Local Loveliness: Hannah Zakari

I love supporting local businesses and this one is a cracker!

Hannah Zakari

I have followed the progress of this shop, from when it began as an online shop to the current day where in 2010 they also opened a bricks and mortar shop in Edinburgh. They stock all sorts of loveliness from bags, to art and jewellery to soft furnishing......

Image courtesy of Hannah Zakari

Owned by Rachael Lamb, Hannah Zakari opened it's virtual doors in 2004 and has represented work from around 150 independent designers and artists from the both the UK and overseas.  The ethos behind this store is fantastic, giving local and other independent designers/makers an opportunity to showcase their work.


If you live in or near Edinburgh then please do try and stop by, even just for a look, as you will come out feeling happy!  If you are not near why not check out their website - they have just launched this new website and are currently offering free world-wide shipping - bliss!


Happy shopping!


MSMxx

Hello October

I am sure that you are all aware of the fantastic website etsy.com.  It is a fantastic website that showcases items to buy that are either handmade or vintage.  I have bought many things from etsy over the years and also have a small shop there myself (called Olive Mac where I have some illustrations that I have drawn and then digitally coloured).  The only problem I find with having a shop there is that it gets lost amongst all the other thousands of shops there too - it is in my opinion etsy is a buyers market.

Do take some time to stop by and have a look at all of the loveliness that lives on etsy and perhaps support these talented artists/makers buy buying a thing or two - remember Christmas is only 80 days away - yikes!!

And, if anyone can tell me what etsy stands for I would be eternally grateful!  It appears to be the world's best kept secret!

MSMxx

My Art Muse........

My muse today is my 8 year old son.  He is a lovely little artist and has a real raw talent there.  He now takes art classes out of school and this is something that he produced in his last class.  Worthy of a frame and a space on the wall.

At this age his art teacher doesn't necessarily show him proper techniques but allows him to have fun with it - which I think is the main thing.

It has inspired me to get my paintbrush out this morning - once the picture is dry I will post a picture.  It isn't as cheery as this one though!

Hope you are all having a fantastic day!

MSMxx

Coffee and Cake.....

I have been feeling a bit flu-y today and all my body has craved is coffee and cake - so who am I to deny it what it wants!!

This will need to be a one-off today as I am running the Edinburgh Bupa 10K in less than 2 weeks and have got lots of training to be doing before then (which will involve less coffee and definitely less cake!)

I shall enjoy it for now and pop the kettle on again!

MSMxx

Got myself a new set of wheels....

I have been looking for an old city bike for a while now and managed to find this one on Gumtree.  It is from 1976 and has been restored by a man who now restores bikes in his retirement.  He has done a great job here.  Ideally I would like to re-spray it cream, but for now I am enjoying cycling it green.  

I love the white seat and the whitewall tyres.

My kids love to cycle to school so now I can join them instead of running behind them to keep up!

MSMxx

Making Faces out of fruit

Now I know that you can't see this cake stand properly in the picture, but it is an ebay purchase that I am totally in love with.  It is three-tiered and is made from a wood-effect plastic and I believe it is from the 1960s.  When I don't have cakes to hand to stack on it, I tend to use it for fruit.  My son made this smiley face out of the fruit which made me smile!  Hope you are having a great day!

MSMxx

Summer is over - Autumn is definitely here

With a sigh, I am sad to say that summer in Edinburgh is over!  Today has been a chilly day, and although the sun has been present, it has not been kind enough to be warm.

On days like this I love to have a walk, wrapped up in some appropriate Autumn clothes, as I love the fresh air on my cheeks.  Today I took a walk round the Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh.  Whilst you are not allowed to take photographs inside the gallery, it is ok to do so outside.  There are some fantastic statues in the grounds just now by Tony Cragg (shown in the first two images) - they are excellent and huge.

MSMxx