...BOO!

image by Kaitlyn McCane Illustration

Happy Halloween everyone!

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littletree loves...vintage Dansk dutch ovens

image HERE

Hello again blog friends and Happy Halloween! Today I am rambling about these vintage beauties, the Dansk Dutch Oven. Recently I have spotted them everywhere I look, Etsy treasuries, blogs and even Jamie Oliver has one he uses on his new tv show! 

So of course now I NEED one...unfortunately this gorgeous yellow one above has sold, but after a google image search I found there were plenty around, although not many in the uk...boo! And they come in a variety of yummy colours as these other pictures show...plus the bit I love best is that the lid can be used as trivet to stand the pot on when serving! Design genius at it's best...sorry for the rambling but does anyone else think these are just so beautiful?

image HERE

image HERE

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it's the little things...

image HERE

A few weeks ago inspired by this image above, Jen of the blog Little Birdie, started a regular weekly post called 52 Weeks of Happy to remind herself of all the little things that give us joy in our day to day lives...and I for one cannot think of any nicer way to keep myself grounded in this world of 'wants' and 'needs'.

Don't get me wrong we all desire and crave things (we are only human!) but I think this is a nice way to remind ourselves of all the things that we do have in our lives...you can read Jens posts so far here and even join in if you want to.

I think I may just start writing down a few things each week that have made me happy because I'm such a pessimist I need to remind myself that life isn't really that bad all the time! So occasionally I will post them here to share with you, but for now here are my current four happy things from this week...

 * Hot apple juice after a blustery walk...

* My new favourite hat which I can now wear as it's cold...

* My lovely friend Gem saving the new series of The Walking Dead for me to watch as I don't have Sky!

* Banana boxes...excellent for packing and they're free!

What things are making you happy at the moment?

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a littletree weekend and giveaway winner!

1//  2// my picture  3//  4//

...discovering some great handdrawn fonts on Fonts for Peas and they will turn your own handwriting into a font for you too! Thanks to Rosie for sharing about this!...

...some rather innocent looking muffins with a wickedly gooey centre, recipe to follow later this week...

...catching up on the new foodie series Jamies 15 Minute Meals...

...Pusheen the cat! I love her crazy antics, if you're a cat person you have to check out this amazing blog...

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And finally....our giveaway winner who gets this amazing vintage garland!

Well done to Georgie of the blog Violet & Green! 

Georgie is a relative newcomer to the world of blogging so I'm sure she would appreciate it if you stopped by and said hello, we all know how important those comments and pageviews are when we were starting out!

Have a good week everyone and if your in the uk, wrap up warm cos it's mighty cold out there! Brrr...x

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pinterest pick of the week...

find this pin here on my board Packaging...

Happy Friday friends! I have the whole weekend off this week, woop! Although I will probably be packing for our move instead so not exactly relaxing, although I do love a good sort out! This weeks pinterest pick are these amazing folded letters, this idea is pure genius and also super pretty with all those patterns! Find these postal beauties here...enjoy your weekend and hope to see you next week! xx

Don't forget today is the last day to enter my giveaway competition for a fab vintage garland, I shall be drawing the winner tomorrow!x

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Etsy... Switchblade and Cookie

Hanging Teardrop Shelf

Hi everyone, thanks for all of your lovely comments on my felt birdies diy yesterday, I hope you give them a go! Today I have another great Esty shop find...I found the awesome vintage store Switchblade and Cookie via a treasury that my cards were featured in yesterday.

The first item I spotted and now I NEED is this hanging teardrop shelf above...how beautiful is that!? So here are a few more of my favourites but do stop by the shop to view all of the gorgeous vintage-ness for sale here...x

Linden Space Age Clock

Enamel Vegetable Bowl

All Images from Switchblade and Cookie

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littletree makes...felt birdies

Hello everyone! I did promise on Monday to show you how I made the little felt birdies and so here they are! They are super easy (or I wouldn't be able to make them!) great for using up scraps of felt, odd buttons and short bits of ribbon that you would otherwise throw away...plus they make sweet christmas decorations or gifts! Apologies for the awful pictures, I was making these one evening so light was poor! Let's get started...

1// Using the template (at the end) cut out the required number of parts from your felt, plus some triangles for the beak.

2// Assemble the thread, buttons and ribbon, play around with what colours work best. I like a mix of colour!

3//  Start sewing at one point and work your way around the felt, about 5mm in from the edge. I just used a basic stitch but you could blanket stitch for a more professional look!

***Do not forget to stitch in your ribbon or beak (bird only)***

4// Before you close you can stuff the owl/bird with a small amount of wadding. I had some from an old cushion pad.

5// Sew on the wings using a button to finish, just go straight from one side through to the other.

6// Sew on your beak (owl only) in the same way.

7// Add your quirky button eyes and any extra stitch detail and you're done!

Simple huh?! A little tip for tidying up those loose threads...pop back onto a needle and thread through the middle of the main body and out the edge. Pull the thread tight-ish and cut, the thread is then hidden inside the body out of sight!

If you click on the template image below you should get the full size image to copy and paste into any program to print out...I have just given measurements so you roughly know how big they should be.

I do hope you give these little guys a go I had such fun making them on the now cold, dark nights! Happy making! x

All Pictures and Design Copyright Littletree Designs

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littletree loves...luscious magazine

READ ME HERE!

Another fabulous find through Twitter that I had to share with you all today, the luscious, Luscious magazine...now you know I'm a bit of a foodie so this beautifully photographed online magazine by Marta of food blog Princess Misia is like heaven for the eyes and sets the tummy rumbling! It is her first magazine and I can't imagine it not being super successful...I won't spoil your reading pleasure but you must not miss the Roasted Carrots with spinach, pine nuts and feta (p36) or the Pear and Chocolate muffins (p56) completely drool worthy! So don't hesitate to pop over here to read it...enjoy x

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PS - Don't forget my giveaway is still open until Friday!

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a littletree weekend...

1//  2//  3// pic by me  4//

...having my cards featured on the fab blog I AM THE LAB, complete surprise!...

...design a tea towel using your own handwritten recipes on Spoonflower, excellent christmas present idea...

...having a little crafty fun making these birdy keyrings, DIY to follow this week...

 

 ...dreaming of how to decorate my studio space in our new home...

Have a good week everyone!x

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pinterest pick of the week...

Find pin on my board Cat Stuff...

Hellooo Friday! Today I thought seeing as it's get colder and the weather is more grey and miserable we may need some cheering up and this cat in a bag always makes me laugh! I had a cat that would always climb into bags or boxes if they were left unattended...on one occasion a suitcase...she was almost packed away into the loft! Hope this brings a smile to your day and have a lovely weekend friends. xx

PS - I have decided to extend the deadline for my GIVEAWAY until next Friday (26th Oct) so don't forget to enter!

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Etsy...Amy Lawrence Knitted Designs

VIEW HERE

Browsing through my Etsy favourites yesterday and came across Amy Lawrence's fab knitted necklaces so I had to do a quick post to share them with you as they are sooo pretty! I love this one in the grey and coral, totally my colours at the moment...and she does knitted bowties for your chap too! Pop on over to her shop to check out all of the different designs...x

VIEW HERE

All pictures from Amy Lawrence Designs


PS - Thanks to the lovely ladies at ps:heart for al their nice comments on my post yesterday!
Also don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

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blog crush... ps:heart

image from ps:heart

Hello again! I haven't had a blog crush in a while but this one is a real find... ps:heart is run by three fabulous ladies who blog about fashion, diy's, life and the odd 'treat' recipe thrown in for extra tasty measure! Infact I have already tried my hand at one of their recipes below...apologies for the awful pic, it was dark in my kitchen!

Monster Cookies find the recipe HERE

With a name like 'Monster Cookies' I also thought they might be a nice treat for a certain upcoming holiday...these were super simple to make, so good for getting the kids involved during the half term! The recipe calls for M&M's or Reeces Pieces...I had neither so it was some chopped up chocolate instead! If you do have M&M's you could press them into the top to make funny faces!

Hope you enjoy having a browse around this fab blog, I'm sure you will end up pinning a diy, recipe or two!x

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work in progress...

copyright littletree designs

Just a quick peek at a design I have been working on for a Spoonflower competition called 'Be My Hero' for which we had to create a novelty boy's fabric. My mind immediately jumped to the idea of superheros and comic books so I decided to base my idea around that...I'm pleased with the outcome, just a bit wary that maybe it's too violent? What do you think blog friends? x

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colour inspiration...'agate pastels'

source unknown

Hello Monday and hello friends! The sun is shining (at the moment!) and there is a chill in the air...yup the new season is in full swing! So why, you ask, have I chosen a very summery pastel colour inspiration to share with you today? Simple, how could I not when this picture is so beautiful! Unfortunatly I couldn't trace the original source so if you recognise this then please let me know and I will update it...

Good news on the home search...we found one! It needs a fair amount of decoration but then I do love a bit of diy! No news on when we are moving but I will keep you updated as it probably means I may disappear from the blog for a little while...in the mean time why don't you pop over to my Vintage Shop where you can get 25% OFF when you enter the code 'MOVINGMADNESS' plus...if you scroll down you can still enter the GIVEAWAY to win a beautiful vintage folding garland!

Have a good week everyone x

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25% OFF and a GIVEAWAY!

*SHOP HERE*

Yes you heard correctly 25% OFF EVERYTHING! As most of you know I am moving soon and I really would like to sell as much of my Littletree Vintage stock as possible! I have buttons, fabric, bags and more all now with an extra 25% off!

*PLUS AN AWESOME GIVEAWAY!*

 You could win this beautiful vintage folding paper garland!

So all you have to do to be entered into the competition is to follow me here on the blog and leave a comment below! If you already follow me then just leave a comment AND for extra entries...

* Follow me on Twitter

* Follow me on Facebook

* Re-blog / tweet / facebook about this post

Just remember to leave a seperate comment for each! And good luck!
Giveaway closes Midnight Friday 19th October.

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the end of my e-course!

Sad days! Saturday was the very final day of 'class' for the amazing e-course I have been part of since May, The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design...I can't thank Rachael and Beth enough for all their hard work that must have gone into creating such an inspiring and informative course and of course all of the amazing friends and fellow designers that I have met along the way! I just now have to put it all into practise! Eeep!

And so to get us started one of the last exercises we were given on the course was to design two boy's patterns and two placement prints for a real live company! I can't say which but I can share the designs I have come up with so far...it's all very exciting as our designs could get chosen to be part of their portfolio! Anyway enough rambling here they are...I have called the collection 'boys rock!'

As you can see I loved this brief and spent ages creating textures and hand lettering...I'm really pleased but I would love to hear what you think of them, especially if you have kids...would your kids like them?


PS - Sorry I wasn't around yesterday, house stuff kept me busy but thank you to everyone who has left a comment of support it has really helped at this very stressful time!

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pinterest pick of the week...

find this pin here on my Glass. Ceramics and more... board

So here we are again, the end of another long week and unfortunately still no luck on the house front :( but I'm staying positive and hoping something comes up or maybe it just isn't meant to be right now and my mum and I will rent and look again in the new year...life is a funny old thing!

Anyway to help keep my spirits up I have of course been drinking a lot of tea (I am so english, always have a cup of tea in a crisis!) and what could possibly make that age old ritual any better? Drinking it from this fabulous mug by Jilly Bird! You can find the Retro Coffee Pot mug in the shop here along with these other amazing retro inspired mugs below...have an amazing weekend friends x

Left: Retro Storage Jar Mug  //  Right: Orange Casserole Mug

All pictures from the Jilly Bird Folksy Shop

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new etsy finds...Lulu & Luca

Dandy Daisy print cushion

So today is the last day of my new etsy finds...I feel a bit sad, I have loved sharing my finds with you this week! I hope you have been enjoying these posts...anyway for todays final post I have some gorgeous printed products by Lulu & Luca. I love the make-up bags with their bright contrasting zips and pretty vintage fabric linings...especially the one with the print of people riding the Penny Farthing bikes! See more printed pretties in the shop here...see you tomorrow for my pinterest pick of the week!x

Bicycle print make-up bag

Blue Bird print make-up bag

Art Deco Rose teatowel in blue

All images from Lulu & Luca

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new etsy finds...Fortune by Kim Dulaney

Green Fan Necklace

Hello and welcome to day two of my new etsy finds posts! Today is all about the stunning jewellery by Kim Dulaney and her shop Fortune...how gorgeous is this green beauty above? I am seriously coveting that...well and a few other pretties from Kim's shop! I love the chunky necklaces but she has some other more delicate pieces too, like the 'Spike' necklaces below...check out more in Kim's shop Fortune here! See you tomorrow for the last etsy finds post...x

Left: Little Ghost Necklace  //  Right: Turquoise Poof

Spike Necklace

All Images from Fortune by Kim Dulaney

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new etsy finds...Fresh Pastry Stand

Hive Cake Stand

So today I have the first of three posts dedicated to some new Etsy shop discoveries...first up is the delectable Fresh Pastry Stand which sells...yup you guessed it! Beautiful mis-matched vintage china cake stands.

I am a little in love with this shop, it combines two of my all time favourite things! Cake and vintage china...delicious...these are just a few of my favourites from the many beautiful vintage combinations but there are many more! Check out the shop here or if you're interested they are holding a SALE on fab.com from Oct 16-19th. I'll see you tomorrow for another new Etsy find!x

Swiss Chalet in Bloom Cake Stand

Snack Stand

All images from Fresh Pastry Stand

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OCTOBER!?

image from Rhi-Creations blog

Ok, new month, new week, new beginnings! Thank you to everyone who left a comment on friday's post, your words made all the difference and I want to say I love all my virtual friends very much!

So, as it is a new month it is of course time for October's Top 5 Blogs! Are you excited? You should be because this months blogs are brilliant...without further ado here they are! Enjoy, I hope you find a new favourite x

*Fellow Fellow*

Only discovered Fellow Fellow on Friday but I am in love...beautifully curated posts, recipes, diy's, freebie printables and a gorgeous music post on a Friday...PLUS Claire, who writes Fellow Fellow, has a shop packed to the rafters with paper treats! Infact I just have to share these amazing diy bunting banners with you...clever huh?!

image HERE

*Rosie Simons*

Rosie is a fellow e-course student and I have to say she's super talented too! Her blog is packed with her pretty designs, inspirations and musings so go check her out!

*Tabletop Made*

Beautiful and inspiring...need I say more? Oh and they have a fab shop HERE too...

*Mango and Passionfruit*

Fabulous diy projects all collected in one place, great for inspiration on a rainy day...which I'm sure we will have plenty more of here in merry ol' england...ugh

*Love Audrey*

Lovely home and lifestyle blog with some fab recipes thrown in for good measure...you may also spot a Littletree Designs print lurking in the pictures too!

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