The Handmade Boutique - Birmingham

 

Having a page on Facebook, I follow various networking pages which leads to me finding lots of lovey pages of independent handmade makers...One I follow is Honeypips who makes the most yummy gifts and via here I stumbled upon The Handmade Boutique.

 

The Handmade Boutique is a gorgeous little store nestled away in Great Western Arcade in Birmingham. The shop is basically a co-operative run by the eighteen designers whose wares are sold within the shop.

 

Last Friday as a birthday treat Mama Button and I decided to go on a little road trip to check the store out and we weren't disappointed. We met two of the designers Sue of Smartipants and Jan of Vintage Lovelies Décor who were taking their turn to man the shop...You see not only do the designers run the shop they take turns to work in the shop, so you are actually meeting the people who design, make and sell the items...When was the last time you met the designer or maker of what you bought in M&S or Next...??? Exactly!!!

 

As fellow crafters Mama Button and I got nattering to Sue and Jan and spent a lovely afternoon in the shop...I could quite easily have crossed a few names off my Christmas shopping list, it is a one stop shop...cards and presents to suit every purse and if you need a new purse they can help you out in that department as well!!!

 

I spent a pretty penny or two, well it was my birthday!!! I treated myself to a gorgeous new ring made by Jess of Perlina Jewellery Designs and of course I had to buy a little something from Honeypips!!!

We had a totally brilliant time at the shop, not wanting to leave...the shop was never empty, there was always a customer...some even returning whilst we were in there, which is ALWAYS a good sign.

 

If you get the opportunity to visit the shop...DO!!! Like us you won't be disappointed

A Few of My Favorite Things...Gift Shops.

Well what can I tell you...for as long as I care to remember I've loved cards. I don't just mean birthday and Christmas cards I mean thank you, I'm sorry and even cards "left blank for your own message" cards!!!

My obsession with gift shops started when I was about nine or ten, when I would go into shops in Camden and Crouch End and buy with my hard earned pocket money, pencil and rubbers that smelt of "grapes", mind you, they weren't like any grapes I'd ever smelt before...and my favourite, my swiss roll rubber, it smelt good enough to eat!

Once the pencil and rubber phase wore off I progressed to stationary. I would by cards and notebooks by Paper Moon and like the rubbers and pencils, I refused to use them...I would just covert them in my bedroom...in fact I do believe that I still have some of the pencils and a notebook lurking around in a draw somewhere!!!

Now I'm all grown up, I still get all giddy with excitment at seeing a "good gift shop", like these two...In fact I would even go as far as saying that they are like mini department stores as there's very little you can't buy from them.

I have added a few snaps of their loveliness, after all a picture speaks a thousand words ;) If you're in the areas, drop in, have a mooch and let me know if you agree.

My first favourite is Etcetera, in The Howard Centre in Welwyn Garden City

 My second favourite is The Present on Barnet High Street

The Knitting & Stitching Show...

Starting yesterday, was the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace.

I managed to bag myself one of their new half day tickets, allowing me to get in at 3 o'clock and avoid the marauding masses AND as it was the first day there were still oodles of goodies to be seen and if your purse allowed....had for the taking!!!

I wasn't after anything in particular, I was just along for a mooch and a good old gander at was on offer. I did pick up some jewellery findings, wool, buttons (of course!) and a couple of beading kits as I am interested in learning some new techniques.

I did manage a couple of snaps to show you lovely people, including one of Stuart from this years Great British Sewing Bee.

Beautiful Beaded Necklace

Stunning Hand Beaded Jewellery

Gorgeous Hand Beaded Jewellery

Amazing Hand Embroidery

Tendance Ruban

Tendance Ruban

Tendance Ruban

FABRIC!

Stuart from The Great British Sewing Bee

Remember the Great British Sewing Bee Contestants Here...

Magee Weaving

Alice Caroline Liberty Fabrics

The Taxi Knitted Tea Cosy

Supplies I bought came from the following companies.

Cottage Patchwork

Southampton Beadshop

Spellbound Bead Co

Textile Garden

The Blokes Birthday Treat...

Well today marks The Blokes birthday, yay! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you x

Anyways....he is a man of simple tastes, hence why he's with me, tee hee hee!! Only kidding, but he is a difficult what name to treat, however he does like lemon and shorbread SO when I stubbled apon this recipe I knew it'd be the perfect birthday treat...and I wasn't wrong. Along with this biscuit tin they hit the spot with a nice cuppa tea.

If you are fancying them, they are not soley exclusive for birthdays, why not make a batch up this weekend...you'll thank me for it.



The Blokes Birthday Treat...Lemon Shortbread.

Lemon Shortbread

For the shortbread

220g/8oz unsalted butter, softened
30g/1oz icing sugar
80g/3oz caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling
30g/1oz cornflour
300g/11oz plain flour
1 medium egg yolk

 

For the filling

14 unwaxed lemons

150g/5oz caster sugar

2 medium eggs

2 TBS plain flour

30g/1oz unsalted butter, melted

1. First make the lemon filling mixture by cutting the lemons in half length ways, cutting off the knobbly ends. Slice the lemons as thinly as possible, removing any pips.

2. Place in a bowl with any juice and add the caster sugar and stir well. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge for eight hours or overnight. Stirring occasionally if possible. At the end of the time, the lemons will have softened and the juice and sugar formed a thick syrup.

3. Heat the oven to 160°c/325°f/gas mark 3. Put the eggs in a bowl and mix. Add the lemon mixture along with the flour and melted butter and mix well.
4.To make the shortbread, put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Sift icing sugar into the bowl and beat in. Add the caster sugar and beat in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat thoroughly for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Sift cornflour in and beat. Sift flour in and mix with a wooden spoon to make a crumbly mixture.

5. Tip three quarters of the crumbly shortbread mix into a greased tin (20.5 x 25.5cm x 5cm), gently spread out and press down, creating an even layer. Leave to one side.

6. Mix the egg yolk into the remaining shortbread mix and make a firm dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and using your hands roll out into a 20cm long sausage. Cut across into 30 rounds, about the thickness of a £1 coin.

7. Spoon the lemon mixture onto the shortbread base in the tin, making sure the lemons are evenly distributed. Arrange the shortbread rounds on the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until lightly golden.

8. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sugar and cut into 20 squares. Leave in the tin to firm up for ten minutes. Remove from tin and allow to cool thoroughly. Store in an airtight tin and eat within two days.

G'dad's Collectables - Vintage Emporium...

Hello...Happy Monday!

I trust that you all have lovely, lovely weekends.

Mine was a little strange...strange in that I did a flea market on Saturday, hoping to sell the old display items I have used at fairs for my jewellery...the market turned out to be a bit badly run, due to some internal politics, however I didn't let that dampen my spirits.

I got talking to the lovely lady that had a stall next to me and she told me of a local vintage emporium.

This roused my curiousity so The Bloke and I went for a scrummage yesterday.

WHAT a little find, or rather large find! It turned out to be a warehouse converted into small sales units, where people rent space to sell all their retro, vintage and stuff!!!

Here's a selection of the loveliness available...
 

                                                          G'Dads Collectables


Vintage Soda Syphons

Vintage Dish with Lid

Begium Cap

Vintage Ice Skates

Vintage Jam Pot

Vintage Glasses




Blast from the past...

On the train the other evening, I was skipping through this weeks Stylist magazine. After reading the rather uncomfortable interview with one Ms Naomi Campbell I stumbled across an article that transported me back to my teenage years.

I was stunned to read that my twice monthly bible, Just Seventeen is turning thirty!!!

Whilst reading the article I immediately recognised the covers of the magazines and the strangest thing happened...I remembered the excitement I felt when I read the magazines for the first time.

I had dabbled with Jackie and Blue Jeans magazines but the fit wasn't quite right. They had been going for a while and because of my age I'd not forged that relationship with either of them THEN Just Seventeen happened. It was new, modern and cutting edge. It had everything from fashion and beauty, celebrities to an advice column, with problems you could relate to and in a pre-Google age it was the go to place for advice.

It was like a monthly glossy for teenagers and I loved it!

I remember the first issue, it came free with Smash Hits magazine and I was hooked for the next three years as it held my hand until I graduated onto the next new magazine for the next stage in my life.

HaPpY bIrThDaY 

Just Seventeen

xxx