Giddy Giveaway!

WIN a handmade Vintage Sign!

Today we are launching another Giddy Giveaway and this time you could win one of our new vintage-style signs worth £40!

The signs are handcut (Approx 18" wide) and hand painted in black or driftwood coloured lettering. They have a distressed paint edges and a 'tea-stained' finish for a vintage look. A D-ring is attached to the back for hanging or the sign can be propped on a shelf or mantelpiece. 

To be in with a chance simply comment under this post (one entry per person) with the wording you would choose for your sign - sloppy and sentimental?  humorous? or something for the family or a special loved one? 

We will pick the wording we like best but don't worry you can always change this if you win...you're not bound by your answer! (Please keep wording for each line short to ensure we can fit it all in!!)

The giveaway will run until Sunday 5th August with the winner will be announced on Monday 6th August


GOOD LUCK!

Make and Do....Jellyfish

Making Crafty Jellyfish

Now the Summer holidays have arrived I have 2 small boys to entertain. We're lucky to have a garden big enough for outdoor activities like swingball, trampoline, sandpit and paddling pool but being arty, I love to try and get the boys involved in something creative. Charlie isn't quite big enough yet to fully join in, but he did enjoy tipping all the crayons out of the bucket and launching them across the garden!

So earlier this week we made some jellyfish...

To make your own you will need...

*Paper Bowls

*Coloured Tissue Paper

* String

*Sellotape

*Crayons Felt Tips or Paint

*Scissors

1) Decorate your paper bowl with pretty patterns

2) Fold paper bowl across the middle both ways to find the centre and make a small hole

3) Thread a piece of string through the hole and make a knot on the underside of the bowl

4) Cut or tear tissue paper into strips and attach to underside of bowl with sellotape

5) Hang up your jellyfish and admire your handiwork!

Alternatively you can decorate your bowl as a Flying Saucer and attach a cone of yellow tissue paper to the underside of the bowl so that it looks like a beam of light

The boys certainly had fun and we hope you do too!

You're HOW old??

Last year I had a BIG birthday and I felt stupidly panic-stricken. Not that I felt anywhere near 40 (I had a 6 week old baby) and I certainly don't act like a 40 year old, it's just that number feels so wrong.

On my 40th with big brother

I can remember my parents' 40th birthdays so clearly (I was 18) and I still think of them as the 40-year-olds, not me. My mum had a party in our house (all pleated skirts and perms)  and my Dad got a flight in a small plane...40 seemed a long way off.

Dad's 40th birthday flight

So July 11th came around again and I had another birthday. 41...how could that be?? When I was younger being in your 40s was positively ancient. Now I've reached that age, I don't feel any different to when I did in my twenties. Ok, maybe a few more lines and a bigger waistline but that's about it. I have a mortgage and two kids and sometimes that still smacks me right between the eyes when I'm least expecting it....A homeowner!! A Mother!! THWACK!

Me on my 41st birthday

birthday cake

beautiful birthday table

Maybe it's just how you feel about life in general that makes a difference. I recently ran around the house with pants on my head to amuse the boys. Not the kind of behaviour people expect from a responsible adult but I am responsible I'm just not very 'adult'. Quite frankly the 'adult' bit is boring. I'd much rather play 'duvet mole'  or throw socks around. I'm not very good at being serious...

Despite my ongoing battle with PND, I have somehow retained my sense of humour in the blackest of moments. To really laugh until your stomach hurts is one of the best things in life. Especially when your kids are giggling along too. 

being daft on the beach

In 70s gear

Eurovision Song Contest party...I was 'Spain'

So I am not going to let a silly number bother me and a few grey hairs can be easily hidden. I shall continue to laugh and play and be daft. 

The growing old bit is inevitable but the growing up bit is definitely optional!

I Love...Moodboards

I've always loved putting moodboards together. I used to cut pictures out of magazines as a child to come up with a scheme for a new bedroom or fantasy holiday. The moodboards continued through my Art College days where we had to learn all about colour theory and into my textile degree where we had to pick complementary colours for our woven fabrics. 

I then spent a few years working in a textile studio which I thoroughly enjoyed as part of my job was putting moodboards together and then mixing the exact shades of paint to match the chosen colours. 

I continued to make my own moodboards for room schemes and most recently for some wedding inspiration for when our big day eventually comes around! 

Image from my Wedding Inspiration board on Pinterest

I was overjoyed with the invention of Pinterest...online moodboards for me to play with! So easy to navigate and pin beautiful images..I have lost hours and hours on the site.

Another fabulous site I have discovered through Pinterest is Design Seeds. The site has the most beautiful colour palettes and I find it really inspiring. It takes me back to my Art College projects and paint mixing days of picking a painting or colourful image and matching up the colours. 

Berry Blues

Sweet Tones

Shell Tones

There are so many themes and colourways - a fabulous source for any new decorating scheme or project. I've already added some to my Pinterest boards for most rooms in my house. Just need someone to pop round and decorate now...