Tenderfoot

VINTAGE TREASURES

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:11:00 +0000

Some of you may be aware of my addiction to teacups, especially really old delicate ones, they just don't make them like this anymore and the replicas they do make don't have the history attached to them. When I come across a teacup in a charity shop or flea market I instantly think of a little old lady and the teas when they would be brought out for special occasions. Proper tea with a strainer, homemade cakes and sandwiches eaten in the parlour which was only used for special guests.

My husband curses me when I come home with yet another teacup and I have made some into teacup candles using recycled candle remnants but it seems such sacriledge, teacups are for tea !

TENDERFOOT IS 2 !

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:08:00 +0000

I really can't believe it has been 2 years since Lori and I were getting nervous and excited about our opening day here at Tenderfoot. Looking back it really was a lovely day, we had spent 3 months working hard transforming the shop to our beautiful new haven and there was an abundance of hope and anticipation between us. The day was all we were hoping for, lots of eager locals and friends crammed into the little space that Tenderfoot is, children crafting, lots of cake eating and wine drinking and Lori's hubby was squeezed into the corner playing with his band, it felt so good.

Since then things have changed alot, the main change being that the lovely Lori has moved onto pastures new and an exciting new project and little old Tenderfoot is just me ! But my belief is everything happens for a reason and what will be will be and as I celebrate the 2nd year at Tenderfoot, I can only hope that the future and the 3rd year will be good, that the business will continue to evolve and flourish.

There is a new element to Tenderfoot in 2012 courtesy of Kirsten Clarke aka Mrs Make and Do who has brought her crafty emporium to the back of the shop, selling an array of lovely fabrics, ribbons and buttons as well as less frivolous goodies. She has also brought to Tenderfoot a renewed enthusiasm and vitality with her passion for all things handmade, crafty and also for the vision of her little business and it's partnership with Tenderfoot.

So tomorrow not only marks 2 years of the old Tenderfoot but the start of the new Tenderfoot. I would love for you to join me for a drink and a cake and you may see something that takes your fancy and I'm giving 20% off tomorrow only. Look forward to seeing you x

The post about when Lori leaves Tenderfoot.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Today is my last day at Tenderfoot. This may come as a surprise to many of you,but sadly it's time for me to leave. I've had the most amazing 2 years of my life spent creating this lovely space with Helen. But it's time for me to move forward and take on new challenges. Tenderfoot has evolved into a fantastic shop, full of whimsy and little treasures and now with Kirsten on board with The Make and Do Emporium,Tenderfoot is going into a new direction! Tenderfoot is and hopefully will always be the Creative Hub for Brislington, helping new up and coming artists branch out into other shops and also a launching board for the crafty novice that just wants to learn something new. And even in my absence I'm sure Tenderfoot will be all those things, and possibly more. The same spirit will be kept alive, just by different souls.

I'm so thankful for everyone I have met in this journey. And so thankful to the people of Brislington for being the biggest driving force in Tenderfoot staying open. I'll hope to guest every once in a while on the blog and don't fret I will never be too far from Tenderfoot's doors.

I'm also the most thankful to Helen for beings Tenderfoot's backbone! Without your support well, of course we wouldn't even have a Tenderfoot!

I will miss this so much. It has been, and always will be, the greatest and most rewarding challenge I've ever endured.

So till we meet again good pals and friends! I cannot say it enough I will miss you so much!

With all my heart,

Lori

MY FAVOURITE PICTURE IN THE SHOP

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:02:00 +0000

This is my favourite piece of art at Tenderfoot at the moment, by the talented Emma Garner, it's so funky and witty and sexy all rolled into one. I just love it and I'm sure it's a reflection of how many of us feel about our other halves. Emma also has a range of greeting cards available at Tenderfoot.

Make and Do Partay!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:37:00 +0000

This Friday Tenderfoot welcomed a new addition to our little family; The Make and Do Emporium! Lots of cake and wine were consumed and of course lots of drooling over all the lush fabrics and ric-rac and strands of pom-poms! So don't forget if you need sewing supplies or a nice sketch book or a kit this lady has what you need! Happy Monday!

MAKE & DO EMPORIUM

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Tonight see the Launch of The Make & Do Emporium at Tenderfoot, an absolute Aladdin's den of lovely craft and haberdashery and an array of colourful fabrics, ribbons and buttons. If you are into making then you will be in your element and with the talented Kirsten at the helm there will be someone to advise on any of your making dilemmas or help you source that elusive item you are looking for.
Kirsten will also be running a variety of workshops as well as her regular make and do club on Friday evenings. You will be able to hire a sewing machine by the hour as well as just pop along and work on a project whilst enjoying our cake of the day with a nice cuppa.
Why not pop along tomorrow and take a peek out the back and check out out our lovely new stock at the same time. Pictures to follow !

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:14:00 +0000

How delicious do our beautiful bath creamers look. Made with cocoa and shea butters and pure essential oils, they smell luscious and are highly moisturising so are a really indulgent treat for your bath. We have lots of varieties to choose from and they make great gifts, packaged in cute egg boxes or our pretty panatonne boxes.

New to Tenderfoot

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Just a coupla new things from Bombay Duck London! I hope you would agree, it's absolutely lovely!

IN THE NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:19:00 +0000

It was interesting to open the pages of several of my regular monthly magazines and see the lovely homewares that we stock at Tenderfoot featured. It just proves what great taste we have here in Brislington !

A beautiful glass cake stand with a cute little birdy feature. Would look lovely not just with a cake inside but why not use it as a display for your jewellery or for storing some pretty bathbombs.

Butterflies feature heavily in homeware this season and our range of beautiful blue tableware is a must for any home. The range inclues a cake stand, side plates, bowls and cups plus for the bakers amongst you there are china measuring cups and spoons.

Delicate and romantic !

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:40:00 +0000

THINGS ARE CHANGING AT LITTLE OLD TENDERFOOT.

There are lots of changes going on here at Tenderfoot, some are little secrets for the time being and others we are shouting about. Our little craft and meeting room outback is soon to become Mrs Make and Do's domain and she has exciting plans for that including lots of lovely new fabrics, buttons and ribbons as well as less frivolous stuff that you may need for your sewing and crafts. She'll also be running some lovely creative workshops as well as her Make and Do club on Friday evenings.

After a visit to the autumn fair at Birmingham, I came back feeling totally inspired with new stock and display ideas and can't wait to get started and get some photos of all the lovely things I have ordered on the website.

We'll also be having a big change around of our artists and crafters lovely goodies ready for the Christmas shopping season.

Keep your eye open for the big secret, shh ! I'm not gonna let the cat out the bag.

Pillow Fight!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:01:00 +0000

Our pals at Ohh Deer! are having a fantastic competition! And let me tell ya you wanna be involved! Since I'm like the worst at paraphrasing here's what they say on their website and also this post is gonna involve a super surprise pillow fight at the end!

Oh and here's a link to all of this again AND the template!

I'm so excited for you guys with the ideas! And I cannot wait to see the end result!

And as promised here's the Beatles in an hotel room whacking each other with pillows!

Happy Friday y'all!

xx,Lori

Today I'm going to...

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:50:00 +0000

You can print this little puppy out and use it as inspiration. When I print it out I'm going to add the words
RULE THE WORLD! Cause somebody has to do it!

xx,Lori

An apple's evolution.

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:14:00 +0000

What a lovely way to spend a Saturday.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:28:00 +0000

This Saturday was the very first instalment of Kimberlee of The Homemade Mama's Knitting courses! There was lemon drizzle cake, and lots of interruptions from me. But it was lovely, and I cannot wait for the next one!

If you are interested in any of her courses you should email her here.

xx,Lori

Friday Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:57:00 +0000

This Friday is all about mellow and beautiful and lovely and silly! Today's playlist is my favourite so far. It includes some of my favourite albums of the moment,the albums that I can play on repeat. Hope you enjoy!

1.

Midlake-The Trials of VAN OCCUPANTHER

This is The Kit- Krulle Bol

The Wave Pictures-Long Black Cars


The Weary Band and Beth Porter-Leaving the Country

Summer Camp-Welcome to Condale

Connan Mockasin-Please Turn Me into The Snat

p.s. If you love The Weary Band , Tim the fanatastic lead singer of the band is playing the Tobacco Factory in Bristol this Sunday (22nd July) @ 2.30pm!!

Happy Sunshiney Friday!

xx,Lori

Buttons

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:37:00 +0000

It has been suggested that I may have a 'slight' Facebook addiction. But if it wasn't for Facebook what I did tonight wouldn't have happened...

A couple of days ago I came across this picture

on Bonkers about Buttons, http://www.facebook.com/BonkersAboutButtons

My first thought was WOW!!!
Then I spotted the description 'Hand dyed plastic' DOUBLE WOW!!!

My second thought was 'I've got to try that'

So, after a little bit of research, this evening armed with a sachet of dye and some very dull buttons...

Although I really should have paid attention to the first instruction 'where gloves'

to read even more about lots of gorgeous buttons http://bonkersaboutbuttons1.blogspot.com

Kirsten xxx

Friday Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Today's playlist is going to reveal my strange notion of what should be a playlist and also my sad need to buy best of albums. If I wasn't married you'd think I had a fear of commitment.

1.

Kinks The Singles Collection

Fleetwood Mac Tusk

En Vogue Funky Divas

Secret Machines Ten Silver Drops

Wire On Returning


The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Happy Listening! Let me know what your Friday playlist is like! And also let me know if you are following along with mine! xx,Lori

Do you have the rainy day blues?

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:51:00 +0000

I know that we've all been waiting patiently for the summer to arrive. It seems to peek through every once in a while. Just long enough for you to wear the wrong shoes,or possibly leave your raincoat at home! Because of this it's so easy to be a home body. There is nothing more inviting to me than my sofa.

Here are a couple of amazingly adorable Russian animations that make it seem a little okay to tarry a little longer on the sofa. I promise you they are both worth it!

First off Hedgehog in the Fog.

It's adorable atmospheric and is the most endearing thing you have set eyes on. It'll make you wish for one brief moment you owned a hedgehog. (Then you google it and realise they are actually quite smelly!)

Secondly the Russian version of Winnie the Poo.

There's not much to say about this except it's super ridiculous cutesy and piglet is called Pickachu! Don't forget to click on the close caption button to get your subtitles!

There are so many more amazing Russian animations! Here's a nifty blog post that includes more. It includes that cute Hedgehog animation and explains Russian animation in a bit more depth.

Hope this helps a little Sunshine peek into your living room!

xx,Lori

How Can Scrambled Egg be this good?

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I'm a freak for a good breakfast. I used to live in a city that provided the best brunches a gal could ask for. I used to sit on patios or balconies drinking Bloody Mary's and wincing at the sunshine through sunglassed eyes wishing that the vodka would eradicate my hangover. But no matter how disturbed my brain was, I was never too disturbed to enjoy a good breakfast.

Pan away from that gal and look about 4 years into the future. I'm now the type of woman that pads around the house all Sunday morning with slippered feet and cuddles for hours with her husband. I'm not longer a bruncher! BUT it hasn't spoiled my desire for great breakfast food.

Here's my cure for a hunger for a brunch type food : Avocado and Coriander eggs!

All you need is 4 eggs, and handful of coriander ,1 avocado, a tiny onion 2 tbs butter or margarine and about 2/3 cup of grate cheddar cheese! (Am I the only person that will write a recipe on anything?)

Whisk together the cheese and eggs.

While whisking add some butter to a medium hot pan and let the butter melt until it's foamy.

Now add your eggs and scramble them until they are just soft. Remove 'em from the heat and add your diced avocado and coriander.

Salt and pepper these beauties, and don't put any butter on your toast! These are going to be the most delightful eggs you've ever eaten!

xx,Lori

original recipe from here.

Bath Cupcakes & nice chats.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:54:00 +0000

This weekend was tons of fun over here in Ol' Brislington. Saturday afternoon we had another instalment of our good friend Chris' (Lazy Crafternoons) bath and body workshops!

We had such a lush time,making stuff for your bath and body and face. Who knew you could do that with kitty litter! I also go to meet a fellow lady twitterer that I met seriously when we first started twittering for the shop! We'll be doing more fun stuff with Chris in the future. Quilty type stuff. Hope you guys had a lush weekend as well!

xx,Lori

Friday Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:38:00 +0000

I'm usually rubbish, and lazy when it comes to Tenderfoot's musical selections. When I'm not playing the silly radio, I just put my ipod on that dang shuffle. This morning I wanted to bring a little order to all this musical chaos! So I present to you my Friday Playlist! 6 Albums that probably make no sense together,but will make my toes tap for just a little while!


The Beatles-Abbey Road


New Order-Substance 1987

Rilo Kiley-Take Offs and Landings

Band of Horses-Everything All The Time

Kate Bush-The Whole Story

Deerhoof-Friend Opportunity

Maybe this'll be my new Friday routine! I start a new one every week! Maybe this one will stick!

xx,Lori

Little bits of adorable.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:32:00 +0000

My sweet,sweet Tenderfoot. Oh how I love thee.

Here's some of my favourite little bits of cute in the shop right now!

We should all have an owl friend that can sit in our sweatshirts.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:23:00 +0000

I had planned to write an insightful and meaningful post about how great it is to be home and it's sitting there all cozy like in my drafts. And of course I'm glad to be home. Oh golly gosh I'm so glad to be here. Especially because at home I can sit behind my laptop and find such great things.

But I'm especially glad to be at home because I get to get back to my lovely shop, and all the new things it had waiting for me. In the next coupla days I wanna revisit some of the great stuff in our shop. And tell you all the stories behind them namely tell you about their lovely creators. So here I am all back to reality! And let me tell you I am so thankful to be home!

xx,Lori

How to do a seaside holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:09:00 +0000

I've just got back from my holiday at the seaside (yes it's my fault Tenderfoot was closed last Wednesday). I love a traditional British seaside holiday so here are my top five things to do...

1. Fish and chips at the beach
This activity is not weather dependent and normally takes place on the first evening of our holiday. This year it was only a little bit windy and at one point my three year old did say 'Mummy, can we go inside now?'

2. Building a sandcastle
Again not weather dependent. This year we got lucky and built what I thought was a quite impressive sandcastle (until I spotted one further down the beach that had flags) in bright sunshine. Unlike last year when my then two year old was so excited about building a sandcastle that I resorted to standing on the beach in wellies with an umbrella.

3. Eating ice cream
Preferably vanilla, in a cone with a big dollop of clotted cream and a chocolate flake- yummy!

4. The Grand pier
Most seaside towns have got one.

5. Collecting sea shells
My attempts at seashell collecting this year were somewhat thwarted by a three year old who thought that pebbles were better. He repeatedly removed shells from his bucket because they were taking up valuable pebble space.

I'd love to hear about your holiday traditions.

Kirsten xxx

noreply@blogger.com (Helen England) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:32:00 +0000

I have missed Lori, the place just isn't the same without her, although alittle less messy ! Only joking honey !
Not long now and she'll be back, afew new vintage finds to show her and lots of new and lovely things for the home. At a loose end tomorrow ? why not pop in and take a look and have a cuppa.

Love Helen x