yesterday's flock of robins....

...left some unanswered questions (in the comments bit) so I shall answer them now, whilst I show you todays little posse of finished decorations

 Leanne said...
How do you sew so quickly?! It took me 3 hours to make one of the owls from your box last night!!
How long would 1 of these take you to make? ( Just so I can see what I'm aiming for!) 
Well, one decoration, from start to finish, takes about 45-50 minutes - but I make them in batches - cut out one day, sew the details another, then sew the edge & then stuff them - you get the idea - there's no secret to it - do it a lot and you'll get faster !! and never stop sewing - I always have my sewing tray full of stitching, and it's always next to me on the sofa...when I wake up I sew, when I get home I sew. All those snatched 10 minutes here and there really add up PLUS I love sewing, which helps :-)

 Michelle Fallon said...
I hope you use your sewing machine to sew all those buttons on - omg ! :O) 
UUmmm NO!  all hand cut & all hand sewn...I actually think I'm quicker at hand sewing buttons than I would be machine sewing them!!!

If you have a question just ask - I'll try my best to answer :-)

packing like crazy

the shop is still MEGA busy (thank you - I LOVE being mega busy) it's not quite as manic today as yesterday was - just 4 sacks of parcels today!
My homework at the moment is all Christmas related - I'm trying to build up some stock of handmade Christmas Decorations - 6 robins have been completed, and hopefully there will be more to show throughout the week :-)

thank you to ....

...everyone who ordered over the weekend - you all helped to make last week one of our best & busiest weeks ever!
Becky is on her holidays this week so I put a few extra hours in over the weekend to sort orders, write addresses and prep for picking so I didn't get swamped today, because Monday is always the busiest day for picking & packing, and boy am I glad I did - those 5 post sacks in the photo are 8.5 hours of solid picking and packing!!! and there are just 19 minutes to spare until the postie comes to collect, phew, that was close!

all cut out -

 

- and I'm ready to sew!

I don't know how much I'll get done because there are many sewing interruptions today ::
Worthing's best American Car Show is on just round the corner from our house
House DIY still needs to be done
I need some computer time in the workshop (45 minutes should do it)
and as tradition must be adhered too we shall be in the pub's road side front garden as the car show shuts to watch all the amazing cars drive by!

five head off for christmas...

 ...and I wonder where they will spend their time until December?

Another organised shopper's order for some of my decorations, I sent some out on Monday and this little lot went out today :-)

open the door, get on the floor

everybody walk the dinosaur!

and if you have no idea what i'm going on about you can see a video here
just don't blame me if you find yourself singing it All Day Long ;-)

felt overflow

so it turns out that getting a discount from your felt supplier because your felt orders are so large can have unforeseen disadvantages...I mean, if I had thought about it sensibly it would have been obvious - buying a lot of felt means you need a lot of room to store the felt - humph !!
My current felt order (the discount breaking one) has been split into two shipments - this is part of the first one - two pallets full of felt bolts...by the time I got there with the camera John had already put a load of them away where they normally go and what you can see in the photos is the 'leftovers' ...
I did suggest they could stay in the garage and we could remove a car but that option didn't work for everyone (especially the guy who owns the garage and most of the cars and who very kindly lets us plonk our deliveries in there on a temporary basis)

 

 But having too much felt can't strictly be possible can it?  Surely it's like buttons - you can never have too many of them either ... So a web search, a phone call and a trip to the local storage place later ::

and the excess felt has a room of it's own - with plenty more space for the next pallet full, which will hopefully be here by the end of this week!!
Problem solved me thinks  -  and just look at all that extra space for more stock!

b&q :: sewing :: diy :: bbq

phew-ee it's been a busy Sunday!

First thing this morning we were DIY shopping at B&Q - John is renovating our bedroom (in between the hard work of cutting felt & making kits) but today we combined that with finishing off the garden

I made a lot of time to sew today - a special order needed to be finished - whilst John hung lining paper (I am so much better at sewing than hanging wallpaper, and it's best I leave the pro to it!)

once the sewing was done we went flat pack mad in the still very hot sun and built our newly purchased picnic table and put together our new BBQ

and now we are both showered and refreshed, the BBQ is cooking our tea, John has a cold beer and I have a nice chilled glass of white wine beside me and we're both sitting at the new picnic table and relaxing.

Marvellous :-)

preperations

today has been a busy day - the VAT return is complete (yay!) the workshop is tidy and ready for a new week and I have cut out A LOT of sewing to do tomorrow - - - pictures to follow :-)

the weekend is here

and I am going to the pub. 
right now.  
well, once Mr Postman has been and collected all the parcels. 
10  minutes and John and I will be under a sun umbrella with a long icy drink. 
and for those entire 10 minutes I am standing as close to the fan as possible :-)
owls in the photo were made last night and posted today - you can see them here

doing the weekly accounts is fun when ----

 --- it means you can sit still in front of the fan for two hours!!! ... I may even enjoy doing the VAT return on Saturday if it stays this hot ;-)

I hope you are finding a way to enjoy the heat wherever you are :-)
Photos are of handmade orders that were sent out today.
owl ornament
and cute box

here's some I made earlier

When I make items to order I don't like to show them here until the order is complete, the invoice paid and the hand made items are in the post, if it's a new design I wait even longer, until the recipient has received them - but these aren't a new design, and they have been posted out today (after they waited patiently for the order to be paid for) so they have now been photographed and shown on the Blog

I hope they enjoy their 5 minutes of 'fame' :-)

kit preperation

Kit Making prep is always going on in the background round here....there's always kits to make and always stock to buy to keep the kit making going.  A few weeks ago when the John Lewis Forecast came through Kit Preparation stopped being a background task and started to creep to the top of everyone's to do lists ... and now the first actual order has arrived we are definitely in full Kit Making mode!

I try and leave the BIG incoming stock deliveries till last - 80kg of stuffing arrived yesterday, tomorrow all the printing will arrive (lots of small boxes, but boy is paper heavy!) and at the end of the week there will be 3 pallets full of empty kit boxes here, waiting to be filled with kit making goodies!!

 There are 9 new kits to be added to our selection this year - I've been working on them for months now so I am itching to show you them all!

a retro weekend

John and I spent the past weekend in Norfolk - our friend (and star of the photo) Paul organised a 1970's car show, so on Saturday we packed our 1970's suitcases (with high tech camping gear!) and our vintage picnic set and picnic rug and set off on our 4 and-a-bit hour drive to Wroxham in north Norfolk
We travelled in convoy with more car-mad friends (Martin & his son Jacob) and got there at 3pm ...we helped to set up but Paul was so organised it meant there wasn't much for us to do, apart from setting up our own tents and starting a BBQ (Jacob was star chef) We didn't get much sleep (about 4 hours!) because a lot of talking and fun was being had, and we woke up stupidly early, like you do when camping, and tidied away our make-shift campsite to make way for 120 amazingly 70's cars.
Lots of car owners dressed up - lots of big wigs and polyester shirts and flares were worn - not many lasted the day in the hot sun though!!!
We had a fantastic day - the venue was amazing - it's called Wroxham Barns and it is a great place for families, there's a farm with lots of little animals, a fairground, crazy golf, a huge picnic area and playground AND all the barns are full of craft shops and local food produce.
It was brilliant!
And we will be there next year too!

I think I may be addicted ...

...to buying new stock for the shop! 
I have new Halloween Ribbons ::

 new Christmas Ribbons ::

 new Owl Ribbons ::

 new Monkey Ribbons! ::

 new Cute Frog Face Ribbons ::

 lots and lots and lots of new ribbons! ::

But it's not just new ribbons that arrived today - I have branched out into packaging supplies!  Gorgeous printed paper bags ::

in 5 colours and 3 patterns

 and just in case you might be thinking that all I do is shop here's a reminder that I do sew too & a photo of 3 boxes I made today to prove it !! ::

 

Quick Links ::

new ribbons are here

new paper bags are here

boxes are here

and the winners are.....

ooohhh exactly 100 comments & 10 prizes, how very neat and easy to work out your odds of winning...
I just wish the lottery was a one in ten chance of winning!!
Random number machine has picked 10 winners ::

1  
smiliesnoopy said...
great freebie's as always. thanks for the opportunity. =]
10
 Charlotte Lewis said...
So glad I saw this, I was part way through ordering some! :) xx
28 
Anonymous said...
I wanna try ! :) It's time to have some shopping !
Erica
50
Eli said...
Fab prize, I would love a chance to win.
Thanks a lot.
Have a great week end!
Eli
69
 Anonymous said...
Would love to do some shopping to keep the children busy for the summer holiday :) Kirsty2me at hotmail dot com
76
Roberta said...
Even the temptation of an offer can't get me to think about Christmas whilst the sun beats down on us but I'd love to replenish my felt supplies with one of your vouchers, thank you
78
 Anonymous said...
Will it me be this time??? lotenzoidatyahoodotcodotuk

81
Harrysmum said...
Oooo I could have so much fun with a £10 voucher, although I don't think it would clear my daughters (very long) wish list! Thanks for the chance to win!
82
 Sue Vaughan said...
A fab giveaway. Sue x susan.vaughan4@hotmail.co.uk
98
Highland Monkey's said...
how lovely, thanks for the giveaway. Hope I win!

are you a winner?
if your name & comment has been drawn please claim your prize by sending me an email (sepoulton(at)btopenworld(dot)com)
I will send you an email back which will contain your £10 shopping code - easy peasy!

hello Mr Delivery Man!

last chance to enter the freebie - winners will be announced tomorrow :-)

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

phew-ee it's been a busy delivery unpacking day today!

Some of it is for kits :: Some of it is for stock

This one's for my niece Holly - discovered via Facebook

...  she's called Fawn, made by a paper-and-string customer *hi Toni* and look,  she has made friends with Cyril The Seagull already!!

some BAD news :: Teeny Tiny Ric Rac has been discontinued :-(

but then some GOOD news :: the same suppliers have found a replacement - it's not quite as teeny tiny, and it's not quite as bargainsome - but it is still lovely !!  I shall be stocking both the Original and New tiny ric rac, cos I bought all that my supplier had left of the original ric rac, and i couldn't resist the lovely colours in the new ric rac!!:-)

Quick Links ::
Polka Dot Buttons are here
Ribbons Galore are here
Teeny Tiny Ric Rac is all here
Cute Felt Dolls from feltcottonandwhimsy are here

new goodies

Lots of new (and exciting!) goodies have been added to my shop ::

 mini white wooden pegs :: £2 a pack :: click here

 teensy hanging baubles *cute* :: £2 a pack :: click here

 amazing clip on blackboards :: small 45p each :: large 55p each :: click here

 medium size wooden pegs :: £2 a pack :: click here

 ooohhh shiny sieve brooch bar parts :: 70p per set :: click here

 a favourite from last year :: tiny little Christmas lights :: £2 :: click here

and lastly, dinky little glass test tubes, with a cork stopper and a hanging ribbon :: just 75p each! :: click here