Absence makes the post seem longer

Welcome to December!
November has been a pretty non sort of month. I had spent so long blogging last month that I didn't seem to create on the same level as previously, and so I haven't had much to say.

The pause in my blogging was in no way reflected in my day to day life.
Life as they say, goes on.
I made plenty of changes though, lots of decisions, lots of baby steps forward towards my goals.

In February I have signed up to present to Liberty of London open design call.

This has also meant I have had to hire one of these scary looking beasts:

That is not my beast, mine is yet to arrive, hopefully it will happen this week as time is running out to complete the prototypes.

To make way for this beauty I have had to be brutal about my creative space and focus on one design, one medium. This has meant a huge clear out of the womb.

Before:

After:

Its seems very bare, but its focused.

I might even get round to decorating it now.
I found this gorgeous wallpaper in B&Q that would look lovely 

 Sophie Conran

 

I have also had to fully commit by selling the craft tools I no longer need or that I know I will not use, like my first sewing machine and my Leclerc Table Loom.
A sad, sad day :(

Apologies to everyone I usually visit at your blogs.

I will resume normal service shortly, whatever that is! I am going to try and post at least three times a week at the moment, but forgive me if I don't manage it!

I hope you are all well.

Speak soon

Bonnie

:)

White room

After the non starter craft fair I decided that the way forward was to take all my stuff to the white room in town and make my stuff look as gorgeous on film as it does in the flesh.
It turns out that the local white room is actually a fantasy shared amongst my friends and not an actual place.
Poo :(
In desperation I decided to make one out of a corner of the workwomb and two sheets.

I thought it worked out ok. Some of my pictures came out quite nice:

and others were not so great:

Its really hit and miss as to what looks good.

Maybe I am being over critical, but I think that some of my work looks a bit crap.
Please go and have a look at my Folksy Page and tell me what you think.

I think I need a tripod. I also think that maybe sheets are not the best thing to use.
Anyone else had any experience of self made white rooms?
Hints and tips gratefully received!

Go with the flow

Today was the girls first day in first year and their first time in separate classrooms.
Don't they look cute!

Their day's both went well and it seems that separating them was a good plan after all.
However, I am not so sure that it has had the desired affect on me.
Maybe it was the early start after six weeks off, but I fluffed and stumbled around my sewing projects today.

I ran out of things, made the same mistakes over and over and finally I gave in and decided today was not a day to sew.
The womb had become a mess and so it seems was my creative flow, so instead for sewing I tided.

I hope that it will have the desired effect tomorrow and I will be back on form again, like when I made my last bag:

Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

Ten hour days

I am still working flat out.
Haven't had a sit down meal with the family since last Thursday!
I have been on the PC all day, in the Workwomb most of the evening.
I even missed out on taking the girls to the village carnival on Saturday and I still have so much to do!
This is the bottom section of my to do list, which is two A4 sheets stuck together! Look no ticks anywhere!

It doesn't help that I keep running out of  thread. My tin looks like its overflowing, which it is really, but I never seem to have enough of the right colour at the moment.

The nearest shop that sells good thread (I mainly use Gutermann or Coats) is a 28 mile round trip, so takes at least an hour all in.
Anyway,  I bought more thread and a tray to put it all on. It's amazing how few I seem to have, even though I spent £24 on thread just today!

Still, I am loving all this work, if you can call it that, because its fun and a challenge.
It could be worse, I could be like this little guy Farm boy found in the garden trying to find somewhere to hibernate.
I found him a tiny pot of his own and popped him in to protect him a bit. Bless him!

Hope you have all had a good weekend :)

Technical overload!

Hello there!
I've not put my laptop down for the last few days.
Even though I've not posted I have been here for hours, working through my blog making little adjustments and improvements.
I've joined Twitter, Flickr and Folksy, I made a favicon, I signed up to directories and search engines. I've pinged and buzzed and stumbled upon!
I made a button that you can have on your page if you so desire and I also added a disclosure policy to the bottom of my blog.
I think for now I have tweaked enough and should again concentrate on getting more content on here rather than shiny things!

I have also been keeping up with the blogs I am following and seeing all the wonderful stuff that the creative folk around me are up to, I especially enjoyed reading the Autumn issue of UK Handmade.
What a cool e zine.

I have joined a free motion quilt along over at lovely Christina's blog a few scraps. I am not making a full quilt at this stage, just a practice pad, or a sewing machine rest as I like to call it! Christina is really friendly and totally puts you at ease, what a good teacher!
I have also signed up for the great stocking swap over at Selina's Vintage. Basically you make a stocking and send it off to your swap partner and they do the same. Brilliant! What a cool idea.

All this media overload has meant I was in need of an escape, so the family decided to go and play in the woods and watch the sunset, which is getting scarily earlier every night!

Then it was back home to finish up a couple of  Lapsnugs for my stall next week. I can't believe its so soon!

Bagtastic!

I have been in my workwomb nearly all of this bank holiday as I was so behind on preparations for my first craft fair.
My lovely farm boy took the girls out for the afternoon today and yesterday while I cracked on and I am happy to say success!
I managed to design, cut, build and finish my first bag design!
I have decided to call it The Tilley Bag, as that is where is was born! :)

 It has two front panel pockets, as well as two zipper pockets inside those front panel pockets

and another two panel pockets on the back.

It is big enough to hold a laptop, in my laptop snug.

I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself.

Of course there will be tweaks and improvements but for tonight, I am happy with it.

 The Tilley Bag

Modeled by Farm boy

I think the girls enjoyed being out with daddy and the chickens too!

Banner update

This post will be short and sweet, but I wanted to mention the banner is coming along nicely so far.

The lettering took some time, as I decided to use printed letters from the computer.
First I had to re-size all the lettering over three A3 sheets, then cut them all out before gluing them onto the back of an appliqued sheet, which I nearly ruined by forgetting to mirror the image!
Of course I had already stuck down the letters by this point, so had to carefully peel them all off before reapplying them the right(or wrong!)way.
Then I ran out of glue, so had to wait until today to get more! I also ran out of white sheeting, so can not actually finish sticking the pieces onto anything to be appliqued. What a drama!

Never mind, it means I have time tonight to make up a trial wallet before cutting out lots. I always find USA pattern to be a little too small for UK money so find it best to make up a sample before committing to my best fabric.
Happy stitching :)

Creating desire

Since I first decided to sell the things I sew I have been working on creating a fluid image for my products.
I want my products to shine out to my potential customers and to have all the pomp and glamour a big business brand would have, yet I want to retain the approachability and originality that buying handmade goods brings to the public.

I think the key is:
a) Have a great product that is unique, desirable and appropriately priced
b) Have an image that stands out and is repeated in all area's of your business
c) Let your personality come through in your products!
d) Sell in the right places, with the right attitude

So...

I am making a banner to go across the front of my stall which has my logo across it.

I really like my logo, It is bright, simple and cute, maybe a little girly, but it is representative of me.
I am going to applique the image onto a white background and then use eyelets and cord to attach it to the front of the stall.

 I have also taken the leap and had invoices made up with my logo,

and stickers to seal my products,
which will be wrapped in the funky zebra tissue paper you can see below!

And here's the inspiration behind my Fat Chick going over the rainbow:
(yes its fabric!)
Were not in Kansas anymore Toto!

Hope your having  good weekend wherever you are!

Breath in...and relax

I have my first ever craft show on 11th September, which means I am furiously making stuff, like all the time.
Well, that's the theory!
The reality is that it's only three weeks into the six weeks summer holidays so my wonderful girls are at home with me all day.
This also means that all my friends children are off too and well, they are BORED!
Which all adds up to well meaning sabotage, all week!
Ho hum!
So now, I am up to my eyes in it!
Today I am making five different versions of Pink Chalk Studio's Mail sack

I am slowly moving in the right direction!

My single hole punch came today, so I can finish off my fat chick price tags:

And I finished my lapsnug too!

Maybe these little helpers have been sewing of a night?

Or maybe it's the peaceful moments that I take when I am in the garden?

The cyclamen has just burst though. It's so delicate, almost like origami.

And the sweetpeas are still going strong, as is the Lavender.
Maybe I just need to think like a flower and blooming get on with it!