gingerandgeorge

Certain knowledge

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Palette Pingpong (No.29)

So, apparently I blinked and a whole week whizzed by. Much has gone on (as evidenced by my office, which is due a visit from the Red Cross disaster relief team any day now), but clearly not much on the blog-updating front. You've been keeping busy over at Pinterest though, right? 

If you're new here (maybe you came via Grosgrain Fabulous? Hello!), you might not know about Palette Pingpong. This should hopefully explain the idea, but really it's just an excuse to look at pretty pictures, make fancy colour swatches and sometimes help yourself to a free download or printable.

This week, I'm taking care of the pretty pictures end of the deal... 

[via LoMo, on Flickr]

...and Gabrielle has done the rest - printable project included - over at her blog, the green gal. She's also hosting a giveaway, while you're there, which makes it doubly worth the visit. Free stuff + free stuff = happiness.

You see, 16-year-old-self? All that GCSE Maths revision did pay off in the end.

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In progress

Hola, blog chums. Good week so far?

I've been busy working on some book revisions, specifically activity books for pre-schoolers, which probably explains my general lack of wordiness just now. I am in the zone. The keep it clear, simple and as short as you can zone. 

I have been doing some make-ish stuff on the side, though - just me and my hoops, keeping it real, you know?

Maybe not. 

(tape strips | Pugly Pixel)

I'd love to say the surprisingly satisfying combination of machine and hand embroidery is down to careful planning and forethought, but it was mostly just experimenting. I love the fact that the finer, machine-stitched lines seem to sink down into the heavy linen, and I'm almost as pleased that I decided not to whip that last line of backstitches along the centre.  They contrast very happily with the smoother lines, don't you think?

And in case you're wondering, the image is a botanical diagram of a magnolia flower. I am a little obsessed, it's true.

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Sister

There's no point having a blog if you can't use it to be entirely selfish every now and again, right? While you are very welcome to sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures or maybe think about your own sister if you have one, this is wholly and entirely for *my* sister. She is more beautiful, special and frankly incredible than she'll probably ever know, and certainly more than I'm ever likely to tell her face to face (because I'm better with pictures than I am with talking).

I love you more than Dorset weekends, little sis. 

1. you are my very best friend   2. two girls 

3. everything was beautiful and nothing hurt

4. nobody can be uncheered with a balloon

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Sunday in the garden with George

(Thank you, Sondheim and Seurat...)

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Palette Pingpong (No.28)

Shall we keep this good and simple today? 

Gabrielle challenged me with a photo. 

I used it to make a pretty palette:

And then some fresh, quote-y desktop wallpaper for you. Yes, you.

 

(Press Ctrl+click for Mac / right click for PC to save or set as background)

Perfectly wonderful simplicity, don't you think?

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Pinteresting

Five or six weeks ago, I finally got around to jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon. I'll be honest here - it wasn't my first time. Me and bandwagons go way back. Sometimes, the jump is a great thing (Flickr, Twitter, blogging) and other times (Tumblr, WeHeartIt, Facebook), not so much. If I'm honest, the reason it's taken me an age to mention it here is because I thought the novelty might wear off, just like it has with so many other Internet obsessions. But so far, if anything, the opposite is true. I'm hooked - a pinning, repinning, board-filling, fully paid-up Pinterest disciple.

by Anne M Cramer | pinned to Wearable

I love the fact it's a tool you can use as you're doing the stuff you normally do online, bookmarking images and saving ideas, but also that it's a place to go specifically for inspiration. Yes, it's easy to get overwhelmed, but you quickly develop ways of filtering the pictures you like the most and just admiring the rest from afar.

by Pink Shirts + Car Wrecks | pinned to Paper

For me, it's also been an interesting way of building a clearer picture of my personal style - something I often find tricky. Going back and looking at which images I've chosen to pin, where I've put them and how my boards fit together has been an unexpected and rewarding side-effect of the process.

by Sunset | pinned to Home

I've stumbled across new blogs, great ideas, amazing artists, far-too-tempting shops and even gathered up a handful of recipes along the way, all by following links from images or from the people who posted them.

by Alli Coate | pinned to Embroidered

Clearly, as a new convert to the cause, I'd urge you to give it a shot if you haven't already. It may feel like the world and his hipster wife got there first, but don't let that put you off. You can sneak in and get your pin on with the minimum of fuss.

by BlotoAngeles | pinned to Miscellany

If you do decide to give it a try, you can find me and my boards here, updated very regularly and always happy to find new people, pictures and prettiness.

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Just to say . . .

If you live in a part of the world which celebrates Mother's Day this coming weekend, these printable gift tags are new in my Etsy shop.

As well as being a cute addition to Mother's Day gifts, they can also be used on scrapbook layouts after the event if you're that way inclined. And because I'm fully bilingual, they even say 'Mom' instead of 'Mum'. (Should you need a 'Mum' set, you're very welcome to convo me.)

I'll also be adding a few more tag sets early next week, to include birthdays and more general sentiments, along with a special blog-reader discount for anyone who's bought previous sets (whether Christmas, Valentine's Day or this new Mother's Day version).

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Win, win

Hola blog chums! How are you?

This is one of those posts I love and hate at the same time. Love picking giveaway winners, hate that everyone who left a comment can't win. But maybe that's just an excuse to do it all again very soon. 

So, giving further ado the standard heave-ho, we have a randomly-generated (and then fancily-illustrated) winning number:

 Which makes Clare (and her funny, Blondie-inspired comment) the winner.

Clare - drop me an email, and I'll arrange to send out your phone-cosy prize in the next few days.

 Thanks so much to everyone who entered - you're smashing!

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Blue(bell) Monday

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(PS. Giveaway still open below.)