Lovely New Purchases...

I saw these cute little spotty cases in John Lewis and just had to get them!  I've decided to keep all my felt and embroidery things in them. I have got so many boxes and bags full of crafty stuff now that not only have I cluttered up my own room but the living room as well... my poor housemate she must be so fed up with me sometimes (especially all the stray thread that seems to get trailed around the flat - especially as it's almost impossible to hover off our carpets!) But generally I am quite untidy - with piles of fabric, half finished projects and BOOKS piled up here, there and everywhere - but I like to think it's because I'm creative and I've got too much going on in my head to worry about tidy things away -  I guess that probably just an excuse for being lazy!

Speaking of my housemate I bought her this gorgeous ceramic bird house for Christmas (I loved it so much I even bought a smaller one for myself - I know I'm terrible!) I got it from a lovely little shop which sells handmade and crafty things. They had a fabulous window display that drew me straight in even though I didn't really have time to look....

  

I would love a little shop like that - being my own boss and selling the things I make (possible in a little studio out the back) - that would be sooo amazing! Well a girl can dream can't she.....

Our Crafty Christmas Tree.

Talk about eclectic! - Not only is our Christmas tree adorned by 'Nightmare before Christmas' baubles, Tigger, stars and many other random dangly things - there is also my strange felt creations and my housemate's handmade gingerbread decorations. Are we a crafty household or what!?!

I Love Felt.....

Sick but surprisingly productive...

Today I came home from work sick again! (second time in two weeks) I think I may have discovered the source of my sickness - I think I may have become allergic to mushrooms! (which would suck as I love eating them!) It started again at my Christmas meal on Saturday and I'm still feeling a bit off. I became queasy sometime between the starter ( you guessed it - mushrooms!) and main course. I thought I was just unlucky to have caught the same bug twice but someone at work pointed out that the last time I became ill was the day after eating mushrooms! I don't know what to do - should I try them again and see if the same thing happens or just avoid them and just assume that they are the cause? 

Anyway to take my mind off feeling like I am gonna throw up every few minutes, I made 4 decorations for my Christmas tree. It did make me feel a little better and it felt good to have a semi productive day (maybe I should get sick more often! - no way! I'd rather never sew again than feel like this every day!)

They are made from lovely coloured felt, buttons and embroidery thread. My housemate seems to love them, she thinks they look like little faces!

Oh well..

Oh well no sales at the craft fair (boooo!) but I'm not too upset due to the bags I sold at work last week and I sold another one today! (wooo!) Also I let one of my colleagues take the rest of the bags home for her daughter and her friends to peruse (as she really loved the bags her mum bought and even nabbed one for herself!) ... so that could mean a few more sales! In the mean time I should really get going on the making.... especially trying new things not just sticking to the safe, straight forward totes that I could probably make in my sleep! So that means taking this crafting malarky a bit more seriously in the new year. Starting by getting my personal graphic designer/boyfriend to make me some lovely business cards so I can appear to be a bit more professional than scribbling my etsy address on random scraps of paper for people. I'm also thinking of maybe getting some leaflets printed up as my lovely colleague suggested that she could put them in with the catalogues she delivers which would be awesome!

I got some really nice feedback from FluffysStuff (the lovely lady who was my first folksy sale) and was just thinking what a shame it was that some people who have bought stuff from me haven't left feedback! I know that I shouldn't worry about it or take it personally but I guess it's just nice to know what people think and I admit I'm paranoid if I don't get any feedback from someone but they have left it for other people.... it kinda says to me that the person didn't like their purchase but are just too nice to say!!!!! Oh well....

Why didn't I think of it earlier....

As Alix is kindly taking my bags to this craft fair on Saturday I took my them into work to pass onto her other half as he is going with her (mostly for moral support as it is her first craft fair). I had been toying for a while with the idea of putting up a poster at work advertising my wares and I just decided that I should just ask around to see if any of my colleagues were interested in buying and amazingly they were!! In the space of a couple of hours I had sold 5 bags to 4 people and made a grand total of £28!! (not all that much I know but that is definitely my best sales day  ever!) I hoping to flog some more tomorrow but I guess I shouldn't wish to unload all of them as there won't be any for Alix to take to London!

Book group choices for December and January are - 'Thirteen' by Sebastian Beaumont and the 'Lucifer Box Omnibus - The Versuvius Club/Devil in Amber' by Mark Gatiss.

Running out of time....

Well the lovely Alix of Big Blue Bed is off to the WeMake London craft fair on Saturday and she has very kindly offered to take some of my bags to sell for me. It has come round sooo quickly, I intended to make lots of bags but (as usual) I kept putting it off and only ended making 2 new ones in the past few weeks! It was my day off and I only manage to make one today (see photo below)

I'll try to motivate myself to make another one tonight when I get back from my book group and maybe attempt a couple more tomorrow after work. I've unlisted pretty much all the bags from my etsy shop so I'll take them and hope to make at least another 3 bags but really I shouldn't make too many as I don't want to overload poor Alix on her journey to London! 

Currently reading - 'Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders' by Gyles Brandreth.