Would love to Meet you...

If you live near or in Farnham, their 10th annual Farnham Malting's Christmas fair will be taking place. Owing to massive popularity they have made it a two day event. I will be there with my merry band of Bees and I would love to see you there!

Fairs and a Christmas Bee

So last week I mentioned last week that I had an opportunity to go to the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court, courtesy of the lovely gang over at We Make. I am hope wining tickets to the fair might mean I would win the lottery. But you know to do that you have to first buy tickets....

It was surprisingly, and perhaps a somewhat unfair comment to make, that the fair was rather good. Now I did only go for just over an hour and half which might not seem a long time but it was a bit of an early start on a Sunday to make sure I got there early enough. I like to get to show's early, not a big fan of crowds, and when you have tents...the heat. Now a lot of it was geared towards classes, and talks which I wasn't there for as my ticket didn't allow me to do any, and honestly not sure I would have wanted to. There was, however, a nice mix of craft folk and suppliers. Though it would be nicer to see if they do it again next year they could attract more independent suppliers, the niche stuff that you nine times out of ten have to order on line to see it. And it was some what of a surprise that the RSN didn't take a stand, would have been worth the outlay which I know was fairly substantial, or even have the workrooms open for the day. 

Fabric a gift from my best mate, she knows me so well, some uber cute Christmas Decorations and yes might have picked up some more papercraft stuff. It's an addiction...

Anyway, I picked up a few bits, was being good given I had just come back from the States with a bucket load of supplies, and I knew that the following week I would be off to Threads....

Which like the Handmade fair is still in its infancy. 

For those crazy long term followers of the blog, god love you all, I talked about it's inaugural show last year. Which was a little bit...well I wasn't sure what to make of it, and I am still not sure it's got the mix right. Like with the Handmade fair, I would have loved to have seen more niche suppliers of kits and materials. Not sure it's the fair for purchasing finished products. Especially in a few weeks time is the Malting's big Festival of Crafts. It was also I think a little smaller than last year, or that could have been my imagination. Still it was a good couple of hours of wandering around with the lovely Laura Howard aka Bugs and Fishes wandering about and talking to the stall holders. 

Of course I did buy a few bits...

So much pink...

Such as more wonderful threads from Zoe Acketts, who I have spoken about before, and now has the most delicious range of silk threads to compliment her cotton threads. All hand dyed and produced by her. In due course she'll have a website to sell the threads from which I can't wait for. Really was great to see her again. 

I also got the chance to meet Sophie Simpson of What Delilah Did, so great to put a name to a face. And seeing her new book, which I have to say you have to get because it's so darn cute, Stitch the Halls. Prompted me to purchase the skein of hot pink cotton thread from Zoe, so I can stitch the bunting design featured in the book, which is of winter animals, polar bears and so forth. Sure I have enough to be doing at the moment but a little project for the train can't hurt...

Well, I'll squeeze in around all the other oodles of sewing I've started to get into doing. In particular I mentioned as well last week that I was designing this year's Christmas bee bauble design....well here it is. Well, in it's near finished state:

Bzzzz

Yes, the little Merry Bee is back, in miniature size sporting a Swarovski crystal nose. Bling for bees. I have to admit it did take a couple of attempts to get back into how to stitch the bees, nothing like brain freeze but having just stitched another one think I am getting back into the zone. Just have one more to stitch up and then I can get them turned into baubles, so hopefully by next week I can start looking at getting them listed. Might try out having them just on my website. I'll keep you posted. 

My tea has now been drunk, and so that means time to step away from the computer. Hope you lovely lot are well, and that you have had a nice weekend.

All About the Flowers

I hadn't realised till I dropped various images into this blog that there was a inadvertent theme to my Bank Holiday weekend. As it turns out it was all about flowers, in some shape or another. I've really come to love flowers more and more since moving to my current abode. I love nothing more than buying a bunch of flowers to brighten up the hallway or add a bit more life to the livingroom, aside from Hamish. And yes, whilst I do suffer from hayfever, thankfully its more from grass than flowers. 

Anyway, the Friday kicked it all off. I've lived in and around Surrey for well over a decade now but had never been to RHS Wisley, passed it on many trips to Kent, or driving home late on Sunday back to East Molesey ready to begin another week at the RSN as part of the apprenticeship. But aside from saying should go and have a look, never have that was until last week.

Thinking of a way to celebrate my mum's birthday we decided to hit several things with one stone, to see the gardens, attend the Contemporary Craft and Design fair and to have a spot afternoon tea. The weather wasn't exactly on our side for walking about all day, it was frickin cold and I wasn't entirely dressed for it. Still we were thankful we didn't get wet, even though it was threatening to do so all day. There was some interesting items on display at the fair, some amazingly draw dropping and others not entirely to my taste but still it was a good mix. Also taking place at Wisley, but not part of the fair, was a mini silver exhibition called 'Festival of Silver' held by the Goldsmith's Company. Needless to say the work was utterly jaw dropping. My inner magpie was drooling.

Oh and the flowers were pretty too...

I'll certainly be going back to Wisley, this time to venture out into the gardens and to do some drawing and painting. Something I've not done in a rather long time. Despite always having a sketchbook with me, I didn't take it on a Friday. 

On a non-flower related note, just wanted to share a wee shot of the finished monogram that I've been working on for the past couple of weeks, it is now all packed up and ready to wing it's way to my friend in the States. After a small discussion it's been mounted into a round, wooden hoop, and I've attached the embroidery in a way that if she wanted to paint the hoop she can, without damaging the fabric. Managed to get it all finished before a friend of my came down for the weekend. 

Which was how I came to have these rather wonderful flowers, which was rather thoughtful and are looking blooming lovely in the livingroom, pardon the pun! The coral coloured roses are becoming my fave. Needless to say little in the way of stitching was done for majority of Saturday and Sunday, as we were mostly consuming lots of yummy food, drinking plenty of tea and watching silly flicks added with our own commentary. Which comes easy when your watching Disney...

But of course, I always end up reverting back to stitching. So once I cleaned up, sorted out the boring chores and did some more painting (at last the walls are all finished, oh god just the woodwork left...GAH). I played about with quilting fabric for a design I doodled last week for using with the bag handle. I started it last night and had originally thought about using Liberty fabric to make the flower shapes but by this morning with a little help from my mum who had briefly popped by to pick something up, and my own thoughts on it, the flowers changed from...

...this.

Granted didn't mean I toned down the colours, rather opted for a slightly less detailed fabric, and one that I had originally purchased with pink and lilac fabric. It's not entirely like the design I had doodled, and I realise now that the completed paper pieced flower is bigger than I had originally planned...but I still love it and it will be interesting to see how it turns out when complete.

I've got a busy month ahead with work and family commitments, I also have the next season embroidery pattern to sample to stitch but I hope to make some time for finishing it because I really want to get it hung up on the wall!

Did you find you had an unexpected theme to your weekend? What lays ahead for your May?

Change in Plans and Commissions

So another week comes to a conclusion and with it has brought more exciting things. Now originally I had thought that now till Christmas it was going to be a lot quieter for me, I could sit and work on the few commissions I had and start researching new ideas for 2013...And whilst I have been working on the commissions, such as this lovely personalised Christmas gift.

I do love a bit of trailing, actually I love it a lot which is why the whole thing ended up in the stitch. 

I've got myself involved with another fair, this is what happens when you go and see some dear friends. Have a chat and get roped in. So this Thursday and Friday you will get another opportunity to purchase my items before Christmas in person. Sure it's going to be a little bit on the chilly side but there is going to be mulled cider! What more can you want? Actually the Thursday I won't be there in person, my dear friend Anna  Stassen (http://sakurajewellery.com) will be holding the fort whilst I am at work. Then on Friday I will be coming up to man my stall. So come along and say hello!

I shall be taking majority of my clocks, collars and all my cute little pieces like my very last button needlecases, baubles and mirrors as well. Ideal stocking fillers! After this event my store will be going into hibernation mode for the winter, tucked up in a cozy bed, so that I can get myself ready for Christmas, and yes you guessed it working on the commissions. 

Nice and quiet....yeah.

Success & Exciting Times

Normal service is finally starting to resume. Yesterday I was showing my lovely stash at the We Make London Arts & Crafts fair at Battersea Arts Centre, and it went rather well! Whilst I didn't sell a huge amount, what I did sell I felt extremely pleased with as it included the new items the peter pan collars, one of which was the Buzzing Bee's design which means I can start to donate to the BBKA. The only thing I think I should have done was to leave the pattern at home and instead brought more of the clocks, especially the earlier pieces. But you live and you learn. 

After getting over the initial nerves of talking to people, I thoroughly enjoyed talking to other sellers and potential buyers and it was helped along with a bit of a giggle from my dear friend Angela who very kindly modelled one of my collar designs, which helped show them off to people who were looking at them on the table. 

I am however, glad to have a bit of a break from thinking about the fair, though it has sparked several billion ideas for 2013. Great things are coming. I have other things to think on, I am moving soon. Bit of a relief I can't tell you and this is a big step, on the property ladder which has seen me look like a startled rabbit these past few days, only because I didn't think that would ever happen let alone now. 

So I will  be moving at some point to a beautiful two bedroom flat, yes two bedrooms. 

You know what this means....

A STUDIO

Oh and somewhere friends can crash...but...

I WILL HAVE MY VERY OWN STUDIO!!

Yep, totally over the top excited about this. My own space to spread and have everything in one place. A place I can shut the door on. I already have a colour in mind for the room. I know jumping a head but its hard not to think about how you want to decorate, and this is the first time I have been able to do it properly. 

So there might be a bit of a disruption in the near future with blog, website and shop but I'll keep you lovely folks updated. In the meantime, my store is back up and running and there is a few new bits of stock just added.

For now I crash.