The good and the bad

So last week i had two craft fairs. One was the big village Christmas fair and one was a small affair around a friends house - a Christmas shopping lunch.

Setting up in the village hall was fun for the Christmas one. I had taken hints from Anna to have lots of stuff for a fiver. I hadn't had time to make the hair slides but had zippered pouches and carrier bag tubes. My friend Cath had a stall there as well selling hand made cards with photos she has taken on them, They are absolutely wonderful.

So table set up, bowl of chocolates as an enticement, even gift vouchers on table and i was ready.

Having never been to this fair before i had no idea of what to expect but early on i was told that it would be busy busy busy and as my stuff was of high quality (their words not mine although i chose to agree of course :) ) it should sell really well. So excited i was.

They were right, it was busy, shoulder to shoulder in fact, it seemed the whole village and its mother was there but not it would seem to buy anything over 25p. People had come for the warmth, mulled wine and free sausage rolls and mince pies.

I sold two hats and had some interest but that was it. the poor lady beside me who had knitted necklaces with jewellery wire (they were fantastic forgot to take photo) didn't sell a thing. even my friend with the cards had a poor night. there was one winner though. One stall was selling home made Christmas decorations for 5p each. She was cleaned out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So i packed up, grabbed a bottle of wine and my homemade chocolate and chili ice cream mentioned here and went off to our book group Christmas meeting and had a fantastic night although got a bit tiddly (which was all Liz's fault and not mine by the way). the ice cream was a huge success, really creamy and lovely. recipe to follow.

And so a few days later, complicated babysitting arrangements sorted (the fair was 12-2.30) I shipped my stuff round to Catherine's house. I was welcomed by the smell of home cooking - soup, mince pies and nibbles for all the guests and a table in prime position by the Pampered Chef demonstration. The atmosphere was great as i was surrounded by friends and it was fantastically successful. Sold 3 baskets, glasses cases, all of my hats plus carrier bag tubes not to mention the interest in holding handbag parties in the new year. Way hay. Just loads of work to do before Christmas now but hey, I love making basket bags. So happy days!!!

PS in between the two fairs i got poorly and mum got rushed into hospital for emergency surgery but that's life. !!!!!

hmm yes well

Obviously i meant 2008 (see below). Hard to tell i used to be a proof reader isnt it

Just to say

That if you only plan to read one book in the whole of 2006 make sure it is this one.

The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

It is upsetting, beautiful, uplifting and dramatic all at the same time. I literally couldnt put it down and was going to bed at 8pm just to have a couple of hours with no distractions so i could read it.

Lucky Seven

Right as mentioned in my previous post i have been tagged by Anna.



The Rules
Link to your tagger (see above), and also post these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself (random or weird) on your blog.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.



Oki Doki



Seven random facts

1. This used to be a party trick of mine at university and i can still do it but obviously don't. I have a very big mouth and i can fit my whole fist (including knuckles, thumb, practically down to the wrist) in my mouth. No idea how i found out i could do this. I can also fit a cigarette packet (not that i smoke i hasten to add - university days again) length wise in my mouth.


2. I got run over by an ice-cream van when i was 2 or 3. All the mums including mine were talking and i wandered over to the front of the van, leaned up against it and licked my lolly. the poor bloke driving the van could not see me as i was so little and drove off. I went under the van and out the other end. Luckily i was completely unharmed. A couple of inches either way and it would have been a different story of course. The poor man driving the van was in a right old state apparently (as was my mum) and reported himself to the police and resigned immediately. Bless him. he must have been devastated


3. I was a vegetarian for 14 years even though i hate mushrooms (they squeak yuch)
4. I hate flying. Big metal contraptions in the air does not make any sense to me at all. And yes i know they stay up there because the air pressure is greater underneath the wings than on the top. Doesn't help my fear although my fear doesn't stop my flying anywhere i am just not a nice person when i do it.
5. I talk A LOT
6. I have had a poem published in a magazine called "Desire". It was a very long time ago when i was sending any piece of writing off to anyone who would read it.
7. I am ridiculously untidy. I cannot be tidy. I have tried, I have failed.

That was harder than i thought. Right the 7 people i am tagging are

Lucy Locket, Lisa, Ali, Susanne, I craft, Polly and dolliedaydream

I tag you tag

Hello. Cor what a week. MArtha really ill, trying to get ready for the Christmas craft fair (and failing) and hoping that i am more prepared for Fridays Christmas sale at a friends house with lots of different traders. People are coming to buy Christmas presents as opposed to window shopping.

The first fair is in a couple of hours, closely followed by the Book group christmas party. I am taking my home made chocolate and chille ice-cream which i am sort of making at the minute (not that i am disorganised or anything).

I will post the recipe later along with my reply to Anna's tag - 7 random facts about myself.

Wish me luck for this afternoon.

ps - hint do not read Baggage by Janet Street Porter - awfully written and dull.

A quickie

Just a quick hello today. I have had no sleep for two nights (literally) as Martha is really very poorly with her asthma and a chest infection. A year ago we had the same problem and she ended up in hospital on oxygen so I am hoping that we are not going down that route again.

I am trying to spend every spare minute during the day sewing for the craft fairs next week when yes i know i should be catching up on sleep. I have been told off by Andrew Anyway i got two orders out last week for funky school bags.

They are just plain totes, made in a heavy canvas so that they did not need to be lined or interfaced. The leopard skin one is groovy and is for Georgina who loves black and hates pink. A girl after my own heart. The second is for her sister Lizzie, who wanted a picture of all of her favourite animals on the front but after discussions with her mum we settled for a black cat. Hats off to all of you who create with applique, I find it so tricky although i am happy with the cat.

The photos are crap because their uncle was waiting downstairs to take them seconds after i had cut the last threads off so i had a second to take a quick photo.

The labels are my new hang tags from moo cards

The little one

So I mentioned that i had an order for 2 bags, one for the mum and one for the 5 year old daughter. I have finished the small one and i am so pleased with it. It is a similar shape to the brown basket but much much smaller and no bag feet or hard bag bottom. I did use craft pelmet interfacing though to give it structure.

I was pleased with the colour of the pink, it is almost a perfect match to the pink in the flowered fabric

This photo is quite deceptive, I will post a photo of the two bags together tomorrow to show accurately how small it is in comparison. The weather has been so shitty here today that we have just had no light.

I added some yo yos on for detail which i feel adds a nice detail and a magnetic closure

Altogether i am really happy with it what do you think??