the stars are out

As you can see I've been working on some more christmas decorations! I've also been trying different sizes and the larger ones you see here are really growing on me, I think they could look great on a big tree or hung from a door or fireplace. I just want to make a wider range of colours before I put any in the shop, which will probably be after our holiday now. Tonight I have a custom order to finish, a huge pile of ironing to tackle and two dresses to alter, I'd better get started! : )

thank you!

Today I want to say thank you to two different blogs, the first is How About Orange , where Jess has added one of my new leaf series to her 'fun things to buy on etsy' section. Thanks Jess! And can you see Cicada Studios , newest fabric in there too? And the other thank you goes to Rachel at Contented , who today has shown the print she purchased from me in its new frame in its new home, which is a pleasure to see. Thank you so much! : )

ribbon

A busy week and weekend means that although I am part way through a few things none of them are finished yet. But I did spend a long time in the fabric shop on saturday choosing (and buying) all this lovely ribbon to be used for my christmas decorations! : )

christmas!?!

I think a little bit of my sister is starting to rub off on me! She has been super organised and spent a good few weeks already planning her christmas 08 items. I on the other hand have spent only a few evenings, but am enjoying thinking about something different. These star decorations are my first new christmas set for 2008, they were an idea that just couldn't wait to get out and will hopefully very soon be created in a selection of colourways. They are a variation on my snowflake decorations from last year, which I will be making again I think but only in limited quantites. So, Christmas in July, a nice novelty! : )

space, or lack of

Why this odd photo I hear you ask? Its all because Katy showed us her workspace and then said 'show me yours!' So I have. Small isn't it, all I have managed to do is commandeer part of our coffee table for part of the time, quite often everything is packed away in the little box and put away. Now you can see why I dream of a room I could fill with all my craft things. Of course I also have my felt box, a big rolling box under the bed full of all my fabric, a bigger sewing box, a tray of sewing cottons and a big pouffe which holds all my picciolo things. I am slowly taking over the house! : )

a really big smile!

I think that this one of my new leaf series might have made it to the front page of etsy yesterday, after being listed in my shop for just one day! I'm not certain as it isn't in a treasury at the moment, but it has suddenly had over 300 views and has 13 hearts. Also my hearts jumped by about thirty, which is what makes me think it might have been on the front page. Anyway, whether it was or not it was certainly a great surprise to see all those hearts and views when I logged on just now, its given me a big smile to start my saturday night. I'll stop rambling now! : )

'leaf series'

OK, so here at last is the new line I have been working on, my 'leaf series' of original fabric artwork! I love creating the mixture of fabrics, patterns, textures and colours in these and I'm looking forward to making many more. These five are now listed in my etsy shop, come and take a look at all the extra pictures. : ) And for those of you that were wondering, this is what broad beans look like, they must have another name in other countries maybe? : )

getting ready

A couple of uncrafty shots today, while I continue to get my new line ready to go, which I am hoping to unveil here and in my etsy shop tomorrow. At last! I'm really quite excited to show you what I have been up to. But back to today, the top picture is of a delicious (even if do say so myself) dip I made yesterday from some of the broad beans from the allotment. Broad beans have got to be one of my favourite vegetables now, and I've been looking forward to them being ready to eat for months now. There is still a tiny bit of this left but I think I might have to go and finish it off in a minute! And the second picture shows a very pretty bunch of flowers that Holly picked me from the allotment, they are actually coriander flowers and they smell delicious! : )

we know our onions!

This is our dining room at the moment, you'll be lucky if you can sit at the table as the floor has been commandeered by our haul of red onions, shallots and garlic from the allotment. They need to stay here and dry in the sun for a while, then it will be my job to plait them together ready to hang in the shed for use over the next few months. Next up to pick are the broad beans, and we have lots of courgettes on the way. Yum!! And I couldn't resist a green home for pins, which I have just listed in my shop. I'm off to tidy my big box of felt now (trust me it really need a good tidy up!) in an attempt to keep things straight in between sewing items. Wish me luck! : )

thank you!

Firstly, here is my newest pincushion, which I will be putting in the shop a little later on, just in time for the weekend. And, I need to say a great big thank you today to the lovely Shayla for passing this wonderful blog award on to me. What a wonderful surprise. Head over to Shayla's blog to see her fantastic works of art, created with an amazing array of mediums, they are breathtaking. Now I am sorry but I am going to break the rules on this one, and not nominate seven others as the rules state, purely because I have done a couple of these recently and don't want people to get fed up with them. I hope you understand! Happy weekend everyone : )

the pins have a home at last

At last the first new 'home for pins' is done and ready to put in my shop in a little while. It was hard to cut into my new piece of pink 'coriander' fabric for this one but I'm glad I did, I am pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully I will have some others to join this one very soon! And today I discovered I am in a treasury, thanks to byemmajo ! : )

bits

This blurred, not very good photo is me trying to show you part of a new project without giving too much away! Hopefully now that I am getting a bit more back on track I will have something more concrete to show soon. And I am hoping to finish some 'homes for pins' tonight ready to put in my shop tomorrow, I have had fun choosing colours and fabrics and even managed to cut into one of my favourite Amy Butler coriander prints. It has been very wet here today and I am still drying out from cycling home from work and then walking to get Holly from school, she has had a wonderful day today on her first school trip to London Aquarium, I have one tired little girl here! : )

nobody mention migraines

Ok, so my weekend was officially a washout, after not one but two mean old migraines on saturday. But enough of them, I am starting to feel a bit like myself again and am hoping I won't see another one for a good long while! This little box will be making its way into the shop a little bit later, and as well as my new projects I need to concentrate on getting some new 'homes for pins' made as I am now down to the last one. : )

the weekend!

It's been a bit of a stressful week for me at work, which culminated in another migraine yesterday which because of deadlines I had to work through, then ended up at the doctors and coming home early from work today. Am I glad it is the weekend! I am being whisked away by my sister-in-law later hopefully for a nice restful weekend, I hope you all have a good one. I'm sorry I've been light on posts this week, I hope for an improvement next week! ***So I am away from my shop from now, (Friday 4th July 5pm uk time) until sunday evening, any purchases will not be delayed at all and will be posted on monday.*** : )

a big smile...

...because look at all the wonderful fabric that arrived for me! I have cut into it already and finished a couple of new things, but I won't be showing any here for a little while longer, I have more sewing to do and photographs to take. But I am quite excited by them, pictures soon! : )