PinPots & NeedleBooks & PaperFish Pretties...

 These PinPots are one of the first designs i started selling on Etsy,

Crazy to think how long ago that was now!

The pride i have in my design is that i am still making and selling them today.

They are such a talking point at Craft Fairs because they are cute and tactile and bright and functional!

People like that :) I like that! and that makes me feel good about my work.

 I still love making them and mixing up the colours and patterns.

In fact... i am still using the first one i ever made!! that is my own testiment to how the quality of handmade does (or can & should) stand up to timeless use.

So, these are not in the SALE as such because i sell these at £8 ecah and that is pretty reasonable for an item that has alot of fiddly time put into them.

You can however save money because they are in the FREEUK postage offer.

So, if you have fancied a PinPot in the past but the postage bumps up the price then

WED 29. FEB - is the day to take advantage.

See all my shop feedback for very happy customers.

 NeedleBooks - again, i boast here *if i may* that the design is my own original design and has changed very little since the first one i ever made. I am most proud of these because they really work - and are so versatile with their metal bookring. I was worried the metal would rust over time and bleed into the fabrics BUT, again, i am still using one of the first NeedleBooks i ever made - years and years since.

The NeedleBooks are £11 each - that is quite a bit of money for a needle storage case but it will last you forever if you look after it and you can see the work that has gone into all the little deatils.

FREEUK postage - throughout the day.

 Mini Tags - anyone can make mini-tags and i include them in my PaperFish shop because they can inspire people to make their own cute pieces. But these are already made up for those of us who just want somebody else to be organised for us!! easy peasy and very cheap. Great to keep in a drawer for gift wrapping or use them on children's party bags etc...

PaperFish really is the heart of what i do - how i like to design and make but i have increasingly had to put this element of my business to one side. I find it really hard to make a living from my own designs. It takes a great deal of time to design, produce, market this side and i have often thought about closing the PaperFish Etsy shop.... but seriously? i think it would break my heart...

 I found myself selling supplies on Etsy not so very long after i opened PaperFish for the handmade pretties.

People were asking where i got my supplies from...

and i had taken a long time finding good supply shops and buying in bulk to reduce my cost prices.

It seemed a 'no brainer' to open the supplies shop.

Don't get me wrong though, it isn't easy to sell 'anything'!! everything has a plan / a campaign / an element of risk....

sometimes i buy stuff for me and never use it - sometimes stock arrives and i think "it won't fit with my style and ethos" so it sits in a box for months on end...

So: SALE wise - there will be a great deal of Bias Binding.

the odd Tool,

Some really obscure bits n pieces,

some tape measures maybe,

a few buttony tins...

all these pieces that i have collected but never found it easy to sell or have never got round to 'launching' as it were. I implore you to take advantage of all this that gets listed in BigFish and PaperFish.

I am selling them to make space for new items and a more cohesive supplies collection.

FREEUK postage - do quote this at checkout

And cheapo supplies....

WEDNESDAY 29. Feb - come & play on etsy

http://www.paperfish.etsy.com/

thankyou for reading my sale details - i hope there is something you can take advantage of and enjoy xxx

London Calling for 2012... Full on gorgeousness in the way of Ribbons!

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/93522956/3-trims-london-baby-mix-of-3-metre

Awwww, i am loving these ribbons and especially in this set of 3

London is pretty cool anyway, you agree? it has vibe, history, a certain degree of "cool"

but especially so in 2012!

We have lots to get groovy about this year...

 So the BigFish store is selling various sets of these Trims in 1 metre lengths.

I am selling a few of the Union Jack colourways by the reel too and they are selling like hot cakes.

 I am thinking: Brooches and Bunting and embellishments...

cardmaking, scrapbooking...

Cake Toppers and... wrapping around our semi naked selves?

 So, London is Calling for 2012

Huzzah!!

I am quite good to you :)

hee hee x x x 

Jubilee Bows and Owl Trim

 uh oh, P.S

also great for cake toppers = these mini fabric bows!

Cute, no?

 I love these. They are so London and definately what 2012 is about.

A bit of pride in our Nation and all that it encompasses. A bit of support for a Monarchy - that i do believe, generates much more money for the UK in Tourism than it spends. Sorry, that is my stance on the Royals.

 And my less controversial opinion on owls.

OWLS!

I live in "Owl End Way" so this trim is just gorgeous in my opinion.

Promise i will blog something clever and noteworthy soon...

(Ok, like i ever have blogged anything of the sort.... but maybe some more great cooking)

Olympic & Jubilee Cake Toppers...

 Cute, Quick, Crafty... don't say i never give you anything!

These cake toppers / decorations are awesomely easy and cheap. They take little explanation...

 Cocktails sticks with stuff on - great for kids but obviously watch how sharp the tops are.

For the Flag Toppers:

I bash one of my ends on the table to blunt it slightly before it goes inside the ribbon.

Two lengths of the flag used as this will fold over on top of each other.

I used double sided tape AND a splodge of glue because they *ping* apart if u don't.

 The Felt Ball Bobble Toppers:

I used the smaller 1cm Felt Balls

Get the sharpest end of the stick - dab a bit of wet glue on.

Push and wriggle it into a felt ball as far as you can - then leave it to dry.

 I also used the red balls as Christmas Toppers for Party Sandwiches, ala Rudolph's Rednose.

It's all a bit of fun and magic :)

 Best suited to mini cakes and muffins but this half scoffed Chocolate Cake was easy to hand for display purposes!! (only?)

 You can also try chopping a few small pieces of felt and making mini flags / bunting etc... as toppers.

Kids love this as it is quick and easy to do.

My BigFish shop on etsy, is stocking this vintage style flag Trim in 3 colourways, just inacse you need some.

What are your plans?

2012 is a great opportunity for some:

Street Parties

Bake Sales

Olympic Sofa Gatherings / Couch Coaching...

Lists...

 LISTen, i know you are equally obsessed with List making as I am.

I have lists for EVERYTHING

Some are just dotted down to help me organise my thoughts

Some are actual longer-term lists i am working through...

 I have a notebook in my shopping bag that has lists of every measurement of every room in my house,

all the walls and the windows... just incase i see some bargain homeware and i need to know if something will 'fit'. You can suggest the term OCD if you want, but i won't listen.

Organisation is the key to any efficient lifestyle.

(HA!...)

I am currently on the lookout for a huge picture frame that i can spray paint and turn into a noticeboard

(to display my lists, obviously)

Lists:

House measurements and needs List

List of things to Sew for my home

List of things to buy next time i am in town

List of accomplishments i want for my business

List of phonecalls i must make and bills to pay

List of food from the supermarket today

List of improvements i need to make to all my webshops

List of new training exercises i want to try at the Gym

List of plants that might work in my garden

THAT Amazon List - you know you all have one...

Happy 2012 - go make a list!



2012... Say YES!.....

 I generally have just ONE

New Years Resolution for 2012...

 It is the Mantra that is going to guide me through a fantastic year (i hope)

 Saying "yes" is an attempt to put me out of my comfort zone

to welcome new opportunities

because i have a tendancy to hide away from life

(and just poke my head out into the blogosphere and back)

 I mean to be slightly 'measured' in this though.

I am not 'yes-ing' in gay abandon to all and sundry....!

But generally

"yes"

will ensure i have a more exciting year than one in which i say 'no' more often than not.

so:

"yes"  "thankyou, i will"  "yes please" &  "see you there"

 x x x



Books for your Christmas List? I have a few ideas... and if you love TEA, you'll love this...

 Hello and Welcome to Kirsty's amazing Book Review!

(*like i am on the Telly, wearing glasses that make me look clever*)

This is a gorgeous book newly published by "hardie grant"

 and just in-time for Christmas Lists and Christmas Gifts.

So here is my indepth Tea Discussion...

Do you know what breaks my heart? A Department Store restaurant where i sit, with a nasty white chipped tea pot and stained, thick rimmed tea cup. In the Tea Pot is a stale tasting tea bag on a string, the tea barely strong enough to colour the water...

Is this the end of Tea... TEA as we know it? And all the beauty that goes with it? Has the Costa Coffee generation contributed to the demise of the Tea Shoppe?

 Now Blog Friends - i know you well enough I think...

and if i tell you this book is called TEA & CAKE we need not review it any further as i have the feeling it is SOLD! on the title alone :)

It is though, a lovely book and nobody has paid me to say this to you.

 Seriously, nobody needs a book about Tea and more Recipes for Cake: we know this.

But "Tea& Cake" is really pretty and will totally inspire and indulge anyone who loves their cups of tea, their girly coffee mornings, or the odd Tea Party.

 This has to be my favourite page....

an awesome illustrative explanation to the types of tea we like!

And the illustrations are beautifully and thoughtfully done by Emma Block.

Emma Block likes "Charity Shops, Tea and very sharp pencils" so surely she is a friend of ours?

 I said to Emma: "My Blog readers and I LOVE vintage tea cups, teapots, colourful mugs... do they inspire you too?

And where did you find all the cups involved in your illustrations?"

Emma said to us: "Almost all of the tea cups in the book are mine or my granny’s. I have quite a large vintage teacup collection and I find it really helps to draw from life. I did find a few on etsy though. My grandpa is an antique silver dealer and he is very pleased that my drawings of his silver sugar tongs and caddy spoons are in the book"

 Emma, Has the British ‘Tea’ really turned into “Let’s have a milky brew, made with a bag in a mug, stood at the kitchen work surface”?

Aaah, replies Emma, "I think real tea is coming back. We’ve gotten used to expecting a bit more than a Tetley’s tea bag floating in a mug when we go to a cafe. More often we see ‘posh tea bags’ (Tea Pigs are a good example) and occasionally a loose leaf tea, which all seems to justify the ever increasing price tag of the humble cup of tea"

 I was superbly surprised to find the section on coctails in the book!!

You know i have my bookmark pinned in the page called THE NAUGHTY EARL

so this isn't all about pretty illustrations of Victoria Sponge... there are lots of tea based ideas to keep us fans inspired.

 You will really like this book i think, otherwise i wouldn't be telling you all about it.

I am keeping my copy because i am selfish but i might be buying one for my friend for Christmas (don't tell her) and then you will be itching to put out your thrifted table cloths and best mis-matched china and get the girls over for tea.... invite me won't you?

 And very soon i shall be reviewing the *new* Pip Lincolne Book

AND.....

I have a copy to giveaway to a lucky Blog Friend so keep your eyes on the Blog my cosy wee Tea & Craft Fans

xxx

*slurp*

Wool Felt by the Yardage... yippeee!

 Wool Felt on the Bolt - this feels soooo good.

Seventeen Colours to start with and i have tried to choose natural shades that are very different from the Acrylic Felt colours. These are softer more natural with flecks in. So soft and very different from the Acrylic Felt i have been using and selling for years.

 Naturally i am happy just to own and stroke these big blocks of colour and never sell it.

It is so satusfying. I don't see why i can't just replace the internal walls of my home with it?

 Soft and thick like blankets wrapped round a piece of card, ripe and ready for chopping up and sewing cushions / toys / purses... I haven't even begun to play through all my own ides yet!

 So,,,, i am stocking 17 colours to begin with but might add to the range...

Each colour has a % of wool and a % of rayon. Not 100% wool as that would cost a bit of mint to buy.

It is very wide at 90cm / 35inch on the bolt and can be purchased in half metre cuts upwards. You get lots of felt for your hard earned monies.

Currently in FuzzyFish on etsy but i'll have it in LovePaperFish as soon as i can.

Don't ask me for swatch sheets yet... i haven't got around to samples and swatch colours.

Give me time!

Fun :)

Pride & Ploughing

 It is on a day like this day, when i feel i truly know myself.

There are rare moments in my life (and maybe in yours too?) when i feel a precious sensation of absolute Perfection.

A feeling that Life, my life, could hardly be more perfect than it is at this moment.

It is a feeling of absolute peace and happiness that i could not put into words.

If you want to get spiritual with me, it almost Transcendence.

Utter Beauty. Complete.

 This is the village where I live.

I grew up here. I moved back here.

When i was a child i felt that these fields, this sky, these roads, held me in. I seriously felt that they had me trapped and that this sky would suffocate me.

Now i feel the opposite. I feel that this Countryside is as close to perfection as i could ever get.

The Vintage Ploughing Festival this weekend was a sight that had me catch my breath. Because these are Farming Men & Women who are so proud of their heritage and who love these fields more than me.

 My Brother has deliberately parked his Company Truck in the Field Park, to gain maximum local public exposure. He is a crafty fox and i admire him for it. He is part of it. We are all, part of IT.

 It is genuinely exciting for the Kids to be driven around in a Tractor and Trailor.

Seriously, you can keep your HUGE attractions at Alton Towers (or wherever) this atmosphere is about families and laughing and tradition. These memories sit in the heart of rural families.

They get talked about over and over.

 Of course, for me, the fact that my Parents still live here is part of the Magic.

The fact my brother and his family moved back here... it is like Buttercream Icing and Chocolate Drop decorations on a cake that already tastes pretty good.

Most of the families i grew up with are still here, in some variation or another.

 And i love the smell of all the Barbour coats and hats. The Sheep Dung on the back heel of sturdy Equestrian footwear.

We've all got Dogs: Gun Dogs, Working Terriers, Domestic Labs and Sheep Herders....

We work them or they live as part of us, leaving their muddy pawprints on the sofas and quilts.

Walking them is no chore (unless you are under 19yrs old)

Neighbours know each other by the dogs they walk long before they know each other by name.

 I am launched into Double Heaven when the fields are newly ploughed.

Honestly, the sight of the field floors with the hay stubble and tractor tracks... the colour is golden! and it reflects the sky in a sort of illumination. I don't exaggerate... just see the paintings of Master Artists like Turner. There is nothing like Hay and Harvested fields to make the countryside glow.

 Ahem - forgive me.

 This day *might* have been pushed to the edge of perfection when my Girl won First Prize in the Art Competition.

The theme: Harvest! of course.

 Some readers might be aware...

The Government are putting a huge, sky high, High Speed Rail line right through these fields, pretty much here where i stand with my camera.

But this post isn't propaganda or a call to Arms.

It just breaks my heart to know it.

When i breathe it all in and hug this scenery to my heart, i just feel a heavy tear in my chest at the knowledge that these days are numbered.

I was *so* proud this weekend.

I was proud to be part of these families and traditons and fields that go back hundreds of generations, farmed by the Families Of, the Families Of, the Families Of, these families... since a time we can no longer remember.

It was just one of those moments in my Life when time stood still

and nothing could really be more perfect than it was at this moment.