Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas and New Year! Storeyshop will be staying open over the festive period but please be aware that custom orders and deliveries may be a wee bit slower.

There are some photos of Storeyshop and other handmade goodies on sale in the Christmas Pop Up Shop at Oblong Gallery in London here (click on 'Exhibitions' and use the next button top left to look through the Christmas shop images). The shop closes today but there are some great exhibitions coming up in the New Year too.

I was working in London last week at Company magazine which was great timing for my last minute Christmas shopping and catching up with friends down there. It was nice to be working away from home too so that I could properly 'come home' for Christmas! Have a lovely one everyone!

Storeyshop wedding invites

The latest Storeyshop wedding invite order is complete and has been posted off! I'm really pleased with them. The ribbon colour doesn't look as nice in the photos but it's a rich, dark aubergine...

Storeyshop at Oblong Gallery

Storeyshop hand-cut cards are available for a limited time in the Oblong Gallery's Christmas Pop Up Shop! Details and opening times are all on their website.

Well I am back up north after my busy weekend down south. It was fab to be back in Sussex and to see my family and friends again. Friday night was my friend Lisa's birthday beer and cider festival where she had the best 'pick your nose' paper cups ever!








Saturday was We Make Christmas in London so it was an early start. The fair was quieter than I was expecting considering the great, central location but it was still worth doing and fun to see other Etsy people. Monkeys and cards were the best sellers and I think a few more monkeys will be unwrapped on Christmas day now, including the cutest little girl who took a shine to the monkeys we had hung up in the foyer. She has a monkey on it's way to her if her Dad has managed to keep it a surprise!











Saturday evening was a lift back to Sussex (thanks Ma and Pa!) via M&S for quick dinners all round and then dressing up for Grace's 80's birthday party. I wore a shiny, puff-sleeved, shoulder-padded jacket courtesy of eBay and managed to look really awful not even just funny! It was great though. My friend Caz even wheeled out an original 'Jason & Kylie' t-shirt. Top marks!

Sunday was visiting my sister and brother in law's for lunch to catch up with them and my nieces and nephew. A viewing of 'Polar Express' with advance warnings of everything than was about to happen minute by minute and a few games of 'Pass The Bomb' later, we relaxed infront of 'Antique's Roadshow'.

Wedding invites today so I am currently printing, cutting and tieing (is that a word?) ribbons. After that it will be taking photos of new monkeys and adding them to Storeyshop.

Ta ra

We Make Christmas lists

I am surrounded by lists! I am heading down south for We Make Christmas tomorrow and have to remember everything I will need for the fair as well as an eighties fancy dress outfit for my friend's birthday party and some local ales and a warm outfit for another friends birthday beer festival. I'm a list girl at the best of times and these ones are getting long!

I am still trying to stock up on Storeyshop goodies for the fair. I haven't been albe to make as much as I'd have liked but I have had a couple of very busy weeks with lots of Christmas sales and orders.

My arms are still aching from cutting 8 more personalised Christmas cards yesterday including some of the longest messages I have cut so far and these two...








Tonight is going to be spent making more monkeys and cutting some more cards as well as packing up todays sales ready for the post office in the morning. Then packing for the busiest weekend ever!

Ta ra

Storeyshop Christmas Cards

Today I have mostly been making personalised Christmas cards. I have been embracing cats, nicknames and shamrocks in today's selection which have all just gone in the post. It has helped me feel a bit festive actually, I might even start wrapping some presents! To order your own custom Christmas card with the message and design of your choice, please visit Storeyshop.














I was just browsing the Gift Guides on Etsy actually and noticed on of my cards in the Personalised Gifts section. Woo hoo! Right, must get back to making more monkeys as I am still trying to stock up for We Make Christmas but they keep selling! The latest one to jet off to Philadelphia is Blue Spotty..




Ta ra

We Make Featured Designer

Have a look at the We Make blog. Woo hoo, Storeyshop is featured designer at the moment! There are a few spelling mistakes but you can't have it all :)

Storeyshop Monkeys

I am busy making monkeys this week to stock up for We Make Christmas (see my previous post for details). They are selling well so I am having trouble stock piling but it is all good. I am enjoying making again after my busy month of magazine design and have lots of plans for new Storeyshop products too. I am away tomorrow but I think Storeyshop is being featured on the We Make blog so do have a look!

This is the latest monkey I have made for a lady on Facebook. There is a Storeyshop Facebook group you can join and also 'Your Sock Monkey Needs You' group. Everyone welcome!

We Make Christmas!

We Make Christmas is soon approaching so I am busy making. Here's an invite.. Everyone very welcome. See you there!

Giant Smiling Tomato

I blogged a while ago about our first batch of homegrown tomatoes (must have been a slow week) and mentioned a giant tomato that was growing away. Well, the plants are dying off now so he has been picked. Da daaa!





Check that baby out. Seeing as it's the 31st October I did a bit of carving. Halloween seems like a bit of a horrible thing to celebrate but I had to!





He's a friendly anti-halloween tomato!

New Handmade Monkeys

Still very busy with the current issue of the magazine but I thought I'd take a little break to upload some new Storeyshop monkeys. Here are the latest newies and there will be more new designs next week!














All available to buy now. I can also personalise monkeys with felt initials sewn on their fronts or sewn names. Contact me through my shop for more details..

Have a lovely weekend!

Ta ra

Monkeys To Be!

Lots of Storeyshop customers ask about other handmade monkey designs so I thought I'd add a photo of some of the socks I have available to make monkeys from. There are also some more new designs on order too which I will add soon.





Feel free to request a Storeyshop monkey from any of the above designs! I am designing the magazine this week so I had better crack on with that but I will be monkey making again this evening.

Ta ra

I'm home!

We had a great weekend in Sussex in the sunshine last week. We saw my parents and friends, sat in nice pub gardens, went for walks on the downs and by the river and cycled from Southwick to Worthing along the seafront.





Last week I was back working at Company magazine. Busy as always but good fun and it was lovely to see all my friends in and around London. I got back up north late on friday and brought the fond memories of living by the seaside with me (along with a Topshop bag with a new coat in!). On sunday we went to sample the Northumberland coastline at Dunstanburgh Castle. It was lovely but very blustery and remote! The weather wasn't great for photos but nevermind..














Now I am back starting a new issue of the lifestyle magazine. I have also started some new projects which will be available to see and buy online very soon. They include more storage boxes and frames inspired by Beca's paper-covered products. Watch this space!

Ta ra

I Love You More Than..

The magazine is finished for another issue. Woo hoo! After three weeks of that and an entire weekend of bathroom decorating (it's nearly done even if it does look slightly more lilac than Steel Grey), I am back to full-time Storeyshop for a week before a week back on Company magazine in London where I used to be senior designer. I am looking forward to going back, seeing the girls and my other friends in and around London. Oh, and maybe a spot of shopping.

For now, though, I am making a custom monkey for a customer and more cards in the 'I Love You More Than...' series. Here are the current favourites. They are all available to order in the shop!



















Right, I better get monkey sewing!

Ta ra

Twins!

I love making cards for twins! I have made a few double personalised orders now with one card for each twin that match but aren't completely identical. I am looking forward to making more too. Here are the latest sets..






I am back designing the magazine for the next couple of weeks so Storeyshop will be a bit quieter in terms of new listings. I am still around though making a few card orders and packing up bags and monkeys. It is a nice break to get off the computer for an hour or so to hand-cut a card or wrap up a Storeyshop item and wander down to the post office.

'We Make Christmas' craft fair is coming up soon too in London. More details about that soon!

The Great North Swim

I did it! The Great Swim was on saturday. I was swimmer 773 and my time was 55 minutes. Not super speedy but my target was just complete it and try and get it done in under an hour so I was happy. I have raised £215 so far for Marie Curie Cancer Care and there's still time to sponsor me online!





It was a great atmosphere on the day and well worth doing. I'm going to keep up the open water swimming and try and get a better time next year! In fact I think we might do some more Lake District swimming this weekend and swim across the only official 'lake'.

Congratulations Mum and Dad!

It was my parents' Ruby Wedding Anniversary on sunday! Congratulations to them and I hope they are having a lovely time celebrating in France!

Guess What?

Yep. More personalised cards! Here are my latest creations...











Hope you like them. Cards are available to order from Storeyshop

Ta ra

Hint of Green Fingers

Here is our biggest crop of tomatoes yet from our new greenhouse and its occupants! We have only had the odd one or two up until now but I'm pleased with these. There's also the biggest tomato I think I have ever seen growing in there so we may have a prize on our hands!

Happy Birthday Harvey!

It is my little nephew Harvey's birthday today! He's a great big 4 years old! Here's his card in Thomas The Tank inspired colours..