Mana Mou <3

As posted a while back, this lady is my world.

Christmas morning spent talking to Dolly was possibly this years highlight.

Hearing stories about her life makes me the happiest.

What other Christmas gift do i need other than hearing these words....

"i've had a very happy life"

DOLLY I LOVE YOU X

Festive Eden

Christmas to me means this house. Whenever i even think of the word, this is all i think about. I've never spent a Christmas away from this house and i can't ever imagine not being here.

Below is a guided tour around the festive ground floor of Eden.

Front door and home made wreath

Hallway and Entrance

Open Plan Living Room/Kitchen

Kitchen and Aga

Dining Room (set for Boxing Day, Christmas Dinner was set for 15)

Front Drawing Room and Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas, hope you enjoyed the tour, be sure to visit soon x

Dear Santa

New in today...

Two spiffy typewriters, these are always good sellers and are sure to make delightful christmas presents :)

Merry Christmas x

Hello Fog

Winter is finally here!

After weeks of awful weather and driving to work, today saw my legs getting excercise once again.

I really enjoy my walk to and from work, the scenery is very pretty and normaly quite peaceful.

Today i enjoyed it more than ever for the following reasons...

- No rain

- Beautiful fog

- Nice chill to the air

- The smell of the damp cold ground

- My chosen soundtrack (as shared below)

Such a nice walk that i had to document it.

Nice to see you again Winter, you're welcome to stay until February :)

Happy Birthday

It totally slipped my mind that yesterday was Ruby's Birthday, and now i feel like a terrible father.... hopefully she'll forgive me.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ruby, i think you're really pretty :)

xxx

Sanctuary

My room has always been one of my favourite places, a personal sanctuary almost.

Over the weekend i had a good sort out through old boxes and got rid of years worth of bits and pieces. I seem to do this when there is a lot on my mind, almost preparing myself for a change, forcing myself to get over whatever has been plaguing my brain.

Last night happened as follows...

- Cable Knit Cardigan

- Cashmere/Cotton Mix Socks

- Candle Light (lit by swan matches, they have the best smell out of all the matches i think)

- Ella Fitzgerald Vinyl

- January 2010 Vogue

- Ceylon Tea Sipped from Habitat Hybrid Mugs

Quite possibly the most perfect December late night.

Deer Me

So these jumpers are a total joy END OF!

Not much to say really, apart from get one on your back innit!!

Three colours, three sizes, SKILLS.

(limited stock)

Oh Christmas Tree

Every year my Mum, Dad and I enter this delicious little field and pick our christmas tree.

Due to the horrendous weather this year, picking the tree was even more fun than usual. Mainly due to the process of dressing correctly. This year saw...

-Fur hat

-Tartan Scarf

-Knitted Christmas Jumper

-Duffle Coat

-Thick Socks

-Wellies

Perfect attire for the perfect tree.

Real Christmas trees are the only Christmas trees, so it's only right to treat ruby to her very own real tree for the third year running. TAADAA!!!

Decorations

Everyone always wants their decorations to look the best, better than last year, better than the rest of your family, better than your friends and neighbours and so on.

So something to get excited about this year are the scrumptious hand made hessian hearts you can lovingly walk away with. Sure to make any tree feel loved. Stitched in an array of colours, you're sure to find the perfect partner for your home.

If they don't tickle your fancy how about these shiny little beauts - 1950s-1970s glass and plastic baubles.

Sold separately so you can hand pick your favourite little fellows and get them hung on your tree :)

Wrap Me Up For Christmas

Every November the great Christmas wrapping paper stamp begins.

My right thumb dreads it, he doesn't like the blisters that try to befriend him. However he certainly feels joyous when he waves goodbye to his creations, happily in the hands of its new master; The jingle of the bell as the door closes is like a celebration of his hard work :)

Various colours and designs make your presents look good enough to eat.

New this year are packs of christmas cards from our good friend Pipless Jam and brand new buddy Lydia Leith.

Take a peek at the pics below...

Pipless Jam Card Pack - 3 designs x2 per pack.

Lydia Leith Card Pack - 4 designs per pack.

So much choice!!! And as always there's the usual array of ruby blue made cards.

Both packs are pretty spiffy, so why not treat your family and friends to something original this year, make them sick with your thoughtfulness.

I Smell Christmas :)

Yay it's December at last, 24 days until christmas.

I love christmas the most, mainly because it's an excuse to play and make everything look amazing, and wear lots of nice wool and get wrapped up warm and have fun ... i could continue this list for the rest of my days so i'll stop there.

Over the weekend ruby was placed into her christmas outfit. So i decided to make the decoration process the best EVER!

I enter the store alone, set all the decorations out and plan in my head where everything is going to live. Next i drag the deliciously smelling christmas tree in, trying not to damage any needles, and place him into his pot.

Next...my favourite bit.

Little mince pies, little clementines, little glasses of mulled wine, little christmas playlists, all the while wearing one of my all time favourite christmas jumpers.

Sounds amazing right?

WRONG! This is not a process to go through alone, i ended up feeling like a lonely old man spending his first Christmas alone :(

Ahh well, still a nice few hours spent, but once again let my imagination get the best of me.

Happy December 1st (what a yummy cold one it is)

x

Pipless Jam

One of ruby blue's best friends is Pipless Jam. The nearly two year relationship has blossomed into something quite beautiful i'd say.

Perfect for christmas stocking fillers, these quirky handmade accessories are sure to make anyone smile on christmas morning.

Not familiar with the product? Click the link below and delve deep into the fantastic world of Pipless Jam.

www.piplessjam.co.uk

Family

I've been meaning to add a post like this for a while now. My scanning concentration is pathetic, so i've only added two pictures for now, expect more soon.

Old family photographs captivate me like nothing else, whether they belong to my own family, friends or a mystery stranger, i can't help but gaze at them for hours, thinking up little stories in my head about the scenes captured.

Below are two images of my Grandad, Grandma and Mother.

My Mum's side of the family are all from Cyprus and were quickly forced out of the country when the Turks invaded in the early 1960s, leaving behind most of their belongings; Possibly one of the reasons as to why i love these pictures so much is the fact that not many of them survived.

Having a) never visited Cyprus myself, and b) never meeting my Grandad, photographs of my mum growing up have always intrigued me. The below image is one of my favourite photographs that i own, taking pride of place on my mantle shelf.

Above is my beautiful Grandma Dolly.

I think she will remain my most cherished person while breath enters my body.

Two For Joy

I think these windows are a ruby blue personal best.....agreed?

After about a month and a half of planning and frantically bidding on magpies, i finally won two.

Taxidermy is one of my favourite things, so imagine my little face when these little rascals came and brightened up my life.

I'm pretty pleased with how the window came out, any comments would be delightful (once again sorry for the terrible quality of the images).

Definitely two for joy.

"Good Morning Mr Magpie, how's your wife? "

New Toys

Over the weekend a very welcome addition to the ruby blue toy family entered the store, looking pretty darn neat in the process. I can't wait to hear him sing all day long. I think we're going to be the best of friends :)

In other news, come and take a look at all the yummy new men's autumn/winter wear. There are lots of jumpers, shirts and scarves to keep you toasty warm.

With still more to come, i'm sure you'll find something to wrap around you.

Happy November x

Carly Hind

In recent weeks my life long friend Carly has moved back home, i could literally weep for hours and hours, but i should probably save my tears for when they're needed most.

Take the time to look at this with your peepers, beautiful words from a beautiful and ever so talented little cherry pie.

RB After Dark

Over the weekend i had the pleasure of playing host to a delicious little peach by the name of Phillippa Henley. 

The weather was cold and wet, the skies were mean and grey, after a spot of late lunch and a autumnal wander around the town, we decided to lift our spirits by entering the enclosed courtyard, hot chocolate and coffee in hand and played mannequins into the night.

The results as you can see are quite scrumptious. 

Three powerful, skillfully wrapped beauties ready to brighten up my favourite season. 

Thank you Peach, to you i say...

"Every time we say goodbye, i die a little."

Ruby Blue misses you xxx

Mens Update

In preparation for some dapper new mens threads in the coming few weeks, our mens section got a little tidy up. 

Check out the little country gentleman, i just know that when the doors and gates are locked at night, ruby blue becomes a hot bed of crazy honeys and pipe smoking...tut tut tut.