And the winner is...

Congratulations to the lovely Emma @ Me, The Man and The Baby. Her name was pulled from the hat...er, blue tin... by my lovely assistant Jessica. Emma, I'll be sending your handmade lavender heart in the post this week, once I've got your details.



Well, we had a lovely halfterm break from school.




We chilled out, walked the dog...

and I did some much needed sewing. I am now making matching hairbands to go with my skirts...

Check out the face on the model! I think she may have had enough of hearing me say "Stand still will you?!"

I am also working on Lavender Birds (rather than hearts) and summer dresses, which I'll fill you in on later in the week.

Big news for me...I made my first sale...

...3 SKIRTS!!! Woo-hoo!

All in all I had a productive week last week, I'm hoping for the same this week...with a little less rain and snow...and perhaps...some sunshine...?

Here's to wishful thinking!

What are you wishing for this week?

Take care,

B x

Blogiversary giveaway...

Happy Valentines Day to you all!




And Happy Blogiversary to me!




I really can't believe that a year ago today I started this amazing, enlightening journey.




I have made some wonderful blogland friends and learned a lot about women and how resilient and enterprising they can be.




In honour of this day I thought it appropriate to do my first giveaway. And because it's the day of lurve and I'm expressing my new found passion for fabric and all things crafty, I decided to give away my heart...

...made of calico, stuffed with English lavender and rice and topped off with an antique button - oh, and full of love!

For a chance to win, all you have to do is post a comment and become a follower (if you're not one already) Don't forget to leave your email address. Do excuse my amateurish first giveaway attempt but I'm not particularly techie, so all entries will be put into one pot and the winner will be picked by one of my gorgeous assistants; Jess, Max or Eva. There will be photo evidence of the event ;o)



The competition is for anyone, anywhere in the world, I will pay postage, and closes on Friday Feb 19th at 12 Midday GMT.

Have a fun week!

B x

Little Bee; starting to fly...

Oh, well hello!

How have you been?

I'm sorry I haven't been around lately...it's just...I've kind of been immersed in this cutting...measuring...designing...sewing world. It's been fun, and frustrating.

Anyway, here I am beavering away and I realised that I hadn't been spending anywhere near enough time with my friends. Actually while you're here, I was wondering if you could give me some advice?

It's really just a matter of opinion I guess, but I think it will help me know which styles will be more popular for my new clothing line "Little Bee".

So, of the skirts pictured in this post, which would you say is your favourite and why?

Thanks so much for your help, you guys rock!

By the way, it's my 1 year blogging anniversary coming up very soon (I can't believe it) for which I am planning a give away - my very first! So, keep checking back for more info.

Have a fabulous week, won't you?

B x

p.s sorry about the photo quality; no time for editing!

Living Room Reveal...

Hello Ladies!

Firstly I want to thank you all for wonderful support after my last post revealing my new venture. It is such a confidence boost to have such great friends who are happy to bestow on me wonderful words of encouragement.

Now, I was thinking, it's been a while since I showed you around the place in this post. When my Living room looked like this....

The wallpaper was pink with (not visible in pictures) flowers all over it. Not really my taste. The curtains drove me nuts, they remind me of someone wearing trousers that are too short, swinging around the ankles!
So, I wanted this house to be dressed in a style more befitting its era. Here it is...


The curtains are from Ikea and quite a steal at 35 pounds. And the mirror; which I LOVE was 50 pounds from a 'junk shop'. I have coveted the same or similar mirror for years which I originally found here for 571 pounds!!!



I'm not sure if you can tell, but the walls are grey. The colour is "Chiltern Grey" and I love it, it manages to be grey and warm at the same time - perfect. The 2 seater in the window is a new purchase from Laura Ashley in the UK but all the other furniture is from Canada. So, there we have it my new living room. next I'll show you what I've done with the sun room so far.

Today I have a meeting with the planning department to discuss plans to renovate our barn...



...how exciting!

Have a wonderful week,

B x

Ok, here we go...

Some of you may remember me talking about new plans...to do something new...get creative...

Well the time has come...I'm a little scared...actually I'm slightly petrified...but I really feel like, if I don't do this now, I'll never do it. I don't want to be one of those people with all the talk and nothing to back it up...the person full of "what ifs"...

...so, I am starting my clothing business...

...{Little Bee}...

it'll be small...very small to begin with...but, who knows right?

Making gorgeous skirts for gorgeous little girls...I've never had any sewing training ...but after spending last year making clothes for Eva and friends asking where I got them,

I thought...maybe this could be *my thing*?

So, this small but expensive (US fabrics are shockingly expensive and hard to get hold of over here) pile of fabric is where it all begins...

...wish me luck!

B x

Don't know what's wrong with blogger, it's messin' up my layout :o(

Wildlife from my window...

Today was declared a 'snow day' due to the "adverse weather conditions" so, while I sat in the warm with a cup of coffee I managed to get some fabulous shots of the 'Lesser Spotted School Hopper' at play...



Unaware of me watching from the house, they were busy building a snow man...




It was lovely to see them in their natural habitat as they frolicked and played happily together...





Erm, I think they may have spotted me...







B x

The end of an era...?

Only 2 days left until school starts... we are saying goodbye to all-day bed-heads, long dog walks and chocolate for breakfast...

(that last one only applies to me; I have a secret stash I've been working my way through)...and we'll be back to early mornings, rushed breakfasts and forgotten gym bags. This has been such a lovely break, I'll be sorry to get back to the hum-drum of everyday life...

oh, but a nice cup of coffee with my feet up and a tidy, quiet house...now that sounds appealling...roll on Wednesday...!

Until then...we'll carry on with the bed heads, chocolate and dog walks...

life is good,

B x