probably



"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions"
Augusten Burroughs

This is one of my favourite quotes and one that lends itself so well to be embroidered. I'll often use slightly worn vintage linen or fabric that is in need of some tlc to compliment the quote. Although this piece, pictured, is now sold, I'm always making versions of this embroidery due to popular demand - at some point I'll make myself one too. Probably.

my mind's telling me no





By no means is this an original idea as in the past I've seen other stitchers make the most of these lyrics. However, I've never seen them teamed up with a Crinoline lady before? And why not? She looks great with that big booty and bonnet combo, whistling for some company. It's hard not to have this song forever doing rounds in your head after reading this. Although this piece is now sold, I love the Crinoline lady teamed up with some gangster sass so much that I'll definitely make more of these in the future! Yeah?

recently // shades of pink edition


 
 

The usual stitchin', catchin' up with my besties and enjoying a bit of sunshine that we finally seem to have. My parents garden has about a billion lil baby birds and they've got bees nesting now too! My dad's a very patient photographer and caught a photo of this guy.
Everything's coming up Millhouse.

it's her day

 
 
Why do people still even say 'man up'? Like only men can soldier on, suck it up and get better, faster, stronger? So then when did we get used to seeing single mums making both a happy home and ambitious career work? When did we stop being in awe of a woman that puts on that brave face and best lipstick and gets on with life? When did we stop congratulating strong female role models, our bosses, our mothers and our sisters? Why say 'man up' when women have got it nailed?!
This isn't by any means a new phrase, and this isn't by any means a dig at men - it's just, ya'know, let's be equal in this, because fuck knows girls have got it hard at times too.
Embroidery available here.

oh, hey old pal

 
 
I'm finally in a better place about the 'home is where..' embroideries. After the year anniversary of this piece and the ups and downs I've faced with it (I'm not being that dramatic, you can read more here) over this period of time, I really needed a break, a chance to take a step back ad to re-assess why I'm making them. Sounds a bit daft doesn't it? But I think I lost my way a little and lost my enthusiasm. However, stumbling across this vintage fabric of a traditional Chinese Toile de Jouy theme has got me excited about using the phrase again. Those little house, that lil fence and sweet birds are definitely more appropriate for the quote than a simple floral tray cloth. Like the last embroidery with the English cottage scene (here), it's time to be more literal with this one. It's only taken me a bloody year, but I think I know what I'm doing now? That's exciting isn't it! Watch out for bigger and better embroideries coming soon then!

mission impossible



Watched the latest episode of Game of Thrones and now can't cope with life? Found out Kim Kardashian is preggo again and having bets on the name? Found out that coat you wanted is now in the sale? Super annoyed that you can't find your lucky pants? Life throws a lot at us, just calm your tits and it will be alright. Maybe use this embroidery to help take you back to your happy place.
Available here.

gimme shelter


Hey, remember that time I stitched a portrait of Mick Jagger on a vintage pink hanky?
Yeah, I want to do more portraits now I think.
Can I have an extra day in the week then, please?

Lucky Dip Club

I realised I still hadn't posted about the Lucky Dip Club box I received during the month in which one of my embroidered pet portraits was part of a give away! But, better late then never, hey?
So, if you're unaware of how Lucky Dip works, or are yet to nab a box (they always sell out SO fast!), then here's a little peek at what to expect.
 

 
Each month, Lucky Dip has a different theme. You can expect goods such as handmade jewellery, stationery, home ware, paper goods and DIY kits on themes such as 'birds of paradise', 'vintage village fete' and 'dinosaur disco'. Aprils theme was 'raining cats & dogs'
 

Lucky Dip club now teams up with designers and creators to celebrate hand made and all the wonderful artists in the UK. Aprils collaborator was the illustrator Gemma Correll.


 
Each box generally contains a stationery item, fun postcards and prints and a jewellery item. Gemma Correll designed these enamel sets of collar clips and sweet necklace with her famous lil pug in her recognisable style. My collar clips are on my rain mac, ready to cheer up miserable days!


 
Leona works super hard each month to bring something totally unique and personalised (personalised brooches and necklaces have been amazing in previous boxes!) to this happy mail subscription. Buying a one off box each month is therefore obviously popular, so be sure to set your alarm at 7am on the first of every month to be in with the chance to nab one - they often sell out within an hour! You can follow the Lucky Dip Club journey over on instagram and get a sneak peek behind the scenes and first look at each months upcoming theme.

 
There's also a lil zine in each box with a behind the scenes catch up and more information on the collaborators. Hey look, there's me! 

constant


This past month has been such a blur. I've managed to make what feels like a million pet portraits, somehow found the time to make and plan new work, visited my friend for a fun filled weekend, had brilliant days with other friends, eaten out at the best places, had fun with an instagram take-over, an instagram give away and making new friends via instagram, drawn things, read stuff, made things and bought stuff. I'm pooped! And I realise I've hardly shared any of it with you - this will all be rectified as a resolution for June - BLOG MORE. I never really know what to write about/tell you about/ramble on about, so any suggestions and anything in particular you'd like to see/read, then give me a shout! June is set to be another busy one so far, with exhibition and photo shoot prep, new work to finish and prints to finalise (yes, that's right, I'm going to be making some prints again!). There's also some new products in the pipeline, so definitely watch this space...

oh, Frank!




Look at that cute lil face! I was asked to embroider Frank with his extra little tooth he often has sticking out from his bottom lip (not pictured) and of course the super sweet head tilt and bow tie had to be additions too. Frustratingly, photographing black thread is a little hard. I'm also annoyed that Frank looks kind of annoyed/stoned with the white thread for the eyes. However, this was my 4th go for the eyes and the best of the bunch!
I'm forever learning.
On a high note (no puns intended there), I really bloody love being sent photos of everyone's adorable pets.
I really need to get myself an animal.

recently






Mick, B Boy, Aly and Mog are all now with their owners so I can finally share these portraits - seems a lot of you guys buy the pet portraits as gifts to devoted pet parents, (aren't you guys kind!) so that means being a little secretive on social media about current works in progress, so I don't ruin any surprises.