Bit of a bits and bobs blog this fortnight, mainly because I've taken the bull by the horns and launched a one woman crusade to get these hats into some shops! First the Midlands, then the WORLD!

It's very time consuming and frankly, at times, feels a bit of a thankless task, but when it comes good it's all worth it!! I knew I could count on the fabulous Susan Graley - if you're getting hitched any time soon I would seriously recommend visiting her beautiful shop: gowns to die for, a setting to match, and Susan's pretty awesome too :)

And... it's Daisy Daisy's new home for a while! Woop!!

The new Collection is also online at last! Prices from £65, lead times from 1 week with consultation. Check it out my lovelies!

But not this year, my friends, oh no. This year, I will be embracing the mud fairy spirit (and hiding my Day Three fringe) whilst rocking this floral creation!

Hopefully it'll still look this happy after a three hours on a coach in my enormous back pack. And if not, then the flowers are from Wilkinsons so it's all good! Ha! Silk flowers and rain wasn't quite worth the risk!!

And with that I'll be back in three weeks (after Glasto!), hopefully sufficiently de-muddied to have finished the daisy veil. Until then, check out Handmade Monday's adventures and look out for my garlanded head on the tv! See you on the Other Side!!

I can't believe a fortnight has passed already! Fortunately, I've gone down to three days' temping a week now and I've super disciplined about balancing working / hatting this time. Predictably with all this sunshine, I have mainly been obsessing over summer straws...

After the arrival of world's tiniest green grocer in the post last week, the pink beret is finished at last! I love the colour clash of the strawberries and stems against the strong pink straw - perfect for adding some fun and glamour to summer afternoons!

Pick Your Own: Pink straw beret with foam and silk
strawberry trio on lime green covered wire

I've taken a deep breath, taken the plunge and made the first scissor snips into the summer brights leather I bought last month. It's amazing quality and therefore a total pleasure to work with! The straw looked so happy with its pink leather headband that it feels like the butterflies chose the hat themselves rather than by my hand!

Rabble: Aqua vintage-blocked wide brimmed summer straw with
pink leather headband and silk, cotton and leather butterflies

"...peacocks and lillies for example". Well, quite frankly I beg to differ with Mr John Ruskin! These peacock eyes are layered and wire mounted into a luxuorious plume, whilst the merry widow veiling helps to add a feminine edge to the scupltural tilting topper.

As always, I'm linking up with Handmade Monday - click here to see what everyone else has been up to this week. I always find it reassuring and inspiring to see that other people are following their dreams too - and some of their businesses are really taking off now! :) Excellent work ladies and gents! On the subject of success stories, I met some awesome artists at the opening of Gallery 150's super LSA exhibition last week. As well as being a great opportunity to chat to some really creative people (we get lonely with only our materials and ideas for company sometimes!), a couple of them also suggested that I could exhibit my hats as art, as well as headwear, which is something I hadn't really considered before but I'm certainly thinking about it, especially with some of the more sculptural and 'out there' pieces (yes, Hummingbird Project - I mean you!) Definitely another avenue of possibility to explore anyways...I'll keep you posted :)

In other news, it's taking a little longer than I had intended to get the Spring/Summer Collection up online but I'm getting there...hopefully all will be revealed before the week is out - I'll let you know on Twitter and Facebook as soon as it's ready!

And with that I'm off to give myself a serious pep talk before I head to some of Warwickshire's loveliest shops and see how I can get myself (or more specifically my hats!) out there and generating some more interest and of course some more clients!

Wish me luck, and see you in a fortnight!