Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou

I am catching up with some overdue thankyous.  After I made this house block using one of Ingrid's memory cards she sent me a little package including the original house card and lots of other beauties.  Ingrid's blog is always such a pleasure to visit.  She posts almost every day an idea, a sketch, a thought and it always feels like an inspiring place to visit.  Thankyou Ingrid x

My good friend Kathy, who lives close by, gave me this print for no particular reason, just her generosity.  It is by Marcus Walters and not surprisingly, it is about to live in my kitchen where I can sit and stare at it while drinking tea.  I love overlapping colours in screen prints and bits where the the teapot and biscuit jar lids overlap and the spoons are 'in' the cups just thrill me.  Thankyou Kathy x

And Mia of the pretty colourful blog Mia's Handmade kindly sent me this award.

It always feels like sunny weather on Mia's blog.  Her work is so colourful and optimistic.  Thankyou Mia!  With awards, I like to send you to new places so these are my Sunshine recommendations:

http://www.japanesesewingbooks.com/  Yifarn shares tips, translations and free patterns from Japanese books.  A very generous blog with lots of resources.

http://www.retrotogo.com/ Regular, often daily posts on retro and retro styled finds.  Bad for my wallet but good for vintage style!

 http://www.spoon-tamago.com/ An international blog based in Tokyo and New York showcasing all aspects of Japanese design

Pat Sloan's show- this episode features Nanette from Freda's Hive and I could identify with so much of what she said about design and fabric choices.  You can find it for free on itunes!