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 :-)