SUNDAY POST, plus MONDAY'S MINI MUSINGS - PART 6

Hello everyone

This is my first Sunday-combined-with-Handmade-Monday post.  It seemed like a good idea, as they say, to combine the two rather than having two posts so close together.

I hope you have had a good week.  Such gorgeous sunny days, but aren't the nights chilly?  Bye-bye summer, not so welcome winter; I checked on the BBC weather site today and discovered that the temperature is going to drop to 10 degrees on Thursday.  Jazz and Daisy are enjoying the leaf fall - they think the leaves are falling just for them to play with.  Great fun if you are a cat, not so much fun if you are a gardener who has to sweep them up.

A busy week making cards and continuing with the massive clear-out.  How can two people accumulate so much stuff? Actually, I think the question should be 'how can two people hang on to so much stuff thinking they may use it again'?  It didn't all go to the local recycling place, we also delivered lots of things to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice shop in Farnham - including my old guitar.  I just never got to grips with learning how to play it, so I hope someone else will enjoy it.  Emptied (books and dust!) a large bookcase in our dining room in readiness for work being carried out this week.  I am sure someone comes along in the night and empties dust everywhere as I know it has nothing to do with my housework habits.

On Friday I received my copy of the Popular Crafts magazine which featured my Blog (along with several other great blogs).  Thank you Popular Crafts, it is very exciting, and I am really pleased to be 'in print'.  I hope to be able to share my blog witterings with lots more people and it would be lovely to have some new customers, and blog followers, too.  The magazine is out on Tuesday, 19 October and although I would encourage you to buy it just to look at the piece about me (OK, head size needs reducing), it is a great magazine and has some lovely Christmas makes that I am definitely going to try, so off to the shops you go.

It was a difficult decision what to post for Handmade Monday as I really am (or perhaps that 'should be') working hard on Christmas cards and thought it would be nice to post something different.  At one of the events I attended I was asked if I had a With Sympathy card - I didn't, but it did make me realise that a card-maker should consider designing and creating cards for all occasions, not just what seems to be the most popular.  Often the restriction is space - a lot of crafts people work from home and as we all know, as much as we try to contain our work area to one particular spot, we do occasionally spill over into other rooms.  So, the more stock we make the more rooms we spill into!  I have found at events that I often get requests for cards that I don't stock and unfortunately 'I need it tomorrow' doens't always leave time to make one to order.  Although I know I cannot stock a card for every kind of occasion, perhaps I need to think of adding to my range at least one card for the 'unusual' events.

My Handmade Monday card is white card that I have covered in black corrugated light card that is slightly larger than the under-layer.  The letters were created from the negative part of large peel-off letters, the negative was trimmed close to the edge and then fixed to cream card and then cut again around the shape.  The letters are quirky and although With Sympathy cards are for sad occasions, I like my cards to be a little different and I think this one is.  I thought about adding embellishments, but couldn't really decide what sort and felt it best to leave it simple and clean.

This week is going to be very busy with card-making as I have my first pre-Christmas event on Wednesday evening.  I spent Friday evening with a group of friends indulging in some wine tasting and they will be coming along - hopefully with very long Christmas card shopping lists.  The event is at Wyke Primary School - have a look at my 'Where am I' list for further details.  It would be lovely to to see any local blog-followers.  I am having a Spa Day with another friend the day after the event - lots and lots of chatting, relaxing, a facial and pedicure, and some (a little) gym work

I think there is a Blog-Gobbler on the loose - perhaps he is a relative of those Halloween goblins?  Did I leave a comment or did I not?  Am sure I have, go back and find I didn't.  Or, am I losing the plot?  Perhaps the Halloween goblins are offended because I haven't made many cards to celebrate the event?

Time to post my double-whammy blog.  I hope you all have a great week.  Don't forget to check out the other Handmade Monday blogs - always great to see the lovely things other crafts people make.

Jill

TIS SUNDAY AGAIN

Hi everyone

What a chilly end to last week.  It is hard to believe we were basking in hot temperatures a week ago - wouldn't believe it if someone told you about it, would you?  The days have been sunny, but the nights are a bit nippy - not much fun and certainly not t-shirt weather.

As always a big thank you to my blog followers, and a welcome to my new ones.  It's lovely to share my blog with you.  Plus, a big thank you to everyone who leaves comments on my blog - they are very welcome and I do look forward to reading them.

I joined the Professional Crafters Guild this week - very pleased with that - and you can see my lovely gold button at the top right of my blog.  The guild was established to raise the profile of crafting to a profession, not just a hobby.  This is great as often our work tends to be looked at as a side-line rather than the business it actually is.  Members are encouraged to raise the awareness of the beautiful handmade crafts which are made by people with a passion for their work.

I have also joined Craftlinks.org, which is a social enterprise providing the opportunity for professional and amateur crafts people to promote their work, skills and ideas.  This is a world-wide organisation and I am looking forward to the amazing variety of work that will be showcased.

No pictures of cards today, although I have made lots they are similar to ones already posted this week.  However, I did want to show you a photograph I took of the Parthenocissus quinquefolia we have growing in our garden.  At this time of year it is stunning and as it covers a trellis that is approximately 12' long, you can imagine it looks amazing - just like a blazing fire.   Although I love the colours of autumn, the rich reds, browns, shades of gold, they are in a way quite sad as they are so colourful because they are dying.  Nonetheless they are magnificent - the colours range from the Spring and Summer shade of green/dark green through bronze and into deep, dark red.

The really interesting thing is that we have seedlings in the garden that should not be growing until Spring.  My geraniums are still in full-flower, but really need to be watchful at this time of year as the first frost will kill them.  So, pretty soon it will be into the greenhouse with them and hope they survive the winter.

We are moving towards the Wear it Pink day and if you have a look back through my recent posts, you will see further references to this and information about other crafters taking part.  Don't forget, if you live in the Normandy area to come along to the Wyke Primary School Shopping Evening on 19 October - 10% of the value of my sales at the event will be donated to the Wear it Pink cause.  Have a look at the Wear it Pink website for more information about what is taking place on 28 October.

Enjoy today everyone - I will be back tomorrow with my Handmade Monday post.

Jill