weekend work

My website is under going some changes....I've had my website for years and I've had to add more and more web space to it because I kept filling it up! When I redid my wholesale site I used a new Mr Site product called Storefront and decided to take the plunge and use Storefront for my retail site too...lets just say it's a steep learning curve!

I spent around 14 hours on it over the weekend...and it's going ok...I think it will be a few weeks until it's ready to launch...luckily the old one can stay up and running whilst I'm doing all the work in the background!

New Ribbon Spools

I think I'm addicted to Polka Dots. Everything looks good with Polka Dots on it!I already sell this ribbon cut to order by the metre but decided to add a spool option too.......I think they make great gifts, either for yourself or for crafty friends!

They can be found waiting for crafty adventures in my NotOnTheHighStreetShop

and the winners are....

Four clicks of the button and the magic number generator has the winners picked! A little bit of comment counting later and ta-dah! the winners are:

comment 131: Jenny said...
ohhhh the new kits are just gorgeous! I'd LOVE to win one! x

comment 11: Isadora said...
How lovely!Of course I want to win!!Thank you for the
freebieDoradora.quevedo@gmail.com

comment 85: minamisensei said...
WOW SO BEAUTIFUL AND CUTElove if able to get one of
them...minamisensei@gmail.com

comment 19: Jackie said...
Your new kits are fabulous! My most favourite is the tortoise egg cosy ~
although I wouldn't mind winning any of them as they are all so cute :O)

Congratulations! I shall email you all shortly

As always I'm sorry you can't all win, but for those that asked they are now in my Etsy shop too

;-)

scalloped tortoises

Just over a week ago I showed you my new Tortoise brooch and now I can show you all the other colours I made too! I think the orange is my favourite one!!I have listed them on my website and on NotOnTheHighStreet too, I'll try to add links later but Blogger won't let me right now!

Stitching Shed

I had intended to take a lot of photos at the trade fair, but I didn't. In fact I didn't take any! John did snap a few of Jayne's stand because some of my felt embellishments are included in her new kits...if you peer very closely at the photo, under the heart & butterfly, you'll see a felt house, owl and flowers all combined with cross stitching...don't they look great? I will of course show you more photos when I can :-)

Back From Birmingham

The Trade Fair was amazing.
Lots of orders have been placed for new goodies, and I have a lot of catalogues and info to read through...I'll pop back tomorrow with photos and more news...

a work based Jolly!

the freebie post is here

***********************************************************

I am off on a business trip. I normally think business trips sound like a boring chore but this one is going to be so much fun & I'm so excited!!

I shall be found shopping & researching at Stitches, a craft Trade Fair in Birmingham ... John is coming too & we've managed to find a swanky looking hotel at non-swanky prices. I've been to trade fairs before as a seller (in my past life as an employee) but never as a buyer, plus it'll be nice to finally meet the suppliers I already use but have only ever spoken to on the phone.
I've done all my last minute preparations: gathering business cards, e-tickets, hotel booking reference, supplier stand info, camera (for sneaking photos for the blog!)...and, more importantly, I have a nice new brooch to wear!If you are going too and see someone wearing this it'll be me, so stop and say hi!

OOOHHHH and the whole point of the post was to say that I won't be posting orders on Monday but it'll be business as usual on Tuesday, all the shops will remain open for shopping as usual.

freebie day :: February 2012 :: CLOSED

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the new kits...I'm super happy that you like them as much as me!For this months (rather late) freebie I am happy to offer 4 lucky readers the chance to win their favourite kit!The 4 winners will be picked at random and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.The Freebie closes on Thursday 23rd February and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
RULES

I will post worldwide so everyone is welcome to enter
One entry per person
I must be able to contact you via your comment

THE FREEBIE HAS NOW CLOSED

woo-hoo NEW KITS!!!

hooray! The new kits have been delivered and are on John Lewis's website so it's finally time for me to add them to my website and show them here too! Let me introduce you to: sew-your-own Cute Egg Cosies...you can make a tortoise egg cosy: a rabbit egg cosy: and a little mouse egg cosy too:Your boiled eggs will be the cutest eggs ever!!

The second new kit is Little Flying Friends...you can make two pretty button butterflies, a cute little ladybird and a buzzy bumble bee!Pop back here tomorrow for your chance to win one of the new kits!

tiny tortoises

I'm so excited about this new brooch!!
I have re drawn my little tortoise so he is a bit smaller, done some fancy schmancy scissor work and I am so happy with the result...what do you think??? ...I have another 4 colours waiting to be stitched but I couldn't wait until I'd finished to show you !

monday makes

I did a lot of crafty things this weekend...not everything is finished, so I can't show you them all yet, but these 5 pretty boxes are, ta-dah! ::and so is this pile of stationery!
I'll definitely show you the rest ASAP...ooohh and this afternoon a new rep came to visit the (very tidy!) workshop and I blew my budget - oops! there are many many new things coming this way (but it'll be about 4 weeks! gah!)

tidying

My making space got ransacked over the Christmas rush and today was the day to sort it all out!Every single bucket, box & shelf was taken down and dusted (felt fluff gets everywhere!) and everything was re-organised and tidied...all the buttons are in colour order, all the ribbon reels are wound back up and everything is T.I.D.Y...

back to boxes

with all the hard work of website-building finished (for now) it's nice to spend some time sewing. I love the colours the customer chose for these...they are so bright and happy!...tonight I've an evening of cutting out planned & a whole weekend of sewing to look forward, hurrah!

New Wholesale Website

Hurrah!

I have finished* my new Wholesale websiteI closed my original wholesale site late last year and planned to re-open in the New Year, but then decided that I should combine the re-opening with a re-design...6 weeks later and it's here!

I'd love it if you took a look...just click here :-)

*when I say finished it's not ever going to be finished, there's always a lot of tinkering to be done! But it's open, hurrah!

new cupcakes

over the weekend I added these new cupcakes to my website and completely forgot to show them on here!!...I seem to be on the computer a lot at the moment, VAT stuff, paperwork, accounts, updating the website and WOO-HOO finally updating my wholesale website...I had hoped it would be up and running today but have found a hiccup ... so maybe tomorrow!!

pom pom pom pom pom pom pom ....pom!

ooooohhhhh just have a look at this!a box full of colourful goodies......and it gets even better the closer you look!!fluffy pom pom goodness in 14 fluffy colours!

hurrah!

quick link :: pom poms!

February Freebie :: Postponed!

Today is the first Thursday in February.

That means it is Freebie Day.

This freebie day has been planned for ages...

I have two new kits due to be delivered to John Lewis on February 1st and they are going to be my freebie prizes (I am dying to show you the new kits!!)

Someone (*ahem* me!!) didn't book a delivery slot in time so now the new kits can't be delivered until February 10th.

Which means I can't show you them yet.

Which means the freebie is postponed.

Someone must be fired*

And the flowers? well I can't blog without photos , the flowers are new and on the website here

New Freebie day is Thursday 16th February 2012!

*well, I won't really fire myself, that would just be silly!

my new boss!

This afternoon I am doing a very thorough stock take and once that's done everything VAT is organised (phew! that sounds nice and easy doesn't it!?), my new boss should be very proud!...and the best news? No price rises round these parts :-)