An Impromptu Holiday

Last Tuesday night, I was sat on the sofa eating ice cream and watching Mad Men when Dan got home. Only it wasn't Dan who walked in through the door. It was my dear friend Lona! She stood there with a giant grin on her face and said "I brought pizza!"

Cue lots of tears and swearing.

Lona lives in Amsterdam so we don't get to see each other very often. She and Dan have been planning this surprise trip for the past two months. The wonderful scheming bastards.

The first day Dan was working so Lona and I mooched around Bath. There was shopping, dancing next to the Abbey, pigeon chasing and just generally arsing about. Alessi fell in love with her Aunty Loops all over again. Which is easily done.

Then as if having this special lady visiting wasn't surprise enough, we all went camping!

And to my favourite camping spot too no less. This was our pitch which was all ours for the duration of our stay. It was so peaceful (except for the resident owl) and the weather was perfect. 

This was the view from our pitch. Not too shabby. There were leaves falling almost constantly from the trees we camped under, like autumnal confetti and in the evenings the sun turned everything golden. For two days, I stopped caring about all those little nags and worries that I usually carry around with me.

My clothes still smell like camp fire smoke. I don't want to wash them.

We went exploring in the woods, played hide and seek and collected pine cones.

We visited the sea, ate chips, bought rock, collected shells and eyed up the lifeguards. Well Lona did you understand. I was too busy eyeing up their quad bike (want one).

Look at that face. This woman is one of the funniest, smartest, strongest and most talented people I've ever met. I want to be her when I grow up.

Here's to you ho bag. Thank you for coming to play!

XOXOXOX

I'm on holiday!

Photo credit: Lona Aalders

 So much for the ramblings in my last post about what I was going to do this week. 

Dan and my friend Lona have been scheming and as it turns out, we're all going camping this week!

Excited and surprised doesn't cover it.

The photo above was taken during her visit last summer and I suspect there will be many more to come during this one, which of course I will share.

On a practical note, any orders placed between now and Sunday will be shipped first thing on Monday 29th September. Have a lovely week everyone whatever you're doing. 

X

Monday musings and conker collecting

 

We've had a lovely weekend. I caught up on all the sleep I've missed lately (please Alessi be kind to me this week!) we went on a woodland walk on the hunt for conkers and I even managed to make a start on the dining room table. And in between there was good food  (Dan's been cooking), plenty of sunshine and a fair bit of lounging around. All ingredients for a happy weekend.

Now I'm looking at the week ahead and wondering where to start. I want to experiment with some fabric flowers and I'd like to try my hand at some embroidery too. As well as that I'd like to keep things moving project-wise so I guess they'll be more sanding at some point. And probably some pinning for upcycling inspiration..ha! Like I need an excuse to spend more time on Pinterest!

And then there's the usual office days, cooking, cleaning and toddler entertaining to juggle.

Well no one likes to be bored do they?

Current Projects

A sensible person would only have one project on the go at any given time. 

Clearly I'm an idiot.

I've currently got three different projects to keep me busy, all of which are on my Winter List which I'm making steady progress on and *touch wood* should finish soon. Here's a little introduction..

1. Bedside Cabinets. 

You can't tell from the photo, but I've already made a start on these Ikea basics. The table tops came out further, but in order for them both to fit on either side of our bed I've had to saw the edges so they are flush with the drawers.
I'm still undecided on whether I will paint or stain them and those knobs are definitely going.

2. Winter Coat

This will be my first bash at making a coat so I'm a little nervous. I'm going to make pattern A with a tweed material. I'm looking forward to it as I hate trying to find a coat I like around this time of year. It's hard enough when all you can find are parkas and duffel coats, but the search is made even harder when you start hunting for petite coats. So fingers crossed this comes out ok!

3. Dining Room Table

I actually took this photo when Dan and Alessi were in Kent. It's clean and pretty looking, there's the give away! Usually it's covered with notebooks, empty cups and dried blobs of weetabix. 

It's a bit of a 'make-it-up-as-I-go-along' project. So far I know I want to sand the top and paint the legs, but that's it. This could be interesting..

And there you have it. This is the start of my latest projects. I'll be updating my progress in the hope that it will keep me motivated - we'll see!

The Dress Tree A/W 2014

Here it is! My small Autumn/Winter collection is finished and finally listed here in the shop.

And it includes the new Edie dress! I've made one for myself, (for quality control purposes you understand *wink*) and I'll be posting pictures of this very soon. 

Today I will be having a quiet one and spoiling myself a little. There will be cake, coffee and not doing much in the garden with Alessi. Utter bliss.

Or at least it will be once I've tackled the giant stack of dirty plates in the kitchen. Happy Autumn everyone!

THE DRESS TREE SHOP

Almost there

The sewing is done. The photos are taken.

I am pooped.

Making an Edie Dress - Photo Series

In the run up to the launch of my mini Autumn collection, I am sharing a sneak peek into the making of one of the new Edie dresses. One from the collection itself. 

Told you, sneak peek.

Starting today, I will share a photo of each stage of the process. Head on over to my Facebook Page and to see today's instalment. Be sure to like the page (and click 'Get Notifications) to see the rest of the photos in the series and let me know what you think!

Life Lately

At the start of the year, I had this grand notion of writing monthly 'round up' style posts to help me record our life as it happened. The little details we tend to forget or think too mundane to write about.
Yup, it was a grand notion indeed. I failed at the first hurdle. But inspired by that neglected and recently remembered idea, I thought I'd write up a quick update of what's going on in with us.

Work

Things continue to chug along nicely and I am currently working on a (very small) A/W collection. The collection will be a lot smaller than I had originally planned due to my ever present time restraints. Nonetheless, four new dresses and a couple of necklaces will be listed in the shop on Monday, 15 September.
Next week I will posting a daily photo on my Facebook Page showing the process of making one of these dresses and once the collection has been launched I will continue to drip feed A/W items to shop.

Music

I've been listening to a mix of Lucius, Sam Brookes, Rudimental and 'A Tribe Called Red' by Angel Haze. A bit of an eclectic mix it has to be said, but it's gotten me through the month. Angel Haze to get me kick started in the morning, Rudimental and Lucius to keep me going through the day and Sam to wind it up. And then collapse!

Feeling

Oh god sleep. I need sleep! Alessi is going through a phase of waking up between 3-4am and then once settled, waking up every half an hour after that. Why? Many reasons. Nightmares of monsters, being cold, wanting milk, just wanting a cuddle, because there's a "Y" in the day. I'm just mainlining coffee and looking forward to this phase passing.
Also my diet is shot to crap again. I haven't gone running since April (APRIL!!) and I'm getting through the day eating Alessi's leftovers and packaged snacks. Between this and the lack of sleep it's a miracle that I'm achieving anything lately.

Autumn

Autumn is upon us and I've written up my winter list. I'm collecting jumpers and planning lots of casseroles, hot puddings and wool related craft projects.
Gardening usually keeps me feeling connected with the seasons, but I really feel that spring and summer this year have past me by a little bit. I'm determined to eat, sleep and breathe this season so that by the time winter sets in, I'll feel ready and satisfied that I got my autumnal hit.

The Best Bits

• My Dad coming over from Wales just to help us put down a patio base. DIY is not one of our strong points so his expertise was desperately needed. A silly thing to count as a best bit to some, but to us, it was a relief and a huge, HUGE help. If you're reading this Dad, thanks again. You are awesome.
• Celebrating 14 years together with Dan. We were just kids when we met, but when I compare the us of now to the us of then, I don't think we've changed much. Although maybe we're a little greyer (him) and softer around our middle (me). Here's to the next 14 years my love. May I catch up with you in the greyness stakes and you with the soft belly. X
• Taking Alessi to Longleat Safari Park. The monkeys didn't disappoint. The smile on her face when a monkey jumped on the car and looked right at her was priceless. Dan got to stroke a stingray, I got to feed a lorikeet and Alessi got to highfive Postman Pat. It was a good day.
• Finally getting around to making myself some dresses. My only quibble would be that I've only put short sleeves on them so I can see some unpicking happening to make way for longer sleeves. That way I'll get more wear out of them as the days turn colder.
• And finally, singing songs with Alessi. Such a small thing, but watching how happy this makes her never fails to make me happy in turn. She's yet to twig that I can't sing for toffee.

And that's it. Due to the aforementioned tiredness I appreciate that this post may not make much sense or even read well. Bear with me though, I hope to be firing on all cylinders again soon. Toddler willing.

Winter List 2014

If you're a regular reader of this blog you will know that I consider September 1st to be the start of Autumn.
You'll also know that around this time of year, I like to write out my Winter List.

For those who have started following me recently, this is basically a list of things to get done before winter sets in. It's more than a list to me though. It's a ritual. It prepares me for the new season, softens the post summer blues and helps me focus on the positive things this time of year brings. So let's jump in..

House Stuff

Fix granny square blanket

Buy a heated clothes hanger

Wash all curtains

Get the candles and fairy lights out

Try pumpkin pie with tinned pumpkin - I didn't grow any this year

Collect leaves, conkers and pine cones and use to decorate the house

Blocks behind the sofa - don't ask

Sand (and paint?) the living room table

Stain or paint the bedside cabinets

Garden Stuff

Cut down tree and treat stump

Mulch flower bed

Prune the other trees

Get rid of the big mound of earth that's currently sitting on the lawn

Re-felt the shed roof

Tidy shed and add conkers to deter spiders

Car Stuff

Add winter bits to car (blanket, de-icer, ice-scraper, torch etc)

Check all lights are working

Wardrobe Stuff

Put summer clothes back in attic

Get winter clothes down from attic

Make myself a winter coat

Buy/make/find a scarf, hat and pair of gloves

Stock up on winter essentials (tights, woolly socks, jumpers etc)

Buy a pair of slippers

Food & Drink Stuff

Make apple crumble

Drink my weight in hot chocolate

Make a list of slow cooker recipes

And another of soup recipes

Make mulled cider

Pip Stuff

Buy a new pair of wellies

And a Vicks dehumidifier for her room

Make Pip a hooded poncho

The Dress Tree Stuff

Get A/W pieces listed in the shop

Buy fabric for more dresses

And finally, make a backdrop in the conservatory (the house gets too dark!)

Other Winter Lists:

2013

2012

2011

2010