Wednesday 22 December 2010

Shop,shop and more shop!

It's been so long since I did a post I thought while it's a little more quiet here I'd pop by and say hello.

I have had the most amazing few weeks work wise, and it still brings a smile to my face whenever I sit and think about it. It's been very strange not getting up in the mornings to go to work after years of doing just that. I have really missed the friends I made at school and the children, especially this time of year, with all the glitter and glue!
I hadn't done any Christmas shopping up until Sunday when my husband and I went to Brighton and I've been to the shops every day since. Makes a change from sitting at the sewing machine for hours on end!

Talking of sewing machines, mine decided to stop working two days before the last Christmas order was made. Luckily I had bought another Bernina, a secondhand one, that sewed like a dream, well up until the last day of orders when it decided it too had had enough. Luckily my niece came to the rescue and lent me her shiny new Bernina and the last order was posted on Saturday.
I have my machines back working now and am ready to start on the next batch of orders for dispatch after Christmas.

Tonight is my husbands work do, not a big affair just a meal and a few drinks in the pub so on that note I'd better go and find something to wear and make myself look presentable!

I wish you all a very peaceful, happy and safe Christmas and I'll see you all very soon.

Friday 19 November 2010

Sew and sew.

Well it's been a week since I left my day job. I left with mixed emotions, sad to leave my friends but happy to see what the future brings.
I had some lovely gifts which I will share at a later date.

Business is good...........very good and i'm very grateful for that. I don't have time for a post with photos, in fact I don't have time for anything other than sew, sew and more sew!

I had an email on Wednesday to tell me that my cases are on a Christmas gift guide page in 'Closer' magazine, needless to say I did have time to pop to Tesco to buy 3 copies!!
I also had an email yesterday asking for samples as they may appear on TV in the next couple of weeks!

Someone pinch me please, I think it's time to wake up!

Hope all is well with you.

Thursday 28 October 2010

'I'll try and do a proper post with photos during half term', that's what remember saying but It's just not going to happen.
Well who wants to see photos of a sewing machine......a very nice sewing machine......a VERY reliable (fingers crossed) sewing machine........a newly serviced sewing machine.

I have sat at my sewing machine for the past I don't know how many days and I'm loving every minute of it. Yes, the orders are still flooding in and I keep thinking I'll wake up one day and it will all have been a dream.
I will be back soon with photos I promise.

Back to the day job on Monday for a rest!

I hope you're all having a fab week x

PS, Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on the last post. I'm sorry I can't reply to you all individually at the moment but as soon as Santa has been, normal service will resume!

Tuesday 19 October 2010

It's good news week.

I just wanted to drop by before I shoot off to work and update you on things here.
The orders are piling in still and i'ts just FaNtaSTiC! I'm finding it hard to manage the day job and the business, so...........................I handed my notice in yesterday and I leave in a month!

I will miss everyone at school, all the friends i've made and of course the children but i've realised over the past year that life is too short and you have to grab every opportunity while it's there.

It's half term next week and i'm hoping to get time to do a proper post with photos.
I hope you are all well and having a lovely week.
Bye for now x

Tuesday 12 October 2010

And so they keep coming!

The orders flooded in yesterday too. I just cannot believe it, it's such good news.
I love my job but as I've said in earlier posts, I'd love to design and sew full time. I came in from work yesterday and started printing off orders and began sewing. I had my husband cutting fabric, my son cutting wadding, my daughters boyfriend cutting elastic, all three packing up orders while I sewed and sewed and sewed.
At 4am, when I couldn't sleep I was up doing more of the same.
I'm off to the day job at 8.30 but before I go I just wanted to pop by and thank you for all the lovely comments you have left me. Your words of encouragement have meant so much to me, thank you.

PS...........the first order of the day has just arrived for three cases.........yee haa!!

Monday 11 October 2010

Weekend? What weekend?

It began on Saturday morning when the NOTHS calalogue came out and the orders came flooding in. I never imagined I would be THIS busy but they did warn me.
These are just some of the orders. There are more to do .........
And more to print off!
There was a lot of high fives being shared in my house this weekend!
I hope your weekend was good too.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Fame at last!

The new Christmas Gift Guide from Not On The High Street is out today and I'm in it! I was asked by them to adapt my sunglasses case and design a glasses case for Grandparents. I made a few prototypes and emailed them photos. When we were both happy with the end result I then agreed to be in the gift guide.
I received my copy yesterday and I must say I'm very happy with the result.

What do you think?

I've just been on the phone to my sister and we both said we wish our parents were here to see it, particularly our mum whose name is on all my products.

Thanks mum for teaching me to sew all those years ago x

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Pumpkin Patch

I met a friend for coffee and cake after work today, naughty but nice!

We went to a farm shop just around the corner from where we work. It's a really lovely place where all the produce looks delicious.
They sell jars of jam, chutney, fresh meat, cakes, bread and all things yummy!
Outside were trailers with hundreds and I mean hundreads of pumpkins,
all shapes..........
and sizes...........

and colours.

Oh how I LoVe the colours.
The rich oranges and greens.
Halloween, here we come!








Thursday 30 September 2010

Bad Blogger!

I've been a bad blogger.
It's been ages since my last post. I've been busy with orders which is FaNtasTiC and I've had very little time to take photos so I thought I'd show you some photos I took a while ago .
Isn't the detail just amazing?

They've given me lots of inspiration for some sewing.








Have a lovely weekend and I'll try and pop back soon.




Sunday 12 September 2010

Sewing Saturday

New designs for a local shop. It's a tea cosy not a hat!



New 'Moo' cards that i'm very happy with!






Sunday 5 September 2010

Stay at home Sunday

I realise my posts are like buses at the moment. You don't see one for ages then the all come at once!
I've had a stay at home day today. Well, that is apart from a 2 mile brisk walk this morning. I'm trying hard to do some exercise as I don't do any and I realise it's about time I did.
When I got home I was in a cooking/baking mood. I prefer baking to cooking. In fact I LoVe baking. I could make cakes and biscuits all day long.
I started by making some soup for me to take to work tomorrow. I found this recipe on a blog a while ago but I can't remember where.
Anyway, it's very easy.
Fresh or tinned tomatoes,

one or two onions, a jar, tin or fresh peppers, chilli powder, water, tomato puree and bring it to the boil.
Simmer for 15 mins and when it's cool liquidise. Yum!

I recently bought the cook book that accompanies the BBC2 show, 'The Great British Bake Off' and there is a lovely recipe for jam tarts in it.




I thought I'd make them to take in to work tomorrow but unless a few people are off ill there wont be enough to go round as my husband keeps eating them!

Next it was jewellery making time.
Someone at work had commented on a pair of earrings I was wearing so i thought I'd make some more.




Along with some rings,
And of course a cupcake ring!

If you are interested in anything please leave me a message and I'll contact you. I have lots of other colours available too.

They are £5 each (rings or earrings) including P&P











Saturday 4 September 2010

Saturday strolling

We spent Saturday afternoon walking around the harbour deciding which apartment we are going to buy when we win the Lottery!


We decided on one of these. They are a new development and there are quite a few still available.


We walked for about an hour, passing by a couple of Martello towers. Some along the coastline have been turned in to houses. I'm not sure I'd like to live in one though as I like lots of natural light and I'm guessing there wouldn't be much inside one of these!



We watched the boats come in to the harbour and luckily both agreed on the style and colour we wanted.............dream on!










The apartments you can see in the distance look amazing but don't have a sea view so we crossed these off the list.
We finished the afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate. What a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
I hope yours was good too.
















Summer loving!

Hello again!
I'm very sorry for the long silence, I didn't mean to be away this long but you know how it is.
Well, I hope you have all had a lovely summer and are those of you who have school aged children, are settling back in to some kind of routine.
Getting up on time on Wednesday morning to go back to work was not easy!
So what did we get up to in the holidays? Well here we go..............

Firstly, photos of the FaNtaStiC Red Arrows. We are very lucky living where we do here on the south coast that we have our very own free air show on the seafront every summer and I never tire of watching the planes.
This year my daughter and I were collecting for the local hospice and were ask to stand next to the RAF tent!! Well ladies, someone had to do it!!

My husband and I went away for a couple of days towards the end of the holidays to Stratford- upon -Avon and on the way we stopped off at Warwick castle. It was, as you can see, a beautiful day and what a lovely castle it was too.


Sorry this photo is here twice but I knew if I tried to delete it I would delete the whole lot and that my friends would make me very angry!








We watched jousting...........



We climbed to the top of the tower...............














And I took my favourite photo of the whole summer!



This view doesn't look real. Fancy living there......how lovely.




Shakespeare's birth place..........



Beautiful houses.............





A leisurely trip up the river.............





"Auntie Em, Auntie Em!"............




We watched this man painting himself silver on the pavement and put his wig and hat on. I have no idea how it's possible for anyone to stand still that long!
I can't wait for the next half term to come along. I'm sure it wont take that long!


I have just placed an order for some business cards from Moo.com and here's a couple of photos that I used for the front of them. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished item.






I've been very busy with orders and I need to pop off now and finish a big one I had in the other day.
Thank you for popping by and I'll try not to leave it so long till I next post!