Vintage bespoke skirt

I was lucky enough to win a competition at the first ever Judy's Junior Vintage and Craft Fair last month, which included a unique made-to-measure skirt for Lily by Heavens to Betsy. These gorgeous handmade skirts are made up of five panels of re-loved vintage fabrics which you choose from a selection, and stitched together with a cute rainbow elastic waistband.

We were so excited when the package came - complete with a rosette corsage made from the fabric off-cuts (very clever idea) and creative label  - and Lily had to wear it immediately for her Diddi Dance class! It was also the outfit of choice for her 2nd birthday celebrations. We love it, thanks Heavens to Betsy!

Cobo Alice dolls

We've just returned from a little family holiday in Guernsey with outdoorsy glows and full bellies. Lots of country walks, ice-cream, beach fun and quirky small-village crafts/traditions = lots to blog about!

These cute little handmade dolls, found in the Folk and Costume Museum, originated in the 1870s and were named "Cobo Alice". The body is made from unbleached calico and the head from a stretched vest or stocking, which was then all filled with a fine sawdust filling. The puckered nose and eyebrows were sewn and then the head and hands were dipped in pink primer paint. Then the hair was picked out and painted and the dolls were dressed in bits of old dress materials. For more info on how the dolls were made, click here.

Garden fonts

Some more pics from Alexandra Nurseries - focusing on interesting fonts and typefaces I saw. Painted, drawn, chalk-written, block-printed, etched and scribbled on wood, card, slate, blackboard, metal and paper. Not forgetting the playing-card toilet sign!

See my first post here.

Recycled and reclaimed

The second artist I want to feature from the Dulwich Artists' Open House event is LeilaBadblood, aka Leila McMillan, who creates new products from recycled, reclaimed and salvaged materials. She uses printed fabrics, tea towels, embroidered linens and napkins to create all kinds of things - I love the baby booties, wash bags and the quirky detailing on shirts. I also spotted some great vintage card pin brooches made from kids game pieces.

See my first post from the Artists' Open House here.