making everyday beautiful : petals & vessels

Image credits: 1. andrea creates, 2. **mog**, 3. Hermine Virginie Van Dijck, 4. Candy Pop, 5. Bine [was eigenes], 6. athenastudio

Hello, how was your weekend?

Things were calmly productive here. Last month when I started work on re-decorating my studio I was also motivated to start a flat wide purge. Living with a person who doesn't like change means this needs to be done slowly by making decisions one at a time and with good reason. In a way that's great because it means we don't lose something we might regret letting go of later, but sometimes I get frustrated because I love change. Change of routine. Change of surroundings. It always feels refreshing to see or do something in a new way. As the saying goes 'a change is as good as a holiday'. So over the last few weeks we've been slowly making changes and there have been lots of trips to the re-use cabin at one of the city's recycling centres and a few trips to the charity shops. There are still more to come too.

I'm also doing a studio purge as I'd like to free up lots of space in there and aim for a more minimalist feel. Not true minimalist, obviously, but a lot less cluttered or overcrowded than it has been. For a wee while I haven't felt like I've wanted to spend a lot of time in that room because it has felt overwhelming. That's not good is it!? Anyhow, I'm saving up all the lovely bits 'n' bobs from my studio purge and am planning on holding a wee destash sale in a couple of weeks or so. Whenever I get organised really but of course I'll keep you updated.

All of that is completely unrelated to today's favourites from 'making everyday beautiful', but I hope you love them anyway!? I am completely loving the pretty fresh greens and the 'petals & vessels' theme. Oh, but when I have cleared out a few more things from this flat I am planning on adding a few more shelves here and there for more plant space. I've been living without growing fresh herbs for far too long! There you go, we got there in the end... hehe!

Emma, x

shoptalk : European Kids on Etsy @ ByHand, Turin, Italy

So yes, a collection of my ladies have gone off to a fabulous fair in Italy. Actually they're already there and no doubt the stall is being set up as I type this here... eeek! This is my first event outside of the UK and the fair in question is Byhand located in Turin, Italy. I know, so exciting right!? Especially when you see the gorgeous venue, home of the Circolo dei lettori.

"Byhand is a temporary shop that merges fashion, design and art. The event presents unique opportunity for designers, stylists, artists, artisan boutiques, design studios, Italian and international ateliers, to showcase their latest collections and sell them directly to the public. Byhand is a place for people passionate about research, warm atmospheres and hot design. It's a meeting place for people in search of material poetry."


European Kids on Etsy, shops attending ByHand: robedellarobi, emma lamb (that's me!), domatoma, petitacosa, Mouton Cerise, yellOkids & mapano.

In a collaborative effort I'm taking part along with a select group of incredibly talented ladies from the European Kids Team on Etsy. Over the last few weeks seven of us have been plotting & planning and crocheting & stitching as much as we possibly could to have everything ready for today. We're all so excited and filled with anticipation for this three day event. I have to say it feels a wee bit odd not being there to represent my own work, I'm all geared up and excited but with nothing to do! Of course I have complete faith in the lovely Alessandra, from Mapano, who will be hosting the fair for us. No, I'm not jealous in the slightest... okay, maybe just a wee bit!

"Why byhand? It is all about hands which leave unique and inimitable signs. Hands that touch, interact, change. Hands that create objects intended for use, not just consumption.
Self-production | limited editions. In recent years, in a market crowded by industrial giants, self-production has become an informed choice, a way of life, a philosophy. Dotted around there are exemplary cases of design, creativity and craftsmanship which explore alternative avenues in order to create and emerge. Fresh, innovative and alternative this avant-garde contaminates and regenerates contemporary design through poetic processes and a 'slow' approach to work characterised by passion. The results are objects of desire, products not goods, creations rich in non-industrial charm. Garments, accessories, home design, limited editions, one-offs, brands and collections created by designers that work on a small-scale with human values at their core, which results in heartfelt, sophisticated designs."

I have high hopes for this weekend as the ethos behind the ByHand fairs couldn't be more in tune with ours as designer makers. They have four years of experience running these fairs in Turin too, which suggests that the lovely people there hold similar values and appreciate the beauty of handmade.

So exciting! Even writing about it just now has me all jittery with pre-fair nerves! I need a calming cuppa and a wee nip of chocolate...

Emma, x

shoptalk : open for business & accepting custom orders

A quick announcement today to let you know my Etsy shop is open for business again this week and I am currently accepting new custom work. If you have been in touch with me over the last few weeks about a custom project I shall be in touch with you very soon to chat about your ideas.

At the moment though a few of my Forever Flower Garlands are made to order since I had to send a bunch of them off to Italy for a fair this weekend (more about that later, but oh how I wish I could have gone with them!). I created some new colour combinations to replace a few old ones that I've decided to discontinue (change is good!), and they will be popping up soon along with a few pot holders and some blossom garlands once they are photographed. I'm also working on some new cushion covers too but I'm not yet sure when they will be ready.

On another note I've adjusted my shipping prices and am now offering tracking and insurance on most of my products. This also means that shipping will be quicker, within six working days to the USA or Australia sounds pretty fabulous to me! For more details, as well as other updates, you can check my shop announcement on my homepage.

Oh and while I'm nattering on about Etsy, it was such a treat to have my crochet flower garlands featured on their blog yesterday. They were included in a lovely 'Modern Folk' wedding round-up curated by Charlie Burton from The Natural Wedding Company. Thank you Charlie, you absolutely made my day!

Emma, x

making everyday beautiful : fairytales & flowers

Hello, hello! How are you all!? I hope you are all well and enjoying the arrival of May? It seems to have brought some lovely sunshine at long last, phew!

I am only just back to work today after taking some time out to re-decorate my studio (working on finishing touches and a destash pile as we speak) and a wee trip to the Lake District. I so needed a holiday after the decorating! This week is going to be a full and busy one again as I have much to show and tell, many emails to write, a couple of interviews to finish up and lots of shop things to organise too. I purposely haven't written the usual to-do list since I think it's epic potential might just scare the pants off me! So one thing at a time and I'll work my way through it all. Totally excited though, it feels good to be back at work with a head full of thoughts of making and creating. Should be lots of fun!

To kick off, here are my favourites from 'making everyday beautiful'... it has been wonderful to catch up with all your gorgeous creativity from the last few weeks, you guys are an inspiration!

Image credits: 1. little a designs, 2. Candy Pop, 3. itchistitchin, 4. nanaCompany, 5. HeartHandmadeUK, 6. peonyandthistle, 7. Cottage45

Happy Monday everyone!

Emma, x

studio details : a temporary relocation, while I redecorate

Hello! I am here today, in my wee studio, only it doesn't look quite like this at the moment. Today it's not so much of a tidy and creative workspace, nor is it as colourful and pretty as it was one week ago. There aren't neatly organised piles of tins filled with colourful buttons, freshly crocheted flowers or piles of pretty yarn waiting to be crocheted into said flowers. But it is a hive of activity, just not crocheting activity...

Instead of tins filled with pretty things there are tins full of delicious new paint in brilliant white and pebble grey. Wall paint, gloss paint, floor paint and even tins of paint stripper! Since Friday I've relocated half my studio to various places around our tiny flat (it feels like we're living in cluttered chaos at the moment so I am eager to get this job done as quickly as possible and get back to normal soon!); painted half my studio brilliant white and yes that is my desk, upside-down in the middle of the room! Today I have stripped umpteen layers of varnish off it and just now I am having a wee breather before I wash it down and tidy up that icky mess. I'm also checking through the to-do list, so much still to go...

+ Collect gorgeous brass castors and fit them to my desk.
+ Paint desk a delicious glossy white, but leave the top in beautiful bare wood.
+ Shimmy all of the furniture left in there to the already painted wall.
+ Paint the other half of my studio in the same gorgeous brilliant white.
+ Oh and the ceiling, mustn't forget the ceiling! (May have to sweet talk my man for this one, I'm so wobbly on a ladder if I haven't got a reassuring wall within arms reach, gulp!).
+ Paint my shelves and Bertha in the same delicious glossy white as my desk.
+ Scrub the floorboards super clean, ugh!
+ Paint newly cleaned floorboards in a delicious pebble grey.
+ Wait for floor to dry thoroughly (I know I am going to be so impatient here!).
+ Move all my crap lovely stuff back in there (minus the crap!).

But I think once I've tidied up today I shall brew myself a fresh pot of tea and sit myself down at my temporary work station (the top of a wee trunk in our living room) for a wee spot of colourful creativity to end the working day.

Emma, x