Lazy Sunday Crafternoon

Despite waking up to snow this morning (!!) I've had a very lovely lazy Sunday today, kicked off by a bit of Pilates and followed by a rather cheeky breakfast of American style pancakes with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and lashings of maple syrup! Seriously divine

I have the inlaws here for a couple of days (hence the elaborate breckie) and we dragged them around a couple of nearby Brocantes, which yielded a few new treasures. I'll let the images speak for themselves!

Here's my haul: a vintage pillow slip, a rusty alarm clock (been looking for one as a styling prop for ages), some vintage lace and a couple of books (again to use as props). I couldn't resist the Parti de Liverpool as that's where I'm originally from! I'm still thinking about the very gorgeous, floral painted sewing machine... why, why, why didn't I buy it??!! I wonder if the vendor will be at the Brocante next weekend too. I have my fingers crossed; such a beauty!

The snow soon turned to grey drizzle, so I spent the rest of the day flicking through the latest issue of my new favourite magazine; Mollie Makes. Have you read it yet? I love the mix of handmade, vintage and style - it's a far cry from most of the craft interest mags out there in terms of trends and style and is always packed full of great ideas. Check out the website here to see what I mean

And with my knitting escapades currently occupying a lot of my spare time, I took the opportunity to learn from a master. MIL is a great knitter and so I asked her to show me a few tricks and tips in the hopes that I can make it look as effortless as she (and let's face it, everyone else) makes it look! Breaking each manoeuvre into slow motion steps is quite tricky when you are used to going at full speed; I remember doing the same thing when I first began teaching crochet workshops. But with some persistence and a few awkward finger movements I am finally able to knit without having to take my whole hand off the needle to wrap the wool around each stitch, hooray!

What did you get up to today?

Lisa x

*Magpie* - Like Crochet Doilies for Snowflakes

On one of my recent magpie hunting trips to a huge brocante, I was lucky enough to score some top quality, beautifully hand crafted, vintage crochet doilies. They were not the usual op shop/charity shop prices but sometimes it really is worth paying more for such gems; and judging by the exquisite workmanship of these beauties and the intricacy of the designs, I am happy to have invested in some glorious textile heritage

Each design is totally unique and perfect. It struck me how similar they are to snowflakes; both in their individuality as well as their beauty

There is something quite magical about the serenity and purity of snowflakes, don't you agree? These vintage doilies hold the same appeal to me; I am completely captivated by them and would love to incorporate them into my home decor somehow

I'm not sure what plans I have for them as yet - perhaps as the collection grows I will have them framed against a deep grey background and hung on the wall, or maybe I'll sew them all together to make a beautiful curtain or bed throw

Until a decision is made though, I shall just get them out once in a while to coo over them and caress their crisp perfection (...oops did I say that out loud?!)

Lisa x

{all images by Lisa Pocklington}

*Magpie* - Enthusiastic about Vintage

I was just reading an insightful post on Enthusiasm over at Scouite Girl and realised that I had never actually got round to explaining to you what the whole *Magpie* thing is. You may have noticed (please tell me you have!) that I often start the title of my posts with one of three words

* Designer * Stylist * Magpie *

These are the 3 words I feel describe who I am and what I do and you can read my definitions of this concept over on my website. Whenever I feel that a post relates directly to one of these definitions of who I am, I begin the title with one of them.

I then got round to thinking what the purpose of this blog is; I mean, why am I here? And why might you be here? And it all boils down to enthusiasm; it's about things I love, hence the name...

Smitten with it all...

This blog is where I can document all the things I come across that enthuse me, inspire me and I can share that with you. I can share the enthusiasm. The dictionary definition of enthusiasm goes like this:

"a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it "

There are many things in this world that I am inspired by or interested in but when it comes down to enthusiasm, it seems you have to actually be involved in it - or at least be eager to be involved in it.

And so that is where the *Magpie* part comes into our story. I am cuckoo-crazy about  vintage items and so therefore I am enthusiastic about tracking down local vide greniers, brocantes, car-boot sales & thrift shops. I have a great eye for seeking out a treasure amongst the rubbish, and believe me I have rummaged through my share of rubbish! And what's more, I am enthusiastic to share my finds with you. Come to think of it, I have a whole backlog of finds to share with you!

 I also realised that I have recently found a way of highlighting this enthusiasm - albeit unintentionally. At first it was just something to prettify the blog, make the images a little more personalised and keep a continuity of my branding present. But now I see it as more than just the Get Smitten stamp of approval. It's me sharing even more enthusiasm about what I was already enthusiastic about! A double whammy! How about that?

By reading this blog you are part of the journey; you are involved in my enthusiasm. I like that. So, thanks for being here; I hope you enjoy the ride!

And if you'd like to get more involved & maybe even share a little enthusiasm of your own, then why not leave me a comment? Tell me what you think about my posts - or even just say hi!

{Feel Inspired poster designed by Lisa Pocklington at Keep Calm-o-matic. Smitten with it medallion by Lisa Pocklington using graphics by Pugly Pixel }

*Magpie* - Bastille Day Brocante

It's a public holiday today here in France - Bastille Day to be precise - and so what better excuse to scour a brocante or vide grenier for some treasures and then enjoy a sunny lunch with friends.

I scored a couple of great finds; impressive as the searing heat made it near impossible to browse at leisure. It was more of a shade-hop experience! The crochet blanket is stunning; I love the crispness of the perfect white cotton. There are a couple of holes that need mending & a gluey blob along one of the edges but nothing that can't be sorted with a little bit of Lisa TLC. Plus it gave me an excuse to haggle! It's big enough to be a bed cover in a white on white room or a picnic blanket in the dappled shade of a tree; but I can see it draped casually over the handrail of the terrace in front of my studio. Oh, wait a sec... what terrace? What Studio?
Well, a girl can dream can't she?

My second find was this set of old books - something I always look out for as they make lovely styling props. Not sure why but there is something appealing about gold stars. I like shiny.
We rounded off the excitement of the morning's foraging with a lovely, relaxing lunch at Le Délice. If only we could've stayed all afternoon sipping chilled rose and nibbling on tapas {sigh}

Liberté, égalité, fraternité  

mes amies!