made = sister style tote bag

my eldest sister loves making crafts and appreciates them as birthday gifts
she loves butterflies too, hence the detail
i simply used a bought plain tote and fabrico fabric pens and drew everything free hand 
you can see the colours i chose were muted, after all, it IS autumn

I am really pleased with how it turned out
and the most important thing - she loved it!
my only tip: don't drag your hand across the wet ink it WILL smudge until its dried

my weekend = wet wool

this is nature's own decoration

beads of water glisten and bring life to something disgarded
it is so pure
who would need gaudy trinkets with this nearby?

paper + card = robin christmas card

christmas is just over a month away
where did that year go?
my family have now come to expect a handmade card
sounds fine, doesn't it?
but when you have a MASSIVE family like mine, and you work too, it can get down to the wire
i've often posted them knowing that they will arrive after christmas, not good

here how i did it:
i drew a bird template on tracing paper
then just transferred the image to my plain brown card
i went over the pencil with a black ink outline
i used my thumb to apply some red acrylic to give the robin his red-breast
when that was dry i put a tiny amount of glue on the red breast and sprinkled on some red glitter
i had recently bought the embossing label maker
the embossed merry christmas gives it a little extra something
it's light hearted, QUICK and effective
perfect

appreciate = kamilla marant

there's always a piece of me that's outside in the wild
even when i'm inside at work i feel that my soul is wandering in the mists or in the woods 
fox by kamilla marant captures the cunning slinking nature of the foxes beautifully
with a modern, angular twist

my weekend = the cold sea

the sea is so dark in winter

it is forbidding and mysterious and yet has an imperious beauty

it looks as cold as it must feel

not that i tried

inspired = gilded pumkins

happy friday, everyone
i've found a gorgeous decoration inspiration to share

i'm always looking out for inventive ways to decorate
and found this great idea on martha stewart online
the americans seem to go in for pumpkins and squash decoration in a big way
especially for halloween and thanksgiving
but i'd like to try gilded pumpkins as my decoration of choice for christmas
do you think it'll work?

i'll update you with my version in december

appreciate = catrin welz-stein

this picture epitomises how i feel most of the time 
summer dreaming by catrin welz-stein
it is a stunning and beautiful idea
as well as being executed with enviable subtlety and precision