It's my sister-in-law's birthday today and I had no card, no present and no idea, even if I had them, when I would get over to give them to her.

Not that I was panicking or anything.

Oh and did I mention I had a hospital appointment that was going to take up half the morning too?

So, there I was, running out of time big time, but fortunately I at least knew what I had in mind for her....just as long as it worked.

She and my brother travel a lot...and I mean A LOT! (me, jealous? well, actually, yeah, I am!) and one of the things I love having with me, when I do get to travel, is pretty accessories to organise my packing. My lovely friend, Tara, who is going off on her own travelling adventure tomorrow, showed me something similar that she has for her smalls and it was something I was wanting to try for a while now.

Perfect opportunity and as it turned out a perfect present because, guess what my brother bought her for her birthday? Only a 4 day trip to New York! As I said, me, jealous? Yeah, just a bit...

I've been rather caught up with this order this week...but, in a good way. It has completely taken over, but what better an excuse to be tied to my studio sewing all week. Honestly, there are times when I simply love my job (remind me of that in a few months when it's tax form time again...ugghhh).

My job includes sewing AND shopping. I needed a fair few ribbons for the pot holder hangers and, me being me, I wasn't satisfied with the ones already in my stash. If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's the little details that make or break a look. So if the handle didn't gel, then the whole piece was going to look all wrong. And just one ribbon wasn't right for all the different pot holders, so again, as you can see, several had to be purchased. I wouldn't want to give the impression that I cut corners with my work after all. So a quick stop of at Daisy Park and my shopping was complete.

I'm really pleased with how the whole "Sand & Sea" Collection is coming together and can't wait to see it all in situ at Harewood next week. I'm rather proud of this one.

(Thank you all so much for your help in locating the Denyse Schmidt fabric I was after...and a massive thank you to Kirsten and Ryan who have come up trumps and are sending some...I owe you!)

Mean Ol' Mummy

Do you think our children appreciate us? Do you think they sometimes wished we were just like all the other Mummies? Do you think they wished we didn't possess a sewing machine? Artists materials?

I know for a fact that Ruby has these desires every now and then. Like when we had a 'discussion' about why she couldn't have plastic High School Musical Party Bags that she'd seen in Tescos. 'But EVERYONE HAS THEM, Mummy!'

Everyone who knows me knows I would NEVER allow that to happen. And I'm sure all of you out there agree with me.

After Ruby's momentary lapse of sense had faded she agreed that a handmade party bag was the way to go. And after we found these fab scarves (pink - tick) in Gap reduced to £1 each (price - tick) she was more enthusiastic than ever.

What's more, she has had so much enjoyment being part of the process, than simply handing money over at the checkout. This morning, along with her friend Sadie, who knows all about homemade is best, we've cut out the fabric, chosen ribbons and threaded them through for the ties.

I think she's rather proud of the outcome and will love handing them out tomorrow filled with all our handmade goodies.

(Thankyou all for your feedback on the keyrings...I think the consensus is that I can go ahead AND that people might actually buy them!)

Fun at the Fair

I've been invited to take part in an Arts and Crafts Fair in Leeds on Sunday. I'm a little bit nervous because it's a regular event all full of talented craftspeople. I always feel a bit of a fraud in these surroundings, because everything I do is from a love of crafts rather than any artistic training.

Also, whenever I normally do fairs, it's as Blueberry Park i.e showcasing all my fantastic wares from the talented people that I represent. My own stuff is by the by. Trouble is this fair is to promote Leeds and Yorkshire based artisans. I have a few of those, but in order to make my stall look fuller, I'm having to fill it with my own items. That in itself is fine, but I don't normally hold a lot of stock of my own things, simply make to order.

So I am franticly in production mode this week in order to have enough stock to show. Today was Take-Away-Craft-Kits. I gave myself a target of 24 - 6 of each of 4 designs. And I managed it...

...almost. I ran out of ribbon for the last boxes. So now I need to fit in a trip to the suppliers.

Tomorrow on the agenda is cards...