Wow...it's been 10 years!

Hello to all still out there in Blog Land! I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted here...ALOT has happened as I'm sure it has for you all!

I'm just popping a very brief post here to say that if you are still interested in what I'm up to these days then I'd love for you to follow me over on Instagram on my new account Greenwood Studio UK where I am still designing!

I currently sell digital downloads and templates for weddings and parties on Etsy (HERE) but am looking to diversify and update/bring back some of my favourite Littletree Designs work and develop new stuff too!

Hope your all well blog friends and maybe I'll see you over on Instagram, pop me a 'hello' if you stop by!

Rebecca x

Ooh it's been a while!

So...yeah I've been super busy! Which I suppose is no bad thing. Plus the weather has been so lovely who hasn't been out and about enjoying it! 

So one of the few things I have been doing is helping my sister re-brand her business (she is a Personal Trainer...) and build a new website, it's handy having a sister with a creative background, but I suppose I get free fitness classes in return. She has also decided to start her own blog too so of course I have been advising her on all things blog-land! Seems like a million years ago that I started out...anyway here is a little sneak peak of the website.

Greenwood Fitness Website // designed by Littletree Designs

Something else that has happened is I have signed up to work with the company Gibson Holt! I saw the call for submissions (below) on their blog and sent off a few collections I had ready and thought they might like...and they e-mailed back saying they did! 

Needless to say I was a little shocked! After so many submissions and competition entries over the years with no luck...a random, just for the hell of it, submission was the winner!

from gibsonholt blog

And finally...here is a shot of the latest table that I have worked on with Rachel of Vintage Actually. She took it to the Vintage Home show in Manchester over the weekend and sold it! We both agreed that the colours and combination of the wood worked really well. I hope whoever bought it is happy!

Photo by Rachel / Vintage Actually

So that's whats been happening in my world the past few weeks! What have you all been up to?

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a littletree weekend...sunshine!

all photos from my instagram feed

A few snapshots of Mersea Island marina from my visit to my grandparents yesterday, they are lucky enough to live on the island. And we were lucky enough to have such glorious weather, look at that sky! Everyone was out enjoying it, dog walkers, kids catching crabs, couples and families eating out on benches or like us people just out for a stroll...I hope you enjoyed your weekend if you had nice weather or not!x

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littletree loves...books and tea by Alaina Ho

all images by Alaina Ho via Skillshare

I love a bit of hand lettering or a good famous quote and these designs by Alaina Ho is the perfect combination of both. C.S.Lewis got it so right when he said this, why does the tea always run out and the story have to end? Maybe that's why I have been reading so many trilogies recently...as for the neverending cup of tea I guess I will just have to read in the kitchen! 

Have a lovely weekend friends, unfortunately I hear it is meant to be raining here yet again so it is of course the perfect excuse for staying in with a good book and a cuppa! If you are suffering the effects of flooding then I hope you stay safe and as warm and dry as you can. x

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a new member of the family...

In November we lost our family dog Jess. She had been ill (although it was never discovered what was wrong exactly) and after a few weeks we decided it was best for her to be put to sleep. The picture above is of her curled up in a basket that is really far too small for her...

Nala our cat wouldn't admit it but she missed Jess and the opportunity to torment her on a regular basis...cats will be cats! So we decided after Christmas that we would find her a little playmate...in comes little Eva. 

Evas' mother was found pregnant in an empty shop, luckily by an avid cat lover, and so she was rescued and taken home to have her kittens safely. Four months on and little Eva has a new family here with us and although it's only been two weeks it is safe to say she has made herself at home...and more importantly Nala has a new friend. x

All photos taken from my Instagram

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littletree loves...BRÅKIG Collection at Ikea

All pictures in this post were taken from the Ikea Image Library

I know a million and one bloggers have posted about the new Ikea limited edition BRÅKIG collection being released this week (1st Feb!) but I had to share a few of my favourites and the excitement that in only 10 days I will be off to my local branch to drool over said products in person! And then stand there for a few hours deciding just how much I can afford to bring home...

...it's going to be hard to resist these cups and saucers but pretty storage is always handy and great for hiding paperwork...well that's what I'll be telling myself anyway! Have a good week friends x

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Vintage Actually collaboration update...

photo by Rachel Jones / Vintage Actually via Twitter

photo by Rachel Jones / Vintage Actually via Twitter

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my post earlier in the week readers! Here is a quick update and photos of the two tables that will be listed for sale soon at Vintage Actually.  Hope you like them and have a great weekend! x

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littletree listens to...Dan Croll

I heard this song (Home by Dan Croll) a little while ago and loved it so much I immediately listened to everything else he had out on You Tube! I then followed Dan on Facebook as I knew I would want to buy the album when it came out...and last week he announced it was due to release on the 10th March! If you haven't heard this yet then do give it a listen, I just love the quirky lyrics...I hope the rest of the album is as good! Enjoy x

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is it really 2014!?

So as you may have noticed I haven't been around in a while! I'm sure many of you fellow bloggers will understand that 24/7 blogging can get tiring and I think I just lost my enthusiasm for it. Plus I didn't want to blog about any old stuff just to fill the days. So from now on you may see less of me but I will still pop in with news and inspiration from time to time!

First of all I hope you all had lovely Christmases (is that a word!?) and New Years and the weather where you are hasn't been too bad...I'm not sure I could cope with the freezing temperatures some places in America had!

Second I have some exciting news...for the past few months I have been collaborating on a project with Rachel Jones who runs online store Vintage Actually. She contacted me a while ago about using some of my designs to print onto up-cycled tabletops which was exciting as it combined two of my big passions...design and retro furniture! 

It has taken some time and testing (and stretching my Photoshop skills to the limit!) but the first table is finished and I must say it looks great! I can't show you the picture yet but here is a photo of a tester table Rachel shared on Twitter...

photo by Rachel Jones/Vintage Actually

...it got a great response so I'm hoping they will be a success! In the mean time why don't you pop by Rachels shop Vintage Actually to drool over the other retro gems she has in store...you won't be disappointed!

Rebecca x

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Etsy...New Shop Discoveries!

I found these three great Etsy shops in only the past few days, strange how it works like that isn't it? I love each of these products so much I just had to share them with you. Any friends/family reading this...major present hints!

1// Being permanently cold during the winter months fingerless gloves are a neccessity for me, especially working at the computer all day! These funky multi coloured ones by Rainbow Mittens are right up my street and I love the tiny band of blue around the thumb...

2// Ok so these Safari Tape Holders are the cutest things EVER! Such a fun way to display all those pretty washi tapes...I love the lion, ooh and the rhino...and the deer...well all of them really!

3// These male/female signs made from acrylic, topped with japanese papers and resin to look like ceramic tiles from Mooza are so clever and of course pretty! I would be happy to stick them up on my bathroom door...or any door! They also do letters too...

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design-a-week challenge...week 1

copyright littletree designs

copyright littletree designs

So...first week of the challenge and I have just realised I haven't put a time limit on this challenge! 12 weeks seems like a good idea and it will bring us up to (eeep!) christmas... This first design (plus additional placement design) is a combination of an old design that I never got around to completing and the little illustration that I made for my website, as shown below...

I'm really pleased with the newer versions and I loved playing around with the oppacity and adding texture...I hope you like what you see! x

copyright littletree designs

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sunday busy sunday...

Jay Roeder

So far today I have...

Fed all the animals...whilst tripping over the cat and trying to stop a chicken on her mission to sneak past me and out of the gate to freedom...

Fed myself...

Filled up bird feeder...forgot that I haven't been feeding the birds since mum went on holiday...

Put washing on...

Walked the dog, tried not to get blown away in the process...

Hung washing up inside as it was so windy...after cursing at my mother for not putting the airer back where it has lived for the past 6 months, which resulted in half an hour of stomping around the house looking for it...under the bed anyone?!

Picking up dog poo...cleaning cat litter tray...delightful jobs as always!

Sorting the recycling and food waste...

Wrestled with the tarpaulin covering our garden bench and chairs as it was threatening to blow away...the solution? Lot's of bricks...

Decided that I wouldn't be eating a whole bowl of tomatoes before my mum returns from holiday so not wanting to waste them decided to make a roasted tomato and pepper soup...

Lot's of washing up...

Finally sat down and had lunch slumped in front of the TV watching food network...

The animals then decided it was time for their lunch too...and so the whole process begins again!

Happy Sunday everyone! x

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pinterest pick of the week...

from my board Tea and more... by Laura Caldentey

Well the week started so well with the sun still clinging to summer, but by today autumn has well and truly arrived... This illustraton by Laura Caldentey sums up exactly how I have been feeling about the new season, a big chunky scarf and an enormous cup of tea...autumn perfection. To be fair we have had a rather glorious summer for a change so I can say with joy that I am looking forward to chillier nights, soup, scarves and jumpers! Have a lovely weekend and I will see you on Monday for my first Design-a-Week challenge post...x

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blog love...oh no rachio!

I haven't posted about a new blog crush in...well a looong time! But this one is a goodie... OH NO Rachio! is the blog of Rachel Basinger and is clearly a girl after my own heart...she blogs about food, bakes awesome cakes (see pic below), has amazing diy's to try AND shes also a designer with a great Etsy shop packed with goodies! I highly recommend a visit asap...x

picture from OH NO Rachio!

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design-a-week challenge...

Hello lovely peeps! Now I briefly mentioned on monday about taking part in a new Design-a-Week Challenge...it isn't an official challenge just something I came across on the blog of Jessica Hogarth last week and thought 'hey, that's actually achieveable!'

As I said Monday I have been busy with house DIY and my design work has been put on the back burner for a fair few months so this challenge will help me ease back into the swing of things (hopefully!) The plan is to share with you each Monday a new design or two that could later become part of a new collection. But for now I thought I would share a few designs by Jessica Hogarth that she has created so far during her challenge...

 All Images Copyright Jessica Hogarth

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a littletree weekend...

1// Enjoying the funky birdie pattern on my new pj's from Primark...via instagram

2// Yes that is me holding a snake! I am snake-sitting for a friend this week...lot's of my friends and family think I'm mad!

3// I have decided to start trying to complete a Design-a-Week challenge like the one Jessica Hogarth and  Jules McKeown of Yuyu have been doing for the past few weeks. I've been so distracted from my design work with DIY on the house so I thought this small challenge would help me get back in the swing of things!

4// Finally getting around to framing the fantastic Famille Summerbelle print I got for my birthday.  

Have a good week friends and I hope you are enjoying our slightly extended summer!x

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pinterest pick of the week...

Cat Naps by Peskimo

Not sure why but this week I seemed to have pinned quite a few cat images to my Cat Stuff... board, must be a lot of cat lovers around! This little black kitty above has to be my favourite though, snoozing on all those beautiful mid-century chairs...what a lucky cat! I think I just love the colour aswell, that pretty mint with the striking black... You can buy the print from Peskimo's Etsy shop and check out all their other fab prints too. Have a lovely weekend blog friends and I'll see you next week. x

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littletree bakes...mary berrys' devonshire scones

image copyright littletree designs

Mary Berry is the queen of baking here in the uk, thanks to the success of the fabulous TV series The Great British Bake Off (aren't you loving the new series so far?!) And it is her personal mission to get everyone baking, a grand idea in my book!

With the traditional English Afternoon Tea on the rise in the past few years I have been in need of a foolproof scone recipe...and this is it! I will not tell you what I did because I did exactly as Mary instructed, apart from adding in a few chopped cranberries in at the end...I love cranberries but you could add whatever dried fruit you like. I also used a square, yes square, fluted cutter for my scones which I think gives them a little modern edge.

Follow the recipe HERE, do it exactly as she says and you will end up with perfect scones. It is a super simple recipe, she uses the food processor rather than all that finger flapping stuff and they take no time at all. Infact by the time I had popped them in the oven and cleaned up they were ready!

Oh and you can freeze them...so if like me you are a 2 person household and 10 scones is just too much in one sitting then once they are baked and cooled pop them in a sealed bag and freeze. Simply defrost and (to quote Mary) 'refresh in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes.'

These really are the ultimate scone and perfect for breakfast or part of an afternoon tea. They were so nice I just ate one on it's own fresh out of the oven, no butter, jam, anything...just with a cup of tea. Bliss...x

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littletree listens to... Daughter

Just popping in to say hello September! Wow the summer has really flown by... Today I want to share with you a recent music purchase of mine, the album If You Leave by Daughter. I only discovered the music of Daughter a few weeks ago but I was instantly compelled to download the album as I loved the soulful, ethereal music and gorgeous vocals... This video is of one of my favourite tracks from the album, Youth. If you're interested then you can hear more on the Daughter website...x

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littletree loves...debenhams / ben de lisi A/W 13/14

main image via Debenhams

Phew! What a busy week...I don't feel like I have sat down much, apart from when my new Living Etc mag turned up of course. That requires a cup of tea and no disturbing for at least an hour...as usual there is always plenty of gorgeous things to swoon over but inside there was a little promotional section all about Debenhams designer ranges for the new season and this image above in particular caught my design eye...all taken from the Ben de Lisi collection. So I hopped on over to their website to check out more...

For starters there is a great range of cushions (1) in particular I like the one with the tape measure pattern and the cute felt house (4) with it's little red roof! The fun paperclip hooks (3) would be great in a kids bedroom (or a big kids hallway!) For the kitchen I love these teatowels (5) with recipe printed on them in a quirky handwritten scrawl. Finally are these two amazing side tables (2) I just ADORE them! Now according the magazine they are part of the collection and are a set of two for £95...but they have yet to appear online so I cannot link to them! Don't you just love their candy colours and skinny little legs!? 

If you want to see more of what is in the new Debenhams home collection you can view their brochure online HERE...hope you all have a nice weekend and I'll see you next week. x

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