Vanessa Bowman, Prickly Thistle, Elizabeth Floyd, Brooches and more on Weekend Meanderings.
WEEKEND MEANDERINGS
Good Saturday morning to you friends. It’s time for Weekend Meanderings with Juliet and Kim. Join us as we share all of the things that piqued our interests and caught our eye this week.
Renovation Update
It’s been another busy week here and I am so excited because they are making so much progress. The plumbers were here most of the week to do the rough in plumbing. The electricians came back to do a few more things.
And no thanks to my husband and I the shower had to be torn down and redesigned. They worked on it while we were out of town and when we got home it had a wider opening than we wanted. We tried to “live with it” but we didn’t like it so they had to redo it. Below you can see something similar to what we will have, the previous iteration was about 18 inches wider. The reason we wanted it smaller is that we want it to be more “cosy” inside and cocoon like.
This morning the tilers are coming to lay the white marble herringbone floor in the master bathroom. Fingers crossed the inspectors will be here Monday or Tuesday so that we can move forward with drywall, tile installation in the shower, etc. Then Wednesday the vanity is being installed and Friday they will be here to template the stone.
We still have a ways to go and are very excited and grateful for all of the hard work and the ability to be able to do this project.
As I mentioned yesterday, it’s cold here and it is even colder in WNC, in fact it is snowing this weekend. There are still so many people suffering and living in tents 8 weeks after hurricane Helene and they have a long road ahead. Please keep them in your prayers and if you can make a donation to Samaritans Purse or any other place that you like.
Black Friday~Holiday Shopping
Tis the season for sales, I know that you are being bombarded from all directions, including from me and my gift guides. I would like to take a minute to say that as a creator I earn money sharing sales and links, BUT I am doing just that~sharing. Think of it as window shopping and know that I DO NOT buy all of the stuff that I share nor do I share all of the things I buy.
I also do not share things I do not own or would not buy myself. Sometimes I buy designer things and sometimes “fast fashion” but what I really love is antiques, vintage and thrifted goods for myself and for my family and friends. This season why not thrift a few gifts, like books, vintage jewelry, or even plates, silver-plate bowls and containers for your cookie platters, nut mix or hot cocoa mix?
A couple of years ago Elizabeth wrote a guest post on the blog about regifting and gifting preloved and antique finds. I think you will be inspired.
One to follow~Vanessa Bowman
Vanessa Bowman is one of my favorite artists. She lives in Cattistock, a quintessential English village in West Dorset, UK. Vanessa comes from a family of artists and credits her father with teaching her to draw and paint. After graduating from the Winchester School of Art she used her degree in printed textiles in the fashion industry.
Then she and her husband moved to Cattistock and her life and work took her in a new direction. Now she creates whimsical and beautiful original art and illustrations based upon her live, garden and village. Notice the little church in these three paintings, Vanessa can see this from this window of her studio.
Her work is exhibited in galleries around the Uk and can be found on cards, calendars, puzzles and prints. In addition her work has been commissioned by Highgrove Estate(King Charles home), and Farrow & Ball among others.
You can see more of Vanessa art on Instagram and purchase her pieces on her website.
Speaking of favorite artists, Elizabeth Floyd whom I have shared on the blog many times opened her holiday shop this week! Hop over and take a look at her beautiful holiday prints and original art, as well as her 2025 calendar. I own two of her water color painting and have given her prints as gifts, they are so beautifully made you would not know they were a print.
Prickly Thistle
https://youtu.be/5MNS5oli1X8?si=O4Bj46-Xl412_m7L
Clare Campbell started her career as an accountant, but after the death of her brother and father she realized that life is fragile and she should be doing something that set her soul on fire and that was passionate about. Thus began the Prickly Thistle, a tartan clothing brand turned tartan mill.
Clare creates beautiful and sustainable tartan clothing made in traditional ways with the least amount of waste. In fact all of her designs are made with straight lines and no curves so that there is little to no waste. And you can wear each piece in more than one way, the kilts can be worn as a skirt or a cape, just like the old days and the jacket can be worn upside down or pinned in different ways for a new look.
You can find more information about Prickly Thistls made to order clothing which is released 4 times a year on their website, as well as, learn more about this amazing company.
Brooches~2024
As you know Kim, Juliet and I love brooches. In fact the last 2 years we shared our “bling” in several posts including 15 Ways to wear Brooches. This is your reminder to pull out your favorite brooches, vintage or new and pin one, two or many to your winter coat, sweater, hat, shirt or wherever it makes you happy!
The images from our brooch posts are some of my most pinned ever on Pinterest. For those of you who do not have any brooches or never thought to wear them I found several that you might like and many are under $20.00. You can see all of my picks at the bottom of the post in On My Radar.
Homeworthy~ Home Tour of a Doll House
FYI, f you live in Houston, TX you are going to want to go to see the dollhouses for auction at the La Petite Maison Gala, if you don’t live in Houston at least look at the houses on the website. They are stunning.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
It Was Once America’s Favorite Cake. Why Is It Now Impossible to Bake?
Will Ozempic Crush the Junk Food Industry?
The Invisible Man~Homelessness in America
Why do people hate the sound of their own voice?
After the Deluge~A Small Towns Disaster
Bargain-Hungry Shoppers Prove Choosy About Where to Spend Their Holiday Dollars
Underrated Ways to Change the World
In Case You Missed It
Monday I shared this green and burgundy tartan outfit, a great movie, book and lots more on Monday Musings.
Then I shared 15 scrumptious Thanksgiving desserts that you will want to add to your holiday table.
Up next, Gifts for Anglophiles, Bibliophiles and Francophiles!
Books make the best gifts, especially for kids. Here are 25(plus) books for your kids or grandkids.
Last but not lest, Friday Favorites where I shared this outfit and some scrumptious Thanksgiving side dishes among other things.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
I hope that you enjoyed weekend meanderings. If you did please share the post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or Pinterest.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend friends.
Don’t forget to pop over and visit my friends Kim and Juliet you can find the links below.
If you missed any of the previous Weekend Meandering posts you can find them all here.
This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
On My Radar
I’ve never owned a brooch, if you can believe that. I like the Vanessa Bowman art!
“Life is fragile and she/you should be doing something that set her/your soul on fire and that was/are passionate about.” No truer words were ever spoken. Love your new look!
Brenda
Brenda, I cannot believe you have never had a brooch! They are so fun to wear. Vanessa Bowmans art is fabulous! I love every piece.
Life is so fragile, this month my mother-in-law passes, a friend and another friends dad.
Thank you for the compliment about the blog, so many are going with a cleaner look and I contemplated that but it is not in my nature.
Elizabeth, Love the new look of the blog! Very pretty.
I really like the design of your shower. It sounds like it will be so pretty with the tile. Did you get heated pad under the bathroom floors? We say it was the best thing we did, with our reno and recommend it, especially right now in the cold months.
I adore that sweet art by Vanessa! I think it’s great you are sharing that we don’t buy all we share. People buy too much this time of year too.
Thank you for the reminder to get our brooches out again.Is that your hat with the pin? Love it so much. Your outfit with the green bag is so good too and I love Coach.
I hope you are able to have a nice Thanksgiving, even with the reno going on. Wishing you a speedy renovation too. xo
Elizabeth! I’m so glad things are moving forward at a fast clip. That’s a shame about your shower entry … mishaps are a reality of renovation and some you can live with, some you can’t. It’s great you spoke up because you should get exactly what you want. I adore your inspiration photos … and I’m saving it as inspiration for our new house. I noticed your lovely new header design immediately … so beautiful and I love it. It’s turned cold here, and holiday music is playing on our local station so it’s time to get out the brooches … and the new ones you sent me last year … and start pinning them to coats and hats. Love this time of year. Wishing you the most wonderful Thanksgiving. xoxo
Hello Elizabeth,
A lovely post thank you! I love Vanessa’s artwork and I follow her instagram account as her paintings remind me so much of my childhood in England.And beautiful pins you have reminded me to get mine out!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you Francesca, I could not agree more about Vanesssas’ painting, they are lovely.
How wonderful to have grown up in England! Do you get back there often?
Happy Thanksgiving!