I've had a very productive couple of days. London Gift Fair is just 2 weeks away and up until now I had done nothing for it. Absolutely nothing. I was beginning to panic big time, what with it being the school holidays and not able to get down to any preparations. Then this weekend I had the house to myself, whilst Matthew went on a road trip with the children to visit his Nan.

This was quite a momentous occasion in itself. Since having had the children, I had never been home alone. I've been away on the odd girlie trip, or down to London for trade fairs, but never been left at home by myself.

I just need to stop and hear that again...home...all...by...myself...

This wasn't one of those Coming and Going as I Liked kinda weekends. This was an Operation Work weekend. No going out for a run in the sunshine. No meeting friends for coffee...or dinner for that matter. Nope, full on work.

That in itself felt fantastic. Not having to cut what I was doing short, because someone needed feeding or taking somewhere or being picked up from places. Consequently I had such a productive couple of days making all the samples for the fair. Yesterday I got all the cushions and needle sets done. Today was spent doing a few more needle sets and then getting these 2 Personalised Log Cabin canvases ready.

There's still quite alot to do. Like working out how it's all going to be in the space. Printing out all the literature I need. But it was a good start. A very good start.

One thing I find difficult is to be cut off in mid sew, so to have had all this uninterrupted time was sheer joy and luxury.

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I just want to thank you all so much for your genuine and encouraging comments re the cushion. I'm so glad that you thought so highly of it as to leave a comment. I took you all at your word and posted it off to Jo...she loved it! I keep looking back at it and whilst I'm not wholly convinced (Kylie I agree about 3 being a magic number and the cut off flower!) I like the overall feel. Anyway, with your encouragement there will no doubt be more! x

I'm really not sure about this one. I made this cushion last night for my BFs birthday. She generally loves everything I make, but I think this might not quite do it for her.

Not only is she my BF, but she is my best customer and every time I produce something new, she is right there to buy some...usually for gifts, so I hope all her friends are equally fans of my things.

I wanted to use some of my hand-printed linen. I am so keen to start designing my own fabrics to incorporate into my work. My head is buzzing with all the things I want to do. But as I was making this, I am just not quite sure it works.

I love the colours. I love, as ever, using linen in my work. I love how it sits so well with other fabrics. but there's something I'm not overly sure about.

The screen print to me looks almost like someone has come along and just added the design with a felt tip pen. I'm really not sure. Is the design too big? Is it too simplistic? I'm normally a fan of less is more, but I'm not fully convinced with this one.

Ruby took one look at it and OMG'ed it and demanded I make one for her. She's vying for the top spot for Number 1 Fan.

I may have to put it to one side for a day or two and see how I react as I catch glimpses of it. If I decide I can't bear to part with it, I'll know it's right...

Is it that nice things happen to good people or good people do nice things?

I'm not sure, but either way I've lucked out.

My fab order came from Kate yesterday and as if that wasn't enough as a thank you for the mention on my blog, she sent me a Fat Quarter of this amazing Heather Ross fabric.

I was very tempted to order some of this self same fabric when I ordered the Alexander Henry pieces, but restrained (restrained? with fabric? I know, madness).

It seemed my restraint paid off...as did my shouting from the roof tops about all this lushess fabric.

I'm going to be doing alot more shouting from now on.

I haven't taken part in Sunday Stash for a while and whilst it's not quite Sunday in England, it certainly is in some parts of the world. And by the time some of you are up and reading, it no doubt will be. So you'll forgive me a little dramatic licence.

I wanted to share with you some Alexander Henry fabrics that I've just picked up from M is for Make.

I follow Kate's blog, partly because I am in awe of her dress-making skills and partly because I want to be first to know when she has some new fab fabrics in store.

Kate has a perfect selection of fabrics in her wonderful on-line store, from Cloud 9's beautiful organic range, to Anna Maria Horner's irresistible voiles, to wonderful had-printed textiles by Skinny La Minx and Ink & Spindle. Oh, and did I mention the sprinkling of Denyse Schmidt too?

It was love at first sight when I saw this range and since I missed a visit to Festival of Quilts this weekend, I figured it was only fair I purchased some.

I can not wait for it's arrival. Neither can I wait to see what else Kate has teasingly led me to believe she has coming.

When I bought these fab buttons in Tallin I had the vague idea that I would turn them into brooches. At the time I wasn't wholly sure how that was going to be, but I knew that's what I had in mind for them.

I was in a bit of a bad mood last night (a bit?) after having a day of looking after the kids, but having my head full of work I wasn't able to get done.

When Matthew got home I literally ran up to the attic and locked myself in my studio. I'd had an idea during the day for a new Craft Kit and was desperate to try it out. I was now working like a woman possessed and produced the kit in record time (I'd had all day working it out in my head after all).

New kit completed (more of that another time) and not in a hurry to venture downstairs, I took out the buttons and started to play...

Less than an hour later, 3 nice new brooches. All I need to do now is persuade the shop to send me some more over (why oh why did I only buy 3?)

One thing that always captures my attention is sweetly wrapped purchases. I love when a little effort is taken, however simple.

Have you noticed how well they do it in France? Nothing fancy. Usually involving a paper bag.

The same appears to be true in Tallinn, Estonia.

I wandered into a little shop down one of the old lanes, full of what I soon realised was quite depicting of Tallinn, wall to wall wooden items...from buttons, to butter knives, to chopping boards, to ornaments. The most beautiful, smooth, tactile wood.

If it wasn't for the fact that we literally had 3 hours in Tallinn (down to 1 1/2 by the time I'd found this shop of treasure) I would have perused for longer and purchased masses...good job we weren't then. As it was, the troops were calling from outside. We still hadn't had our obligatory coffee stop in the square. So all I had time for was to grab a few buttons and a couple of brooches.

I was standing at the counter quite content with my little purchases, some gifts, some for me, when suddenly magic occurred and my little purchases were transformed into pretty treasure. As I said earlier, nothing overly fancy, just a thoughtful little touch.

If only I'd had time to gather more.

Matthew treated himself to a new camera just before we went away. He had been wanting to for ages and found going on the cruise was the perfect excuse. After all, you can't visit some of the most wonderful places in the world and not have a great camera to shoot it all with...apparently.

Whilst he was now self appointed Chief Tour Photographer I gave him a little project of photographing doorways everywhere we went. Since we were going to alot of different cities I thought it would be interesting to capture a similar thing and see how different they really all were.

I also thought it might make us stop and look at our surroundings a bit more. I wasn't necessarily after big, opulent, formal doorways. I wanted to get a feel for the everyday. I'm not sure we quite managed that, mainly due to the fact that we were in the city centres and not in overly-residential areas.

Still, I love the feel that Matthew has captured. I love the way we can look back and see how different to English architecture they are. I love the way that the buildings themselves are so colourful, rather than just the doorways. Opposite to how it is here in UK. I love seeing the similarities to these countries too, which I guess is predictable. But at the same time I can recognize the specific characteristic of each individual country.

We didn't manage to wander around St Petersburg as freely as the other cities as we were on a tour bus, hence no doorways there, just majestic, colourful Palaces.

Do you recognise any of the cities? (Click on photos to enlarge)

Answers below...

from top:

Stockholm

Oslo

St Petersburg

Tallinn

Copenhagen