more than anything, I’d look like a baggage wearing it I’m sure.

I need to try this neat solution to tangled pearl cottons from Mollie at Wild Olive.

And this blanket by Pip is beautiful, really pretty spring-time colours.

What’s caught your eye & made you smile this morning?

X

Sadly making an entire gift is out of the question at the moment. But wrapping paper and card, totally do-able. For the wrap above, I pencilled hearts on the paper before passing it through the sewing machine. It works well on small bits of paper for little gifts – make your piece of paper too big and it’ll only get mashed up as you try to pass it through the sewing machine. You could hand-stitch I guess, but the sewing machine is definitely the quickest option.

The same technique also makes for a cute (if slightly wonky) card

Card and wrap done in under ten minutes. No word of a lie.

X

First up… quilting

I treated myself to this book a few months ago because I really want to make B a quilt for his cot bed and I love the idea of using up scraps. Plus, I’d spotted the Ticker Tape quilt on Amanda Jean’s blog a while ago and had been obsessing about making one for ages…

How amazing does that look? And the edges go all rufty-tufty when you wash it, which B will love. But this book is so much more than how-tos for specific quilts (although there are tons of those and they all look gorgeous)

There’s a great section about design and some beautiful examples to inspire

Plus pages on construction, fabric buying and scrap hoarding

A big part of the joy of this book is its modern approach. Quite a few quilting books I’ve come across on my travels feel very traditional and make me nervous that I’m going to do something wrong, with horrendous consequences (although really, it’s quilting – how horrendous can the consequences be).

But Sunday Morning Quilts mixes sound construction techniques and advice with a relaxed, contemporary approach. For example, pre-washing fabrics? Not vital apparently. A revelation for someone as impatient and reluctant on the preparation front as me.

I’ve already made a start on the Ticker Tape for B and suspect it’s going to take a little longer than my mad optimism estimated… but it seems straightforward enough so I’m hoping if I keep it within reach and do a few pieces each day, we’ll soon get there. Although quite how I’m going to push the body of it back and forth through the the sewing machine when I get to the middle section is beyond me. But I guess I’ll deal with that when I get there.

If you’re wondering what to do with a stack of scraps, you’re keen to make a first quilt or you’re a more experienced quilt-maker looking for some fresh inspiration, get yourself a copy asap. But don’t just take my word for it, read more reviews here…

X

Loving this art as showcased on the cover of Uppercase Magazine

Discovering so many delicious recipes from this book (including the deliciousness of a really nice tequila, although admittedly that doesn’t count as a recipe)

Raiding the Blackwork Archives for stitching inspiration

Tempted to try calligraphy after reading this great post on Katie’s blog

And excited that Suits is finally back on uk tv and Grey’s started again last week

What discoveries are making you smile this morning?

X

But it was starting to get to me. It made me feel uncomfortable just thinking about it, sitting there in all it’s disorganised glory. Clearly something had to be done. And this week, despite the fact M’s been away and I’ve been flying solo with B, it was.

I’ll admit it got worse before it got better. At one stage it was like someone had let off some form of haberdashery bomb. I didn’t realise quite how much stuff I’d managed to compress underneath the desk (and to be honest, it’s probably for the best that M was away while the clear-out took place. Nobody needs to see the true extent of my supply-hoarding).

Still, the hard slog was worth it. It’s now an area of zen-like calm. 

A place for everything… 

And everything in its place. 

I found these great, old pickling jars in an shop in Camden Passage – perfect for button and bead storage.

That photo on the right is my Granny and her knitting circle, it must have been taken in the 1930s. I love to think of her sitting with her friends, their various projects on the go, gossiping away. Gives me a real sense that this love I have of making stuff has been passed down through the generations of our family and makes it more special somehow.

The best thing though – it’s motivating me to get going on some long-thought-about projects. Mainly because I have room to move now. Let’s just not thing about what under the desk looks like…

What does your craft space look like? Are you a neat freak or do you thrive in mess?

X

- Inspired to reorganise my crafting/work desk after reading about this space

- Looking forward to trying this recipe as a treat for M

- Excited to try make a start on this quilting project today

- Wishing there was more time in the day to make these

- Loving this new blog discovery

What’s making you smile this morning?

X