Designing days and new designs

 To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity

 in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.

William Blake

Having been to Devon for the Bank Holiday weekend and dogging the rain that was determined to try and get us, I had the most wonderful time.

On the Saturday I went hunting in the many antique shops that were there and came home with a bag of treasures!  I bought a bundle of antique lace still in its original wrapper and some beautiful mop buttons, plus some wonderful vintage hankies for my project and a dear little pillow case for our bed. I have to get an inner for it and then it can sit on our bed with pride! There are lots of antique shops in Honiton and I went to them all but I found my favourite as it has stitchery in it....

On Sunday we went to Beer and the weather was very hot and sunny.  We walked around the town then went beach combing amongst the rock pools and pebbles. When the sun danced on the sea it turned all sorts of wonderful shades of greens and blues and

there were wild flowers growing from the rocks.  There is something about Beer that is so magical.

Also on the Sunday there was a craft fair in the town and I popped in to have a look
and found a lady who made beautiful dishes out of clay... I had to bring home two, they are stunning.  One is a soap dish with drainage holes and the other is for a spare soap.  Both of which are in our spare room on the vanity unit now!

I took a little journal with me for ideas that I might have and have come away with so many ideas that I am glad I wrote them down.  Wandering around in different places helps you see so many different and wonderful things that trigger ideas... It was wonderful.

The wild life is abundant, although the rain made them very shy ( preferring to stay warm and cosy somewhere than come out to say hello!.. and I don't blame them) We are going back this month and hope that everyday is sunny and then sat in our friends garden by the waterfall and having alfresco meals will give me even more ideas.  In the evenings there we still had log burners going and it was cosy with the rain tapping on the windows.....

So I have come home bursting with enthusiasm and ideas which now will be made into designs and in the coming months will be made as well.  From my little journal of ideas and tiny sketches I am going to have a couple of days with my design journal and sketch and gather fabrics, threads and buttons for the projects... I will probably do a little watercolours as well just to try and get the colours on paper that I can see in my head for each design.  I love my designing days and in this really horrid weather we are having it is a lovely uplifting thing to be doing.

So today I am away to my stitchery room to gather some bits and then I am going to sit at my dinning table and look out at our garden and the rain that keeps coming and going.  The rest of this week is about designing and then it is back to my stitching on Monday....

Have a great day and Happy Stitching!

Vintage hankies, French ribbon, Lace in original 

packaging and a lovely little pink embroidered silks case.