Last blog for April

Been a busy week Lee (DH) had his Birthday and a bit of a rush to get all the gifts wrapped. I know normally so well organised but kept forgetting to buy some gift wrap. Cake made a mandarin and Cointreau gateau, very tasty but you would not want too much of it. Cooked him his favourite meal Sea Bass with crispy potato wedges, prawn and cream sauce and veges. I stuck to chicken and salad, do not eat fish and cannot eat rich food.

Had to have my normal blood test on Tuesday, needed to be at the Doc's by 8.10. Talk about a rush dog played up and exhausted by the time got to the surgery.

There is a new M & S Simply Food opened in Weyhill. About 3 miles from the surgery, so dragged Lee along for a browse, very impressed and fully stocked. A few goodies ended up in the trolley. Back via the garden centre for some farm manure (delightful) but so good mulching the borders.

On the making front this week, finished the Autumn falling leaves bag and the tutorial for submission to Haute Handbags. The weather was kind to let me photograph outside in natural light. They are quite specific about the submission image and has to be on  a white back ground. Photo taken and winging it's way via email. If they like what they see the actual bag has to be sent to CA with the tutorial via email. Fingers crossed, hope to hear by the end of May.

Really happy with how it turned out and love the fact that the leaves curl, makes them look more realistic.

Normal makes this week a babies sun dress and matching panties in a vintage print. Always loved making baby clothes but so many cheap alternatives out there, hence the vintage styling.

Wrap sundress and matching panties

A nursery scene with a name plaque for a new addition to the family. Have ordered the birch doweling and end caps to go through the ribbon hoops.

Birthday Cards for last week

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Same place next week

April Catalogue Part 1

Welcome to a new posting which I propose to do each week. This will summarise in a photo/catalogue format new makes for that month. Each image is linked to my website should you wish to make a purchase.

Rose Applique Bag £20.00

Made in an ivory and vintage urn print cotton, contrast turquoise fairy frost fabric, lined with cream cotton fabric. A one of a kind (OOAK) with applique roses and rose stitch detail on the bottom half of the bag. Measures 25 X 30 X 5cms. Strap length 66cms. 

Venice Blue Clutch Bag £10.00

A beautiful little clutch bag with a gold tone frame top. A pretty venice style fabric, lined in ivory. Measures approx 13 X 13 X 3 cms.

Venice Blue Tissue Case £4.00

A beautiful little tissue case made in a Venice blue print fabric. Holds a pack of Kleenex balm tissues. Ideal for your handbag or to keep in the car.

Eye Glass cases, New Fabric, Display and future projects.

Welcome to another Handmade Monday. I have finished all the Birthday cards for friends and relatives for 2016. Will post images once the Birthday is past, now starting on Christmas gifts and cards. 

I have been accepted into the Home and Vintage fairs this year, so happy as feel a better fit for me than a craft fair:

17th Sept - Grayswood Village Hall

29th Oct - Guildford Cathedral

10th Dec - Grayswood Village Hall

This leaves me free on the 26th Nov for our local Christmas Fair, always say every year will never not do as have been attending for about 25 Years on and off and am now part of the fixtures and fittings.

Okay onto other makes this week, met up with Jenny for coffee and a chat last Wednesday, she loved her slip cases and also wanted to see some eye glass cases. Made these last Monday and happy with how they turned out. all sold out now so will have to make some more.

Had to wait for Lee having a hair cut on Wednesday and wandered up to the new Pins and Needles shop in the village. The window was so inviting and a length of fabric just spoke to me to be bought. Now did I need said fabric? No! but in my colour scheme currently using and bought it was.

The shop is fantastic Fiona the owner made me so welcome and I found her really helpful. Did not have time to browse the rest of the fabric in the back room but will be going back, this time on my own. Colour palette used:

Have made another rose applique bag with the fabric, just love it

Gold tone frame clutch bag & Tissue Case

New display boxes, saw these online and had to get 2 sets along with a larger square box. These will be perfect for the Home and Vintage fair.

Bought a lace tablecloth to go over the base cloth. Just have to decide whether to change that colour from taupe to duck egg as well. Plus saw some rose fairy lights and yup you guessed it got had to buy, lol.

Been approached by Haute Handbags to submit another make for the Fall 2016 issue. The fabric will be natural with a hint of gold and the colour scheme:

Warm colours and to me speak of Autumn leaves, crisp days and hot chocolate with marshmallows and sprinkles. In fact not unlike how cold it has got this weekend.

Considering blogging on a Friday but more in the form of a catalogue of the new makes from that week. Not so much text just description, prices and a link to my website. Each image will also be named rather than the jpeg camera generated number. Got a heads up this week that google favours blogger images (blogger is a google tool) and in particular those that are named.  Will let you know after a couple of months if works or not but worth a go.

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That's all for this week, stay warm and have fun

Organising work spaces

Intending to have a mass sort out of my sewing room and work room, oh and did tackle the office the other day. Taking an age as so much 'stuff' has accumulated over the past 27 years since we moved into this house. Will be having a table top sale at some point as craft items that I have not used, not likely to use and did not know why I bought them in the first place. 

On the subject of tidying I follow the S.P.A.C.E acronym by Julie Morgenstern, she has written several helpful books on the subject.

Julie's Organizing Formula

• Sort: Identify what's important to you and group similar items.
• Purge: Decide what you can live without and get rid of it (e.g. donations, sales, storage, garbage).
• Assign: Decide where the items you keep will go. Remember, make it logical, accessible and safe.
• Containerize: Make sure they're sturdy, easy to handle, the right size, and that they look good. The art of containerizing is to do it last, not first.
• Equalize: Spend 15 minutes a day to maintain what you've done.
  
  
  I so agree with Julie's part about buying storage after the sort as so often you can end up spending £'s on storage that does not work. Hard to do though as the first thought is something to put the supplies into.

Not sure about the 15 mins a day but could work once all done. the problem is have 3 rooms, office which is shared with DH, his desk is pristine, mine? well? The sewing room which should be purely for textiles with all my machines and the workroom which is for other craft, paper, candles etc. Tbh they are both in a creative mess. I search for items I know I have but spend so long looking for said items, then along the way get distracted  by other goodies found and not lost, lol

These 2 quotes sum my state up well:

I think most creative types are messy as that also follows the pattern of my brain, like a butterfly flitting from one idea to the next, thinking ahead, ideas and journals full of ideas from over the past 30+ years. Will let you know how I get on but could be several months before an update and pictures of the new tidy and organised rooms.

Colours, I have a thing about colours as mentioned last week so thought would add a colour block with an image each week. Love macaroons and thought these colours are rather special:

For me still in the vintage colour bracket and perfect for the Autumn.

This is the Wednesday PCG Blog Tour bus

Professional Crafters Guild 'This is my business not a hobby'. Invaluable resources for those of us in business, with insurance and registered with the HMRC.

Scent of Roses

Well even though I say so myself have not done badly this week. The sorting is coming along nicely doing in little steps is so much better, still a long way to go in the sewing room but starting was the hardest bit. In fact has got be buoyed up to continue when finished in the rest of the house. We did start on the top attic last year but ground to a halt. The plan at the time was to have the top one empty and only use the small one above the utility room. Not to mention the bedroom cupboards also need doing, plus have too many clothes I do not wear.

Made up 2 slipcases for an order, personalised one for and iPad

 

the other for a Mac Book Pro, meeting up with Jenny next week for coffee and a chat, hope she likes them in person.

I mentioned about colours last week and have done an article for the next PCG publication but thought would add some pic's here to show the different sets of colour ways. I love paint chips and always collect some when I go to Homebase. They can be used on mood boards etc along with Pantone an invaluable source of the trending colours and more, I am into pastels big time, lol.

I print off these images and just look at them for inspiration, colour matches and combinations.

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Will be back next week