February 7th, 2010
…not one for anyone else!

er, yes, this is the design for the front of my new bag, it should be finished, but it isn’t : (
I now need it finished, it is a much bigger bag to hold all my farm work stuff, fed up with walking around carrying pads and bits of paper, it doesn’t make me look important, makes me look messy instead!
Also on Friday a quite rude and dozy woman serving me at Costa managed to spill almost an entire cup of Americano down me and my bag, so I want to get this finished!
Doing two blogs is quite hard work, though it is quite easy to write about yummy food! I’m doing a promo and giveaway on the farm blog. The promo is for organic sirloin steaks, and the giveaway, well that involves steak, and ice cream!! So if you are in the UK, head over here and have a look : ) I know it is naughty for me to keep on going on about ‘my’ other blog, but it is now part of me, and I wouldn’t if I didn’t think you wouldn’t be interested!
Yesterday John photographed some of my haberdashery items to add to his portfolio,

you can see more of them here, and I think you’ll agree they are rather wonderful : )
Hopefully my next post will be about a finished bag!!
Posted in Freebie/Giveaway, Links...., Odd and Ends, Sewing & Fabric | 2 Comments »
January 31st, 2010
er, I think is to say, hello I’m here, actually it is not as long as I thought since I last posted, oh well, it feels like a loooooong time!
and whoooooo, well that is all about these,

and these,

what do you think?? John designed these for me to use, and maybe to sell as well if there is a demand for them. We will be working on new designs within this range, so we will have a selection to use together! All very very exciting!
Hopefully I will make something with these soon, working on new stuff at the moment, going slowly, but at least my sewing machine seems to be behaving itself a bit better!
Lots going on at my ‘farm’ job, and I’m proud to present my new blog, Laverstoke Farm a couple of posts so far, and that will be building all the time, hopefully you will get to learn more about the whole farm, field to fork, and all of that business!
Please leave a comment on there, trying to drum up some people on there, so when we have some exciting promotions and giveaways(!) you will know all about it!
more blogging soon, and maybe this time I won’t feel like I have been away for so long!
Posted in Lovely things to use, Odd and Ends, Sewing & Fabric | 5 Comments »
January 27th, 2010
weird, two blogs I follow, greenolive and Domesticali have both written posts today about what makes them happy, well this makes me happy,

more beads from Kate! They are so tactile, just so lovely to have round your neck : )
so what else, well I’m not going to get into a list, I could be here for hours! But I would say the following going on the past few days,
listening to Spoons new album
cutting out little leaves from linen and some of my favourite fabric
and
watching The Wire, just finished Season 3, watched the first of Season 4 tonight
a few things, oh and something to make me happy next week, the last season of Lost starts!!!!!
Posted in Film & TV, Music, Odd and Ends | 4 Comments »
January 22nd, 2010
I cannot photograph anything red with my existing camera, so I have to rely on John to photograph everything red for me! Like this,

So I’m saving my pennies up for a new camera, the one I have is four years old, and I seem to be using it less and less because it can’t do what I now need it to, another reason for a lack of new photos!
Maybe if people bought some stuff from my not on the high street shop, or my Etsy shop that would help! Sorry that was so blatant, what do you expect : ) !!
Posted in Odd and Ends | 2 Comments »
January 15th, 2010
proper post, well when I say proper I mean lovely things for me to use!

some of my my favourite fabric and some lovely mother of pearls buttons, very happy : )
Away for a few days, so hopefully a nice post on Monday or Tuesday, and I hope by then the rest of the snow will be gone!
Posted in Lovely things to use | 2 Comments »
January 14th, 2010
this week has been quiet on here, and the snow again has made the world outside quiet, but lots going on : )
Some of it is positive, but some is much more difficult, I think I have mentioned in the recent past that we have not got Edward into our secondary school of choice, what is more difficult for him/us is that he really needs to be a special needs secondary school and that there are so few really good ones in our area.
So we are now going to have to appeal which is not something I’m looking forward to, but it has to be done, because Edward deserves the best we can get for him.
So over the next few months they may be quiet periods on here, and not much new sewing, but I will be busy! I’m also organising two Handm@de fairs in Winchester, one in July, one in November. I’m also some new stuff at work which potentially involves me writing another blog, but I’ll let you know more about that when it all goes live!
So more soon, hopefully some nice new exciting stuff!
Posted in Children and family, Odd and Ends, handm@de | 4 Comments »
January 10th, 2010
too hard? Am I, I’m not sure, you know when you really like something yourself, but you get vibes from people that actually it isn’t what people either want or expect, what do you do??

There is a larger clearer photo of them both of my flickr stream, here.
So I’m not sure where next with these, I guess the three I have made I will list on Etsy and see what happens, unless any of you have some ideas/feedback on them, they are made from black suede and stuffed with my handmade felt. They are very tactile and measure 6.5cm across.
I think what I’m trying to find is something to run along side my corsages, which I love making and are very popular, but you can’t just stand still. I need to get more things made and available to buy, before I start thinking about all the other things I need to do!
Posted in Ideas, Sewing & Fabric | 3 Comments »
January 9th, 2010
it is very bright today, the sky is blue, cloud free, and the sun is beating down on the snow surrounding us, but not unfortunately making much impact, simply because it is so blooming cold!
So we have the potential for the boys still to be home on Monday and maybe even Tuesday looking at the forecast for the next few days, they are getting fed up and so am I! We had to take them into work yesterday, which was ok, but not something I have a desire to repeat : (
But enough of the moaning! Onto far more important things : ) My birthday giveaway, and just before that another pressie I received,

This was made for me by my very talented sister-in-law Kate, who makes her own lampwork beads. I had mentioned that I wanted another focal bead, and that I liked silver core beads but didn’t like to wear bracelets that much, and I got this beautiful necklace.
It is so perfect, it is really tactile, so have a look at her shop, it really is full of lovely things, though I don’t know how much she is getting done in her garden shed at the moment!
Ok, no longer shall I make you wait, I used the random number generator to get the number……………… 20! Which is Laura! So thank you all so much for entering, always lovely to get so many comments, and on my birthday : ) Maybe I’ll have another birthday later in the year!
Posted in Children and family, Freebie/Giveaway, Odd and Ends | 1 Comment »
January 6th, 2010
Good grief, it looks set in now,

we potentially have this until after the weekend : ( Sorry but snow is not for me, not when everything comes to a halt which it does in this country.
This morning I had to walk to the nearest village, about 2 miles away, which would be better if it wasn’t so up and down, but I had to go and get cat food, so the trip back was less fun!
But now back in the warm and dry, and it is indeed my birthday, now I mentioned a giveaway, and that what is happening! Now I have not taken photos, sorry, but the giveaway will include one of my linen bags, a corsage, some buttons and maybe a bit of choccie!!!
So all you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be in with a chance! It will close tomorrow at midnight! So make sure you place a comment by midnight GMT 7th January.
And if it is snowing where you are, I hope you are in the warm and dry too!
ps here is the snowman the men of the house have made : )

Posted in Freebie/Giveaway | 50 Comments »
January 6th, 2010
… birthday tomorrow

the photo is from the snow before Christmas taken by my lovely husband, more to see here.
But we already have thick snow outside and we could have 30cms by tomorrow morning! which as I have mentioned is my birthday, whooo!
And to celebrate it, and because I failed to do any giveaways over Christmas, I will tomorrow be doing a giveaway tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled by the birthday post!
Posted in Freebie/Giveaway | 8 Comments »