An Unusual Type of Inspiration...

How does a fully employed, horticulturally minded, erstwhile foodie suddenly find herself selling handmade, hand-stitched goods on-line?

An over abundance of harvested lavender; a recent love affair with fine fabrics and a very special bunny named Mr. Hepplewhite, to be exact.

The lavender was far too lovely to be resigned to the compost bin. The embroidered silks and linens were begging to be turned into something useful and beautiful. And Mr. Hepplewhite...well he was just chilling out in the fireplace after a morning chasing squirrels, eating fallen leaves and poking around in his beloved shed.

The summer was well and truly over and Christmas was beckoning. No more long, warm evenings spent tending the garden. Plus, the need to focus on what on earth to buy for friends and family was becoming more pressing by the day.

So, I don't need to draw you a diagram, 2012 was the year I would make all my Christmas gifts, starting with handmade lavender bags and sachets, using all those gorgeous fabrics I'd been collecting, along with the stash of previously harvested Lavandula 'Hidcote'  from my garden.

And the shop name? Well it just seemed right somehow. I always wondered what Mr. Hepplewhite was doing poking around in the shed.

I liked to believe he was preparing his own shop, to sell essential supplies to his wild friends who shared the garden with him; the robin, squirrels and pigeons.

And that he'd approve of his Emporium, founded in his own name.