Innocent when you dream

Normally the only rosettes I have anything to do are the ones I get showing my horse, but I've been dying for ages to have a go at making rosette ribbon brooches. Anyway, today I sat down with all the bits of ribbon I could find in the house and this is the result:

I'm pretty pleased if I do say so myself! I'll be listing them on Folksy for £2.50 for the large rosettes and £2 for the small ones, plus sets of three for £6. If you're interested in ordering them in particular colours or you want to buy them before they're listed, email me at made_with_love@rocketmail.com

I've recently been reading the collected Tom Waits interviews, Innocent When You Dream, and thinking how much I'd like to open up my own shop selling vintage and handmade goods. Probably not the best time economically to be taking that particular idea to the bank manager, though.

And for those who are wondering what's happening with the My Vintage Charms saga - they've refunded the cost of the items they sent that were wrong, but not the cost of my posting them back to them, which they promised they'd do. Seeing as now they're ignoring my emails I reckon it's a lost cause but for anyone who is thinking about buying from them, think twice - I have never experienced such rudeness and terrible customer service in my life.

That certainly won't happen when I open my shop! Sigh - back to dreaming I guess...

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How to make: Suffolk puffs

I love Suffolk puffs (also known as yo yo puffs in America). They're an easy way to make a pretty brooch, are a great embellishment for bags, an easy way to make a pretty scarf by stitching several together and have 101 other uses. Here are just a few ideas...

Headpiece with net and Suffolk puffs by Ark Designs

Christmas puff ball from Maximum Rabbit Designs

Bib necklace with Suffolk puffs from Pom Pom Emporium
The good news is, they genuinely could not be easier to make yourself. Here's how...
You will need: Fabric, thread, needle, scissors, plus embellishments such as cabochons, buttons, ribbon etc.
Step one:

Cut out a circle of fabric approximately twice as large as you would like your finished puff. Tie a knot in the end of your thread, stitch through the fabric a few times to secure, then sew running stitch around the edge of the circle.
Step two:

Gently pull the thread to bring the edges of the circle in together to the centre.
Step three:

Tightly stitch through the fabric in the c…

Look! My craft stall!

Well the craft market at the Midsummer Festival this weekend didn't go brilliantly for me thanks to the rain, but lots of people did take business cards so hopefully they will go home and order online from the cosiness of their houses. But look how pretty my stall looked! And all made on a budget of about 50p, proving that you don't need to spend a fortune on display things:

Of course, the highlight for me was lovely Thomas, the Clydesdale horse who had his shoes remade (they were huge!) and gave small children rides up and down Churchgate. He was adorable.

Review: Hand Lettering A to Z by Abbey Sy

I've been wanting to try my hand at "proper" hand lettering for a while - I often get complimented on my handwriting but when it comes to lettering for journalling or cards I'm never quite as happy with the outcome as I hope to be. So when the lovely folks at Quarto Publishing got in touch with their Autumn catalogue I was thrilled to see how many titles they had on the subject.
Hand Lettering A to Z by Abbey Sy is a gorgeous place to start. Abbey's instagram is absolutely lush (follow here here) and I particularly love her Bangkok photos as we've just returned from there, so I was super excited to be able to have a look at her book. The book takes you through a range of hand drawn fonts, plus has additional chapters on embellishments and a gorgeous gallery of inspiration. See how beautiful? So exciting. I was so excited, in fact, that I totally ignored her advice to get a sharp pencil and a proper table to work at. 'I can do this in front of Netflix can&#…

Made With Love by Kat

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