'GB Runs On Tea' Fabric For Handmade Monday

I've had a tricky time trying to decide what to share with you today as i seem to have soooooooo many projects on the go - none of them finished! I have been well and truly bitten by the fabric design bug and in my excitement have been starting new collections here there and everywhere!

Thank you so very much if you were one of the lovely peeps who left one of the wonderfully encouraging comments i got on last week's post about my first ever fabric collection :) I was a little nervous about how it would be received... thank you for putting my mind at rest!

Excitingly, a lovely fellow Etsian contacted me after reading the post and has now become my first ever fabric customer! If you are interested to find out what she bought, you can visit my Spoonflower shop. I must add that i haven't received my own sample of the fabric yet (to check that the colours don't turn out weirdly or anything) - i should get it in the next few days - do contact me for more info.

'GB Runs On Tea' Mug And Tea Towel

As well as developing new design ideas i've also been working on translating some old favourites to the  medium of fabric. My 'GB Runs On Tea' mug is one of my most popular mugs (although it almost always ends up outside the UK which surprises me!)

I felt that the design was perfect for turning into matching fabric accessories - tea towels, tea cosies, coasters etc. I was particularly drawn to the idea of creating a matching tea towel, so this is what i've come up with (i'll show you the finished design in a minute but first i thought some of you might be interested to see how i got there...)

Fabric Design

I don't have any experience with fabric design but i've found that by breaking things down into their component part i've got along quite well (so far!)

I started by drawing each element of the GB Tea design in pen and ink (i could have used a script editor for the writing but i think that this design suits having a slightly 'rough around the edges', hand drawn look... what do you think..?)

The next step was to photograph my drawings, load them up to Pixelmator (photo editor), and change the colours from dull blacks and greys to pretty blue, pink and white!

The final step was to put together the finished design. This involved creating a tea towel sized blank template (brief interlude while i wrestled with DPI, pixels and a 'basic maths' blind spot) and then assembling the component parts.

I ended up with two tea towel designs (which will be sold as a pair) - this one...

... and this slightly simpler design...

It will be a few weeks until they are available to buy but i will of course keep you updated! Alternatively, feel free to contact me to let me know you'd like to be notified :)

What's Next?!

Before i pop over to Handmade Harbour to read about the crafty escapades of my fellow Handmade Mondayer's, i'll give you a sneaky peek of what my next fabric collection is inspired by...

Have a wonderful week :) (and stay warm!)

'GB Runs On Tea' Mug In The Press

I had a lovely surprise yesterday when Tracy Kifford (of the fantastic Wow Thank You) left a message on my facebook page telling me that my 'GB Runs On Tea' Mug had been featured in the Evening Gazette! She also included this fabulous image (thank you Tracey!)

The text is a little tricky to read but it says

"All eyes will be on England this summer as the 2012 Olympics get under way. So get in the mood right now and give your home a patriotic makeover. We check out the best of British style available on the high street right now"

You can just spot my mug on the right hand side of the page but here is a better picture. 

"GB Runs On Tea" Mug available from Wow Thank You or Etsy priced £14

Its such a lovely feeling when someone 'out there' likes what you do! and i am enjoying feeling chuffed with myself for a little while :)

Sharing The Love

I felt that a nice way of keeping the flow of positive energy going would be to celebrate some other people's work. So, i have had a little look through some of the items i have been favouriting on Etsy recently, and put together a collection of gorgeous handmade treasures from some talented crafty folk (everything is clickable!).


The 'Day In The Sun' theme was inspired not only by the idea of a moment of recognition, but also by the fact that the sun is well and truly shining in the UK today! I am reliably informed that we will be back to rain rain rain tomorrow, so lets enjoy the great British summer while its here! :)

'Day In The Sun' 

MarascaPhotogr... $18.00	regularhome $9.00	LaurasJeweller... $9.00	LOVEnLAVISH $22.00
gallantandjone... $240.00	TwoSadDonkeys $56.00	TheCraftyButto... $10.00	OldNewAgain $32.00
LittleJoobieBo... $12.90	SylwiaGlassArt $23.00	CarefordCreati... $4.80	HWoodworking $65.00
brandMOJOimage... $25.00	joojoo $25.00	onelifejewelry $78.00	KarmaBeads $35.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Thank you for visiting :) i hope you're having a lovely sunny day wherever you are x


p.s. expect to see some super special items from Wow Thank You showcased here soon!

GB Runs On Tea :)

Large GB Tea Mug

A Nation Of Tea Drinkers, Or Are We...?

I do love a good cuppa, in fact, i'm not sure i'd get nearly as much done without my favourite brew to sip along the way! Whilst reflecting on this, i was inspired to create the mug pictured above (caption clickable). As you can see, i am under the impression that tea is loved by lots of us Brits - we're renowned for it after all! But is it really true... are we a nation of tea drinkers...?!

I'm intrigued to find out, so here's a couple of questions for you (feel free to answer too non Brits!) Do you love tea? and if so what is your favourite brew?

My Favourite Tea

The Tea House Emporium, Bath

Today, whilst running errands in Bath, i stopped by the wonderful Tea House Emporium on New Bond Street to stock up on my absolute favourite tea. There are so many amazing teas and tea related goodies i could browse in the shop for hours, and there is also a Tea Room downstairs, for more prolonged sampling and relaxation. However, today i was on the hop, so just had time to pick up my special yummy tea.

Now before i tell you what it is, i must stress that i do enjoy a lovely cup of builders tea (what we call regular tea around here!) and i'm also pretty partial to delicious bergamoty Earl Grey. However, since tasting white tea, i have never looked back, it is so completely delicious! It has none of the bitterness of black or even green tea so you don't need milk (i'm not a milk fan so good news for me) and the flavour is wonderfully subtle and morish. My favourite is one called Snow Buds, its not cheap, but its worth ever penny!

Treasury Of Tea

In the mood for further celebrating the British love affair with tea, i have put together a collection of handcrafted tea related loveliness from some of the wonderful British sellers on Etsy. All items are clickable!

thesequinnedsh... $25.00	Storeyshop $6.00	doodlelove $10.00	WildOrangePrin... $25.00
JollyGoodStudi... $8.00	LunarraStar $19.50	BlancheAndLola $3.49	MrTeacup $30.00
NatalieRymerAr... $19.99	Namaz $7.50	Goozeberryhill $6.50	TreasuredCharm $10.50
KatchsCupboard $12.00	ShereDesign $96.00	amyawalters $1.50	YourHandmadeho... $25.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

Well... tea time is over... better get back to work i suppose!!


Thanks for stopping by :)

Home is...

Home is a special word that encapsulates both a profound sense of meaningful belonging and the promise of comfort and nurture. The protective embrace of home can also be stifling and restrictive, yet it seems to have a magnetic pull that draws us to re-create if not re-visit our experiences of it time and time again.

Home is something very close to my heart - even as a child my Mum used to call me a 'nest maker'!  I love things that make me feel 'at home', i love being in my home and i love making other people feel at home.

All of my crafty creations are intended to create a warm and loving 'homely' atmosphere, but my latest collection of cushions is particularly inspired by the idea of what home means - i am quite fascinated by this and would love to hear about what home means to you!

Here's what i came up with:

Good old GB...

I have to say that i have not historically been the most patriotic person (yearning more often for sunnier climes!) but these days there is quite a large place in my heart for my country of origin - perhaps its that 'magnetic pull' having more effect as i get older!! This cushion is very sensually pleasing as i have used luxurious red velvet, and a gorgeous deep piled blue corduroy as well as pretty rose patterned cotton - you can visit the listing in my shop for a closer look!

Whimsical country cottage...

Wherever i roam the ocean calls me home...  

Having completed my little trio of homey cushions my fascination with what home means compelled me to delve into the wonderful world of etsy - here is the treasure i found!



I was especially taken by Jackie Huang's 'Castle in the Sky' pop up card - just beautiful!

I also came upon this delightful treasury compiled by Yastikizi:




Such pretty nests!  I could quite happily move in :)

My final thought on this subject is a little somber... for not everyone has a lovely nest to snuggle up in. The homeless pull at a primal fear in us all, of having no-where to go, of not being wanted or fitting in - so we tend to reject them, block then out and walk by as if they don't exist - i'm not pretending i've never done this (even though i also donate to charities that help them). From now on though i will make sure to, at the very least, acknowledge those with nowhere to go when i pass them on the street - its a small gesture but it just might help them feel a bit more at home in the world.