The funky nappy pouch

I love this. I know it is just to hold nappies in but how funky is this??? Although i had to give it to Liz as she had paid for it. Very VERY sad to see it go especially as my 4 year old has spilt ribena all over mine. Made yet again with Ikea fabric.

Very funky to have hanging off your buggy or pram

Attached waterproof pocket for wipes or flannel

My daughter is teething and i have got to the end of my sympathy - which in all honestly never lasts long anyway. Figure it is too early for a gin and tonic at 9.50am so i am just going to have to drink caffeine instead. Temperatures, irritablility, clingy,,,,,,,,aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh. Teething is the big cock up of mother nature. Painful for the child, excruciating for the mother.

Again with Ikea fabric, made this funky grocery bag. Sad to see that go as well.

Urgent

I have an urgent bag order. Not a bad thing although all i want to do is curl up with a glass of wine and the Will Self book I am reading for book group. I have read it before but it was a very long time ago. SO far the reactions have been mixed. Personally i love it and I love the way Will Self writes. HE is a very clever man. The novelettes are called Cock and Bull.

Spent Monday enjoying a top to toe day at Henlow Grange. It was a present from my brother Richard and his wife Naomi. (he has lots of fab photos here) I was very ill last year and it was a cheer up present whilst on the road to recovery. I used the voucher this week and just had the best time although my nail varnish has now chipped from my manicure. MY toes still look pretty though.

Anyway I am working through the orders from the handbag party. Made the nappy pouch for Liz and it looks great - much better than mine boo hoo but i forgot to take a photo of it. SO Liz is very kindly fixing that for me and i will post the photo because the bag is very pretty.

The urgent order is for a basket bag (Lisa from U-handbag told me they would be popular and she was right) This one sold on the night. I was worried that it looked a bit twee but the girls seemed to love it and the one on order is to be very similar. The fabric is pink, with purple and pink ribbons and bamboo handles. I am trying to get it started AND finished tonight as she wants it tomorrow evening - see i told you it was urgent. Must get cutting

Yummy yummy chutney

I have a big aversion to vegetables that come from a supermarket shelf. I know that they are convenient but the fact that it takes on average 5 weeks for the vegetables to get from the fields to the shelves is a big put off. I also hate the fact that Mr billionaire Tescos, Asda, etc are getting all the money and the farmers are being paid pittance.

I am lucky in the fact that i live in a country village in Bedfordshire and we are near quite a few farm shops. Recently, i have started using a fantastic company called Locals Best. They deliver the vegetables to the door and unlike the other companies, all the veg is local. Last

week my veg box arrived and it looks like this. How fab does that look

All the veg comes from within a 10 mile radius of where i live and is as fresh as fresh pie. But even a vegeholic like myself cannot eat that much beetroot (2lbs) and andrew and the children are not too keen so i decided to make some beetroot chutney, using the onions as well plus some apples and raisons.

I am not too good about cutting the vegetables up small hence the large chunks of apple

After an hour of cooking it looked like this - the jars do not look overly pretty as i was having to rush out with the children.

Just for Susanne

Right, at the request of Susanne here is the nappy pouch. It is the right size to fit a portable changing mat, some nappies, and has a detachable waterproof pouch inside to keep wipes. Each bag made can be sized to fit any changing mat, and obviously the fabric differs according to taste. I have an order for one in the Ikea Rainbow fabric. I will post photos shortly.For mothers using washable nappies, a drawstring waterproof sack can be made to place wet nappies in. The one in the photos is mine and it is just fantastic. The idea came about because my friend Liz kept asking for one - she is very insistent.

The pouch in poppy fabricDetachable wipe sack lined with waterproof fabric
clip handle so can be used on prams with one handle (like mine) or buggies with two

A huge Success

I have had the long awaited handbag party and it was a huge success. Nerves had started setting in first thing in the morning and i had just assumed they were for my son Oliver who had his first sports day that day. But as he didn't seem in the slightly bit fazed about his 8 races in front of what appeared to be the whole village, I think it was just the fact that his mum was having a nervous breakdown about displaying bags in front of 13 people. My daughter Martha was taking the whole day in her stride though as you can see. Already fashion conscious at the grand old age of 1, she decided to start a trend wearing my mothers sunglasses.

The party started at 8pm and as it was the launch of what will hopefully be my new business venture i thought it only correct to get some bottles of bubbly in to toast Joanna Bags.

My friend CAth who hosted the party did me proud, had moved around her furniture, got nibbles and was basically a fantastic mate. I arranged my goodies on the table and then people arrived.

I gave a presentation including facts pinched from Lisa's site U-handbag on the waste of carrier bags each year whilst talking and showing the grocery bag.

This lovely bag went to my fab friend Louise and is made from Ikea fabric. All hail Ikea. Apart from the queues. I do lose the will to live when i see three tills open and 400 people in lines all of which are buying a new kitchen, with each box turned the wrong way so that the cashier has to manhandle each box to bleep them through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway everybody seemed to love the bags, a lot were sold on the night and a lot were ordered including my fantastic nappy pouch which i am very proud of. The photos are a bit blurry of the evening as Kate was on the red wine.

ooo pretty baskets

so bloody simple when a brain has been used

Try again - Rockin Blogger

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SSVqyT-EWzbiayAGWR2ZNXwg2vkCc4tGlDsJzSJMaGymJ77vYeXcYb1OXGgWgXj2OoJ0n2_IfP3j1IJC1C2aXhnGvV38oZw0bShcJdAOjWmVwhJqc3IOGSofJA1pjRAtQBEWYpqls2s/s400/button04.jpg

(if the button hasnt worked this time i will cry)

I have been tagged which is really exciting. Firstly it means that someone has read my blog which is exciting in itself and secondly it means they like what they saw!!! Woo Hoo. The lovely lady who sent me the button is Susanne so check out her blog, its fab. I now have to work out how to tag other people which will be a fun thing for me to do at the weekend. It also means that there are even more bloggers out there then i thought. Although that does mean that i will now get nothing done ever again, and my husband ANdrew will give me the look that he gives when i try to explain what people have said. But do you know what he cannot comment, he watches the Sci Fi Channel!!!!

I am not sure why i got it or how these things get started, so instead of cutting fabric, ironing, cleaning the kitchen etc etc etc etc, I am going to find out how it started. Sad i know.

I ordered these pinking shears off ebay. How fantastic are these. I was going to buy some new ones but nearly fainted at the price so bought these and i think i may just look at them in their box instead of using them to cut with. They look so pretty. I really should get out more

I really should go and make the little purse a lady ordered at the craft fair two weeks ago.

Fancy that - I'm a rocking blogger

trying to get this button to work and failing miserably i think

Nerves setting in

I am feeling so nervous about the handbag party on Wednesday, especially as my sewing machine is playing silly buggers. Worried i dont have enough stuff and worried that the stuff i do have is not good enough.

Here is the grocery bag i made for my mother in law. Using this tutorial http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/2007/04/one_of_the_medi.html

She was really pleased with it and i just love fabrics from Ikea

Who would be married??

WEll I am sitting here typing this when i should be going to book club. Andrew's flight is delayed and so i have no idea whether i am going to make it. This is a right pain in the prevebial as i have been stuck in the house all day as Oliver my oldest is ill and I have been counting down the hours until it was time to go and have a glass of wine with the girls, talk about the book for 5 seconds and then gossip. The book this month is A S Byatt Possession, which is a bit meaty and hard going. It is a good read and very clever but not for people who prefer a page turner. Should be using this time to read the last 50 pages.

On the good side i did manage to churn out this rather cute wristlet bag lst night out of a red satin material which i have had for ages. It was a bugger to sew with as it snags so easily but i am so SO happy with the result. I have put in some weighty interlining so it feels nice and padded. I made it for my handbag party in two weeks but i am kind of hoping that no one buys it as i have a wedding in August and I feel that i need to use this bag.

A S Byatt is calling

I hate eczema

My one year old MArtha has extensive eczema which we normally have under control. I have just spent the last hour (it is now midnight) doing anything i can to stop her scratching. Her face has become infected and her arms are bleeding. It is incredibly distressing as is changing her bedding, wet dusting her cot, floor and shelves to eradicate any traces of dust at this time of night.

Moan officially over.