Monday 28 September 2015

Quote of the Week - Sylvia Plath on Creativity



Hello everyone,

Hope you enjoyed the Henri Matisse quote form last week on creativity. Over the next few weeks I will be posting creativity themed quotes which I hope you all will enjoy. This week's quote is by poet, novelist and short story writer Sylvia Plath.

Do you have a favourite quote about creativity? Please share it below in the comment section!

The Dorothy Days X

Sunday 27 September 2015

Item of the Week: To and From handmade gift tags


It seems that as soon as it turned September people started mentioning Christmas. Not Christmas crazy but just little mentions here and there! I know a lot of crafters (myself included) have started preparing for Christmas. People often ask why we prepare so early. It is because it is such a busy period that we need to try and get lots of items made to be able to keep up with orders so I always try and use August which is a bit of a quieter time to prepare and make new stock. This is also what high street shops do, they prepare their stock way in advance to make sure they have everything prepared. But, unlike highstreet shops I continue making orders and new stock right the way up until Christmas time! I always feel like a bit of a Christmas elf with all the making, gift wrapping and posting!

 For my item of the week this week I wanted to share with you all my handmade gift tags. I have made a few packs of these for my shop recently as they are always popular in the run up to Christmas.

I am going to be making the tags in different colours soon as well including in red and green for Christmas colours and also in brown for a more rustic style. The great thing about the tags is that they can also be used for birthdays, anniversaries etc not just for Christmas.

My 'To: From:' tags are available to purchase over in my Etsy shop. Please view them by clicking here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/200896930/to-from-gift-tags-in-white-luggage-label 

I am always happy to do custom orders. Please contact me if you require a different quantity or in a different colour!

Thanks for reading

The Dorothy Days X

Saturday 26 September 2015

Style Saturday - Flamingo Style!

The Flamingo

Hello everyone,

I am rather obsessed with flamingos at the moment. I think it is ever since I got given some flamingo feathers as a gift!

 I love the retro/ kitsch look of the flamingos in this collection. I particularly like the flamingo decal it would look great on a plain wall. The bright colour of the flamingo adds a splash of colour to the room or, if you prefer a monochrome look then there are black and white flamingo plates and a cushion.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, thanks so much for reading!

If you missed my Style Saturday post last week (on back to school) you can find it HERE 

Tuesday 22 September 2015

(500) days of summer - collection of handmade items

Hello everyone,


Summer has now come to a close and the cooler weather seems to have swiftly arrived! It is cold, wet and grey one moment and beautiful sunshine and blue skies the next! 

My tassel necklace got featured in this beautiful collection and I just had to share it as I thought it was beautifully put together and the colours really sum up the warmth of the Autumn sunshine and the blue skies but also a bit a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to change.

500 Days Of Summer alternati...
$15

SALE Retro citrus blanket/ t...
$30

Old Tree Painting.Landscape ...
$389

Fine art orange orhid button...
$8

Green Leaf Hanji Paper Earri...
$14

Moss green necklace strands ...
$5

Green leaf dangling ear gaug...
$25

Dark Green Leaf Mini Backpac...
$54

floral photography, botanica...
$10

Brooch Flover brooch cornflo...
$21

Year Round Wreath, Everyday ...
$38

Lake Dangle earring
$45

SALE black/purple lace earri...
$12

Ring purple rose, dark purpl...
$9

POLYMER CLAY NECKLACE-Trendy...
$25

10 pcs Handmade Purple Viole...
$19.99
Powered By Handmadeology

Monday 21 September 2015

Quote of the Week - Henri Matisse - Thinking creatively


Hello everyone,

If you read my blog regularly you will know that every Monday I post a new quote for my quote of the week. I hope that you all enjoy reading these quotes that I post. I know that lots of you who read my blog are creatives yourselves; fellow bloggers, Etsy sellers, crafters, artists and makers or creative in alternative, non-traditional ways such as within your work. So, for the next few weeks I am going to be posting quotes about creativity which I hope that you will all find inspiring.

The first quote is by the artist Henri Matisse. The more you think about this quote the truer it is. It takes courage to try something new or do something in a more creative way. I hope this week this quote will inspire you to think about new ways of looking at things and how you can add more creativity into your everyday life. Finding the courage to try something is often the hardest steps hope that you all find the courage this week to try something new. Whether that be....

* Experimenting with a new medium
* Reworking a piece which you were originally happy with but could, with some courage(!), use your creativity to rework into something else. Something bolder, more creative and different to what you usually do
 *Trying something completely new and out of your comfort zone. Perhaps working in a new style or looking at new influences
*Doing something just for you. Something that you have always wanted to learn but never have. For example, I recently tried crochet. I always say it is something I would like to do but never have given it a go. It is not something that comes natural to me and I am very very slowly learning but it is really lovely to do something for myself and make something for the sake of making it rather than making something to sell in the shop.
*Looking at how you can make something mundane and everyday into something creative.

If any of you did try anything new this week I would love to hear about it. Please let me know in the comment section below. I received a few comments recently on my blog and they really made me smile, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write them. I really appreciate it!

The Dorothy Days X


Sunday 20 September 2015

Item of the week: Initial letter necklaces


Did anyone else have an obsession when they were younger for finding their name on anything or wearing their initial letters? I did! I had my own notepad which had my name on it and some pens and also a tea cup. I loved them all but remember really wanting a necklace with the initial of my first name on it. I was thinking about this a while back and decided to bring to my shop my own range of initial letter necklaces but in a more 'grown up' style.

The necklaces are perfect for everyday wear and also make a lovely gift for a friend. I kept one of the necklaces with my initial and I wear it most days. It is nice for when you want to wear a necklace of some kind but not something too big. The chain is dainty so I often forget I have it on. I also sometimes wear it layered with other more chunky necklaces.

I hope you will like them too! My Initial letter necklaces on silver chain are available HERE in my Etsy Shop.

Each necklace comes in an organza gift bag so perfect if you do want to give it as a gift!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Thanks for reading.

The Dorothy Days X

Saturday 19 September 2015

Style Saturday - Street Style Trend

Casual Street Style
Hello everyone,

I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend so far. Recently I have been posting a lot of Style Saturday posts with light pastel colours so today I thought I would share with you something a little bit different.

I really like the fringe shorts. You can either buy shorts like this or up cycle some of your old jeans. Lots of my jeans are getting a bit past their best and have holes in the knees so I have been cutting them into shorts like these. The 'Mean Girl' style t-shirt is fun and could easily to swapped for another top in a similar style but still work with this outfit. I really like the big headphones, perfect for commuting or travelling around the city but most of all I love the trainers. This look would be really easy to recreate as it uses monochrome with a splash of red and each of the items could be used as part of a different outfit and made to look totally different.

Get the look....


Fringe shorts
£21 - stylemoi.nu




Adidas Originals red shoes
£63 - mytheresa.com


Valentino leather cuff bracelet
£190 - monnierfreres.com


Forever 21 hair accessory
£0.97 - forever21.com


Preppy Girl's Top
£12 - stylemoi.nu


Nixon Stylus Headphones
£34 - backcountry.com



The Dorothy Days X

Friday 18 September 2015

How to make lemon curd sweetened with honey!



Hello everyone,

Recently I have been experimenting and making different chutneys. The first batch we had to taste test of course ;) !! This Christmas I am going to make chutney for friends and family and I am going to put my labels which I sell in my shop on them to make them look pretty! 

I found this video tutorial of how to make lemon curd so that is next on my list! It doesn't keep as long so I will need to make it nearer Christmas but might try a batch soon just for fun/ to taste test! 

I hope you enjoy the tutorial. 

Do any of you make chutneys, jams, lemon curd etc?

Would love to hear if you do, please leave a comment in the comments section below!

Wednesday 16 September 2015

5 things I love about the Autumn (Fall)



1. Lighting the fire. The cottage I live in has a log fire so once it starts getting colder we go to the woods behind the house and collect wood for the fire. Not only is it lovely to have the fire going for warmth but also I could sit for hours watching it. We have a little chair that sits right next to the fire so I take my iPad and in the evenings sit by the fire writing blog posts, tweeting etc


2. Rainy weekends are the perfect excuse to stay in. In the summer time it is lovely to be outside and you feel if you spend a sunny day inside it is a waste but on a rainy day it is perfectly acceptable to stay in and spend the day baking, watching films, listening to music and drinking tea....perfect!


3. Nature! The changing colours of the leaves are one of my favourite things about Autumn. We have this beautiful road near us in Dorset which is lined by trees and in the Autumn I love driving along or going for a walk near as all the trees change colour and it feels rather magical. I also love going for walks in the woods and love the smell of the woods after it has been raining.


4. That people's thoughts start to turn to Christmas. I know everyone moans it is way too early but I LOVE christmas and it is slightly more acceptable to talk about it from now on!


5. Getting out my Autumn/ Winter wardrobe. Big warm jumpers, thick tights, boots and bobble hats  are what I love to wear in the Autumn. 


What do you love about the Autumn? Please let me know in the comments section below! 

Sunday 13 September 2015

Item of the Week: Pinecone necklace


Now that Autumn is on its way (officially next week!) I thought it would be fitting for my item of the week to be this pinecone necklace.

The pinecone is really dainty in size so perfect for everyday wear. It can be worn alone or layered with other necklaces and would make a lovely friendship necklace!

Find my pinecone necklace in my Etsy shop by clicking here

Thank you so much for reading.

The Dorothy Days Xx

Saturday 12 September 2015

Style Saturday - Back to School in black, pink and mint

Back to School: Fall Jacket


I know that lots of you are getting ready to go back to school this September so this week for Style Saturday I thought I would do a 'Back to School' themed feature.

The collection includes everything from pretty stationary, an alarm clock so that you don't oversleep and that gorgeous mint wrap around coat!

How to get the look...

Photo Credit: Ban.do


'I am very busy' poster in mint green by Ban.do. For when you need to remind everyone that it may look like you are procrastinating but you are in fact very busy!


Choies Light Green Lapel Waisted  Double Breasted Trench Coat

Light green waisted trench coat by Choies . Great for when the weather is not yet bitterly cold. 





yeswalker Floral Print Sneakers


These adorable floral print trainers/ sneakers in mint green with pink flowers by Yes Style


LUCLUC Black London Style Metallic Backpacks Expandable Bags

This black London Style expandable backpack by LucLuc. Useful for carrying your books around campus or school. It has a lovely 'chain' trim and is waterproof (hooray for dry books and homework!)

Good luck to all my followers who are going back to school, university, college etc and I hope that you enjoyed reading my Style Saturday post. I run this post every Saturday with different themes so please check out next week's. If you haven't already seen last week's Style Saturday post you can find it here... http://thedorothydays.blogspot.com/2015/09/style-saturday-industrial-and-copper.html

Have a great weekend!

The Dorothy Days X

Friday 11 September 2015

Five things: Five cool art vines that I am loving this week

Hey everyone,

A little while ago I posted a blog post on Vines (you can view it here if you haven't already). This week I have been watching lots of the art vines which have been uploaded. There are some amazingly creative vines that have been shared and I really enjoyed watching. I thought today I would share with you all some of my favourites.

Enjoy.....

1) The more you watch it, the more beautiful this gets. This piece is called 'Water Cycle' by Xaviera Lopez



2) This video is even better with the sound turned on. I love the dancing hot dogs! By Alicia Herber




3) Love the retro style colours in this one by Sammy Slabbinck


4) 'The one who things with chaos thinks big' by Hampus Hagman


5) *Some flashing light in this one*


Hope you enjoyed this post

Thanks for reading

The Dorothy Days X

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Work in progress - my new ceramic bead necklaces


Hi!

Lots of you said that you enjoyed seeing my behind the scenes/ work in progress photographs so I have been trying to remember to take photographs when I am making (I always seem to forget!) but I remembered this time (hooray!). I recently have been making some ceramic bead necklaces. I thought the cube beads were super cute and I am really pleased with how the necklaces have come out.


I made the necklaces in different colour combinations. Here is my purple, blue and aqua necklace. I can't decide if I prefer then on the white background or the wood background.

What do you all think?


The Dorothy Days Xx

Tuesday 8 September 2015

Using Pinterest as a thought/ mood board when designing new products

When I am creating a new piece for my shop I often sit and make a 'thoughts board' or inspiration board. I do this in different ways. Sometimes I make a collage from magazines, sometimes I take lots of photos, sometimes I will save links and often I will look to place like Pinterest.

With the photographs, I take my iPhone everywhere I go so when I find something I like I take a photograph of it. Often the photograph will then sit on my computer for a long time before it gets worked into an idea and I will keep looking back on photographs to spark new ideas. I quite often use photographs for colour inspiration and it helps me look at what colours work together.

Recently, I have been turning to Pinterest more as a way to gain inspiration. I can combine my photographs, notes, collages etc with what I find on Pinterest and come up with lots of new ideas.

For example, I have been collecting colour inspiration photographs on my Pinterest board for a while and when I was making my new 'Wool Ball' necklaces I looked back through the board for inspiration for the colour schemes.


I knew I wanted to make a necklace in more muted tones and particularly colours drawn from nature. I particularly liked the combination of brown with the pink and green which was shown at the top of this pile of linen and I used these colours as a basis when making one of my wool ball necklaces which you can see here...



So, for me, Pinterest is not just a fun platform to play on and somewhere where I can show my work but also a place in which I can create digital thought boards which help inspire my work.

Another example of a 'digital thought board' which I put together on Pinterest was my Space board. I have always been fascinated by space so put together this board just because it is something I love rather than looking at is as something that might in the future inspire me. I was then flicking through my different boards and came across my space board again and decided I wanted to try and make a space themed necklace







Follow The Dorothy Days's board Space - Moon, stars, galaxies, astronomy and planets on Pinterest.

Galaxy bead necklace 

This galaxy bead necklace is what I then came up with. I hope you like it and that this post has shown you more about my creative process and how I come up with ideas.

Both my wool ball and galaxy necklace are available to purchase in my shop

Please find my wool ball necklace HERE  and my galaxy bead necklace HERE 

Hope you enjoyed reading this

The Dorothy Days X


Monday 7 September 2015

Quote of the Week: Dr Seuss


Hello everyone,

Happy Monday! Today I wanted to share with you all this quote by Dr Seuss, it might be a bit strange sharing it in the morning time but it is one of my favourite quotes. I keep this one in mind if I have had a difficult day or a day in which I have tried but not achieved as much as I could but also when I have had a fantastic day and I am sad that it coming to an end it makes me feel excited for the next few days ahead!

Hope you all have a wonderful week this week.

Thank you so much for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed last week's blog posts. I really enjoyed writing them particularly the post about Jake Weidmann.

The Dorothy Days Xx

Sunday 6 September 2015

Item of the week: 'Wool Ball' necklace


Hello everyone,

Wanted to share with you all my 'Item of the week' from my Etsy shop. I have been working hard recently on making lots of new things for my shop (particularly necklaces). I made a range of necklaces with pearls and crystals and glass beads which I recently launched. The necklaces are mainly in light colours; pinks, light blues, clear and white. I love the new collection but also wanted to make something completely the other end of the spectrum so.....introducing my new 'Wool Ball' necklaces!

Each colour mix is one of a kind and I made some in bright colours link the one shown above and some in more muted colours.

I think this one is my favourite colour combination in my shop at the moment (although I keep changing my mind!!)

Hope that you all like them too, I had a lot of fun making them.

Find this 'wool ball' necklace over in my Etsy shop by clicking here

The Dorothy Days X

Saturday 5 September 2015

Style Saturday - Industrial and copper bathroom design ideas

Not So Boring Bathroom

Today I was thinking about what to do for my Style Saturday post and I was thinking of my friend who has recently moved into a new home with her boyfriend and they are together doing the house up. They have been looking for different ideas on how they could decorate. We were talking about the bathroom and what sort of style she could create the bathroom in but has been feeling quite uninspired by lots of the bathrooms which she has seen in DIY showrooms and wants something a little different. Who said that bathrooms had to be clean white lines?! So, we have been looking into different bathroom designs recently and I love this one and want to try and persuade her to do something similar in her home!

This would require quite a large bathroom (which they have) and they could look at creative ways to do this on a tighter budget. I love the cabinet and console as they provide lots of storage. The cabinet could perhaps store the bathroom towels, candles, nice room sprays, un-opened toiletries and jewellery. All the bathroom things that look quite nice on display. The console could then be used in a more practical way as storage. 

I love the whitewash brick wallpaper design as it is a great way of adding some character to the house  and texture to the walls without having too much pattern or colour which would detract from the fittings and furniture.

The copper bathtub is stunning but could also work well if it was a white roll top bath. The copper with the grey industrial style cabinets and the white work really well. If you were unable to buy the copper you can of course add copper elements in elsewhere in the room. This could even be as simple as plant pots painted in copper or the pipping being on show.

What do you think?! Is this a look that you like and what are your ideas for doing this cheaply?

Friday 4 September 2015

British vintage archive film - Swimming Caps from the 1950s!


Yesterday evening I decided to go for a swim. It is something I have not done for such a long time. The pool is in a building which was built in the 1930s and as I was swimming up and down I was thinking about the history of the building and what it must have been like when it opened. It got me thinking about vintage swimwear and I found this fabulous clip from the 1950s on swimming cap fashion! 

As if having a whole fashion show for swimming caps wasn't strange enough, just to make things a little more weird, the fashion show is set within a Punch and Judy show! For those who aren't familiar with Punch and Judy, Punch and Judy is a puppet show. It has a long history but is often associated with traditional British seaside culture. The first record of a Punch and Judy show in Britain was in 1662 in Covent Garden, London. The show features violence but is also meant to be a comedy show.

The designs in the video range from glamorous to outlandish designs. My favourite I think has to be the swimming cap with fringe (bangs). A fake fringe is attached to the front of the swimming cap which can then be trimmed and styled meaning you could have the look of a fringe without getting your hair wet! I imagine I would turn a few heads if I turned up to the pool wearing that next time!

The commentary itself is pretty hilarious too. 

Some of my favourites are these gems...

 'Most of the new caps are strapless which does away with the double chin effect that straps often give a girl....or at least some girls'

'Here's a cap which is so captivating....' (we see what you did there!)

Hope this video made you smile and have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The Dorothy Days Xx

Thursday 3 September 2015

Master Penman - Jake Weidmann



Hello everyone,

Today I thought I would share with you all something a little different. Something I really love is seeing 'behind the scenes' videos or photographs from artists. I find it fascinating to hear about their process, what inspires them and how they go about making what they do. I came across this video of Master Penman Jake Weidmann and just had to share. His work is incredible! I thought it was also rather fitting with back to school. Something I wish I had continued from school was my handwriting practice. I used to have really quite nice handwriting and write with a fountain pen but now my handwriting after not practicing and using the computer so much has changed. It is a lot bigger, less swirly and not always completely joined up. I have been watching calligraphy artists on Instagram for a while and although I don't think I could ever do calligraphy well I would love to start trying to improve my handwriting. Perhaps this can be one of my goals for September! I will let you know how I get on.

Jake Weidmann - Master Penman and Artist 


A photo posted by Jake Weidmann (@jakeweidmann) on

Jake is a certified Master Penman and received his certificate from the IAMPETH in July 2011. He currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado and this influences much of his work. He is one of just eleven Master Penmen in the world and is the youngest by three decades. 

His work is a mixture of calligraphy and art.

A photo posted by Jake Weidmann (@jakeweidmann) on

Jake receives a lot of comments that he 'makes it look easy' but reality he spends a long time perfecting each letter and often works later into the night. There is little room for error in his work so mistakes have to be binned and the work started again. 

Jake explains, 

"I will fill a page with the same letter over and over and over just so, that when it comes time for me to execute that letter in an actual piece, I am able to do so without thought. It's already imprinted into who I am, into my makeup, into my muscle memory that I am execute it when the time comes."

I think lots of crafter and artists who are reading this will have heard that at at least one point during their career. People see the end result but they don't see the process in between and the hours of trying to perfect something.


In his artwork he says he is trying to "preserve the past and forge the future". He says that he takes what other artists have learned to be beautiful, the shapes of beautiful lettering and how to do certain calligraphy, and makes that into a new artwork. 

"What was once beautiful, in the past and is still beautiful today, holds the promise that it will still be beautiful in the future"

He believes handwriting to be "deeply personal" and that it is important to use handwriting especially in an age in which we use computers so much.

And as if this calligraphy and art isn't enough Jake also carves and his carved work is also highly detailed and beautiful.


A photo posted by Jake Weidmann (@jakeweidmann) on
I hope that you have all enjoyed reading this blog post, I hope to do more features on artists on my blog so if you liked this post and would like to see more blog posts like it please let me know by leaving a comment in the comments section below.

Please be sure to take a look at Jake's work and particularly his Instagram account (it is really addictive to look through, especially watching the short videos on there).

The Dorothy Days X


Wednesday 2 September 2015

Throwback to August fruit picking day out

Hey everyone,

I thought today I would share with you something I got up to in August which I kept meaning to post on my blog. I had a really lovely day out with two friends at the fruit picking farm. We drove for ages to get to it but it was so worth it and was a lovely day out.

We weren't quite sure what to expect from the farm and called ahead to check it was going to be open to be greeted by possibly the best answer phone recording I have ever heard! The man who owns the farm each day records what produce there is, what fruits are particularly delicious and ready for picking and even the weather...we called twice just so we could hear it again!


On arrival we realised that it was not only a fruit picking farm but also had it's own farm shop with fresh produce not only from the farm but also from other local sellers so had local honey, vegetables and fruit, eggs and even plants. How fantastic if you had this on your doorstep.



The farm is positioned quite near the main road and near a big Asda supermarket so I just hope that lots of the locals come here to support the local businesses and to get their fresh fruit and veg and local produce as well.  It certainly seemed quite busy there.

As well as the farm shop the farm also has it's own tearooms and I was really glad to see that they also support local makers there and had a selection of craft products for sale. Hooray for amazing local businesses supporting other local makers, growers and crafters!




Of course it would have been rude to have gone to the tearooms to have a look around without stopping for a cup of tea and after the long drive we all thought we deserved one! The tea room was clearly popular with the locals and was a good start to the day. We were feeling really excited to start fruit picking and nearly finished our teas when it started raining a lot so unfortunately (!!) we also had to stay and have some cake while we waiting for the rain to stop! Oh what a shame...!


We tried to decide what to pick before we entered the fields but they all sounded amazing so in the end we just wandered around looking at the different fruit before deciding what looked yummiest!



The farm was actually much bigger than we thought and you can even get a tractor ride around the farm which was perfect for visitors who had children. It stops at different points around the farm next to the different fruit so you can just jump off at whichever fruit you would like to pick.

The farm also had signs letting you know which fruit were ready to pick and which weren't.

We picked lots of plums as they looked particularly delicious!


 Even though the farm was by the main road, you did feel like you were right in the countryside and it was really relaxing walking around. The rain managed to stay off after we left the tea rooms (although big grey colours stayed overhead!)


I really liked the signs at the farm so spent more time photographing those than the actual fruit (sorry guys!). Aren't they lovely though?!


As well as plums we also picked raspberries and then when we got home made a raspberry and plum pie (it was super delicious!). We held a 'perfect raspberry' competition between us to find the most delicious, juicy and biggest raspberry. This caused much debate but I am pretty sure I won!!

Was lovely to have such fresh fruit. You can't get fresher than this and it was nice to be able to pick all the best of the fruit rather than when you buy at the supermarket and some are always too ripe or not ripe enough or a bit squishy!

It was a really lovely day out and I hope to go back again soon.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this

The Dorothy Days X