Tinker and Stitch

Our lovely little town, Leek, is bursting with independent shops, bars and cafes.  In fact it's so good it came runner up in The Telegraph high street awards in 2014, which was kind of a big deal.  Over the years the town has really transformed itself and most of this is down to local business owners pulling together, arranging events and putting Leek back on the map.

One of the key events was the introduction of a new market on the first Sunday of every month.  A Makers & Artisans market bursting with over 30 stalls of locally produced food and crafts.  An opportunity to purchase something unique and original which hasn't been mass produced, not to mention an excellent way for new designers to showcase their goods.

I try and pop along each month as there's always something new to be found and as usual I wasn't disappointed.

A stall which really caught my eye was the curiously quirky Tinker & Stitch.  Specialising in handmade apparel for little tinkers, shop owner Sarah Williams decided to start making baby clothes after having her little girl earlier this year.  If you love a rainbow print, cloud, star, fox or unicorn, YES I SAID UNICORN then Tinker and Stitch's bright clothes are perfect for your babes.   The clothes are super soft and I love the fact they're made from bright quirky fabric.  In fact I kinda wished she did them in adult sizes too.

I can't wait until our baby is born and I can start buying cute stuff like this.  Have you got a favourite shop for children's clothes?

Easy To Make Mother's Day Card

Every year I make my mum a homemade card.  That's all she ever asks for and who am I to deny such a simple request!  Except, the older you get the harder it is to think of something different to make.  Lucky for me Pinterest and Kat Got The Cream are on hand to provide me with an endless source of ideas.

Such as this cute as a button design made by Kat.

Kat's Design

My Card

Here's one I made earlier!

A big thank you to Kat for posting this very easy to make Mother's Day card.  I had all the items in stock so didn't need to buy anything extra and I have to say this is probably one of the best cards over the 32 I've ever made!!!  You really don't want to see my earlier attempts, trust me.

Anyway, this is what you'll need to make the card: -

Card stock or in my case cartridge paper
PVA glue
Buttons
Fine black pen
Pencil
Rubber

Excuse the dark photo!  More daylight hours needed!

As Kat says, it's pretty self-explanatory as to what you do.  I had a go at placing the buttons in different places first and then drawing the stems and leaves in pencil.  I've actually gone for straight stems and Orla Kiely style leaves but it's really up to you how you draw them.

And there you have it! A very stylish, if I do say so myself, homemade Mother's Day card and something fun you can make with the kids.

Do you prefer homemade cards? There's something so much more personal about them don't you think?