Spring has spung

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

by William Wordsworth

I remember having to learn this poem as part of English Lit and always think of the words when I see daffodils. Our parish council has planted hundreds of bulbs along the verges and now out in full flower looks beautiful.

Lee has been out in the garden pruning and turning over the beds ready for the summer bedding season. We both love this time of year with more energy and seeing the happy face of the sun makes all the difference.

On the de-cluttering front my sewing room the last 2 boxes are sorted, labelling done and everything in it's own place. No excuse for trying to find and item now. Has cleared my creative blockage and raring to go.

Mentioned last week that I had done some more stitching but no battery for the camera, forgot my iPhone which actually takes better pic's in my opinion and goes straight to the iMac without all the faffing of uploading etc. Anyway the final pen holders in turquoise and lilac plus some sticky note covers, left the ribbon ties off this time as think get in the way.

Not forgetting a card for one of Lee's relatives, only took about 20 minutes but still happy with it.

A busy week as the man from Stitch Right is coming to service my embroidery machine on Tuesday, at least with him coming to me no being without the machine for days on end.

Check out the other blogs at Handmade Monday

See you all next week

A week of creativity

Okay folks, de-cluttering all done in my sewing room, may tackle the large loft next but when a bit warmer.

On the making front this was a card order had to wait until after last weekend to post:

Finished the pen holder and key fobs in turquoise and lilac and some more post it note covers. sorry no photos as need batteries for the camera. did have some but Lee used them for his clock, just typical, there's me trying to be super organised and can rely on DH to wreck the procedure, lol.

I also had a newsletter through with a brilliant article from Made Urban about wondering which handmade sells best. I think this eludes us all as frequently get back from a fair or have a discussion with other stallholders "What do customers want". Now I am guilty of making too much variety, think I have the colour way down pat now and know I am recognised for this, in my case pastels (pink, taupe, grey, aqua, cream and white). 

Years ago I started making just clowns and they sold like wildfire, found it hard to keep up with the orders. Then cute mice, again the same result. Gradually over the years I have added more and more to my repertoire, now I think that is fine for websites but do agree fairs are a different kettle of fish. Funny as before this article had a discussion with my sister about the same thing and had decided for fairs to stick to frame and clutch bags, bracelets, scarves, handbag accessories. That will make my stall co-ordinated. Brochures would also be easier to produce and maybe have different brochures for different facet's ie baby,  wedding, bespoke cards etc. A lot to think about, now must get making, lol.

A very interesting read for us all:

Made Urban

Check out the other blogs at Handmade Monday

Until next week have fun

Ceramic Art London

Fair Dates

31 March – 2 April 2017

Opening Hours

Friday 31 March, 10am – 6pm

Saturday 1 April, 10am – 6pm

Sunday 2 April, 10am – 5pm

Venue

Central Saint Martins

1 Granary Square, London, N1C 4AA

Tickets

Adult £15, Concessions £13 (Senior Citizens,

CPA Members, Unemployed, Students in

fulltime Education, Wheelchair Users) Ages

16 – 25 £10, Under 16 FREE, 3 Day pass £35

(Valid for re-admission throughout CAL

2017). All tickets include a free exhibition

guide and catalogue.

For details go to www.ceramicartlondon.com

The world’s leading contemporary ceramic art fair returns for a 13th year. Organised by the Craft Potters Association, CAL showcases the work of 90 makers in the light-filled atrium of Central Saint Martins. Offering a rare opportunity to buy unique, handmade pieces directly from the makers, items on sale range from contemporary twists on functional tableware to sublime sculptural pieces and experimental work that pushes the boundaries of this ancient craft. With prices ranging from £25 CAL offers collectors of all budgets the chance to take something home as well as a programme of talks and events.

Almost Done

Well it has taken a long time mainly delayed due to illness but can now see the wood for the trees. Have to sort the fabric into correct boxes ie all the stripes, gingham and spots together. Plains, Floral etc. Do the labels when the new ink cartridge arrives, not sure how it happened as normally on top of ordering but ran out of black ink. The labels have been done already to print though and just need to be printed and clipped to the canvas cubes. 

This is part of the cupboard, all tidy with the ribbons in their boxes for ease of use.

Have been working on Saturday and Sunday some in the hoop pen holders and matching key fobs. My machine stitching away

The finished article. Will be sold as sets for £6, including pen, which I feel is a good price for a small gift.

With my sewing room all tidy my creativity is now flowing, the blocks and lethargy have gone. Can highly recommend de-cluttering it makes you feel so much better.

Check out the other blogs at Handmade Monday

Until next week when hopefully will have a lot more creations to share with you