Back in London

I'm back at the magazine this week. It's been busy but fun being back in the office. The Christmas decorations are all up in London too which always makes me feel festive. It's so much warmer down here than up north too. I always thought that was a bit of a cliche and that you wouldn't really notice the difference but you definitely do!

Also I have been popping into the office round the corner where Beca is creating a cardboard wonderland! She is working with Maggie who we lived and university'd with when we were in Bath. It's a bit of a long story but they're producing an animation all made out of card and Beca and I are invited! I'm not sure how much I can reveal about it all but I'm working there next week and really looking forward to it actually. I just hope my craft skills are up to it..

Nearly hometime. I'm staying at my parents tonight in Sussex so I have a bit of a commute to get down there on the train but it's nearly friday so it's all ok. Back up to Haltwhistle tomorrow evening. Oh, I got 2 more card orders on Etsy today too which is fab so I'll make them on saturday morning when I'm back home.

Sorry bit of a boring blog today. I will add pics and maybe make up some more exciting news soon!
Ta ra

Yay, It's friday!

I woke up this morning to find that the sun was out and it was bright blue sky. Hurray! Every other day this week has been a bit dull and grey and rubbish for taking photos. I took some Etsy pics while it was nice and then spent the rest of the morning picking monkeys eyes out! Someone bought two monkeys last night but wanted their stitched eyes changed for button ones and, also, one of the monkeys I made yesterday had to have his eyes changed too. I don't know why but they just looked a bit weird before!

Card making this afternoon. I had 3 orders to do and send off before I head to London to work next week. Freelancing back with the art girls on the magazine. I'm looking forward to going back. They'll have the cheesey Christmas music on!

Anyway, cards. I can't put photos up of one of them just in case someone sees it who shouldn't but here are the other 2..






I had to do one of the cards twice as I cut my finger and bled on the first one. It was nearly finished too. I nearly cried. It's always been a fear of mine as I do cut myself quite often with the super-sharp scalpel but until today I had got away without ruining a card. Oh well, I'm all plastered up now and good to go.

Well it's friday night and I have no plans. A bit sad really. I have new shoes and everything! Maybe I'll take Dave down the local. It's not a high heels place but nevermind. I really fancy custard too for some reason. The kind from a carton. I think it's because we never had shop-bought custard at home when I was little and I've only had it a couple of times at other people's houses. Well, I have purchased my own for the very first time!

Have a nice weekend
Ta ra

Fastest Etsy sale yet!

This week has been Monkey Making Week. I have finished 5 (nearly 6, he just needs some arms, a label and some eyes!) It's been freezing cold and grey outside so I have been loving sewing away in front of the wood burning stove. I have officially retired!

Here's a photo of the new monkeys..



..and here's the nearly-finished number 6!



Pink Stripey monkey from the group has already sold. She was only on Etsy for 2 hours! Good ay. Right I must go and get some dinner. I really fancy chicken nuggets (should I be admitting that?!) so I'll have to find something to feed Dave as his palette is a little more refined than mine!

Ta ra

Chilly

Cor, it's freezing today. I have been busy making cards for a few hours and not really noticed, until now, that I'm chilled to the bone! Here is one of the newly cut-out cards anyway..




I did take a nice photo of all the cards I had made today together for a nice group shot but I have just realised that I better not put them up here as there's a link to this blog on my Facebook page and someone might see a card who shouldn't!

Apart from my cards I ran down to the post office this morning in the pouring rain (there's dedication for you) to send off two little bags to Australia and a sock monkey to Bermuda. Both off to warmer climates!

Plumbing is complicated

Plumbing this weekend. We haven't got that far. It's never straightforward! Thought I'd add a 'before' photo on here for extra incentive for us to get it all done and looking lovely.



On a cheerier note, checked Etsy this morning and have had two little bag sales overnight to Australia. Very excited! Good incentive to get making new things next week before I'm back freelancing in London the week after.

Fab feedback

I had some lovely feedback on Etsy recently and kept meaning to add it on here. So I have finally got round to it. I made an anniversary card for a lady in the US, called Sharon, for her and her husband's wedding anniversary at the end of this month..



Sharon's feedback said "AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME Card!!! This has got to be the best card I will ever give anyone! Thank you so very much :)" How good is that! It makes it all worthwhile!

Ready to go!

Here are the monkeys all wrapped up and ready to go!



(They get wrapped in protective plastic wrapping too on top of the pretty packaging!)

Monkey Sales!

I'm very excited. Three monkey sales overnight! One to Canada, one to LA and one to Reading, UK. Today is going to be a monkey day. I have to change one of the sold monkey's eyes to stitched eyes rather than buttons and then it will be wrapping them up and sending them off on their various journeys around the world via John my lovely post master at the little Haltwhistle post office. (I love it, the longest queue you ever find in there is one other person. Not like the post office in Soho, London where your minimum wait is 45 minutes!)




This is Pink Stripey who is off to Canada later today!

More good news. I can have a bath now. The Screwfix man has delivered the parcels!

Ta ra

Monkey photoshoot

The newly returned monkeys had their photoshoot today so there'll be appearing on Etsy in the next few days. I hope lots of people decide to buy them as christmas present for people!
My trouble is I have been using flash to take the pics and it makes the white stuffing show through the monkeys and makes them look a bit thin and threadbare especially the ends of their arms and legs. They don't look like this in real life. I need a new camera that doesn't have to be plugged in to work so I can venture outside and take photos of them on Hadrian's wall or somewhere.




I took some photos a couple of weeks ago of monkeys on Hexham weir so I'll have to finsh the film (my good ol' 35mm point and shoot special!) and see how they've come out. This is the scenic weir.. there were loads of salmon jumping out of the water trying to get upstream when we were there. Very cool!




New digital camera with a nice new battery that lasts longer than 2 minutes is definitely top of my Christmas list!

Back Oop North

I'm back up north after what seems like ages but is, actually, just over a week. It's nice to be back but does feel very quiet after my manic week working in London and my busy weekend catching up with friends and family in Brighton.

My monkeys arrived back in the UK today after their brief trip to the US! Long story but they're back so hopefully it will be a nice sunny day tomorrow so I can take nice photos of them and get them on Etsy over the next few days.

I have lots of card orders and a monkey order to do this week. I'm also planning some handmade christmas presents for people so I better get going!

Today has been one of those unpacking, washing, hanging-all-the washing-outside-on-the-line-then-getting-it-all-back-in-because-it-rains kind of days. It didn't start well when I managed to knock my cereal bowl off the kitchen top this morning and it smashed all over the floor along with it's Rasisn Bran Flake contents. Since then I have packed up lots of parcels (eBay rather than Etsy this time) sent them all off and done boring housework. I actually just brought the hoover upstairs to er, hoover but I decided to update my blog instead!

Sorry todays update has been a bit boring. Here's the perfect photo to accompany it from our recent trip to Blackpool (it was unimaginably bad)..

The seaside

Got my photos back and I'd completely forgotten there were photos of our recent trip to Ireland on the film. They make me want to live near the sea again! I'm in Brighton this weekend though which will be nice and we're going to have fish and chips on the beach friday night. Yay!

Oh also, Beca has written a lovely little piece on her blog about how we met all those years ago at university and how Storeyshop came about. All very magical. Have a read...

Ta ra

Back in the city

I'm back at a desk in an office in central London. About the most different surroundings to my normal ones of 'sewing in the lounge' or 'cutting out cards on the kitchen table' that you can get. It's making a nice change but the early starts and train journeys are already taking their toll. I think I have the beginnings of a sore throat. But that might just be from a very smokey bonfire party on saturday night. Hopefully.

Talking of fireworks night, there is video footage of me running away from an exploding bonfire so I'll have to get hold of it to add on here! It's funny and not as dangerous as it sounds. I was just worried about my new 'Topshop special' coat getting burn holes.

Going to get some photos developed at lunchtime from my old school 35mm camera. I'm excited. It's one of those films which has all different things on from just having my camera in my bag on random occassions. I love getting photos back. I'll add some on here if there's any good'uns..

Oh yeah I'm also excited as lots of people (well, 59 ..not bad!) have joined our Storeyshop Facebook group. Just need all their friends to join. And all their friends. And all THEIR friends...

Ta ra

One of my new photos

Friday!

Yay! It's friday evening. I can't believe how fast this week has gone though. The week's used to drag a bit when I first moved up here and was looking for work and not doing much but now I have Storeyshop to keep me occupied, I can't seem to find enough hours in the day!

Today I have been taking photos. Lots of photos! I have replaced lots of the pictures on Etsy with new ones with colourful backgrounds rather than white to make them brighter and cheerier. It was a bit of a grey day, so I'm quite pleased with the results considering. I have also been doing stuff on here like my mini Etsy shop over on the right and my links. I'm very new to all this web language so I'm very pleased I got it all to work.

I'm hungry now and waiting for Dave to get home. Fancy getting out of the house tonight as I haven't gone out all day! May have to head over the road to the pub. Fireworks tomorrow too so looking forward to the weekend.

Back freelancing at Company in London next week. I hate the early mornings and the travelling but I like working with all the Company girls again. All the hustle and bustle makes me appreciate living in the country too!

Ta ra

Monkeys in the office

Hehe I didn't even set this up! Guess which side is mine?

Proper winter

Morning,
I can't believe it's November already! That means I have been living up north for 5 months! Is doesn't seem that long which I'm sure is a good thing. I'm feeling settled in and quite enjoying the mix of making things in my little house in the sticks most weeks and doing the odd crazy, busy week freelancing in London.

Went for dinner and to the cinema last night. A proper date! Made Dave sit through Ratatouille. Poor boy. It was good and so well done but it did seem long with Dave yawning away next to me and I'm sure we'll end up sitting through it again with my neices and nephew or with Dave's friends' kids in the very near future!

Right, Storeyshop. I finished another 3 bags yesterday (one brown spotty one which will match Beca's spotty boxes currently on Etsy) so I think I might do something different today. I have been planning to try and make animal shaped purses too so I might try that. I fancy making more cards too. I have 3 more card orders actually and some more possibles on the way so that's cool.