Laura Baillie Designs ..... things

gluten free journey - recipe by Roost

2012-01-30T16:27:00.000Z

Riesling Poached Pear Tart with Chai Spiced Custard & Almond Crust

My latest discovery.... Roost blog.

Take a wander through Cailtin's beautiful world of food styled so magnificently.

Every morsel is simply yet mouth wateringly photographed.

This recipe is Gluten, Grain & Dairy free!!!!

create . . . . tutorials

2012-01-25T13:18:00.000Z

the cheese thief

If you do nothing else this week you simply must pop by and meet the cheese thief!

This lady is a demon with paper and shows us how to craft and create beautiful things from paper.

These fandabby envelopes look perfect for all our hand made Valentine cards and I am going to try my hand at this super cute bookmark this afternoon.

Thank you The Cheese Thief for sharing your paper wisdom!

images via thecheesethief's blog

Paws for thought

2012-01-13T12:04:00.001Z

top left - curious george balloon ride top right - wiener dog dachshund pillow

bottom left - black dog art print bottom right - weimaraner pop art print

What a boootiful selection of doggy delights!

For those of you who don't know, I also run tails of tranquility with MrLB,

so I have a love of all things furry.

But please don't worry about LBD, the pooches are NOT allowed in my studio

(much to their dismay I have a tall child gate across the door too!)

So no need to worry that the dogs help with my jewellery making!

xoxox

Look what I found....

2012-01-10T14:06:00.000Z

* paper loveliness *

whimsy whimsical paper goods

blackout well

Rebekkaseale

Things, they are a changing.... in the kitchen...

2012-01-09T00:08:00.001Z

gluten free girl

I'm not sure how honest I have been here with you all. But no more looking to the past, it is all about today and a better future. I don't want this blog to become the home of my worries, moans and woes, but I feel that being honest with everyone now is the way forward.

(My diary and journals are where I unload all this stuff!)

For the last 12 years I have been suffering from panic attacks and agoraphobia. This means my life is lead from my home and garden, with the very occasional trip outside in the wide world. As I said before I don't want to bore you all with all the ins and outs of this, just that this is where I am at.

I have tried breathing, medication, hypnosis, EFT, and lots of other interesting alternative remedies. I have been to see a whole array of Physcologists etc, and not to say they haven't work entirely it not true. But ultimately I am still sitting here anxious and in the house!

Last week I was speaking with a very wise woman, Gwen, and she has suggested that I try a gluten free diet because this may be having a huge impact on my mental state of harmony. I am willing to try absolutely anything to help me move to a different place with in my head. So because this is such a huge and exciting revelation (having read so much this weekend about the connections between gluten intolerance and depression, it seems like they are talking about me!).

And since this is the home of my creativity, or sometimes lack of it, and this is a creative eating and cooking journey I am embarking on, I thought I would share it here.

gluten free lemon drizzle cake

I love food. Cooking and eating are a huge part of my life, and at first the thought of changing what I have been doing for the last 25 years of my life filled me with THE FEAR. But I have found some wonderful blogs, recipes and Tesco's Free From Range, so it ain't going to be as awful as I thought. And most importantly, I have nothing to loose.... and everything to gain.

So here I am on day 2 of a gluten free life. So far I have had very odd tasting white gf pasta and cheap and extremely bland white gf bread. But these were just some staples that the lovely MrLB brought me home on Friday night. So far I have no exciting recipes to share that I have tried, but plenty I am going to!

I have started a board on pinterest to collect all the tasty finds on my journey.

So watch this space, a gluten free space, and heres to a new beginning!

create . . . . tutorials

2012-01-06T15:17:00.000Z

This is a beautiful idea, isn't it! I know so many people who take great care to make sure they have the perfect snack for all the little feathered friends that come to visit their gardens. This would be the perfect gifts for all these folks. I found this DIY project on pinterest via Marja and the idea came from Stylizmo blog

I love .... layering

2012-01-04T18:34:00.000Z

layer it up....

via

via

When you wish upon a star

2012-01-02T00:39:00.001Z

my wishes for 2012

that I find strength
that I find courage
that i create as my maker intended
that I am true to my self
that all of my loved ones find peace and have days filled with joy

what are your wishes for the year ahead?
xoxox

I love ....

2011-12-31T22:05:00.000Z

my new diana f + camera

the possibilities......

image via pinterest

via pinterest

Merry Christmas from Laura Baillie Designs

2011-12-23T16:34:00.000Z

Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a peace filled Christmas and your New year is filled with love and joy.

December seems to have flashed by before me, it is such a busy time of year.

I am looking forward to spending time with friends & family, enjoying beautiful food and walks and snuggles with furry friends.

The shop will open again on the 14th of Jan.

xoxox

image by Shelter via pinterest

Christmas Wreath Tutorials

2011-12-10T17:24:00.000Z

noun

a circular band of flowers, foliage, or any ornamental work,for adorning the head or for any decorative purpose; agarland or chaplet.

a beautiful assortment of things in this wreath by thelittleappartment

a beautiful creation made from toilet roll tubes! by allthingspaper

paper doily wreath by martha

Christmas Garland tutorials

2011-12-05T11:32:00.000Z

noun

a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, or other material,worn for ornament or as an honor or hung on something as adecoration: A garland of laurel was placed on the winner'shead.

via creaturecomfortsblog

via ontobaby

This is just tiny teeny selection of the many garland tutorials I have found lately.

You can have a look at rest here, in my crafty tutorials pinterest board.

What I love most about paper garlands is that you don't need lots of materials and gadgets. Simply find paper, scissors, cello tape and some sort of stringing material..... and some inspiration!

Some of my favourite garland designs are so simple and made using book pages or brown paper.

Are you making a garland this year? I would love to hear about your garland ideas and creations!

Days of Christmas - 4th day of Christmas

2011-12-04T16:11:00.000Z

I love the festive season.... the lights.......

modernhepburn

warm and comforting food.....

afarmgirlsdabbles

recycled wrapping....

soapdelinews

and of course all the craftiness one person could manage!

To honour my new addiction/ hobby, surfing and escaping into Pinterest I would like to share my daily finds with you here on my count down to Christmas. I will start tomorrow with my "on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me......."

xoxox

Gifts for Girls

2011-11-17T15:44:00.000Z

Thank you everyone who came along to my Gifts for Girls gathering at the weekend.

A wonderful weekend was had by all!

Things I learned this weekend

* plan ahead and ask someone to take snaps for me during the gatherings.

* don't go crazy daft with the nibbles. my amazing mum helped me make canapes that could have fed 5000 people, instead of 50! next time I will go for crisps and little cheeky chocolate treats.

* always make 50 more Christmas cards than I think I'll need. i have been doing these parties for the last 5 years and every year I sell all of my cards and take orders. Each year I look at my notes and see how many cards I made last year and add 15 or so. Not any more, plus 50 from now on.

* women love hearts and birds.... no brainer really. i love hearts and birds!

On the home front

Time seems to be flying by and with each day I feel more and more settled into our new home. Everyone keeps saying it takes time to get things to how you want them, and I know that. I suppose that's what made this weekend so special, the front room was transformed from box and ikea bag storage into a warm and cosey room.

I will give you all a guided tour and do some befores and afters too.

xoxox

New beginnings for Laura Baillie Designs

2011-10-09T21:35:00.000+01:00

I have just moved house from our lovely tenement flat to our very own house!

Amongst other things I am working on organising my new studio space and getting the shop ready for the holiday season. I'll take a snap of the chaos tomorrow and hope to have everything properly set up nest week. If all goes to plan it will be a delightful transformation, (fingers crossed!)

During the move and the time when all my jewels were packed away I have been working on new designs and started working on them this week. I am so excited about the simplicity and natural elements of the designs but mostly the personal meaning of each piece. I have mentioned before that most semi precious gem stones have healing properties. I love the idea that I can wear a stone close to me as a reminder of health, strength and spiritual wisdom.

I am also working towards a festive party, Gifts for Girls. If you are in the area and would like to head along please get in touch and I'll give you directions. Tell your friends and bring them along too!

So now that I am getting settled I'll be posting my creative pursuits more regularly.

xoxox

Competition time!

2011-09-28T16:38:00.000+01:00

name that chain

this months competition was to help me decide on a name for this new silver charm necklace.

Entrants had to share this Facebook post on their page, then leave me a comment with their suggestions.

Thank you soooo much to everyone who joined in and gave me their fantastic names. All 50 of you!!!!

To keep it all above board I wrote out all suggestions, folded them up, and put them in my favourite bowl.

Drum roll please.......

........................

1st prize goes to Caroline McLaren

for "Come fly with me"

Congratulations Caroline, you'll get your very own

"come fly with me" charm necklace in the post!

But with so many wonderful suggestions I just couldn't leave it there.......

I love this suggestion by Melanie Smith.

I think this is the perfect name for this necklace, don't you?

This little bird charm necklace is now called "On the wings of love". Thank you Melanie! You win 50% off any item in my shop! I will send you a message on Facebook with your winning code.

But please do not be disheartened all of the rest of you who didn't win. I would like to offer you all a 25% discount code, as a huge thank you for taking part in my competition. I will send you all messages via FB with your codes.

Thank you again to everyone who joined in, keep those creative juices flowing for next months competition!

Treasury love

2011-08-15T21:28:00.000+01:00

My It's raining again earrings have been sneeking into lots of treasuries on Etsy lately.

I always feel so warm and fuzzy when people chose something of mine, of all the products on Etsy, to feature my creations.

This selection "Rainy Day" was curated by Simooone, who makes amazingly funky felt creations.

I wish she had these in my size!

Quotes that move me

2011-08-07T20:04:00.000+01:00

Four weeks on Friday until the big move, so I am doing lots of sorting, planning and packing. I must say I am a bit of a loss without all my little creative projects and materials just at hand, but I know it is not long now until I have them all unpacked in my new studio!

Things over at the shop are keeping me busy along with Tails of Tranquility.

I am working on new designs in my sketch book at the moment because my model and extra beads are all packed away.

This quote moves me every time I read it.

Just a reminder about what is actually important in life!

What quotes do you love and what do they mean to you?

colour crush

2011-07-31T23:34:00.000+01:00

:: via ::

unknown

:: via ::

Tastey inspiration

2011-07-28T19:53:00.000+01:00

hot chocolate in chocolate cups

really...... does it get any better than this?

found via pinterest, from a taste of koko

home life

2011-07-26T11:03:00.001+01:00

1. whirliest diy balls 2. vertical terrarium 3. gutter garden 4. fabric covered chair

As most of you know I am moving house at the beginning of September. Up until now I have been staying cool, calm and collected, but this week I have begun to get really excited. I will have a garden of my own, to fill with pots of herbs, secret corners and lots of lanterns!

About the same time as my excitement started to bubble I found Pinterest. This site has changed my life and got me bustling with new ideas for projects, recipes and home and garden things! Here is a little selection of some of the projects I am going to tackle when I'm in my new home.

Do you have any tips for moving house?

colour crush

2011-07-11T21:21:00.000+01:00

shades of grey...

1. grey via pinterest 2.party dress 3. miss print

4. 1bp 5. Alexandra Grablewski 6. Be Side Store

friday forage ..... Apartment Therapy

2011-07-09T00:39:00.000+01:00

sam and dominic's sunny phinney ridge home tour

:: apartment therapy ::

Apartment therapy is not only full of great ideas but it also satisfies my inquisitive nature. I love seeing into peoples houses, seeing how their personalities and styles come together to create homes. With a new house on the horizon i am finding myself looking at interior styling with fresh eyes and excitement. Seeing fresh colour combinations in real homes is filling me with ideas.

If money was no object, what room in your home would you transform?

something for the weekend

2011-07-08T14:37:00.000+01:00

b e s i d e

the beautiful work of christina romeo :: her etsy shop

as light as a feather....

2011-07-05T16:46:00.000+01:00

Lilly & You

Noun - One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds, belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down. Noun - Kind; nature; species; -- from the proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same species.

29.media

tiny feather charm necklace coming soon

I have been looking out for little signs,

little white white feathers,

to guide me.

light as a feather

feather

Delicate, soft & sweet. This new design will be available in my shop this evening, just follow this link.

Where have you been?

2011-07-02T23:34:00.000+01:00

I have set up another business - Tails of Tranquility
I adopted another pooch - Bailey
I am splitting my time between walking dogs and making jewellery
I am moving house in September

Things have been so busy and I have totally neglected my blog. But now that I have the business up and running, sold our flat, bought a new house, things are back to normal again. I have been spending so much time doing other things that I have such a yerning to get get back to making things. I have had to edit down all my crafting supplies to transform the studio back to a bedroom! A mamoth task. It has gone from this

to this

So I had to be creative and have filled a wardrobe with my jewellery supplies!

I apologise for disappearing and have so many new designs to share, inspiring websites I have found and new artists I have found. Please forgive my neglect xxx

Delicate

2011-02-27T00:48:00.000Z

Hair Dressing Salon - Paper Cut by Anastassia Elias

If you do nothing else today, you must go and check out the wonderful work of this artist.

2011-02-24T23:23:00.001Z

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

Marianne Williamson

I was given "Illuminata" by Marianne in 1999 by my Mum, and then "A course in weight loss" last week. Then today while I was sewing I watched "Aleesha and the bee" and heard this beautiful quote. I didn't realise at the time it was by the same wonderful & wise woman.

Friday foodie

2011-02-04T23:00:00.000Z

I visited the wonderful angry chicken blog the other day, and was inspired to dust off my muffin tray! She had made tastey looking Quinoa muffins which she found here on Martha. Luckily I had a bag of the little seed-like stuff in the cupboard so was able to set to work.

I took Amy's advice and added a little spice and sprinkled some cinnamon into the soppy mixture.

I am still a bit new to the world of baking and am at my least conifident as soon as I have to measure things out. I also have some sort of brain defect which makes me mix up tbsp and tsp, making for some interesting creations!

What have you been baking or do you have a recipe you are promising yourself to try?

By this stage I started to wonder if there was enough mix in each case and if they didn't rise then these would be more like flat cakes. I'm sure my confidence will grow with expreience.

My getting personal series has a lot to do with my new found interested in baking too. I have been looking for tastey snaks for 3 o'clock in the afternoon which are not sugar filled and going to have me hungry again in an hour. Quinoa seems to be a special mix of carbs and protein, which helps keep you going for a little bit longer.

I'd love to know what you snack on at 3pm?

Mini studio tour

2011-01-28T00:47:00.000Z

I got this wonder new toy for Christmas and have been over thinking what my first film should be, so today I decided, what the heck, just press record! The quality is way off, but I am working on finding out how to make it look sleek, and I have lots still to learn about the editing process on Camtasia too.

Even Spielberg had to start somewhere!

:: the meaning of things ::

2011-01-14T15:56:00.000Z

Carnelian

Carnelian is chalcedony, which is a form of silica made up of fine shards of the minerals quartz and manganite. The semiprecious stone was used by the Greeks for stamping wax letter seals because the wax wouldn't stick to it!

Carnelian is my one of my favorite gemstones becuase of it's deep and rich red colour. It make me think of Little Red Riding Hood and her blush coloured coat. But more than the colour my love of gemstones is really their meanings, their healing, spiritualand atrological properties. Isn't is wonderful that if I feel in need of extra strength I can turn to a particular stone as a reminder.....

Do you have a favorite gemstone? What is it about this stone that means something to you?

concentrate...carnelian charm necklace

This stone is said to represent the strength and fertility of the earth. It is also said to help bring forth the wearers inner receptivity and concentration. As you can see from my Etsy shop it is one of he stones I am constantly drawn to use.

:: inspiration ::

2011-01-04T20:16:00.000Z

Image by natalie shau

Dark....

but beautiful...

:: getting personal ::

2011-01-02T17:47:00.000Z

1. Untitled

I mentioned last week in my last getting personal post that there were a few things I had to get a handle on. My health, my confidence and my independence.

Well things are taking shape already!

:: health :: I have been working out on the wii everyday for 30 minutes.

Santa brought me My Fitness Coach - Dance and I am getting right into it! I have set up a 14 day routine plan and have managed to stick to it so far. Because I am just a beginner the routines are quite short, about 18-19 minutes, so I then pop in the wii fit plus disc and do some hula, boxing and stepping. I am trying to do 15 mins of sweaty stuff on there to keep might heart pounding for the full 30 mins.

Yesterday was my 7th day moving my bum and I have lost 2lb this week!

It is working!

:: confidence :: I don't really know where I'm going with this one, but will let you know when I know!

:: independence :: My L plates!!! I started to learn how to drive just before Christmas and had 3 lessons but the weather got in my way. My instructor said he could take me out but suggested that a sledge would be a better form of transport for the moment! So I have just booked 2 more lessons for this week. I am really enjoying it I just need to master this clutch thing. Why and when I have to use it is still baffeling me, so hopefully by the end of this week I'll have it down!

Back to work officially tomorrow. I have spent this afternoon clearing out my studio making space for packaging up some goodies and getting to work on new designs. I got a delivery of new charms on Christmas eve and now have the time to get working with them.

Is there anything that you haven't had time for lately but are going to get to this week?

:: new designs ::

2010-12-30T21:50:00.000Z

3 wishes charm bracelet

If you had 3 wishes what would they be?

mine are:

to be 85lbs lighter

to be able to drive

to be better at adding up numbers in my head

My latest creation is the 3 wishes charm bracelet, available from my Etsy shop for $14.95

I have used my favorite gemstone Jade with a fresh water pearl and a beautiful golden filigree bead.

:: getting personal ::

2010-12-28T00:45:00.000Z

hidden transition...

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying time with family, friends, good books and fine wine. I have been having a little of each and having a great time!

Today I stole away a couple of quiet hour to my self and get my jounal out. It has been so long since I have made time to write, in any form. Not an entry in my journal or even a brain storm page scribbled down on Windows. At first I sat looking at that little flickering cursor with no idea of what I wanted to write. Then I realised my word of today is "Transistion..."

I am feeling that some changes have to come and some have even begun. This isn't my new years resolutions this is much more than that. I never stick to them so they are a waste of time and energy.

Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them? What are they for this year coming? I would love to hear.

This has been reveations that big things have to change, not for a hoot, not for a few months, but for good.

Topics covered include
:: my health ::
:: my confidence ::
:: my independence ::

I don't know how I'm going to takle them yet, but I will share all my discoveries with you along the way.
One blog that I have re-visited for some help is Dave Navarro's Rock your Day, and in particular this post Why you can't make that habit stick (part 1) This blog is well worth a read anyway but this post helps us explore the whys and hows. Have you any good posts that could help us all with trying to shake things in our lives up?

I'm signing off now because I'm up early to package up orders and get the house a good clean and tidy, and try to cook my first fritata! Wish me luck xxx

custom order: Liz

2010-11-05T22:06:00.000Z

This is a special custom design I made for one of my lovely customers, Liz. She loved my protect me.. and be strong... necklaces and asked if I could combine them into the one necklace and move the charms and gemstones around.

gratitude #2

2010-11-04T19:34:00.000Z

it's raining again...

I have been making and listing new designs this week. Necklaces, earrings and bracelets. My favorite of the moment are these earrings, a tiny cloud and brolly. My aunt Ruthie sent me a postcard a few years ago when things in my life were a little rough. There was a doodle of a smiling girl holding a pink umbrella with a fluffy grey cloud above her head and large rain droplets falling around her. Underneath the doodle was " into each life, some rain must fall."

This words have stayed with me and resonate deeply with me. It can be so easy to get down on our selves when things aren't going to well, and begin to ask our selves why? But knowing that the rain will fall, no matter what, make it easier to take. And I have begun to think of the rain as a blessing. Yes it may be grey and wet, but these clear drops make my home counrty the lush landscape it is. The rain nurtures the soil where our food grows. But most of all it reminds me how lucky I am to have clean water to drink and bathe in.

What am i grateful for today?....... the rain.

gratitude #1

2010-10-30T22:08:00.001+01:00

:: today i am grateful for all the loves i have in my life. the love i feel for my family and friends & the love i feel for the animals in my life. this abundance of love i am feeling today has got me thinking about how often we tell the people we love that we love them.

:: when was the last time you told someone you loved them..........

:: while i've been away

2010-10-28T23:14:00.000+01:00

Dala horse...

:: I have hosted the first of 5 jewellery & gift parties

:: I have lost 4 lb from dancing about my living room on the wii

:: found the cutest new supplies, charm love......

:: My fridge has broken so the milk keeps going off

:: Pablo choked and Mrlb had to do the heinlich manuver on him. very scarey but he was back up and trying to eat his own puke within 2 minutes

:: I have been playing around with my new love - air dry clay (pics to come)

I have been so busy getting orginised for these parties and then working on orders from the first one that I have been awol for such a long time. I am going to start writing some posts on how to do your own with tips and things I have learned along the way. But first I have to clear my current things to do list, so my posts over the next wee while will be short but very sweet.

:: work in progress ::

2010-09-29T09:07:00.000+01:00

Hand painted stars £9.95 from dotcomgiftshop

shooting star cage unbrella £22 Cath Kidson

Karen Walker Inuit Star Print Shirt £69 from Urban Outfitters

silver scatter stars £20 from Cox & Cox

This post was inspired by my wanting for a new jolly brolly. This bright and cheerful umbrella from Cath Kidson would do just the trick. There is something magical about stars, the way they glisten like diamonds, the fact the are so far away and to me the = bedtime.

I have been a quiet busy bee working on new designs and other commissions and mulling over some festive ideas. I have my plans all sorted now, so I'll be able to keep you all up to date now that I have something to share! I have 3 "Festive Frolics" planned so far for this year and I am looking forward to being orginized well in advance. I should have flyers to share very soon.

I have been doing these festive frolics for the last 5 years. They are a great way of getting lots of girls together for chocolate, mulled wine and shopping. I host one in my flat, one at my Mum's house and go to others girls' houses too!

I have my dates set... I just need to design a little flyer now and let folks know the when, where & what of it all. I have written out a list of all the girlies I think might like to come, and am gong to do a flyer drop round my neighbourhood. I am always agast at the thought of thinking of Christmas so early, but you know what happened to that early bird.....

stage 1 ~ plan what I am gong to make/ sell at ff parties
stage 2 ~ design and send out flyer - email, post, flickr, facebook
stage 3 ~ start working on festive delights mmmm....
stage 4 ~ package everything up
stage 5 ~ write up stock sheets and price lists
stage 6 ~ plan set up
stage 7 ~ host a festive frolic!

So this is where I am at! I'll keep you posted with all my goings on and progress.

:: inspiration ::

2010-09-08T17:01:00.000+01:00

1. Lost Red Riding Hood, 2. Tea., 3. Cuba Gallery: Red / shoe / green / grass / landscape / photography / light,
4. apple tart

I have begun to notice the season change.
Dark skies comming sooner and misty mornings.
Mustard yellow leaves blown across the grass
and a yearning sweet apple pie....

:: work in progress ::

2010-08-28T15:29:00.000+01:00

I would like to introduce you to a new member of the LBD team....

Dolly!

I always find it difficult to get friends in at the right time to photograph them with my jewels on, plus the nights are getting a wee bit darker sooner now. So I decided to invest in a manequin kind of thing. It was so funny when the postman handed her to me the other day... she is a 3/4 length form of a lovely lady. He just smiled and said "is this for your work?". I came clean and told him that I make jewellery and he just smiled!

I am really please with how my necklaces look on her, she has a lovely long neck, and no double chin! Plus you now get a much better idea of how each one will sit.

Things have been quiet on the home front this week. My lettice crop seems to be dwindeling and I am between batches of courgettes so I picked a little bunch of things to make a salad with on Thursday.

I added some chopped tomato, cucumber and red pepper and rustled up a little vinigarette to drizzel mmmmm it was delicious! I just make a simple mix of 3tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of apple cider vinigar, the tip of a teaspoon of dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. I have a little jar I use and just shake it all about and then pour.

I would love to know your favorite homemade dressing recepies, if you want to share!

sewing liberation

2010-08-23T16:53:00.001+01:00

Today I want to share 2 things with you all rolled into 1!

In July I promised that as part of my "getting personal" series I would post a pic of myself once a month, to try and get over my feelings about seeing myself captured by the camera.

Secondly I want to show you what I was working on a couple of weeks ago, and now have fallen in love!

So here goes.......

When I was working on the drawstring bags for my aunt's school, it got me thinking about how easy making a skirt could be. I just had to push myself over the fear barrier if truth be told. What if it was too small, short or I just looked plain silly in my sewn creations? These used to run through my mind all the time. At the same time I would look at beautiful garments and something inside me would say that I could make clothes if I just knew where to start.

For me it started with "sew what! skirts" a fantastic book for all novice sewers. This gave me so many ideas and how to make the simplest of skirts! The main thing for me is my body shape. I am an apple, yes, it has been confirmed by Gok and his "How to look good naked - and his style consultation".

(You should give this a go, lots of great advice on what clothes suit what shapes.)

Anyway, because I have small shoulders, big boobs, a tummy and no hips, I am an apple. And apple shapes suit A-line skirts. I have always know this and when I looked through my wardrobe for a skirt to use as a template I realised that the skirts I didn't like/ wear were not a-lines. (I love a revelation!)

Then on to the fun bit.

I searched online for "retro fabrics" and found this amazing fabric shop Seamstar. It was love at first sight.

It didn't take long at all once the fabric arrived. Maybe 2 hours? I used one of my own skirts as a temple and drew round it twice, adding on an extra 2 inches all round for seams, hems and a bit of give.

I then cut out strips of the contrasting green cotton and attached them to the waist and the bottom.

(I made the waist band into an elastic casing so I had a comfy fit skirt.)

And here we have it, my first proper skirt. I spent yesterday going through my Boden catalogue singing, "well, I could make that, and that, and that..." then I had an idea.....

In Gok's consultation he reccommends styles for dresses for my shape and being an admirer of Kirsty Allsop and her beautiful frocks, I decided, "I can do that....." Buying dresses that fit me in all the right places has become a nightmare. Well, no longer..... I bought myself this!

My first ever dress pattern by Butterick (B5030)

Now I have slowed things down a bit so that I can buy some muslin to practice on and I'm saving my beans for fabric, (I have 3 that I have my eye on.)

In the mean time I am going to make another skirt, this one maybe 3" longer so that I can wear it with tights and boots. This time I think a heavier weight cotton would be best with maybe a autum/ winter colour pallet?

Listen to me!!!!!

An amulet

2010-08-22T20:37:00.000+01:00

protect me ...

I was speaking to a friend a couple of weeks ago and as I described the time of jewellery I made, she commented on how she loved wearing different amulets as necklaces. It got me thinking, I had heard the word, but never thought about it in connection to my jewels!

Amulet... is has a lovely sound and makes me think of medevil knights. It means

"an object that protects a person from trouble"), a close cousin of the talisman (Arabic: طلاسم‎ / transliterated: tilasm), consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner.
Wikipedia

I am being more and more inspired by my family and unconventional amulets just now. When I see keys I think about how my Gran would talk about life and keys. How we are in charge of our own destiny, like we hold the key to a giant wooden door which leads out onto the path that is our lives.

Do you have any lucky charms or amulets that you and your family hold dear? I would love to hear about them, a little insight into your soul!

xxx

:: learning::

2010-08-17T16:11:00.000+01:00

A few years ago I watched a really interesting documentary on Channel 4 by Tracey Emin, called "What price art?" In it Tracey talks about the differences in the amount of money that male and female artists are paid for their creations, and looks at sexism within the art world and the value placed on art. The second half of the documentary looks at the choices some female artists make about having children. This is the part that has stuck with me and gets me thinking.

The Musician by Tamara de Lempicka

I know that people have extreme opinions about Tracey Emin and her work, but this documentry is not all about her. It touched on a very real and raw idea. Looking at all of the aclaimed artists over the years like Georgia O'Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka and Mary Cassatt. Even writing this list I have had to wrack my brains to think of sucessful female artists, which makes me ashamed.

I have found a really interesting article on Wikipedia (hold back your critism, please!) that documents female artists through the ages. It is well worth a read. How many of these women were both artists and mothers?

The Childs Bath by Mary Cassatt

Was their art their children?

For the moment I have chosen to 'give birth' to creative projects, ideas and art. I feel selfish when I think of having to chose between nursing a child and no longer being able to just pull out the paints or stay up all night sewing or crafting. It is a choice I am content with at the moment, but something I had never thought about on a larger scale.

Are you a mother and an artist?
Have you chosen to mother your art instead?
I would love to know your thoughts.

Laura

weekend

2010-08-01T16:38:00.000+01:00

Walking weekend over at searching for spaces blog.
Come and join in.

Guerilla Artist - Keri Smith

2010-08-01T01:12:00.000+01:00

Go and visit Keri Smith this weekend.

Read her '100 ideas' on the right hand side of the front page, under 'Popular Posts'.

I have just treated myself to one of her books, "The Guerilla Art Kit"

I found Keri Smith last year and although I dip in and out, she is an inspiration. I am so excited about it and will let you know how I go.

Work in progress - arty things

2010-07-29T19:55:00.000+01:00

This week I'm working on Wedding invitations for one of my best friends. She loves all things kitch and retro so her cards are going to be bright and funky. I started on stage one this afternoon, the drawing/ outline.

She loves tattoos, and has about 6 I think. She designs them all herself because she loves the personal meaning of each one. One of my favorites is a floral design she has on her back. It is a compliation of flowery doodles, not just any doodles though! You know when your on the phone, chatting away and there is any type of paper and drawing instument around? What do you draw?

For me it is circles, and for my friend it is flowers! So she translated these into a beautiful design that she now has on her back. Now you can see where the theme for her wedding invites comes in... it had to be a tattoo theme. I'm going to embroider this design with her and her bo's names, photograph it and then use that as the design for the front of the cards!

The other day Mr LB came home with some more squares of plywood for me and I started working on a new pice for my living room wall. "Her head's in the clouds" is a drawing/ painting on cardboard and them placed on the wood. I added some little clouds from a thrifted book and some cute flowery paper as the grass. I love how the collage aspect of these kind of pices build a different dimention. I just need to add hands and some text then she'll be ready for the wall.

Do you think she should be carrying a basket of clouds?

I had some trouble at the beginning getting the shading around her eyes right and then I ran my paint brush across them and the ink was still wet! Although I had to start again in this first one she does have a kind of tear stained face, and looks sad. So it's not all for nothing.

What are you doing to wind down this week? Are you trying a new technique or style?

Weekend post

2010-07-24T12:35:00.000+01:00

I am going to share my weeknd posts over at Searching for Spaces.
Personal inner chatterings of my creative mind!

Todays post is about sabotage.

Inspiration - Sew Lovely

2010-07-21T21:20:00.003+01:00

This is my latest collection of necklaces, "Sew Lovely". They were inspired by these little "Singer" sewing machine like charms that I saw a couple of months ago. As soon as I saw them my emotions strated running high and I just knew I had to make things with them.

Like most of our Granny's, Nan's and Grandmother's, mine has been sewing for years. My Mum and aunties all remember her sitting running the machine into the wee small hours. She would make them all sorts of outfits, dresses, coats and trousers. I can just imagine the flares and snocks in funky 60's cloth! There were seven of them so Granny was kept busy! But right at the last minute she would find time to rustle herself up a glamourous outfit. There are so many photos of her looking elegant and stylish and then she'll tell you how the waist band wasn't finished in time so she made up a belt with a diamonte button to cover it up.

The best part of all is that she still has an old original Singer machine on a wooden topped iron table with a peddle. It sits by the window in one of the back rooms and at some point during a visit to her house I always pay it a visit. I used to spend hours sitting at that table pretending I was a seamstress from "House of Eliott", making designer fashion in the 1920's. My Mum talks about the almost soothing sound the peddle and wheel made, they could hear it running through the night.

Isn't it strange that I would love one, not to sew with though, just to look at, like a sculpture.

Recently when I bought myself "Sew What Skirts" I spoke to Granny about my venture into machine sewing. I listened for hours as she told me how her friend took her to buy her first pattern and the dress she made. How Margaret told here that this was a 'Vogue' patter not a Carey one. (She was apt to make things up as she went along, which as far as I'm aware is dangerous stuff when it comes to following a pattern!) She told me about the time she 'aquired' mens suit fabric and making it into 3 winter coats with added velevet trim. My Grandpa was a little upset that he didn't get a new suit, but the coats lasted well.

I also remember playing in my Mum's sewing box when I was young, I would lay out the patterns and pretend I was running my own Remnant Kings fabric shop. I can see this was a running theme, me setting up various shops in my bedroom. Maybe all that 'let's pretend' play has stuck with me. It is amazing how many memories that this little charm has brought to life for me, and how much I have learned about Granny and her sewing antics. I can see so much of myself in her from these stories. Her leaving things to the last minute, adapting things, working into the night and her love of fabric.

Silver Sew Lovely Charm Necklace

For this necklace I have combined the silver charm with a piece of cotton with a hand stitched line of electric pink thread. This necklace shows the length of my novice sewing skills.

Gold Sew Lovely Necklace

This gold necklace has a small Jade heart hanging with it. This signifies the love that so many people have for their sewing machines, and the love my Granny speaks of that she put into each garment she made.

Sewing Kit Charm Necklace

This last necklace has a silver sewing machine and cloth scissor charms, with a small purple ribbon on the side. The ribbon represents the sweetness of the outfits Granny made and the scissors make me smile because of my inherited obsession for different scissors for different tasks. (You can hear me holler from the other end of the house if I spy MrLB lifting my cloth scissors to cut paper!)

What are your memories of sewing machines? Did your Mum or Granny sew?

A story

2010-07-19T15:50:00.000+01:00

Laura Baillie Designs is the blog of little stories about my jewellery and my art. It features insights, inspirations and a peek behind the scenes at all my creations. I strive to make things with meaning, take you back to a memory or create a keepsake that warms your heart. And I want Laura Baillie Designs to be the place where these pieces have their little story heard.

So now that I have written it in black and white I plan to keep my word. I have been thinking a lot about my'brand' lately. What is it I actually do?

Well, I make things. I make jewellery, collages, ACEO's and embroidery in hoops as wall art. And the thing that ties all my creations together is the meaning behind each piece. The little story that each jewel brings to life, be it a reminder to that someone loves you, or a symbol of hope.

I plan to expand all these stories here and bring them to life, adding them to the package that you purchase from. So let the fun begin!

Laura x

A new direction

2010-07-18T01:25:00.000+01:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and a lot of reading. The bits of my life that I share here are mainly business related, new designs and offers ect. While that is all and well I feel it is time for a change.

And I have decided to spread my wings.

I have always struggled with everything that goes on in my head and found it hard to put it all into orginized boxes. I have so many thing, projects and ideas constantly buzzing around I would work hard to edit it all out in fear of boring people. My love of making, creating jewellery, design in general, graphic design (I do a lot of corporate logo/ stationery design for family & friends), fashion, style, art of many different kinds, textiles (my specialism at art school), sewing, embroidery, thrifting, thrifty living, saving money, going back to basics, learning to love, reading about spiritual and soulful things, gardening & cooking.

Not a day goes by when I am not planning, scheming or doing one or more of these things.

And instead of spilling a mess of all of this out into the world I decided that here in blog land I would just play it safe and make it about Laura Baillie Designs. But recently holding all the rest of me back has made this blog a messed up, stale mix of things that has started to bore the pants off me! This all got brought home to me last week with this post "When to stop reading a blog", by Tara Gentile.

This post gave me a wake up call and I decided that I would invest some cash in her 52 days of blogging ebook. And now I get it. I am all of those things in the list, they are what make me, me. So just showing this one side of me make for a very flat and 2 dimentional brand.

So here at Laura Baillie Designs I'm going to share what makes me tick and the things that inspire what appears in my shops. I want to make fun and quirky videos sharing the little stories that come to mind when I create new pieces of jewellery and let you see the processes from start to finish.

The main part of this revelation is the place where the rest of me can come to life.

Searching for Spaces.

I started this blog a couple of years ago for somewhere to write almost anonomously, but I forgot all about it. But now it has come to life again and I am working on a website to match! (I am loving Wix.com, more to come soon).

So what do you think? What would you like to see here, I would love your imput too.

Laura x

Free earrings and card with every purchase this weekend!

2010-07-16T13:54:00.000+01:00

Are you pushed for time, but need to find a gift for a friend?

Do you hate trailing round lots of shops for presents, cards and then wrapping?

Would you rather be sat at home watching old films this weekend?

Well help is at hand!

This weekend I'm offering a special deal. A beautiful pair of gunmetal or golden earrings and a one of my new handmade butterfly cards FREE with every purchase.

No fighting the holiday crowds in the rain, just one shop and you can do it all from your sofa!

Head to my website Laura Baillie Designs or my Etsy shop and get everything in one stop.

The earrings you can chose from are either gunmetal, white pearl and silver leaf or gold, white pearl and gold leaf charms. The card on offer is simple and sweet, with three hand stamped paper butterflies on the front.

So if you would like a couple of extra hours in bed, watch the afternoon film on TV or take the kids to the park then get your gift shopping done here on my webite or my Etsy shop before Sunday evening.

Greetings cards

2010-07-14T13:38:00.000+01:00

Are you sending a piece of my jewellery as a gift?

Would you like a hand written card included with the package, delivered straight to your friend, sister or wife?

Well now you can buy beautiful greetings cards along with jewelry.

This card is A6 in size, (104mm x 149mm) and is 260gsm card thickness. The design on the front is made using a butterfly paper stamp and printed book pages and silver card. The card comes with a matching white envelope.The butterfly in the centre is stamped from the silver card and the ones on either side are mounted with deacoupage sticky pads so the are 3d.

Check out this and other designs in my Etsy shop and my website, Laura Baillie Designs

Lucky me

2010-07-13T21:42:00.000+01:00

When I think of my relationship with luck, I consider my self a luck magnet. This week I have been thinking about it a lot, and pondering over the things that I feel lucky about.

I am lucky to have wonderful friends and family in my life.

I am lucky to have my health.

I am lucky to have my home which is safe.

But is this luck or am I confusing it with greatfulness? And when I find money on my path when i have none, is that luck, or am I just greatful that I can now buy milk. It seems o me like it is a state of mind. I feel lucky. I feel that things will work out in the end, that I'm on the right path.

Would you rub the tummy of a laughing Buddah?

Or do you put your faith in something else?

Laughing Buddah

:: my life ::

2010-07-08T21:19:00.002+01:00

Large mirror, large reflection by Dr Joanne

I have been so touched today, I am so lucky.

Thank you all you kind girlies who commented on my post yesterday. I feel like I shed a skin yesterday and can move forward. Iset off tonight to do my 2 miles, leggins and comfy pink trainers, only to find the local rugby team training on the rugby field! How dare they, don't they know about my mission? After a little huffing and puffing I decided on a different route and headed on my way. I ended up taking a walk along the river which runs behind our house, bouncing with each step as I sang along to songs from local boy, Paulo Nutini's new album "Sunny Side Up"

What song makes you want to shake your bum today?

:: getting personal ::

2010-07-08T01:48:00.000+01:00

I have toyed with doing this post since last week.
I have written and deleted it twice.

For the last 3 years I have build my little nest on the internet. I have this blog, Etsy shops, a website, and tweet and use facebook. I love sharing my creations, current projects and interesting finds. But I have really struggled to get personal. I didn't want pictures of myself on my blog and I sure as hell didn't want people tagging me in snaps on FB!

A couple of weeks ago I had the honour of being asked to do an interview for Chantilly at Mygirlthursday. I had great fun answering her questions and taking studio shots, all be it I had to tidy the place first. But when it came to my portrait I struggled, really struggled. Eventually after my best friend and MrLB took about 100 pics, I settled for one.

I am not vain, far from it, but when I looked at the pictures I felt so sad. Sad that the girl captured on the screen was not the girl I saw everyday in the mirror. So after a teary night and a pick me up chat from a good friend I decided on a CHANGE.

Here is the photo. And now when I look at it I don't feel so sad. I feel greatful for the chance to change. I don't want to grow my hair, change my nose or get my teeth fixed. (In fact I love my teeth!) The cut and dry of it is that I want to get fit and loose these chubby cheeks and double chin!

Please don't click away. I promise that this blog will not become me whinging about diets and calorie counting. For me, neither of them work, never had, never will. Nor am I going to throw myself into some crazy celebrety fitness plan. (I did love doing Cindy Crawford's dvd when I was 17, but a lot has changed since then!)

No, I am going to walk. Nothing fancy, just walk. I have the gift of two boystrous pooches in my life so what better way to get fit then stride out with them. I found a really cool site that has a 6 week walking program to build me up and get me going, so I am quite excited. So far since the evening after my photo upset I got a buddy and we headed around the local rugby fields.

So here, in black and white I am commiting to the 6 week programme. I will update :: getting personal :: on the

19th of August

with a progress report and a new photo. Another really interesting revelation to come from this is how much I love photographing all sorts of things, but feel sick when I need to get my own taken. So I'm going to start a little project over on searchingforspaces and take a photo a day of myself, as a kind of therapy!

I hope this isn't too much information, too dull or too serious. Bare with me :)

:: inspiration ::

2010-07-07T23:20:00.001+01:00

Do right, never wrong by mellie89 featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Mix this beautiful romantic collection by mellie89 with my Key Pendant Necklace

What do you think?

:: inspiration ::

2010-06-29T19:51:00.003+01:00

1. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= children's rocking horse in Rippon Lea Estate, 2. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= Horse, 3. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= rocking horse, 4. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href= with rocking horse

These beautiful sculptures have been inspiring me today.

:: fashion mix :: nautical ::

2010-06-23T17:47:00.004+01:00

Sail away my little sail ! by Trissh featuring Marni shoes

Gold Nautical necklace by me! $18/ £12.15

Linen-blend striped tank, $90
Cotton-twill blazer, $209
Emma twill pleated shorts, $158
Fashion Shoes - Designer shoe store, $248
Christian Louboutin Mini Loubi python clutch NET-A-PORTER.COM, 695 EUR
Stephen Webster Scale Bracelet With Mother Of Pearl Inlay, $2,418
Alexander McQueen - 215556AB80Y (Grey) - Accessories, $194
Vogue UK January Catherine McNeil by Patrick Demarchelier Fashion...
Rectangle Frame Made My Zerin Sara <3
Bone Background Paper - $24, $39.14, $72 Photography Seamless...

:: work in progress ::

2010-06-11T10:17:00.004+01:00

I would like to say a huge thank you to one of my customers who insired this necklace.
(You know who you are!).
Over the last couple of weeks I have been toying with the idea of having a couple of charms on a chain. I tried different ways of combining them but each time I felt they just all clumped together. I don't know why but I just didn't think to layer the chains as well!

So here is one of my latest designs, available in my Etsy shop, "Lucky Charm Necklace".

I love the idea and symbolism of lucky charms. When I was small I would carry a little pebble or stone in my pocket for luck. There is something very comforting about the physical reminder that luck or love is on my side.

For this necklace I have chosen a star, a key and a closed circle. The star charm has great meaning to me because of the words sung by Jimminy Cricket "when you wish upon a star..." and also one of my favourite childern's books "Laura's Star".

The key is a symbol of everlasting love, and for me that powerful feeling gives me the strength to give things a try.

The closed circle is a symbol of karma and love. Remebering how my actions affect others on the solid, closed circle of love remind me of my family. I feel their support when I hold this charm.

Do you have a lucky charm? Do you have little trinkets that hold meaning to you? I would love to hear about the little symbols you have, if only to not feel like a looney for carrying stones in my pocket!

:: Monthly Goals :: June 2010

2010-06-07T18:22:00.004+01:00

It has been a long time since I last joined joined in with the Monthly Goals girls, but I have my act together now! If you would like to join in pop over here to the main blog page and have a look at some of the crew.

My business goals for this month are:

1. Make another "Let me tell you a story" video.
I had such fun making this one, and would love to have one for each of my jewellery collections.

2. Finish working on new packaging.
I would like to have some sort of tag or card to include with each package, telling the little story behind the piece.

3. Design and list range of greetings cards to sell along with my jewellery.

4. Make up and list a new design each weekday from now ( 7th June) for the rest of the month.

5. Finish reading "Idea Virus" by Seth Godin.

This is a great book I found after reading "The Purple Cow". It helps you understand and work out how to create your own business talking point.

:: inspiration ::

2010-06-06T22:49:00.002+01:00

1. Paper boat pendant, 2. Paper Boat Acquarelle, 3. Paper Boats, 4. Paper Boat Garland, 5. Paper boats, 6. 99/365 : Paper Boats, 7. Paper Boats 1, 8. Paper Boats, 9. paper mache boats made using Ann Woods tutorial

:: day of diy :: Let me tell you a story

2010-06-03T14:49:00.003+01:00

Let me tell you a story

"Anchor your dreams..."

:: inspiration ::

2010-05-30T20:45:00.006+01:00

This is a sneaky peak at what I'm working on at the moment. It's a little project involving all of my loves, jewellery, embroidery, collage and now movie making. Things are still in the early stages but I'll keep you posted on how things come along.

I have had a lovey week, spending time with family and friends, planting and nurturing little seedlings in my garden and eating wonderful fresh food in the garden. I have been working on some new jewellery for my Etsy shop as well.

Maybe it is the sunshine or the smell of summer in the air, but I am being drawn to simple designs, shapes and colour combinations. I think of Indian summers looking at this necklace, the rich heat of the red semi precious Carnelian.

I have hit a wall with my bed time reading lately, do you have any recomendations? I like a bit of everything, so let me know what is gripping you at the moment. Have a lovely week x

:: day of diy :: button necklace tutorial

2010-05-24T15:52:00.004+01:00

Thanks to all you voters out there who cast your votes, it was great to see so much interest!
So here, after much snipping and tweeking is my firts ever video tutorial. Please let me know what you think, any tips, suggestions ect.....

:: my life ::

2010-05-20T00:57:00.004+01:00

Indie Film by thelightfantastic

Thank you youtube

Having spent hours and hours, days in fact trying to work out what I was doing wrong, I now know how to make, edit and upload video!

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone here in blog land, on twitter and in the Etsy forums who offered advice. It was such a comfort to know that I was not alone in having technical difficulties.

Turns out my films were .MOV files because I was filming on my digital camera, there for I had to convert them to .avi files to be able to edit them in my software, or any as it turns out! Having tralled the web I was directed to a very helpful video on youtube, showing me step by step how to convert my files.

So with my new found knowledge and a couple of hours tomorrow I'm going to set to work.

What digital/ technical problems have been phasing you recently?

:: my life ::

2010-05-11T11:18:00.005+01:00

Retro 8mm Movie Camera by Cuba Gallery

I have been have trouble, demoralizing trouble. I have written, planned and filmed 4 video tutorials. But once I have transfered them onto my computer they won't open in the any of the movie editing packages I have.

I have tried changing the settings on my camera, downloading "codec", compressing and converting them, and still nothing. I am sooo disappointed, I had plans for a whole series on me and my work. But at the moment everything has come to a halt.

Maybe I have to take this as a sign for the moment that the world isn't ready for my film making, and I should go back to the drawing board, and read up more about the technical things. Who was it that said it would be easy?

While I struggle with my movies here's a little one I think you'll enjoy.

:: day of diy :: paper garland tutorial

2010-05-06T21:03:00.008+01:00

For todays ::day of diy:: I'm going to show you a little tutorial on how I made my Mum a paper garland for Mother's Day. My Mum has a cubby hole kind of room for her study that gets the sun all day. A couple of weeks ago she gutted it out, painted the walls and put in a lovely oaty coloured woven carpet. So I thought something jolly and bright for the room would be a great idea.

Materials you'll need:

::scissors

::ribbon or tafita (as long as you want your garland to be)

::different types of paper (I used 7 pieces of coloured paper A6 size for the 7 large triangles and 5 book pages for the 9 smaller triangles.) Again, you can use as many as you like depending on how long you would like your garland to be.

::buttons, sequins, little scarps of fabric. (You can use any embellishments you like, I worked with what I had handy.)

::a threaded sewing machine

::printing stamps and ink or a pen to write a message (optional)

:: PVA glue

1. Start off by cutting out your flag shapes. I went for large and small triangles. I had some lovely soft pastel coloured paper so I decided to use them for the big ones. I decided to use recycled book pages for the small ones because it gives the garland a bit of depth and the text gives the paper some texture.
2. Once you have all your triangles cut out, lay them out on your working surface. I then started to cut small triangle shapes from my fabric scrap bag and laying them onto the book page triangles. I decided these ones would be the ones I woule embellish, and keep the large pastel ones to stamp on.

3. Now pva glue the fabric squares to the book page triangles, the smaller of your 2 sizes of triangle.

4. Then start to add your little decorative bits and pieces. I put a small dollop of pva glue on this piece of fabric and added a soft pink button and a collection of purple seed beads. The glue dries and holds them in place very well.
5. Now get out your ribbon or raffia and cut the length you are looking for. I went for 3 metres. Set your sewing machine to a zig zag stitch. This will grip the ribbon/ raffia and the paper the best.
6. I started to sew just at the first triangle I wanted on my garland and then carried on right till I reached my last flag. I roughly measured the gaps in between each flag, mine were approx 10cm gaps. This is also down to you, depending on how many flags you have and how long you want your garland to be.

7. Now to the fun bit! Lay out your stamps and get stamping. I went for little daily-do's, have faith, dance, dig in the garden, sit in the sunshine, doodle your dinner.....

You can stamp or write any thing you like. It could be a long love letter, someone's name, lyrics from a song.

I'd love to see your versions of this so please let me know if, sorry when you get round to making yours!

xxx

:: work in progress ::

2010-05-02T00:57:00.004+01:00

Gold Pearl Necklace

Layered Chain Necklace

I am keeping things simple and sweet with my new collections. Letting the materials, colour combinations and textures speak for them selves. I love how the layered chain necklace sits perfectly sometimes, but as you move around the layers begin to twist like rope.

I am working on ::my story:: a way for me to send a little note with each piece of my jewellery, so that I can share the inspiration, and meaning behind each jewel. And have it in a way that the new owner can keep it too.

Both necklaces available in my Etsy shop Laura Baillie Designs

:: day of diy :: How to write a press release 3

2010-04-20T19:43:00.006+01:00

pinK letterpress by pink sorbet

I'm sorry I missed last weeks ::day of diy:: post, life just gets you that way sometimes! Anyway, lets get started on instalment number 3 of my ::day of diy:: Press Release. (For anyone just joining us check out my other posts on how to write a press release here.

Todays installment is all about making contact. You now have your press release written and waiting to go out, so lets get on to who we are going to send them to and how to find their details.

I keep all this information on a spread sheet, so it might be worth your while setting up a template that you can print off and add to when you get more information. The best place to start is make a list of all the publications you want to send your press release out. Again, keep in mind your target market/ audience. If you have a copy of the magazine, wonderful, but if not it is no worry.

You are looking to find out the telephone number for the magazine. I sometimes have a look at the magazine's website or their publishers site. Once you have this number you are wanting to call and ask : who the features editor is and their email address. I find that most of the time I get to a switch board and am asked what department I want to get put through to. Sometimes I go for the features dept, the fashion dept or the style dept.

This is how I introduce myself (short & sweet!) once I have reached the right depatment.

Hi, my name is Laura Baillie and I make eclectic vintage style jewellery. I was wondering if you could tell me the best person to email my press release to?

- That would be Jo Missy Editor.

Thanks, do you have an email for her?

- Yes, it is jomissyeditor@myfavoritemagazine.com

Thank you so much for your help!

Now sometimes the person who I am chatting to is the person who wants to see the press release, this is the time to strike while the iron is hot. Once you are off the phone, get your email sent out straight away. This way they remember who you are and you are still fresh in their mind.

Give this a try and let me know how you get on. You don't have to start with 20, just pick one and see how you get on. We all have to start somewhere, and although is can be quite nerve wracking, you'll soon get the hang of it.

:: my life ::

2010-04-18T13:53:00.006+01:00

1. Zuppa di ceci e porcini by href="http://www.undejeunerdesoleil.blogspot.com/" un dejeurner de soleil

things to do this week:

make up template for A line skirt

make a Rococo mood board

design some more summer wedding jewels like this simple gold pearl leaf necklace

:: day of diy :: How to write a press release 2

2010-04-05T22:53:00.012+01:00

Letter Press by pink sorbet on flickr

Welcome the the second instalment of my guide on how to write a press release. (If you have just found me have a read over my last post to get up to speed.)

This week I want to talk about the content and feel to your press release. We all know how we get drawn in to a catchy headline, making us want to read on to get all the juicy details. The same goes for your press release, you want the editors to get soaked in and want to know more. This being said, I always leave the title until the end. It is much easier to write something catchy and related to your article once it has been written. So lets get onto the body of the article.

Firstly you want to get all your information onto 1 A4 sheet. No one wants to read your life story, and editors are busy people and get bundles of these through every day. On your A4 sheet you want to have one image about 5cm x 4cm at the top and all your contact info at the bottom. Pick a great photo, one of your current products, something related to what your going to be talking about. The image above gives you a guide for how much actual writing space you have.

OK, now lets get started on the content, your Lead paragraph. This is where you want to grab the readers attention and cover the 5 'W's - who, what, where, why & when.

Write in the 3rd person for press, Laura Baillie, she, they...... not for blogs etc which are more personal. We'll cover them later on.

Who - Give a little information about who you are, nothing epic, short and to the point.

What - What do you make, sell or service do you provide.

Where - where are you based, even down to where you work from. Do you knit in your Georgian house beside the fire or in a modern industrial unit?

Why - a quick couple of lines about what makes you stand out and why they should write about you.

When - when is your new collection, product launch or collaboration going to be available?

Remember to keep this all brief, this is just one paragraph to grab the readers attention, this is not the main section!! This bit is like a tasty starter.....

Now we move on to the Main Body of your press release, the main course. This is where you want to expand on the points you made above. What makes you or your products newsworthy?

Think locally first if you are sending this press release out to local newspapers and magazines.(This in my opinion is the best place to start, your local press are always excited to here about entrepreneurs.) Are you a woman who is earning your money crafting and bringing up a family? Would your story be inspiring to other women in your area? Do you use locally sourced materials, that always get people excited.

Expand a little on your background. Have you been drawing since you were 3, and exhibiting locally? Or have you been a nuclear physics lecturer, but now spend your days making ceramic ornaments? Keep in mind what is going to excite the readers.

Do you have a special technique you use, or use recycled materials? Let them know.

Now in this last section you want to summarise some of the points in your lead paragraph and the main body. Maybe pick 2 or 3 points. Don't introduce any new information here. This is a summery of what you have already mentioned. In this paragraph you want to cover what your business makes, sells, provides, where they can buy your items, and where you are based.

Then, as seen on the image above include your contact details.

Now you have the important stuff down, come up with a catchy headline. Nothing to wordy and nothing too profound, but something that will make this stand out.

This may take you some time to work through, and do take your time. Don't rush down some ideas and get all gun hoe. You'll end up sending out something shabby and half baked and it won't represent you or your business well. Remember to spell check everything, and maybe get someone else to read over it for you. It's always great to get another set of eyes to spot grammar mistakes or missing punctuation.

Lets meet up again next Tuesday for the next installment, Day of DIY Writing a Press Release - Making Contact. In the main time ask any questions you have and drop me note to let me know how you are getting on. x

:: work in progress ::

2010-03-31T20:45:00.003+01:00

Simple Elegance :1:

I have been working away on a new range Simple Elegance over the last few days. With boxes of beautiful gemstones on my desk I often feel that it is each stones characteristics that should be focused on and not lost amongst other details. So I decided to keep these necklaces simple and let the rich or light colours and textures of each stone speak for itself.

The necklace above has a string of Carnelian gemstones atached to a gold chain. The stones are 6mm, so small and sweet.

Carnelian is said to bring peace & harmony, give strength to your voice and give courage.What a lovely idea, to have little gemstones of strength laying on your neck.

I'll be listing this necklace and more gold and silver Simply Elegant pieces this evening in

my Etsy shop.

:: day of diy :: Press Release

2010-03-30T12:46:00.004+01:00

"lettered" by roseredrose via flickr

Thanks to everyone who got in touch about wanting more information on writing a press release, I know how hard I found it at the beginning, so as we go along, keep asking questions. I'm going to break it down into sections, every Tuesday some more information. I don't want to bog you down with too much at once!

FACT FINDING

Before you start getting excited about whipping up catchy phrases and pictures, we have to go on a fact finding mission. I know it sounds dull and you want to tell the world about your creations, but hold your horses!

The first thing about writing to your press release is working out who you want it to go to. If you are a fine artist there is no point sending one to Vogue fashion magazine. You want to reach your target market, what magazines are they reading? Spend some time working on this first, and have a clear idea who your target market is.

Once you have a clear idea of who you are trying to reach, it makes everything else so much easier! Now write down a list of what magazines they will be logging into or flicking through for all their information. Go through the list a couple of times, keeping in mind that you don't want to be waisting your time or editors time sending out information that isn't relevent to their readers.

Now you should have a list of 5 or so publications, enough to get started with. Let start with magazines. Can you buy a copy of the publication or go to the libery with a pen and paper? Look for the page with the list of who does what. You are looking for a phone number for the magazine or the email address of the person you want to consider your press release. It may be the editor, features editor or for example the shopping & style editor. Take a note of this and hold onto it tightly! This is your contact list.

Here is a list of some recommended reading for you & some ideas:

Etsy - Storque - articles on target markets

Magazines.com - just one list of magazines to start you off with some ideas

Finding your niche - by modishblog biz tips (a great place!)

:: my life ::

2010-03-26T00:55:00.004Z

seville orange whole wheat muffins by you can count on me

It's late and I have just found Kickpleat's blog and this amazing recipe.

This blog rocks!

my cheerios are just not going to hit the spot now :(

:: work in progress ::

2010-03-23T14:33:00.008Z

sew lovely - silver charm necklace

now available in my Etsy shop

I want to say a cheesey hello to all my new blog followers and visitors. It is always so exciting to see new people finding my blog, I often wonder who people find me.

Things have taken a giant leap forward on my re visit to my etsy experiment . I have drawn up a mind map doodle (on the back of some wall paper!), and pinned it above my desk. The centre of my map is my goal for this year. And all the legs coming off are ways I'm going to acheive my aim.

Having read this post by Dave Navarrow on how to get More Time Now ebook, I decided to narrow my goals list down. The huge list was beginning to get me down and kind of pulling me off track. Choosing 1 goal for the year, 5 for the month and 3 each week I am able to stay focused. And all of theses are tasks to get me to my years aim.

Making jewellery is part of my aim, to have 5 new items to list a week. But this is such a small part of the bigger picture. I have to get my necklaces ect out the world and that is where I'm concentrating my efforts at the moment. I have sent out a new press release to 5 magazines from my collected list. And it has begun to pay off already! One of my necklaces has been featured on Bliss.co.uk

Let me know if you would like to read more about writing a press release and I can maybe do a DIY post.

:: weekend love::

2010-03-20T01:09:00.003Z

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. Cumple Ericka 4. 018/365-2010

pale & interesting...

images from Flickr

:: work in progress ::

2010-03-18T15:39:00.002Z

I have been awol since last week, busy getting jewels ready to go to a new shop (more to come soon) and working on new designs. I got some beautiful new charms and have been watching lots of 'Gothic Noir' films so have a new collection making it's way slowly into the shop, piece by piece.

This is one of my favourites of the moment Gothic Layered Necklace available in my Etsy shop. I have combined a string of wire wrapped vintage pearls with a crystal cut glass beads and gunmetal chain. The charm is a heavy weight skull and cross bones which I love!

I am working on making new designs to get to list something new every day along with revisiting all the things I learned from my Etsy Experiment. I am always finding new things that work and of couse lots that don't, but all to often I move onto another project and forget what helps sell my jewellery. So the time has come to go over what worked and find some more tips and strategies.

I am on the hunt for some gripping night time reading, but not fiction. I am looking for interesting and inspiring business books that can help my small indie business. Any reccomendations?

:: my life ::

2010-03-09T23:13:00.002Z

I am still working through the new photos for the shop, having taken hundreds and hundreds I realised that I had chnged a setting on the camera and they are all in too low a quality to show everything to its full glossy and loveliness. So today I took them all again!

I began thinking about what to make for my Mum for Mother's Day and was thinking of a sewn bird mobile, but then last night I started sorting out all my collage materials and had a brain wave. My Mum is a busy and hard working woman, who until very recently didn't have time or the inclination for all things crafty. Just before Christmas we spent time together making clay ornaments, herb bouquets and mulled wine sachets and she seemed to really enjoy it. So I have decided to make her up a 'creative inspiration kit'. I'm still putting the pieces together but when they are ready I'll let you see.

Are you creating any handmade gifts this week?

:: weekend love::

2010-03-07T23:32:00.004Z

This weekend I'm showing my etsy shop Laura Baillie Designs some love. I have loved photographing on the lovely piece of grey slate I was gifted by a friend, but now with spring in the air I felt that a change was needed. I have decided to go with the vintage, French, ephemera feel and I am so happy with how they have turned out.

I have used some decorated chopped tomatoe cans as props. Have a look tomorrow and see if you can spot them. And I'll give you a little :: day of diy :: on how to make your own later in the week.

I'm also thinking about what creations would be perfect for my Mum for Mother's Day this year. She shares my love of birds, so I'm thinking something sewn and bird like.

:: my life ::

2010-03-05T17:04:00.004Z

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftcreativity/2366201981/">Spring inspired shelfs

I think I need some shelves like these for my kitchen. I have a small galley kitchen and every inch of work space is essential, but I long to have some of my little trinkets around me as I cook. Something like this would be perfect.

MrLB has returned from his travels and had a lovely time. I had a wonderful adventure but most of all found a great calmness and new confidence in myself, which has been a long time coming. I am now lookng forward to doing it again, rather than dreading the time and going to great lengths to plan over nighters with friends.

I am working on a shop re-vamp at the moment. I have some exciting new bracelet designs that just don't photograph well on the grey slate. Plus I feel it is time for a change. I have taken some snaps today, but the light has been quite grey so I'll take the rest tomorrow.

Have a lovely weekend, do you have plans? x

:: inspiration ::

2010-03-03T23:02:00.002Z

kmldesign image from here

words fail me....................

:: day of diy ::

2010-03-02T14:02:00.004Z

:: corsage tutorial ::

Yesterdays inspiration got me moving and I started making a little selection of corsages and thought I would share my version of a tutorial I found.

Materials you'll need : scissors, thread, needle, 2 pieces of ribbon (I used 2 pieces of vintage cotton ribbon) both 10" long, a piece of felt, a bead for the focal point and a brooch fastening.

1. Cut your pieces of ribbon to 10".

2. Thread your needle and double it up, tie a knot at the end.

3. Put a stitch, about 1cm long at the bottom left edge of your first piece of ribbon.

4. Go over this first stitch another 2 times. This secured the end of the ruffle you are about to make.

5. Carry on with a running stitch to the end of the ribbon. Keep the stitch sizes the same and the spaces in between.

6. With the end of the thread still attached and in your right hand, use your left hand to gently pull the ribbon back on its self.

8. Now you can see your flower shape has appeared!

9. Turn the flower round to the back and hold both the ribbon ends in your left hand and stitch the 2 ends together. Cut and tie off the thread.

10. Now repeat these steps for your other piece of ribbon. I chose a chocolate cotton ribbon which contrast with the cream.

11. Stitch the 2 flowers together.

12. Select the bead you would like as the focal point. I chose a 14 mm white pearl. Place the bead in the centre of the flowers and stitch it to the centre.

13. Cut a circle from the felt big enough to cover your stitches on the back of the flowers. (My stitching was quite messy but contained so my circle is about 2".

14. Place the felt circle ontop of the stiching you want to hide and hold down your open brooch fastening. Stitch through the holes in the fastening pulling the flowers, felt and fastening together.

And there you have it, your very own fabric corsage.

:: inspiration ::

2010-03-01T13:01:00.003Z

1. Easy Tutorial: Coffee Filter Wrist Corsage, 2. love letter corsage,

3. Corsage + Birdhouse, 4. corsage

I want to make some little gifts for all the girls who keep calling, poppng in and checking that I'm ok, and I thought beautiful corsages might be just the thing. There are so many different stules, materials, beads and ribbons to chose from. Then there is the style, simple and stylish or retro pop colours? I think I'll make each one to suit the girl it's for.

Today the novelty of being on my own has kind of worn off. Yesterday was lovely because I got to sew, surf and tidy. But by the evening it was getting sick of the sound of my own voice. I have some visitors coming this afternoon, the lovely Lorna, then another dear friend coming for tea. So I'm really looking forward to some chat and laughs with them.

:: sunday list ::

2010-02-28T12:48:00.003Z

day 2

I'm getting kind of comfortable with this now and feel that because I have peace in my heart I can begin my journey.

If you could go anywhere today, where would you go?

(no time lines to cross, no passport needed...)

:: my life ::

2010-02-27T12:33:00.003Z

I'm" gearing up for another "journey" and I can't wait to start it.

Mr LB is off on a journey, so for the next 5 days it's just me and the dogs. It has been years since we were appart so part of me is going to miss him, but another, bigger part is looking forward to the time to prove to my self that I am able to cope on my own.

So heres to my adventure.... to find my self!

:: my life ::

2010-02-19T16:11:00.002Z

flame & pablo this morning

i'm working my way through my list and should have everything done by sunday, the excersise with love is prooving to be the hardest! but i must stick with it, and am 2lb away from loosing my first half stone.

what are stuck with this week?

:: sunday list ::

2010-02-14T22:44:00.002Z

card generator found at blyberg.net

:: friday finds ::

2010-02-12T23:03:00.004Z

1. serene, 2. Faded, 3. {reflection}, 4. Reflections

Things have been a bit hectic around here for the last couple of weeks so I had a little day off to myself today and opted for serene as my word of the day and found these beautiful images on flickr.

A few weeks ago I pinned my things to list to the back of the studio door and I realised that it just kept growing and growing and I was struggling to get anything done. A sinking feeling started to wash over me and I realised I needed some help. As if by magic, the handmade marketer's newsletter fell into my inbox with a feature by Dave Navarro, More Time Now.

I know, i know, i hear you cry, i too have read all about time management before and nothing has worked for more than 2 days. But this is different, I downloaded the pdf and printed off 3 pages and have become Mrs efficient in 2 weeks! It isn't fancy or patronizing just straight to the point and soooo effective.

So if your like me and procrastinate, get far too easily distracted and want no regrets give the thing a read. Who knows, you could get to cross some of those things off your lists too.

xxx

:: weekend love::

2010-01-30T01:03:00.004Z

shoot me down necklace

Was given a loan of this fantastic book the other day - The Thrift Book by India Knight

Found this great tutorial to help me make my first skirt by the angry chicken

Got some great tips for my vegetable garden - BBC Gardening

We got a new edition to our family last Saturday. Her name is Flame and she has 4 legs. Photos will follow when she sits still enough to snap her!

Happy weekend x

:: friday finds ::

2010-01-22T21:33:00.003Z

vintage tea cup by farren family album

my first ::friday finds::

one of my new weekly posts, along with

:: weekend love ::

:: work in progress ::

:: day of diy ::

this beautiful selection by sommerdesigns

these delightful glasses by toast

feeling stitchy ?

silky soup by nigella

anahata katkin's blog

weekend love

2010-01-17T14:54:00.005Z

you will always have my heart

I have had a quiet, still weekend. The studio is tidy and clean, my desk is clear and my list of the things to do has grown dramatically.

Today I want to hold onto this stillness, tie up loose ends and be soothed by beautiful music.

SALE

2010-01-13T17:12:00.003Z

i am having a SALE
50% off everything in my shop Laura Baillie Designs

for 24 hour hours only!

(from 5.15pm today GMT)

type "LOVE2010" at the check out

shop till you drop!!!!!

Stop

2010-01-08T18:43:00.005Z

1. Stop.polaroid

I have taken this week to stop.

Stop and take stock, to remind myself of what it is that makes me happy.

cooking - french red onion soup by lottie + doof

listen to a new cd - la roux

stiching

collecting images from magazines

find wonderful blogs - wool & water

What makes you happy?

New Beginnings

2010-01-07T12:16:00.006Z

1. new stuff - contemporary embroidery 2. mr milkman yearns for bed - mummysam

3. collaged embroidery robin - hens teeth 4. so...i think i love you - katie.cupcake

Wishes for 2010

make time for collage, sewing and play

enjoy excersise three times a week

go on one adventure a month

wash dishes after eating

I am sitting in bed today sniffling and coughing but secretly enjoying the fact that I'm wrapped up warm, can wander through blogland guilt free and have an excuse to still have my PJs on!

I have been trying to get officially back to work for the last couple of days but have been distracted, procrastinating and avoiding it. So I have decided to gift myself the next few days as an extended holiday. I am going to do things I want to do, not have to do. (except maybe dishes & laundry!)

What do you think of the beautiful embroidery selection I found on Flickr?

Resolutions and plans

2009-12-29T22:51:00.002Z

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to the beginning of a new year, new beginnings.

I am so sorry that I didn't get a chance to share all the tutorials with you that I had planned, but time just seemed to slip through my fingers and little chores kept getting added to my list of things to do. I have finally taken a few days just to be, to relax and start to focus on my hope and dreams for 2010, and feel like I need a couple more days in hibernation to help them become clear.

The weather here has been snowey, cold and fresh, which I love. I sit here surrounded by twinkling stars, fairy lights and scented candles, with fluffy boots and thich PJ bottoms on. This is definately my season.

I would like to use this time to say thank you to all my old and new blog friends. Over the past 2 years I have been so inspired by you all. You bring me new artists to enjoy, bands to listen to, crafters to admire and knowledge to grow with, and I want to say thank you. And hope we can continue to grow together in 2010.

xox Laura xox

A little Christmas Gift for you

2009-12-12T21:33:00.005Z

1. Faux Bois parcels, 2. Mushroom Lucky Parcel :: Sent, 3. The Early Bird...., 4. Pompom Parcels

Isn't this a beautiful selection of wrapped packages! Lupin is such a talented girl.

I'm sitting in tonight doing a bit of wrapping of my own, with "North & South" on in the background and a cup of hot chocolate at my side.

I just wanted to pop by and let you all know I'm offering FREE shipping within the UK

from now until the 21st of December

in Laura Baillie Designs and my Etsy shop.

The 21st is the last guaranteed delivery date for Christmas by Royal Mail.

Have you all been enjoying the luxury and extravagance of "Kirsty's Handmade Christmas" ?

Laura Baillie Designs ..... things

gluten free journey - recipe by Roost

create . . . . tutorials

Paws for thought

Look what I found....

Things, they are a changing.... in the kitchen...

create . . . . tutorials

I love .... layering

When you wish upon a star

I love ....

Merry Christmas from Laura Baillie Designs

Christmas Wreath Tutorials

wreath

:

Christmas Garland tutorials

gar·land

Days of Christmas - 4th day of Christmas

Gifts for Girls

New beginnings for Laura Baillie Designs

Competition time!

Treasury love

Quotes that move me

colour crush

Tastey inspiration

home life

colour crush

friday forage ..... Apartment Therapy

something for the weekend

as light as a feather....

Where have you been?

Delicate

Friday foodie

Mini studio tour

:: the meaning of things ::

:: inspiration ::

:: getting personal ::

:: new designs ::

:: getting personal ::

custom order: Liz

gratitude #2

gratitude #1

:: while i've been away

:: work in progress ::

:: inspiration ::

:: work in progress ::

sewing liberation

An amulet

:: learning::

weekend

Guerilla Artist - Keri Smith

Work in progress - arty things

Weekend post

Inspiration - Sew Lovely

A story

A new direction

Free earrings and card with every purchase this weekend!

Greetings cards

Lucky me

:: my life ::

:: getting personal ::

:: inspiration ::

:: inspiration ::

:: fashion mix :: nautical ::

:: work in progress ::

:: Monthly Goals :: June 2010

:: inspiration ::

:: day of diy :: Let me tell you a story

:: inspiration ::

:: day of diy :: button necklace tutorial

:: my life ::

:: my life ::

:: day of diy :: paper garland tutorial

:: work in progress ::

:: day of diy :: How to write a press release 3

:: my life ::

:: day of diy :: How to write a press release 2

:: work in progress ::

:: day of diy :: Press Release

:: my life ::

:: work in progress ::