My vintage style
My name is Anne-Marie and I have been making things for as long as I can remember. My granny taught me to crochet, my mum to knit, sew and cook. I think I inherited my arty side from my dad who in his spare time made marquetry pictures and drew cartoons, bizarrely he also taught me to decorate and do practical stuff. This is very useful as I live with my very patient and clever husband Darren who isn’t very practical but is good at numbers so we don’t starve. Most of the time we live in an upside down house on a mountain overlooking Girona in Catalunya but we still have our house and business in Yorkshire so once a month we hop on one of Mr O’Leary’s planes and go gallavanting over there to work and see lovely friends and family.
When I am not in my studio designing and making, which is often the upstairs terrace so I can get inspiration from the view of the valley below and the mountains beyond (whilst topping up my tan) I may be pottering in the lower garden turning the frequently overgrown little plot into something resembling an English country garden, or, sitting in the shade of the magnolia tree reading a book. When I’m not doing that I may be snapping pictures while walking in the woods, or in the old walled town, down by the river, anywhere capturing moments and things.
I love spring, the smell of summer pavements after the rain, vintage fabrics, stationery shops, the Costa Brava coast, autumn sunshine and fallen leaves, the smell of freshly ground coffee, homemade vanilla icecream, old wooden boxes, antique and craft fairs, Swallows and Amazons, Venice, Truly Madly Deeply, new shoes and handbags (a girl can never have too many), farmers markets, Frank Sinatra and Motown, a night in the pub, my boys and their girls, good conversation and laughter with old friends and family.
Thank you for visiting I hope you like what I do.
Anne-Marie
