plump pudding

Spring

Since the clocks went back, I have been waking at 7.00am and it's light.  I love the lighter days and the facts that the nights are getting lighter.

And washing has been drying on the line instead of being draped over the radiators.  I spotted some delightfully spring shoes yesterday and just couldn't resist - even though my shoe collection probably rivals Imelda Marcos

And feeling inspired by the sunny weather, I have been trying to get ahead with the next Liberty order rather than having to make it all when the order comes in.  Hence the big pile of pincushions that now need stuffing

Plenty to be going on with.

My boring blog

Due to a Liberty order and the Easter holidays, this little blog has been neglected.  Or as my friend Theresa put it, your blog is a bit boring Samantha.  Point taken.

The boys started back at school today and the car has been taken for an MOT which means that I have no excuse but to get on with some work.  Plus there has been the delivery of some new fabrics:

and some to replenish the fabrics used for Liberty

Another delivery straight from France: Marie Claire Idees. 

Mr Peacock has well and truly settled in.  He has been having a whale of a time being taken out and about with the boys and their friends.  Plus he has made a few doggy friends of his own.  We have even braved the boot sale with him. 

Here he is catching the sun rays in Keanan's room with one of his favourite "possessions" the oven gloves!

Hoist by my own petard

Eventually we are able to get back on line - thanks to a very temperamental wireless router.  Which should have meant that I have been cracking on with work - which I have.  But there has been a little diversion in the form of a sweet Jack Russell puppy.

I have been looking through the rescue centre websites and calling them to see what dogs they have that would (a) love Maudie as much as I do and (b) be suitable for the boys to take out around the village with them.  The sticking point was Maudie and the dogs' aversion to cats.

Anyhoo - I went to visit a 7 week old Jack Russell puppy yesterday that was brought in by the owner/breeder.  He had sold some of the puppies and had two left.  He was going away and didn't want them.  That's how they ended up in the rescue home after having left mum.  Of course I couldn't not want him after seeing him and we are booked in for a home visit tomorrow.  And if that all goes OK, he is coming home with us.

Not that I am jumping the gun, you understand,. but I decided that after all my Cath Kidston slating, only one of her dog beds would do.  After all, if the dog bed has to be on show, then it has to look good too!  I looked through her catalogue eagerly, only to discover that she has changed the fabrics she uses.  How inconvenient is that?

Instead of the red floral print that I had thought about, I had to choose from one of these three.  Number one is just too bright for me.  Number two, too wishy washy - which meant I settled on number three.  Not after much deliberation and asking Stephen is he was the new puppy which bed would he choose.  I have to admit he wasn't much help there.  Thankfully the puppy is only small and won't grow too large  - which is just as well as there was no way I was forking out for a bigger and more expensive bed! 

So the bed has been ordered and the home visit scheduled.  I just hope that we pass the home visit. Wish me luck!

Apart from deliberating about puppies and dog beds, I finally pulled my finger out of my backside and lined our bedroom curtains and hung them.  They have been sitting in the studio for the best part of six months.  And crafty thing that I am, I lined them and hung them when Stephen was out.  When he came home, he was presented with fait accompli.  He just doesn't get this "floral thing".

And whilst I was in this let's get it sorted mode, I also hung up St Therese.

Don't you just feel for Stephen coming home to all these surprises?!

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion

I seem to have spent a fair amount of time faffing around this week.  I can't grumble though as it has meant a spotlessly clean studio. 

It had become a bit of a dumping ground with things not being put away.  Plus I had to buy a new clock which kickstarted it all.

I moved my shelves from their temporary position on my industrial overlocker to the work top.  Which then meant I had to sort through what was on there and tidy it all up.

Next on the hit list was my postal supplies - which were all stuffed into a carrier bag.  After moving all my scraps to a box, I put my supplies in the now empty basket.

After a quick hoover, order was restored and it's back to the pincushions

Clearing the Decks

So much for relaxing after the Christmas period.  After painting the cloakroo, I threw caution to the wind and decided that I would also spruce up the boys rooms.

But before I started painting I decided to have a big clear out/sort through.  That resulted in a trip to the charity box and the boys rooms being much clearer - they even "discovered" a few toys that had been buried under other toys.

This is the just finished version of Keanan's room.  It's not quite as tidy as this now - but I have been making the boys tidy up dirty clothes etc as they go along. 

I did tell you I was a white and cream kind of girl.  I bought a big 10 litre tub of magnolia paint from B&Q and just started painting.

After one weekend of painting solid, the rooms are so clean and fresh.  Shame it won't last too long!  But Maudie obviously approves.

(Belated) New Year Greetings!

Better late than never - a Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas seems such a long time ago and we are now into 2008.  The Christmas decorations are still up as I can't be bothered to get out the ladder, go into the loft and bring the boxes down. 

I have been spending my time on far more important matters such as re-painting the cloakroom.  It was done on a whim at the weekend.  Which meant that at 7.00pm on Saturday night I whizzed along to HomeBase to buy the same colour paint that I had seen on Kim's walls.

Shameless copying there Kim.  This is quite a radical departure for me as I am a cream and white kind of girl in the decorating states.  And whilst I love it, and it shows off the venetian glass mirror beautifully, I can only cope with it in the cloakroom.

And it took three coats of paint to cover the white walls - by this time my patience was definitely wearing thin.   Of course, I couldn't just paint the walls and woodwork and just leave it at that.  The plant was half price whilst I was buying the paint and the little Dutch girl print was moved from the bedroom.

I even raided my vintage fabrics stash and made a valance from vintage Sanderson fabric.

The finishing touch was to make a new lining for the basket and to add Kim's pom pom.  Perfect.

Next on the hit list is Ethan's bedroom which is badly in need of a coat of paint as the walls and woodwork are so scruffy.  The reality of this is that the Christmas tree may be up for a few more days!

Just to prove that I haven't been chained to a pot of paint all holidays, we braved the winds and cold weather at a local beach.  Stephen, the boys and two of their friends.

Bracing would be an understatement.  But it was worth it for chips and ice cream at the cafe afterwards.

Enforced Absence

The internet has been playing up again and I have only just been able to get back on-line.

We have had an eventful week.  The Food and Drink Festival was a success.  I met up with some old customers and of course invited them to my Christmas Shopping Night (which is on the 22nd November) just in case you forget. 

I also met up with Jools and hubby.  So it was good to meet up with people and sell to real customers rather than shops. 

Stephen has been ill all week.  He has had a chest infection for the past 3-4 weeks that has not responded to antibiotics.  He spent Tuesday in hospital having tests and has to go back tomorrow for more tests and the results of the blood tests.

The boys are off school with half term and I have been trying to get some work done too.  And I know that halloween has been and gone, but I didn't get to post our pumpkin.

Ethan and I (mostly Ethan as it is his project) have been working on a model of a sperm cell.  A little giggling, on both parts, ensued after he opted for this model.  Apparently you get a higher grade if you do this one.

In between all the mayhem, I have managed to send out a second wholesale order to Robert at Mr and Mrs House . 

A lavender sachet off to it's new owner:

I have a shopping event at the end of thid week in Penarth and about 4 more wholesale orders to go out this week.  Thank goodness the boys are back in school tomorrow!

Extending the birthday

Although my birthday was over a week ago, I have kept some of the momentum going with presents.  The first to arrive was through the post.

Now that my cold has gone a little, I can appreciate the beautiful smell, but at the time I couldn't even smell the perfume of the roses inside

And look what was also included

A big thanks to Kim .  I've told her that this little hanger is so delightful that she should put some in her Etsy shop.  Wouldn't you agree?

The other birthday present was from my friend Theresa who called round last week.  As well as beautiful petunias she also wrapped up this vintage patchwork kit

Keanan has recovered enough to go back to schoool today and I had such plans to catch up with orders etc.  But it wasn't to be, as Ethan was sick all day yesterday and stated home from school.    Thankfully I have recovered a little and should be able to start the seiwng again tomorrow.

I did play hookey at the weekend and make one item from some stunning vintage fabric I found

I also spent a hefty amount of time sorting through vintage finds that need to go up for sale:

If I can manage to update my website myself then that's where they'll be tomorrow.  If not then they'll be listed on Etsy.

Either way, you'll be able to get your hands on some delightful vintage goodies.

My Little Helper

Now that the boys are back in school, the house is pretty much empty for the bulk of the day.  I go out to the studio and more often than not Maudie follows me out there.

Or, and this is the part I love about her and cats in general, for as long as it suits her to do.  She has this little routine that involved mewing outside the door to be let in.  After that she makes a beeline for my jute rug and scratches hell out of it.  Once that little routine is over and done with, she either settles on one of the chairs or sits on the mat looking out into the garden.

What I love most about Maudie is the fact that she does exactly what she wants when she wants to.  If she doesn't want to be picked up and kissed, then there's no chance.  The way she asks for food and then just sits there in protest until she gets it.  Or tha fact that for some obscure reason there are some days when she will not come into the studio but sit right outside the door in the garden on a chair and wait for me to come out.  She's a funny girl and even comes when she is called in all manner of funny names.  The most popular being Moofle (short for Maudie Moofle). 

I am definitely a cat person - hence one of my most favourite prints

I use this one for my needlecases and pincushions and had run out.  I even save all the tiny scraps for my patchwork lavender sachets.

To even up this profession of cat love, I was sucked in by the charm of these two doggy prints

in red and also in blue

All were bought to replenish the gaping whole in my stash that the Liberty order had made.  It feels so good to NEED fabric rather than just wanting it.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Pick Your Own

After my rush order for applique cottages, I discovered I am running very low on lavender.  Then I read how Kim had cut her own lavender to dry and use.  I have been eying up the neighbour's lavender bush for a week or two and finally plucked up the courage to ask her whether I could have the lavender from it (I know that she doesn't keep it after the bush has been cut back). 

So after this morning saw me walking over the road armed with my basket and secateurs to harvest the lavender.  It took me ages as I was so careful because it wasn't my lavender bush.  Plus my mother's cries of, "Don't cut into the dead wood, otherwise it won't grow back", were ringing in my ears.

Never has a lavender bush has been so carefully cut and then all traces were swept away afterwards.  If I could have got out the hoover to clear up the floor, I would have.  The result is a bumper harvest of lavender.  I was amazed that there was so much.

I shall be popping over later with a Thank You gift.  I don't know how much lavender there is, but it will mean I don't have to buy some for a while.

Other than that, I finished off a wholesale  for a new stockist.  Here's a peek at part of the box.

There was of course, the obligatory car boot sale at the weekend.  Not much really, despite the fact that there were plenty of sellers.  I did manage to find this trio of tins. Perfect for storing smaller items.

Other than that, we have been getting back into some kind of routine after school.  This involes me forcing Keanan to go to after school clubs for football and cross country running.  And Ethan is starting rugby.  Just the thing these boys need to burn off some of that excess energy!