the green gal

The wildflower bunting winner is…

…Emma who wrote: "So so pretty! I'm a total sucker for bunting and wildflowers, ooh and hearts! Fab combination xxx" 

(I don't usually repeat the comment but three different Emmas entered the giveaway so I need to show who is the lucky winner, sorry to the other Emmas!)

Congratulations, let me know where to post your extra long length of plantable wildflower paper heart bunting and I'll send it on its way.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment, it really makes me beam that you all like the idea of pretty bunting that can be planted (but only if you want to!) to grow wildflowers as much as me. I'm sorry I can't give you all a length of bunting but it may be a teeny bit of comfort that I still have free p&p at the green gables until the end of the month…

And I'll run another competition next month too!

Thanks again, you're all lovely people! xx

Win plantable wildflower paper bunting

If you follow me on twitter or facebook you'll know how I've been busy cutting out plantable wildflower paper hearts for bunting and gift tags (often used as place names or favours at weddings).

Because I'm very fond of my wildflower paper I thought I'd offer you the chance to win an extra long length of wildflower paper heart bunting! That's 24 plantable hearts threaded on 5m of biodegradable string and it's worth £28!

For your chance to win simply leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner after 26 September. Good luck!

PS In case you missed it yesterday, the green gables' Christmas department is now open! 

PPS the green gables' newsletter is out, let me know if you'd like a copy plopping into your Inbox.

Quick trip round the www

I thought I'd share a few of the interesting things I've found out there in cyberspace this week. I read a broad range of blogs and look at all kinds of different websites so only some might appeal, or maybe they all will! Anyway, there's only one way to find out…

Pedlars Dog of the Week

Issue 3 of the free craft online magazine is ready to read

My friend, Jo, has started writing a blog and it's as charming as its name

Isa of Noisette Marketing is giving away two coaching consultations, great opportunity for small business owners

I've recently discovered Hayley and Betty, the retro ice cream van, if you're anywhere in the Milton Keynes area she's a must for any garden party or celebration

I've never thought about making my own sugar cubes, but this may have changed my mind

Do you know what bubble tea is? I'm still not entirely clear

We Make London pop-up shop, fab idea

This is the first time I've done this kind of post so do let me know what you think of it. Happy Friday! x

Stitch with Love goes to…

…Ali Edwards! Well done for winning my giveaway, let me know your address and your very own copy will be on its way to you soon!

Thanks to everyone for entering, I'm so glad you like the book and my little make from it, better luck next time :)

Five lovely things 12

Hope you've all been having a lovely week, it's nearly the weekend again! And I'm hoping that July is going to be a lot more summery weather-wise than June was.

So, what lovely things do I have to report this week? Well…

It's still two weeks away but I'm so excited about the eighth and final Harry Potter movie that I've already booked our tickets, and named it No1 lovely thing! The trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 gives me goosebumps, watch it here:

 

Just need to figure out how to have a movie marathon of the previous seven movies…

For No2 I've got excited all over again about being in a book! Sian Berry, author and campaigner, interviewed me last year about featuring in her book, Junk for Joy. Then a photographer came to take piccies of me and my work at the beginning of this year. And then this week Sian emailed me a few of the pages of the book, including the ones with little ol me on them! I'm so looking forward to reading the whole book when it's published in September and be assured, I will be telling you all about it right here :)

At No3 I thought I'd just give you all a little reminder that I'm running not one but two giveaways on the blog at the moment! You can win an organic tea towel here and an embroidery project book here. (BTW, has anyone else noticed I've blogged every day this week? I know, who'd have thought it!)

I've been working on a new idea this week, it's actually turning into a range of several ideas, which I'm really rather excited about, so that's my No4. And annoyingly of me I'm not ready to share yet but when I am you'll be the first to know, of course!

And at No5 is another trip to the flicks! This one is coming sooner as my sis and me (she of the birthday mention last week) are going to have a girly trip to see Bridesmaids next week. The last film we saw together was Sex and the City 1 so it's really about time we had another trip to the movies. And here is the trailer, two film clips in one blog post, wowee!

 

Stitch with Love book review & giveaway

Well, this is a first for my blog, I've reviewed a book! The kind folk at David and Charles sent me a copy of Stitch with Love to take a look at.

It's a lovely book by Mandy Shaw that shows you how to master a number of embroidery stitches, including chain, stem and lazy daisy stitches as well as the better known blanket and whipped running stitch. Following these pages there are loads of projects and makes to embellish with your new embroidery skills. It's been a while since I embroidered so it was lovely to use the book as a sort of refresher course. 

Mandy also writes about different fabrics and threads to use for different projects, which I found helpful because I'm never sure how many embroidery cotton strands to use for different stitches.

The projects are divided into different areas such as those for use in the garden or kitchen, or follow themes like Christmas or buttons or hearts. 

I thought I'd have a go at a project but me being me, I decided to mix up a couple of the book's projects and add my own little spin too! And this is what I produced:

Mandy shows how to make the apron from an old tea towel (I used a vintage French tea towel I picked up at an antiques fair ages ago) in the cookery themed chapter.

I then used templates of a sewing machine and pair of scissors from the sewing themed section for my embroidery.

I was pleased to find a piece of linen in my stash that matched the vintage tea towel perfectly and the button in the middle of the two pockets was a little addition suggested in the gardening chapter. 

But that's a great thing about this book, the projects can be made exactly as described but everything can be swapped around and adapted and the embroidery designs can be used in any way you can think of.

If this has whetted your appetite to break out your embroidery floss then you might want to enter my giveaway! I have one copy of Stitch with Love by Mandy Shaw, worth £14.99, to be won. Just leave a comment on this post and I will pick a random winner after midnight GMT on Sunday 3 July. Good luck!

Five lovely things 10

I missed posting five lovely things last Friday, it got a bit forgotten in the busyness of a weekend away to visit family and friends.

And with that I'll get straight on to No1 which is having a lovely weekend spending time with our families and visiting friends and generally having a splendid time, even if it did pour with rain!

No2 goes to having a lovely second week of self-employment. I thought it would take me a while to get used to it but I've been so busy I don't know how I would have continued to fit in two jobs. The arrival of my first kitchenware product – this pretty tea towel – added to the fabulousness of last week! I've banged on about it quite a lot already so I'll just say make sure you enter my giveaway here to win your own :)

find it here

I'm giving No3 to an event that happens tomorrow but I know it will be lovely – the Vintage and Handmade Fair at Shalford in Surrey. I'm taking a stall there, so do pop in and say hi, and you can find out all about the other creative and talented folk who will be there by reading this. 

While I'm thinking ahead to tomorrow I'm going to make No4 tomorrow night's dinner – a fish and chip supper from the fish 'n' chip van! Even though we've lived here for a few years I still love that a van cooking and selling fish and chips comes to the village every Saturday evening. It's a hit with everyone who comes to visit us too!

find it here

And for No5 I'm celebrating the arrival of my lovely friend Cathy's baby girl! Kay was born last Friday and big brother Benji is already besotted, aw!

PS If you're stuck for Father's Day decorations, this might help.

PPS If you'd like to receive the green gables' newest newsletter you can sign up here.

Win a bunting tea towel!

You know how much I love bunting and I am so pleased that I have successfully translated it to my new range of kitchenware! The first product to be available is this tea towel made from 100% organic cotton, printed in the UK with my handmade heart bunting design and the words 'a-bunting we will go' in turquoise.

This tea towel is now available in the green gables shop and you can enter my giveaway to win one! Just leave a comment on this post before 17 July to enter.

the green gables' latest newsletter is out now, sign up here to get your copy. Don't miss it, there's a special offer and a recipe for elderflower cordial!

BTW to make sure your newsletter doesn't end up in your spam folder add the email address gabrielle@thegreengables.co.uk to your address book.

I hope you like the bunting tea towel as much as I do, there will be more kitchenware to tell you about in a few weeks' time…!

We have a winner!

find them here

Congratulations to the winner of my plantable wildflower seed paper gift tags giveaway – Karen Scammell! Look out for my email about posting your prize :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and signed up to the green gables newsletter, instalment number two will be coming your way soon, with another giveaway!

Five lovely things 9

I'm tempted to give all five of my lovely things to the weather! Isn't it just glorious? The world seems a much happier place when the sun is shining and fluffy white clouds occasionally float across blue skies. I know we really need some rain, especially the farmers who are having a nightmare with this dry weather, so I'll just stick to making the sunhiney weather my No1 lovely thing this week.

No 2 is linked to No1 – I'm so glad to have a lovely studio in the garden to work in. I've spent all day today inside working but because my desk is next to the double doors which open right out I feel like I'm nearly outside.

This photo is quite old, the studio is in too much of a state at the mo for me to show it to the public!

At No3 I have a couple of photos of the green gables' products stocked in the gorgeous The Corner House:

If you can peer through the reflection in the window you can make out my bunting cushion and wildflower paper bunting

My No4 lovely thing is my hubbie. I do actually think he's lovely the vast majority of the time, but he's spent his day off today cleaning the house top to bottom and tidying up the garden so we've no more weeds and a dead-headed rose bush, so I think he deserves a mention in today's list :)

And finally I had a lovely leaving do on Wednesday – in case you aren't aware, I left my job as deputy editor of children's newspaper First News, and my career in publishing, this week to work full-time for my own business the green gables. My workmates spolit me rotten with thoughtful gifts including a little silver newspaper charm for my  bracelet (it's inspired me to get an silver acorn charm to represent my growing business) and this bespoke front page! It's traditional in publishing that when you leave a magazine or newspaper a bespoke front page is made all about you for a leaving gift. So the team doing me proud is my No5 lovely thing!

PS Don't forget to check out this post where you can enter my giveaway, sign up for the green gables' newsletter and get 20% off framed prints – could solve your Father's Day gift problems!