{ my december }

The quietest of months.

I wonder what next year will bring?

{ have a happy day }

{ Merry Christmas }

{ happy friday }

1. Just three days left. Are you ready?

2. Folksy find of the week. Handmade Over Yonder. I wonder if Angel Mouse is destined for someone's stocking?

3. The sweetest skater scene which, almost, makes me yearn to go skating.

4. I have to agree that this is the most beautiful dress of the season *sigh*

5. Christmas gift wrapping goals right here.
6. Christmas reading goals right here.
7. Christmas knitting goals right here.
8. Winter is the time for comfort. The wisest of words from Edith Sitwell.
9. Spicy ginger treacle cookies are always a good idea. ( see above No.8. )
& so is Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast.

{ have a happy day }

{ happy friday }

1. The epitome of a simply beautiful Christmas from Tea with Ruby.

2. The epitome of loveliness by Gemma Booth for Milk Magazine.

3. The epitome of style with that hat & that coat by Nikolia.

4. Christmas cookie goals right here.

5. Tips for a minimal Christmas by Jessica Rose Williams over on 91magazine.

    Including a link to these beautiful botanical cards.

6. Though I'm also a little in love with this snowglobe card by My Lovely Thing.

7. Christmas gift wrapping goals right here.

8. Stardust, wishes and magical things.

9. One cup of sparkling goodness for me please?

& Gingerbread Hot Chocolate sounds the perfect drink to dunk homemade gingerbread in.

    Doesn't it?

{ have a happy day }

{ inspired#21 . Let it Snow . Let it Snow . Let it Snow }

. inspired#21 .

" I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt;

and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again'"

. Lewis Carroll .

clockwise from centre

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

The first of a few festive mood boards, and with the weather we have at the moment how could I not be inspired by all the snow?

Those cosy looking snowflake mittens were captured by Marion of basic hus, and have me searching furiously for a similar pattern to knit myself a pair.  And that lovely last illustration, by the very talented Meera Lee Patel, is the perfect snowy scene. Though it does also remind me of how my early morning runs in the snow have felt; achingly beautiful, but uphill all the way!

{ have a cosy day }

{ happy friday }

1. Finding so many lovely new Insta feeds through Me and Orla's Gloom and Grow.

2. This weeks new knitting crush. Pampirion. And how incredibly lovely is that leaf stitch?

3. Dressed to impress. And how incredibly cute is that collar?

4. Christmas crochet goals right here.

5. Folksy find of the week. Flower and Fable. Heather; solitude, protection and beauty.

6. This garland would look so pretty paired with the festive foliage I've buying.

7. We are all made of stardust *sigh* *pops this on the Christmas List*

8. There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long. 

9. Dottie Angel has a shop. Who knew? P.s. I heard a shop update is happening today!

& let the Christmas cookie making commence, beginning with these.

{ have a happy day }

{ four I adore . Etsy Made Local & a weekend of loveliness . Part Two }

And so, on Monday I mentioned there were two Etsy Markets happening in Birmingham this weekend. After featuring the market hosted by Ideas Birmingham, it is now the turn of the Winter Makers Market hosted by Birmingham Originals. Held on Saturday and Sunday, in the beautiful Banqueting Suite at the Council House, it was full of even more local makers, artists, and craftspeople. The festive spirit was alive and well, and there was a hum of people buying gifts for others, and quite possibly a few for themselves too. 

For the full line up of all the creatives who were there, pop over to Birmingham Original's Facebook page, but for now, here are four that I particularly adored.

 . Charlotte Clark Designer Maker .

Quirky, macabre, and curious, are the words that pop up on Charlotte's about page, and I'm not sure I could sum her work up any better. Using beautiful bone china, Charlotte makes pieces for the home, both useful and decorative, all having a wonderfully dark edge. Skulls and skeletons adorn the most seemingly innocent of homewear, giving an unexpected twist to the simplest of things.

Oh, and I can think of more than a few people who would appreciate her range of greetings cards, in particular her 'I love your ( resting bitch ) face'! 

 . Salt and Sail .

I have a sneaky suspicion that this is not the first time that I've shown a little love for Salt and Sail. A mother and daughters knitting team who hand knit some of the most beautifully simple babywear, that make this fellow knitter sigh a little with envy. Their stall on Saturday didn't disappoint, and the box full of these bootees adorned with pom pom's couldn't fail to make the hardest of hearts coo just a little. 

 . Doricica Dolls .

I've admired Doricica Dolls from afar for a while now, so to be able to see them on Saturday, and have a brief chat with Doriana herself, was a real delight. I desperately wish I had a little girl to buy one of these darling dolls for. The detail, and the workmanship is just lovely, and the dolls have such wonderful personalities.

Doriana's stall looked equally lovely, and I doubt I would have been the only one to stand chatting whilst wishing desperately that I was either five years old again, or had a vaguely justifiable reason why I needed one myself.

. Little Penn .

Finally I'm sharing the very lovely Little Penn and her beautiful illustrations and prints. Her work has a simplicity about it, and is wonderfully delicate and illustrative. Birds and botanicals are a recurrent theme, stamped in monochrome onto paper and cloth. One particular little print caught my eye, and is that one thing that I now can't stop thinking about, and wish I'd now bought.

At the moment her Etsy shop is on a short break, but as soon as it's open again I think I'll be popping that particular little print in my basket to buy.

{ have a happy day }

{ Etsy Made Local . & . a weekend of local loveliness . Part One }

Birmingham was awash with makers and markets this weekend, with not one, but three Christmas Markets taking place.  The Bond, the Council Chambers and the Custard Factory were humming with Christmas carols and the scent of mulled wine. Although the German Market was it's usual busy self, it was heartening to see so many people taking time out to visit these smaller markets.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 

We're lucky enough to have two local Etsy groups in Birmingham, each hosting their own market at the weekend. When you pop along to these markets you start to realise how many wonderful creatives there are in and around the city, many managing to squeeze in all that making around their other jobs.

Ideas Birmingham were the hosts of the event at the Custard Factory. This was the third event held by the group, and this year's event looked set to top the 2,000 that flocked to Digbeth last year. Held on Friday and Saturday, with a line up of sellers that included artists, potters, makers of jewellery, macrame and much more.  When I popped along on Saturday the market was nicely busy, and it was lovely to find new makers that I'd not spotted before.

BPiancaCeramics and HannahKyriakouDesign were both new to me. Barbara's ceramics and Hannah's jewellery are both inspired by nature, and have a beautiful simplicity about them. I particularly loved Hannah's silver poppy rings, which she makes in three complimentary sizes that are just perfect for stacking and wearing all together. Just lovely.

Also inspired by nature is painter and paper artist Lottie, of PaperInkAlchemy. Her amazingly intricate and detailed moth is sadly sold out on Etsy, but fortunately there are still lots of lovely things to find, such as this Silver Lining's Papercut.

One lovely maker I didn't see, but wish I had, is Alli of LCTLY. Selling at Friday's market, her wonderful woven wall hangings are all individual, one off, creations. They are also lovely enough to make me start thinking about adding a handloom to my Christmas wish list!

I always feel that I shouldn't have favourites at these fairs, though invariably I do. Ideas Birmingham very kindly gave me some vouchers to spend at the market, and as soon as I stopped at Rosario's stall I had an inkling they'd be spent there. Originally from Chile, now living in Birmingham, Rosario is a printmaker, producing the loveliest prints and cards from woodcuts. Many are inspired by the landscape of her home country, others by nature and botanicals. And one is now happily sitting on my desk at home.

{ photo credit . paper ink alchemy }

And so another marvellous market is over. I'll be posting a few of my favourites from the other Etsy Made Local market later in the week, and I hope that if you've still got Christmas gifts still to buy these posts might inspire a few ideas.

{ have a happy day }

Disclaimer: Ideas Birmingham very kindly invited me along to the market, and generously gave me some vouchers to spend whilst there. However, all ramblings, musings and thoughts are my own.

{ my november }

I have been sitting here staring out of the window wondering how to sum up November. I'm failing miserably at finding the words. It was a month of being busy, but there were also moments of quiet. It was a month of feeling productive, and yet at the same time feeling that things had somehow stalled once more. My running mojo returned, my creative mojo seems to have disappeared. There have been days when Autumn felt it would stay forever, yet more recently it feels Winter has already arrived.

{ knitting }

The first few days of November were spent in a flurry of knitting and readying myself for my first festive market. Blankets were adorned with bobbles and beanie hats topped with pom poms. It was exciting and scary all at once, but I loved every minute of it.

{ selling }

The thrill of making my first sales was on a par with running my first Half Marathon. And anyone who knows me even slightly will know how much that meant to me. Life has taken over in a rather annoying way since the market and has meant that the long planned Etsy shop is not quite up and running yet, though an afternoon spent photographing these, now finished, beanie hats sparks a glimmer that it may not be too long. 

{ hibernating }

I have enjoyed being a bit of a home bird this month. Autumn days are made for hibernating at home, keeping cosy under blankets, and making the most of the dark mornings, and nights, by lighting the many candles dotted around the house.

{ feeling festive }

Whilst you will never find me even contemplating putting the decorations up until December is well under way, I have been enjoying a few Christmas markets that have started to make me feel all festive. The Paperdoll's Handmade Market on Saturday was particularly lovely, and keep an eye out for a blog post coming very soon. In the meantime I will leave you with these beautiful blooms bought from Bloom Collective, soon to be turned into a wreath, and decorations for gifts.

And so, onto December.

{ have a happy day }

{ inspired#20 . Birmingham . Artists . & . Creatives }

. inspired#20 .

Be immersed in her diversity without effort

celebrate the many who give in principle

to follow forward

52° North

. Roi Kwabena .

clockwise from centre

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Being my home city, I've always had a fondness for Birmingham, even through the years when it's reputation wasn't the best. When I was little a trip to Birmingham was a small adventure, with best coats being worn, and the train journey making it seem that it was a far and distant place. It was the place where we were treated to fancy cakes at Druckers, visits to Father Christmas at either Lewis's or Rackhams. Later trips into town were with friends on a Saturday morning, spending pocket money, or money earned babysitting in Boots, Chelsea Girl, and at the original Oasis.

Like many cities it's changed hugely since those early trips to see Santa. The Bullring is no longer  the place to hunt down a bargain at the markets, now home to the infamous silver disc clad Selfridges. New Street Station has been transformed from dark, and slightly seedy, to the shiny and bright Grand Central. Birmingham can also hold it's own as a city encouraging creatives, designers and makers. Alongside the more established art galleries and museums, there is a thriving street art community in Digbeth, with the Custard Factory playing host to many independent traders, and supporting the ever growing foodie community.

And we also have our fair share of pop-ups, craft and artisan markets, which is how I'll be spending my next few Saturdays.

 . PaperDoll Handmade . The Custard Factory . 25th November .

This Saturday sees the PaperDolls return to The Custard Factory as part of the Digmas celebrations, hosting a vast array of super talented makers and designers. Entry is free, and they'll be a Santa's Grotto, a host of street food vendors, story telling and cookie & cake decorating for the little Ones, and a mulled wine and cider bar for all the bigger Ones.

. Winter Seasonal Market . The Bond . 2nd December .

Now in it's fourth year, the Seasonal Markets have become a regular feature on my calendar, none so more than the Winter one, which always feels like the start to the Festive season. A slightly smaller craft market than PaperDolls, but with a courtyard packed full of street food, cocktail and gin caravans and much more, it's definitely as much fun. Entry is £2 on the door, and if the weather is dry it can get super super busy, though somehow that just adds to the cosiness of it all.

. Etsy . Made Local . The Custard Factory . 1st/2nd December .

Also taking place on that first weekend in December is the Birmingham Etsy Made Local, hosted by IDEAS Birmingham. Returning to The Custard Factory for the third time, it's part of the Etsy pop up markets being held up and down the country that weekend. Playing host to over 50 Etsy sellers over two days, including the super talented Brumhaus, featured in today's inspired board. Entry is free and with different sellers each day take a look at their blog posts here and here for the lineup on each day.

{ have a happy day }

{ popping up at the we are pop POPup Christmas Market }

A weekend of firsts for me. My first Christmas market of the year, and my first market as a maker rather than a visitor.  I'm not sure I could have picked a friendlier one to start with either, and with it being the first hosted by the very lovely we are POP, and the first for a few other stall holders too, it had an air of nervous excitement and anticipation.

Our venue was The Granary, at Wykham Park Farm.  Tucked away in the scenic Oxfordshire countryside it seemed a perfect fit for the twenty designers, makers, and independents that came along. It may only be November, but with the log fire burning, twinkly lights sparkling, and glittery Christmas trees dotted here and there, you were suddenly reminded that the festive season isn't too far away now.

During one of the few quiet moments of the day I did manage to take a look around, and it was so lovely to talk to the other people there; to glean words of wisdom from those who'd been doing this a little longer than me, and to share 'new girl' worries with the other first timers. It almost feels wrong to pick favourites from those who were there, but here are some of the makers who made me sigh with envy, and made my Christmas wish list just a little longer.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Firstly a big thank you to my lovely neighbours for the day, Amy of Ama Ama, and Claire of Little m. The prize for the steadiest hand of the day must go to Claire, who was personalising her prints and Christmas baubles on the day.

The Smallish House is someone I've admired on Instagram for a while, so it was lovely to see her beautiful prints in real life.  Charlie Pie Designs were a lovely new find. British icons are given a mid-century twist and printed onto cushions, lampshades, and notebooks, in wonderfully fresh colour ways.

And lastly, sitting opposite to me, A Tribe Well Dressed. Capturing the trend for personalisation in colourful, quirky appliques, and a relative newcomer, like myself.

{ photo credit . we are POP } 

{ photo credit . Buzzy Beans Coffee }

My biggest thank you should probably go to Buzzy Beans Coffee, for supplying me with incredibly good coffee through the day.

{ photo credit . Gemma Harris Designs }

There were so many highlights during the day, from the compliments about my stand, and my beanies and blankets, chatting with all the lovely visitors, making my first ever sale, but amongst all those was having my first go on a letterpress. After watching, with envy, the children all taking a turn, I couldn't resist asking Gemma if I could have a go too. Such good fun . . . though now I'm having to stop myself googling letterpress machines for sale!

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who came along, said hello, stopped to chat, and who bought something too. It really is true that when you buy from a small business an actual person does a little happy dance.

{ have a happy day }

{ turning the page }

Things may be a little quiet around here for a while. Things are about to change. I am saying a very fond farewell to lily&Bloom, and saying a huge hello to MissSmith. Do you remember that I asked you to say hello to MissSmith a little while back? For those of you with memories as good as mine you can have a read here. Since then, momentum has ebbed and flowed, but hadn't gained the pace it really should have done.

I had considered keeping lily&Bloom. It has been with me for nearly six years now, and came along at a time when I needed a big change in my life, or rather one had been forced upon me. Under the comforting umbrella of lily&Bloom I have worked for some really lovely clients, learnt to appreciate a much slower pace of life, rambled on and shared my, often random thoughts and findings with you on here. It has allowed me the time and space to find out a little more about myself, which I guess is why I now find myself saying goodbye, and becoming MissSmith instead.

Rest assured, there will still be random rambling thoughts. There will also be lots more besides. I'll be sharing with you my design inspiration for my knitting, and more importantly all the lovely things I've been busy making that I'm hoping a few lovely people will buy! The next couple of weeks will be spent turning the website and my whole on-line presence over to MissSmith, and it will also be spent busily knitting and making things for my very first event. Yes ( cue the trumpets, and drums, and all that celebratory nonsense ) I am super excited to say that I will be joining we are POP at their POPup Christmas Market, happening in three very short weeks ( cue the anxiety, nerves, and general scary feelings! ). Baby blankets, wall hangings, pom pom garlands and so much more are being designed and made in every spare moment, dare I say, perfect for Christmas for gifts, or a cheeky little present to yourself.

And so I leave you with a sneak peek of the new look MissSmith above, and a little sneak peek of my Christmas mood board below.

And as I'm absolutely certain that curiosity will get the better of you, and you will want to POP along, here are the details of the market. I would love to see you there. 

{ have a happy day }

. MerryChristmas .

. hAppy Christmas Eve .

. 1 . wonderful . festive mess making .

. 2 . gorgeous . gift wrapping .

. 3 . * whispers * . it's nearly Christmas .

. 4 . twinkly . seasonal word joy .

. 5 . handmade . with Christmas love .

. 6 . teeny . tiny Christmas Cake .

. 7 . iced . snowflake Christmas Cookies .

. 8 . cosy . mug of hot chocolate .

. 9 . a . Christmas Kiss ?

. & . finally . have a Merry little Christmas .

. hAppy Christmas Eve .

. my festive five . a medley of mincePies .

i have a bit of a love / hate relationship with mince pies . i love them when they're homemade . i love them when they're fresh out of the oven . so hot you burn your mouth on the mincemeat . i love them when they're not too sweet . when they are drowning in a bowl of vanilla custard . 

and equally . i hate { most } shop bought pies . i hate them when they're cold . when they are filled with a measly amount of fruit . i hate them when they are sweet enough to set your teeth on edge . and . i hate them outside of the month of december . in a world where we can seemingly lay our hands on anything, at any time of year, anywhere in the world, my unspoken rule is that mince pies should only be enjoyed in the month of december .

so now it is december . lets enjoy them in as many ways as we can . 

lets start with a lovely homemade mincemeat . for so many years i bought the " luxury " mincemeat - by the way, don't you love that most recipes for mince pies use shop bought mincemeat, but ask that it be " luxury " mincemeat, as if, in some way, that mitigates the use of a shop bought mincemeat ? anyway, i digress - but over the past few years i've become a bit wary of what ingredients are included, how much sugar is added, the suet, things that perhaps aren't that necessary ?  a little bit of googling & pinteresting later and i found a fruit mince recipe on TheHealthyChef . apples, cranberries, raisins, spices and apple juice simmer away for an hour to produce The Most Heavenly { and totally deserving of those capital letters } mince meat . you will be eating it from the jar . you will be adding it to your morning porridge . and . you will be questioning your logic of only making half a batch ?

as it doesn't have lots of added sugars and things it won't keep for as long as other mincemeats, but i don't think this will be a great problem . the longest a jar has lasted me so far is three days .

onto pastry . for years i used a simple shortcrust pastry . that is until i stumbled across Paul Hollywood's recipe for mince pies . oodles of butter, a little sugar to sweeten it, enriched with an egg, it's an indulgent pastry, but then it is christmas . 

and there you go . my favourites to make up a classic mince pie . 

but . in the spirit of my festive five . lets mix things up a bit & add a few variations . 

{ two . mince pies topped with a cinnamon streusel crumble }

{ three . mince pies topped with a homemade marzipan star }

classic christmas flavours of cinnamon & marzipan inspired variations two and three . the crumble topping is spicier and lighter than the usual pastry lid, the marzipan star brings another sweet dimension, and is reminiscent of a frangipane topped tart - which would also be quite lovely .

last year i spotted so many mince pies topped with viennese whirls, though didn't give them a go . with this year's viennese whirl making fresh in my mind these became mince pie number four . and for the last of my medley of mince pies, a recipe i found last year . in that after christmas lull, when you may just have reached your fill of the classic pie, and you are looking for ways to use up the last of the leftover mince meat and the words Sticky . Toffee . Apple . jump out at you . imagine a mince pie married with a slice of gingerbread . the best of christmas in one little bite !

{ four . mince pies topped with a viennese whirl }

{ five . mince pies topped with a sticky toffee sponge and slices of apple }

so there they are . my medley of mince pies .

oh . i forgot to mention in the recipes . 

to finish . dust liberally with icing sugar . it looks pretty . hides a multitude of baking sins . and . well. just because it's christmas .

after a couple of months absence, i'm pleased to be able to bake again as part of Bumpkin Betty's Baking Club . with this month's All Things Festive theme . i'm sure i won't be the only baker to choose mince pies  . but so far there have been a wonderful array of festive bakes;

. Jennie's . Malteaser Mini Reindeer Chocolate Cheesecake .

. Angela's . Christmas Character Cakes .

. Betty's . Festive Iced Cookies .

. Bethan's . Christmas Pudding Balls .

and . lots more on the club page to drool over . there's still time to join in the festive baking, so head over to the facebook page or her beautiful blog .

. have a hAppy dAy .