cosmo bride

I'm covered in paint after a traditional British bank holiday weekend of DIY.  So it's a delight to see two of my handmade Liberty print bridesmaid dresses in the Fashion News of the October/November issue of Cosmo Bride (out now). 

"What's hot in the wedding world, right here, right now.  Cutie Pie - We can't resist these handmade Liberty print flowergirl dresses from Peak Princess - choose from 30 prints."

PS One more coat of paint and then I'm back in the sewing room to finish off the collection.  (Do you think Vivienne Westwood does her own painting?)

kitten chaos

Our lovely Norwegian Forest cat has returned or rather been returned.  He disappeared for 3 weeks in May and was found at a farm in Chapel (2 miles away) only to disappear again last week when we went to the Lakes.  This time we knew he'd gone back for a 'farm stay' stay break so we borrowed a cat trap from the lovely people at the Windyway Trust animal rescue centre.  We've now tagged him so he's a proper ASBO cat.  Next time he runs off hopefully we'll be able to hear his collar chip beep!

Meanwhile, our London street cat, Mr Enos Knibbs has been taking part in a feline 'Who Do You Think You Are?' or rather, 'Who Do You Think You Are Named After?'.   

Last week Alan Jackson got in touch because he's writing an article about the real Enos Knibbs for the K/Nibb/S One Name Study and was intrigued how we'd come across the name on my Peak Princess website.

Alan takes up the story on his website:

"A former BBC Radio 4 producer of 'The World at One', and 'PM' its sister programme [me!], 'inherited' from a colleague a cat called Mr Knibbs, named after the Jamaican umpire Enos KNIBBS.   Bloggers of the programmes were effusive when given the news that 'Mr Knibbs is tired of London life so we're moving to the country which means that with great sadness I have to hand in my notice as PM's Blog Editor'.  Eddie MAIR (host of 'The PM Programme - Window on Your World') duly thanked her for her services.

One blogger, who heard an edition of the lunchtime programme on Valentine's Day 2007, posted increduously that the announcer had given a production credit to none other than 'Enos Knibbs'.

The original owners of the cat [our friends Roger and Bibi Sawyer] had heard the cricket commentator Jonathan AGNEW ('Aggers') talking about a notable Test Match in the West Indies.  He ran through the teams and named the umpire.  They decided then and there that their next animal would be called Enos Knibbs" 

(*In case you're wondering Otso is a Finnish Lapphund named after the Finnish Bear spirit.)

PS And this is Moses our older Finnish Lapphund

chic little babies

I've had an afternoon locked in my sewing room with my Mac.  I'm in danger of getting RSI from uploading all my lovely new Liberty prints onto my website.  So it was a lovely end to my day to meet a new customer, Caireen, who came to pick up two baby rompers in Millie and Fairford print, and then to discover that Maggie Westhead (Associate Shopping & Style editor of Time Out magazine, London) has featured my new autumn/winter designs on her Chic Little Baby blog. 

Maggie says:  "My life has changed in the most exciting way since giving birth to Evie last May. I have a book out called '101 Things to Buy Before You Die'. This summer, I officially launch my style blog for babies featuring quirky fashion, cool accessories and baby shopping events. Don't do motherhood without it!"