Everyday Inspiration: USA Rugby Shirt

I bought this top for my boyfriend as a present for passing his driving test first time and thought it would be perfect inspiration for another everyday inspiration blog :)

The top is from the USA rugby team and is their 3rd kit.

I'm sure you're inspired already just by looking at it, but here's some picks to help you out!

iloveyou  /  Bella and the Moo

 One Fairfax Road  /  The Bakers Daughter

Curious Miss Clay  /  Button Upp

Dolly Knits  /  Gertie & Mabel

Morning Sky Jewelry  /  Leah's Little Bowtique

Hope you've been inspired and maybe even a little patriotic! ;)

Until next time!

x x

Winter Warmers: Scarves

It's getting colder now, so let's wrap up with a scarf!

There are lots to choose from, both high street and handmade, so let's look at the different types and which would will suit you.

Yiskah Knits 

Snood

Ah, the snood. So practical, so warm and so many variations!

They come in lots of styles; knitted, lightweight, even patterned. They're great if you don't have time to faff around with a scarf, as you just pull it over and ta-da! Bright colours work really well.

You can even use a dress/top with a gathered collar (like my orange dress in the Colour Crush section) to make a fake-snood if you find them too thick. You cannot deny how warm you'll be though!

Dreaming Days  

Infinity Scarves

If a snood is just too short and you'd like to change things up, an infinity scarf might do the trick.

The same shape as a snood just a bit longer, an infinity scarf can be changed into a number of different ways, so you can keep the same scarf, just change up the way you wear it.

Like the snood, it hasn't got any dangling ends like a normal scarf, so looks great even with a cardigan and jeans. No coat required!

SLC-SLC

Lightweight Scarves

Although it is getting colder and you want to wrap up warm, you might not like the chunkiness that a knitted scarf has to offer and might want something more lightweight.

There are a lot of really cute, printed scarves out there that aren't too heavy on the neck and don't gather up too tight.

They also work for more formal, dress up occasions where you want to keep warm and stay elegant. 

ArzuMusaKnitting

Scarves With Pockets

Walking along and you're hands are cold? Put them in your scarf! These sweet scarves are also great for storing items such as tissues on the go.

You can get really adorable animal themed pocket scarves and ones made in various materials to suit your needs.

Some even have toggles/buttons so you won't lose whatever is in your scarf pocket. How clever!

Glitterwitchknits

Chunky Knit Scarves
If you don't really need a fancy scarf and just want one that keeps you warm, you can wrap around and you don't mind the dangling ends, then a knitted scarf is for you.

They come in lots of different styles, such as the chunky cable knit or in lovely warm materials such as wool.

There are lots a variations of length, thickness and if they have fringing or not, so take a look around :)

And there we have it, hope you find the scarf for you!

x x

Colour Crush: Orange & Grey

My favourite colour scheme at the moment has to be orange and grey. 

As its gone colder, i've started wearing a warmer coat, so I usually combine it with a long knitted top as shown below. 

Grey Coat is from Select 

Knitted Orange Top is from Peacocks

So here are some items to inspire you too :)

PebbleandBee  -  Yolanta Prints

Little Joobie Boo  -  AgisyAndIrisCorner

Court & Spark  -  Rainbow Daisy

Onstail  -  Case Closed UK

Streets of Beige  -  The Designers Nursery

Thanks to the featured makers as always and enjoy!

x x

Stocking Fillers: Rubber Stamp Sets

Yep, that time of year is almost here (I know, I know, but a lot of people have stuff out already, promise!)

Little gifts are sometimes the hardest to buy; you've got the big gift and want to add to it, but what!? 

Here we'll look at rubber stamp sets; cute little collections of stamps that are great for lots of crafty projects (and they're fun!)

These sweet little Floral and Fauna stamps are from Urban Outfitters and feature designs that are bang on with the woodland trend.

These come in a compact tin with a black ink pad, so you don't have to purchase one separately.

The site also has other designs such as a vintage set with a typewriter, phone and camera. They also do letters and number sets too. 

I've actually seen these on Etsy too, so search around!

Boots also has this really cute set of rubber stamps, as seen in their Christmas catalogue I picked up last week.

These go down the more handmade/handcrafted line and are really great to show off you've made something by hand.

This set also comes with its own tin and ink pad. Super handy!

If you're looking for something more handmade and unique, pop over to Skull and Cross Buns, who specialise in rubber stamps.

They have a wide selection of stamps for many occasions, including Christmas, and stock ink pads in a variety of colours.

All the stamps are hand carved (wow!) so you won't get anything like it elsewhere. 

There are a lot of different stamps and ink colours so have a look around and find ones that will make great presents (or even treat yourself!)

x x

Spotlight On: Woodland Creatures

Now autumn is in full swing, woodland creatures are being featured in designs for clothes, stationery and jewellery, just to name a few.

Here we'll help keep you up to date on which creatures are leading the woodland trend.

To give a better variety, i've mixed both high street and handmade, as both offer very different options.

Bag from debenhams  -  Mask by Lupin Handmade

Owls

Owls are arguably the most popular woodland animals at the moment; you're bound to see them online and in most high streets in some form or another.

Ranging from cartoon to realistic, there are hundreds of different ways to incorporate owls into your work. There are many aspects to focus on; the feathers, the huge eyes and the wide range of owl species.

The great thing about owls, is that you are just restricted to browns and greys. Lots of owl designs include pink, blue, yellow and red to spice them up.

Of course, due to the popularity of the owl motif, it's already been done before, so avoid owls if you want to stand out a bit!

Jumper from John Lewis  -  Necklace by Celtic Shore

Squirrels

Cute, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, squirrels practically scream woodland and autumn (not literally, that would be creepy)

They're not as easy a shape to work with as owls, but they aren't as overused and really bring a sense of autumn, especially if a couple of acorns/nuts are included in the design.

You can always experiment with bright colours, but greys, golds and browns, as shown above, work really well.

T-shirt from ASOS  -  Cushion by Rustic Country Crafts

Stags/Deer

Antlers or no antlers, stag/deer really invoke the forest look and unlike other animals, don't need bright or even autumnal colours to look good.

The silhouette is very powerful compared to owls and squirrels and if you decide on a stag design, the antlers are very eye catching and can add some much more detail.

If you're not too confident on designing the body, some designs only focus on the head and the antlers, as they're considerd the stand out part of the animal (as horrible as that sounds)

Orla Kiely Bag from ModCloth  -  Card by Little Paper Gallery

Foxes

The bright orange coat, the white tip of the tail and those adorable ears make foxes are popular choice for the woodland trend.

It offers some of the brightest natural colour combinations and no one can resist it's cheeky charms can they!?

The fox isn't as "awww!" as say the squirrel for example, but it can be used in a more modern way, without going over the top in the cuteness department. Heck, you can go the other way and make them sexy!

Beanie from Dorothy Perkins  -  Brooches by Elizabeth Pawle Illustration

Other Animals

As well as the ones listed above, there are many other animals that can be considered for woodland designs.

Badgers, hedgehogs, rabbits, hares, raccoons and skunks can also work in wonderful ways. Definitely do some research to see what other animals you can incorporate in your designs. 

Well, there you have it! Hope this has been of some help and look forward to seeing what you can come up with this autumn ;)

x x

Treasury Time: Kites

I hadn't made an Etsy treasury in a while, and with the new Sainsburys advert stuck in my head, I chose a kite theme.

For those who don't know, it's inspired by the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins :) It's currently being used in an advert for supermarket Sainsburys.

If you'd like to see where the items are from or a better look at the treasury, you can see it here.

Enjoy!

x x

Gimme That Fabric! Christmas Edition

Ello everyone, it's been a while since our last post but with the Olympics over, it's time to get back on track :)

Gimme That Fabric! is a feature that revolves around a particular theme and showcases a range of fabrics that can be used for it. I love fabric so this is going to be fun!

There are lots of options for Christmas fabric so i've decided to take a look at some of them.

All fabrics are available from my favourite fabric site, Fabric Rehab.

Winter Themes
Christmas fabrics don't have to be obvious - winter fabrics often include symbols that link to Christmas without being too over the top.

The lovely Vintage Dots in Cornflower Blue above is especially sweet and reminds me of falling snow, without being obvious.

Scandinavian Boldness
If you want to go bright, a Scandinavian inspired fabric might do the trick. Using clean, bold shapes, these patterns are sure to stand out.

If you're not a fan of rigid patterns, you can always go for something looser, such as the colourful Nordic Holiday on the right.

A Vintage Feel

Sometimes traditional is best. These old school fabrics are perfect for projects that don't require flashy and fancy fabrics. 

To me these fabrics are reminiscent of wrapping paper (especially the Vintage Baubles) so would make great fabric wrap too!

Fun For Everyone

There are probably hundreds of fun fabrics out there that would suit many Christmas projects, for both young and old.

What's great is not all of them use the traditional red and green and mix it up with other colours and patterns, as shown in the Jingle! Presents in green. I love a bit of blue at Christmas ;)

Other Great Choices...

This is only a small portion of the Christmas fabrics available to you and there are probably some i've not seen yet on sites such as Etsy and ebay.

I hope you've been inspired in some way and hope your Christmas projects go well! :)

x x