Playing shops and making pretty things

Well hello to you all.  I thought it was a long time since last I wrote but it isn't as bad as I thought.  The days just blur in to each other at the moment and I am feeling slightly jaded.
The shop however is feeling like a proper shop at last. It looks quite trendy and my landlord says he has seen one on the television quite similar but that one was in London.

As you can see I couldn't resist playing around.  There are still things laid around like the great sheet of slat board on the floor but it is definitely looking very nice.  The walls are a very pale shade of grey and not beige and blue as in the picture.  That must have been a trick of the light.

I can't wait until all the wool is in and the heads are swathed in warm snoods and headbands.  I think it will look really smart and just like I hoped it would when I started dreaming about it many moons ago.  There is still lots to do and plenty of things to think about.  I keep waking up in the night and then can't get back to sleep.  I'm hoping that this is a temporary thing but I'm not counting on it.

I did manage to make a pretty little brooch amidst all the madness. This was an idea I came across whilst out at the weekend.  I saw something similar in a shop in Edwinstowe which I intended buying but unfortunately the shop didn't take debit cards and I didn't have any cash on me.  When I got home I had a look in my button stash and came up with this. It needs quite a substantial brooch pin on the back as it is surprisingly heavy.

This is a plant pot cover I have just finished knitting from a lovely book called Vintage Knit Knacks.  I have made several things from it as the projects are just so different.  I couldn't find any leaf buttons so I had a brain wave and made some using a cake decorating leaf shaped cutter and some coloured clay similar to Fimo. I think they did the job just right. All I need now is a plant pot to fit it which is proving more difficult than you would think.
I should have a few more makes to show you soon as I am frantically trying to do things to make the shop look a bit more crafty.
As ever thank you for taking the time to join me and please feel free to drop me a line or two.
Regards Paula x

Knitting Update

Before I started writing today I had to check to make sure I hadn't already posted about my recently completed knitting.  I seem to be playing catch up at the moment so please forgive me.
Christmas and the New Year flew by without much effort by me as my mind is firmly fixed on the future.  We did have a lovely long break and didn't do too much which was good.  We both realised that once the shop opens holidays will be a thing of the past for a while so we endeavoured to make the most of our time together.

I did manage to finish a few bits though.  The above, knitted in James Brett Flutterby Chunky is for my son's friend whose wife has recently had a baby girl.  This wool is lovely to knit with and is so soft it makes you must want to snuggle up to it.

These cardigans are bigger versions of the ones I knitted last year with extra buttons.  This was an order for the same little twins who have grown quite a lot since 12 months ago.  I had to add a few stitches on to make them big enough.  The wool is James Brett Marble Chunky.
In the pipeline is a knitted clock, (I am waiting for the working parts to arrive from Amazon) a plant pot cover and a jumper for myself. In between I am about to start to sew a sign for the door at the shop and would like to crochet a net for the front door so I'm going to be kept very busy.
The sign and window decoration are to be fitted in the next week or so so that will be exciting.  Watch this space for the photos.