Instalife July 2014

August 4, 2014November 3, 2014 - claireabellemakes 7 Comments

July has been such an eventful start to summer! It began with a beautiful holiday with G and ended with some great events and planning for the months ahead! Here’s what I got up to via my Instagram snaps.

Holidaying in Cyprus / Drinking Elderflower with fresh raspberries in the garden

My Pom Pom Sun Hat / Continuing the pom pom theme with some handmade slippers

Getting over excited about Le Tour De France / Spotting a gold Bobbin bike

Announcing my latest book project! / Celebrating cycling in Cambridge

Watermelon week on the blog with these DIY shoes and a smoothie recipe

Sharing my tips for storing photographs / Filofax Inspiration from my planner

Customer photos make me super happy – the bicycle bracelets are still popular!

Stocking up on supplies for the store / Sending out some cute Scrabble Wall Art

Finding a Bicycle Sculpture trail in Cambridge / My daily commute

Backstreets of Cambridge away from tourists / A London visit for the Crafty Fox Talks

Learning paper cutting at the V&A with the wonderful Kirstie Allsopp!

Continuing the paper theme with a bookbinding class / A visit to Purl Alpaca

TAMMY TURNED 10!! G and I can’t quite believe it. We’ve had her since she was 1 and she’s not changed a bit. Still as soppy as ever. I think she looks like the Grinch in that bottom left one……Yes, No, Yes, No!

I’ll be back Wednesday with a new Photo Walk series and then later this week I have some exciting news to share with you all.

Toodles!

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Tourist in Cambridge #1

July 14, 2014July 14, 2014 - claireabellemakes 6 Comments

Today’s post is the start of a new series called Tourist in Cambridge. I’ll be sharing photos I have taken around my home city of Cambridge. Obviously I’ll include bicycles, especially as the city has gone even more cycling mad since the Tour De France!

I recently upgraded my camera so all photos are taken on a Canon EOS 1200D with a 50mm lens.

G and I passed Kings College this weekend and right after we got caught in a massive thunderstorm and *had* to duck into a pub for cover.

I spotted this old and characterful bicycle down a back street.

I’m often asked by visitors if this book shop really is haunted….

This antique book shop is amazing inside, full of history!

We usually wait for the hype to die down before trying a new restaurant in the city, but we couldn’t resist Smokeworks which is in the home of the old Erainia restaurant.

Think trendy interiors with exposed brick and benches with a cool switch ordering system. We had pulled pork buns and milkshakes that were out of this world. Salted Caramel especially. We are definitely going back.

This cheery red bike is in the same place every day. I hope it hasn’t been abandoned.

G and I spotted Wills and Kate made out of jelly beans in the old fashion sweet store!

This BMX was almost camouflaged in the hedgerow.

Lots of shops and windows are celebrating cycling at the moment and the art around Cambridge is bike influenced.

This cyclist reminded me that I really should make a start on decorating my bicycle!

I recently visited a bicycle sculpture trail in the city too, so I’ll be sharing photos of this soon. What are the best parts of your home town or city? Tell me in the comments below.

Toodles!

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Tour De France Comes To Cambridge

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014 - claireabellemakes 7 Comments

The famous Tour de France cycling race came to the UK this year with Stage 3 beginning in Cambridge, travelling through Essex and ending on The Mall in London.

I headed into the city centre to soak up the amazing atmosphere in Cambridge. I took some Claireabellemakes flyers and found crowds of bike loving people to pass them out to. I even met a lovely blog reader by chance too. Hello if you are reading this!!

This is a photo heavy post, but I hope you enjoy what I managed to capture.

Crowds gathered at the starting point from early in the morning.

Cycling groups were out in their masses.

We spotted a Penny Farthing Bicycle close to the starting point. It was really difficult to see the cyclists as they started due to the crowds.

I had a good chat with the Tour Makers who were also enjoying the fabulous weather.

The crowds were a sea of yellow and polka dot in celebration of the day.

The queue for the official Tour de France merchandise was apparently 2 hours long!

When Team Sky signed in before the race there was a big cheer from the crowds.

This man had the best bicycle t-shirt I had seen all day and seemed chuffed I asked for a photo (much to the amusement of his wife).

T-shirt available from NOTHS

I was so pleased to see my friends were wearing their bicycle bracelets.

The shops in the city were getting into the spirit too. A local bike shop had a fun decoration!

A friend and I did a little shopping after the race and spotted this beautiful gold Bobbin Bramble bike in the window of our favourite fabric shop.

The atmosphere was great and the weather perfect for a day out. In a city where one in 5 journeys is on a bicycle, it felt like a great moment to be a Cambridge resident.

Did you follow the race this weekend? I’m still gutted Cav is out!

Toodles!

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Instalife June 2014

July 2, 2014November 3, 2014 - claireabellemakes Leave a comment

June has been really quite great (migraines aside). There has been sunshine galore, bike rides, flowers and TONS of orders. It’s been the busiest month yet for the Etsy store and for wholesale. I’m thinking it’s the Tour De France effect?!

Here is my round up of the month via my Instagram photos.

Geeking out over the TDF starting point in Cambridge / Bicycle shadows

Black Pashley’s are the classiest of bikes / Sunny rides with G to Grantchester Meadows

Peonies are my absolutely faves / Roses and cottages in the city

Running work errands through flower filled colleges / End of term flowers from work

An ace customer photo of their Scrabble Ring / Working on Bicycle Bracelets

120 bicycle charms which are almost all gone! / Coupon code running for the store

Customising my bike helmet / Sharing top tips for crafters on the blog

Preparing lucky dip bags for the Etsy Craft Party / A giveaway on the blog (ends 6/07)

Smoothies and bicycle bracelet fair prep / My stall at a local cycling event (windy!)

Scrabble Wall Art and accessories display on my stall at the Chesterton Festival

May week fireworks on a punt / Testing my new clogs on the cobbled streets

Discovering antique book shops / Attending summer garden parties at the colleges

Don’t forget to keep up with me on Instagram here!

Toodles!

*Some pages on this site may contain links to outside sites, including paid affiliates.

Instalife May 2014

June 4, 2014November 3, 2014 - claireabellemakes 6 Comments

Am I glad it’s June. A chance to start afresh after a month filled with migraines practically every other day. I was mostly sporting my ‘brave face’ (where I pretend I’m not unwell). If it wasn’t for keeping organised and forward planning, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did in May.

And keep reading for some shots of Cambridge, which has just been truly beautiful this Spring. Living here has helped, a lot! Here’s my Instagram round up.

I attended a Crafty Fox Talk in London / Completed a jumper I starter last summer

Shared the first Lucky Dip Club Box and a post on How I Stay Organised

Found a yellow Boris Bike in Soho! / Celebrated G’s 30th with cupcakes in London

Walks on the Southbank in London / Seeing the new Studio Ghibli film in Cambridge

New yellow Tour De France Bracelets and Silver Bird Necklaces in my Etsy store

Launching Bicycle Necklaces and Paw Charm Macramé Bracelets

Wisteria and Bicycles for the Floral Friday Competition (I won!) / Kings College

Views from inside Cambridge colleges / Punting boats in the sunshine

Sunsets by the river (my most popular IG picture!) / Senate House in the city centre

More Cambridge colleges and cute cars / TDF advertising in Cambridge (eeee!)

Finally, Tammy. She’s been the best migraine medicine ever. Cats are magic. Fact.

You can follow me on Instagram here to keep up with my goings on in June. I have an exciting announcement to make about the secret project I’ve hinted at and I may be ready to share the new studio space!

Toodles!