Shopping spree

Just got back from a lovely weekend visiting friends in Hebden Bridge. And I actually had a bit of a spending spree! In recently years I have started to hate shopping, I just don't have the time or enthusiasm and really don't like it when its busy, so do most of it on line. Its not a bad thing as I haven't had any spare cash recently so not shopping has been good.

But yesterday I managed a successful and enjoyable shopping trip. Hebden Bridge has lots of lovely independent shops full of goodies. My first purchase was in the wonderful Heart Gallery. I saw it a cross the room and knew I had to have it. Its a beautiful green Trim Phone. I love it and we did actually need a new phone too.

I also brought this beautiful spotty lunch box, which is also making me smile.

And I got this 5 bits of fabric for £1, bargain.

I saw lots of other things I wanted, including a gorgeous antique diamond ring (I didn't even go in the shoe shop), but thought I better draw the line at the phone, fabric and lunch box.

I am now going to try and squeeze in a couple of hours sewing, while my fella is a Wembley, I really hope villa win!!

blogging

Up until the last few weeks I had really surprised myself with how easy it was to find things to blog about and I was actually enjoying the process too. Often the difficult thing was what to write about first. But this week I have been seriously lacking ideas, inspriationg and time.

I think this just refelcts my life at the moment. things are starting to get really busy . Work is start get a bit manic and looks like it will be like this until at least the end of June. Things at home are busy, so there seems to be less spare time. I'm also involved in orgnising an event for Nottingham Craft Mafia, as well as organing one of the exhibitions at Sherwood Art week. This is of course on top of trying to find time to make things.

So all in all I'm feeling a bit full, so I suppose its no wonder that I'm struggling with blogging as my brain isn't having much free time to reflect and come up with ideas. Oh well, its juts one of those things and I think I just need to adapt to this change of pace and in future try not to take so much on.

Only a month to go...

It struck me this weekend, that its only a month to go until my first craft fair of the year. Eeek! This is even more scary as its a Nottingham Craft Mafia event and I'm helping to organise it. Double Eeek!

I was feeling calm and on top of things, but I wrote down the list of things I want to make for it and I do have a fair bit to do. The organising is going ok, but there is still quite a bit to do and lots of little loose ends.

I think I really need to pull my finger out and get into production line mode and get myself organised. I have started quite a few things, but need to make sure I finish them. The photo's above are of stitch and burn in progress and unfinished felt techno cosies.

Cards, soup, blenders and burns

I'm off out this afternoon, and I had a list of things to do this morning, but as usual things have taken longer than I thought.

I wanted to do a blog posting before I went out and show you these new felt cards, (I think I showed you these in progress a few weeks ago).

So I end up loading photo's, doing my hair and blending soup all at once. In my haste I put to much soup in the blender, its gone everywhere and I have burnt my hand (only slightly, but it hurts). The silly thing is I knew I had put too much in, but thought I would get away with.

So now after clearing up soup, rinsing my hand and writing this I am running really late. Better go!

Its nice when you are featured.

Was greeted this morning with a nice email saying I had been featured in Welly dogs beautiful blog. Its always such a nice feeling when someone likes something of yours enough to mention it in their own blog. ' Big Smile'!

Its been a really hectic week again.... so much to do.....

This textile piece is available in my Folksy Shop.

R&D

I've been talking for a while now about my desire to do some sketching and development work. I really feel like I want to try out some new things and move away from bright florals for a while.


So this last week I have been working on some sketches of buildings and yesterday I started to develop this futher by using different techniques and textures.

I had a really good time. I didn't produce any finished peices, but really enjoyed experimenting and have loads more ideas of new things to try.

I do have some concerns about this new work. Firstly its very similar to a project I did at college, but I do have lots of new ideas to move it forward and it was one of the best things I produced, so I think I should be able to develop this idea rather than re-producing old work.

The second is that there is currently not much use of colour. I know this is becuase I wanted to move away from what I have been doing lately and everything has been bright and bold. So the easiest way to achieve this is by changing colours and tones. But I do like using bright colours and I think one of my strenghts is how I combine and use colour, so I think maybe I need to find I way to incorporate this into this project.

I can't wait to do more on this. I think I do need to do some more sketches. I hate doing sketches in public, I don't like people looking when I am still working on something, so maybe I need to take some photo's to work from.

I am hoping to use some of what I produce to display at Sherwood Artweek in June. So I'm please to say I have a bit of time to develop this further.

Saturday

On Saturday I did my monthly shift in the Nottingham Craft Mafia Shop. I actually quite enjoy it, its really useful to see what people are buying and talk to customers. But it is really hard to find the time, so I like to make the most of it.
Its a good opportunity to do some craft work. Unfortunately due to lack of space and equipment you have to plan quite carefully what you are going to do. I normally do some sewing or work on some felt pieces. Unfortunately I wasn't too organised this week so didn't manage to make any felt to work on or have any sewing. So I bunged I some cheating felt (shop brought stuff) and some embroidery threads into my bag on my way out and wasn't really sure what I was going to make.

I ended up making some felt circle cards and I have to say I really like them and I enjoyed making them.

I will be listing them in my shops soon.

Photo's

I am so looking forward to the mornings and nights (and in fact days) getting lighter. I have really struggled recently to take decent photo's of my work, it just always seems to be dark. As I do most of my work at evenings or weekends, by the time I have finished things and they are ready to be photographed its dark. Even if I have managed to get things ready and I'm about in daylight its still a bit dark or has really odd shadows.

When eventually it does become lighter I think I probably need a whole day re-photographing everything and then updating images on Folksy and Etsy as I really do have some rubbish photo's on there at the moment. It doesn't really help sell or show off my work in the best way.

Roll on spring time!

Handmade Nation

I have some exciting news. Nottingham craft mafia is organising an event on the 20th March at The Broadway Cinema in Nottingham. We are showing two screening of Handmade Nation, (its a documentary about craft in America) and we are also having a craft fair with demo's. It should be a great day so come along, spread the word..... you can find out more on the Nottingham Craft Mafia website http://www.nottinghamcraftmafia.com

Stop using pink

Just logged onto my blog to do a new post and every image was pink. I must stop using pink! Think February and March need to be pink free months, I challenge myself not to use pink!

Its been a really busy week again. My proper job is starting to get really manic again which is a very odd feeling after several months of being quiet. We have loads of projects coming up over the next few months, so I am a little concerned about how I'm going to fit everything in. I don't think I'll being doing much blogging, promoting and listing new items when I'm at work, so will need to fit this in some other time.

This week has not been helped by having a cold and feeling rubbish and my car has been playing up yet again. So all in all I'm glad its Friday!

Nervousness

I'm sure its not just me, but I get really nervous when I sell something online and even more so when I do a custom order. I think its just because I really want them to like it, and as as they haven't seen it in the flesh it can be a little scary.

On Monday I dropped off the lampshade I had made for someone. I was very please and relieved to hear that she loved it and its a great feeling. I had also made a couple of hotwater bottle covers for someone at work, again it was great to hear that she really liked them too.

I am sure with time I'll get less worried about these situations, although to be honest its probably not a bad thing as it means I care about what I produce and also try to do the best I can.

I've got a bit of a cold this week and not feeling too great. I've got a couple of big projects happening at work, so its not a good week to have time off. Although I do feel a bit better today after the best sleep I have had in ages!!

Weekender

Felt Lampshade with flowers.

Stitch and Burn Brooches

I'm pleased to say the weekend lived up to my expectations and I managed to have two really good making sessions. So feeling much better about things (although some more sales would help).

I had a few custom orders to finish, which I felt were hanging over me slightly, so its a relief to finish them.

Felt hot water bottle covers

As well as catching up with orders I also made 8 stitch and burn brooches, 16 felt flower cards, 6 tissue holders, a pyjamas case for myself and caught up on my very neglected accounts. So I now need to take some better photo's (it was bit dark by the time I finished yesterday) and list some of these in my shops.

Tissue cosies

Now I am feeling on top of things again I am hoping in the next few weeks to start some development work, particularly for some work to exhibit at Sherwood Art week in June. I also have a craft night planned on Wednesday night with a friend, so finally I am feeling back on track.

Felt to make felt flower cards - will show you completed cards later in the week.

Ness

This week I have been feeling a little down and have what my friend Nikki calls 'ness' (pronouced nuss). She uses it to describe when you feel down, but for no particular reason, or it could be a combination of lots of little things, which on there own wouldn't matter too much, like tiredness, busy-ness, winter-ness, periodness, fedupness.

I think my latest bout of 'ness' has been brought on by some of the things above, but also the lack of time I have has to do things recently. I am desperate for a good day of making and I am sure that will sort me out.

I had a really good January Sales wise, rather naively I had thought that the steady sales might continue, but they seem to have died off again. I know this isn't help as I haven't listed anything new for a couple of weeks which makes promoting yourself and products much harder. You also feel less motivated and less confident when things aren't selling.

I am sure that a weekend at home and lots of crafting will sort me out! And hopefully I may have some new things to show next week.

Have a good weekend everyone.

No place like home

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I have two whole days at home with nothing planned. I was meant to be doing a felt workshop, but sadly its been cancelled as the place I was doing it at is closing down. But its good as I get to spend some time at home and I was really scared.

January has felt so busy and I feel like I have spent hardly any time at home, which of course means that I have had very little time to be creative. I have lots of little jobs to do, but am planning to have at least an afternoon of making things and I can't wait. So I am hoping to have some new things to show you next week.

Cuteable

Was greeted with an email this morning saying one of my items had been mentioned on Cuteable, how exciting! Its certainly an honour to featured amongst such lovely things. :)
http://cuteable.com

Print and Pattern

Print and Pattern is one of my favourite blogs. Its a get place to get inspired, as they show some beautiful things by some very talented designers. Here's the link if you want to check it out. http://www.printpattern.blogspot.com/.

Looking at this site makes me want to create more patterns and print work. I almost did an a degree in Surface Pattern and I do something wonder what I would be doing now if I had gone down this route.

The photo's are of a couple of quick sketch book moments.