Friday 28 September 2012

pinterest pick of the week...

Find this pin HERE on my Pattern board

Hello my blog friends...well I hope your week has been better than mine, everything is happening here and not necessarily in a good way. This is an emotionally heavy post so I am warning you in advance for the rambling...

Now you may not know but I still live at home, my meagre wage doesn't allow me to rent anywhere...but now my parents are finally separating, which is a good thing as they are miserable together! It means a lot of upheaval and also...house hunting...which is driving my mum and I mad!!

So instead of spending my time working I'm scouring house sites and my brain has become packed with house prices and road names instead of pretty pattern ideas...I can't focus on anything, which frustrates me and then I beat myself up for not having done any work! I just want to move, get settled and then I feel like we can all move on...thanks for listening (or rather reading) friends. I have a few new Etsy shop discoveries to share with you next week so I do hope you will pop back. Have a lovely weekend xxx


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Wednesday 26 September 2012

buttons buttons buttons...FOR SALE!





Hello all! Sorry for the disappearing act this week but life is super hectic at the moment so posts may be a bit sporadic in the coming weeks! I have managed to photograph and list the buttons in my Vintage Shop though, I thought the easiest (and cheapest) way to do this was to group them together into price brackets (£3, £2 and so on...) then label each individual set of buttons, as shown below...




...so the idea is that I am only listing the quantity as 1 so that when one set sells I can renew the item with the sold item marked as no longer available. As these are one off items I can only sell them once...I don't want to wake up one morning for two sales of the same buttons!

Is this confusing? Hmm...maybe a bit, but it saves me time and money bulk listing...what do you think friends? I value your opinion!

Anyway if you want to buy or just browse these button beauties then pop over HERE! Have a great rest of week and I hope to post again soon. x


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Friday 21 September 2012

pinterest pick of the week...

Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting Recipe HERE  //  Green Cupcake fabric HERE

Happy Friday everyone! Did you know that is has been National Cupcake Week this week? So in honour of such an occasion I have chosen two pins that combine my favourites things...baking and pattern! How amazingly yummy do those cupcakes look?! And the fabulous colours...which just happen to match the pattern on the fabric that I found over at Fabric Rehab....Delicious...Enjoy the weekend friends and I'll see you Monday. x


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Thursday 20 September 2012

new pattern...furry felines


Inspired by my own ball of ginger fur I designed a cute little cat pattern for all you feline lovers out there! Hopefully in the larger pic you can make out their furry little faces a bit better. I can definitely see this pattern on products in somewhere like Pets At Home...what do you think friends?



My own little Nala Bear snoozing on the bed...and not my desk chair thank goodness!

All Photos and Designs Copyright Littletree Designs.


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Wednesday 19 September 2012

new products coming soon to littletree vintage...


Just a quick post today...thought I would share a few snapshots of some products that will be making their way into the vintage shop very soon...And thanks for all of your lovely Mog related comments from yesterdays post, I loved reading them!


These beautiful doilies, tablecloths and table runners all sunning themselves after a good wash...my Mum may want some of the tablecloths but the doilies will definitely be making their way into the shop! Oh there are about 20 doilies...not just these two!


Buttons, buttons and more buttons! These are just a small sample...all stitched on card and ready for their photo shoot tomorrow...I promise I don't just have brown, they just got organised first! I also have pretty glass ones and some enormous unusual one offs, so start saving those pennies now!

PS - notice my corner cutter in the picture? I LOVE IT! Everything I make now comes with rounded corners...it's a new addiction!


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Tuesday 18 September 2012

beautiful books...The Adventures of Mog


Well...I had a look back yesterday and I have not done a beautiful books post since March! So today I have one of my childhood favourites...The Adventures of Mog by the wonderful Judith Kerr.

This wasn't my original book, I had seperate books for each story, but since we didn't have them anymore and I saw this copy of all the stories at a car boot I had to get them to keep. I don't remember much about the story Mog and the baby...but I loved the original Mog the Forgetful Cat and Mog's Christmas stories. I love the illustrations and Mog's various expressions! I particularly like the picture with everyone around the Christmas tree, it's so colourful and happy...and of course the classic Mog picture below.

So enjoy this little trip down memory lane...do you have any Mog stories friends? x





All Pictures from The Adventures of Mog by Judith Kerr
 
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Monday 17 September 2012

Washi Nails come to life!



Hello all! Did you have a nice weekend? Now do you remember these nail designs from last week? Well one of the girls on my e-course had taken it upon herself to copy them onto her own nails! The post went up yesterday and they look so awesome I just had to share them with you! So above and below are the original designs...




...and here are the real life versions! You can see more pictures and a little interview with myself over on Majo's blog La Patisserie Des Idees! Have a great week everyone x



Top two images Copyright Littletree Designs.
Bottom two images Copyright Majo.bv.


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Friday 14 September 2012

pinterest pick of the week...

pin can be found on my board Furniture Love...

Oooh yes please! Is what I have been saying about every item here since I discovered this picture (via Patchwork Harmony) and the shop Lovely & Company this week...a fabulous treasure trove of vintage goodies and modern designer accessories that are truly drool worthy!

For some extra picture goodness on a Friday I have added a few of my favourites from the shop below ( I am in love with that little orange lamp!)...hope you all have good weekends friends!x

Sideboard HERE
Cushions HERE
Lamp HERE

All Pictures from Lovely and Company


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Thursday 13 September 2012

e-course update module 3...



So I did promise a little update on the e-course happenings this week...we have had a lot of information about selling our designs this week which has been invaluable! So there has been lots of reading and notetaking (which isn't very exciting for you guys!) but we have had a few projects along the way too.

First up we had a brief to design nail art for a fictional Japanese company so of course I immediately thought 'what's more Japanese than Washi tape!?' so that's where the above designs have come from!




Next up we had another brief to design a range of gift wrap that didn't use florals...for some reason I really struggled with this! So I came up with a range of designs that could be used for a variety of celebratory occasions...I then developed some of these to include matching ribbons, gift tags, stickers and bags as a whole collection. (below)

Hope you have enjoyed this little catch up friends!x



All Designs Copyright Littletree Designs
Do not re-blog without permission. Thanks x


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Wednesday 12 September 2012

littletree bakes...lemon curd and blueberry sponge



Another yummy 'bake' for you guys today...This cake is so simple plus super tasty and zingy from the lemon and blueberries...although I still can't figure out a way to make the blueberries not sink in the sponge mix, anyone know of a way? It still tasted pretty good anyhow, the perfect little slice to have with an afternoon tea or coffee...


Ingredients
  • 4oz Soft Butter or Marg
  • 4oz Caster Sugar
  • 4oz Self Raising Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Blueberries
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • Lemon Curd
  • Icing Sugar to decorate

Let's Bake!
  • Preheat your oven to 190c. Grease and line a round tin (roughly 20cm).
  • In a large bowl mix the Butter and Sugar until fluffy and lighter in colour. 
  • Gradually add in the Eggs, Vanilla and Flour until you have a thick fluffy mix.
  • Carefully stir a handful of blueberries and the lemon zest through the mix and then spread evenly in the tin.
  • Dollop a few half teaspoons of Lemon Curd randomly on top of the mix and swirl through with the a skewer. 
  • Scatter a few more blueberries on top and push into the mix slightly.
  • Pop in the oven for about 30-40mins or until golden and cooked through. Check with a skewer to be extra sure.
  • Leave to cool before dusting with the icing sugar.
  • Put the kettle on, make a cuppa and enjoy! 




All pics taken by me.

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Tuesday 11 September 2012

I leave the room for two minutes and...

a very stroppy looking Nala

...the cat takes my place! This is most definitley the face of a cat who knows she has done wrong but is ceratinly not going to give back the chair without a fight...I only went to make a cup of tea!

Lot's of e-course work going on this week, big live projects for actual companies and everything! I will post an update soon I promise...x


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Monday 10 September 2012

Etsy...Toodles Noodles

Let's Celebrate set of 5 Gift Tags

Hello everyone, I trust you all had good weekends? I thought we would start the week off with something fun and colourful...I discovered the Toodles Noodles shop last week whilst researching non-floral giftwrap for an e-course project, one quick look and I was hooked! For a start a lot of their designs are printed on brown kraft paper and I LOVE anything on brown paper (don't ask me why!) and they just have the best products and design ideas! I can't wait to see what they have in store for christmas...yes I know I said the 'c' word but us designers and shop owners have to start thinking ahead, as much as they may dislike it!

Anyhoo I hope you enjoy this little discovery of mine and pop by the shop for a visit here...have a good week
everyone x


A selection of Wrapping Paper
Hurray for Bunting Kraft Bag Gift Kit
Stay Awesome A5 Notepad


All pictures from the Toodles Noodles Etsy shop

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Friday 7 September 2012

pinterest pick of the week...

find this pin HERE on my Cards and Wrap board

Another Friday and our first week into September is over! My week has been a bit blah...lot's of stress around here lately, freaking out about life in general etc...I'm sure it happens to us all! Anyhoo this little trio of cards really perked up my spirits, 1 there is a cat in a bowtie, 2 a Don Draper style hat and 3 I just love the pretty colours! I would be happy to receive any one of these for my birthday.

Hope you all have a good weekend friends and don't forget my special 10% discount for Littletree Vintage runs until Sunday! Just type in SHOPOPEN10PERCENT at the checkout...x


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Thursday 6 September 2012

these are a few of my favourite things...

view listing HERE
view listing HERE
view listing HERE

Hello friends, thought I would share a few Littletree Vintage shop favourites with you today and also to remind you that my lovely blog readers (that's you!) still get 10% off until Sunday with the code SHOPOPEN10PERCENT so why not treat yourself to a little something...x


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Wednesday 5 September 2012

colour inspiration...'bloom hues'

image HERE

How beautiful is this flower arrangement? I love the big blousy blooms mixed with the structural succulents, plus it makes for a great colour palette inspiration...soft pinks, oranges with dusty blues...just lovely and perfect for this sunny day... x


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Tuesday 4 September 2012

littletree loves...WowHaus

see more HERE
see more HERE
see more HERE
see more HERE

...WOW...

Yup I know, that is the only way to describe these houses...probably why they are on the amazing drool-worthy site Wow Haus and they are for sale! I found this site a few weeks back via Jane Foster's blog and have been visiting on a daily basis ever since...I can't help but gawk at the retro fabulousness and pray for my lotto numbers to come up! For the time being though I am quite happy browsing the pretty pictures and feeling sad for the more neglected run down ones...visit the site HERE at your peril...x


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Monday 3 September 2012

Littletree Vintage is OPEN!


SHOP HERE!


Happy Monday everyone! Yes as you may remember a million years ago I did mention something about opening a vintage shop and today I have finally done it...New month, new venture! It's going to be a sort of pop-up shop, so once all of the items I have collected are sold (or expire!) then I will wait until I have more goodies and open again...

So, I hear you say, what sort of things does Littletree Vintage sell? Well it sells all sorts! I have huge pieces of fabric selling for silly money because I can't be bothered to cut it up smaller and list it all...so that's a real bargain! I have some lovely retro bags I'm selling mainly because I have too many! But my favourite has to be the paper garlands and matching star...these look amazing when hung up and would be great at any party!

And there is still more to come! I have just acquired lot's lovely vintage buttons which need a clean and sort and then they will be up here too...PLUS because I love all of my blog friends I am giving you an offer for an extra 10% off this first week! Just enter the coupon name below at the checkout...I hope you stop by! x

10% Coupon Code: SHOPOPEN10PERCENT
(Ends Sunday 9th Sept)


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