A simple little something - in between sewing bunting strings yesterday I suddenly got that festive feeling! So fashioned a mini gingham wreath, adorned with buttons and ribbon. Perfect for door handles or drawer knobs to add a Christmassy feel to every room in the house...Advent is nearly upon us! xx 

Time flies!…well it certainly is true that time flies when you're having fun (and still trying to keep up with 3 children and set up a little business!). The school year is well and truly underway and we had a fab Halloween - the whole village (almost!) came out to join in the fun! We had pumpkins galore and fabulously decorated houses and more that 80 witches and monsters calling for treats, the sweets and glow-sticks ran out very quickly!

And now is the time to really focus on Shire Crafts. I have already done a couple of pre-Christmas craft fairs which is always fun and a great opportunity to look at other great hand-crafted products. And today things picked up a pace as I went out with a photographer friend of mine to try and get some fab pictures of my goodies in the fading Autumn light. So hopefully in the next few days we'll start gathering some photos and the serious business of website building can really begin....Rome wasn't built in a day - these things take time!! xx

Busy in the kitchen…what a busy time it’s been recently. We just got back from a family holiday in France – it was lovely! Sooo relaxing, the sun shone (well most of the time), the pool and the beach were great, the market was very interesting and the food and wine…delicious!

But a holiday soon wears-off when home again and busy. It was my Dad’s birthday a few days ago, so whilst the weather was keeping us indoors, the children and I made him a cake. He enjoys gardening, when he gets the time, so we were inspired to make a ‘vege patch’ cake complete with coconut grass, bourbon mud and icing veges, plus the little Happyland farmer to finish! We were all really pleased with it, and so was Dad – and it was v yummy too! So whilst I may not be a celebrity baker, a little bit of thought and effort can have great results…so get in the kitchen and get mixin’! xx

And here's one I made earlier...I made the pirate cake for my son's 4th birthday last February - definately got my 'signature style', don't you think...?!? xxx

Going to the races…sooo much fun – on Saturday I had my first outing to the races. My little ones spent the weekend with my parents and their South African cousins whilst hubby and I went to Newbury. Not really big money players, my total winnings for the day £5.50, and approx £25 losses!! But worth every penny.

A really enjoyable day and it has inspired me to 'hunt' out the upcoming dates for point-to-points in Oxfordshire and Surrey, so am pencilling dates for 2013 already!! Plus, got some great new ‘countryside’ ideas for some Shire Craft pieces so please keep watching this space, all the hard work starts in September and I’ll be making up some samples…get out and enjoy the countryside – embrace the rain! xx

Sentimental thinking…just thought I share this with you. Possibly a little strange, but I simply love the sentiment of the poem written on this old mug. (Bit of an 'eye test' hope you can read it...) 

And whilst I am no farmer and unfortunately am nowhere near self-sufficiency, growing a few tomatoes and some basil really isn’t enough (!) I just love the simplicity and the back to basics feel – makes me want to sit back awhile and appreciate what is going on around me. We should all make a little time for observing our natural world…it’s a beautiful place xx

 

Shabby Jack…home-spun and funky. We had such fun at the Jubilee with a huge whole village picnic – Pimms, best Royal Scarecrow and even welly-wanging - such a fabulous party atmosphere!

I made some of this bunting in advance and hung it up in my front window and was amazed by the response. I received several orders including one from the local community shop, and I am thrilled to say it is still hanging there! Each string is unique and each individual union flag divided by either red polka dot or blue gingham triangle flags. A really lovely string of bunting which can be used again and again...let your true colours shine through – Red, White & Blue! xx

Yummy Sunday morning…what a start to the day! Our (well, the children’s) first attempt at ‘home-baked’ croissants! To be honest the dough was bought, it was just the very complicated rolling process that was homemade! They did seem very popular as just a pile of crumbs remain and the house smells fabulous. So overall a great success, but as they say practice makes perfect so I’m sure this will not be the last time we do them. Yummy…xxx

Before the rains came…a little snapshot of the stunning roses in my garden. Unfortunately my camera skills do not do it justice.

However, just imagine the table laid out with yummy sweet treats, fresh summer fruits and the obligatory large jug of Pimms and the scene is set – we all need a little space to daydream…xxx

Shire Crafts goes global…! I must start with a huge THANK YOU to everyone who had a look at my first ever blog! Your support and comments, of course, are very very welcome. Whilst the website is proving rather slow to construct (all delays are firmly my fault!) the Facebook page and blog are up and running. Of course some rather notable tweaks will need to be made to get it looking the way I imagine it in my head!, but I am at the bottom of a very steep learning curve – but I will get there. Do please continue to check my progress…

Come back sunshine…What a day to wake up to – grey and drizzly – what a difference a night can make!

Today is a ‘home day’ with my little boy, so probably rather unproductive. As happy as I am with a sewing machine or needle and thread, I seriously struggle with technology! Computers, camera, iphones are all a bit of a blur to me. However, today seems like the perfect day (weather wise) to try and ‘conquer my fears’ and see if I can up/download (?) some of my pictures so show you all a bit of what I do and the things I like…xx

Hello World! Welcome to my fab new blog!

A little intro first… I am Nathalie and I live in a beautiful Oxfordshire village. I have been married for (very nearly) 8 years and I have three lovely children, twin girls and a little boy…so far sooo good. I love to sew!  In particular I make buntings and banners, create with fabrics, applique, bead embellishments and make things that are unique, personalised, beautiful to look at and made to last.

For the past year (or more) I have toyed with the idea of making my sewings and stitchings into something I could share with everybody. Having spent several years making a variety of craft items for my home, friends and family, I started getting requests from friends of friends for my work, and so I was inspired to start Shire Crafts.

And now for the gritty truth… So as well as being a wife and a Mummy, I work part time at a local pre-school, try and keep my house and garden reasonably presentable (often failing!), continue to battle with ‘baby-weight’ even though my girls are now 7 years old, so now of course is the obvious time to start a business – WHY NOT!

Take a deep breath… So it is crunch time! For the first time since having my children I have a chance to do something for myself again – if I can remember who I am!

Plan of action…I have handed in my notice at work! My little boy starts primary school in September (Boo! – but I know he will love it) so all my little ones will be safely out of my hands for a few hours a day. I have great plans to create a sewing room in our current garage. Plus I have a website ‘under-construction’ and have just set up my business Facebook page. ALL systems GO!

This is going to be a HUGE change for me, truly the next chapter in my life. I am both nervous and excited at the same time! So please join me on my journey as a move from busy (anonymous) Mummy to creative ‘me’ (although never leaving the Mummy bit very far behind!) Here we go…

Nathalie x