Another Day in London....

I had another day out in London last week, unfortunately it isn't a new weekly thing, I had another crafty meet up so I took the opportunity to make a day of it. 

I was meeting Laura from Bugs and Fishes in the afternoon so I visited the V&A's Wedding Dress exhibit in the morning and it was AWESOME! If you like wedding dresses or you are interested in fashion history, or if like me you love both, then this is a must see!

The exhibit showcases wedding dresses and documents the history from 1775 to the present day. If you like celeb weddings they have dresses from Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss and Dita Von Teese.

You weren't allowed to take pics so I had the excuse to buy the book so I can revisit the gorgeous-ness of the dresses and swot up on the history, I'm a geek for history especially if it is about pretty dresses.

My favourite dress was called "The Flower Bomb" I am trying to convince my hubby to get married again just so I can have this dress, so far no success!

The Flower Bomb

I didn't have enough time to visit the rest of the gallery otherwise I would be late meeting Laura at the National Gallery. After the obligatory tea and cake we had a wander around the gallery, it was nice to just amble and chat about art, creative things and life. I love being self employed and working from home but it can feel isolated so I think it is important to meet other crafters/small business owners to be inspired and share the challenges of running a creative business.

Before heading home we visited the Tower of London to see the poppies.  You don't have to go into the Tower to see it, just get off the tube to Tower Hill and follow the crowds.  It's an amazing and thought provoking sight....

After having a couple of inspiring days out in London it's time to get my head down in the craft den.  I'm getting lots of custom orders and I am working on Christmas ranges.  I have lots planned for this blog too, I can't wait to share it with you....

fizzi~jayne x

My month in pictures ~ June....

Well hello July, you took me by surprise!

Thank you June, you were a lot of fun....

The Little Fox Market at Rickmansworth....

The Foxy Café that makes a great coffee/ My stall/ A close up of my stall/ Bunting that was hung around the hall

Hubby and I had a week off and went to Dorset for a few days....

Lulworth Cove/ Something which I guess is for pulling boats on to the shore at Lulworth cove/ Durdle Door

 

We were so lucky with the weather and there are some gorgeous, unspoilt beaches in Dorset. I love being by the sea, it's so peaceful and relaxing.

 

Mmmm, Food ~ Menu from the best fish restaurant/ Mackerel Pate with edible soil and radishes / Afternoon Tea

We went to an amazing fish restaurant, Verveine in Milford~on~Sea.  You pick the fish you want from what was caught that day and then the marinade you want with it.  The food was amazing, the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. It was perfect for a special dinner for two!  If you are in the area and like fish I would recommend it but I would recommend booking.

Hillier Gardens ~ Mermaid glass sculpture/ Bumble Bee metal sculpture / pretty purple flowers

Hillier Gardens are beautiful and there is so much to walk around, I'm sure we didn't see it all.  It was a great opportunity to take lots of pictures and experiment with my camera settings.  I wish I took pictures of the flower names so I know what they are!



Pretty flowers and a glass sculpture

 

Monkey World ~No holiday is complete without a visit to a zoo!

 

Steam Railway ~ I love the old signs at the station

 

The steam train we travelled on to Swanage Station/ A stop off at Corfe Castle / Old cases at Swanage Station/ I love old posters, so I bought these postcards as a souvenir.

Meeting crafty folk....

Trip to London for a Crafty Cuppa arranged by Laura from Bugs and Fishes ~ A sculpture in Hyde Park / Natural History Museum where we met / we wondered down to the Serpentine Sackler Gallery/ I love my red shoes!

Meeting the #CraftBlogClub crew in Nottingham ~ Left to right, me, Emma and Katie/ I came across a Vintage shop next to the station and found these cameras, I was so tempted to buy one/  I loved this shelving unit which was also in the vintage shop/ Katie made me this crochet hook wrap, love it!/ Teapot floral display

New products ~ wall hangings and coasters....


Brand new products made this month, I will get these in my shops asap! ~ Live, Love, Laugh Heart Wall Hanging/ Pack of 4 Distressed Heart Coasters/ Country Heart with Flowers and Butterfly wall hanging.  What do you think?




Custom orders this month for the arrival of twin boys and Serena's 40th Birthday


I've started the design process for Christmas and I received my first delivery of festive supplies!....


I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Also this month I attended another Enterprise Nation, more of that later....

 

 

fizzi~jayne x



Pssst.... I will be at Harpenden Arts, Craft and Antiques Fair tomorrow. For more details go to my Events and Craft Fairs page.

Out and about meeting crafty folk....

Last week I left my craft den to meet up with some fellow bloggers and crafters.  It's easy to feel isolated when you are self-employed and working from home so it's great to meet and be inspired by like-minded people and chat about my favourite topic, craft!

First off, I went for a Crafty Cuppa with Laura from Bugs and Fishes. I follow Laura's blog and was excited when I saw she was organising these meet ups in museums, which is a great opportunity to visit some amazing buildings and see inspiring exhibits.  I also met Julie and Carina, it was a pleasure to meet such a talented bunch!

We met at the Natural History Museum.  It is a beautiful building with so much to see. However, we spent most of our time in the café, chatting about all things craft, blogging and general chit chat over tea and cake.

Julie and Carina told me about a blog they run with Nicole - &Stitches. Their blog is all about stitching and focusses on embroidery.  I'm in awe of the talents showcased on the blog! The &Stitches team have organised picnics in Hyde Park, I am gutted I can't make the dates but I hope they are successful so they do more.  If you want to stitch in the park with a picnic and meet other crafters visit here for more details.

A statue that caught my eye whilst walking through Hyde Park

Laura has organised more meet ups in some of London's fabulous museums over the next few weeks.  To find out what she has planned visit her blog here.

Also this week I met these lovely ladies ~ The #CraftBlogClub crew (I'm on the left squinting at the sun, Emma is in the Middle and Katie is on the Right)

I was very excited to finally meet my fellow #CraftBlogClub peeps, the founder Emma and co-host Katie. It was so lovely to meet the people behind the emails and tweets.  We met in Nottingham and spent most of the day at the Nottingham Contemporary which is a gallery with a fab café bar serving freshly prepared food in a relaxed environment, if you are in the area I recommend it.  We chatted about craft, business and I also found out that Emma shares the same love for the Tudors, (I love that show I might have to watch the box set again).  We also discussed all the exciting plans we have for #CraftBlogClub, so watch this space....

I hope to meet you lovely ladies again soon!
 

There were floral displays like this all over Nottingham, I particularly liked this tea
pot

I plan to go to more of the Crafty Cuppas and I hope it's not too long before the #CraftBlogClub crew meet up again.  I am also going to the Crafty Catch Up Club arranged by Zoe from Ladybird Likes, this is happening in London on July 10th, interested??  Find out more here.  Hopefully I'll see you there.

fizzi~jayne x

Pssst....  #CraftBlogClub is every Tuesday from 7pm over on Twitter, come and join us for a chat.