*** Getting ready for Christmas ***

Hello again...

It has been such a long time since my last blog but it wasn't my choice I'm afraid, blame my business...

We have had lots of gorgeous stock delivered ready for the run up to Christmas, hence my lack of contact with the blogging world. Instead I have been busy photographing, listing, designing and making things for the website, we have just launched our Christmas range too which I really love this year...




Now that I have nearly thankfully finished the huge amount of 'things to do' regarding the business I can start to enjoy the run up to Christmas. The weather is starting to get really cold now and I find this always helps me to get in the Christmas mood, lots of cosy evenings planned in front of the fire getting the home ready for Christmas. Ella has already started crossing off the days to December in eager anticipation for when the tree will go up, she's gets really excited every time we see Christmas lights and decorations in the shops:)

Since having Ella I have really started to embrace the whole run up to Christmas... and this includes putting the tree up on the 1st December. We started our own family traditions when Ella was born, so we are all starting to get excited about all the fun things we will be making and baking... plus a trip to our local Library will be in store this week so week can get some of the fantastic children's Christmas craft books to give us yet more ideas. I will be adding a few new traditions this year now that Ella is that little bit older (31/2). I have been on the look out for a ginger bread house kit, so if anyone has any suggestions on where I can buy one or even a recipe for the ginger bread (that works), please add a message :)






I'm currently turning my creative side to the gifts I will make, I hope my lovely sister doesn't read this but I have a few ideas on what I will make her... I think it will be a large cosmetic bag/roll that she can use on holiday, then fill it with some lovely bathing products. For once I can't decide what to make for my mum, last year I made a lovely sewing box, using a box file which I covered in fabric, then made sections inside which I filled with lots more handmade sewing paraphernalia including a embroidered felt case for the embroidery scissors, button box, needle case and a cupcake pin cushion. She loved it so much that she cried with happiness when she saw it.

I'm really looking forward to looking at every ones blogs this Christmas, it will be lovely to see what all you creative people are busy making, I especially love to see peoples homes during Christmas too :)

I hope I'm not the only one who is suffering from a serious case of 'I cant wait for Christmas.'
How are all your Christmas preparations going???

xFaye

Cosy

This is one of my favourite things to do... I just love to sit and stare at our fire in the dinning room.
We actually only made this into a working fire place last Christmas. Strangely I wasn't keen to have a real... working fire until we re organised the dinning room. We have an original fireplace in the lounge too, but for some reason we actually paid a lot of money to have a ' looks like a real fire' gas coal one put in, I don't know what we were thinking, ah yes I remember... white walls... fire = smoke= mess lol.

Sorry I will take a picture of the lounge fire place tomorrow.


When we bought our house both fire places were covered by nasty wooden boards with what I now know were lethal gas fires... one had a minuscule hole in the pipe. The mantle was also covered in around ten layers of gloss paint. We had no idea of what we would find behind the boards but we didn't care, it was one of the first things we did, I couldn't believe it when we managed to remove the gas fire and boards to reveal a gorgeous original Victorian fire place, complete with tiles and hearth. The whole fire had been painted in a horrid cream gloss but after what felt like ages (two weeks) of pain staking removal with a fantastic product... similar to covering the whole fire place with putty then covering it with cling film. We revealed the original fire tiles. They were in perfect condition, much to do we suspected with the horrid paint keeping them preserved for years. Our house was built in 1850 so it really was a lovely surprise to find them.


The dinning room was not so exciting.... only a blank space where once there would of been a lovely cast iron insert. We were lucky to find an insert in lour local antiques center and with a little hard work we have created our fire... it makes the dinning room the heart of our home during winter. We also moved our old sofa into the dinning room... so this afternoon Ella and I have been enjoying the warmth of the fire. Ella loves to sit at the table and draw while I sit and knit on the sofa and the best bit is there is no TV so only relaxing, reading and crafting occurs when the fire is lit. . . ah I love it :)





Please excuse the quality of the photographs, my camera doesn't like taking pictures with poor light.

My current project... knitting a cosy scarf

and reading these books from the library...

I hope you are all feeling cosy too...

xFaye

Treasures

I really must post more often, in fact once I have finished updating the website (mammoth job, made only worse by being a perfectionist) oh and got the new products and then the Christmas stock listed I really will post more, may be I should just do lots of tiny posts... um I will have a think on that one.

I love these!

Well here are the photographs of some of my lovely car boot treasures that I have promised to post, the candle sticks are among the best finds, we think they are pewter, and they are so French in style... I just love them.

Love the old bathroom cabinet, it was hidden by a ridiculous painting, but my keen eye spotted it and for a mere £5.00 it had to be mine, perfect for when we fit the new bathroom.

Here are a couple of pictures of our new Handmade section...

I'm off to get on with the website now...

xFaye

P.s

Oh I just remembered, here is that letter I wrote, it turned into a card as I actually don't have any writing paper, I may have to get some for Christmas :) I really enjoyed making the card, I nearly always make cards for my family at Christmas and Birthdays.

Vintage Postcards

I thought it was about time that I showed some pictures of some of the lovely things I have managed to get at my local car boot. I have been very fortunate to discover some real treasures and have also come to realise that where I live only a very few people must look for the same things as me. We never normally get to car boots before 9.30 which is when most of the keen bargain hunters are leaving (I too was one of these prior to having Ella.) I see people walking past with general house hold things and toys but never anything I would buy, but yet it always surprises me when I come across what I see as vintage treasures, normally the best things I have found have been bought during the end of a car boot and I'm always amazed that some one else has never snapped them up. My best find so far has been this amazing collection of 1900 postcards. I spied some old albums and casually had a look as I was expecting it to be filled with the usual scenic postcards, but imagine this, on opening one album I casually asked the stall holder if there were any floral cards to which his reply was 'oh yes there are quite a few' well that was it, my instincts kicked in... I grabbed another photo album while Jeremy started to look through the other three. I had to contain my excitement when I came across the first page filled with beautiful floral post cards, I was expecting the man to be selling the albums filled so when I asked him this his reply was 'Oh I'm just selling the post cards individually for 50p, now can you picture my amazement... sad I know but there is just something so appealing about them and its even better if they have been written on. Needless to say I bought every single floral card he had (about 35) and then was very cheeky and asked if he would sell me one of the albums, which he did. That day I was so ecstatic.. lol. I often look for floral post cards so was aware of how much they can cost. I was surprised to see other people look at the albums then walk off when told the price.. strange! Once home I had a lovely time reading each one, they were all part of a collection from one lady dated from 1904 to 1906, it felt like reading her diaries, it really struck home that in our age of computerising everything what treasures of our everyday lives will there be for future generations to read about. I can't actually remember the last time I wrote a letter to a friend or sent a post card, does any one else feel this is a shame? I suppose that is why I love vintage post cards so much, they are like a little gate way to a time that was, when if you wanted to meet up with a love one, a card would be sent detailing the time and place, abet some cards expressed sadness that they had not met (the postal service was just the same then I suppose.) Can you imagine sending a card now a days to a friend or family detailing when and where you were to meet, well going by royal mail standards you would constantly miss each other due to the delay of you post.. . lol. So today I have decided to write a few letters... well that is when I can find some writing paper.

Please let me know if you feel this way too... or is it just me???

More picture of my finds to follow soon, I got a little carried away when writing about the post cards (I have an inability to stop once I actually do start writing.) So I thought it was best to save the other things for my next post.

xFaye

Just a quickie... make that a long post!



Where has the time gone, sorry for the lack of blogging but I am currently suffering from TO DO LIST overload, I have got so many things going on at the moment that blogging was one of the things that didn't need urgent attention. In fact the thought of what I still need to do fills me with dread. One downside of running a business is the constant need to plan ahead, so at the moment I'm currently in the process of updating the website, whilst trying to get my head around the stock for Christmas... Yes I know but within the next few weeks I will be receiving all of the winter and Christmas stock that I have ordered which will then need to be photographed.

I have so many things I want to write about but unfortunately I have not yet got around to photographing the things I want to show you... I have found some fantastic things at our local car boot recently so have plenty to show you but I simply cant muster up the creative energy to take photographs that will do them justice. On a good note though I have currently been pouring all of the time I normally spend blogging into being CREATIVE! I have been having a fantastic time making lots of things for the business, they have been planned for ages. I'm on such a roll at the moment that I'm a little reluctant to use the computer (strange but true for once) I have put it down to having a new sewing machine, I have got so many ideas emerging that I just go with the flow and create. I'm really pleased with what I have made so far in fact once I finish this post I will be off to the sewing room to do yet more creating.


On a personal note, my little girl had her first visit to nursery this week, I was so anxious yet happy for her, this is probably to do with the fact that it is her first step onto the whole 'going to school' ladder, growing up etc, I just don't know where the time has gone. Fortunately we are able to stay with her while she has her visits (another one on Monday.) This has helped immensely, she has been so eager to start nursery but was very shy when we first arrived and for the initial 10 minutes was rather unsettled, once she had found her feet there was no stopping her, in fact Jeremy and I were told to stand over there ( talking to the Nursery staff prior) as she was busy socialising and finding her feet :) I felt so happy and proud! (she reacted just how I had expected her to.) I just hope that when we take her for her first proper day next Friday she will be able to settle in and hopefully not have any tears. Jeremy has been great and has arranged to start that morning later so we can take her together.. I know I will be in tears as soon as I get home, make that the car.


On a blogging note, the lovely Jessica has nominated me for this...

Thanks Jess

In fact she did it weeks ago sorry Jess!


The award was created by Bella Enchanted and is passed on to fellow bloggers for the following reasons: "to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others and are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world"


I now need to choose 7 people to pass this award onto, so here goes;


Laurie 'CharmingDesigns'
Claire 'Pinky and Boo'
Steph 'Curlew Country'
Sophie 'Sophie Honeysuckle's English Decor'
Gill 'Lucy Locket'
Julia 'Vintage Heaven'
Louise 'Louise Loves'


Bye for now and thanks for all your lovely comments on my previous post :)
xFaye

Birdies...

Oh just look what I received in the post this morning...

Don't you think they are adorable, they are handmade by my lovely friend Laurie, she is so talented! She even painted a rose on the packaging, something I will cut out and keep.

It really did feel like Christmas receiving them and she even put in a little gift for Ella. The funniest thing was that Ella got really excited about the large bubble wrap, she instantly pleaded me to let her jump on it, yet another thing I love about children, their effortless ability to enjoy the most simplest of things in life.

Just time for a quick post... I have spent the last few days surrounded by cardboard boxes in some mad attempt to organise the stock room, but as of yet it still looks like I have yet to achieve anything... groan! I'm still suffering from the greatest need ever to declutter but as Jeremy quite calmly said when I was having a 'moment', its all stuff we need or has some sort of sentimental value, which is true (apart from business stock.) I hope other people are like me, I'm simply no good at outing anything that has any remote emotional value attached to it, this includes receipts for special days out, cards and worst of all any of Ella's things, this is partly because we do plan to have another baby in the future but also because each thing holds a memory... I just look at her little socks and can't bare to part with them. How sad am I..lol.

Well I best get back to the giant cardboard castle I made for Ella earlier (cardboard boxes were the only thing that I have managed to get rid of and now Ella is pleading that we keep them!)

xFaye

Making, doing and having lots of fun!


Well I'm feeling a bit better at last... yippee

I really do love blogging, and just wanted to say a big thank you everyone for all your lovely comments, they really did help loads :)

Now this one is a long post, so get comfy

Making

I made this for my holiday, its made from Cabbages and Roses blue podge fabric. I never like carrying my normal purse around on holiday so I decided to make my own and I love it

I have finally got around to finishing my lavender birds for the website

Doing


I have been really busy this week focusing on the business, this always makes me feel better as I am then tackling all the things that have to be done, instead of constantly thinking about what needs doing. It really is never ending, plus three weeks holiday never help. So I have been very busy making way for the new stock and ordering yet more stock, this time from one of my favourite companies Maileg, I have a lovely selection of Maileg toys that I have kept for Ella for Christmas, which I know she will just love.


I have also been planning and re designing the business, I have decided to add a Handmade section to our website, I have been toying with the idea for quite a long time now, more to come on that front later.


We are going to turn our stock room into a 'real' room, after seeing so many bloggers lovely work rooms I decided on holiday that I want to do mine too. The stock room is simply full to breaking point, so I have decided to buy less larger items and make way for a sewing room, this currently happens in the dinning room which is not really a good thing as I constantly have to clear it all away. Plus Jeremy is in the process of doing more training (computer stuff) so will be using the computer a lot during the Autumn months, while he is busy typing away I will be busy making things for the business... well that's the plan.


Having lots of fun

I really wanted to share with you some of the fun things that we did on holiday, so here are a couple...

Kite flying, I can never remember it being so difficult, we decided after a few goes, make that 20 goes with the kite pictured below that we would just have to buy a normal kite from a shop, shame really as we had a great time colouring it in with Ella, but as you will see by the second picture she became a little pro...

Shopping in Holt was great fun, there is a fantastic antique shop there that is filled to the brim with lovely stuff.

I was very good though and only bought this vintage cardigan.. its made from cashmere which I adore.

Then I found these lovely Crocs, perfect for the beach

and then on the way home we stopped at a gorgeous little tea shop that makes the most delicious cakes, so we sat in the sun and had afternoon tea which was lovely.

I want some cake

Now 8 random things about me (I was tagged by the lovely Sophie before the Holiday but never had chance to write them.)

Well here goes...

1\ I absolutely adore French interiors, I could happily spend hours looking at my favourite French interior books and blogs. The funny thing is I have never even been there. But I will go one day.

2\ If I find an item of clothing that I love the cut of and it fits really well I will often buy two of them or buy it in every colour I like, it wasn't until I looked in my wardrobe while packing away my holiday clothes that I noticed how much I do it.

3\This one is strange... Every time I see an animal that has been killed on the road, any road that is, I will say 'ah poor rabbit, bird etc rest in peace'. This is something that I do under my breath and have done ever since I was a child. I only just admitted this to Jeremy to which his response was a strange stare, yep you must be thinking the same as him lol.

4\I have yet to marry the love of my life Jeremy. We did start planning it before Ella was born then once I knew I was pregnant we put it off. And the funny thing was that when I was in my early twenties I didn't want to be married (even though I have been with Jeremy since I was 17.) or have children until I was in my mid thirties, I was 27 when I had Ella. Oh and I am 30 now.


5\I absolutely love my childhood fantasy films, let me watch Labyrinth , Legend or Never ending story and I'm a happy girl. Ella actually watched Never ending story with me a few months ago and loved it:)


6\ I have had lactose intolerance since I was a baby, basically I can only consume a small quantity of milk each day. Fortunately I hate it, even the smell makes me feel sick. Having this when I was young was not much fun though, any chocolate would make me really ill. That is why I have an addiction to sweets. Now that Im an adult I know what I can get away with.. such as the chocolate cake above in small quantities.


Am I boring you yet?


7\ I love Monsoon clothes for my daughter, I just love dressing her in traditional little girls clothes, she is often complimented on her clothes and her politeness... something I am very proud of, please and thank you are always nice to hear.


8\ I have never been abroad, I was always brought up with family holidays to Norfolk, so have never been that bothered about it. We want to get married in Italy in a few years and have a holiday in the Maldives, not sure how that one will work, but I have too much on to even think about it at the moment though.

xFaye