Heavenly Handbags

This is supposed to be a mobile phone charm. Even though my mobile doesn't have somewhere for a charm to go I had to have it. I think it will look fab on my key chain.

Hard at Work

I have been filling custom orders over the last few days. This morning I was finishing an order and was waiting for some glue to set. I started to doodle about. Here in follows a short extract of the conversation I had with my husband.
Him: Ohh do you need to finish that as well?
Me: well no.
Him: Are you working on new stock?
Me: well....no
Him: So what you up to?
Me: A little something
Him: Looks good
Me: for me
Him: Ohh

I am loving the zip pouches and decided to make a zipper with a base in it for myself. I have made these before but this time put a bigger bottom in it.
I used the new black and white stripe out of Ikea and lined it with some fab new bright pink polka dot. I love putting funky coloured zips in them, so I teamed it up with a pumpkin orange one. I put a little pink polka dot ribbon out the side as well. Yum
This little beauty is a perfect size for my mobile, keys and cash. Super for lunch dates.

Needless to say my orders did get finished and posted today. I think sometimes I forget to make things just because I like them or I want to, so this was really just a little indulgence.

Custom Work

I often read about artists complaining about how making their work to sell squeezes their creativity. I actually find working with customers and working up their ideas a great seeding technique. I have been asked for many odd and wonderful things and sometimes these lead to something fab. Here are two examples



The Bag-uette
A stunning little addition to my clutch stable. I sort of had this one in my head but just couldn't quite .... then a lovely customer asked me to make something to put their cards and cash in that had a snap frame and this is what arrived.


Custom Labels

Brides are great because they always want something that is just a little bit different. Making custom labels is not new to anybody but me. The big challenge I had was finding the printable cotton, but I did and it is very cool.

Pretty Wedding Orders

I recently shipped out a fab custom order of bridesmaids clutches. When I saw some of them nestling together on my new fabric shelf I snapped a quick photo.

Yummy-ness.

My Creative Space

This week my creative space is all about inspiration. This piece of ribbon was on a gift I give my mum. I purchased her birthday present and got it wrapped in the store and they tied the bag with this ribbon and I fell in love with it. My family are completely used with me looking longing at ribbon and wrappings now and I don't even have to ask if I want them, they just pass them directly to me. I can see this on a little mini clutch but just haven't found the right material for it.
I love this fabric combo and I am looking forward to making something lovely with it,maybe for me.

For more creative spaces pop over to Kirsty's.

Exciting Places

It is amazing where a day can lead you. Today was planned as a lunch date and catch with a friend who has just come back from some grown up back packing. I had arranged a playdate for my hubby so he did not feel abandoned as this was the third day in a row I have a girlie lunch date.

I went to pick him up from having coffee with my brother and he told us, that he and his partner - Sally the Artist - were going to the play resource centre and did we want to come along.......did i want to come along - silly question ..... I have heard people talk of this special place you need a card to get into and of all the wonders it had inside. So of we went on an adventure.

I will try to explain what a play resource centre is: it basically has two parts. One part is a shop with lots of craft bits - more of this later - the other half is full of free (yes free) resources. There were things like corrugated plastic, giant sheets of cardboard, silver and gold card...... then there was odd things like thread cones, waxed paper, old seat belts. It was just paradise, it really was a find a box and dive to the bottom and see what you find. These things are free because companies maybe make cardboard for sweet boxes and there is a misprint, so instead of throwing it out or paying for it to be removed they donate it for artists and youth groups. It was fantastic.

The shop side was equally as fun, lots of craft resources for you to buy - I came home with some paper fans, a big block of mutli-coloured felt, a giant bag of buttons and some ribbon. I was just so excited to finally find someone with an access card I will have to go back for another nosey soon. No pictures of the centre I'm not sure that's allowed but here's what I got from the shop.

I haven't decided what I will use any of these things for yet, but that's what I love about craft shops. You can go, like things, bring them home and then it hits you.

Lazy Summer Days

I heard on the radio today that the summer has passed us by in Northern Ireland. I was a little surprised by this comment as I thought we still had a full month of summer left but then again the radio was also complaining a few weeks ago about the heat wave we had in June :0)

Anyone who is familiar with Northern Ireland knows it rains often and a lot and it's been doing that to monsoon standards of late.I have to admit the rain is something I love about living here, weird I know - It gives us a rich green landscape, hence the term the Emerald Isle.

You may well ponder the path my thoughts are leading.

I often just let the days float past in the summer.

I know I should be sewing as much as I can, preparing for Christmas, but I like to chill out. Sometimes this is drinking coffee with friends (decaff of course), meeting my mum for lunch and a spot of shopping or just watching some of my favorite TV. Lately I have been doing rather a lot of all of the above. It's great but I do hear the sewing machine calling. More later, but for now back to a box set of "Sex and The City".