Month: May 2009 (page 1 of 1)

Yo-Yos

The days seem to be ticking by faster than I want them to, as I still feel like I have so much left to do for the Fair. This year is going to be very exciting, it sounds like there will be a very good crowd of people coming and an even more diverse range of stalls.

One of the projects I have been busy working away on involves making yo-yos. I was never a fan of them before but after seeing them in a magazine, they somehow began to grow on me. Now, I seem to notice them everywhere. The possibilities of what you can make with them are endless.

My mind has been buzzing non-stop with ideas which led to the creation of one of my main Fair projects; a collaborative concept formulated by my Mom and I. I had so many notions, some of which have come into being however some will just have to wait until the Christmas Fair.

Knowing that November seems forever away until the Christmas Fair, when we will all be together again, but this time, in the coziness of an inviting house, with a crackling fire, Christmas trees adorning every free space and a coming together of friends old and new to have fun and raise money for a worthwhile charity along the way.

Like the March girls we gather, shaking the snow off our boots and heading for the kitchen, where a kettle is always boiling on top of the Aga. We gather to share ideas, celebrate each others company, love and cozy warmth.

Teeth & Fairies & Bears, Oh My!

I have been quite the busy bee at the moment working on banners and embellishing bags and items for the fair. June is almost upon us, so I do not have long before everything must be done. One of the projects I have made is a variation on a pattern I found on Martha Stewart. They are these adorable “Tooth Bears”.

The little bear is made out of felt with a pocket in the front to place your little one’s tooth in to await a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Martha embroidered the child’s name on her bears, but I have decided to simply put “tooth” across their little pockets. I have also changed the suggested stitch you were to use and I have slightly varied their faces.

They were a fun project to create; they are all different, each with their own little personality coming through. So, hopefully my little bears will speak to the right person at the fair and they will all go to lovely new homes, as they were made to support a charitable cause.

I have included the link from Martha Stewart where you will be able to find more information to make your own Tooth Bear (with the pattern template) for your little person or a friend.

Martha Stewart Show

Please note this template is copyright to Martha Stewart Living.

The Enchanting World of Miniatures

What is it that is so fascinating about a miniature world? A little place that makes you wish, like Mary Poppins you could jump into the chalk drawing and peek inside. I love Cath Kidston and today as I opened my e-mail, cup of tea in hand, I smiled as I saw a newsletter waiting from her.

In it are the details for her latest competition; to design a miniature garden. I scrolled down to see a vintage looking bowl filled with tiny “trees”, a tin foil pond with moss gently rolling down the hillside. Geese meandered around bunches of flowers, while a girl, red apron tied to her waist, stood not far away. You could imagine her dipping into her apron pocket to scatter grain for them. I was entranced like a child, I wanted to step inside and walk around this enchanting petite world.

It is these little things that don’t let me forget my inner child, something that is too important to let go of. In a world where things can often become too serious, these are the moments that take you back, make you smile. Suddenly, you can be 5 again, with the wind whistling in your hair as you pump your legs faster and faster; because you know if you get just a little higher, you will be able to reach up and touch the tree branch hanging over your swing.

Please note this image is copyright to Cath Kidston, London.

Summertime is Calling Me

As summer finally begins to wave her hand over this quaint part of the world, fetes begin to appear all over the countryside. They bring the young and old together to enjoy the festivities. Often outside, they take in the best that the English summer has to offer. Whatever the weather may be the fete soldiers on, oblivious to any thing that will put a damper on the day.

A local friend of mine puts on a fair twice a year to support a nearby charity. The summer fair is soon approaching at the beginning of June and I have been working away at the moment making all kinds of handmade items for my table.

There is a large selection for guests coming to the fair to choose from. Tables spill over with the sellers’ wares. Adorned in pretty tablecloths and vintage quilts, decorated with homemade bunting and tents, the fair is a chance for artists of all genres to come together and sell their goods. Some stalls feature established shop keepers with their tables overflowing with vintage treasures and baked goods; others feature those of us who use this an opportunity to sell items we have worked hard making over the past few months.

I usually have a bake sale table, but this year I am trying my hand at something different. I’m making a variety of items with a mixture of vintage and new materials. It will be a wonderful opportunity for me to see how well my items sell and I am hoping to make a more permanent business of this, selling on Etsy in the future. But, for now I will just have to be content with what opportunities the fair holds for me.

Home is Where the Heart Is

Embrace where you are right now is a concept I try to live up to everyday. I am an American living in the London suburbs and married to an adorable redheaded Brit. I am surprised by how many Americans I know living here who only associate with other Americans. You are somewhere out of your comfort zone and that is the best time to search out a new experience. I live in a very sweet cottage behind a “racing green” colored door. The only yard I have is what I can grow in my flower pots in front of the house, as we live on a side street. But it is just right for us.

Living here I feel like a pioneer woman, the “Laura Ingalls Wilder” of London and her family in their first little sod home on the prairie. Not everything is as convenient as it is at home and so you learn to adapt. You adapt in many ways, your way of life, how you cook something. It is easy to make certain recipes at home with the ease in which you can gather your ingredients, usually half-way done on their journey to finish your dish, yet here, I find that I will have to often start from scratch and even though the process takes longer the finished product is something I have pride in, my hands have touched every step along the way.

I love to travel, especially to Paris, we don’t get to go to France as often as I would like but as the French novelist Marguerite Yourcenar said, “To stay in one place and watch the seasons come and go is tantamount to constant travel: one is travelling with the earth,” and that is what I am being, a gypsy in my newfound hometown.