Crafty South Londoners

Although I am no longer living in London I have wanted to do this blog post for a while, to share all the lovely crafty events and things happening in South London that I enjoyed so much when I lived there and some things that I just never got around to doing. Hopefully some of you South Londoners will find this useful.

Firstly.... SW Craft - a blog site that has so much information about craft courses, meet ups and great crafty places to visit. They also host some great events in the area. If something crafty is happening in South London these guys will know about it.

Oh Sew - Brixton - I didn't get around to booking on any of their courses but I just loved the fact that they did a variety of courses and you could choose something like 'Easy 50's Dress' which would of been right up my street.

Swish and Pout - This is a fantastic idea and I am always looking for a way to re cycle and get use out of some of the clothes I no longer wear. Clothes swapping is the new way to revitalise your wardrobe without the expense!

The Scarlet Peacock - I was bought a crochet course for Christmas which took place in February. I absolutely loved it. It was a small group and we had tea and chocolate biscuits while we learnt to crochet a lovely flower brooch. Everything was provided for us from the gorgeous Debbie Bliss yarn to the purple crochet hook. It was nice to learn something new in a relaxed atmosphere and great to walk away with a finished item after just 2 evening classes. There are lots of different classes to choose from including knitting, quilting, sewing and cupcake making.

FEAST - I also wanted to mention this market in West Norwood. I went to the very first one and it was such a good atmosphere. Loads of stalls and I got to meet some lovely crafty people, the market takes place on the first Sunday of every month.

I met Amy Aardvark who designs and prints her very own lamp shades that are so gorgeous!


Please post a comment below if you have any London craft events/blogs/groups to add.

Love Lemon x

My first ever crochet flower brooch I made at The Scarlet Peacock

Colour

I am so inspired by colour at the moment.
I am not influenced only by fashion and trends but what is around me. I love bold and bright colours a lot more than pastels and muted colours no matter what the season dictates and I use a lot of bright colours in my home and work.

I went to the local market on Saturday and there were bunches of bright yellow and red flowers that looked good enough to eat. I bought a bunch and they look fab in a bright yellow retro style vase.

Last week I was out browsing the shops and saw mini buckets stacked together, bright pink and yellow (again). It made me think of holidays, sunshine and ice cream and I just thought these colours went so well together.

There does seem to be inspiring colour combination's everywhere I turn at the moment. I am loving a bit of turquoise.

I especially like the combination of turquoise with yellow, navy and brown.

See below for some more colour inspiration. 

Le creuset, vintage yellow and deckchair stripes!

Another bit of visual inspiration from this collection at Topshop:

Lovely vintage style winter items. I have seen lots of leapord print included in the A/W collections which I love!

I also loved the bright colours on this dress, again from Topshop:

Love Lemon x

Back to School

Today I am keeping busy, I made some soup, took my little boy to his first dentist appointment, did a little shopping, put some washing on the line, did some gardening and now this blog post....I am feeling nervous and trying to distract myself and not make it a big deal but tonight I start my sewing course at the local school.

The last time I did a course was in February which isn't too long ago but that was just 2 evenings of crochet. This is a 10 week course on home furnishings and dressmaking. I wanted to build my sewing skills and meet new people in the area.

My pre conceptions of the class is that I will be the only one there under 50 and the teacher will be mean and strict and I will get all in a fluster trying to keep up. I don't know why I think this!

I am excited to learn some new things and be able to ask some questions about things I want to make but not exactly sure the best way to make them. However I am shy - yes If my friends are reading this they may laugh but around strangers I get shy and nervous and always have done. I hate that new person starting school feeling.

I always see old sewing paper patterns, there are tons in my local charity shop and love the drawings and old dress designs (well some of them). So hopefully this course will help me to make my own clothes using these patterns!

So wish me luck! I promise you will be the first to know if I am being bullied by any elderly ladies or if I make an absolute fool out of myself in front of the whole class!

Love Lemon x

Silent Sunday

Handbag Contents

I saw people doing this on flickr and thought it was a great idea but first can I just say thanks so much for popping over to my new blog and I hope you enjoy it. Please do join me (using the tab on the left next to this text) and become a member so I can see all the lovely people that enjoy what I have to say/share on here. Ta very muchly xx

I loved being able to nosy at other people's handbag contents, it's like a little story about who that person is.

So here is mine.

My bag is a very bright Marc Jacobs bag that I got for my 30th birthday this year. I absolutely love it! I was so desperate to have a nice bag of my own after carrying around a nappy bag for so long! I don't have to carry much around for my little boy anymore but there is a handy pocket for a nappy or 2.

1. Blue and white mini toy car - something to amuse my little boy, I tend to find cars or old mobile phones in bags/pockets for him.
2. Camera - Sometimes a photo says it better
3. Hairband - I found 2 in there and can never find one when I need one!
4. iphone - basically I can't live without it
5. Benefit concealer pencil - I used to carry a lot more make up with me but now I'm just down to this!
6. Vaseline - who doesn't have this in their bag?
7. Chewing gum
8. Keys - with my lovely Harrods heart keyring my mum bought me years ago
9. Love Hearts - I have no idea why they were in there but I got them at a wedding a few weeks ago
10. Purse - I love this purse which my brother and sister in law got me for Christmas last year
11. Pad and pen - for ideas for my blog, website etc. I love the pen as I bought it for my wedding guest book
12. Umbrella - a must have!

Nifty and Thrifty

Here is my very own homemade dry wipe board, whiteboard pens can be used to make notes and then wiped away!
A pretty simple way to create something useful and you can pick the frame and fabric yourself.

I already have my list of Love Lemon orders on there!
I do love anything that keeps me organised.

Love Lemon x

Moving to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches.....

It's nearly a month now since me and my family moved from London to the Suffolk countryside so I thought it a good time to write an update of how country living is going.

It still feels strange knowing that we are in the middle of countryside, that I can't just get on a bus, train or tube and be anywhere in London. But it's a calmer, more relaxed way to live and I like it a lot. Ten or even five years ago I don't think I would have felt that way but it's the right time to be here.

There have been days when the street we live in has looked as though everyone has left the area but then other days when there are kids on bikes and people washing cars and it feels safe and nice.

I like that when we drive to another village or town or even to the beach there is no traffic. Gone are the stressful journeys when we used to wish we had never left the house! I like smiling and saying hello to people – in London I would do it anyway (sometimes) and get mixed reactions but here it's always the same smile or hello back.

Most of all, I like the way my family can relax here and enjoy the space we have. The move has opened up opportunities and generally made us think about what we want as a family and individually.

I have been back to London since for a weekend and had a Saturday night out in Soho like the old days and I did enjoy it but I was very pleased to come home the next day and I think that speaks volumes.







Love Lemon x