Monday 19 December 2016

Christmas

Hello all, hope to find you all well, its that wonderful time of year again, my favourite in fact, the children have broken up from school and college so a lazy week is planned with a few visits planned
I usually go for a red and white theme and this
year is no different

Our kitchen is looking all pretty too






Its been a busy year for me and my little business, i decided to reopen my website and mainly sell from there in future, i will still sell on Etsy but i want to focus on my website really in 2017 and i am thinking about doing a few fairs i have maybe left it a bit late to book as these events soon fill up but if i can start with a couple that would be great, here are a few things i have been making leading up to Christmas





Christmas day will be spent at home with an early start opening presents and then a lazy day after lunch drinking, eating and watching tele and Boxing day will be spent at my brothers so much to look forward too.
I have been making these gorgeous patchwork quilts, i am getting better at them and finding them less of a challenge these days



Patchwork and crochet hangers are also very popular



Well thank you for popping by and for your lovely comments , i do appreciate it 
if you fancy popping by my website here is the link
Much love Francine xxxx

Tuesday 20 September 2016

My little world

Hello my lovely bloggy friends, hope you are all well , time is whizzing past as always and Autumn is certainly in the air ,i do love this time of year , the cosy nights in by the fire , candlelight and lots of warm comfort food like stews, pies and dumplings and lots of snuggly blankets too
Christmas bits and bobs are creeping into the shops already and i am determined to be more organized this year ,with presents and my work as i always feel like i am playing catch up
Quilts are always popular over the colder months and i do love to make them but i just need more space, which i will have soon as i am reorganizing the house so that i can have my very own work room which is all mine, where i can spread my wings and i can make all the things i want to in the bigger space, i have made a start so i will keep you updated over the next week
My youngest daughter has just turned 10 so we celebrated that this week , no big party this year , she had a couple of friends over and i took them trampolining and then for a pizza which was a lot less work then having a party with 30 or so friends to entertain , thank fully we are passed all that
My son is now 20 and is enjoying his Apprentiship as an electrician and will qualify after Christmas and my other daughter is 17 and is in her second year of college , still not sure what she wants to do yet , i am so glad they all still live at home , i will be heartbroken when they all fly the nest
Cath kidston is still my favourite shop by far in fact it's the only shop i ever really go in , i could buy everything , i do miss the old prints and the displays they used to have in the shops which they dont really have now but i still love it , every time i walk into a Cath kidston shop i feel like i'm coming home
 I am still busy with my work and have just finished these pink patchwork curtains which are very popular and i have sold a couple already , they are just very time consuming and it is surprising how long they do take to make but i am not going to make them to order , these are a standard size so the thought of any bigger ones is just too much work
I am still considering taking someone on to help me take my business forward , i know it is the next step if i want to grow but we shall see , maybe when i have my own work room it will be easier to bring someone else in
I still long to have my own shop , it has been a dream of mine for so long but the expense and pressure is so off putting, i am however very happy working from home , i do not have any overheads and i don't have the pressure of a shop rent to find every month, i have seen so many shops open and close over the years it is such a shame as all the people started out with dreams like i have so for now i shall stay as i am where i am happy and under no pressure
well that's all for now i am going to go to bed and read for a while , i only ever manage a couple of pages before i fall asleep so thank you for popping by to see me

 and here i am so i'm not just a faceless business, much love Francine xxx

Saturday 2 July 2016

vintage love

Hello all , its been such a long time since i was last here as always and i have been keeping busy
The beautiful fabrics above are from " The Festival of Vintage "which was held in April at york racecourse , the stall was The Button Tin and i just fell in love as soon as i saw the lovely displays

 I had pre booked myself into the embroidery class and i could have stayed there all day , the area was just amazing with so much to look at and it was a lovely festival one which i enjoy every year




I have been frequenting another favourite place of mine lately , Dulcie Butterfly tea rooms near to where i live ,a perfect place for a nice pot of tea and a scone , it has a lovely vintage feel and it is full of gifts to buy so i never come away empty handed
My love of vintage things started as a young girl , when as children my brothers and sisters would visit my grandmother in Leeds every Sunday , we would walk around Roundhay park around the lakes and flower gardens and then go back to my grandmothers for afternoon tea .She lived in a big terraced house which had a cellar full of coal and an attic which seemed scary at the time , she had a coal fire in the kitchen which we would huddle round to keep warm and we would eat tea in the " Back room " and she would always make mandarin jelly .Her house had lots of Eiderdowns on the beds and i just loved it there , it is only now later in life that i appreciate how lovely sundays were there with my family .Then of course Cath kidston arrived and i fell in love once again and ive been a fan ever since 

Vintage fabrics make my heart swoon ,i just love the colours and delicate patterns

I have been working on a few projects myself , trying to get many things finished


I decided not to take anyone else on , i just thought i would carry on myself , i would of course if i ever get a little shop as they could work there with me as i just don't have the space at home for 2 of us to work , i will hopefully one day have my dream of a vintage style tea rooms and shop but until then i will keep on working from my little den 
My dear father recently bought me this book ,the images inside are just dreamy and all that vintage is about


I have made a few makes too with vintage fabrics




I had bought a few bits and bobs too 


Fabrics of course ,i just cant help but buy fabrics to make into beautiful things for people to buy , i still get a buzz when i sell things 



I love to have fresh flowers in the house especially roses




Thank you for popping by to see me and for your lovely comments ,if you do fancy popping by my shop the link is www.folksy.com/shops/patchworkandlace
Much love Francine xxxx