New Camera, Meet Newcastle!

OK, I'm finally off the auto settings and getting to grips with my new camera. Things are slowly coming back to me from my university course and I'm loving experimenting without worrying about the cost of photographic paper and film like in those old days! It was Dave's birthday a few weeks ago and we decided to go for a weekend away but stayed local seeing as we'll be moving away soon.

I love Newcastle. Especially all the old industrial buildings and bridges. We walked around Ouseburn and the Quayside on the Saturday in lovely sunshine and I took my Canon along for the ride. I've edited out of the pics of Birthday Boy looking bored at my snaphappyness (lots of him perching on bollards and leaning against walls with a 'how many more?' look on his face!) and here are some of my favourites...



































And one of me sporting my new favourite Amor tee by emilythepemily who screenprints her brilliant designs in my hometown of Brighton. Love! Oh, and a couple more of birthday fun would only be right...

I Want Wednesday!

I am continuing on the local theme for my pick for this week's 'I Want Wednesday'. Check out these beautiful and intricate brooches by designed by jane. Each one is individually hand sewn and features the neatest and most amazing freeform embroidery. They'd look fab on a white top in the summer or on a jacket or bag. Love them! Jane is another fellow maker in the north east of England too.







I'm excited today too as my 'Top Dad' Father's Day card was featured on the front page of Etsy earlier today and is also included in the Father's day Gift Guide. Woo hoo!

I Want Wednesday (on Thursday)

I've been so busy that I haven't blogged for a few days and missed 'I Want Wednesday'. Always nice to mix things up a bit though, so here it is anyway. On Thursday. I love this Cone Book Sculpture by Paperfaerie! I think it would look so nice in a minimal hallway or lounge. I found Paperfaerie's shop by using Etsy's Shop Local feature where you can search shops by location. It's great to find new makers and shops especially when they are nearby. There are lots more unique and interesting sculptures in Paperfarie's shop. They could make great, original gifts too...definitely worth a look!













I'm being bad and blogging rather than swimming. The outdoor pool has opened again for the season near our house now. Dave and I have been assuring ourselves most days that we will finally start our swimming practise, for the Great Swim in September. We were going to go yesterday, but it was raining and freezing cold so we decided we would go tonight, but it's very windy out there! Must. Go. Tomorrow.

A Belated Happy Easter!

I'm back at my desk after a relaxing Easter break in the sun! By the sounds of it, we were definitely in the right part of the country for the sunny weather and we made the most of it. I feel so much better for having been outside lots and got some exercise at last! We went for a trip to the Northumbrian coast which is always really nice and we also sampled Morpeth, just outside Newcastle. That was nice for a wander-around too. I had spotted a craft centre near Morpeth on the map so we left the A1 when we spotted the brown sign but then found there weren't any more signs so we couldn't find it. I'll have to add that to my list of art places around here to explore one of these days. We did, however, find some charity shops! Yay. I do love a good charity shop. What else? Erm, we went for a bike ride, we did a few bits around the house, we ate lots of nice food, we had a lovely Easter Sunday lunch at Dave's parents. All very chilled. Here are some photos...

My New Favourite Storeyshop Monkey

It's Friday! Not quite sure how that came around so fast again but I am looking forward to the weekend. I think we are going to go and investigate the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle where the Art Works Galleries are. They contacted me recently about stocking my cards so I'd like to see what it's like and I have heard it is well worth a visit. Other than that, I think it will be a weekend of sorting out the garden if it's nice weather and eBaying. I have had another wardrobe sort out so can hopefully make a few pennies (and some space for new finds!)

This is my new favourite monkey of all time that I mentioned in my last post. Check him out! So far I haven't been able to get any more of these socks either so it's looking like he's going to be very limited edition...











I won't mind at all if he stays around sitting on the shelf in the office but if you want to buy him you can find him in Storeyshop now.

Have a lovely weekend!

Still Scalpelling

Sorry, the Storeyshop blog has been a little neglected lately due to the card rush but I thought I'd write a quick update. I have made 128 new cards in 2 weeks (!) and posted off lots of other sales that were made and ready to send. I'm still cutting new cards too.. I have about 30 new orders to cut by early next week and they are still coming in.

I took yesterday evening off (the first for a while!) to go and see Keane play in Newcastle. It was so good. I highly recommend seeing them play live. The lead singer has an amazing voice and there was a fantastic atmosphere. I was a geek taking photos!

Fight Club

Oooh crikey I haven't written anything on here for ages. I've been so busy. I have been working in Newcastle on a fighting magazine (there's a quiet spell again..!) for the last couple of weeks. It's a nice variation to women's magazines actually and it's good to work with blokes for a change. It's the opposite to the magazine I work on in London quite a lot, where there's so many women, the toilets on our floor are all 'ladies'.

This job is bit of a trek from our house in the sticks so I'm getting up at the crack of dawn and not getting home until quite late but I'm getting used to it. I'm getting to see a bit more of Newcastle and find my way around too. I have found an amazing big super-modern M&S (I'm a Marks geek and have already bought way too many basics and knicker and vest sets!) and a Primark (managed to resist the cheapness so far though).

I'm looking forward to getting on with Storeyshop more in the next couple of weeks. The stock is selling out! We need to get making. I have lots of ideas so need some time to crack on with it all. Beca is making lino-cut stamps and printing blocks so look out for gorgeous cards and notelets, all completely hand-printed, very soon. They look fab!

Just heard about an Etsy craft fair in London in June soon too so that sounds exciting and a good thing to think about. I like the idea of people being able to actually see and touch all the products. It will be fun to meet all these UK Etsy people we have been talking to! Good excuse for a trip back to the big smoke to see my friends too..

Better get back to designing. Will blog again soon and add some photos etc. I have been buying some nice things on Etsy lately (all in the name of research, honest) so I'll get them on here too.

Ta ra

Oh yeah, other big news is that we have bought two urls www.storeyshop.com and www.storeyshop.co.uk Very exciting! Both link to our Etsy shop at the moment but the plan is to learn how to make a fab new website. Will have to get reading the Dreamweaver bible!

Card Central

I can't believe it's friday already. This week has gone so fast. I have been scalpelling for England with the card orders! I have lost track of how many I have made and there's still plenty more to do, not that I'm complaining! My fingers are getting quite sore now though and I'm racking up the scalpel cuts. I think I'm going to have to start buying plasters en mass along with scalpel blades.

Here are some of the latest creations..










I have hopefully arranged some freelance design work on a magazine up north which is good news. I do like the a trip down to London to work for the odd week here and there but it will nice to come home in the evenings after work and it also means I can keep up with Storeyshop better.

I definitely need a break from card cutting so I'm quite looking forward to a week on the Mac next week freelancing down at Company magazine. I get to catch up with all the girls there too. I miss the daily catch ups and banter (and the cafe round the corner for mushrooms on toast!)

I really hope the weather improves for the weekend. It's been snowing, hailing, raining and generally grey for the last couple of days. Monday was lovely and sunny when I went over to Newcastle for my meeting and it made me want to go back and explore the town more. One day of my weekend will be DIY on the bathroom I think but the other day I'd like to go out somewhere. There's so many places up here that I haven't been yet!

Ta ra

Oh, and my target for sales by the end of January nearly made the 60 mark let alone 50! This 'setting targets' thing works :)

51 sales!

Good news.. I set a target for the end of January for Storeyshop to hit 50 sales and we've already done it! At the end of last year I thought 50 sales would be a bit optimistic but it seems not. Yay!

Good timing too as I have just been shopping. Hehe. I went into Newcastle today to go and see a man about some possible magazine freelance design up here which went really well (I hope) so then, seeing as I was near the shops and all....

Tomorrow is card-making central. I have so many to do, the orders are rolling in! I sold 2 monkeys today too which means out of our entire office full, they are now only 7 left. They all fit on one tidy shelf. I'll have to make more!

Well we made it out for a walk yesterday in the end. Here are some photos even though they're a bit rubbish. Check out the sheep running away from me!