Friday 24 September 2010

Folksy Friday : Inspired by Keats...

Following on from my "Autumn Leaves" Folksy Friday blog last week, I have decided to continue the theme this week - and the famous quotation from Keats' poem "To Autumn" springs to mind...
      ...Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

So this week my 15 fabulous Folksy Friday Finds are all about autumn fruits and berries...

(click on the link under each picture to find out more about each item, and to be directed to the seller's shop on Folksy.com)

































And now for just one little shameless plug on my own behalf... if you are popping over to Folksy.com, please check out my beautifully autumnal candle range - including "Apple & Cranberry" (which would have fitted in just great amonst all these other gorgeous items...!!!)  ;-)

Friday 17 September 2010

Folksy Friday - Autumn Leaves

I have noticed this week how quickly the season has changed from a last gasp at summer to the onset of autumn.
I was seeking inspiration for this week's Folksy Friday the other day whilst walking the dog - it's when I do my best thinking - and I looked down at all the amazing multicoloured leaves around my feet - eureka!

So, here are my 20 Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds - gorgeous, beautiful, technicolour autumn leaves....




























































I think this is possibly my favourite selection of items so far - such a simple inspiration, but WOW!, what a superb range of products!

Sunday 12 September 2010

Campaign for... Random Acts Of Kindeness

Ok, I'm starting something new here, bear with me...

Isn't it nice when someone does a nice little something for you?  They may be a friend, a relative, or even a complete stranger.  Maybe a young man helped you with the baby buggy, or a fellow commuter gave up their seat on the train, or a work colleague brought in buns "just because", or your husband ran you a bath and handed you a glass of wine, or your best friend phoned because they remembered that today was the day of that big meeting...



What do you think when these things happen... "Ah, wasn't that nice of them!" ...or something along those lines.

Wouldn't you like someone to think that about you?  Or, more selflessly, would you like to spread a little happiness, a little positivity, a little cheer, a little bit of kindness?  They say "what goes around comes around" and how true that is.  If you hold the door open for someone struggling with their bags today, and we all do one nice thing for someone else each and every day, then it will soon be your turn to be on the receiving end of one of these "random acts of kindness".  Perhaps on the day that you are 20p short for the parking meter...




With social media and networking becoming an ever bigger part of our lives, it is so easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of other peoples lives.  Let's take Twitter for example - and here I am probably as guilty as the next person... "I've got a sore throat - bet I'm coming down with a cold..." or "It's raining AGAIN - I am so going to get wet waiting for the bus!" or "I hate Mondays, back to bloody work :-("  ...you get the picture.

Now, we all need a good moan now and again, it purges the system.  But if all we are reading is everyone else's gripes and groans - well, it's hardly going to make us all feel happy and skippy and on top of the world.

So here it is, my campaign for RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS...




I pledge, here on the world wide web, to do my damnedest to make one intentional RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS each and every single day.  And I will Tweet it.  Every day.

I will give a small amount of my time, or a little effort, or a compliment, or a helping hand, or anything that I can, just to intentionally make one other person's day better.  Every day.

And I hope that some of my readers will do the same - and together we can spread a little cheer, and show others that this is a great world we live in.

Friday 10 September 2010

Folksy Friday - One For The Boys...

I have been doing my weekly Folksy Friday picks for a while now, and whilst I just love all the fabulous handmade items for sale on Folksy, I have noticed a bias towards us girls.  Maybe this is because most of the most talented hand crafters are women?  Or us girls are the ones most likely to be buying hand crafted items? Whatever... I figured it was time to do a selection of goodies that would appeal to the men.

If you are like me you will know that the men in our lives - husbands, boyfriends, dads, brothers, uncles, sons... - are actually for more difficult to buy for!  Well, as we draw towards Christmas (I can't believe I am using that word already in September!) here are a few ideas that will indulge your love of handmade, and solve another tricky gift problem....

(click on the item name under each picture to be taken to the sellers shop, where you can find out more about the item, including price)












































So, go on, start that Christmas shopping now, and get ahead of the game!