Gift Guide - Karen Walk Design

After my recent hiatus I'm back with another Gift Guide post. My profuse apologies for the delay in getting this up here.

Karen Walk is from Bristol, a former Graphic Designer and now owner of Karen Walk Design.

Karen recently sent me one of her personalised hanging bird decorations and I absolutely fell in love with it. It's a gorgeous pink and white polka dot fabric, in a kitsch litle bird shape, stuffed and hand stitched with a gorgeous lace motif with my name on it and can be hung on it's cream satin ribbon. The stitching is so neat and it's just a really lovely decorative item, currently hanging on one of my cabinets in pride of place. People visiting always admire it, and ask where they can get one!

This is just one of the many prodcuts that Karen has available via her Etsy shop, here are some of my favourites;

Personalised hand made fabric covered mini notebooks (would make perfect wedding favours)
In your choice of fabric - £3.50

 

 

Baby bunting personalised card or invitation (contact Karen to get yours tailored for your event!)

£5.00

 

 

Baby personalised heart ornament

£9.00

(a gorgeous gift for a new mum, or even a birthday gift for a child already with us)

 

All of Karen's items would make fantastic gifts, or treats for yourself and your home. I really can't urge you enough to check out her shop here. I would also point out that if you have an idea of what you would like that you can't see in the shop, get in touch with Karen and see if there is something she can do for you!

 

Snowdon - Handprinted Paper and Textile Goods by Alexandra Snowdon

It's that time of year again where your funds have recovered from Christmas, the spring clean and redecoration is in full swing, Mother's day is just around the corner and it feels like every day is someone's birthday. This will be the first in a series of many product reviews. I have scoured the internet for great products, that are quirky, handmade and affordable that would make the perfect gift for your loved ones, or more than likely, yourself!

 

 

 

Alexandra Snowdon from the countryside surrounding Manchester is a designer, illustrator and print maker with a range of beautiful prints, cards, bags and accessories for your home all for sale across her two Etsy shops Snowdon (for the bags, cards and accessories) and Snowdon Prints for the fine art prints that she does by hand.

 

 

 

When I contacted Alex to tak about being featured here she kindly offered to send me the print of my choice and I knew straightaway that I desperately wanted the New Experiences Hot Air Balloon Print. She popped it in the post to me and within 24 hours it's now hanging on my wall!

 

 

As soon as I saw this when I walked in the door I knew I was in for a treat!

 

 

 

(Now I want that Washi tape too Alex!)

 

 

The print arrived in a hard backed strong board envelope which was ideal for two reasons - absolutely no marks or creases, and also, no having to fiddle with a poster tube and ripping or marking the edge of the print. Poster tubes are a pet hate of mine! Then once out of the envelope the print was safely covered in a polylope type plastic envelope as well.

 

As soon as it was unwrapped I laid it out and just admired it for a good few seconds! The detail is absolutely fantastic, and so sharp. It's the perfect size for the image, not too big that you can't hang it anywhere and not so small that you can't read the text from across a room. The paper quality is fantastic and the finish superb.

 

 

I already had the perfect frame for it, a white plain wooden frame from IKEA - I'm so pleased, because I couldn't wait to put in up!

 

 

Apologies, my photography skills aren't the best and it's hanging right opposite my window. Please be assured, I am very picky when it comes to art - and I love this print.

 

These are a few of my favourite's from Alex's shop:

 

 

 

 

There are many more prints in a whole range of designs on Fine art prints by Snowdon, and as a special offer just for you lovely lot, Alex has kindly offered a 15% discount on any print purchase, just by entering the code 'MINDPURGE' at the checkout.

 

Thank you so much for my beautiful new print Alex and I hope many more of you pick one up too!

Weekend

Weekend so far has consisted of:

 

 

 

Obsessing over my latest 100drine boxes. I now have 7

 

 

and shoo-ing Charlie cat away from my newly tied craft cupboard and brand new footstool

(£30 from TK Maxx, god I love it!)

 

You?

 

 

Oh Deer!

Oh the dangers of seeing something cute, pug related and pricey on the day your new credit card arrives!

I recently picked up this Oh Deer Pug and Poodle Cushion from Urban Outfitters (you can see more here) I've admired this cushion for ages and chanced upon it the other day, I couldn't resist!

It arrived yesterday and I am so chuffed with it, it's a lovely soft suede type fabric, tan coloured on the back and with the gorgeous print on the front. It's very good quality and a really good size.

I managed to get the last one - it's fate! but they have other designs from the same brand Oh Deer! and I'm sure it'll be back in stock soon. Pricey at £40 but worth it in my eyes!

Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi?

If you're anything like me, your bed is your world. I own more bedding than clothes and I'm so easily tempted for more, even though I have literally nowhere to store anymore! Maybe I need a second bed...

This is what's tempting me at the moment;

Pansy Print - H&M (H&M bedding in my experience is really reasonably priced, and a nice quality)
with matching curtains.. bliss!

Tree print by Ben de Lisi at Debenhams (gender neutral to appease the other half!)

Butterfly Home by Matthew Williamson at Debenhams - The dull grey is so pretty. You could pick out one colour of the butterflies to match to a pillowcase/sheet/curtains/rug - anything!

Grey and Black Pinstripe (reversible) by Next at Home - Another gender neutral one, I think this would love amazing in a Scandinavian style room, with bare wood and lots of natural light. Nautical, without being novelty.

Pinterest Inspired Door Wreath

If you're anything like me you're something of a Pinterest addict. One of the things I see all the time and lust after is the beautiful seasonal wreaths.. who knew you could have a wreath without it being Christmas!

 

So I decided to give one a go for my bedrooms door.

 

 

I started with a polystrene 25cm wreath base (I think it was about £4 from hobbycraft) and a leftover ball of knitting yarn, I covered the wreath in double sided tape and set about wrapping the yarn over the base..

 

 

..I should add that it took about 3 hours to cover the wreath.. there must be a quicker way (answers on a postcard please!)

 

 

Once it was covered I got my glue gun out and plonked on some colourful paper straws (about £3 on ebay) in random places and at random lengths.

 

 

 

 

Once that was done I got some contrasting wool and covered a wooden letter J in exactly the same way.

 

 

 

I then glued the letter onto the straws/wreath and added a little felted Mickey Mouse I had made with last months Crafty Creatives kit!

 

 

 

And voila! It's a bit mental but I love it..

Has Pinterest inspired you to be crafty recently?



 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Clean - Tidy house tidy mind

I like to think of myself as a fairly tidy person.. but if you were to ask one of my past boyfriends, friends or family they probably wouldn't agree with me. I'm trying to become more organised and clutter free, as well as speed up my daily routine and thought I would share a few handy tips.
Spring is nearly upon us and I bet if you're honest with yourself, your abode, like mine, could do with a spruce!

1) Preparation is key
Make sure you're fed, watered and rested before you start. Get bin bags for rubbish, carrier bags for items to be donated, dusters and polish, febreeze for fabrics, windowlene for mirrors and glass, and of course your hoover! This will allow you to get into a rhythm without interruptions. I find it best to clean on a sunday evening when you know you have no plans.

2) Stop yourself from getting distracted.
I don't know about you but when I'm tiding I tend to find something I forgot I had and try it on or sit and play with it and before I know it an hour's past and I've got nowhere. To stop myself getting distracted I always set myself a time limit, so say tidy for an hour, relax for 15 minutes etc. I tend to put on something in the background too - some good workout music or a film (preferably one you've seen before that you don't need to concentrate on!)

3) Work in a logical order
I always tidy my bedroom in the same order - flip my mattress, change my bedding, put all my clothes onto my bed to be hung up or out to be washed, hoover, clear surfaces, dust. voila!
Work in a way so you can finish one area and move on to the next without dirtying an area you've just done!

4) One in One out
The golden rule in my house. If you buy a new dress - pick one you haven't worn for ages, one that doesn't really fit etc and get rid! If it's wearable give it to a friend or a charity shop, if not use the fabric and buttons for crafts. This rule does not only apply to clothes. Think the same for jewellery, bedding, make-up, ornaments, pictures.... I can't stress enough how much this will help you to declutter and stay decluttered. I think this works better than that 'if you've not worn it in 3 months' with that I always tend to throw away my winter wardrobe every summer and vice versa!

5) 10 minutes a day keeps the grime squad at bay
When you've finished your big clean, think about how long it took you, how tiring it was and how good everything looks now. Use it to remind yourself. It's so much easier to spend a quick 10 minutes in the morning or just before bedtime, giving the place a quick once over than it is to allocate a whole day to cleaning.

I really do believe that if you live in a tidy environment you will be a healthier, calmer, happier more organised person! I know I sleep better when my bedroom is neat and that has a massive impact on every other area of my life. So there's nothing to lose, get tidying! Do you have any tidy tips?

Before...

 

After!

 

What have you been upto?

Firstly, I'm sorry for neglecting you. Life is a mile a minute at the moment, but it's Saturday afternoon, I'm nice and cosy,  I've just had a Strawberry lemonade and a Yum Yum. 

I've got a cup of tea and I'm sat in front of The Good Sheperd (amazing film) so I'm ready :)

 

My mum's 53rd birthday is this coming Monday, but we as ever do things a little differently in our house, so yesterday when my sister got home from Uni it was cake and presents day. My mums cake is HUGE, it's a victoria sponge (with the most amazing plum jam) it's covered in green fondant icing and the top is then decorated to look like her allotment. It was supposed to have a shed but we just ran out of time - it took 3 days! She loved it though and that's the main thing :)

 

 

 

 

 

As for presents she got a really good haul! I got her 2 pairs of earrings (silver swallows, and orange gems) a goat's cheese making kit, a masons traditonal mixing bowl (hers broke a few months back) Paul Hollyood's 'How to Bake' a zebra print scarf, 2 gorgeous smelling soaps, and Paulie on DVD. My oldest sister brought her two trees for her (real!) allotment, a Mandarin and a Lime Tree. My other sister got her a nail varnish, notepad, chocolates, sugar mice and phone cover.

Tomorrow my nan is coming over for lunch - Roast Rib of Beef with all the trimmings and Cherry Pie.

 

In amongst the present wrapping I have found time for a little cross-stitch, something I haven't done for a while, and I'm really pleased with the results!

 

 

Before!

 

 

After!

 

In case you hadn't guessed it's Dorothy and Toto from the Wizard of Oz. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but just pleased to have finished!

 

Now that mum's birthday is out of the way Christmas has officially started in our house, the tree and decorations are all up and any leftovers were taken to work to decorate our office, we're getting a tree on Monday so the best is yet to come!

 

 

Most cluttered desk in all the land!

 

 

When I get home from work I've been obsessing over No Angels - it's a brilliant comedy drama set in a hospital that was on Channel 4 back in 2004, and the first series has now been added to 4OD. The soundtrack is so good I had to buy the CD, lots of Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin.

 

 

Now if I'm not making a cake, decorating something, sewing or watching No Angels, the chances are I'm probably shopping - here are my favourite purchases so far this month

 

Glass Dish - £2.49 - Vintage fair

 

 

 

Teacup and Saucer - £3.50 - Vintage Fair

 

 

Hair Clip, Collar Necklace and Heart Earrings - New Look - £10.45 (3 for 2!)

 

 

And my secret santa present for work - A gorgeous green scarf, a can of gin and tonic, a lindt chocolate bear and an aero christmas tree. Not bad for a fiver! I tried to make it look a bit more interesting too with ribbons and Crafy Creatives jingle bells!

 

 

 

And if I'm not doing any of that I'm continuing my Pinterest addiction and day-dreaming over pictures like this

 

 

What have you been upto?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My humble (and cluttered) abode

I am often asked about my bedroom, from family who are refused entry, friends who wonder where I put everything and strangers who read my blog and want to see more. So i've put together a tour of the beautiful place I call home.

Even before you've entered my bedroom there is a taste of things to come (colours, patterns and lots of the letter J!)

The first item of furniture you're likely to bang into is the chest of drawers that triples up as my dressing table and bedside table all in one. This is where I keep my many many nail polishes, latest sewing/knitting project and inevitably a cup of tea.

 

(Art pictured is a Gee Vaucher - Liberty, Moths by John Dilnot and a reflection of a Kosyndan - Great Wave. The teacup on the mirror is a thank you card from Hazel Nicholls when I brought her 'It's nice to be nice' print)

 

Next is where the magic happens (or not!) I sacrificed my double bed for a single in favour of more space and it was so worth it, I always end up feeling a bit lost in a double bed and I find it so much easier to seek out nice single bedding than double!

 

 

(Art pictured is 3 Disneyland Paris postcards, an IKEA 3m by 2m world map, a Ben Eine J commissioned by my mum for my 18th birthday. Butterflies by Pip Cooke (my half-sisters grandfather) Hazel Nicholls 'It's nice to be nice' and a Josh Keyes that I can't remember the name of!)

 

 

The dream-catchers I made myself with DMC thread and old bangles, after my beloved feather and suede one was devoured by my cat Charlie..

 

At the foot of my bed is a 1950's wooden end table, it was originally cream all over with a turqouise background to the decorative door and drawer covers - I in my infinite wisdom decided to paint the whole thing in white gloss and have regretted it ever since!

 

 

 

 

(Art pictured - Josh Keyes, he has ownership of this side of the room, too many prints to mention)

This is the home of my watches, sunglasses and rings and inside the cupboard is...

 

 

really boring! Snacks and games that I take with me when I travel, up top and my electrical hair contraptions beneath.

 

Moving sideways is wardrobe territory, but with a lack of wall space even the wardrobe isn't safe (If it's flat I'll nail a picture to it)

 

 

(Art pictured - L to R - Josh Keyes x 5, Adam Crosland 'a thin pigeon' signed Peter Kay and Jenson Button photographs, 'Buy more shit or we're all fucked' by Modern Toss, signed Nick Moran photograph and a collection of Victorian mounted butterflies left to my by my grandad Max.)

 

 

There are of course more J's and also more of my gorgeous hand painted glass bird doorknobs from Hunter Gatherer

 

 

Inside my wardrobe the clutter, colours and patterns continue.. Lots of beautiful dresses I've never worn and dodgy coats I probably shouldn't

 

 

My shoes (my babies) are all in their own see-through shoeboxes so I can quickly grab the pair I want. I can't bear not being able to find one shoe! My handbags on the other hand are a little less organised...

 

 

Moving away from the clutter is what is affectionately known in my house as crafty corner.. It's where my baby sewing machine lives and where most of my craft projects begin or end their lives. The trunk is the wooden toybox I had as a child (another white gloss victim I'm afraid) with an old chest of drawers top so if I cover it in paint or drill a hole in it the box will be protected. All of my sewing and knitting stuff is housed here, but it's just too messy to show you!

 

 

(Art pictured - Map wrapping paper that I framed, Rob Ryan laser cut, 'Little Girl Scream' I can't read the artists signature but it came from Tiny Showcase, Modern Toss postcard and Ma Boite d'Afrique by 100drine)

 

Crafty corner extends into reading corner..

 

 

Which in turn migrates into my favourite collection, my DVD's. Anything worth watching is on these shelves.. this does not include Pulp Fiction, Titanic, From Dusk till Dawn or Die Hard because they are rubbish!

 

 

 

(Art pictured - Kozyndan bunny blossom, Rob Ryan ceramic tile, vintage Kohler tin advertisement and Alice canvas from Disneyland Paris)

 

This is also home to my newest collection, lucite and crystal table lighters, I paid a small fortune for these but they're so pretty and are good at holding their value (I hope!)

 

(Pearl in an baby oyster shell)

 

 

(Cut Crystal)

 

 

(Seahorse)

 

DVDs are slowly taking over my room, but I'm okay with it

 

 

Of course I need somewhere to watch the DVD's as well, and a Sky Box to enjoy my beloved Good Food and Sky Sports

 

 

(Art pictured - Kozyndan - 'The Fall' Rob Ryan ceramic tile, Nun postcard and 'Pigeon Fancy' brought in Frank in Whitstable, again I can't read the artists signature!)

 

The only thing left is a narrow wicker chest of drawers (a third white gloss victim) that is home to the last of my jewellery and all my work papers

 

The queen postage stamp I stitched myself and the earring holder is an old canvas I glued ribbon to!

 

This unfortunately brings us back to the door and the end of my bedroom. I only have two pieces of furniture that seem to roam about and they are my IKEA white leather egg chair and the last white gloss victim! a small wooden stall, they tend to follow me where-ever I go (because I'm lazy!)

 

 

Enjoy.