Her and Her

Her

My Mum. She's endured my toddler tantrums and more than her fair share of teenage ones too. Her inner strength and stubborn resolve inspires the hell out of me. 

I love you so much Mum.

X

Her

 My daughter. My freaking everything. I can't even write about how much I love her without my heart hurting. 

I'll love you always my little Pip.

X

Spring in the garden

You can't hold back the seasons and so signs of spring have started to show in my neglected little garden now too. This photo sums up the overall look in the garden perfectly. Spring is here, along with remnants of the winter just gone.

 Usually leaves are raked up and added to the compost bin by the start of winter, but we were a household of sick for the end of 2013 so I just left it all. Nevertheless, some stubborn daffodils and weeds are managing to poke their heads through the mulch and the primroses are holding their own.

The main reason for the delay in planting anything is this. A distinct lack of fence between ours and our neighbours garden. Thanks for that storm. You wet and windy bastard.

However, despite having no intention of doing much with the garden this year other than to play and sit in it, I do have some tentative plans to grow something. My green fingers are itching.

Why guilty pleasures shouldn't make us feel guilty

I used to have a compilation cd years ago that I'd put together and entitled 'Kim's Guilty Pleasures'.
It included Whigfield's Saturday Night and SL2's On A Ragga Tip amongst others. I didn't let anyone know that it existed let alone listen to it for fear of them laughing at me, but of all my cd's it was probably the one that was played the most that summer. Why? It made me happy, simple as that.
I'd sing along at the top of my voice, dance like a loon and just feel pretty damned good.

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is something I like to eat on occasion. Any foodies reading this might want to brace themselves. I love a good kebab.
And nope, I don't have to be drunk to enjoy one. A good lamb kebab with cabbage and lemon juice is just the ticket. Just before I had Pip, I told Dan that it was customary to buy the mother an eternity ring. A sort of "well done for popping out a person" present. I asked him to get me a kebab instead and bless him, he did.

I understand that many of you are recoiling at that one, but there you have it. A good and greasy kebab is one of my all time favourite pleasures and all of a sudden I no longer feel embarrassed to admit it.

And if you're interested, here are a few more of my no-longer-guilty pleasures.

• My playlist has some cool artists on there. Haim, First Aid Kit, CHVRCHES...and James Blunt. Whatever. It's throw-away music that doesn't take itself too seriously and sometimes that's exactly what you need.
• I still have fangirl crushes. That chap smouldering at the top of this post? That's the guy who gave us Loki in the Thor movies. Granted Loki is a bit more goth like and murdery than the men I'm usually attracted to, (looks over at my ginger, non-murdery husband), but still.  Yes please.
• My granny slippers. You know the sort you find at the back of those crap catalogues that occasionally fall through the letter box? Synthetic fleece with the rubber soles? I have a pair, they look so bad, but feel so good.

There now.
And I don't mind telling all of you this because while it might make me all kinds of uncool (anyone who uses the word uncool is by definition "uncool"), they also make me happy and that feels a heck of a lot like winning to me.
So how about you? Are you brave enough (shameless enough) to share some of your guilty pleasures with me? Go on...I double dare you.

Spring has sprung!

The sun has been shining, the birds have been singing and I have been sewing. And sewing. And sewing some more. 

Visit the shop

Ready for a new season are these made to measure floral dresses at £20 each.

I've also added a couple more necklaces. Remember the giveaway I did for Valentine's Day? Well the turtledoves are back and can now be found in the shop to take home along with some gorgeous nest necklaces. I may have already made one of these for myself! Well it would be rude not to right? Both necklaces are for sale at £8 each.

Thanks for looking!

A peek in to my sewing room

At last. The day has come where I can finally say, I am no longer a sewing hobo! I've moved my things back into the room I sewed in before it became impossible with a baby in tow. She was cute though so I didn't mind.

But the baby is now a toddler and with things going the way they are, there is no reason for me not to be back upstairs, where I belong. 

I have a Sewing Room everybody!

That vintage Singer belonged to my Grandmother and I was so stoked when Mum gave it to me. I can remember her teaching me to sew on this when I was little so there's lots of happy memories attached to it. No surprise that it was given pride of place on the shelf.

This here is how I store my fabric. In a bunch of old apple crates Dan bought me for my birthday last year. I love that I can see them all again, instead of having them stuffed out of sight in an ugly old wardrobe.

This year's birthday present from Dan is another nice touch to the room. Hanging pots for your plants that are er...well, upside down.
I have to admit I thought the plants would die off almost immediately, but so far this ivy and the jasmine I have in the other pot seem to be doing fine. Who knew?

And look how sunny this room is! I'm looking forward to working in here over the summer with the windows wide open. 

And this folks, is why I've been so quiet on here for the past couple of weeks. Yes I know it doesn't look like much, but you would not believe the work involved to get this little lot together! 

So there you have it. This sewing hobo has found a home. And what better way to wrap up this post than a sneak peek of what I'm working on at the moment. 

This is one of four spring dresses that I'll be listing in the shop soon. The necklace is in the idea stage.

 

So there you have it. Dresses are being made, ideas are forming, things are happening. And it makes me really happy.