Date for your diary - 19th November!!

I've made a bit of a leap and have booked myself a stall at a Christmas fair in November.  It seemed a good idea at the time but now I realise that I need to make a tonne of stuff to a) fill up my table space and b) sell!

I've been thinking about having a stall for a while and then came across a poster for the fair at the Community Centre nearby - it seemed an ideal opportunity as it's indoors and the table is provided meaning I don't need to fork out for any equipment.  So, even while Little Miss L and I were spending a few days away with family last week, it means spending every available minute making.

The Christmas Fair is the 19th November at the Hythe Centre, Thorpe Road, Staines  - come along if you happen to be in the area......there's even an inflatable snow dome (I don't really know what this is but it sounds intriguing!)

Handmade Christmas Decorations now available

Gosh, it was just as well I started Christmas prep early, turns out we have no tree!  We could have easily got to just days before Christmas and not even realised - is this what is meant by "everything happens for a reason"?  I start a business, make decorations for sale and discover we have no tree prompting a quick online buy of tree.  Mmm, I'm hoping starting a business will lead to slightly bigger things but I'll take it for now.  We have narrowly escaped a frantic Christmas Eve chase for a tree!

Well, everything is sorted now.  Below are pictures of said new tree with handmade Christmas decorations now available from my shop - reindeer, Christmas puddings and snowflakes.  Prices start at £5 for a set of 3 reindeer and snowflakes and £6 for 3 puddings.

We will be having these on our tree this year as I really like the homemade look of them; the puddings are my favourite!

Christmas Countdown

It is totally against everything I have always done, but this week - October 3rd, I started preparing for Christmas!  Previously, any early prep involved stockpiling Christmas food treats which were then found and eaten by Mr L; my usual routine is too think about Christmas a lot but leave most things until the last minute.  Every year, I think that we could do with some lovely new decorations for our little tree but leave it far too late and am left with a hotch potch choice of garish and broken glass!

Not this year though!  Our tree will be decorated by these lovely handmade decorations which I'll also be selling in my shop.  These are only a prototype to get the shapes right, the colours will be different and a few more finishing touches will be added but you get the basic idea.....

It seems especially odd to make Christmas puddings and snowflakes in 28 degree heat!

Taking Photos

Gosh, it feels like a while since I wrote - umm, let me think what I have been up to - finishing orders, sending out quotes, making curtains for Little Miss L's playhouse, book-keeping (at last, I think I may have got my head around it!), thinking about new products and trying to make the best of my limited photography skills and equipment!

Now that the weather is turning, I will have to find another way of snapping my products for the shop. All my photos so far have been taken in my garden making the most of the little sunshine we did have this year but I don't think a grey drizzly day really sells bunting!

So, I brought a pop-up light tent on ebay and a daylight bulb for my lamp to try out some indoor photos:

I think the photo's turned out much better than my previous efforts:

However, there are some minor issues:

1. The light tent is soooo big, it practically takes up my whole sewing space and I have to get in it to arrange anything.

2. Mr L recently pointed out that my camera has about 9 million pixels less than the cheapest camera currently on the market (mmm, a new camera might be in order here!)

3. My pop-up lightbox won't fully pop-down.  It is one of those annoying flexible frame things that is supposed to fold up and go back into it's little dinner plate sized bag but I have been fighting with it all afternoon and it's not happening.  Still, won't need to workout for a while with all that wrestling!

Beef

Mr L has come over all hunter-gatherer.  Last night we went on a butchery course at The Ginger Pig in London; as he was back late last night and up early for work this morning I haven't had a chance to find out if he enjoyed it. 

However, I was a bit shocked this morning to find this in the fridge - it's huge!!

It's taken up half the fridge! I'm not even sure it will fit in the oven - I hope he knows how to cook it as I guess this is Sunday lunch....and Monday lunch, Tuesday lunch.....

A new look

The eagle eyed of you will have no doubt noticed my blog has a new look!  I have recently had a logo designed which I'm really please with and so I'm working my way through all my online bits and pieces updating everything.  Whilst doing this, thought I would add a gallery page so that you can keep tabs on all my products - please take a look on the next page.

Also, a special hello to all the readers in the US, Germany and Russia!

Here is my new logo - what do you think??

New Wedding Bunting

I've just added a new line to my Simple Things eshop - wedding bunting in 3 designs.

All 3 designs are shown in cream cotton fabric with black lettering and matching black bias binding (which I think looks really good) but if you would like any or all of this bunting to match your wedding colour scheme, please let me know.

Wedding Bunting:

Just Married Bunting:

Mr & Mrs Bunting:

Each length of bunting is available for £20 each or all three designs for £50. 

I hope you like it.  (Thank goodness for sunny days - not sure what I'll do in the winter!!)