TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS..........

Eva Godden, who organises travel in three countries, Italy, Cyprus and Hungary, for discerning guests.  Eva is writing about Luguria, the best kept secret and a hidden gem in the Italian Riveria.

Hello everyone

I am passionate about travel; it broadens the mind and travel experiences teach us to be more tolerant towards other nations.  Understanding their customs brings better communications, which is vital in our troubled world.

Today, I would like to introduce you to one of my favourite places, Liguria.  This undiscovered, hidden corner of North West Italy is where I have been going for the past ten years and hope that one day my husband and I will spend more time there.  Not a chance yet.

I call myself a ‘holiday letting specialist’ and an expert travel guide in my chosen three countries.  Expertise gathered by working in the industry for the past five years, local knowledge by frequent visits and languages.  I speak passable Italian and am fluent in Hungarian, as it is my first language.  Eva’s Unforgettable European Holidays provides a tailor-made holiday at the fraction of a cost of other holidays.  Staying in a real home, in a beautiful location, with all the information you need.  The tiny town of Fiascherino, where our home is, is situated to the south of Lerici and is reached on a narr0w serpentine road, which snakes up above the coastline.  Driving further up, you reach the charming village of Tellaro.  Eva Casa has a sunny terrace over-looking the olive groves.  There are plenty of local restaurants and shops to delight.  Tellaro, with its panoramic terrace over-looking Portovenere and the islands of Palmeria, Tino and Tinetto, is a popular destination.  You can sip your Prosecco or coffee while enjoying a local atmosphere.  All this is a stone's throw from your holiday home.

Tellaro's tiny harbour

It is easy to be inspired by this corner of the Liguria as beauty is all around you.  This area is also known as the Golfo dei Poeti.  In the early part of the 19^th century it was a hide-away for the English literati, the likes of Percy Shelley, Byron and later D H Lawrence.  We still have the pink house, which is called the Byron house by the locals, now a small hotel at our local beach in Fiascherino, where Shelley died in a boating accident.  There is a debate as to whether it was an accident, but if you look at the high rocky cliffs falling into the sea from a great height, you have no difficulty to imagine the enormous storms and the tragedy as the tiny boat was trying to moor.  It was smashed to pieces on the rocks.

The pink Byron House and our Franco's beach

The whole area requires some effort to find and its seclusion has the attractiveness.  It does not want to be ‘touristy’ and fights this vehemently.  However, over the years Lerici has evolved into a glamorous retreat for wealthy Italians.  Its other attractiveness is its mild weather in the winter, as the Apuan Alps protect it from frost and cold.  Very few speak English and it is far away from the suffocating crowds of Versilia or Cinque Terre over-run by Americans and North Europeans.  Once Lerici’s car park is full, that is it!  However, we have our charming bus service down to Lerici, so n need for cars.  Eva Casa has a secure parking space – gold dust and a must have!

Lerici

There is so much more to tell you about this incredibly beautiful place and I hope to do that in a future post.  I am always at the end of the phone and delighted to help with any travel tips.

Eva

Details information: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/65610

Email: info@pannoniaproperty.eu

Mobile: 07816 605362

Twitter: @EvaGodden

WHO STOLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY?

Hi everyone

Is there a time gremlin out there somewhere that removes days from my week (and probably yours too)?  Where does the time go?  I feel it was only a few minutes ago that I was writing my Sunday/Monday post.

Perhaps it is because the weather has been so lovely the last couple of days and this has meant I spend time in the garden and then rush to catch up with the craft biz things I have to do.  This time of year is very difficult as I love gardening, but there are also many 'special card-making days' coming up and I need to work on them.

I have been advised that the 21st birthday card I made has been given to the birthday girl, so I can place it on my blog today.  Used a mix of sheet music and pics of a choir (both loved by the recipient) and topped off with a bottle of champagne, some musical notes (glittered of course) and some mini bits of music.  The card used was green and on top of that I placed gold card, slightly less in size than the green and then added the other 'bits.

Hair cut this morning and Beth my hair-dresser gave me a very good idea to add to my future makes'.  It so often happens that ideas for the future often come about from chats with friends and other people we know.

Off to the sunshine, no card-making, oh no actually off to the RSPCA at Chobham with more clear-out goodies.

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone - don't forget to visit my blog on Friday for this week's guest post.  I know you will enjoy it.

Jill

IT'S BEEN A BIZEEEE WEEK

Hi everyone

What a gorgeous day it has been.  We went to a good friend's birthday lunch today and it was great and the fantastic weather was a bonus.  I made the name cards and menu's for the meal in West Ham colours, as our friend is a great supporter of their team.  It was a lovely day.

I have had a hectic week.  As well as the name cards and menus, I also had two card orders to finish, plus get everything ready for my first event of the year in Godalming.  This is the second event I have attended that was organised by Loretta and she really does work hard getting everything right - in addition to regularly checking that we were all OK, she spent a lot of time outside encouraging potential customers through the door.  Although the event wasn't all handmade, there were some great stalls there.  I was next to Fran McCaskill who is a fused glass designer - her work is absolutely beautiful and I do recommend you visit her website.  I bought one of her glorious big red hearts - it looks so lovely with the sun shining through it.

Events are interesting in that people will pay a high price for things that are not handmade, but  refuse to pay what, to us who make handmade, are reasonable prices.  Do you find this happens at events you take part in?  My mini-cards did well again, so I need to get making more.

One of the card orders I had has been posted and received by the recipient, so it is safe to put it on show.  I used various layers of gold card and other lacey and numbered papers and then topped this off with two champagne glasses with a figure 50 in the middle - I added gold star glitter to the figure.

The 21st birthday card should have been received by the birthday girl this time next week, so I will be adding that to my next Handmade Monday post.

The week before last I spent a Spa Day with a good friend and as usual it was more chat than spa - I did do some gym work though, so felt pretty good about that.  During the day, we talked about business life in general and crafting in particular and decided that we would have a go at a joint-venture later this year, so watch this space.

My Friday Guest blogging has taken off again, and I have some great posts coming up over the next few weeks - not all craft-related, so look out for some great topics.  It would be lovely to host some Handmade Monday bloggers, so if you have a topic you would like to share, please do get in touch: christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com.  Thank you Hannah (Spans Studio) for your post last Friday - it was great and certainly struck a cord with the handmade community.

A bit of a short post today as I am so tired - it has been a week of hard work (as well as socialising).  Next week I have some more card orders to complete, plus we are still battling our way through all of the 'stuff' that we have accumulated over the years.  Why the walls haven't fallen over trying to contain the things we have 'held onto just in case' I will never know.  Phyllis Tuckwell, the RSPCA and Cats Protection are benefiting from our 'down-sizing' and I hope it helps them.

Have a great week everyone and thank you to everyone who stops my my blog and leaves a comment - I love to read them all.  I don't always get the chance to reply to all of them, but I do appreciate them especially the great advice and helpful suggestions many of you leave for me.  Don't forget to visit the other Handmade Monday bloggers to read this week posts and see everyone's lovely makes.

I'll see you all on Wednesday.

Jill

TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS......

Hannah Blavins from Spans Studio

When Jill asked me to write a guest post I decided to talk about what handmade means to me.

But I’m not going to talk about the meaning of the word or what I think a handmade product is.

To me handmade is more than that.  It’s a process.  Making something by hand takes time and energy.  You go through many emotions, trials and errors and triumphs.

When you buy something that’s handmade you are buying someone’s journey, a part of them.  It’s a brave thing to do to give something of yourself to the world to be judged, rightly or wrongly, by others.  It’s what all creative souls that make handmade items for gifts and to sell do.

To me handmade is about healing.  About finding something that defines who I am and allowing myself to do what I love and be happy.  I know a lot of people deny that part of themselves and it’s very freeing to accept that part of yourself and make something for whatever reason.  Everything I make is a part of my healing journey.  Depending on the medium depends on what it does for me.  Sometimes it calms me, sometimes distracts, sometimes it brings me into the moment.  Sometimes it stirs emotions and I find that by working through it I heal. That is part of my process.

Hand making things makes me feel worthy and whole, whether it is seen as a quality item is irrelevant as by the time it is done I’ve gotten all I needed out of it.  I have been through the process and come out the other side and I am usually looking to the next project.

Learning a skill to make something takes time and lots of practise, this is something that never ends.  There is always something new to learn and add to the process of creating.

I hope you understand what I mean when I talk about handmade. I think its easy to just think of the end product as that is the tangible thing but the process behind it, what the person has gone through for it to get there is what makes it unique and the reason why I not only make handmade things but I buy handmade products too.

I have many gifts that have been made for me by family and friends and each one means a lot to me as the process was taken with me in mind.  They have given that part of themselves to me and I feel very blessed to be the person that receives it.

So next time you see a handmade item and like it, ask yourself, what did the person that made it have in mind? What journey did they and the item go through to get there? Hopefully you will see what I mean when I say that handmade is more that just a product.

http://www.spansstudio.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/spansstudio

Twitter: @spansstudio

CATCHING UP

Hi everyone

Life has been hectic at Christmas Pie Crafts these last few days.  Card orders and 'things' for my event on Saturday, plus 'the return of the stray cat'.

A few months ago a big black cat began visiting my neighbour and us.  He was friendly, if cautious, and we assumed about 8-9 years old.  My neighbour and I asked around locally to see if  he belonged to anyone, or if anyone knew anything about him.  The answer was 'no'.  We fed him when he turned up at either of our homes, which wasn't every day day and he had a very healthy appetite.   Last week we noticed he was limping quite badly on his left front paw.  Richard, who as well as being a big animal lover is a coward where they are concerned when they are in pain, injured, etc said 'I think you need to catch him'.  I spoke to my neighbour, to whom he was a more frequent visitor, and as he often nipped into her conservatory, she said she would try to contain him.  Move forward to today, following discussions with CP and RSPCA, he is coming home having had his leg platted (it was fractured in two places), he has also been chopped and chipped and he is moving into his new permanent home with my neighbour.  The biggest surprise was that he is only 2 years old!  Our vet (we both use the same one) advised my neighbour that as he had been living rough for all of his short life, he had clearly had some tough times out there.

His name is Shadow - because he comes and goes like one, and here is a recent pic I took of him in our garden.  He looks pretty fierce, but is really a big softy and a beautiful cat:

I had some great responses to my request on the Handmade Monday post about guest blogging - many thanks to everyone for your advice and support.  The general feeling was to open up my Friday spot to non-craft related topics as well as craft-related, so I did and the good news is I have fabulous posts for 9, 16, 23 and 30 March - 2 craft and 2 non-craft.  It would be lovely to have some lined up for April too - so if you are keen to join in, please do contact me on christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com.  One suggestion was to provide ideas on what to blog about, so below is the original list I mentioned a few weeks ago but I am happy to include topics not on the list:

What inspires you to create

Do you still make (and  sell) the item(s) that set you on the road to being a professional crafts-person

How do you motivate yourself

Is blogging a good communication platform

What does handmade mean to you

That's me for today, have a great rest of the week everyone.  I will be back with my Handmade Monday post and hopefully lots of good news about my first event of this year.  Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that for the last few days Jazz has been walking around with a limp - yes, in his left front paw!  Jazz was originally a stray cat and I think this is stray-cat-left-foot syndrome.  We took him to the vets, where he is fast reaching the status of having a seat in the waiting room with his name on, and they couldn't find anything wrong.  He is on anti-inflammatory liquid but is still limping - so watch this space, as it could be another trip to the vet in the not too distant future.

Jill

A WEEK'S WORTH OF WORDS

Hello everyone

What an amazing mix of weather we have seen today: heavy rain, snow, more rain and from about 3.00 pm onwards brilliant sunshine.  I am sure that it is only in this country that you can experience all types of weather in just one day.

Thank you to everyone who visited and commented on my Handmade Monday post of last week, my Wednesday Multi-Coloured Blog Swap Carnival post from Karen and my Friday Guest-Blog post that wasn't a guest blog post.  Karen's post was lovely and I hope you enjoyed it - hope you also managed to visit my corresponding post on Mammasaurus's blog.  Thank you Trouble Doubled for arranging the Swap - great fun, lots of new visitors, followers on Twitters and new blog friends too.  I must add also that Hannah, a great all-round crafter, featured me in her Share Your Story post last week - thank you Hannah.

I love blogging and try to post twice each week - it's great fun and has brought me into contact with lots of new people around the UK and the world.  Not all craft-related and that's the great part of it really, because it has given me the chance to read and 'talk' about lots of things I don't really know much about.  Apart from the social part of blogging, I think as a business we tend to use it as a promotional tool.  We can talk about our business and what we make without feeling guilty because we are not forcing people to read our witterings.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my guest blogging this week and also taking part in the blog swap.  Sadly, I have found encouraging people to take up my offer of a guest spot on Fridays is proving very hard work.  I have a great blogger post this coming Friday, but not too sure what happened to last Friday's blogger.  Perhaps I should have sent them a BIG reminder, but (embarrassed) I have no contact details for them (except posting on their blog) and could not locate any in other likely places.  Tried via Twitter and discovered that unless someone is following me I cannot DM them even if I am following them.  Oh well, such is life - I know they are very busy and I hope will be able to join in at a later date.

The lack of participants in the crafts field has made me think that perhaps I should open up my Friday guest spot to anyone who would like to join in - what do you think?  I have a friend who runs a travel business and she has asked if she could join in - at the time I said sorry, no it has to be crafts-related, but I may re-think this.  I know everyone is desperately busy, and often it means extra work, but if you have time can you add to your comment why you think guest blogging is hard work.

It is lovely Handmade Monday time and unfortunately I have no makes to display.  A good reason as I have several card orders (one for a Golden Wedding, one for a 21st birthday, one for a 60th birthday and one for an 'ordinary' birthday - this is in addition to place cards and menus for the 60th birthday boy).  By next Handmade Monday all of my orders will be finished and I will add some to my next HM post.  In the meantime, please do visit all the other HM contributors and read their great posts and look at the lovely things they have been working on this week.

Have a good week everyone - I will be back on Wednesday.

Jill

THANK YOU MULTI-COLOURED BLOG POST CARNIVAL

Hi everyone

What a great day Wednesday was for blog-swapping - such a lovely story on my blog and you must all check out Karen's blog to see pics of her lovely boys.  Thank you Trouble Doubled for organising such a great swap - I have had lots of visitors, Karen's posts received some really lovely comments - a big success.  Don't forget to check out Mammasaurus's blog for my guest post on Jazz & Daisy.

Sadly, no Friday Guest Blogger today - my expected 'poster' didn't make it.  However, back to normal next week and there is a great post due on 9 March, so please check back then.

My story of a crafting life has been added to Hannah's blog this week under her regular Share Your Story slot and there are some great posts on there, so please do read them - and mine of course.

A mini post today just to bring everything up-to-date.  I will be back with my regular Handmade Monday post and in the meantime hope you all have a great weekend.

Jill

THE DAY OUR WORLD CHANGED

Welcome to the Multi-Coloured Blog Swap which has been organised by Trouble Doubled.  Don't forget to check out the other great blogs taking part for some great posts.

This post has been provided by Karen of Tales of a Twin Mum as part of the Multi-Coloured Blog Swap Carnival.

The day our world changed (1 May 2009)

 I lay on the bed and lifted my jumper, hardly daring to breathe.  The sonographer squirted cold gel onto my barely-there bump and swished the scanner in the goo.  Being pregnant had been the best diet I could have imagined; I’d already lost 10lb.  Within two days of conceiving I’d started being sick and hadn’t stopped since.  I tried to distract myself from throwing up by concentrating on the joy of seeing my baby.  At least morning sickness (‘all day sickness’ seemed more appropriate) was supposed to be an indicator of a healthy baby, or that’s what the midwife kept telling me…

‘It’s twins,’ said the sonographer, calmly breaking the silence. ‘There’s no easy way to tell you so I just thought I’d get it straight out.’

She carried on prodding my tummy as though she hadn’t just landed an enormous bombshell.  Matt squeezed my hand tightly and I squeezed it back, not daring to take my eyes off her in case she suddenly burst out laughing to tell us it was a joke.

‘Twins?’ Matt and I asked in shocked unison.  ‘Yes. There’s two babies there, look,’ she said pointing at the screen.  ‘Were you not expecting two?’  ‘Twins?’ we both replied again.   We looked at each other, unable to speak.  Everything felt like it was running in slow motion. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. I wanted to scream.  Tears stabbed at my eyes but I tried to hold them in.  The sonographer seemed to be taking it in her stride, as though it happened to her everyday.  Maybe it did, but to us twins was massive. 

We’d been dreaming of one baby for a whole twelve weeks, we’d planned the nursery, looked at prams…but twins changed everything.  It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under us.  What we had been expecting was wonderful; what we now had was the most amazing, precious, spectacular thing we could ever have asked for.  It felt like winning the lottery; better in fact, as we didn’t even know we’d bought a ticket.

Matt and I didn’t look at one another again as our eyes were firmly fixed on the screen, watching our babies bounce in response to the nudge of the scanner.  We were deep in our own thoughts, but joined together through a new bond that was greater than anything we had expected.  It felt like we were sharing something that nobody else had ever experienced.  We gripped hands and counted our blessing as the pictures of our two perfect little beings were printed.

 ‘You’re allowed double the number of scan prints for your money seeing as you’ve got two babies,’ the sonographer told us proudly.

Just one of the perks of expecting more than one.

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Thank you Karen, I am so pleased to have hosted your post - it is a lovely story and your babes are gorgeous.

SUNNY CHRISTMAS PIE

Hello everyone

What a beautiful day it has been, it may have started frosty but the sun has been shining  for most of the day and it has been warm.  Apparently the temperature is likely to be around 18 - 19 degrees during the coming week.  Oh, so very welcome and fingers and toes crossed we have mild weather and continue into a gorgeous spring and an even better summer.

A big welcome and thank you to my new blog and Twitter followers - lovely to 'see' you.  thank you also to Jill & Georgie of POSH for your Friday Guest Blogger post - your jewellery is lovely and I really enjoyed your post.

The Friday Guest Blogger spot is progressing well.  I am hoping to have a fellow Handmade Monday-er on 2 March, the following Friday will be a fellow blogger.  Names will be revealed on the day .  Don't forget that apart from taking time out to write about something you feel strongly about (craft-related of course), this is a good opportunity to promote your business.

It's been a lovely week.  I had lunch with a couple of friends on Monday at pub by a lake - it looked very good in winter-time, I can only imagine how beautiful it looks in the summer when all the plants are in flower.  I worked very, very hard on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on my website and new ranges  - under pressure really as my first event of the year is in two weeks time.    I continued the de-cluttering exercise, but slightly added to the contents of the garage when I collected two spinning display stands I had bought on Ebay.  On Thursday evening I went out for a meal with another group of friends - we first met around 30 years ago when we were all on an accountancy day-release course at a local college.  We completed the three years of the course and all went on to do accountancy-related work; I eventually moved from 'doing' accounts (although I still do my own accounts) to teaching it.  On Friday I spent the day with my sister and we indulged in a little light shopping.

I spent most of today gardening and when walking around to see how much is either still in flower or about to flower was so pleased to see lots of shrubs had survived the recent frosts - some were well protected and are fighting back to life already.  The Prunus is covered in buds, some beginning to open - very early.  Polyanthus, crocus and snow drops are in full bloom, and daffodils are just about ready to burst their buds.  I love Helleborus Niger and have several in the garden; they flower throughout the winter and less frequently at other times during the year.  They are so beautiful and this is a picture of one in flower at the moment in our garden - the colour is so gorgeous (the only downside of these beautiful flowers are that they hang face down):

In addition to spending this week working and socialising, I indulged in some television viewing too.  I like antique programmes, not the every single day ones, but I have been watching the Antiques Road Trip because they do stop off at some beautiful houses.  Each week a different duo of experts  set off on a buying trip and last week they were touring around the South of England.  On Wednesday I was interested to see one of the experts visited Farnham and even more interesting they visited Bourne Mill.  Imagine my surprise when, having located items to purchase, the expert went to the reception desk and in the background my wall was clearly shown - several times.  I can quite honestly say my cards have been on the television - now, I wonder if I could add to my website blurb 'as seen on the Antiques Road Trip'?

My make for Handmade Monday (yep, it's that time again and as always I am looking forward to reading some great blogs) isn't a new card,but one I made last year.  It didn't sell, so I put it back into stock for my first event of this year.  The main section of the embellishment is woven paper, consisting of two sheets that I cut into wavy lengths.  When I had finished that section I framed the 'picture' and added different colour squares to two corners.  I was quite pleased with the effect and used it on other cards since this one.

My usual Wednesday mid-week blog post is changing for this week as I am taking part in a Multi-coloured Blog Swap Carnival.  I am hosting a post that is completely unrelated  to crafting and the host of my spot is also non-crafty.  My guest blogger's post is lovely and I am sure you will enjoy it.

That's me for this week, apart from the blog posting posting.  Have a good week everyone - enjoy the sun and warmth.  I am working hard this week to make up for my 'time out' last week, but having an away day with a friend on Thursday - some gym, swim, chat and lunch time.

Jill

AND THE FOURTH 'FRIDAY GUEST BLOGGER' IS.....

Jill and Georgie from Port Out Starboard Home (POSH)

We are Jill and Georgie: a mother and daughter team who appreciate importance of having everything just right for weddings and special occasions and all of the finest quality.  We have wide experience and expertise in making jewellery, product design and dress making. 

We are passionate about beautiful, handcrafted jewellery and particularly enjoy using recycled and vintage items in our hair accessories.  We love vintage jewellery, the rhinestone, paste and pearl pieces have an amazing lustre, sparkle and luxurious feel.  Our glamorous hair accessories incorporate vintage items such as brooches earrings and necklaces and are carefully made to be timeless and classic heirlooms of the future.  Our extensive collection includes one off creations for brides, bridesmaids and flower girls as well as hair accessories suitable for wearing at any time when a touch of vintage sparkle is needed!

We often incorporate raw silk, brocade, satin, vintage lace and feathers in our designs.  We refurbish the vintage pieces if needed and then carefully wire or sew them to a hair band or comb.  All our pieces are finished to the highest standard with silk ribbon or felt to ensure a comfortable fit. 

We offer a bespoke service and love to design and create pieces from our clients’ own family jewellery or to make a special item to match a dress or colour theme. 

Our inspiration comes from the vintage pieces we find in England, France, Germany and Austria, where we have family connections and from studying historical hair accessories, jewellery and fashion.  We are always searching for special pieces we feel will make a beautiful and unique headband or comb.

We were inspired to launch Port Out Starboard Home (P-O-S-H) after Georgie’s wedding. We had an idea of the special hair accessories we wanted for that occasion, but found that the choice was very limited or very expensive.  Being on a very tight budget, Georgie decided to design and make her own headband from items in granny’s jewellery box.

The headband was a huge success and the business idea was born.  We started in a very small way as we both had full time jobs, but when Jill took early retirement in July 2011, it seemed an ideal opportunity to launch our business. P-O-S-H has blossomed from there and we have been busy making special items for weddings, balls, proms and other special occasions since our official launch in September 2011. 

People often ask how we got our name!  We thought long and hard about our name and wanted something unique to convey times gone by when well-to-do people would dress beautifully in hats and gloves and spend their time cruising on luxury liners and visiting ports of the world.  We believe our unique and glamorous accessories are perfectly suited to this wonderful lifestyle and era.   

We were reminded of P-O-S-H (Port Out Starboard Home) which was coined in the days before air-conditioning.  On the outward voyage to India, the cabins on the Port side got the early morning sun and had the rest of the day to cool off.  Conversely, the Starboard cabins were intensely hot in the afternoon and like ovens at bed time.  On the homeward journey the situation was reversed and it was the unfortunate passengers on the Port side who roasted.  VIPs travelling were given preference of the cooler side of the ship in each direction and were given cabins which were Port–Out-Starboard-Home.  Their tickets and baggage were marked POSH! We felt this name conveyed the First Class VIP image we would like to portray with our collections, and so that is how we came up with our name!

As you would expect from a responsible company, we take care to ensure we minimise the impact on the environment.  We use recycled jewellery and metals in our products wherever possible and are proud that all of our packaging and stationery is recycled paper and card.

Our website shows our collection but we are always delighted to discuss ideas for a unique hair accessory. We can be contacted by telephone or email, details of which are on our website. 

http://www.portoutstarboardhome.co.uk 

FB: http://on.fb.me/uTli09

Twitter: Posh_info

  

Photos by Martin Wise Studio Wise Photography - http://www.studiowise.co.uk