Peace is something you make.

Peace is not something you wish for it's something you make, something you do, something you are and something you give away. 
- John Lennon 

 I can't in good conscience, start this blog post without making some comment about what's happening in Gaza. To my Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sisters harmed by the violence, I am heartbroken. I feel your pain deeply and am trying to amplify my voice, to add to the other peacebuilders working out there, already bellowing for ceasefire. 

To those of us outside of the conflict, perhaps wondering what to do, or experiencing analysis paralysis confused about the nuances of this conflict, I recommend the British Quakers blog guide. I'm not a Quaker but I've worked as an intern years ago in Peace Direct, a Quaker originated, NGO which helped peacebuilders in areas of conflict. At the time of my internship this was around the conflict in Syria and child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Their expertise in peacebuilding and their commitment to amplifying voices striving for peace, from both sides of the conflict, (in my mind), makes them trustworthy. You can find their guidance here. Within the blog you can find places to donate money, ways you can lend your voice and information about the history of the conflict. 

As you can imagine it feels pretty frivolous in the context of the world at the moment, to start talking about what I've worn this week and I've hesitated, really wondering if it's the right thing to do. I've decided to write a blog post as normal on the pretence, that if I can give you a moment of self care, it'll energise you to be out there making a difference. I hope this intention is felt and I cause no harm to those in pain right now. 

Autumn has well and truly landed. 

Me and my girls have been loving the recent shift in season and have been embracing all kinds of autumnal activities. Whether you follow Mabon, Samhain or Halloween, I love the ritual around this time of year, the slowing down, the harvesting, taking stock and getting cosy. 

Of course apple crumbles have been made. There's something so magical about the combination of apples and cinnamon. It'll be a flavour I forever love! 

(Dont' worry I didn't drop the basket on my kids head)! 

On the advice of a friend I decided to have a go making my own autumnal wreath for our door. Me and the girls went to our local woods and (mindfully) foraged for evergreens and a few end of summer plants, which I wove into a wreath shape. I added some dried flowers I had hanging around and I'm pleased to say the effect was pretty good! Its looking a little dilapidated now but still going strong! 

I also made these muslin cloth ghosts from old baby blankets which were hardened using a glue and flour mixture. They're currently hanging from my fireplace and windows and look great! 

Somehow, I hadn't noticed we'd managed to grow a cucumber so it was a lovely surprise to spot this beauty one day! 

Alongside bark rubbing we've also made these pumpkin 'windows' which were really easy to make and the girls had great fun decorating. We also made these batty leaves which were so cute for the five minutes they lived on my girls bedroom window, that was until my one year old promptly ripped them all down! 

70's fashion, birthdays and charity shopping! 

I can't not see the lovely bleach stain I ruined these second hand Joanie dungarees with, but if we ignore that for a moment...I paired them with my thrifted Zara peasant blouse, which is still one of my go to faves. It's starting to get too chilly to wear this kind of outfit now but for that brief Indian summer we had at the start of Autumn it was fab! 

Please excuse this awkward pose, I was trying to snap a picture of my outfit on the way out so it was all a bit rushed! The 70s waistcoat, shirt and boots were all online finds and the skirt is my absolute wardrobe staple that is trotted out all seasons. 

Having ripped this dress climbing through a window, (pregnant I might add), I've not had this eBay found 70s dress out of storage for a while. One night I finally decided to fix it and I'm so glad I did! I'm wearing it with my Vinted bought Asos chunky boots and a charity shopped gillet. I wore it out charity shopping with one of my besties, which we'd arranged as a get together and a way for me to shop for my eldest daughters upcoming birthday. 

How beautiful is this vintage jewellery box I found?! I think it's hand painted, and currently has a new lease of life housing my daughter's Barbie shoes and clothes. 

I also bought for £1.50 this lovely book about dragons for her. It's actually more about the wonders of nature and has lots of little activities which have been so fun to do. 

As per I try my best to make a birthday cake (my love language is acts of service), which is my famously decadent prune chocolate cake. The recipe is from Angel Strawbridge's vintage tea party book (of Escape to the Chateau fame) and I honestly can't recommend it enough. I adapt it to make it vegan and oh my gosh it's so, so good. 

I've been really lucky with some thrifting finds recently which has gone into my Hippie Trail Vintage stock. Within a few hours of listing these pieces on Vinted they sold which was really exciting. I must admit it was hard parting with both these beauties! 

Please excuse my sulky face, I seem to think I'm a Balenciaga model when I photograph outfits for Vinted?! 

Last but not least is an outfit I wore to go see friends on a night out to our local Italian. Over shots of limoncello, bruschetta and the most delicious gnocchi I've ever eaten we talked and laughed catching up after a hiatus now that I'm back at work. 

Well my lovelies, I hope that's given you a moment's respite, lets work together to end this senseless violence, as John Lennon so aptly said, peace is something you make. 

Love 

Sophia x