getting technical -TWICE!

I have *finally* made two long-awaited technical changes round here - the first (you may have seen already) is that I have joined Blog Lovin...I've seen it happening all around me in Blog World, mostly (I think) because Google Reader (my previous Blog Reader) will be shut by July 1st...and how else to read and keep up with fantabulous crafty blogs than with a blog reader gizmo?

 I've been a Blog Lovin member for a couple of days and I 'claimed my blog' the other day, which means if you join and use Blog Lovin as your new Blog Reader too you can just click the Blog Lovin button over there on the right and follow me & my blog. 

The second act of technical wizardry is that I have opened a paper-and-string facebook page ( better late than never, right?) - so if you are a facebooker and want to follow me over there you can!  So far I have set up a facebook app of my etsy shop and another of my ebay shop, changed my photo a couple of times, and checked out how links from ebay and noths work - not a riveting read so far but I think I am getting the hang of it - please check it out and if you have some handy hints or tips please let me know :-)

claiming my blog

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

sewing & spreadsheets

yesterday I started making some new flower drawing pin colour combinations

today I have spent much of the day with spreadsheets.  the John Lewis Christmas forecast has arrived which means a lot of number crunching round these parts; I'm trying to work out which stocks to order and when - I've only really scratched the surface of it all today...mostly I have been full of happy smiles and randomly saying things to John  like 'do you know I need to order 64,240 pom poms?' 
It also brings a touch of panic too - but I will be calm and work my way down the to-do list until I am organised. 
But first I shall be outside sewing my drawing pins - it's sunny out there and the spreadsheets can wait until tomorrow!

that didn't take long!

 the tidying is complete - the office wall looks a bit bare and has lots of empty shelves because I plan to house my handmade items here - they will be packaged in cello bags, all ready for posting...but before I can fill the shelves I need to get making!

all my colourful supplies are now in the making room, where they should be....

...on the wall opposite my felt & fabric shelves (which are under the cutting table)...everything is looking very organised and tidy ...

...so after I have packed today's parcels I shall be in there making a mess being creative ;-)

in the mood to tidy

a few weeks ago (well, it seems like weeks ago, but actually it was waaay back here) I moved all my making supplies into their own room - apart from everything on my office wall

...I started to move it all this afternoon - and hopefully I will have officey things in here and making things in the other room .... but it might take me a while!!!

button fill up :: part two

the table was *finally* cleared of all buttons yesterday and all my jars and shelves are full!

 today I've been busy packing parcels and making some more boxes ::

and John got busy re-planting my window box - the view from my window on to the big flat roof is looking a lot more cheerful now!

button fill up :: part one

the mammoth button delivery is now all unpacked ..... the pick and mix buttons have been filled up ::

don't they look scrummy ??
the buttons by weight have been carried up the stairs (all 91kgs...buttons are heavy!!)  and are now unpacked, checked & online....AND all over the table!!!

and all those empty button trays I showed you yesterday are now filled up....I'll tell you more about these beauties another day....

 first I need to clear this table off!!

quick links
pick and mix buttons are here
buttons by weight are here (colours) and here (shapes)

A Button-y Before

A HUGE button order arrived today.....

.... I am slowly ploughing my way through all the boxes, sorting and checking and organising it all...

.... I have 27 button trays waiting to be filled (!!!) .... and many many empty button jars to fill ::

it's a good job it's the weekend because I have buttons everywhere (on both cutting tables, on the packing table, on the sewing table and all the still unopened boxes are still on the stairs ) .... I think it's going to take most of tomorrow to put them all away !!!

two Columbo's later

I like to have TV on when I am at the sewing machine.
I don't have an actual TV in the workshop so I watch catch up on the computer or, if I have a lot of machine sewing to do, I crack open my Columbo Box Set...and today's 9 boxes took two Columbo's to complete.
My Must Have sewing tools:  Sewing machine, Orange Scissors, Columbo.

pretty new things

In between filling up regular stock lines a few new things have been appearing in my deliveries :: 
new teeny tiny ric rac colours :: red & white
new large ric rac colours :: baby blue and plum

new love heart ribbon in two colours
AND new sleepy owl ribbon

and the owls are SO CUTE!!!!

 

Quick Links

tiny ric rac is here

large ric rac is here

love heart ribbon is here & here

and sleepy owls are here

welcome to my world .....

....of parcels

 I love Bank Holiday Weekends - 3 days away from the normal day to day tasks = lots of time for extra tasks (like pattern drawing & instruction writing for new kits) AND spare time to relax and enjoy the sunshine too ... it does mean, however, that the first day back is officially A Manic Parcel Packing Day

But that's OK.  Becky, John and I absolutely love Manic Parcel Packing Days!

todays tools

lots of fresh white card & a newly sharpened pencil  -  today I am finalising all the pattern pieces for my new kits - it's a nice job to do on a weekend, it's quiet here in the workshop and the sun is shining (on and off!) and I can put my head down and concentrate without the general hub bub of a weekday's going ons.

cute packages of cute things!

my favourite pom poms are back in stock - woohoo!

and a bag of one hundred 9mm pom poms is just £1.50 so you can go pom pom mad and sew them (or glue them!) onto everything!!

 

 and *new* little wooden birdies - each pack has 4 big & 8 small birdies and each birdie comes with a sticky dot on the back for quick crafting!

Quick Links:
poms poms are here
and birdies are here

fun with ribbons

FIRST we designed felt packs:

available in 10 fantabulous different colour collections
THEN we had matching button packs:

also in 10 fantabulous colour collections
NOW we have co-ordinating ribbon packs!

 you guessed it - in the same 10 fantabulous colour collections!

 Becky and I had enormous fun going through the vast ribbon collection I have built up in the shop and carefully choose 10 *perfect* ribbons for each pack

 once the ribbons had all been selected we got to finalise the packaging ....

 .... winding and winding and making them look even more gorgeous on their grey cards

 we are definitely biased but we think these look scrummy! 

 they are just £6 a pack (for 10 metres of ribbon) and you can see them on the website here :-)

it's catch up time!

I've been away from the blog for one day - and have billions of things to catch you up on!

 ONE - I've been busy making custom orders of boxes- I love the natural colours of 'jazz'

 TWO - end of year accounts.  Done - I'm always keen to get them done asap before the summer starts and kit work begins in earnest - Heather (my accountant) takes away all my spreadsheets and bits of paper, fires questions at me, then comes back with new bits of paper and a big tax bill and it's done. phew!

 THREE - John Lewis have decided which lines they would like to stock for Autumn/Winter 2013 (17 different kits - woo-hoo!!!) It's always a very nervous few weeks between submitting new & existing designs for consideration and the BIG decision being made ... so it's a good job the accounts are done because it is officially the start of Kit Making Season! 

FOUR - piles of 30% wool 9" squares have been uncovered in the Kit Stock Cupboard and are now super cheap on eBay for all you bargain hunters; super price of 3 for £1,  or 4 for £1.32 depending on how many of each colour are left!!!
FIVE - Becky and I have been having fun with ribbons - but I'll be back with that tomorrow!

I did it!

I completed my cutting marathon!

 240 flowers :: 240 flower middles :: 240 buttons

 240 owl bodies :: 240 owl wings :: 240 owl faces :: 240 owl beaks :: 240 bits of pretty ribbon :: 240 buttons :: 480 owl eyes

 all packed  up and posted to Jayne ....

 ...who then unpacks them all and puts them together again as part of her glorious cross stitch kits:  sewing sampler & owls of a feather

 definately a lot of cutting - I think I need to get me some edward scissorhand hands!

making and cut-cut-cutting

 my made-to-order books have been cleared for the weekend, after I finished off a set of drawing pins.....

 .....and 4 storage boxes

 Which is perfect timing because I have a lot of cutting to do!

the top photo will become 250 cut out flowers and the bottom photo 250 cut out owls - thank goodness i don't need need to sew them all together because it's a rush job and it's due to be sent off on Monday to Jayne - wish me luck, cos this is a lot of cutting!