making everyday beautiful : colour punch

Image credits: 1. paulamills, 2. ueha nochi, 3. stof enzo, 4. rose hip..., 5. Artoleria

Is anyone else in need of a punch of colour today!? After day upon day of dreary grey, non stop rain and an awful tummy bug I am in desperate need of some uplifting colour. Something to warm my soul and cheer me up. Something to distract me from everyone's complaints about the weather and wondering why I still have a winter duvet on the bed when we're just one month away from the summer solstice!

But when all else fails I know I can always rely on colourful rainbows (without the rain!) and a little ray of virtual sunshine from 'making everyday beautiful'. Can you feel it? The summery vibe eminating from your screen? Lovely, isn't it!?

I'm feeling better already!

Emma, x

making everyday beautiful : petals & vessels

Image credits: 1. andrea creates, 2. **mog**, 3. Hermine Virginie Van Dijck, 4. Candy Pop, 5. Bine [was eigenes], 6. athenastudio

Hello, how was your weekend?

Things were calmly productive here. Last month when I started work on re-decorating my studio I was also motivated to start a flat wide purge. Living with a person who doesn't like change means this needs to be done slowly by making decisions one at a time and with good reason. In a way that's great because it means we don't lose something we might regret letting go of later, but sometimes I get frustrated because I love change. Change of routine. Change of surroundings. It always feels refreshing to see or do something in a new way. As the saying goes 'a change is as good as a holiday'. So over the last few weeks we've been slowly making changes and there have been lots of trips to the re-use cabin at one of the city's recycling centres and a few trips to the charity shops. There are still more to come too.

I'm also doing a studio purge as I'd like to free up lots of space in there and aim for a more minimalist feel. Not true minimalist, obviously, but a lot less cluttered or overcrowded than it has been. For a wee while I haven't felt like I've wanted to spend a lot of time in that room because it has felt overwhelming. That's not good is it!? Anyhow, I'm saving up all the lovely bits 'n' bobs from my studio purge and am planning on holding a wee destash sale in a couple of weeks or so. Whenever I get organised really but of course I'll keep you updated.

All of that is completely unrelated to today's favourites from 'making everyday beautiful', but I hope you love them anyway!? I am completely loving the pretty fresh greens and the 'petals & vessels' theme. Oh, but when I have cleared out a few more things from this flat I am planning on adding a few more shelves here and there for more plant space. I've been living without growing fresh herbs for far too long! There you go, we got there in the end... hehe!

Emma, x

shoptalk : European Kids on Etsy @ ByHand, Turin, Italy

So yes, a collection of my ladies have gone off to a fabulous fair in Italy. Actually they're already there and no doubt the stall is being set up as I type this here... eeek! This is my first event outside of the UK and the fair in question is Byhand located in Turin, Italy. I know, so exciting right!? Especially when you see the gorgeous venue, home of the Circolo dei lettori.

"Byhand is a temporary shop that merges fashion, design and art. The event presents unique opportunity for designers, stylists, artists, artisan boutiques, design studios, Italian and international ateliers, to showcase their latest collections and sell them directly to the public. Byhand is a place for people passionate about research, warm atmospheres and hot design. It's a meeting place for people in search of material poetry."


European Kids on Etsy, shops attending ByHand: robedellarobi, emma lamb (that's me!), domatoma, petitacosa, Mouton Cerise, yellOkids & mapano.

In a collaborative effort I'm taking part along with a select group of incredibly talented ladies from the European Kids Team on Etsy. Over the last few weeks seven of us have been plotting & planning and crocheting & stitching as much as we possibly could to have everything ready for today. We're all so excited and filled with anticipation for this three day event. I have to say it feels a wee bit odd not being there to represent my own work, I'm all geared up and excited but with nothing to do! Of course I have complete faith in the lovely Alessandra, from Mapano, who will be hosting the fair for us. No, I'm not jealous in the slightest... okay, maybe just a wee bit!

"Why byhand? It is all about hands which leave unique and inimitable signs. Hands that touch, interact, change. Hands that create objects intended for use, not just consumption.
Self-production | limited editions. In recent years, in a market crowded by industrial giants, self-production has become an informed choice, a way of life, a philosophy. Dotted around there are exemplary cases of design, creativity and craftsmanship which explore alternative avenues in order to create and emerge. Fresh, innovative and alternative this avant-garde contaminates and regenerates contemporary design through poetic processes and a 'slow' approach to work characterised by passion. The results are objects of desire, products not goods, creations rich in non-industrial charm. Garments, accessories, home design, limited editions, one-offs, brands and collections created by designers that work on a small-scale with human values at their core, which results in heartfelt, sophisticated designs."

I have high hopes for this weekend as the ethos behind the ByHand fairs couldn't be more in tune with ours as designer makers. They have four years of experience running these fairs in Turin too, which suggests that the lovely people there hold similar values and appreciate the beauty of handmade.

So exciting! Even writing about it just now has me all jittery with pre-fair nerves! I need a calming cuppa and a wee nip of chocolate...

Emma, x

shoptalk : open for business & accepting custom orders

A quick announcement today to let you know my Etsy shop is open for business again this week and I am currently accepting new custom work. If you have been in touch with me over the last few weeks about a custom project I shall be in touch with you very soon to chat about your ideas.

At the moment though a few of my Forever Flower Garlands are made to order since I had to send a bunch of them off to Italy for a fair this weekend (more about that later, but oh how I wish I could have gone with them!). I created some new colour combinations to replace a few old ones that I've decided to discontinue (change is good!), and they will be popping up soon along with a few pot holders and some blossom garlands once they are photographed. I'm also working on some new cushion covers too but I'm not yet sure when they will be ready.

On another note I've adjusted my shipping prices and am now offering tracking and insurance on most of my products. This also means that shipping will be quicker, within six working days to the USA or Australia sounds pretty fabulous to me! For more details, as well as other updates, you can check my shop announcement on my homepage.

Oh and while I'm nattering on about Etsy, it was such a treat to have my crochet flower garlands featured on their blog yesterday. They were included in a lovely 'Modern Folk' wedding round-up curated by Charlie Burton from The Natural Wedding Company. Thank you Charlie, you absolutely made my day!

Emma, x

making everyday beautiful : fairytales & flowers

Hello, hello! How are you all!? I hope you are all well and enjoying the arrival of May? It seems to have brought some lovely sunshine at long last, phew!

I am only just back to work today after taking some time out to re-decorate my studio (working on finishing touches and a destash pile as we speak) and a wee trip to the Lake District. I so needed a holiday after the decorating! This week is going to be a full and busy one again as I have much to show and tell, many emails to write, a couple of interviews to finish up and lots of shop things to organise too. I purposely haven't written the usual to-do list since I think it's epic potential might just scare the pants off me! So one thing at a time and I'll work my way through it all. Totally excited though, it feels good to be back at work with a head full of thoughts of making and creating. Should be lots of fun!

To kick off, here are my favourites from 'making everyday beautiful'... it has been wonderful to catch up with all your gorgeous creativity from the last few weeks, you guys are an inspiration!

Image credits: 1. little a designs, 2. Candy Pop, 3. itchistitchin, 4. nanaCompany, 5. HeartHandmadeUK, 6. peonyandthistle, 7. Cottage45

Happy Monday everyone!

Emma, x