Kitty Blossom

etsy shop update.......

2011-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

well i seriously don't know where the time has gone......i feel like i have fell down the rabbit hole and been in my own little world......a very enjoyable experience none the less !!! anyways......back to the real world......i have been a busy bee making and crafting.....here's a few of my new range of headbands.....modelled by the very beautiful penelope......and put into my etsy shop......
http://www.etsy.com/shop/blossomdesign

summer vintage finds.......

2011-08-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

i'm in love......it is official.....with my lovely deer and fawn head vase.....it brightens up my days and makes me smile.....it's soooooo shiny ( my girls do sometimes worry about me !!)
with matilda to care for we haven't had too much time for vintage and thrifty shopping........but with the few times i've ventured out i haven't been dissappointed, my beloved vase was an ebay buy...when you can't get out and shop ebay is the way to go !!!!

this lovely owl trivet was from a local secondhand shop and the jug was from a little aladdins cave i have come across 50p each........

a lovely lace effect teapot doubling up as a vase for flowers from my garden...........and below more plates and a fantastic turquoise rabbit jelly mould........

take care my lovelies.....kitty x

an unexpected blog break.........

2011-08-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

hey....i'm back....after a pretty rough time we have had with our very beautiful little doggie girl, miss matilda..

she has been really ill, so ill i thought we were going to lose her at one point, i have been so consumed with getting her better that i haven't had much time for anything else, she has been so good and brave and strong and is now almost back to her usual mischevious self, her vet visits have now gone to every other week instead of weekly and her medicines have gone right down, and life around here can pretty much get back to some sort of normal......we are so grateful to our vet who has been really good with her and so thankful that we have her insured (the vet bills so far have come to well over £1000, i really recommend that everyone should get their pet insured, it has been stressful enough as it is, and i'm so grateful that we didn't have to worry about how we would pay for her treatment) i have also been giving her reiki on a weekly basis, which i'm sure as also helped her.......hey....that is something you don't know about me...i'm a qualified reiki practioner.....although i don't do it for a living.....

well here is to our lovely girl matilda.......we love you xxx

a swan song........

2011-05-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

well my dears this is my little tale of a beautiful swan.......i seen the above swan in the leicester oxfam store, it had a hefty price tag of £6.99.......gasp..........i know ! charity shops and the prices they charge (although i do have to keep reminding myself they are for charity...it is a good cause........) well i stood in there for some time humming and ahhing, the dilemma i really love it should i pay that much etc......much to the dismay of mr blossom and daughter no. 2.........anyway after about 15 mins of pondering i decided to do the rest of our shopping and think about it............well i thought about, and i thought i can't live without such beauty..........and that our house definately needed a swan planter...really......what home should be without one !?!

well after an afternoon of shopping i exitedly rushed back to oxfam to purchase said swan........well readers i had a shock........the beautiful swan was gone...sold.....no longer there......well i shed a little tear for my loss ! and kicked myself very swiftly for not buying it staight away there and then.......well a lesson was learned, and i decided, i need that swan planter or my life will not be complete...i trawled ebay but no swan......i wasn't going to give up......and this is where my swan song turns itself into a happy tale...........

the very next weekend i went a thrifting in a small town not too far from where i live.......i walked into the small oxfam store and there before my eyes was the very same swan at a very reasonable £2.99....i did a very happy jig.......much to the embarassment of daughter no.2 ! and on that same trip i picked up a little friend for my beautiful swan.......
you cannot see it too great in the pictures but the most beautiful thing about my swan is that it as very peachy tail feathers and a peachy stripe down the middle of it's head......i just need to pick up some plants to complete the look.....oh and more swans.......i have a swan bug !!!
and everytime i look at my peachy swan i sing this song............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6J3uLLi9sw and do a little dance..........

vintage flower brooches.......

2011-05-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

i have been busy making more brooches.......in fact alot of brooches, i really do love making these !!.......here are a few which i have put in my etsy store today.......http://www.etsy.com/shop/blossomdesign......
more brooch pics to come over the next few days.....

love is......

2011-05-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

i know valentines day was a while ago now........but i wanted to share a few gifts that i made for mr. blossom........he says he loves my homemade gifts.......and i say i love my shop bought gifts very much...see we are a match made in heaven !! (although i must say i do love handmade gifts too )

new packaging........

2011-05-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

i'm really pleased with the packaging i've done for my brooches etc...... i will be putting these in my etsy store tomorrow........

new in my etsy store.........

2011-04-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

i'm on a blogging roll here.......i know it is only two posts in two days, but good for me !!!

i'm looking forward to a lovely long bank holiday weekend with my family.......and the sunshine...did i mention the sunshine.......life couldn't get better......

whoops....i fell down a rabbit hole.......

2011-04-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

well essentially i didn't fall down a rabbit hole........but i haven't blogged for some time as i have had changes happen in my life that i have had to get my head around....so it kinda feels that i have been in some strange other world......minus the white rabbit, the chesire cat and the queen !!
but something that i have bought recently has helped me out of the hole i was in, and i really felt i needed to share this.........

it is a beautiful book and very inspirational......... i have loved emily chalmers for some years now, actually since i bought her first book cheap chic in 2003.......i remember sitting for hours salivating over the lovely images and then going out and buying way too much white paint to paint every floor white in our then house.........

another of her lovely books is flea market style, again beautiful images and some wonderful vintage finds.......i highly recommend all of emily's books.......she also has a fantastic shop in london called caravan, i have never been but have intended to do so for a few years now, she also has a website.........

www.caravanstyle.com

i really want to live in petra boase's house....she has the most fantastic taste........

well i intend not to fall down the rabbit hole again......i may sit next to it for a while, whilst i get my bearings, and hopefully get into sharing more of my work and vintage finds with the blogging world !!

vintagey goodness...........

2010-07-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

i love tupperware..........i guess it is being a kid of the 70's .........and all those tupperware parties my mum took me to.............the highlight of the evening for kids was playing with them and making them burp !!! well i cannot pass any tupperware at boots or secondhand shops without snapping them up...........these jugs with lids are going to be great for camping and picnics.......and i just love those 70's colours !!! and i'm so loving this cute kettle another great thing for camping !!

i have been on the look out for a fire screen for a while now, they have been quite pricey.......being the thrift that i am, i seriously cannot justify some prices....which is something i keep telling myself to get over....i have walked away from so many things because i thought they were too pricey only to regret it later......anyways i got this lovely one for £5 an absolute bargain, the detail in the embroidery is amazing............

and this plate and cup set has to be most beautiful set that i have ever bought.......seriously my heart really did skip a beat as i seen these......the colours in the flowers are so beautiful teal blue and chautrese so yummy...........

Vintage treasure...........

2010-07-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

I buy so much vintage, but never do i get around to posting my finds.....so i will start with this little find.............all from a little town about 5 miles from where we are.................this town may be little and a little naff.........it really is........but amazingly it has 9....... yes 9 secondhand shops, i try and get there every few weeks, and never have i come away empty handed...........

i love these pie dishes with the recipe printed on them.............they are so cute........i must get around to making them sometime !!! mmmmm......i shall add that to my long list of things to do !!! my favourite is the blueberry cheesecake (which i forgot to photograph darn...).............

More birthday girls !!!

2010-07-01T08:27:00.001-07:00

me being 40...................i really am not happy with pics of me.........but what the heck !!!

birthday present display............which my girlies did for me................

amelia turning 19............

and another present display...........................yeah we love the present dislays !!!!!!

Birthday girl

2010-06-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

due to my lack of blogging this is rather a late post..........but eh oh..........better late than never i say !! in fact there have been 3 birthdays (including my 40th....yikes...seriously it wasn't scary at all !!) celebrated in this house over the last 2 months..............the first being miss lydias.......a very fun day was had and a very noisy sleepover also !!

a homemade birthday trifle...................

a homemade birthday cake..............
and a homemade cushion..............

2010-05-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

I think i am making my way back to the land of the living !!

These last few months have been a very quiet time.............a time for reflecting............

hence my blog dissappearing act !!!

Coffee and Cath

2010-02-02T04:29:00.001-08:00

Yes new goodies from Cath Kidston..............i am loving my new hairslides and the card they come on is so vintage looking.......... i am also very much loving cath's new cherry print...very me !!

WW2 Brooches and Love is......

2010-01-27T08:28:00.001-08:00

I love these messages............for a while i have been toying with using these in some sort of craft work....and brooches seemed just right...........

and with valentines day around the corner i thought these would make a sweet gift..........obviously very influenced by the 1970's love is........couple !! does anybody remember them, i collected the stickers and the cards !!love is....................... holding hands...............i have many more emroidered and waiting to be stiched up !!

all of these will be put in my folksy and etsy today and tomorrow......

Wall art..........

2010-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Black apple prints from the very talented Emily Martin............

Vintage mirrors............

Vintage plates and lonesome flying duck...............
And finally my patchwork wall......................

Kitsch poodle brooches

2010-01-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

These 2 little performing pink poodles have trotted over to my folksy shop !!

you will find these little brooches here: www.folksy.com/shops/blossomdesign

i did do a little crafting over the holidays !!!!!

2010-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well hello all.......and a happy new year to everyone.......i really do hope that 2010 is a good year for everyone !!!
You know time really does flies when you are having fun !!! well that is what as happened to me this christmas and new year....and as you can see the lounge is now finished, it was all done and dusted by the 13th december.......phew......but i haven't got around to posting the pics till now....well i had christmas to get organised and bought and wrapped up in the 2 weeks before !!!! i managed to get it all ready but it really took it out of me.... so resting ...eating and drinking (i am seriously getting worried about my wine intake !!!) and generally having a good old time was had.........

I am really pleased with my new cath kidston curtains..... i bought the fabric and made them myself..........it was so easy to do, although it was very nerve racking cutting into £90- worth of fabric...........

and having an open fire is so lovely and cosy.......although some evenings it is hard to get things done, has it is so hard to tear yourself away from it.................but in this very snowy weather who wants to eh !!! i'm as snug as a bug with my fire, mulled wine (yes more wine !!) and crochet....well i am determined to learn to crochet this year.......that and learning to jive are the top my to do lists this year !!!! so watch this space...............

2009-12-07T00:48:00.000-08:00

whoops....not quite managed to post everyday......but then again i am so busy...saturday i was knee deep (not literally...but it makes it sound like i was very busy !!) in concrete having the fireplace put in, which looks fantastic, i cannot wait to share it on here...and i equally cannot wait to have our first real fire, which we have to wait a week to do so, which will be nice as that will coincide with the putting up off the christmas tree !!!!

oh.......... and sunday i was knee deep in paint...as i will be again today !!! but i shall leave you today with some of my new makes.......some are already on folksy...some have sold....and some shall be put on folksy sometime this week !!!!

2009-12-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

i am so exited..........i shall tell you for why !!!!
last year this is what the lounge looked like..............please note: horrid gas fire ( sorry if i offend anyone who has one, and loves it ) and the horrid textured wallpaper....when we moved in almost 3 years ago we decided just to paint over it for now....well for now came to an end 4 weeks ago, i was eating my breakfast one morning and decided i can no longer live with this wallpaper or that gas fire.................so after hastily eating my porridge (still in my p.j.s) i decided to strip the walls........ i rang my other half at 3pm (still in my p.j.s) and told him of my adventures with a fish slice....(yes a fish slice makes a great wallpaper stripper) and i have arranged for someone to take out the gas fire......... after the shock...he was very happy with the hard work i had done (well so he says)........
so this is what it looks like for now............................................................................but come this weekend the fire place is going to be put in, we have a bought a lovely original cast iron fireplace and surround which matches the house perfectly our house was built in 1900, we know this has the house has a plaque on the front that says 'clarence villas 1900' this is very handy to know when you are putting original features back into a property, we are lucky as most of the house hasn't been changed over the last 100 years, we still have all the original doors and the fireplaces upstairs, and the original skirting boards.......the fireplaces upstairs are what did it for me with this house !
and walls are going to be painted.....more shelfs are going up....and ornaments and mirrors are being moved around........

and as you can see in the above pic..........fabrics and a box of tricks have arrived from cath k.......(please note matilda the whippet has to sniff and inspect anything and everything that comes into the house) yes i shall be making new curtains for the lounge...that will be sometime next week, when all the painting has finished........

we also had a very successful visit to ikea....we purchased a new rug, lots of cushion pads, new throws... well really too many things to name.......new pics of these when they are all in situ !!

p.s. did i mention i am very exited !!!!!!!!

2009-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

wow... that was a long unintended blog break............thankyou for your comments, can't really say alot about the troubling circumstances on here....they are kinda still there.......but things are definately looking more rosy !!! it is a case of just ignoring it !!

st. ives was a tonic as always...and the fact that a cath kidston has taken up a residency there....well so much the better..............

tomorrow i will post more pics....as i literally am out the door on the way to ikea......... and yikes december 1st already....where might i ask has this year gone ???

i have so much to share....and i have made a promise to myself that i will post everyday this december......i will be back with ikea purchases, and tales of renovations...oh and some of my crafting.........

cornwall is calling...................

2009-10-16T17:25:00.001-07:00

tomorrow i will be taking in in this view... i think my most favourite view in the world, and i shall be revelling in the delights that is st.ives.........
a whole week to be spent in my spiritual home....and it really doesn't hurt that there is a cath kidston shop there !!!
to be truthful with you my dear readers....never have i needed this break more than i do now.....
i know i am not a great regular blogger but i have found it so difficult to craft and be myself just recently...this is down to a huge stress that has been put on my family and our home.........
but fingers crossed it will all be over soon...........
and i shall see you soon with tales of st ives !!

a much wanted kitchen table.............

2009-09-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

well this is the tale of the much wanted kitchen table............for some years now (6 yrs to be exact, and how fast they seem to have passed !!) i have wanted an old farmhouse kitchen table.. i have looked and seen and have been rather shocked at how much they seem to go for.......me being an old hat vintage buyer ( since the late 80's when vintage cost pennies) i begrudge paying too much for an item when i know that i can get it cheaper if you look hard enough........i kept holding out for a reasonable priced one....yes i had looked on ebay many times over the years and yes there have been bargains, but they have been many miles away and would have cost a small fortune in petrol.................

so little did i know on a warm sunny sunday morning....a few fields away from my house sat my new table.......yes.....a carboot sale....i try and get to them has often has possible, but it takes some effort on our part, you see me and man are night owls by nature, so early mornings are usually a no-no for us.......yes in the week the daily grind forces us up........but the weekends are for us...we can potter about at our own pace....so why oh why are carboots so early in the morning ???? an afternoon one would be excellent for us....but alas there are no such things ........

anyway getting back to the table.......after 1/2 hr of pushing and shoving, not by me might i add, and lots of lovely little buys...... i spotted it dirty, worn out and covered in old tools, i didn't want to appear too eager... i asked the man.... is this table for sale ? his reply...what this old thing.....yes i sweetly replied.....well i only chucked it in the back off the van to display these tools on it, but i guess i can sell it, if you want it..........not wanting to sound too crazy, i calmly said how much do you want for it ? gimme a fiver he said and it's yours..........and this is what i love about vintage buying........ a bargain !!
after getting the above table home............it was sanded by me for 5 hours....yes a real labour of love....and a very good workout !!!! we then went to homebase and got another bargain.... i originally wanted 'dix blue' eggshell by craig and rose....but i picked up an 1/2 price laura ashley eggshell paint in 'eau de nil', which i much prefered......bargains all around............

so that is the tale of my much wanted table................and the moral of this story is 'never give up the hunt'

SALE...........

2009-09-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

pink melrose cushion £5-

vintage fabric cushion £4-

blue melrose cushion £5-

just a quick post today.............i have decided to have a good clearout of old stock.......i have so much i haven't put onto my website...etsy or folksy.....items that i have made and taken along to craft fairs etc.......that have stayed bagged up for sometime now.....so out it comes......and on sale it goes...so grab a bargain and keep checking my folksy page for bargains this week..........
www.folksy.com/shops/blossomdesign

blue melrose and aqua corduroy cushion £5-

tomorrow i will return with tales of a farmhouse kitchen table...............and more sale goods !!

(please note.............whilst writing this post the pink and blue melrose cushion have sold)

a normal day resumes...........................

2009-09-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

peace at last...................the children are back at school and college.....and a more normal routine can be put back into practice.......don't get me wrong i love the school holidays and i love having the children at home....we get up to some great adventures.......but i also love getting back into the swing of things.......

i have done so much over these 7 weeks........vintage buying.........camping.......lots of days out......harvesting our vegetables........so much fun.......this i will be enlighting you with over the next few days !!

today i shall start with our little harvest....seriously this was very exiting for us......from the little patch we have...it really seemed like an abundance of veges and they all tasted so good.........

please note........new vintage tablecloth and new plate..... i buy alot of vintage ware but don't always get round to sharing any images of my purchases on here.......i must make more of an effort........really... i hear you say !!!!!

on a final note...this is a proud mother moment....a big whoop for my eldest who got an.......A* two A's and a B in her AS levels.........

folksy........etsy ???

2009-07-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

i have had a folksy shop for a little while now and haven't really done alot with it......recently i have found that etsy is a little over-run with sellers, and sales are not great....so i have been loading up my folksy shop today.....sorted out a banner for it......and away i go.....i will be adding new items to it all week..... so if you fancy a peek go to.......

www.folksy.com/shops/blossomdesign

let me know what you think........ i will also be giving my website an overhaul later this week......all work and no play.......

mad dogs and englishmen......................

2009-07-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

last week was too hot to do much at all..........i don't like to moan but heatwaves are not for me !!
whilst relaxing in the garden........seriously that is all i could manage.....it gave me lots of thinking time......mainly creative thinking.......and i have some new crafty work in the pipeline....very exiting...amongst the relaxing and creative brainwaves i did manage to craft three new cushions for the sofa........all made from my stash of vintage fabrics, i love the 50's orange roses fabric, it was a great find 7 metres in total from a local charity shop...........
although.... without moaning though heatwaves are great for getting your washing dry (uk readers will understand this exitement!) i washed almost everything in the house......just because....i could !!
and i love to see clean washing hanging in the garden.....it's so pretty............................................

mary mary quite contrary how does your garden grow.....part 2.....

2009-06-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

today the village that i live in had its annual open gardens.......being an extremely nosy person coupled with my new love of gardening.......(yes i think i am growing up.....well it's about time as i am 39) it was ideal for me....so.....armed with youngest child my friend and her youngest child we set off....... 4 hrs we walked around our village and a lovely time we had......it is so fascinating to me as i often walk past some houses (whilst walking matilda) and fall in love with them and their front gardens and always wonder what their gardens look like at the back....well i was so exited when 2 of them had their gardens open......and let me tell you they were just as magical has i expected them to be...if not better.......i took lots of pics with the kind permission of the owners, but i won't post any here...as that is probably invading their privacy.....but i have taken away some fantastic ideas and lots of advice......in fact me and my friend are thinking of joining the gardening club !!! wonders never cease........

we rounded off our afternoon at the local band hall (which is where they hold the gardening club)

we had tea and cake.......very much needed !! it is a fantastic old little hall which is victorian built and has not been touched since the 1950's seriously i was in heaven..... this i have taken pics off for your perusal.......i wish i had taken one of the outside.....in fact i will and i will post the pics.....

and lastly i will leave you wth some more up-to-date pics of our little veggie patch..............

mary mary quite contrary how does your garden grow

2009-06-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

again i have fallen off the 'i will try and blog on a more regular basis' ladder.........but eh.......i think i'm the only one who is beating myself up over this......we are our own greatest critics........ so i have taken the attitude that i will blog as and when i have time (and time.... i do so wish i had more of that ).....

but on to more exiting things.........the garden......these pics were taken a few weeks ago now with the intention to share them with you then, but eh.... better late than never !

it is so exiting growing your own vegetables......i feel like neil from the young ones !! does anyone else remember that ?.....i plant the seeds, nature grows the seeds, then we eat the seeds.......so funny, a tv must for 80's teenagers......getting back to the growing of veg. ( i do ramble on, go of subject and can't remember what i was talking about !) every morning i take a walk down the garden, matilda hot on my heels... tending to our little patch, we are growing...potatoes( which are in flower right now , and getting extremely out of hand )...carrots...parsnips...brussels....cabbages...peas...green beans....onions....beetroot...lettuces...and in our little makeshift green house we have tomato plants and lots of chilli plants (24 in total !!?? yes i said alot ) we also have gooseberry bushes which were kindly donated to me by my aunt, a blackberry bush....and 9 raspberry bushes... well raspberry canes..... which surprisingly all have some raspberries growing on them !!.....strawberry plants...garlic and last but not least pumpkins which have been lovingly reared by our youngest ( whom might i add has flown the nest this week...she is on a school pgl holiday... take care our little one, your presence is greatly missed ) and to add to that list our little herb garden.... which has been going for a few years now..... to add to this 'good life' all we need now are chickens.... which have been on the back burner for sometime now... although we are needing a house move and will probably wait till then.......

looking at what i have wrote i feel rather proud of what we have acheived in the last few months....and hats off to my man who has contructed the raised beds and lovinly tends to the veges every night !!

p.s. looking back at these pics..... i really must take some more upto date ones, as they have grown so much........

and finally i couldn't post without a pic of miss matilda...........

two birthday girls.............

2009-06-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

it has been a while since i blogged...................not sure where the time goes........but another birthday has been and gone 2 in fact but the first it was a biggy .......18.......and the lovely girl had a great day, it is so hard to believe that i now have an adult child, a strange feeling..........
we are so very proud of her and the amazing young woman she has grown into ................

for her birthday she went to new york to stay with our friend (thanks josh for looking after her.....i can't wait to visit myself)........... i made her a 'i heart NY' bag for the occasion, which was greatly loved........

i love the other side of the bag which i embroided the big apple, it gives me a great idea for a new bag design.............

and of course no birthday would be complete in our house without a homemade cake.....

and yes the icing was quite perfect this time..............

myself i had the most perfect birthday.......i am 1 year off being 40 yikes

the weather was so beautiful and i had lovely gifts and a lovely meal, i forgot to take any pics.......

only this one of my birthday dress.........it is so yellow and flowery a combination that you cannot go wrong with........

vera................

2009-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

i am so exhausted i have been a whirling dervish today.................spring cleaning the house...............and gardening, the veggies are starting to really come on now..........

so due to my extreme need to rest........... it is mainly a picture post !!!!!

.....meet vera, i made her a few weeks ago now, using some of my much loved vintage fabric collection, i will get around to putting her on etsy sometime this week..............................

birthday girl...................

2009-05-11T03:40:00.000-07:00

within a space of 3 weeks..........it is both my daughters and my own birthday, yes may is an expensive month for our families !!this is my youngest daughters birthday..............the pic is a little blurry.....but i just love the expression on her face when she sees all of her gifts..........on her birthday day she had friends round after school for a tea party and games..........i just love that she is so much into my eclectic china taste, to her it is quite normal to have tea and cakes on fancy china..................her friends thought it a real novelty............

not sure why but my frosting was runny................never mind it still tasted good !!!!and at the weekend she had a camping sleepover in the back garden....... matilda joined in too !!!

much to the girls amusement..........................................

and then i got this lovely card made by her to say thankyou for making her feel so special...........

i love tea..............i love cake !!!!!

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

i really do love a good ole cuppa and who doesn't love cake ???? so i have made some hanging kitchen (or anywhere) art..................with binding that took forever to sew by hand onto the back and front..............and people hand sew binding onto a whole quilt ??!!

and i made this cushion last year..................mr flowery jack...............but he was made and taken to a few craft fairs, he was greatly loved by some folk, but some folk didn't want to pay £25. for him...............but it is a one off piece i told them, nobody else will have a cushion the same as yours !! i don't know about you my fellow crafters out there, but do you suffer with this same maddening crowd of people who seem to think they can give you what they think is the right price for your handmade goods...........this greatly puts me off craft fairs.....................................

yes dear readers that was an unexpected rant.............just had to get that off my chest, i think mr flowery jack will be heading over to etsy, where i think i will price him at £20-

caravan of love.....................

2009-05-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

as a child we had a caravan, a little egg shaped one, just big enough for myself and my mum and dad and my little dog.................such happy memories..............when we weren't away in the caravan, it stood at the side of our house, and it doubled up as my playden......... i was the envy of the kids in my neighbourhood............so you see the humble 70's egg shaped caravan holds a special place in my heart !....................................which is what inspired my new crafty project........
and bunting................who doesn't love bunting ???

not sure whether to put these on folksy or etsy ??!!??

w.i.p. and sunny days..........................

2009-04-25T08:42:00.001-07:00

the weather this week has been so lovely that i couldn't resist taking my work outside, miss matilda has loved it, although the only down side to this, is that i have been disturbed quite often with the little minx up to no good.........trespassing over the vegetable plots ( i will share some pics on these soon.......they are really coming on) or pulling up newly planted raspberry canes, or terrorising the cat..............yes very naughty.........but it is quite impossible to get angry at her, it is those eyes !!!

new textile art i have been working on.......................

i find embroidery work so relaxing ........................seriously i could do it all day but there is children and pets to care for, a house to clean etc.......................you get the picture..............

and the finished products which will be going on etsy this week, i have been working on more than these two, but haven't got around to photographing them yet......................

in the words of marie antionette.........................................................................................

Brooches............................

2009-04-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

and lots of them.............. you can find these in my etsy shop...........................

www.blossomdesign.etsy.com

also i have been working on some new ideas which i will share with you later this week...............

yellow

2009-03-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

i love the colour yellow, every shade of it from mustard to lemon..........i find that in the spring and summer my love of yellow really comes out, at the end of last summer i was inspired to make some yellow bags, but did not get around to putting them on my website (which will soon be going) or etsy straight away, and then i decided to save them for spring which is now........

so yesterday i got around to putting them in my etsy shop..........

yes my love of camping shows in this one.........i love it pictured hanging of the bush, it looks right at home................

i will be back tomorrow with lots of cute brooches to share with you ..............................

mothers day..........

2009-03-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

i'm a little late in posting this..............i hope all you mums out there were looked after and treated well this mothers day, i had a really lovely day, with some lovely gifts....................

.....................................................THANKYOU GIRLS...............................................

you made my day wonderful, my youngest said " when is it kids day" i said to the cheeky one....... "everyday is kids day"..............

i love the gilmore girls, and marie antoinette.......................

and me wearing this so so cute hairslide from plumo............

spring is here................at last.......

2009-03-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

spring is here at last ........and it feels so great to get out and about in the garden, we have been busy planting fruit bushes and getting the vegetable plots ready, we're not sure what we are doing, i think it will be a matter of trial and error....................but eh, we feel very much like 'the good life'

and on a crafty note, here is a few of the brooches i have been working on, there are many.................i have gone a little brooch mad !! i am also changing my little business around a little, i'm doing away with my website and will be just selling my wares on my etsy and probably ebay........... i have also changed the name to kitty blossom( kitty being my middle name and blossom a family name) , instead of blossom design and there will many more changes to come....................little ................but big for me !!

p.s. i also have new labels..................and lots of new vintage fabric..................there will be lots of vintage crafting going on around here !

January Blues and suffering !!

2009-02-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Well a long blog break was had and not intended as i was just getting into the blogging.......................i had so much christmassy stuff i wanted to share(which apart from my suffering a very lovely quite christmas and new year was had), but unfortunately things did not go to plan, no dear readers they didn't, you see i got that awful flu bug and it really knocked me off my feet for weeks actually getting on for a month, all my energy was used up doing the very basic of things, and i consider myself quite an healthy person, and just has i was showing that flu the door i took matilda out for a walk in the snow.........yes you know what is coming next..................i very pathetically fell over on the very slippy snow, and hurt my knee , i limped for a few days and felt very sore and very sorry for myself, well very down i was feeling you know those january blues one can get well they were just heightened by my feeling sorry for myself and all i wanted to do was stay inside were it was warm and cosy and safe (no germs and no slippy snow) and just as i was starting to venture out........wait for it my misery continues.....................we were involved in a car accident.................yes we were on our way out for a lovely walk around foxton locks, and a car just pulled out of a side road in front of us.........eek it was the first car accident i have been in, very scary, we are all okay, well i say okay, me and my husband have what is called whiplash, neck ache and shoulder ache and it very pathetically hurts me to lift a kettle etc.........(so not alot of crafting) and matilda is absolutely terrified of getting in a car, the poor thing just shakes, the car has faired alot worse it was deemed a write off and has got crushed.........the poor thing !!

So there you have it my suffering, very pathetic i know, i am starting to feel alot better and i will be sharing some new work i have been working on with you soon.....................

I will leave you with a pic of my daughter taken in january, i love the light of the room with no flash, just so cosy, my little cocoon............................................................................................

Red and white

2008-12-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

About a year ago exactly i decided that i wanted a red wall in the living room, we had only been living in our house for 8 months and the wall i wanted red had only been painted green a few months ago, i had many moans from the man himself...................but you see you have to live in a place for a while to get a real feel of what colours the house wants to be................well the living room wanted to be red and white, above the front door is two red panes of glass and one of white so the colours were there already i just didn't see them when i first decorated.....................anyway i found the perfect red................ Cath kidston paint by craig and rose in pillar box red, i ordered it and it has sat in the cupboard for almost a year, until this friday, yes we finally got round to painting the wall red, i like it alot and so does the room,it really brings out the red in my lovely vintage barkcloth curtains, we just need to be rid of the hideous fire and replace it with an original victorian cast iron fireplace.........all i good time i have to say to my impatient self !!!!

this weekend also seen the buying of the christmas tree and we had a very lovely time decorating it, drinking mulled wine whilst listening to xfm xmas album, motown xmas album and the medieval baebes xmas album............. the red and white decorations go so great with the room.

Matilda loves the tree and has only eaten THREE yes three gingerbread hearts of the tree........... very bad dog !!

to look at her butter wouldn't melt..............................don't be fooled !! i think she is eyeing up her fourth one..............................

2nd december

2008-12-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

It has been so cold here today, and even snowed a little this morning it felt so christmassy, after taking my daughter to school i needed warming up so i had warm porridge and listened to doris day christmas album......................it doesn't get much better than that ! and to keep up the christmas feeling it was our village christmas fayre tonight, now i don't live in a paticulary large village but there is a good village community, we have a summer fete which now goes on for a week, and lots of little events throughtout the year................and the christmas fayre which i love, in the middle of the village is a duckpond surrounded by trees which has christmas lights put up around it ( i think the ducks love it, it makes them feel special) and the few shops we have( a co-op, butchers, post office, chemist and newsagents) get festive with lights and christmas trees protuding from the buildings, there is also fairground rides, hook a duck, sweet stalls, mulled wine, santas grotto, the local garden centre selling xmas trees, craft stalls, hot dog stands and the local baptist church opens it doors to sell hot drinks at 10p you just can't go wrong, a good time was had by all......................even if we were freezing !!

the christmas bunting i made yesterday

the advent calender.........felt trees from tesco.......filled with mini candy canes....so so cute....pink xmas tree and angel garland.... and last but by no means.........the santa gang...................i wonder who will be coming out for christmas tomorrow ?

1st december

2008-12-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

I love love love...........................christmas.......... although i am not a christmas nut and put my tree up immediatly..............no no no but from the ist i gradually add things on a daily basis, litle bits, for instance the advent calenders came out today, and a russian doll santa.................i also made some christmas bunting today, but by the time i had finished it and put it up it was dark, so no good for taking pics of, i will wait until tomorrow !!

Last years christmas..........................

9 months old today.......................

2008-11-24T13:59:00.001-08:00

our beautiful girl is 9 months old today..................she has grown into such a wonderful dog, with the most loving personality...................we all feel so blessed that this little ray of sunshine has come into our lives...........she is very spoiled.........................in a good way might i add !!

cute........

cute.........

cute.........

and cute.........

we love you matilda xxxx

p.s. big secret !!! matilda is getting her own doggy for her birthday.......we are thinking a yorkie or something similar.................she just loves the little ones !!

rosy apple bag

2008-11-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

new bags being put on etsy and my website are.................................. rosy apple bag, i love the apple and the frame that surrounds it, so so cute, i was very inspired by a lovely mug that i bought recently, i have a pic of it but it doesn't do it it any justice, so i will take another and post it................... i am also loving this washed grey linen that i bought recently ( 4 metres so expect alot of goodies made from it)

the other bag to go on etsy and my website is miss bet lynch ( i loved bet has a child, such an inspiration !) the leopard fur is so lovely, it is a very short but dense fur ( it broke 2 needles on my machine whilst making it...........while i always say my crafts are always made with love......well not so sure about this one...........made with stress i would say..........but eh, it has turned out lovely and goes so well with the pink lining and vintage button, in fact i have a lovely leopard coat from new look which has the same pink lining.

i have quite a few more bags to post but they will done over the next few days...........................

3 posts in 3 consecutive days..........amazing........

so looking forward to christmas shopping tomorrow.................and seeing the huge outdoor ice rink that they are putting in leicester city centre tomorrow...........can't wait to try it out with the rest of the family, which we will be doing over christmas !!

The kitty club

2008-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

so this is what i have been working on last week.......................the kitty club........ they are made from the pattern i have for my babushka dolls, except they have cute little ears and a tail.........

this is miss tilly.........

and this is miss tallulah

this is miss florence...........

and this is miss coco bean................

i shall be putting them on etsy and my website either tonight or tomorrow......

tomorrow ( yes i am determined) i shall be showing my newly made bags........

this is burt..........................

2008-11-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

ok ok i admit i am a rubbish blogger.........................i have good intentions but eh.....................

although it is going to be my end of the year resolution to blog more, starting from now......

I have been really busy making and doing a few craft fairs ( not as many as i did last year) here is a little taster of what i have been upto....................

this is burt, and isn't he just a cutie ( he is for sale on my website and etsy)...................more pics to follow tomorrow........yes i am determined !!

and this was our very lovely october holiday to st.ives, we love st ives and have been going there for some years now................one day we will live there.......

this was the view from our bedroom window one morning, i wish i could wake up to this every morning.............

the above pics.......... this is the view we get of st ives when we drive into the the town, such fantastic light........and this is my youngest on porthmeor beach, and sitting on rocks overlooking dog beach, and again, playing cards in the very lovely cottage that we stay in.......... a wonderful time was had by all, it was our first time in oct, we usually go in the summer but the cottage we stay in doesn't take dogs in the summer months :( but oct was good, dark evenings with a nip in the air..........

New Brooches on Etsy

2008-09-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

That was a long break from blogging, it wasn't intentional but eh.......... i'm now back............ i have had summer holidays filled with kid stuff, puppie stuff etc ( I will do a few posts on what we have been upto, in next few days ) ...... but unfortunately my time as been limited for crafting or blogging :(

I have however with the little time i have had, been rather busy with more brooches and a few bags, I have put some brooches on etsy, if you want to take a look hop over to here...........

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=10825

The cupcakes and the cup-a-tea brooches are made from left over Laura Ashley fabric that i had to make my daughters curtains, i love it so much, so so kitsch !!

Also i will be doing a little give away ..............................

This little Blue Birdy Brooch........................

And one of these flower brooches, made from Cath Kidston oilcloth fabric, the winner can choose which colour they prefer !

Just leave a comment on this blog with your contact details, and i will put everyones name into a pretty vintage bowl and choose one at random, on friday the 19th Sept. If you have problems leaving a comment email me your details to - blossomdesign@yahoo.co.uk

Less is more !!

2008-06-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well......... i haven't fallen off the face of the earth, i have just been busy busy busy............bringing up baby........miss matilda, and boy how she has grown, she is so sweet so funny and so naughty !! and very very clever............. she brings a smile to our faces everyday with her antics.

Inbetween looking after pups and children i have been working, not getting has much done as i'd have hoped, but eh thats life ! I will do some later posts on my crafting with pics etc.

I also want to share a fantastic book with you that i got for my birthday, I have been so engrossed in it, it is called The Happy Campers, and yes we are now going to be a family of Happy campers we have bought a tent, a stove, airbeds a fantastic 70's pyrex crockery set (photos to come of that) we are just waiting for a good weather weekend !!

You can purchase said book here-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Campers-Kat-Heyes/dp/0747586667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214586637&sr=8-1

I have also been inspired by this book for a tote bag design, has soon it is finished i will share it with you !! until then xx

Officially introducing.....Miss Matilda Delie Mae......

2008-05-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

Well it has been a while since i have posted but i have been busy as a bee, preparing our home for pupster, organizing my youngest daughters birthday and party, 1o years old..... double figures, and preparing her and her huge amount of luggage for her school trip to Isle of wight, which she went to this monday...........she is due back in one hour and my goodness i cannot wait !! I don't know how mothers cope who's children go to boarding school ??

It is a good job i have had Matilda to help me through this week....... I cannot believe we have had her for two weeks already.................she is a superstar.........................................................

The birthday girl

Brooches..................

2008-04-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't been up to much crafting over the easter holidays, but i have got a brooch bug, i have been making them till they come out of my ears ! It has been quite nice to sit making them whilst i am with the rest of the family and not tucked away upstairs on the sewing machine, i have been a social crafter ! here's a taster of what i have been upto.........................................

And that is just a few ! I will be putting some in my etsy shop and on my website sometime this weekend..................... and i feel a brooch giveaway coming on, details in my next post..................

K x

Etsy update..............

2008-03-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have been busy today updating my etsy shop with my new spring-summer collection................check it out at.....................http://www.blossomdesign.etsy.com/

Tomorrow i will be updating my website...........and Flickr.............................

Snow...rain....hail and sunshine !!!

2008-03-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

What is going on with the weather today ? it has been so odd, i have been waiting to finish taking some more pictures of my goodies to go on the website and in my etsy shop, every time i got ready for a photo shoot it went all dark outside.................i eventually got to finish them later this afternoon...............hurrah ! heres a few samples of what will be hitting the shop this evening/tomorrow....................................

I also got sent some new pictures of our little girl matilda...........isn't she just a cutie !!

Just 4 wks till we get her now, and we are counting down the days !!

Good Friday

2008-03-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am still working on posting on a more regular basis........................................... and failing !!!
I thought for now i would leave you with a few pictures from my new collection ( the light has been terrible this week and i have struggled to take any decent pictures of the bags ) I will hopefully be filling my etsy shop and my website sometime tomorrow, fingers crossed i get a bit of sunshine sometime today so i can take some decent pictures of the rest of my collection.........

Flowery Jack shoulder bag made from linen and vintage fabrics..........................................................

Marigold tote bag made from linen and vintage fabrics.............................................................

have a good............good friday !!

Yay Miss lolita is back !

2008-03-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

You know I am not getting the hang of this blogging regulary, when i started my blog last month i kinda made a promise to myself that i would post on a daily if not every few days basis, but alas life seems to get in the way, i know i can do it, i just have to make sure it is slotted into my routine...............so lets see if i can manage more posts..............................................................

Joy and jubilation...........i have know got miss lolita back, at the camera shop they said it can take up to six weeks ........yes six weeks.......... to get it repaired........at this news i turned into a slighty crazed woman telling the shop assistant that i could not wait six weeks blah blah blah, i need her on a daily basis, they found it very odd that i referred to my camera as an her, bah they don't understand the bond between a girl and her camera !! well thankfully it didn't take six weeks just a week, and all she had was a bent bit in the battery compartment.................which if we hadn't took out extra on the guarantee we would be paying £100- for them to bend back a piece of metal................crazy.......................

I have also been a busy bee getting together a spring summer collection of sorts, which consists of a mixture linens and vintage fabrics, i would show some pics of WIP but i have had no camera to take pics........ expect a post on this in the next few days !

We have found or baby !!

2008-03-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

I go for weeks with no posting , but then do two on the same day, but i forgot to mention in my last post this very exiting piece of news..........................if any of you who read my blog (not sure if that is many ? ) you will have probably read my profile and you will see that at the bottom it says that we want a whippet.............well we have found our little girl, i have been looking for months now and have not had that feeling that i know i get when something is right, i have despaired at times, and wondered if i would ever get that 'this is right feeling'.........................

well last friday night i was searching for whippet puppies on the net(an often daily experience) and i came across our little girl.......................... she was the one i fell in love with instantly amongst her brothers and sisters , everything felt right and i went to bed with a warm fuzzy feeling, the next morning i called the breeder and i got a really positive vibe from her, the pup i described to her was still available ! and was the last bitch left ! the other 3 had already been chosen, everything felt right and yes she is now ours, we just have to wait 7 wks to bring her home, but that gives us plenty of time to get the house puppy proofed, beds and collars and leads bought, and time to make a cosy blanket for her......................this house is rockin with puppy love right now.....................even the surly teenager and the man who had always said "NO you cannot have a dog " how things change !!

I will leave you with some pics taken of..............Matilda Delie Mae...........what a cutie..................

I'm a bad blogger !!

2008-03-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

ok ok i'm a bad blogger, i have had every intention of posting plenty of times but life has just got in the way, it has been a stressful couple of weeks and i have had no crafting time at all................

But i plan to change that over the next few days, so expect some WIP photos posted.

To make things worse my beloved little pentax 'little lolita' has just froze on me today, i don't understand i have always treated her with the greatest of respect, we have always got on so well beautiful photographs have been our main goal together, for the past two years she has barely left my side, so why oh why i cry what have i done ?? well tomorrow morning i shall be taking her to the camera hospital called jessops, i just hope that they treat her with care !!

In the meantime i will leave you with some pictures that i took of my youngest daughter, she has been studying WW2 at school and the other day the whole year group had to dress up as evacuees, well as a rule living in the 21st century we don't have many childrens 1940s clothes hanging around, but i think she looks pretty good with the dress i very proudly pieced together, it was an old dress of my youngest sisters that i took apart and remodelled, till 1am in the morning ! things we do for our offspring !! well a good day was had by my daughter and her friends, they even made mashed potato biscuits and she assured me that they were better than biscuits of now, i have promised her that i will get the recipe so we can make them at home.......................... i will let you know how they are !!

On a cold and frosty morning..............

2008-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Finished Kitchen Bunting !!!
( not a great light though )

What a sight greeted my eyes has i woke up this morning, everywhere was so frosty and glistening, i could not see the view of the fields though as it was very misty, it really was lovely i should have taken pictures to share it with you but i was rushing round getting the family up and off to school, college and work..........

After dropping my youngest off at school i had a lovely walk around the village with a friend, although very cold it was a lovely sight and i could have kicked myself for not having bought my camera with me, and the way the weather is in lovely england i will probably have to wait another year for such a lovely sight..........

Back in the warmth and after a few coffees i set to work on finishing the bunting for my kitchen ( the light was so poor that the pictures haven't turned out so well, i will wait till i get better light then post the images ), i then set about choosing the fabrics i need for a bathroom mat and sink curtain for my bathroom, some vintage and cath kidston ikea fabric i think.........i will take some pics when they are finished............

On saturday i did some vintage shopping, ohhh me, my husband and youngest daughter love it, i have been wanting a new plate set for a while and have been looking around and nothing new as grabbed me, so for a while i have been on the lookout for a vintage set.........and look what i grabbed for £5- and it is in lovely condition.......and i also picked up a small teapot for 50p and a teatowel also 50p.......

I swear dinner is tasting so much nicer off them................all i need now is some vintage bowls.

First ever post........

2008-02-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

Here goes.......... After much persuading by friends and family ( and myself) I have decided to start my own blog, I have been an avid reader of crafty blogs for a few years now.... and well with this blog I hope to share my crafty creations and adventures in life with whoever decides to read this blog.

One thing I just love when reading other peoples blogs are the very lovely pictures, so I will try always to include lots of images.......

Here is one of my latest creations............... All you need is love cushion.......

You can find this at my website - www.blossom-design.co.uk