big things and little strings...

last week all became a little tricky dicky 

and so on friday i went to spend quality time with

my adopted auntie

at her little gray cottage by a babbling brook

where we spent many happy moments

stringing little strings of happy

whilst Miss Mina looked on 

i think it quite true to say,

one of the besty best things to have happened to me of late is adopting my auntie.

i would highly recommend it...

she is delighted to say, the mountain has become a mole hill and she is nearly at the top ~ Tif 

obituary of a chicken...

hatched: friday 13th March 2009

untimely death: saturday 27th August 2011

leaves behind 5 feathered friends and a broken hearted mother hen

"to some others perhaps you were just another chicken, but to us you were 'billy-no-mates'. just as your name suggested, you were no sheep, pecking with the pack. no sirree! you were a loner who strutted to the beat of your own tune. usually an ABBA or Elvis number in your head. for two years you did you own thing and you did it well.

as you ascend to the great free range Las Vegas in the sky, perhaps not looking in tip top condition due to your untimely death, we are quite sure you will be welcomed with open wings and indeed find the perfect little scratching patch of ground, somewhat similar to the acre of moss you so freely roamed for your short time on this earth. rest in peace little 'billy-no-mates' for despite what your name may suggest, you were indeed one of the best mates we ever had"

she is thinking Tuesday would be a grand day for a giveaway, yes hurrah hooray for Tuesday ~ Tif

liberty and the selvedge fair...

on the saturday morning, the day before i left to cross back over the pond, Our #1 and myself took the train back into London. first stop was TopShop on Oxford Street, we pottled amongst the humongous display of bags. as i stood bedazzled by the array of goods on offer and the young and old pretty ladies rushing around picking up and putting down the goods on display it dawned on me. i was now standing in TopShop on Oxford Street just as i had stood many moons ago aged 19, only this time i had my 19 year old daughter with me and despite a little pang of 'where have the years gone' i felt really rather fortunate for this moment of watching her pick out bags, trying them on, searching to find the exact one to meet all the needs of an art student carrying around her supplies and turning to me, asking for my opinion and when i gave it, listening to it. yes, how fortunate for small moments such as these.

after our bag testing in TopShop we headed to Liberty. i was pretty giddy about this and so i picked up the pace and walked faster. i cannot believe i have never ever been to Liberty before. actually i have stood outside before but never stepped inside its peachy Tudor walls.

we perused every department and i poured over every little thing on display. i have noted i am a 'touchy feely' shopper, everything i am attracted to must be touched, so therefore i did do quite a bit of touching in Liberty, i hoped they did not mind and i did make sure i had clean hands and only did light touching just to get a feel of the material and not a full on big 'rub-e-de-dubby' which would not have been suited to such lovely items on display in Libertys. no sirree, i save my 'rub-e-de-dubby' touchy stuff for the thriftstore where it is most important to get a good feel of things. yes i do know how to behave in public i assure you :)

after a lovely look at the insides of Liberty it was time to grab a light lunch 'el fresco' just off Regent Street. i am not making it up, we did indeed share a panini outside in the beautiful early spring and it was wonderful watching the hustle and bustle of folks in the sunshine. whilst we ate, i do believe i fell in love with London on a spring day.

then we were off to catch a tube to head on over to the Selvedge Fair and meet up with Debbie. upon meeting Debbie at Highgate tube station i was put in charge of directions to the Fair. i marched us off up the high street, after some marching and noting there really did not look like anyone else going to a grand Spring Fair, i halted our marching and poured over the little 'iffy' map printed off the web. i then turned my little 'iffy' map 180 degrees and noted to my two companions who had been marching alongside of me, it would appear we needed to go down the high street and not up.

see right there and then is a classic example dearest readers why i should not be put in charge of such important duties, i am brilliantly brilliant at following and looking out the side windows, whether in a passenger seat of a car or a companion on foot. after a bit of 'sighing and tutting' we were on our way again, arriving at the lovely Selvedge Fair in time for a much enjoyed pottle around and a nice cup of tea before the stall holders packed up and went home.

we caught up with the 'ever so lovely' Emma Lamb and her girls, looking so peachy and perfectly granny-ish. obviously i am talking about Emma's girls looking perfectly granny-ish and not herself, however the 'peachy' bit was about Emma though.

my fabby friend Fran was there too! after so many years of knowing her and her clever arty ways it was a sight for sore eyes to finally get to spend a little moment of snatched 'real life' quality time together.

and then there was my lovely friend Gloria (left of the photo), who so kindly displayed our dottie angel ltd tea towels on her stall and then let me stand behind her stall which truly was most kind.

how grand to have a chance to chin wag about this and that... truly what a peachy way to spend the last few hours of being on a small island... at the Selvedge fair with my lovely cyber buddies Emma, Fran and Gloria. the fair was full of crafty and arty goodness and it was wonderful to see all the stalls and their creative owners.

and then just like before, in the blink of an eye we were riding the evening train back to suburbia to pack up my 'vintage fabric heaven' treasures in my little suitcase and bid England a fond farewell. as i lay in my bed that night going over the whirlwind of the past 10 days, visiting five different counties, the family, the folks and the places i had seen, i could only marvel again at what a peachy trip it had been and best of all, perhaps the besty thing of it all, i got to spend a whole week with Our #1.

she has made old blighty her home now, when i look at her i see an adult standing before me, one who does not read her maps upside down, can train hop like a pro and knows how to be a canny thrifty shopper with her pennies. and as much as i miss not having her living here in our shed i am so positively beaming as i tippity type this post, knowing she is living out in the big world and doing such a brilliantly peachy job of it, far far better than i ever did.

she is particularly liking something in particular ~ Tif

vintage fabric heaven and Caravan...

i must confess to being distracted over the past few days by my little office space.

no longer Our #1's bedroom,

no longer a catch-all for my crappity crap

no longer with mauve walls to do my head in.

things are coming along a peachy treat and as i tippity type this little post in the corner of my new office space (gosh that does sound terribly businessy busy like doesn't it!) i am looking at freshly painted walls, old frames spiffied up, a nicely made bed in one corner for when Our #1 visits and in t'other corner, a place to house all my collection of lovely things to do with dottie angel stuff.

i will be sure to show you more but first shall we carry on with the thrilling adventures of Tif, Debbie, Lou Dearie and Our #1 in the big smoke? after all it is a day which will be forever etched on my little brain...

after our pottle around Spitalfields Market, Lou Dearie took us to 'vintage fabric heaven'.

now perhaps i need to tell a little tale within this tale for you to truly appreciate this moment. when the lovely Lou turned up in Seattle last September, she bought with her a suitcase full of vintage and retro fabric goodness, the likes of which i have never set eyes upon before. when she opened the lid to her case i can only liken it to the moment a lid is lifted off hidden buried treasure and a glorious light shines from within and angels chorus all around. well that was Lou's suitcase and as she lifted out the most wonderful bark cloth curtain with perfectly peachy rose clusters upon it, 13 dearies and myself gasped 'thee gasp'. after which Lou told me of a place, a place so splendid in it's retro vintage glory fabric goodness that she just knew i would think it was the closest thing to fabric heaven this side of the pearly gates.

roll on several months and here i was in London with my lovely day trip companions and embarking on what was to become one of my top ten all time besty best days ever. first Spitalfields Market and now a trip to vintage fabric heaven.

i have no idea where vintage fabric heaven is, Debbie and I dutifully followed Lou Dearie as she weaved through the side streets of London, Our #1 choosing to catch up with us later as she wished to check out the vintage stores along the way.

what can i say dearest readers, Lou did not disappoint. vintage fabric heaven was in a little side street, in a little shop crammed to the ceiling with piles of secondhand fabrics. all clean and folded and treated as they should be. sorted into piles of 'likeness'...

drawers overspilling with doilies and lace, granny blankets in a rainbow of colors, retro curtains and bark cloth yardage, all of which brought tears to my eyes.

we left vintage heaven with my purse a lot lighter and our hands a lot fuller...

feeling a little faint from two peachy ports of call and knowing we still had one port left to go, we found a lovely cafe to recharge our batteries and for me to yabber on and on about what we had seen and done whilst everyone else ate their lunch.

after which Lou had to leave, so we said our 'fare thee wells' and the three of us continued on our journey. our final port of call being the world of Emily Chalmers, Caravan. stepping off the street into Emily's shop was like stepping into a little imaginary world, Emily's lovely world. if you ever get a chance to visit then do so, for it is beautiful and interesting and quirky, just like Emily herself.

Emily was waiting for us, looking perfectly peachy whilst we looked windswept and bedraggled from our day out in blustery London, but such details did not matter, no sirree, what mattered was the wonderful couple of hours spent sitting and nattering over a cup of tea in Emily's room above the shop, marvelling over my vintage fabric haul, 'ooohing and ahhhing' over Emily's lovely collections and spending quality time together.

before we left the wonderful world of Caravan, Emily and myself had our photo taken by Leonard and he did a pretty good job considering the awe of the moment he needed to record. you will be able to see the results of the photo in my 'dottie angel' book alongside of Emily's lovely foreword she so kindly wrote for me.

and then we were on our way, off to catch a late train home to the suburbs. as we sat amongst other train travellers eating our M&S sandwiches and munching our crisps, i could but only marvel at how fortunate i was to be able to share this incredible day in my life with my soul sister and my eldest daughter.

knowing when i am old and grey, with perhaps a few marbles missing, i will be sure to tell the tale of this day to any passing random strangers who happen to pass by my granny chair in my old folks home. recalling the day i got to visit SpitalFields Market, Vintage Fabric Heaven and Emily Chalmer's peachy Caravan World many many moons ago. and when those passerbys doubt my 'tale' i will merely nod in the direction of the granny chair next to me and say

"if you do not believe me, then ask my soul sister, for she was there too..."

and we will smile the knowing smile that only soul sisters can smile who share a lifetime of memories

she is happily playing with her little forsaken souls and hopes to have results of said playing in the shop soon ~ Tif

footynote: upon my return to the shed i have noted gremlins are playing around with my shiny place, hence the lovely wide spacing between the sentences and other such mischief :)

dottie angel do's... part one

some days when Mr Sun won't shine

and Mr Blah seems all around,

i am thinking it quite nice

to have a reminder of how to 'perky up' the day.

now some may say

"how Tif, could a tea towel possibly perky up my day?"

and usually i would be inclined to agree,

although saying that,

there are so many tea towels

out in 'tea towel world' doing a grand job at cheering up a nest or two.

however this perfectly peachy pair

of over sized tea towels are tres clever,

not only do they have the ability to 'perky up'

a corner of your kitchen with their pretty looks.

but they are also handy dandy

at reminding us of how to live the 'dottie angel' way

yes indeedy, several months ago

whilst rummaging around some boxes in our garage

i came across my granny's old exercise book.

this chance encounter resulted in a 'ta da' moment of the utmost kind.

the results of my 'ta da' moment being the

dottie angel do's

1. do have high hopes

2. do follow the righteous and goodly

path of thriftiness

3. do think you are most peachy perfect

4. do feel a little crafty at least twice a day

5. do wear your slip peeking out from

below your skirt

6. do embrace all that is granny chic

and give it a forever home

this pair of sweeties would be perfectly at home doing the dishes,

hanging around on a wall looking pretty

or being used to make a cushion or bag.

they do not mind which you do,

they are just happy if you are.

all this grand tea towel fabbiness

was made possible by two spiffy folks.

folk #1. my soul sister Debbie and partner in businessy things such as this

(yes 'tis true, we are now 'ltd')

she wore her little 'business cap', the result being,

these lovely quality tea towels are printed in Old Blighty

and wrapped nicely in yarn,

ready for their new homes.

and

folk #2. my long time cyber buddy Francesca Iannaccone

from Mrs Eliot Books,

who so kindly saw what was inside of my head

and made the design appear!

i am a mega fan of Fran's lovely work

and was totally delighted when she agreed

to collaborate with Debbie and myself.

lots of other nitty gritty stuff about the tea towels

can be found in the description of them in my little shop.

i must tell you, i am pretty delighted

with the results of our first 'dottie angel ltd' product

and in thrilling 'part two' if i maybe so bold,

even bolder than today

i will be sharing a little 'how two'

for making this peachy pair into cushions and a laundry bag.

i know this to be bold,

because as i tippity type,

i have yet to actually make them into cushions and bags...

she has high hopes, she has not counted her chickens before they hatched ~ Tif

a perfectly peachy weekend...

my dearies were everything my high hopes could wish for

and so much more...

they came from illinois, california, texas, montana,

louisana, canada, hawaii and even old blighty.

suitcases crammed with their own

high hopes,

vintage fabrics,

sewing machines,

yarn

and

crafty souls.

it would be quite true to say,

upon the moment i met

jessie, rita, debee, lou, diana, lyn,

jade, chris, beki, eva, michelle and stacy,

i knew the handcrafted gods had smiled down on me.

as the weekend past,

holed up in our big old house on capitol hill, seattle,

we not only spent our waking hours wisely,

crafting apron wraps, vintage slips, bags, wall hangings and stools the dottie angel way,

but we also learnt

* everyone is important, even chickens

* random and wonky but never squiffy

* it is okay to keep canned pumpkin in vintage suitcases

* it is okay to be a vintage fabric geek

* granny chic is grand

* there is method to the madness

* never look left when going through customs

for me this has been an incredible experience

and one that i will never forget, a bit like a first love.

to be given an oportunity to meet like minded crafty souls en masse

after years of living in cyber world was such a treat.

since returning home to the shed,

i have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

for in the space of a few days,

my 12 'dearies of the utmost kind'

filled my world with their uniqueness, kindness and craftiness.

it would be quite true to say,

now they are gone,

i feel a little lost without them by my side...

of course we could not have 'beavered away' without nourishment.

angela, along with mary, whipped up a storm in the kitchen

and to everyones relief, not an orange meal insight.

indeed when mary was not in the kitchen

then she was my trusty assistant.

i think we all secretly wished to take mary home after the weekend.

even three days on,

i am still working on a cunning plan to have her move to mossy shed

there are plenty of photos for those that may wish to ganders.

i am quite sure many more will appear over the coming days

but for now you can take alooky

here

here

and

here

i am still a little gobsmacked even after a few days of being home...

to think so many lovelies took a chance on me and my dottie angel ways,

packed up their high hopes along with their imaginations

and truly made my first dottie angel camp

most peachy perfect indeed

she is thinking a nice dose of quality time with Miss Ethel will help cure her symptoms ~ Tif

the day before...

please excuse my unexplained absence...

when i awoke on friday morning, Mr Lurgy had me in a vice like grip,

thus our plans for the day were scrapped.

Debbie had to make do with crocheting in our lounge

instead of the 'blah and beige' waiting room of the DOL.

she kindly made no comments about my horribly horrible state of lurgyifiedness,

other than to offer me medicinal cups of tea and comforting words.

we watched several movies and put the world to rights.

today we made up for the little hiccup in our agenda

and headed into Fremont, Seattle.

i was still rather foggy brained

but we managed to pottle around the place quite happily

in our matching Clarks clog sandals.

(which my mother kindly gifted to me this summer)

upon seeing them, Debbie recognized them for what they were,

pretty sweet and comfy.

as one gets older,

words such as 'comfy' for footwear become spoken more frequently.

shortly afterwards we became clog twins who pottle well together.

i have no idea if the word 'pottle' exists

but i felt it described exactly our movements of this morning,

therefore i am now adopting it as my word of the week

i shall be sure to say in a loud voice every day

things like
"oh, how lovely the mail man has been, i shall pottle to fetch the mail"

or perhaps

"little olive, why do you look so suspicious, do you need to pottle outside for a visit"

then again

"gosh, is it friday already, i must pack my bags and pottle into Seattle to meet my lovely dearies"

now we are back holed up in the shed,

i am watching the rain turn into a small river outside my studio window.

indeed i am thinking i should say

"oh, i see the rain has pottled into a river outside my window"

whilst i am watching water pottle

Debbie is doing secrets in the kitchen.

secrets to do with my birthday tomorrow...

this is terribly exciting,

for it is not often someone does secretive secrety things in my kitchen

on my behalf.

she will be back tomorrow, another year older and perhaps quite possibly a little wiser ~ Tif

footnote: i am thinking in future to not cause light headiness for some readers, i will place a warning sign above any photos taken in my local thrift store. it has become such a norm for me, i did not think about what a shock to the system, aisle after aisle of such bounty, could cause.

so be warned before you read the next line... particularly if you are a Brit.

my thift store is the size of a medium Tescos or Sainsbury.

there are others i frequent that are the size of Tesco superstores.

quite unimaginable really...

yipee!!

after braving the freeway in the rain to get to the airport,

Debbie, Our #2 and moi arrived safely back at the shed last night.

upon arrival i made Debbie a nice welcoming orange meal...

since getting up this morning we have

nattered,

drunk tea

and nattered some more...

then dearest readers,

i am delighted to report

we got down to the business of thrifting.

i am not quite sure what Debbie will have to say

when she sees that Carlos my camera was stalking her

whilst she pottered along the aisles of forsaken china.

but this week i am in 'roving reporter' mode

(as we know, Tif likes her modes)

i was most delighted Debbie wore her green sweater

for there was no fear of losing her amongst the shelves of despair.

quite often i am unable to see what is lurking on the top shelf

but being lovely and tall, Debbie is most handy to have as a thrifting buddy

our little cart was soon filling up with treasures

so we discussed the merits of each and every find,

putting some back and spending our pennies wisely

for our week of fun has only just begun.

tomorrow, i am taking my soul sister to the exciting sights and sounds

of our local Department of Licensing 'beige and blah' office.

it has dawned on me with less than a few days until my birthday,

my drivers license will run out and then i will be in trouble.

i am not sure what kind of trouble

but none the less, the worry of possible trouble

is enough for me to drag her along for a morning of sitting in a waiting room.

however we will be wisely armed with our Mr Hooks to pass the time

and when the 'new license' is in my little mitts,

we will 'hoppity skip' it out of there

and straight to the thrift store i know of several blocks away

it may be raining outside the shed, but the sun is shining inside ~ Tif

a question of crafting...

please excuse my lateness in this post, it would appear the real world got the better of me yesterday, but i'm here now.

in my shiny place, as lola would put it. i like that very much, the thought of here being my shiny place and then i think about how it is probably the only thing that i actually look forward to polishing...

and so for today's question of crafting i'm bringing you a truly shiny person, a lovely crafter that quite honestly takes my breath away with her talent...

so without further a do and before i get so completely giddy with excitement and lose my 'professional interviewing manner', i shall introduce you to Jane from ATLITW, which stands for Alltheluckintheworld. just saying the name makes one know it's pretty special...

i first came across Jane through the wonderful world of Flickr. to be honest i can't quite pin point the time but it was her Christmas Tree that stopped me dead in my Flickr tracks.

i took a closer look which led me to her other photos, beautiful images of vintage finds, recycled furniture and then her shop... once again i felt myself come over a little faint. this, i thought to myself, is surely how heaven should look...

over the past few months we have been getting to know each other and i do feel most fortunate that Jane has willingly participated in my 'question of crafting' feature. travelling all the way from the Netherlands to mossy shed, just so we may get a lovely healthy dose of her pretty wares and learn a little bit of the crafter behind the creations.

(oh and just so you know, i recorded this interview a few days back...)

so if you are sitting quietly and comfortably, i shall press the play button and begin

would you mind telling me and my dearest readers a little bit about yourself?

Jane: Hi, my name is Jane, I live in the Netherlands and I'm a graphic designer, artist, crafter and mother.
I was born in Australia but my parents moved our family to Holland in the 70's when I was 12 years old. That was a huge transition – everything was different. I don't know if you've ever heard people speaking Dutch but I can tell you, it's nothing like English and I couldn't understand a word at first. Although I picked up the language within about 6 months, I felt lost and terribly out of place. In those days of course we didn't have Internet so it was much harder to keep in touch with my old friends. I was a bit of a hermit spending a lot of time in my room reading and making things. Things started to change for me when I moved to Amsterdam and went to study at the art academy.
My daughters Robin and Nina are 21 and 19 and they both live away from home. Robin studies Communications at the University of Amsterdam and Nina is learning to be a goldsmith / jeweler. I’m very proud of both of them! I miss them a lot but luckily they often come home on the weekends.

Tif: do you know i really had no idea that your children were older, i imagined little ones running around for some reason

where did you come up with the name for your company Alltheluckintheworld?

Jane: As a single mum, I had to work long hours in my job as a graphic designer to support my family. When my daughters grew older and became less dependent on me I saw the possibility to start something for myself and do what I loved most. I felt (and still feel) so lucky! I wanted to share this with others by making things that bring luck and love and happiness to others because they are made with that intention. I’ve always been an avid visitor of flea markets and thrift shops so I decided to combine my passions. The combination of handmade, re-styled and vintage goods works quite well, I think.
I cut back my Graphic Design job to 3 days a week so I have enough time for Alltheluckintheworld . It was a good decision and although it sometimes is a struggle financially, I’m really happy I made it.

Tif: i am quite sure upon hearing this, there will be many that find your journey extremely inspiring, giving them the courage to follow their dreams.

when you started crafting, who or what inspired you to go down such a righteous and goodly path?
Jane: First of all, my mother. She made lots of clothes for us when I was a child. On my 9th birthday she gave me an old-fashioned treadle sewing machine and taught me how to use it. I was always sewing doll’s clothes. We had crafting/sewing lessons at school, which everyone hated, except me. That’s where I started embroidering. My dad is a draftsman and he used to draw with us a lot.

if a pesky gnome and his friends appeared on your doorstep, would you offer them a 'home for all seasons' and if so, could you describe the type of 'mini living quarters' you would craft for them to stay in? (i had to ask this one, as i can only imagine if i was a pesky gnome and landed on your doorstep, the type of living quarters you would create would make me think i had died and gone to gnome heaven)
Jane: There are 2 pesky gnomes living in my garden. They are trying to look innocent here but there is no way I’m letting them inside!

Tif: ah yes, i see them and yes they do look tres pesky to me, i'm quite sure they are happy as can be outside, next to all that loveliness :)

does your craft influence the way you dress? do you find if you dress creatively on any given day then perhaps that day ends up being far more productive work wise?
Jane: I’m not a very creative dresser. I like to wear dresses or jeans. Usually in dark colors. I have this one vintage summer dress that I loved to wear until it started to fall apart. I couldn’t part with it so I’ve “mended” it with applications and embroidery. It’s an ongoing project. Every now and then I add something to it.

Tif: that's a stunning dress... and how interesting, i know if i don't dress creatively then i can not get my creative juices flowing, it's like i need to dress 'the part' to be 'the part' if you see what i mean. the dress you are wearing today really is what i pictured you dressing in all the time.

you opened your lovely store recently, combining vintage finds along with your recycled and handcrafted wares. do you find the opportunity to create vignettes on a larger scale within the store has helped your creativity expand even further?

Jane: My sister Julie runs the real store, it’s at her house and quite a long way from where I live. I started with the web shop and she joined me a year later. Being so far apart is quite a problem, we’re still figuring out if this will work or if we should just stick to the web shop. Julie does most of the vintage products and I’m the one who makes things. She has a young family and a very busy job so time can be a problem too. It would be wonderful if we lived closer together.

how do you juggle between your graphic design job and being able to make things?

Jane: On the 3 days I work away from home, I find it very hard to spend time on my own projects. My head is filled with the projects I’m doing there. Of course I answer emails and send out orders but I usually can’t be very creative in the way of making things.

what is your most proudest crafting achievement to date?

Jane: My wall vases. I really like the way they turned out. I have made about 25 and I still have more to go. I like that they were ugly heater dishes that no-one would have wanted and I love the idea of having a vase hanging on the wall

Tif: i have to agree, this wall is simply one of the most beautiful walls i've laid eyes on, it actually has caused me to have 'wall envy', something i don't have very often

have you always used recycled items within your creations or is that something that has evolved over time for you?

Jane: Not always but I have been doing it for a long time. At least 20 years so you can imagine how big my collection of “supplies” is. I’m not very well organized though so I often have a hard time finding what I need. I have a million tins and they all have treasures hiding in them!

Tif: i now have 'tin lust' as well...

the Christmas tree that you applied to your wall last year is quite honestly the most beautiful tree i have seen. were you just sitting there one day and thought, "oooh, i know, lets stick all my quirky little collections on to the wall for Christmas"? i'm intrigued to know if that is how it happens for you, do you have crafting epiphanies that appear from nowhere, or do you perhaps have an inspiration book, where you jot down thoughts to reflect on at a later date, taking time to evolve an idea?


Jane: Well, yes, it did sort of happen like that. At first my idea was to take pictures of all sorts of christmassy items, cut them out and glue them to the wall. I did about 2 and then decided it was too much work. Why not just stick all the little objects to the wall instead? I didn’t think it would work but it did and I was very surprised when it became such a big hit. This year, last year’s tree was on the cover of magazines in Romania, Russia and Israel! Haha, I couldn't believe it.

Tif: that's fantastic and i'm not surprised, it has to be the best looking green christmas tree i've laid eyes on

if you could invite anyone to your place to have a little sit upon your stools, admire your wares and then have a chat, who would they be?

Jane: I’d like it if you could come over. I‘m sure we’d have lots to talk about :)! Also my Australian friend Tina. I haven’t seen her since Robin was a baby and she stayed with us in Amsterdam. My famous people would be Sophie Calle and Tracey Emin. They both have such interesting stories. And then of course, Johnny Depp

Tif: oh yes! i'd be there in a heart beat, i couldn't think of anything else i'd rather do, i would be most willing to help you go through your tins of treasures and quite honestly on this occasion i would be willing to share Johnny.

and last but no means least, quite a telling question i feel,
have you ever cooked a fish in a dishwasher before?

Jane: I’m thinking of saying yes to sound more adventurous but to be honest: No. Have you?

Tif: well actually i haven't, but i was saying to my man just the other day that surely someone has, and he mentioned that there might even be a cookbook written on dishwasher cooking, after that i tuned out as i knew the conversation was going in a direction i did not care for.

and so dearest readers, it just leaves me to thank Jane so very kindly for being here with us today (although really it was a few days back and this was recorded remember)

to actually take time out of her busy life to answer my rather dubious questions and tolerate my lack of quality interviewing skills is truly above and beyond... i am most fortunate indeed to have such a lovely crafter to grace the pages of my shiny place.

and i think it most true to say how delighted we are to have got to know the very talented creator behind ATLIW


she will be back on tuesday, until then she wishes you a crafting epiphany or two, of your own ~ Tif

footynote: please do note that all pictures belong to Jane, i wish i could once again say they belonged to me and only me... mine, mine, mine! but that would be wrong and wicked. so please do take notice of who's property they are and so shall i :)