HAPPY EASTER !!

HAPPY EASTER

Can I first of all start by saying a big thank you to all the wonderful and encouraging comments that have been left since my last post . I have loved reading them and they have given Lucy and I a great deal to chat about , thank you !

Well , I hope your all enjoying your Easter Sunday ! My family and I have had a very chilled out day . The children have had a mini revolt and refused to get dressed , they have been so happy having a p.j day and munching chocolate treats !! I  myself have been in a very laid back mode and in a crochet happy place . I decided yesterday to give myself a break from 'Handmade Over Yonder' sewing and work on some personal projects which have been quite neglected of late . I have also realised that over the last week I am quite wiped out after the last few weeks and I am in need of a bit of winding down time . A bit of cooking and a bit of crochet was called for , I find theses two things very therapeutic .

Usually I would spend the build up to Easter baking but not this year as my poor oven has died and it's final ! I was warned the last time it was repaired that the next time it went I had to buy a new one . Oh flippin! heck , no money in the pot to replace my big oven , well not for a few months any way , I do feel odd not being able to bake . But I am soooo very grateful to have a slow cooker a Bread maker and an Halogen oven . So this year their is no Simnel cake or Easter buns  .  However I can still use the gas rings on top of the oven so I changed tack this year . I went for homemade Easter gifts for friends and family of  Lemon Curd , which I hope they think is  yummmmmyyy!!

It is a recipe I have used a few times now always with perfect results , the recipe is out of this Pickles and Preserves book I was bought at Christmas . A couple of hours in the kitchen making these gifts really was a bit of much needed therapy .

When I went to bed last night I had already decided today was going to be a crochet day and in particular a blanket day  ( I do have 3 on the go !!).

So I decided my eldest blanket was the project for today and it was time to tackle the boarder( for the 3rd time) . I've started and unpicked and started again with a different idea and unpicked again ,but last night whilst looking on pintrest for inspiration I put together some ideas . I love pootling on over to pintrest for visual inspiration !! 

Oh what a simple pleasure it has been today sat in my favourite chair in the bay bathed in sunlight ! Now I have finished the Granny squares and joined them ( I joined them as I went , 120 in total ) I am going for a simple and mainly white boarder with hits of colour . I am hoping this will reflect the main part of the blanket .  I am opting for rounds of single crochet and so far I like it !! I haven't had the urge yet to yank it all back as with previous attempts . But it is important to get the boarder right as it will either make or break the overall look of the blanket .

It has felt strange not working on the much  needed stock for 'Handmade Over Yonder' , my shop has been empty for quite some time now . Mainly due to the studio and my other job as well as being a mum and wife . However in this last week I have had chance to be on the sewing machine in the studio which has felt good. 

I am presently working on stock for the studio as we are planning an open studio date in the not too distant future , which is an exciting prospect indeed !! ( date to be decided)

I am also picking up quite inexpensive pieces to furnish the studio with , I found a very cheap and quite old cooling rack and turned it into something very use full.........

.......a tool hanger , it works so well with some little 's'  hooks'  . I also found this little sweet 'wot-not' in a new antiques\ collect ables shop that has recently opened in town . I was a little unsure where to hang it so it lived here for a while .

I am really enjoying the fantastic light our new studio has as well.

But best of all I am enjoying growing into my space !!

But tonight I am really enjoying being sat on my bottom blogging !!

So I hope you enjoy your Easter break , however you decided to spend it  and if like me you need a bit of a rest I hope you get that too !!

Thanks for popping by and ta ta for now .x

A studio !!!!

Well here I am , I have now got to the point where I can share the very exciting journey of getting a studio with you . Wahayyy! a creative work space that is not in my house , I'm SOOOOOO HAPPY !!!! Best of all I have a studio Buddy  to share it all with . Oh my goodness me the past several weeks have been exciting and  exhausting .

Lucy and I for some time now have had toyed with the idea of getting a creative work space to share and now it is reality . It's all happened so quickly I don't know whether it was divine intervention or just simple fate that has lead us down this path , but a lot of things fell into place very very quickly .

The first viewing .......lots of potential and two very excited ladies !!!

Oooooo old and a bit battered and has character , that was a very big tick in the box!!!

Good light as well !! another big tick !

We knew it would be hard work and we were prepared to roll our sleeves up and get dirty in order to pursue our dream .

First day of scrubbing , scraping and scouring a 100 years of grim off of the Victorian floorboards ..........

...........but it was worth it . Oh boy was I stiff the next day , muscles had been used that hadn't been used in years !!

All that scrubbing was worth it as the floor boards came up a treat and all they needed was a good dose of Danish oil .

Once we had cracked the floor we knew the bulk of the hard graft was done , then came painting . White is not a colour I would usually go for when painting a room but in this instance it was a must . We wanted the room to be very light and good for photography . The injection of colour in the room will come from our own personal touches and our work .

I think I got more paint on me than the walls, those rollers don't half splatter!!

Lucy bought this Hyacinth in the very first week when we had agreed to take the studio and we've watch it slowly open up as we've worked our little socks off!!

But we were definitely right to pick white as our back drop !! 

The room is so light , I cannot wait until high summer when the room will be warm and flooded with sunlight .

Lucy joked the other day we may need to wear sunglasses inside at summer as it will be sooooo bright !!

When we had put the last lick of paint on on Saturday I went and bought some celebratory flowers to give the studio a homely feel .

..............and I started moving in .

Oh how I love the light for sewing !! It's fantastic .

We each have a corner we are putting our own personalities and styles into ,this bit is such fun and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity and space to explore my creativity . I no longer feel shackled down by the restraints of my modest sized home which was bursting at the seams with all my stuff !!

I have spent this week moving bits in and creating my working space as well as starting to sew again , my sewing and making has been seriously interrupted by getting the studio up and ready to move into . But I feel this has been a worth while sacrifice and I will soon get back into the swing of things . 

Tomorrow will be my first full day down at the studio working and I am really looking forward to it , I spent this afternoon setting things up for tomorrow and I am itching to get down there . The room feels very tranquil ( even though it is on a main road and you can hear the traffic ) and whenever I glance over my shoulder I get a burst of colour from Lucy's end of the room which is quite invigorating and refreshing , It's like being on holiday at the height of summer in Cornwall or Devon . Beautiful !!

I now have a studio to fill with stock for people to come and buy when we start having open studio days .But this whole process has taught me to let things move at their natural pace . I am in a very happy place right now and I can see lots of creative possibility's for the future .

This is the very start of our creative adventure in the studio and the future is full of possibilities , we certainly have plenty of ideas already both as individuals but also for  joint use of the studio . I hope in the future some of you get to come and enjoy the space too .

Thanks for popping by and ta ta for now . Tracy xx