bee handmade

weekend pleasures

• Strictly Come Dancing. I LOVE it. I'm full of admiration for them but unfortunately I have zero rhythm and a bit of a phobia of the dancefloor. I can't believe we've almost reached the end of this series. Saturday evenings won't be the same. If wishes were real I'd ask my fairy godmother to enable me to do this. Oh, to dance the Argentine Tango with Vincent!

• Cooking and baking. Today I'm going to make some of Nigella's spanish macaroons. I'll let you know how they turn out.

• Completing jobs. I finally finished one of the kitchen chairs before being rained off again. I'm really pleased with it. It looks much fresher.

• Appreciating being at home and seeing a little bit of sunshine. These are roses given to me by a friend. They lasted for ages and dried well.

• Reading magazines. The latest Easy Living magazine has a great supplement on stylish one off shops such as RE, Made in Hastings and Berry Red. Lots of fabulous Christmas gift ideas. RE is one of my all time favourite shops. It's so beautiful and full of things you suddenly feel you can't live without. I'm really lucky that I can visit when I go back to the homeland. I feel a bit excitable just looking at the picture.

• Looking at Christmassy inspiration to try to get into the December spirit such as this amazing advent calendar, An Angel at my Table's snowy white decor and Linaloo's beautiful advent calendar.

make lounge

I spent a really enjoyable evening at The Make Lounge this week. I attended the zipper clinic and it was good fun, friendly and informative. I'd recommend going to one of their classes if you live or work near London.

I learned some useful techniques and also made this.

 

As I haven't had any formal sewing instruction since school it's good to learn the correct way to do things.

I've also been doing a little bit of crochet inspired by knitalatte. I just sort of made the pattern up as I went along. It has encouraged me to do fine lace, although I slightly hesitant to start yet another project as I haven't yet finished this or this blanket.

 

I have a much appreciated day off today so have done a little bit of gardening and now need to do something with these.

le weekend

Went to see 'Coco Before Chanel'. It was beautiful to look at. I want to be chic!

Two more corsages - more Autumnal in colour. Until today, which is hot and sunny, it has seemed as if Autumn is lurking round the corner, waiting to pounce.

A rhubarb and custard one

A cranberry one

I'm listening to the Amelia soundtrack as I type. The music always reminds me of the sequence at the beginning of the film - a reminder to appreciate the small things in life. I really try to do that every day, to savour the simple things. A glimpse of one of my favourite colours, a really nice cup of coffee, a new recipe which turns out well, laughing, coming home at the end of the day ... I'm a bit of a crockery hoarder and a staunch advocate of the concept that tea tastes better when drunk out of a nice cup. This is a small selection of my crockery. A ceramic and china installation! Mmm I wonder what my favourite colours might be.

Another instant pick-me-up is looking at our selection of framed lomo pictures. Happy mood board.

 

One final weekend diary item. We introduced cocktail hour. Yesterday was a dry martini, today a bellini.

Au revoir

tearsheets

Lobster and Swan has a fab way of making sense of her tearsheets.  I hope she doesn't mind me following suit. I've been tearing bits and pieces that appeal to me from magazines for years.  They are all kept in a jumbled stack in a large wicker box. They will be much easier to browse through online. Some are just colour references, some styles I like, some specific pieces of furniture, lots are storage (an obsession of mine). Just anything that grabs my interest or that I'd like to remember for future reference when I've won the lottery! Unfortunately I haven't kept a record of where they are all from but most are Country Living, Easy Living or Red Magazine.

Here are the kitchen ones.  I'll put some others up soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm now going to step away from the computer. I get grumpy when I've been on it too long. I get into searching, browzing frenzies.