The Beehive Embroidery - Beginning

My next embroidery project is in the hoop!  I have spent the last few days pulling together some images and flicking through my vintage books for floral inspiration.  I have also pulled out the fabrics and some of the threads that I think will work with the colour palette I am using.  This piece is going to be a framed picture; an antique style wooden beehive surrounded by flowers in delicate blues, soft whites and poppy red.  I have sketched a (very rough) design just to give me something to work from in terms of sizing and placement but now that the beehive is in situ I can just randomly add flowers and grasses to where I think they look best as I work.  I prefer that my embroidery develops in this way because it means that each piece is unique.

I have cleared my diary to ensure that I have plenty of time to work on the beehive and there are a few films that I've been wanting to watch for ages (Testament of Youth, XandY and Enchanted April) so I'm going to have a really lovely week!  

I joined a restorative yoga class last Tuesday and I'm off to my second session tomorrow.  It is absolutely the most wonderful thing I have treated myself to in ages.  The venue is beautiful, the teacher is hugely inspiring and the practise is just what I need to help calm my busy mind.  The yogi, Lisa, also teaches on the use of essential oils for wellbeing and I went to a workshop on Friday evening.  It was amazing.  Such a warm and nurturing experience.  I am skeptical of the benefits these things claim to bring but also open-minded and wanted to give it a try.  I created a personal blend, with input from Lisa, specifically to help me focus and clear my mind.  I spritz myself every morning before I sit down to a ten-minute guided meditation (I like the app 'Calm' which I use on my phone) and - I am not kidding - I have been so productive every day!  I feel like I have magic fairy dust shooting through my veins, haha!  Next I think I'd like an essential oil blend to stop me eating so much chocolate..... 

Thanks for stopping by; have a great week.

Love

Nicki 

xOx

Hyggeligt

Since reading The Year of Living Danishly last autumn, I have felt more inclined to indulge my natural compulsion to keep my surroundings cosy and make the most of even the most rubbish situations.  Sitting in eye casualty for hours and hours waiting for a doctor?  Wear a snuggly shawl, grab a hazelnut latte on the way and use the time to listen to an audiobook.  Stuck in a rainstorm in your lunch hour?  Hot chocolate and clean, warm socks will fix that.  (This is inspired by my friend Jo who used to pack a pair of thick cashmere socks in her handbag just to pop on under her desk on grim and grotty days. I noticed this one day when we'd been out for lunch together, in the rain, and I was very envious of her pink cashmere toes and hot tea as I shivered away, a few desks across from her, in our soulless office.)

I guess those are pretty obvious examples but you know what I mean... They are situations where you have to do a little prep work and anticipate a potentially grim situation.  As a super-impatient person, it is essential for me to prepare and utilise any time spent waiting.  I hate wasting time and I can get very bad tempered.  As a very bare minimum I make sure that I carry my Kindle with me.  Otherwise, a little stitching or knitting can be a very hygge way to pass the time when on a delayed train (even if you do get the odd bemused look from fellow passengers).

Hygge may be a new-ish word for us here in the UK but the concept is ancient.  My great-grandmother was an expert and I am often inspired by memories of her.  The books that I have read on the subject of hygge don't tell me anything new - of course I get new inspiration for cosiness - but what I have learnt (and ponder often) is that you can amplify the feeling of hygge by being more active.  These days I love to get up early and get outside.  I don't care for running but a good brisk walk through the countryside is the biggest mood booster for me.  A cup of tea and a bit of breakfast outdoors afterwards totally completes the feeling of wellbeing.  And when you can go home to a comfy sofa, cosy socks and paperback novels then there's really nothing more you need in life!  

We went out this morning, bright and early, for a walk in the woods just ten minutes from us.  There were lots of families and dogs out walking too but we took a quiet path through the trees and it was really just us.  The only sound was our feet kicking through the leaves and Lizzie panting happily as she explored.  It was bliss. The ground was littered with yellow leaves, beech nuts, acorns and conkers.  There was a smell of damp earth and foliage in the air.  The sun shone through the canopy of trees yet it was cold enough for scarves and boots.  We had a quick breakfast outdoors before coming home to a nap in the sunny conservatory, football (him) and knitting (me).  The loveliest of days.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on hygge.  Any good tips?  I am preparing for a '30 days of Hygge' personal project in November and would love more inspiration.  Perhaps you might fancy joining in too? 

Love

Nicki 

xOx

Lizzie embraces the hygge lifestyle - like many of us she is a lover of freshly washed linen sheets.... 

The Spooky Month!

I am so excited to welcome October and release the final Autumnal scented candles that we have in stock from 1803 Candles.  Hocus Pocus, Yummy Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Hollow are all really gorgeous autumnal fragrances and their jar labels are very festive! Perfect whether you go all out for Halloween decorations or like to give just a subtle nod to the season.  Shop now here! 

I have lots of plans for October, both from a work perspective and personally.  I had fun updating my Bullet Journal this afternoon with my plans for the month and I have written a blog schedule so that I can blog every day without having writer's block.  

I was given the all-clear to wear contact lenses again on Thursday as my eye has healed.  Hooray! I am taking it steady and only wearing them for short amounts of time at the moment but my mood has improved vastly!  It is so nice to see properly without a thick and heavy pair of glasses on my face that steam up every time I pull something out of the oven or slide down my nose with sweat. It is also brilliant to be wearing make-up again and remember that I do actually have a pair of eyes rather than two tiny raisins squished into my face (which is how I felt in my specs).  

Oh! And I can drive Mabel, my new little car!  My lovely friend Lynda (Laalaa) came to visit me again yesterday - we have managed to get together loads this summer, it has been great - and we had a proper tour of Northamptonshire in my minty pride and joy.  We had such a lovely day fabric shopping, stationery shopping, lunching and drinking coffee.  Although it has to be said, Lynda still gripped the door handle a little too tightly when I was driving, I think I still scare her even though Mabel is much slower than my Mini.   To top off a lovely day I went to an aromatherapy class at a divine yoga studio yesterday evening with Debs.  There's really nothing better than spending time with treasured friends is there.  

We are going to settle in front of the TV now to start Season 3 of The Bridge.  We have boozy drinks, blankets and a bowl of Hula Hoops.  Perfect Saturday night in doncha think.

Love love

Nicki 

xOx