Only 2 days to go until my Pop Up shop opens in my home in Bampton, please come and visit. 

I'm right in the centre of the village. I've been making lots of preparations, the blackboard is out, even the front door has been painted!

And tomorrow I set up! I can't wait to display all my gorgeous country cottage style homewares for you too see. All made from beautiful quality fabrics for my discerning customers. Lots of lovely presents ideas for Friends, Sisters, Mums, Aunties...or just a little something for you. 

Why not treat yourself!

At the start of the New Year, it's time to get back to normal and try to be healthy too. For me the best way of doing this is not going on a diet, that's just never going to happen. I like eating too much for that! So instead I try to up my intake of fruit and vegetables. Breakfast is also an easy meal to over look, so starting the day with my Raspberry Bircher Muesli makes me feel really good.  Here's the recipe, it's very easy and quick to make.

Beccy's Raspberry Bircher Muesli

Inspired by an article in the Country Living Magazine called 14 Overnight Mason Jar Breakfasts,

I created this Bircher Muesli with all of my favourite things!

Ingredients

1/2 cup porridge oats

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup natural yoghurt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 an apple -grated

1 1/2 tbsp runny honey

2tbsp chopped almonds

1tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation method

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Cover the bowl with cling 

film. Leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours. Remove from the fridge, stir and

eat as it is or with extra fruit, honey and nuts on top.

Enjoy!

A few months ago I decided to take the plunge and take a stand at the 

Christmas Country Living Fair London 9th-13th November. I have always been rather daunted by the scale of the show and wondered how on earth I could possible make enough stock to do a show like this.

So for the first time I am getting some help making my stock. This is a big development for me. Scary and exciting all at the same time!

Last week the samples arrived for my Christmas Aprons and Tea Towels  

I'm still making all the napkins myself. 

Also available are Christmas Cafetiere Cosy's! 

Come and visit my stand

It will be lovely to see you!

Great fun at the weekend doing a photo shoot with my sister modelling

all my aprons in the new linen union fabric. Now all

available in my etsy shop. Why not pop over and have a look!

I'm really please to announce that my fabrics are now all printed in the UK, meaning I can proudly say my products are all 100% British, designed and made in England.

The fabric is lovely linen union with a natural colour as a base, which is digital printed using reactive dyes, giving a lovely finish and feel to all my products.

I've started to update my etsy shop with my beautiful new products, so all my tea towels are now available for purchase. I'm planning a photo shoot in the next couple of weeks so I will be updating my aprons images too, swiftly followed my blue and white cushions too. To give you a taster here are my tea towel images.

Burford Green Range

 China Blue Range

I had no idea, when I began Chez Beccy, of the amazing journey I was about to embark on! One of the biggest lessons I've learnt so far is not to get frustrated by how long everything seems to take. Channel that frustration into positive energy and celebrate each small goal achieved. I've also learnt to take my time making decisions. It's actually quicker (and cheaper!) to take time getting to the right decision, than getting it wrong and having to back track, and re-do.

I recently signed up for Rachael Taylor /  Make it in Design  'Building a Brand' video series. Thank you for loads of great information. A light bulb moment for me came when you were talking about Keywords. As a designer creating images and designs come quite naturally for me, but words are more of a struggle. So I do nee to think about how I describe products in my product descriptions etc.

Its another piece of the puzzle for me.

So for my brand key descriptive words are...
-country cottage
-pretty
-traditional country kitchen
any other ideas, let me know...

Thanks

Beccy x

Launching my new Children's Apron.
This delightful apron will keep your child's clothes clean and protected while they create delicious treats for you in the kitchen! Suitable for older children aged approx 7-11 years old in blue and white, with polka dots or stripes. Made from 55% linen 45% cotton and digitally printed with water-based inks, so friendly on the environment. A great look for budding young bakers! 

Check them out on my new look website ChezBeccy.folksy.com.

Blue & White Polka Dot Children's Apron.

Blue & White Striped Children's Apron.

On saturday 10th May I am going to be running a one day colour workshop at Folly Fabrics in Bampton, Oxfordshire. The day will start off with understanding basic colour theory and some rules for creating your own colour schemes. Suitable for anyone wanting to understand how to put colours together for any design project, from knitting & quilting to choosing you kitchen colour scheme! Once the basics are covered participants will then put what they have learnt into practice by create their own colour schemes, and I'll be able to give guidance if needed. In the afternoon, we will go on to discover how colours interact with each other, how to create depth using colours and the moods inspired by different designs. We will finish with a colour clinic an tea and cake! The only way to end the day...

I'm really looking forward to doing this. It's been fun putting the workshop together and finding examples. There are some amazing images on the web,  design-seeds have some fabulous colour schemes inspired by nature...roll on May

I've been creating another design for my Burford Green collection called String of Hearts.

I thought it would look good to add in some pink rose,

but I realised I actually prefer the roses white.

And the final design, with just a couple of very pale pink roses.

Can't wait to see what the fabric swatch looks like!

Last weekend I had sometime to do some painting! I've been planning this design for ages and now I've finally put paint to paper! I want to share my new design with you. It will be the second design in my Burford Green range.

My preliminary sketches

                        

Working up my idea into a pattern.    

Working out the colours

The final artwork for the main pattern repeat.

My finished pattern.

Now I'm going to order a fabric swatch to check the colours are correct!

I love Christmas, I always get so excited and now the clocks have changed its really winter so I can start planning with gusto! I love thinking about the entertaining that I want to do and organise the food menus, think about what and when to decorate. I even have a special notebook where I write my menu plans, shopping list and top tips. Its actually good to look back on as well to see what I cooked and for how many people! And this year I'm going to be wearing my new Christmas Apron!

So I've been loving making my Christmas Aprons, Tea Towels and Napkins ready for the Christmas Craft show season! My first one is a my nephew's school with several others in the following few weekends.

My Christmas Aprons and Tea Towels are ready

I've also made up gift sets, complete with gift tag to write your message on and mini peg to attach to your gift!

just the napkins to make now!

As we say good bye to summer today, I've been planning my Craft Fairs for the run up to Christmas.

So starting with:-

21st September  'Made in Oxfordshire Arts and Crafts' Bloxham

16th November Felsted Christmas Fair - now confirmed

23rd & 24th November Sobell Charity Christmas Fair

7th December Witney Art Rooms Christmas Fair

Best get sewing!

Christmas is coming!

Wow, what amazing weather we are having at the moment! So this weekend in a bid not to miss out on the sunshine I set myself up in the garden in a nice shady spot and got to work designing for Christmas! Robins and holly, would you believe. 

Tricky to get fully into the Christmas spirit in 30 degree heat.

And this is the end result!

Just sent off for a swatch to see how the colours will print. Fingers crossed!

Chipping Norton Craft Fair

What a great day on saturday.
I did my first Craft Fair and loved it. I sold a few things and I got some lovely feed back from people.

Packing up ready to go...

Car loaded!

 Stall set up

All ready to go, just need customers!

 

I want to do another one now. Will have to see if I can find one soon! 

I had a few more people sign up to my mailing list. So if you want to know when I'm doing my next craft fair, have new products or have a promotion on sign up to my mailing list via my facebook page

or email me at chezbeccy@rocketmail.com