Cottage Chic

Rose Heart Cushion Cover (Half Price Today!)

Cottage chic is one of my favourite styles of decor (and it doesn't have to be shabby!). I have some lovely handcrafted and vintage items that fit perfectly with this them to share today. Here is one from my own shop - a rose heart cushion cover which is rather excitingly now £19 - that's HALF PRICE FOR TODAY ONLY! 

Rose Heart Cushion - Half Price!

It is made from top quality natural cream linen and features an applique heart in rose cotton with decorative stitched detailing - perfect for a pretty little cottage :) (clicking on the caption will take you to the listing in my Etsy shop).

The Best Of Cottage Chic On Etsy

I've also picked some completely gorgeous items from my Etsy favourites to further celebrate the loveliness that is cottage chic - i hope you love them as much as i do!

'Cottage Chic ' 

SignsofVintage $35.00	hipandcrafty $22.50	Pipany $16.00	Ceraminic $11.00
NightByrd $275.00	baconsquarefar... $20.00	SelenarteDecou... $23.00	amooma $25.50
LolaMonkey $45.00	TheUglyDucklin... $6.00	Hideminy $49.00	parismarketpla... $17.00
LittleRedPolka... $12.50	LittleWrenPott... $13.00	GreenFoxStudio $35.00	BiscuitScout $145.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

And here is a collection i put together at the weekend that i think fits this theme beautifully - i would loooooooove a kitchen like this!

'Soft Pink Country Kitchen' 

ButterBlossoms $12.00	PAPAstore $11.00	KyraBotanica $9.00	Hideminy $69.00
2ChicksAndABas... $52.95	TheGinghamOwl $19.00	JoannasFoto $15.00	KirstysVintage... $25.00
MandyLynneDesi... $30.00	SuzannesPotter... $45.00	DailyGeneral $42.00	JoannePooreART $12.00
GoldenSection $30.00	Sweetbriers $9.50	purepixie $80.00	upcyclesisters $43.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

I hope you have enjoyed all this lovely cottage decor, everything is clickable so do take a closer look at anything you think is extra special!

Thank you for dropping by my blog today it is always so lovely to see you :)

Country Life Mug For Handmade Monday

Woo hoo! The Sun has been shining in Wiltshire today after a week of rain rain rain. I had the most glorious walk through the fields this afternoon (accompanied by very happy dogs!) and there is no place i'd rather have been. 

Its funny how easy it is to forgive and forget all the endlessly grey days when the British Summer finally comes up trumps!

Inspiration Collage

The countryside has been much on my mind this week. I have been working again on my new website design (an ongoing project!) and decided to put together a collection of images to show some of the inspiration behind my designs.

It was an interesting exercise because it really brought home to me how much the colours, shapes, textures and smells of my surroundings influence my creativity. I find the rural life nourishing on many levels, but now i'm beginning to appreciate how much it inspires my inner artist :) (I'd be very interested to hear about what inspires you to create if you'd care to share in the comments!)

Country Life Mug

With all this in mind i'm sure it won't be hard for you to spot the inspiration behind my latest mug design...

I may have gone a little crazy with the detailing... believe it or not i had to stop myself adding more! My mugs of this size are normally priced at £12, although i think i'll have to charge a little more for this one as i have put so much time into it. Here is the reverse side...

I'm occurred to me that this might also work as a stand alone design... what do you think?

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts on this week's creations, i really value the comments left on my posts, they are always so kind and also extremely helpful!

What kind of week have you had fellow crafters...? I'm off to Wendy's fabulous Handmade Harbour blog to link up to Handmade Monday and find out! :)

Village Houses Mug And Saucer For Handmade Monday

Change is in the air

Its been a funny kind of week for me, lots of uming and aahing about things with not a great deal of action. However, all that has begun to change over the last couple of days as i have decided to give Free Spirit Designs a bit of a over-hall. 

Pretty poppies in the garden - an appropriate symbol for transformation!

I have decided to change to a new host for my website (i have already begun loading things up, and i'm loving how its looking!) I am also re-organising my little office and craft space - the 'half way done' stage (which is where i'm at now) isn't looking too pretty but i just know it will be super duper when its done! (as long as my enthusiasm for the task takes me all the way to the end!!) I also have plans to take new photos for some of my products and review my pricing too. I will be sure to let you know how i am getting on with all this next week!

Rainbow Debate Update

Thank you to everyone who commented on my post last week about my Village Houses cushion (you can find it here if you're not sure what i'm on about!). Your thoughts on the wibbly rainbow were super helpful and also entertaining! I have decided, after some consideration, that i will offer it for sale (although i haven't listed it yet due to the restructuring of my website) i have grown rather fond of its quirkiness and i expect that for someone it will be just perfect :)

Village Houses Mug And Saucer

As a result of first the procrastination, and then the flurry of re-organisation, i haven't got too much crafting done this week. However, i did manage to complete my second architecture inspired design (which you may remember i mentioned last time). Here are a couple of photos to give you a look at the whole design which wraps almost all the way around the mug.

And here is the saucer/side plate on its own so you can see all of that too!

I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out - a little rustic looking, but i think that that's in keeping with the country cottage look - i live in one which is decidedly rough around the edges, although no less charming for that! Perhaps this photo i took today of the flowers at our front door (which has certainly seen better days) will give an idea of my inspiration :)

Happy Handmade Monday all :) i do hope you'll join me in checking out all the other the crafty blogs linked in at Handmade Harbour ! :)

Village Houses Rainbow Cushion For Handmade Monday

Its been a wet and windy week in these parts, we even had a power cut when some of the rain water leaked in (no doubt driven by the wind) and got into a plug socket! Yesterday though, we were bathed in sunshine, and it was absolutely blissful... 

for a while... ha! the great British Summer :)

Thank you for all your lovely comments on last week's Handmade Monday post, i was inspired by your positivity to create two more wild flower plates, and the set is now available on my website, and Etsy shop :)

Wild Flower Side Plates

Village House Cushion

This week my creativity has inspired by buildings... i'm not sure why, perhaps it was after watching all the Jubilee coverage and admiring some of the lovely architecture to be seen in London. 

My first make on this theme features the type of village houses that are to be found in my neck of the woods, and a rainbow - in celebration of the sunshine after the rain!

I'm pretty pleased with it on the whole, i like the fabrics i've used for the houses, and the little details like the bud vase in the window...

... but, as you can see, the stitching of the rainbow has caused the linen to stretch and pucker a little. The question is, is the wavy rainbow a happy accident that adds an appealing dimension to the design? or is it a technical fault which means that this cushion is to join the other 'not quite right' cushions that are to be found on the beds, chairs and sofas in my house! I'd love your thoughts :) and don't be shy of letting me know that the latter is the best option, i'm used to the trial and error approach!

I also have another building themed project on the go, but i shall keep that under wraps until next week when hopefully it will be complete! For now though, i will bid you farewell - thank you for visiting :) and do take a look at the other Handmade Monday blogs, there are always lots of lovely things to see!

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.