I'm feeling virtuous today...I finished my taxes...whoop, whoop!!

I feel so self-satisfied that I've been being kind to myself for the rest of the day and doing a few things that I don't normally allow myself time for...

One such thing is creating an Etsy Treasury.

I love looking at treasuries - such a mine of undiscovered loveliness and I've found that making them is equally addictive.

It's a little like doing a Flickr mosaic...bringing all the things you've found and loved into one gorgeous space.

So here's today's collaboration of pieces that have been hanging out in my Etsy Favourites file of late dedicated to a rare calm mood I find myself in, thanks to a big item being crossed off the To Do List.

Click here for a closer look and for details of everyone included.

Apparently I also had time to change my blog header, but that could be more to do with the panic that picnik is about to go. How very dare it?? And how are we going to edit our photos without it?? Answers on a postcard please - or a blog comment will work too - seriously, I live on that website. I'm a little worried...

I'm back!

I was really knocked for 6 following Top Drawer and it's taken me until now to be able to get moving again. I don't think that was helped by the fact that we had a rapid turn around and were back in London this weekend for a friend's Bar Mitzvah. Boy did it take all remaining energy last week to get us all packed up for that!

How was it I suppose you want to know...

It was fantastic!

I have several new exciting stockists including one in Australia...watch out, Brisbane, here I come! I also had interest from several other countries far and wide, so who knows where my things will be heading off to!

I have to say, one of the best things about the show was seeing and meeting all those wonderful Twitter peeps that I 'hang out' with.

I had a lovely visit and reorder from Stephanie over at Hawthorn Gallery. It was lovely to see Stephanie (and her Mum!) and to know my things are going well in her beautiful Gallery.

It was just wonderful to see Vanessa, Becky, Katie, Charlotte, Gabrielle, Caroline and Jane and also had a visit from the fabulous Phiona who was visiting. I'm not sure how people coped doing big fairs like Top Drawer before the invention of Twitter...so lonely!

Christmas was busy, Top drawer was crazy, so I am now looking forward to steadily getting into a calmer, but still busy, routine. I'm not sure life will ever be quiet, but with all these full-on events being over (oh and my tax almost done...) I'm very excited about what's in store.

Do you like my new cushion??

I absolutely love it!!

It was sent to me by the lovely Kylie all the way from Brisbane, Australia.

Apparently Kylie owed me a gift.

I have no recollection of her owing me a gift and I still have no idea why she did, but when she kept insisting I chose a cushion from her Etsy shop, (some people can be very pushy...even when 10000 miles away!) I relented and chose this one.

How perfect is it in my bedroom?

And I hadn't even realised, until I saw this photo, that the red is a perfect match to my dressing gown, that's just peaking in on the left hand side!

Thank you soooo much, lovely lady and one day we will actually meet in person and enjoy a good old laugh and giggle and realise why we have become such great cyber buddies ;-) xx

p.s. thank you everyone for your lovely encouraging words re Top Drawer this weekend. i pack up and head off in the morning ready to welcome visitors at 9.30 sharp on Sunday. I'm mixed with dread and excitement and will report back in all it's glory later next week.

Have a great weekend x

I'm just about there...

I'm just about done on all my makings for Top Drawer...

All that is left now is the huge task of building my stand and seeing if what I have planned actually works...fingers crossed I won't have to rethink the whole thing.

Also left to do is write up and print out all my bumph...you know, all the stuff that tells you all about me and what I do, oh and the all important list of prices.

I actually dislike this bit the most. Don't ask me why, I have no idea.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'd rather be playing with pretty fabrics than be writing about them.

Either way it's 3 days to Departure and Setting Up Day and quite frankly I'll be mightily relieved to pull up outside Earls' Court, unload and get started.

I'm getting a little bit excited now and really looking forward to seeing a bunch of folk that are going to be there, some who I already know, some who I only know through the likes of Twitter and these pages.

And hopefully with all these lovely people I am going to meet, quite few will want to order my things for their shops...fingers crossed for that too.

The sun shone today...I have proof...

Quite frankly it's been downright miserable here in the UK over Christmas and into the New Year, so to see a bit of sunshine while sewing today was more than welcome.

I think i paused for about 5 days after the Christmas craziness before being full throttle getting ready for Top Drawer. I actually only decided a few weeks ago to do Top Drawer and that was a mad moment of "help! It may be crazy now, but what am I going to do when the craziness goes away?"...make life more crazy obviously.

Most people plan doing a trade show for months, which is probably why they are downright more successful at it than I am.

Here I am cobbling together new designs in an attempt to look half-way professional and at least have a few things that look pretty, even if noone actually wants to buy them.

So I have a mad week ahead getting everything made, a stand sorted and get my butt down to London for a few days. I actually can't wait...and hopefully the sun will shine in more ways than one.

It's nearly New Year...

...and I tell you something, 2012 is going to see me so organised, disciplined, calm, resourceful...

remember, you heard it here first.

We've had a week of visiting, having visitors and awaiting for the next lot to arrive and all that that entails.

No doubt it's been pretty similar for you too and no doubt you have been a lot more organised about it than I have...like not getting distracted by making a new quilt when really you should be getting the house geared up for guests.

On the other hand, this long holiday is all about having a break and spending time on doing things you love, when let's face it the speed of the rest of the year takes over and there's not usually much time for enjoying a quiet bit of guiltless sewing.

So, guests are arriving tomorrow and what am I doing? Making a new quilt of course.

I've had it on my To Do List for yonks to make a large hexie quilt. At the start of every winter when we all fight over the solitary quilt in the living room, I have it in mind to make a cosy pile of them to grab and snuggle under. Obviously I have these thoughts when I don't actually have the time to action that plan.

At least now though I am getting one quilt closer to quilting nirvana...

I had a lovely afternoon in my studio today, having sent the others to Tesco (they don't know they are born, that lot) and spent time, new CDs blaring, piecing together the quilt top.

I'm just awaiting delivery of this scrumptious flannel for the back.

Then it's a question of binding.

Do I play safe, below, and go for a coordinating fine stripe?

Or add a bit of wow, above, and use a zing of luscious Lotta?

I think you know which one I'll be choosing...

I hope this out of routine week has been a good one for you and you have had time to guiltlessly do something you love.

New Year's Eve tomorrow and I hope 2012 brings health, happiness and more guiltless pleasures xx

So, last postal day today and First Night Chanukah. Could things have been any better planned?!

Chanukah fluctuates from year to year, the Hebrew calendar being lunar based, and sometimes it can fall as early as December 1st, which quite frankly is a right old inconvenience.

Imagine trying to fit in lighting candles every evening, getting together and exchanging gifts with family and friends, whilst everyone is still at school, I'm on that mega work roller coaster and not to mention being organised to have presents bought and wrapped in time.

When it falls, like it has this year, when the rest of the country is festive and celebrating, it makes such a difference to enjoyment levels. 8 days of celebration ahead to be had and relished.

I even had time today after last Post Office trip of the year, to wrap the children's gifts and make their little initial notices, so everyone knows whose pile is whose. Sometimes I think this is their favourite part of Chanukah...seeing what I've come up with each year. No pressure then or anything.

Then the wrap...

I like to be festive and cohesive, without being overtly Christmassy. not an easy feat I can tell you.

However this year I had a huge pile of all my screen print testing papers that I'd kept after each printing session. Perfect! Being a hoarder I knew they would come in useful for something, quite what at that point I hadn't quite worked out.

This obviously sprung Idea 326 for 2012 of what to screen print next...wrapping paper of course! Watch this space...

8 days of Chanukah is somewhat all consuming, but when it falls in the holidays it's 8 days of fun, fun, fun!

Consequently this is a good time to sign off for the festivities and I wish each and every one of you a wonderful Festive Season ahead, whatever you may be doing.

Thank you so much for your visits and comments throughout the year. I really appreciate each and every one of them, so I can't wait to catch up in 2012 and see what the new year has in store for us all.

xxx