With only a week to go before Easter AND our 'Homespun Fair' , I thought I would share with you a few pics of how the shop's looking at the moment. Last week I picked up some nice new pieces at the Shepton Mallet antiques fair and the Ilminster Textiles fair, and the last couple of days have been spent arranging it all. I just love this aspect of running a shop, dressing the windows and working with colour to make everything appear harmonious.

Gertie's beautiful little hand-embroidered zip bags sit in a bowl to form the centrepiece in one of the front windows, which always seems to be overwhelmingly 'duck egg' in hue!

The other front window has a pink Spring theme; handmade and vintage bags and jewellery mixed in with porcelain pieces by Linda Bloomfield and cards by Liz Lynch and my own.

I look forward to welcoming you all to my little shop by the sea!

I won't have time to blog again for the next couple of weeks, so let me wish you friends a very Happy and joyous Easter!

Feeling like Spring!

Hello friends! For about the last week there has been an easterly   wind blowing in off the sea in Portscatho, making it very cold indeed. But yesterday when I went down to the shop to carry on with the spring cleaning and redecorating, the wind had thankfully changed direction and all was calm. The sea was a rich blue, the tide was coming in, and in the sunshine it actually felt warm.

All the little boats and canoes are pulled up on the slip over winter, but it won't be long before the visitors arrive and the bay will be dotted with colourful bobbing craft of all shapes and sizes.

The rocks are exposed in the harbour at low tide; you can see Gull Rock out in the distant bay.

Occupying a Georgian listed building as I do, there always seem to be repairs and maintenance jobs which have to be done out of season during the quiet time. In one of the front windows my friend Dave has scarfed in a new bit of wood which now needs painting. When there's nothing on display in the window you can clearly see how much it bows out in the middle!

The postman delivered a very exciting package to the shop yesterday - it was an order for zip bags that I'd commissioned from Helen Ashworth of 'Rosie's Armoire'. That's one of the loveliest things about running a shop, finding talented craftmakers and inviting them to supply you with their work. When a new parcel arrives it feels like a birthday or Christmas. How beautifully Helen has wrapped it all up!

I gave her some vintage postcards to print from,

and pieces of vintage fabric for the backs of the little bags.

This watercolour image of The Island in Newquay, my 'home' town, has worked particularly well. You can see Helen's handmade bags at The Country Living Fair in London where she has a stand, 24th - 28th March at The Business Design Centre in Islington.

During the evenings lately I've been having fun making a new collection of necklaces, incorporating some of the gorgeous beads that I purchased recently from The Bead Room in Totnes.

Each necklace is a one-off, and completely asymmetrical. Easy to wear, they are long enough to just slip over your head and you can decide which way up to wear it as there is no definite top or bottom.

The beads are a mixture of freshwater pearls, swarovski crystal, glass and silver.

Perhaps you can also spot a rather ingenious use of old curtain rings!

'Dolly Mixture' colours for Spring, with a tiny scrap of old silk ribbon to add to the vintage look.

Two necklaces worn together make a nice impact.

I love these delicious aubergine and coppery brown pearls.

A white pearl, glass and cream mother-of-pearl piece; would be great for a wedding with a vintage theme.

A pair of duck-egg blue and beige-gold necklaces with vintage rayon ribbon.

If you are interested in buying any of these necklaces, get in touch! Leave me a comment with your email and I will get back to you. Prices range from £32 to £55. Thanks for visiting, see you soon!