Accident and emergency

My niece loves this toy and was very sad when one of his eyes, well, just fell out.

Says alice thought she could do something to help and here is what we came up with.

She has popped out for a wander where all of the ladybirds seem to congregate in my garden!

Making space

This week we have had a bit of a change around at home, something we have talked about a lot, but always sidestepped the upheaval and kerfuffle.

In an unplanned, spur of the moment decision (brought on by the fact that I had lots of work lined up, which I'm very pleased about!) we swapped two rooms around and managed to create a corner that is my own, dedicated sewing space. Until now I've been split between two rooms for working and storing / filing, which have inconveniently also had a flight of stairs between them. Good for the exercise, not for productivity.

Not any more though - look at my new workspace:

The best bit is all the natural light from the big window and a new bookshelf for all of my tat.

At last, somewhere for the clothkit doll to sit and a hook on which to hang the needlecase.

The silly thing was that the entire move around, including cleaning and sorting out a pile of jumble, took less than two hours. Why did we put it off?? 

Auctioning a promise

Says Alice is based in a suburb of Norwich, which is fortunate to have a great local school. They do wonderful community things throughout the year that Says Alice (and Mr Says Alice) have been known to take part in.

The best for us has been the Garage Sale, in which the good people of Cringleford set up tables on their lawns and the school sells a map of which houses are taking part. This has proved an excellent source of the most random items, including hula-hoops, brass coal scuttles and fuzzy felt, with particularly good bargains from the big houses at the end of the road!

It is also an annual battle to avoid coming home with even more sewing machines: £5 for a Bernina? It would be rude to leave it...

Says Alice, as a result, is very pleased to offer a little something to the latest fundraising effort:

an Auction of Promises.

I have said I'll be very happy to make something that might look a bit like this...

...plus something a bit like this...

Let's hope someone bids!

There are lots of lovely things that have already been pledged and you can leave written bids. Have a look here:

Cringleford School Auction of Promises

Playing with ideas

Thank goodness the sun has returned to Norfolk today.
Photography was a disaster yesterday!

By far the most common order I get is personalised bunting, which is also one of my favourites as I can check I am getting it exactly right for the little person involved. With the ones I hold as stock, like the fairies or pirates or jubilee colours, I make something that I love and hope that everyone else does too. I also hardly speak to the people involved: an order arrives and I pop it into the post asap.

Maybe it is because sewing is a largely solitary pursuit but I love the little bursts of conversation that come with getting a personalised order just right. Choosing the right fabric combinations and making sure the letters stand out without being too dominant.

It makes it all a little bit more sociable which adds to the fun. And I like things to be fun :-)

The cutest fabric ever?

I think this might just qualify!

You can find it in this lovely shop which I have had in my blog read list for a while:

belle and boo

With this one, they have excelled themselves. Careful, if you pop in you might be there for a while!

Folksy's updates

I have been a seller through Folksy since the beginning of the year and have found it a really useful place to do business.

Some of this, if I am honest, is legitimacy for selling through other channels as you just look a bit more official if you have an online shop. But I have also had a steady trickle of sales and referrals which has certainly made the process of setting up and keeping the products online worthwhile.

Now Folksy is going through a relaunch which has caused all kinds of debate between sellers, particularly those who have used Folksy as their main channel for some time. In fact, some have been told that they no longer gave a place in the folksy community, because the vast majority of their products are not 'crafted' - this could mean they just assemble a pendant and a chain, or attach an earring hook to a charm. I guess the principle is that this is manufacture rather than craft.

I have huge sympathy for these folk - we all buy things like those that they make after all, and someone has to make them and sell them somehow. However Folksy is trying to become a retailer defined by unique products and limited availability, which I understand too.

I'm lucky to have come to the party recently and have watched the debate from the sidelines. I think I'll reserve judgement on how well the new design serves me until I have tried it out and whether I get sales. For now I'd be happier reading about the Folksy corporate marketing plan - how do people find Folksy and how can I serve them best? That kind of advice would be invaluable...

The bag lady

Pictures taken, I am delighted to say I have now updated my online stock.

I have popped two reversible tote bags onto the Folksy site for sale, with a selection of pictures for each. It feels like they have been completed for a long time so it's a lovely feeling to now have them out there. It was only while loading them that I realised how summery they are - I'll have to make a few cordoroy versions for winter!

Anyway, hope you enjoy them, and do pop over to Folksy if you would like to see more :-)

A bit of a tidy up

This blog has been a lovely place to lurk about, but I often fund myself doing more reading of other blogs than I am writing up my own bits and bobs.

So, I have done a bit of a tidy up and designed some real proper image boxes for the links to the right (to the Folksy shop and the Facebook page) and added a bit of functionality behind the scenes. It feels like a bit of a fresh start.

I have also launched the Facebook page properly for the first time although it has been in development for some time. I really struggle with advertising to friends on Facebook, but a few have asked for links to send onwards so I thought this might be an easy way to spread the word to folk who aren't on my own personal list. How do other people get around this?

Now I just need my friendly local photographer (aka the husband) to return so I can pester him to take some pics of bags. I'll be modeling, so you'll need to be especially kind about these ones!

Can I hear jingle bells?

Yes, I'm afraid to say that the Christmas prep has begun.

I have been going through the Christmas fabric stash and planning what I need to stock up on and what I might just treat myself to :-) I have a couple of ideas for new things this year, so I hope to extend the bunting range a bit. The trial runs and test pieces have worked well, I just need to make a few complete pieces to photograph and I'll be up and running.

Can it really be months since the last time? Feels like weeks!.

Congratulations Mangle Prints!

It is always good to hear when things are going well and it is particularly good when you know the people involved.

I read on the Folksy blog here that Mangle Prints is one of the top 5 most visited shops on Folksy last month, which is great news. The prints and cards in the shop are really beautiful and even better, made in Norfolk.

I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda when I booked onto a lino printing course in the spring where she showed us some of her stunning work. She was also extremely patient while guiding a group of absolute beginners through the basics of lino cutting, inking and printing.

The course was run at the Hare and Hen ceramics studio at Burnham Deepdale in Norfolk which I would also recommend. Not only is it great to learn something new, but you also get great soup for lunch.

New stock has arrived!

I have just spent a fun few hours cutting up pictures rather than fabric, to get everything ready for display online. I can now happily report that the Folksy shop is stocked up! New pictures and beautiful bunting, all now filling the virtual shelves.

Until now it has just been the mini bunting and personalised bunting in the shop, and it has sold a few and generated a few direct enquiries which has been definitely worthwhile. But I have made so many other bits and pieces that haven't made it online that it became almost too big a job to tackle.

Folksy is a very user-friendly place for the most part, but the photos have to be loaded in square format which means that every image has to be edited to fit before you can begin displaying anything. Which also means you have to take pictures knowing that you'll lost 15% at each side when they are finally viewed.

Hence it is a Bit Of A Job and gets put off. But yesterday, I finally did it all and am jolly pleased with how it all looks. And now there are just one or two bags to get online, mainly held up because they need to be modelled by someone (usually me) and I need to get someone else to take the pics. As a quick taster, here's one of them...

Bunting is a style icon!

Has anyone else seen this in the Guardian yesterday?
The latest style advice is that bunting is the new cupcakes!

Who knew I would be surfing the wave of a new trend... there is no wonder there has been a flurry of sales :-)

alice says hello!

Thought I should really make note of this as yesterday was another first for says alice - a stall at an event.

I have been selling online and through shops for a while, but this is the first time I have put together a table of wares for en event. It took a bit of a flurry of activity to have both stock and samples of things to sell and order, but it was also really good to get a bit organised and crack on with lots of jobs that have been part done for a while.

I'm really pleased with the way it went. There were some sales, some orders and a lot of chatting with the folk running other stalls. Over 2000 people attended the event on the day and all of them had to come into the marquee at some point to shelter from downpours, so it was a fun and productive day!

It was almost like being back in an old job where I used to go to exhibitions on behalf of the college I worked for, recruiting students. I found myself putting together the 'events kit' of everything I might possibly need, from paperclips to blutac and pegs. And then there was the last minute panic about paper bags - what if someone wanted a bag to take things away in...??!

I must say thanks to the Pre-school Learning Alliance for inviting me along and to Donna from ecosnackwrap on the stand nextdoor for making me welcome!

Pretty as a picture

This is a bit delayed really, as I seem to have been making nothing but these for days and am surrounded by frames full of applique!

But this is the first and so the one that is responsible for the start of the avalanche. It was a wedding gift for a couple whose initials are V and A, so the design was an obvious choice. But still a bit of a challenge with all those twists and turns in the ampersand.

It came together far quicker than I thought it would and, after a bit of a play with designs I now have a growing repertoire of flowers, butterflies, fish, boats and even dinosaurs. If I can draw it, I can applique it with my own shabby chic style!

It's also a fantastic use of the offcuts box, where I keep little bits of leftover fabric that is too good to throw away, but too small to use for bunting or bags. Everyone is a winner!

I have seen other crafty bloggers take part in 'bits box' swaps and now I understand why!

I made a changing bag!

The sharp eyed among you will notice that this is already on the pages of things I have made and will be making more of.

There is no other excuse than being a bad blogger who makes stuff and then runs out of time to write about it. I meant to put this up as a work in progress sometime back in April but suddenly it is nearly June and the bag has been with its new owner for weeks. Luckily I snapped a few shots first.

This is the first time I had used the pattern, which I downloaded from here. It is a sew4home.com pattern which has some lovely bits and pieces on it. I didn't really know what to expect from a pattern pdf and had huge fears that it wouldn't all fit together. But I was careful with my measurements (chanting prep prep prep in my head to stop myself rushing forward and making mistakes) and it all came together perfectly.

In fact the only real issue I have is that the bag is described as a small bag for when you only need a few bits and pieces. Honestly, if you tried to carry a bigger bag you'd need to put wheels on it.

I have already pinned up the pattern pieces to make a couple more for the fair coming up in a few weeks and then the shop. After several million strings of bunting, it is also nice to make something three dimensional.

Hope you are all making progress too!

Folksy Friday

It's good to see that the creativity is still going strong out there! The theme this week is rosemary, which I have just spent this morning taking cuttings from. Our last one didn't last the winter and I am determined to have many before we face the next...

This first is from Alexis Southam and is properly beautiful. A real statement piece.

This soap is from Handmade Soap by Caroline and looks so pretty in the picture. 

And finally, this one from Caractacus Pots. It's a bit of a cheat, but the product description recommends baking cheese with rosemary, which I have every intention of trying, very soon!

Returning hero

Possibly overstating the case a bit!

I feel I owe apologies for blog neglect over the past few weeks. There should be a word for that - idleblog maybe, or soggyblog.

In all honesty, I'm not sure where the time has gone to, other than I have had a pile of stuff head out the door and little time to take stock. While that's great, it is nice to come up for air every now and again. With the long easter and royal weekends now on the horizon, there is still lots to be getting on with too.

All that said, I thought it was high time I reported back on a couple of recent projects. I have had a flurry of requests for 'name' bunting and have made four or five strings in the past couple of weeks. Plus I have made another batch of royal wedding bunting, some big bunting for a bedroom (big to me in comparison to all the mini bunting, normal to everyone else I suspect!) and a changing bag as a gift for a friend (pictured). This last one owes a big credit to the pattern I downloaded from sew4home.com which has a real treasure trove of free downloads. They can also be used commercially as long as they are namechecked, which seems eminently fair enough to me. I may make a couple for sale, as it went down very well with the mum-to-be.

Next up it is gardening - no income here, but the rewards when looking gazing over the brim of an iced G&T are infinite!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the sunshine :-)

Folksy Friday

This is my first Folksy Friday and I hope you like these things as much me.

We had a lovely drive through the countryside yesterday and we were lucky enough to see a partridge standing beautifully by the side of the road. They are really stunning birds and it is great to see some people doing them creative justice :-)

This is a lovely one isn't it? There is something almost Christmassy about it (although not a pear tree in sight).

It is by Dee Beale and she has a couple of other in her folksy shop"
http://www.folksy.com/shops/deebeale

This is a beautiful brooch too and looks almost like a biscuit...
I rarely wear brooches but as this doesn't have hugely strong colours I can imagine it being  very easy to wear.

It is by Jude Allman:
http://www.folksy.com/shops/judeallman






Last but far from least is this beautiful cushion from Helkatdesign. I love the little flock and the purposeful step!

Helkatdesign can be found here:
http://www.folksy.com/shops/helkatdesign

Pincushions

I am doing a craft fair in the summer and hope to book a few more for the Autumn, so I have started to stockpile a few of these. I have spotted them in quite a few Folksy shops so I don't think I'll put them online, but hopefully they will go quite easily as a low cost option at a fete.

I have a couple of ideas for slightly different ideas and I hope these will get on to Folksy in due course.

In the meantime, these have proved fab for doing something productive on the days when I feel uninspired. A bit of sewing, stuffing and buttoning later and bingo, something is finished.

Packaged and ready

This week has been a busy one getting everything organised for a new venture, working with a lovely local craft shop and gallery here in Norwich:  Grapevine

I popped into the shop earlier this week (which is well worth a visit by the way, lots of lovely goodies) and asked if they thought bunting would be of any interest to their customers. After being very patient with me having no idea about how all this works, they were generous enough to give it a go! So you can now find a range of Says Alice mini-bunting in Grapevine, which, for me at least, is very exciting indeed :-)

Luckily I had quite a few strings ready to go, but I did have to think about the packaging a bit. I had some cellophane card wrappers which worked perfectly for the mini bunting, but I played with other ideas too. It would be nice to rely less on plastic, but as I had these and they fitted well, I ended up with the cellophane and will review it when I have more time (and inspiration).

The big bunting wouldn't squash stylishly into anything that I have at all, so I have ordered some new wrappers which will hopefully fit them better. Fingers crossed for Monday.

Hope you all have a fab weekend! I'm off to bake a birthday cake for a party at the weekend...