belated presents and a winner...

i had been a bad bad aunt...

until i had seen amy's fantastic make from gwen's fantabulous tutorial.

my niece and nephew were turning 7 and 5. let's correct that...my niece and nephew had turned 7 and 5 and i had been a little negligent in getting presents to them on time.

then i saw amy's super cute pencil case and knew they would be perfect.

gwen's tutorial is extremely straight forward and goes together like a dream. what's more it uses scraps for all the little extra pieces.

i even had some little pink cloud 9 flannel pieces to make the eraser fluffy and even more lifelike!

not as a result of how i interpreted the pattern but as a result of how awesome the is pattern in the first place, i can hear the squeals of delight from here when Anastasia and Luka open their gifts and think i may just have been forgiven for being late.

talking of being late and hopefully being forgiven...

i am a couple of days late drawing the winner from my giveaway from last week, but hopefully the winner at least will forgive me...

and so the winner is...

number 29...

swathi from the saffroncrafts!

congratulations swathi, there'll be a bunch of goodies off to you!

a huge thank you everyone for entering. 

i really appreciate the support and the fact that you wanted some of my things...free or otherwise!

and now if i can just remember what swathi has bought from me in the past so i can send you something different...

new kits...

I find it's always good to produce new items this close to Christmas. 

You know, when you are so rushed off your feet and can hardly breathe.

It's just perfect timing to spend all hours getting it into a ready selling state and neglect what really needs doing.

Hence I have just produced  these kits...

I spent most of yesterday photographing and writing up the instructions for them and they are now winging their way to various stockists to sell as Christmas extras.

They come with everything needed to make one pouch and full instructions to make as many more as you like! Perfect for making lots of presents this Christmas!

For now they are available in my Etsy shop...and in time I will let you know which stockists are selling them.

Now back to the To Do List...

 Another new design that has been sitting waiting patiently in the file named "new designs" had an opportunity to come to life today.

I've decided that Mondays are for just that...

 ...y'know, when you've had all weekend with work being pushed into a corner for the sake of family time, but your brain doesn't switch off and by the end of the weekend it's bursting at the seams to get going on some of those ideas?

 So it seems only right that Mondays should be honoured with time for creating...time for releasing those ideas that have been cooped up and time for putting into practice some restrained creativity.  

Well that's my excuse for getting on with trialling a new design today (not all day obviously...I did some proper work too...promise, stockists...) and finally my Doily design is here.

The Doily design is a stencil screen print taken from an actual doily with the added twist of paper cutting added detail.

Whilst honouring Making Monday, I was fairly restrained and stuck to one colour, one item...

but...

...tomorrow is another day...

a day for more colours and more products...

...can't wait for Tuesday!

Today it is all about Pink!

I'm not normally a pinky person but I had a request for my fabrics in pink and so last week the pink paint came out and I have to say...

I love it!

The pink I used is a fab hot pink, not girly sickly, sugary and the colour works so well on the crisp white linen. I'm particularly pleased with how the colour has taken on the triangle design - really crisp and clear.

Last night I got a making...as it's one thing seeing the fabrics in panels and quite another how it looks made up into things.

A few pleat and pencil pouches later and it was pretty clear that perhaps I like pink rather more than I thought.

I stopped myself sewing so that I could list a few pink panels for you to purchase and use in your own creations.

Go right here for them...as well as the pink made up pieces.

Giveaway time!!...

...in exchange for a little advice please.

I've been working on a new design today at the screen printing workshop.

I have had a request from one of my stockists for some more male oriented pouches and hopefully this design fits the bill.

However I got a little print happy on a variety of fabrics and now I'm at a loss as to which work best...

...and that my lovely readers is where you come in.

In exchange for a spot of advice as to which fabric you think works best, your comment will be entered into a draw to win a pouch made up in that fabric.

Do you like the striped or checked shirting?

Do you like the Klona plains in red, blue or grey?

Or is your favourite my signature linen?

I really would value your opinion on this, so just leave a comment and I'll enter you in the draw, which will take place at the end of the week. Please make sure you leave a contact email so I can let you know if you have won.

Thanks and good luck ;-)

WARNING:

Do not adjust your screen...the following blogpost is brought to you in black and white...well, grey anyway.

Following my screen printing session this week, I was drawn to making up some pouches in grey.

We have Wave in Grey...

and we have Hexie in Grey...

I don't know if it's just my mood this week, or my usual affinity with grey, but I'm rather liking them.

If you are drawn to more colour yourself, next up will be something with a bit more zing...

(For all you mutual grey fans, the first are in my shop...the rest to come very soon.)

I think I must be becoming extremely transparent. I must be becoming very predictable with my likes.

Courtney of Seamstar sent me the following samples of some new linens she has just started stocking...

Do they have my name written all over them or what??

And just to illustrate the point further (just in case you aren't quite convinced) here they are with my pencil case and purse, both of which I carry about with me at all times.

I'm going to have to start being more creative with my colour palette. Who knows, I may surprise you one day with my choices...

Do you ever make things to sell and realise actually you can't bear to part with them?

Well, I'm on a mega zipper pouch making sess and was using some small leftover pieces from various projects.

One such project was the fabric I used for my cushions for the hallway. I decided this would make perfect little pencil and coin pouches, so I set off making a set for the shop.

At the same time I covered a sketch book with some wallpaper (that my friend Tara very kindly 'bequeathed' me) that I was planning to use for my Screen Printing journey as recommended by Gina, my screen printing guru. Gina suggested (I've a feeling you may be hearing the phrase 'Gina said' fairly often around these parts) keeping a journal of prints produced and marking on them what worked, what didn't. I really love this idea as I have a brain like a sieve and to keep a record seemed a genius idea.

Back to the zipper pouches...

Because I was doing the 2 mustard-based projects in tandem, I realised there was no way on earth that these pouches were ever going to make it into the shop. I love the wallpaper that Tara sent me and this gorgeous Skinny Laminx fabric was just made to accompany it, so in record time the pouches were a keeper.

I may just order more of this beautiful fabric to make some pieces for the shop (can't keep a good thing to yourself) but in the meantime, I am more than happy and inspired by having these things for me.

Yesterday I managed a trip out to get crafting supplies, including some fabric paints for my hand-printing fabric projects.

First up on the project list was taking the pencil pouch idea a step further by personalising it.

Ruby has headed off to her friend Sadie's party today, so of course she was first on the list to get one of my new pouches.

Despite the fact that Ruby's response was "Mummy, I wish we could give my friends something other than crafty stuff for their birthdays. They aren't all like me and like it you know. Can't we give them something normal?"

I'm still wracking my brains to think what may be construed as normal, if a personalised pencil case and matching keyring isn't. I'm thinking Ruby was implying something pink and plastic. Or perhaps glittery and sparkly.

Either way, she did rapidly back it up with could I make her one.

And I'm pretty sure Sadie's Mummy will be more than happy with this pink and plastic, or silvery and glittery alternative.

My new Organic Range has been borne.

I had had interest in the new Pencil Pouch range from various Eco friendly peeps, but as soon as I said the fabric wasn't organic, it was a thumbs down.

It was only when I was using some of my collection of beautiful Cloud 9 fabrics, that the penny dropped. These were organic and would work fantastically. The cotton is so crisp and holds it's shape so well, that it's a dream to work with and looks good. And on top of that the designs are just scrummy too.

So with reinforcements received and swatch of the options to hand, I got going on a collection to offer.

I'm using the dotties as linings for all, which I'm loving the look of. Obviously you can't see them when they are closed and all together. But I know they are there and that gives me a lovely feeling to know how well coordinated they are. Sad I know.

Because they are heading out to an eco friendly stockist, not only are the fabrics organic but the trimmings are the vintage ones I have been using, adhering to the recycled element of green living.

The first of my Organic Range pouches are now heading out to the lovely Eco Eco. Eco Eco is a stylish boutique that promotes green living through it's lovely collection of ethical and environmentally produced products. Eco Eco is based in the beautiful Peak District, but if you aren't lucky enough to be able to visit in person, you can peruse their collection online.

I am really excited and proud to be able to produce more ethical products and am looking forward to doing a lot more in the future.

If you are an environmentally aware stockist and are interested in my Organic Range, I'd love to hear from you.

I promised to show you some of my purchasing from over the holidays. And I will but I am ashamed however to tell you that none of this is any of it.

This is all yesterday's shopping.

I know it is shameful - especially since this is just an iota of what has been arriving into this house over the last few weeks.

But let's not dwell on that. Let's talk about yesterday...

Manda and I headed to Fabworks (remember where I bought all this Liberty and shirting?) and I knew it was going to be trouble with a capital T.

And trouble it was...

First up was those bundles of the most delicious felt, in stunning colours of teals and greys. I have no idea at the moment what I am going to use it for, but at just £1 a piece it would have been rude to pass it by.

Everything else however has a purpose. (Do you think if I repeat that enough times I'll be able to convince myself as well as you?)

But it's true...

Having designed the Summersville Pencil Pouches and on the whole being really pleased with them, there was a nagging detail that wasn't quite as I wanted it. Before going to Fabworks I put my finger on what it was...the need for a little tab detail. I'd already begun searching online for some ribbon, but hadn't got very far. I needn't have worried as one whole shelving unit was given over at Fabworks to stunning vintage braiding which I am overjoyed to have found and even more overjoyed to see that this works a treat on the pouches.

Of course a trip to Fabworks wouldn't have been complete without the purchasing of a stash of fabrics. And as I said before, these all have a purpose. (They absolutely really do).

First up was the selecting of several Libertys - very useful little numbers for quilting, kits, linings.

Next up was crisp shirting at just £3/m. I love the shirting. It works beautifully as lining for the pouches and I particularly love the green stripe. I find it quite difficult to line green, but this stripe is just perfect.

Last up and almost *gasp* passed by, was this gorgeous linen with red line through it. How amazing is this? It is incredibly soft and utterly beautiful. Simple understated, just how I like things.

And of course creating this Make Up Pouch was far more important than doing my tax forms today...whoops...

It is however available in both my Etsy shop and Big Cartel shop if you'd like me to feel that it was money and time well spent...

I don't know about you but I'm really struggling to get back into a good working rhythm after the break. The children had all gone back to school by Wednesday but Matthew was still off until today.

This had the advantage, as I've already told you in my last blogpost, of slowly getting into 2011, but it's had the negative effect of making it difficult for me to reestablish any kind of routine. I've been having the joy of spending lots of time with the family and not being cocooned up in my studio in the attic. But it's resulted in me being out of the swing of blogging, tweeting, making...generally attending to my business.

I have had these photos uploaded into edited mode for about a week now, but couldn't get into the right frame of mind to actually write the post.

I can't quite put my finger on why that is. I'm so excited about these new pencil pouches and am very keen to get them out there and have already got a couple of stockists interested, so it's all good. But still I can't quite move myself into action.

I've got my tax return hanging over me. That always makes me sick to the stomach until it's all done and sent off and I'm hoping that that's the root cause of my unrest. It's time-tabled to be done this week, which is the first opportunity after the silly season and holidays (if you don't count any time from April 6 2010...)

So hopefully all this New Year procrastinating and inability to focus will disappear into a puff of smoke just as soon as I hit "send" with my tax return and I'll be back to bugging you regularly with constant tweets, flickr uploads, blogposts and anywhere else you may happen to be lurking...

Delivery Day

Don't you just love Delivery Day?

I've been waiting for this order for ages.Okay, it hasn't been that long but I am rather impatient when it comes to deliveries. I'll be the first to admit it. Once I have found something that I want for Blueberry Park, I want it right there and then. Don't try telling me it will be 4-6 weeks delivery time. I might self combust on hearing that. Obviously I can wait. And obviously I do wait. And obviously I do manage to put it to the back of my mind (almost), but when the delivery finally arrives I'm like a little girl having a birthday. And that's even when the postman rings the bell at 7am...on a Saturday...and I have to kick my husband out of bed to get it...even though I know it's for me... But when you are expecting this who would not be excited?

Delivery Day. Bring it on!

P.S. All available here, just as soon as I have it photographed and loaded. I know, I know. Just be patient!