*finally* it's tidy...

...well, as tidy as it's going to get, anyway!

This rather boring-to-look-at photo is my new, extra workshop space!

 

 I have two work benches along one wall

  

and a selection of shelves along the other

 

these shelves hold all the cut ribbons, plastic grip bags, postcards...and other bits & bobs

 

These hold boxes of cut felt, pom poms, scales & printing

and here we have the rest of the printing (stickers, instructions, patterns etc ... I have a lot!), a huge bag of fluff, and some packaging boxes.
Everything has been labelled and tidied so it's easy to find and keep tidy when kit mania is upon us!
My favourite bit?  All of it!! I love it, it's so tidy and organised...and roomy...no more storing things on the stairs for me!!

button sorting....

....for hours and hours

approx 50kgs of buttons sorted and boxed and ready for *new* kit making

It took all of yesterday afternoon and most of this morning!

 I still have some more tidying & putting away to do and then the extra space I've rented will be ready for photos! (unless I get distracted by buttons again!)

a week's worth of making

A little collage of all the handmade orders I made over the past week

•  10 boxes
•  4 owls
•  42 mini cupcakes
•  7 flower drawing pins

the kit craziness has begun!

Everyday I work on kits, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for hours.  Mostly it's work I can't share because the kits aren't launched yet and I don't want to spill the beans too early (even though I am busting to!)   Sometimes I'm designing and sample making, sometimes I'm drawing patterns and writing instructions, sometimes I'm finding suppliers and buying supplies, sometimes I'm working on packaging ideas and sometimes I'm planning & list making!
And boy does it take a lot of planning and a lot of lists!

I currently have 18 new kits to launch.  One is in some of the boxes above, they left here yesterday on the way to my newest stockist: The RSPB....way back in January they asked me to design them an exclusive kit, and I was so chuffed to do it!  Once I see that the kits are for sale (in shops, online and in the Christmas Catalogue, I think) I will show you what I have made for them  :-)

John and I took our holiday before the kit craziness started in earnest and this week all my pre-booked deliveries started arriving....there's tonnes of printing, findings, buttons, fabric and Pom Poms! (that box has 18,000 pom poms!!).... luckily we have rented some extra space to store it all, because there's not enough room in the workshop any more...once it's all tidy and ship-shape I'll show you that :-)
So the first six months of 2012 were planning the kits...and the next six months will be making them!  Come on kit craziness-I'm ready for you!

polka dots galore

A ginormous delivery of polka dots arrived today ::

7700 to be exact!
I've updated the website AND I have added new polka dot button mix bags too!

 There are 5 sizes available: extra small,  small,  medium,  large and extra large

 AND you can still buy them individually too!!  hooray, Polka Dot Buttons for everyone!
QUICK LINKS ::
for individual polka dot buttons click here
for mix bag polka dot buttons click here

my very own Jersey Cow

St Helier has some lovely shops....quite a few famous names and lots of lovely independents too and  Jersey has a lovely 'brand' called Genuine Jersey which highlights local produce, be it food, plants, art or crafts.

I treated myself to my very own Jersey Cow made by Nanette Regan (you may know her from her blog which was called  Area Thrifty One, you can see her blog here) I've been a blog follower of Nanette's for ages (lucky me, I won a freebie ages ago!) and it was so lovely to see all her products up close in a number of shops around the island.

Nanette makes tonnes of lovely lovely softies, kits to make your own and even gorgeous prints...it seriously took me ages to decide which to buy...the octopus with blue legs nearly won but the Jersey Cow was more apt!!
If you fancy a peek at Nanette's Etsy shop click here

mission accomplished!

today has passed in a blur!
printing orders, answering emails (it's a good feeling when the inboxes are empty!) cutting out orders to sew, taking in deliveries, ordering more stock...and packing parcels ::

phew-ee!

Jersey Holiday

Our holiday was Fantastically-Amazing!  We went to Jersey and loved it!
We relaxed, ate, pottered and sight-see'd to our hearts content!
The zoo was the brilliant, the hotel (and the balcony view) was glorious...we had some sun, some rain, and some gale force winds (especially important to know about whilst on a ferry!!)  but whatever the weather we had fun!
John took a lot more photos than I did...but that's lucky for you otherwise you'd be looking at a whole load more of my holiday snaps!!

I've been slowing my way back into work today...I have re-opened all my shops, there's a new message on the website and I've opened all my nasty bills!!  Orders are picked, and will be packed and ready for posting tomorrow as promised .... I've got a tonne of sewing to do for NotOnTheHighStreet orders and my to-do list for this week is a L-O-N-G one already!
It's a good job I love this job ;-)

Quick Links ::
Jersey website, click here
Durrell Wildlife Park, click here
Hotel, click here

Surprise Holiday Sale!

I'm off on holiday!  To celebrate I am having a ::

 SurPrisE sALe!

I've been working hard on the website and have added 174 product lines to the sale section...all sorts of products, from embellishments, felt, ribbon, handmade boxes, decorations, pom pom trim...the list is quite long! 

The website is programmed to remove out of stock sale items* so if you can see it, it's available! 
The website is remaining open ... all orders placed while I am away will be posted on Tuesday 19th June
I hope you enjoy the sale....think of us tomorrow in a force 7 gale on a 12 hour ferry crossing** !!
* I've not used this function before so fingers crossed it works like it should!
** Double fingers crossed that the ferry will actually sail!!
CLICK HERE for the   SurPrisE sALe!

cupcakes and a notice!

The cupcakes that I cut out the other day are finished and on the website

I've narrowed down the amount of colours they come in to 9 (it was 24!)

 I'm really glad with the nine colours I picked, all very cupcake-y and bright!

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

ADVANCED WARNING ::
I am going on Holiday on Saturday (YAY!)

I will be closing my etsy/ebay/folksy shops but my website will remain open.  

All orders placed by the end of Thursday 7th June will be posted as normal.

All orders placed between Friday 8th-Monday 18th June will be posted on TUESDAY 19th June.

Watch the blog for more exciting news before I go....there's a surprise coming!!

Jubilee Sewing

These past 4 days have been fun ~ I hope you all had good Jubilee Celebrations?
As always I did some sewing too!  Flowers this time,  some are for orders and some are for stock, all are made from bright and cheery colours  to off-set the miserable rain! :: 

question answered

Thank you to every one who took time to answer my button question on yesterday's post....It seems that the answer is Both!  Which is a mighty fine answer!  It means I shall be re-jigging the button section a teensy bit and adding a few more mixed bags!
Hooray for the most helpful blog readers/shoppers ever!

Today was a manic day...Lots of last minute orders which have *just* made it to the post office, I'm hoping that everyone will get them tomorrow so that their Loooong weekend will be a crafty one, I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday, but Sunday and Monday are Days Off Days.
The photo's of the little flurry of handmade orders which finished last night and were sent out today
Happy Jubilee Weekend Everyone!

a question for you

it's an easy question....about buttons!

In my online shops I sell lots of buttons.  In my craft room I sew with a lot of buttons.
I know how I like to buy my buttons ( I have had a lot of practise, after all!)
But what is the best way for YOU to buy buttons?

Do you prefer Pick n Mix, where every button is available individually, or do you prefer Mix bags which contain a set number or weight of buttons for a set price ?

Or perhaps you'd prefer both options to be available....????

 The photos are of my X-Small polka dot buttons, sold individually for 10p each, but grouped here as a bag of 50 for £4
So what's the answer?
please choose from the following: 
Answer 1 : I prefer pick n mix!
Answer 2 : I like mix bags, it's quicker to shop!
Answer 3 : Both ways for sure :-)
Answer 4 : an answer I haven't even thought of yet!
I'm excited to read your replies! 

Limited Edition

Back in February when I went to the trade fair I went looking for something a little bit special. 

Something that isn't for sale everywhere,  something that will make your craft projects a little extra special.

These buttons are just what I was looking for!  They had to be forward ordered (which is why they were only delivered yesterday) and they are a strict limited edition, never to be repeated or ordered again.

They are a little bit more expensive than the products I usually choose, but they are also a little bit higher quality too, so they are definitely worth it.

The Crystal Clear Flowers are available individually, and the other flowers, 2-Hole Matts and 4-Hole Glossys as mix packs.
Quick Links:
for all limited edition buttons : click here

baking!

at the moment half my days are being spent doing boring (but very necessary) computery/spreadsheet things* so I gave myself a treat today and spent a happy hour or so choosing colours and buttons for my next batch of cupcakes

* the very boring things are actually going to lead to very exciting things, so really they aren't that bad, and I shall tell you all about it as soon as I can!

new supplies

I've just been updating the website...lots of new supplies have arrived, some are a tad Christmassey, but if recent orders are anything to go by then Christmas crafting has already started!

star shaped key rings

hair clips

mini pegs

wooden snowflakes

 multi coloured jingle bells

AND the wooden hearts are back! hooray!

Quick links:

star key rings are here

hair clips are here

wooden items are here

jingle bells are here

PS the wedding was AMAZING!  Lovely people, lovely food, very generous hosts, gorgeous weather...and a bride and groom that are so happy, and so obviously in love,  perfect!

practical sewing

we're off to a wedding tomorrow....my outfits have been bought for quite a few days and have been waiting patiently on their hangers for me to shorten the legs...posh trousers for the wedding, new jeans for the next day...

I have shorty short legs, nothing some scissors and the sewing machine can't cope with...but I do like to leave things to the last minute, just so I can get a bit stressed out with it all ;-)

one of my favourite things

I love my teeny tiny buttons!  after my felt (of course!) they are a top seller ... and because they are dyed especially for me, to my exact dye recipe, it gives me a little buzz every time a pack is sold .... and when I'm running low it's never a chore to sit for an hour or two and count, count, count until lots more packs are packed!

so imagine my joy today when one of my bestest customers emailed me the links to her new Etsy shop and blog, to show me her teeny tiny crotched baby bootees, adorned with my teeny tiny buttons!

How cute are they?
Quick links: 
for Pretty Crochet Things Etsy shop, click here
for Pretty Crochet Things Blog, click here
for teeny tiny buttons, click here

sunshine = flowers

Wow!  I am loving this mini heatwave we are having...the sun is pouring through the windows & the little breeze (and the fan!) are keeping me cool whilst I work, I hope the sun is shining where you are too!

I've been re-jigging my felt flower pack colours and have just been photographing and then updating the website with them.
Quick Link :: felt flower packs are here

NEW RIBBONS!

Some new ribbons have arrived!
They are slightly wider than my normal size of 1/2", coming in at 5/8" (15mm) which means they have even more room for Big Bright Patterns on them~perfect for all sorts of cheerful projects!
Quick Link :: for New Riley Blake Ribbons click HERE