How appropriate we should wake up to this winter scene when I was planning to send my festive cheers to you all this morning! I have no idea if it is due to last, but it always looks beautiful while it does. I love the light that comes into the house when there's snow outside. There's such a mysterious glow.

The downside is we are heading down to London today for a family celebration and I'm not relishing the extra time in the car it is going to take or the amount of extra layers we will have to drag with us.

Still, I suppose it is winter after all!

The children break up from school today, so I'm not very sure how much time I'll get to come on here over the next couple of weeks. And we'll all be busy with our families and own celebrations. So if I don't see you for a while I wish you a very merry Christmas and looking forward to sharing lots more with you in 2010.

I'm going to leave by sharing with you a scene that I think will be featuring quite highly over the next couple of weeks - having time to cosy up and drinking lots of hot tea!

(Latest purchase from my trip to Anthropologie)

Happy Christmas everyone xxx

Home & Gift

I keep forgetting that I'm exhibiting in 2 weeks (yep, Manda, 2 weeks) at Home & Gift. At least you'd think I had by the fact that I have done zero preparation both in terms of thinking about my stand (I have an extra side wall than at BCTF) and getting my Christmas Kits ready (yes, Christmas, you heard correctly).

The preview magazine came in the post yesterday and look who made it into the Intro North section? Yeah, little ol me!! Guess, I'd better go get ready.

Lovely Surprises

I opened my Chanukah present from Tara last night and what a treat it was. As if the tin itself wasn't present enough. I'm a bit partial to tins. So that was sure to be a hit before it even began. But to be covered in the most gorgeous matryoshkas made it undeniably, unquestionably THE nicest tin I for one possess.


And as if this wasn't enough. I opened the tin up and low and behold inside was this gorgeous matryoshka pin. Now, isn't it the cutest pin EVER? (No, Tara, you can't have it back) It is already fashioned on my bag and is there to stay.

I think I've already mentioned that I'm not bombarded with Chanukah/Christmas presents. Which quite frankly matters not one iota when your one present is as gorgeous as this.

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and are blessed with people that know you so well that they get it just as right as Tara did.

We are off to deepest, darkest Wales over New Year, so I'll see you in 2009, where I'll be raring to go with all those ideas that are being stored in my head, whilst family commitments take over. xx

Snowed Under

Woke up to this today. It was forecast to arrive and boy has it. (How come the weather men can get this kind of weather right but no other?)

Samuel is very cross because his school is open, whislt Noah and Ruby's is closed. He has quickly forgotten that his school was closed for a Christmas Shopping Day (Iknow, duh?) on Monday and he and Matthew went to see Quantum of Solace. I have no idea how long it is going to take Matthew to drive him in. In the meatime Ruby and Noah have gone next door for a snowball fight. If I was feeling brave I might just go take some pics of them. But it's far too cold. I'm going to go hibernate up in my office in the attic.

I think it's going to be a hot chocolate and capaccino kind of day. All day.

Sorry if you are waiting for your orders - not sure if I'll make it to the post office today...

Heart to Heart

I'm definitely feeling the pressure of Friday looming and not being ready. I was determined to be hyper organised for this event, but it seems that's not meant to be. Instead of organising what I have, I'm busily creating more. That's me - when the going gets tough... go make...

I've been making lots of Lavender Hanging Hearts. The aroma in my studio is just to die for. I've the biggest bag of the most fragrant lavender sitting waiting to fill the little lovelies.

They haven't quite turned out how I'd imagined them in my head. But that never does happen. I didn't have the time I would have liked to work on getting that right, so instead we have simplistic shaker style hearts ready to decorate your tree/house this Christmas. I must say I am a big Shaker fan and alot of what i do is influenced by the simplicty and colours of that.

It's a good job, because I've made so many of the damned things that I'm sure there will be plenty to decorate every corner of my own place this season!

(And if you aren't anywhere near Harewood House this weekend, but you would like some, they are available here and here x)

Swimming against the tide

I guess we are all doing alot of this at the moment. Swimming against the tide. Getting busy for craft fairs. Increase in sales as people get ready for Christmas. And still the same amount of laundry, cooking, cleaning (we'll forget about that one). I don't want to turn this into a moany post - just wanted to explain my absence.

In the meantime I'd love to show you the final pre-Christmas arrivals that are all now available at Blueberry Park. It's been lots of fun sorting everything out and getting it all ready.

Firstly there's the exquisite Make and Do Cards from Lucy Jane Batchelor. Her illustrations are just irresistibly stunning. I could have stocked them all, but after much deliberating have settled on the Advent Calendar (a few left), Christmas Decorations, super cute Miniture Dolls' House, Tooth Fairy Envelope and Love Tokens.

Next in was the truely sumptuous Catherine Tough Lambswool Bed Socks. I could honestly live in these and never leave the house again! I want one in every colour. And a couple of manly ones that I think will go down well.

More for the men with fab cufflinks from Steph Jones. She does so many fantastic designs that it was hard to whittle the choice down. but hopefully we've got something for everyone here.

I've had these great leather brooches from Magpie and Me for a while and keep oohing and ahhing over them and I'm finally ready to share them with the world! The leather is so soft and tactile and they come in a range of striking colours.

Last, but by no means least I have my office smelling devine thanks to these Bath Melts by Purple Sparkle Craft. Utterly dreamy.

So that's one reason I've been away for a while. And I'm still ploughing through the Christmas Card orders, so there are piles of these everywhere!

I hope you are all well whatever you are busy with and managing to avoid those mega big waves.

Even closer to Christmas

Finally my 2008 Christmas cards have had their finishing touches and are out in the market place.

I'm quite pleased with some of the quirky greetings that I've chosen this year. And hopefully they'll bring a few smiles and chuckles.

I'm not sure which is my favourite, although I am quite partial to Mr Penguin.

And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a bowl of Figgy Pudding.

Only time will tell which is your favourite though.

They are available here and here and very very soon here too.

Oh and here.

Ready for Christmas

This is what I have been working on for the Crafteroo Christmas Decoration Challenge. A Mini Stocking Advent Bunting. Mini felt stockings hooked onto a buttoned ribbon that are just big enough to hold a daily treat. Not so big that we are all going to be rolling our way to our Christmas Dinner.

It's such a great idea (the competition - not my entry!) and there are some fab interpretations? Everyone is getting all festive. We're probably going to be bored of Christmas before it even arrives :-)

Join in the fun and post an entry - there's a £20 Amazon Voucher up for grabs for the winner.

Luscious shop

For those of you that don't know it, The Leeds Craft Centre & Design Gallery is a haven of stunning work by lots of talented people. It is brimming with beautiful eye candy, from exquisite jewellery to the most tactile ceramics to gorgeous textile items.

Some of my favourite designers are often found featured here. Ken Eardley. Helen Noakes. Poppy Treffry. Linda Bloomfield. I could go on and on.

Matthew works very close to here and whenever we can we meet in the equally gorgeously renovated Gallery cafe upstairs for lunch. We then saunter downstairs and have a mooch in the Craft Centre.

They have a fantastic selection of handmade greetings cards too.

On one of our visits I was in an unusually confident mood and decided to approach them about my cards. I'm not sure what prompted me to do this. So many times I go in to places like this and feel in awe of the talent out there. Maybe we'd had wine with lunch that day. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad I did because they said they sounded interesting and please bring them in.

So I did.
And they loved them.

And I got a cheque this week because not only do they love them, but it seems that their customers do too!

I am still completely overwhelmed that my modest cards are holding their own in this hugely talented arena. So thank you to those that believe in me - and keep buying the cards - the Christmas ones they have ordered should be arriving any day.

BOO!

I'm feeling like I'm getting life back on track. Actually, what I really mean is that I'm feeling like I'm finally getting some time back for ME. And time for me means time for crafting.

One thing I find hard in business is thinking ahead. I seem to miss out on various occasions by not thinking a few months ahead. Which, for those that know me, won't be too surprised. I'm lucky if I've remebered to do things for today by the time I get to bed at night. So forward planning is one of my downfalls.

Last January I swore I was going to plan ahead for Christmas for Blueberry Park. Needless to say, it's not yet October, but I've already missed it. So here I go again, back pedalling, trying to resuscitate it and hope I pull it out of the bag in time.

Consequently, I have no idea what made me think September was a good time to start thinking about Halloween. But yesterday the urge took me and I found myself having lots of fun creating some ghouly felt decorations.

The latest addition to my Mini Bunting Kits are available here. I'm also thinking of doing some already made up. What do you reckon?

So be more prepared than I am and hopefully you'll have them made and up for Halloween!