Happy Christmas

Thank you to all my readers and for the wonderful comments this past year. 

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas

Not long now

The big day is almost here and I for one cannot wait. I am a big kid where Christmas is concerned, just love this time of year. One thing that would improve it though is the weather would love to have some cold, crisp, dry days with a hint of sun. Nothing better than walking when frosty, love to see the pattens made by a frost, Mother Nature is so perfect in many ways.

Not much on the making front apart from stitching out some free standing lace flowers onto organza, now have a selection of these to use in projects. Also tested out 3 lace flowers, liking the petal one best (bottom right) and have ordered rather a lot of the petal ribbon and guipure lace, not to mention the pearl diamante centres as think the ones with the leaf style petals are the best. Have added brooch bars to the back. Being small they are handy to wear, add to a handbag to dress it up for an evening out or a small gift to give as a thank you.

Not sure what is planned this week, looking for some crystal icicles for the tree, a trip to Forest Lodge may be on the cards. Love their Christmas displays as they have colour and theme rooms ie gold, silver, country etc.

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Should be back next week.....

Paris label bag

Another week and ever nearer Christmas day, the tree is up, the house decorated. Most of the food bought just the fresh to be delivered on the 23rd. Writing the cards today ready to post off tomorrow. The house is all twinkly and festive gives me a warm cosy glow, no I have not been on the Bailey's yet, lol.

Makes this week,  another bag this time using ivory cotton canvas and raw silk.  The texture of raw silk and stitching the Paris labels was fun. Backed with the cream guipure lace, love this fabric so sumptuous.

Will be exciting when I launch in January a new direction for a New Year.

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Hope you are well on your way to being ready for the 25th, same time, same place next week. 

Have fun.

Small Business Saturday

Carolee Crafts is part of Small Business Saturday today, celebrating the backbone of British shopping, the small entrepreneurs. 

Champagne Lace and Damask

Still working on my new vintage collection this time a beautiful bag made in cotton canvas for body but overlaid with a heavy guipure lace, adding faux leather handles in a dark brown.

As you know not making a lot atm but loving what I am doing, feel back to how I used to feel when stitching, happy and content not to mention confident that doing something I love.

Damask Monogram Lavender Sachets

These are for an order for a group of ladies who sew and natter. Damask monogrammed initial lavender sachets, made in ivory linen and filled with lavender, delicious. Will be adding these to my website as think they fit the vintage collection perfectly.

The last fair of the year for me was on Saturday at Headley Village Hall, fun, music, laughter and visitors looking for a perfect gift for Christmas. This event is always so happy maybe because organised to raise funds for the hall and not an organiser. I did so well and from the comments the ladies who bought were happy as well. One thing I have learnt over the years at this sort of village fair is to sell and make low ticket items. This year I had sale items but if I feel the need to use up odds and ends with low prices this is the time to do it. 

All goods packed away in the stock room now, which frees me up to decorate the house with glitter and baubles. Love Christmas and our tree goes up on Monday. Then Tuesday relax with a good film, a Chinese courtesy of M & S, maybe a tipple, exchange our cards, what could be better than the 1st day of the festivities. Not forgetting to open day 1 of our Jacquie Lawson advent calendar. I buy one of her calendars every year and also send one to a couple of friends, just love them.

Have a good week and hope you all did well at events this weekend and any future bookings for 2015.

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Back to Vintage and a weekend fair

I am really back into Vintage and although again should not be making, with a workman messing around in the utility room had to do something! Well that is my excuse. A bag, simple design, made in natural linen with lace from my stash box (have no idea where I got it from) Vintage wording embroidered onto pale rose print linen and edged again with crochet lace trim from my bits and bobs box. Faux silk ribbon bow, love this ribbon and stronger than the silk version. Button from MIL's tin.

Measures approx 9" X 9" with a 26" strap. Lined with a pocket and tied together with more of the faux silk ribbon.

'Liphook Village Market'

Started off with this event this time last year and did well, April good, June and September dire sales = £0, so my expectations where not high. However, as I did my Inventory sale and no new stock did okish. My main aim was to move the old stock. Have one more event to do at Headley on 28/11 and will do the same. I know I have made some new things for Christmas but would rather shift old stock and keep the new on my website. Sadly this will be my last Liphook event unless I want to have another sale next year. It has changed from an Artisan fair to a village market and not sure that a large fruit and veg stall mixes with handmade very well, plus allowing in 'Hallo Vera' now, certainly not handmade.

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Same place and time next week for more tales of daring do, lol

My machines were calling

Okay I had said was not going to make anything until next year but after the Home and Vintage fair last week felt inspired, plus my machines were sitting looking so lonely and just called to be plugged in. A vintage inspired make, these lavender sachets are done in white linen and silk, the cutwork design is done on my embroidery machine. The cut areas can be left open but I thought a touch of shell pink silk looked so vintage in styling.

A stitch artist sent me another cutwork design and decided to add both green and pink to this one, a bit fiddly but got there in the end.

When clearing MIL's home there were a pile of vintage linens that I just had to keep. Made some lavender sachets from the hankies. The buttons were also in various tins belonging to MIL and know some came from her Mother, so quite old. That was the time when all shirts and tops were never thrown out without taking off the buttons first.

My sewing room smells delicious with the french lavender from the Chateau de la Gabelle, Provence. Must order another kg as think going to be using this a lot.

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If only this rain would go away and we could go back to the crisp but sunny Autumn days of long ago. I love the colours of Autumn but sadly with this murk and mist not seeing much of it.

Research and now a published Stitch Artist

Last week I posted about my first craft fair and this week about a bit of research I did on Saturday by visiting a Antique and Artisan fair. Digressing slightly funny thinking back to when I first started this crafting malarky there was no internet, you had to find events in the local paper and actually visit or write if you wanted a stall. No mobile phones, no web to do your research, had to haul the yellow pages onto the table and trawl. The only way you could apply for events was to visit and make a note of the organisers telephone number. How things have changed, someways for the better. So easy to go to a keyboard but think how much we are missing by not visiting events to get our own unbiased view of how they are run, layout of stalls, number of duplicates, quality etc. Now I am not knocking the internet as Waitrose and John Lewis do very well out of me and my bank balance, lol, not to mention the fabric shops that I otherwise could not get to because of distance but nothing like feeling the cloth for real and using our eyes plus the exercise with the walking round and event is good for us.

Back to the fair it was fantastic and would love to display here. Vintage and Artisan mixed together comfortably and the stalls were so interesting. Think that Vintage/Handmade is for me. Could have spent hours but with DH hovering in the car park (parking was a slight issue) had to be sensible.

Published Stitch Artist

I have tried to keep this as quiet as possible but know a few of you know that Haute Handbags approached me in March to submit some samples of my work, chose the 3D flower and dragonfly silk clutches. Well the publication is now on the shelves and the best part is have got paid for my tutorial. This has given me confidence to try a few publications in the UK, not as prestigious as this Stampington one as they produce craft magazines of the Tatler and Vogue of the crafting world.

I have sorted my 5 drawer chest in my workroom this week, my sewing room is in a bit of a mess as have 'things' that unsure what I want to do with them yet or should I say where to store them, used my sewing room for the sorting as more room, well did have!!!!!!. Think this is going to be a slow process. Getting bored now think need a break.

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Same place, same time next week. Not sure what is planned this week but making sure I drag Lee out and about