Feeling inspired today, I remembered these beautiful Jamaican chutney wedding favors my friend Becki and I made for her wedding. Her husband is Jamaican and being a fantastic cook she wanted to do something foodie. The jars are mini baby food jars collected originally for tea light holders but perfect for these. We sprayed the tops gold and I made these sweet little tags using a selection of Jamaican stamps with a small love bird stamp printed in gold before. We tied them on with velvet ribbon....pretty and delicious!

I'm completely in love with my new rocking chair, it's such a god send for sending the baby to sleep! I've wanted one for ages and found this lovely one on Ebay for £40, the seller was also just around the corner and even better managed to squeeze it into the back of my polo. I love the shape but not so much the yellow brown varnish finish with dark green paint splatters! So in the trusty shelter of my shed I spent a rainy sunny priming and painting every nook and cranny and am very pleased with the outcome!

From this....to this! x

 So after being consumed with work, i've just started on the next craft show for Channel 4, I finally put aside a weekend to begin making the Harriet's wedding favours. I was so excited about the proposal I enthuastically promised to make all the favours, all 120! I've just reached 100 but it's taken me a while!

A bit cliche I know but went for strawberry bon bons and silver chocolate hearts. The H and J (Harriet and Jeremy) monogram I designed on photoshop and had the stamp made on soft wood  instead of rubber as I love the effect the grain has. I also purchased some lovely grainy cardboard so that the stamp took on a really aged quality. The stamps I punched out with a scalloped edged circular punch and glued on with the navy and white striped ribbon (colours of her wedding) from my favourite ribbon supplier crafty ribbons. I'm really pleased with them, let's just hope she likes them now!

I got the stamp made as both positive and negative as am idea for boys and girls!

After all the lovely sunny weather last week i panicked when i saw the clouds overhead on Saturday as the preparations were well on the way for hosting my friend Becca's hen party in the garden. A fine menu had been prepared including not one but two desserts, homemade blueberry cheesecake and a delicious Eton mess, meringues of course homemade too. 

I started to hang the handmade paper chains (using gorgeous indian paper in golds and blues) with caution on the Sunday morning but lo and behold the sun began to shine and so did the start to a beautiful day!

An old potato crate decorated with fabric doilies on a couple of chimney pots made for a great drinks tray including G and Ts, pink fizz and who would have thought it babysham?!...so retro!

As the evening drew in the crochet blankets came out and the tea lights and lanterns came on giving a gorgeous glow...the drinks continued as did the feasting. Will have to think of an excuse to do this again!

Last Saturday my kitchen turned into a hive of industry as Becki and I finally set about making her handmade vintage wedding invitations. She had already decided to include vintage postcards of Devon with the invitations and had been lucky enough to come accross a few of the actual venue 'The Guildhall in Exeter'.

The actual invites are hand stamped on recylced brown card postcards, ordered on ebay, along some recylced envelopes and gold stickers to seal. The stamps are made from a soft wood instead of rubber to get this lovely grainy effect between the text (you can send off for these, or contact to have them made).

Finally both postcards are tied together with a gold embroidery thread and mother of pearl and gold buttons, both also from Ebay. 

Last week I went to visit my Nanan up North in a little town called Retford, well I had to take a sneaky peaky to see what the charity shops had to offer. Well I tell you those Northeners know how to crochet, I was spoilt for choice! I bought this lovely crochet squares throw for £2!

I love breakfast and this morning Sayer and I were lucky enough to be joined by my friend Tara visiting from Devon who treated us to some fresh oaty soda bread she had picked up from a wonderful bakery in Exeter called the Exploding bakery. It was delicious warmed up in the oven with  jam, butter and hot tea, I highly recommend it!

Valentines day... the perfect opportunity to make some handmade cards so I got the stamps out. I recently purchased a new circle paper punch to make these cute little scallop edged circles, I always use old envelopes and junk mail as a patterned and brown paper source, a good little bit of recylcing and goes easy on the pocket. The stamps i've collected over time but you can find lots of good ones on ebay.