Saturday 3 September 2011

Living the country life.. , new designs..and new plans..

We are luckily still enjoying a late summer, and there is nothing more enjoyable than leaning back in a pile of soft cushions in the garden and relax with a cup of tea and a nice book....

The Lutyens bench we have in the garden is really comfortable , but a could do with a few cushions which I did not had- so I decided to make my own.


As you know from this post, I have a huge love for vintage embroidery and linnens, which I adore for their old-fashioned charm, and I decided to make use of one of them, so out came the fabrics and embroidered linnen and tablecloths..

I really need to see things "in the flesh" to know if they really work so there were a few false starts like this rose-cushion..
And this " cake"-cushion ( which I think is OK but slightly too"busy"..)

But I finally was quite happy with this which I all put together- here is the pile of fabrics which I thought did work ..
Once I sit behind the sewing machine, the dogs get, very , very bored......and make sure I know..reminding me on regular intervals of their existence.. you know those very long drawn out yawns like people can do as well ??

"Ahooooooooooooooooowwww!".("Ermm I'm bored in case you did not notice.." ).

" I am getting really despressed now with this lack of stimulating walks!"

It gives me a good excuse for a quick break , a run around in the garden and then back to work...
And here is the end-result..
This cushion- underneath- won the first prize which you can read about here

Overall, I am pleased and heartened with the results..

And the details show the finish is not too bad either!

The last few months has left me without gainful employment as they call it, but as I am a sort of " one door closes, another one opens" kind of girl, I have taken this as an opportunity and have started thinking about plans for myself..So I'm thinking cushions, aprons,  teacosies, children's aprons, crib bumper pad-and then as I love baking and cooking ,  a different side to the whole Modern Country Lady thing : preserves, jams, sloe-gin,chutneys to sell in farmer's markets right now..
And as I am always a cart-before-the horse- girl, ( no patience, -see- The Modern Country Gentleman always sighs and asks " Why does everything have to be done at a hundred miles an hour ?" ),  I have already ordered up my business cards *snort* :-))..
" Modern Country Lady" 
 Business:
  Home made and hand made products..

My super helpful and  fabulous neighbour and friend told me about this and .I thought to take advantage of this super cheapo offer of  250 business cards for £2,- from this printe.....if you want any of these for yourself , you can find the link to the offer here.
My neighbour has been so terrific and supportive- it's invaluable to have people you can brainstorm with and from here I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart. 
Next week I will be on a three day workshop ..how to deal with the financial side, how to find customers , and all kind of stuff  like that...so all very exciting..and then we have Christmas coming up in a few months time ( !!!!) - by which time I hope to have made a heck of a lot of products ...
So-keep your fingers crossed it all will be coming up roses for me !!
I suppose you can say..this..


..will be but a distant and lovely dream of relaxation for me while I try to make my dream come true, all the while flying by the seat of my pants..:-)

Have a lovely weekend!
XOXO
Bea

linking to
Inspiration friday
weekend wrapup party
Feathered nest Friday
Show and tell Friday
Fancy this Fridays
Frugal Friday
Saturday spotlight
metamorphosis monday
tabletop tuesday

11 comments:

Makeminemidcentury said...

I admire your 'take the bull by the horns' approach to life!

I hope your new Modern Country Lady business does swimmingly. Your cushions are beautiful and I can see how much work is involved ... don't sell them for a song!

As an aside, I wouldn't recruit the pups as marketing reps for you ... I they'd prefer you focused on them!! (Cute yawn photo!)

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Bea,

What a lovely pillows, all those romantic roses are so charming! You are an artist, a speedy one, but a TRUE one!
Those poor furbabies, how pitiful they can act and making us soooo guilty!
Zeg, heb je cake gemist omdat we een bruiloft hadden in Limburg; waar we nu zijn... Dus vandaar. Maar heb even een momentje nu op mijn laptop en wilde je wat achterlaten. Ik kondig dit niet aan op mijn blog, alles geprogrammeerd...
Liefs,

Mariette

Shabby chic Sandy said...

Love your pillows-your fabric choices are perfect! Good luck with your new business!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Your pillows are darling, I can take hours getting just the right lay out. You are soooo smart to be taking a class on running a business, that certainly is not getting the cart before the horse! Wishing you tons of luck!

Carol

Heidi said...

ABSOLUTELY, positively BEAUTIFUL! Love he fabric and details!

Gail said...

You're so smart to audition possible choices. I like your summery, friendly pillows.

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

I know your business will be a big hit-anyone that can make pillows this beautiful should have no problem marketing them. Maybe you need to do an Etsy shop too.

Unknown said...

Best wishes for you and your future to come!!! Your pillows are just lovely! Thanks for sharing on Fancy This Fridays!!!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Congrats on the new venture. I am sure it will be a smashing success. Love all of your pillows, they are stunning. Thanks so much for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

Bri@Meyouandawiener said...

Glad your not letting it get you down. You are a super sew-er and pretty sure a good baker. Show em what you got! Wish you the best.

Saints and Apostles said...

Oh my goodness Bea, sorry I just have to use this line, you go girl!! :-) Your produce is absolutely fabulous and you'll for sure have a great success. Your cushions are adorable - I actually prefer the lively rose and cake cushions - a very personal touch! But with all the produce you'll be busy making there will be many bored noises from your furry friends LOL!
This is Joan from God's Little People just popping over from my new creative blog.
xo