bagladee...

Did you see me??

2012-01-26T15:11:00.000Z

If you bought January's issue (issue 6) of Craftseller then maybe you spotted me on page 77? "Guest Expert" never thought I'd read that of myself :) but sure enough there is a picture of me, the cover of my first craft book, one of my clutch bags and a purse and more importantly my #SBS Winners badge.

I was asked by the lovely Beth if I would like to write a piece on my Theo Paphitis win and of course I said yes. I really enjoyed writing this little piece for Craftseller as I hoped it would inspire many more crafters to put them selves out there. Its a great time to be starting a designer/maker career and this magazine is the perfect read for anyone wanting to branch out their crafting talent into the world of selling.

Also watch out for me in issue 39 of Sew Hip magazine which goes on sale February 29th.

Bull dog clips are just for stationary?

2012-01-24T18:16:00.000Z

Right?? Not in my studio they're not. These fold back bull dog clips are fantastic for holding fabric together that is too thick for normal dress making pins. I use them in particular for my saddle bags where the hem round the top of the bag opening meets the bag flap. The sandwich of fabric, interfacing, more interfacing and a little more interfacing is way too thick for pins so I use these clips...

I know a lot of my sewing pals who use oilcloth use these clips so as to not pierce the cloth with pins (which means nasty pin holes where you don't want them). I always have a handful of them lying around just in case. They've come in mighty handy for the leather kindle covers I've been making too.

Do you use and odd stationary items in your crafting?

Sewing and Planning

2012-01-19T23:20:00.000Z

So far this week there has been lots of sewing, lots of planning and lots of thinking. To say I have planned the next 12months out would sound utterly ridiculous but on paper I have. Right down to the week. There are lots of things I should have already completed but they just seem to be getting shoved down the list at the moment.

The first one of those tasks being to sort out my website and get my new products listed, there will be new purses, new mini clutch bags and a little bit of a revamp going on. Tomorrow I have 2 saddle bags to complete, one of which is new the other is a 'Betty' bag.

Another pre-Christmas kindle cover order.

Saturday we are going out with family to celebrate both mine and C's birthdays (C's was today, Happy Birthday Babe xxx) but I am hoping to sneak a little bit of sewing at some point.

I did think that January maybe a quiet month as far as orders were concerned but its been quite busy and they are still coming in. Kindle covers are still very popular hence the photo above. Thank you Amazon for creating the Kindle, its certainly kept me very busy over Christmas.

32

2012-01-15T16:36:00.002Z

32 today, how the hell did that happen :D Its been a lovely relaxing day, breakfast courtesy of my very lovely other half and a huge bouquet of flowers. Lots of beautiful cards (thanks everyone) and some very thoughtful gifts (thanks Rach xx).

To say I feel different would be silly, but I feel like this year I have to step up to the mark on being 'grown' up. I dont think that has anything to do with a birthday just more to do with current events. I feel happy and content :D Happy Birthday me!!

Off to have a Sunday roast and a spot of Birthday cake!! Nom Nom!!

Starting the year with a BANG!!

2012-01-11T19:04:00.001Z

Wow, January.....quieten down please you're a little too rowdy for the first month of the year for my liking thank you!

I wasn't quite sure what 2012 was going to hold in store for me but I sure as hell wasn't expecting things to happen as quickly as the first month, whats that all about. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate change even when its good, I don't like feeling unsettled and absolutely hate not knowing whats happening.

Most of it is personal stuff, its not life threatening and its not sad, but its still BIG. I'm going to keep most of it to myself (if that's OK with you) and will do the very best I can to keep business going as usual. I've had a week where I feel like someone has tipped me upside down and emptied all of my contents onto the floor and I'm trying to put them back in there one by one, whilst having one hand tied behind my back and running backwards on a treadmill. Interesting hey?

I know one thing for sure, I'm going to embrace it and see what happens, I'm a firm believer in 'what will be will be' and that 'all things happen for a reason'. I don't really want to spend time and energy stressing about any of the detail I'd rather focus on the good points. Does that make sense?

Its always good to re-evaluate life and where you're headed right? This is the next chapter and who knows where it will take me from here. I'm secretly hoping somewhere really good :D I have lots of support around me and I think that's all I need.

So I say to you January, you may hold my 32nd birthday in your hands but I'm well and truly ready for it and any other sticks you'd like to jam in my bicycle wheels!! Oh yes I am ready!!

Christmas makes

2012-01-04T19:19:00.000Z

Do you ever feel like there are so many ideas in your head that it might just explode?

Well I am very much feeling like that today. Betsie my trusted sewing machine is out getting a service and I'm feeling a little lost without her :( So I've been spending my afternoon writing some lists and planning out the next couple of weeks makes wise.

I thought I'd share with you some of the Christmas orders I'd been working on pre 2012. More lovely Kindle covers.

Another dragonfly motif in greens this time, very pretty. I also made a saddle bag for my Mam for
Christmas and a fabric Bucket for my lovely friend Rachel, both I forgot to photo before I wrapped them :( I must stop doing that. I lost count of how many gingerbread men I made, I think I stopped counting at 124. They have been pushed aside for now but I have some plans for those little guys in a few months time :D

Hey there 2012!!

2012-01-01T17:59:00.000Z

The start to 2012 didn't go quite as I'd hoped. Being ill since the day before Christmas eve was not planned nor was it dragging on into 2012. This is most probably the result of working flat out all year and then relaxing....in comes the dread flu.

However I think I can excuse this fact due to 2011 over all being a pretty fantastic year with lots of seeds planted for 2012. Today I spent an hour or so reading through 2011's blog posts....wow did all that really happen??? My high lights would have to be joining to raise funds for the Japan Earth Quake Appeal and the Riot Raffle, learning to make and decorate cupcakes (a little self indulgent), my SBS win from Theo Paphitis (oh and the fact he loved my Gingerbread men) and my first advert in Elle Magazine.

I have high hopes for 2012.....no resolutions just lots of wishes.

Happy New Year to you all, here's to a happy and prosperous forthcoming year. And that all your hopes and dreams are fulfilled.

xx

Gingerbread Men for Theo Paphitis

2011-12-27T12:00:00.000Z

I've been working on these little fella's for quite sometime, I wanted to make a little thankyou gift for Theo. It took me a while to decide what I would send and couldn't resist giving my Gingerbread men Theo style spectacles. Dont they look cute?

The glasses were made from jewellery wire, what do you think is there a likeness?? ;)

Theo received them yesterday and took them home to show his family and said he would be putting them on his tree. *Squeels* My gingerbread men are on Theo Paphitis' Christmas tree :D

That has made my Christmas, I've had such a fantastic year, I never dreamed I'd take Bagladee this far. I've enjoyed every moment and its been so exciting. I really cant wait to see what 2012 has instore for me.

Merry Christmas Theo I hope these little fella's make you smile :D

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T11:40:00.000Z

We've had a lazy morning of watching Santa Claus the Movie and eating croissants with orange juice and coffee. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas before the chaos starts :D

Lots to do this afternoon, no more crafting however that was all finished yesterday. Still presents to wrap and chores to be done, however they seem more fun and less chore like today.We have Christmas music on and the mulled wine will be making an appearance later on. Then it will be time to get ready to go out for a meal with C's family.

I don't know about you but I'm really looking forward to spending time with all the family, Christmas day with C's Mam, Dad and Grandad with lots of Turkey and trimmings and listening to C's Granddad's take on all the 'crap' TV (his words not mine) well he is 95 ;) And then we will be travelling up to my Mam and Dad's for Christmas with them just after Boxing Day. A good excuse for eating heartily and being merry, that's a little of what Christmas is about right.

Well this is me wishing you a very Merry Christmas and that you all take time to enjoy the company of your family and loved ones, they are whats most important and if you have them you have everything. And for those that cant be with us that they are here in our thoughts and hearts.

Merry Christmas,
Love
Emma xxx

Wrapping

2011-12-23T13:56:00.000Z

Lots of this still to do. Recycled Christmas tags from previous years Christmas Cards look fab with a little bit of ribbon.

I'm still on making my last Christmas Gift and there is a mountain of ironing to battle through today and tomorrow. I'd like to say that I want to get it done and out of the way for Christmas but the truth is I wont have time to do it over Christmas so best get cracking. I have some mulled wine planned for this evening and maybe a Christmas film whilst I wrap presents.

Although it doesn't look very festive weather wise, at least we will all be able to visit loved ones over the Christmas period without being stranded or having to drive in hazardous conditions....something to be thankful for?

Birmingham Christmas Market

2011-12-22T14:56:00.000Z

Last week we set off on the train to Birmingham Christmas Market. Previous years we have just ventured into Nottingham, but with the 'Occupy Nottingham' gang camped up in Market Square there was no ice skating rink and it was a little bit depressing to be honest :( thank you protesters! So it felt a little less Christmassy.

Walking out of the Bull Ring and up towards the Market this is the scene, isn't it soooo pretty!! It was freezing but I think that made it all the more festive.

Even the bull was all dressed up in his Christmas Jumper :D I loved this and thought, who knitted that!! It was made in sections it was so big!!

As we walked up to the Square it was packed with people, mainly drinking German Beer or the 'Hot Wine' which was yummy. You had a choice of Apple, Raspberry, Cherry, or the Fire Wine. I went for a Raspberry then a Fire wine :D And then another before we left!

It was so lovely and even though some people did warn me it was a little expensive, it was all worth it. We didn't eat at the Market (which is what was expensive) but the atmosphere was lovely, there was music playing and people were bobbing around to it, the wine was warming and it was Oh so pretty with all the lights. Definitely worth the train ride......Thank you Birmingham!

Custom Christmas Gift

2011-12-21T21:50:00.000Z

Another Christmas order, this time for a monogram felt cushion with the initial 'J'. I know I say this all the time about everything that I make but I really do love making these. The best part of Christmas orders is the diversity, I've pretty much made everything from my range. I've even been working on some new items which I've made for gifts but obviously I cant show those just yet. That would spoil surprises :)

I've managed to catch up on my Christmas prep, gift shopping is finished, I have one more item to make, food shopping is done.....just need to wrap gifts and RELAX!! And since today was the last day at the day job until 3rd of January, its all about getting 'me' getting back on track, organising next years tasks and goals, catching up on sleep and spending some time with C without having to lock myself away in the studio. It is my favourite place to be though :D

I fully intend on catching up on some very missed blog reading with my feet up in front of the twinkly lights on the Christmas tree.....cant wait, see you there :)

A scientific Kindle cover

2011-12-17T17:27:00.000Z

Here's another custom Kindle cover that I've made recently. The brief....conical flasks....interesting.

This one was for a school friend of mine, also called Emma (ickle Em's) *waves* and I love the colours.

I am sad that almost every scrap of my lovely leathers has now been used. I am still on the never ending search to get some more. So if anyone out there knows where there are some sample books going I'd really appreciate the heads up.

I am definitely no longer scared of sewing with leather :D Cant wait to get my hands on some more to make a few more covers.

Are you all ready for Christmas??? Nope me neither, still sewing gifts, still needing to go shopping, still got presents to wrap, still dithering about it all.....need to get oneself into gear and get it all sorted!!!

Christmas Tutorials

2011-12-11T15:57:00.001Z

Whilst I am frantically trying to get through the last of my orders so that I can concentrate on preparing for Christmas, I thought I'd just pop in and remind you of these 3 great tutorials to make some fun felty things for Christmas. Napkin Poinsettia rings, Star decorations and Bow decorations. Really easy to make to add a little bit of 'homemade' to your Christmas.

The festive feeling seems to have subdued this week (think that maybe due to feeling ill) but I'm hoping to kick start it again tonight by having a sherry whilst I write out my Christmas cards :D Hope you're all having fun with your Christmas prep!!

SALE now on

2011-12-05T13:22:00.000Z

Time to get yourself a bargain before Christmas, for this week only I am having a sale on all cosmetic pouches and purses. There are a couple of the other bags listed as sale but you will have to go take a look to see which ones they are :D

Be quick though, there aren't many left....get yours before they are snapped up!

Happy Shopping x

Today I will be....

2011-12-04T09:45:00.000Z

Here!!

I will be offering all current stock at a discount price, so if you're in the area why not pop by. I will certainly be partaking in the Mulled Wine and BBQ. Cant wait to get all festive and get the lights and Christmas tree on my stand, drink mulled wine and listen to the Brass band.....Oh yes and sell some things too :D

See you there!!!

(p.s. don't panic if you see my website is under construction, its only for today while I am at the market)

Maya Wilson Souce

2011-12-02T16:59:00.000Z

Maya Wilson Source - Interior Decoration & Fabric Design

I met the lovely Maya at the Handmade in Britain Show earlier this year. I was lucky enough to be on the stand next to her which meant for 3 days I could ogle all the lovely hand printed fabrics that Maya designs and prints herself and all the lovely home accessories she makes them into.

Maya uses high quality linens for her home wares, this combined with her flair for graphic design creates sophisticated pieces that add personality to your home. I love the colour palette in her collection, striking yet elegant. I'm a huge fan of her cushions, especially the 'Love Cats' cushion. Isn't it fab!

Whilst at the show I bought two of Maya's lavender cats, they are adorable and smell divine. They'd make fantastic gifts for Christmas....

Now you cant tell me that you're not tempted to go over there now and have a look!! So if I told you that Maya even has a sample sale where you can pick up a bargain too you wouldn't be rushing there now? Would you?

If you are a twitter fan you can follow Maya using @MayaSource follow and say Hello.

Custom baby/changing bag

2011-11-29T19:43:00.000Z

Will all the Christmas rush going on I am a little behind blog posts. I think if I didn't have a day job I'd have turned into a bag making recluse :D Long days at the moment and not much sleep, but the outcome is always worth it.

Last week I finished and posted this gorgeous changing/baby bag for my cousin Laura. She wanted something extra special and saw the bag I made for Nicola over at Smilernpb and wanted to know if I had some of the same fabric.

Laura wanted a bigger bag with more pockets and an adjustable strap. So with a little bit of adjustment and tight pattern placement I managed to use almost every scrap of the fabric left.

I felt a little bit daunted by the pattern as it had been almost 2 years since I'd used it last, but it didn't take long to master it all over again :)

Its a lovely size, very roomy, with a divider in the middle, lots of pockets (some for bottles and some larger ones) and co-ordinating grey lining.

I love the stripey fabric against the large flowered print.

I also made a wet bag to go inside but forgot to photograph it :( it was made from the flowered print to match the bag.

I plan at some point (when I get time) to add these to my website in a 'new' bespoke section. Those of you who have been reading my blog for sometime will remember that I used to offer a bespoke service but I chose to concentrate mainly on my collections. I am still toying with what kind of fabric I am going to use. This an upholstery weight fabric, nice and durable.

So don't be shy to shout up if you would like to commission a bag, you know me, I'd be more than happy to help :D

Joe's Gingerbread Man

2011-11-27T15:09:00.000Z

How cute is this little fella???

He was made from another one of my 'make your own' Gingerbread Men kits. I sent Joe the kit for his 9th birthday and Rachel (my very lovely pal) from over at Contented helped him with the tricky bits. Didn't they do a fab job? I love his cheeky little smile :)

As photos are coming in from the made kits I am going to add a page to my blog and make a collage of them all. So if you've bought a kit, please send me a photo of your decoration so I can add it to my collage.

A thankyou gift

2011-11-24T21:31:00.000Z

The very lovely Karen who very kindly gave me the gorgeous stash of leathers I have shown (about 10 times :) well I was chuffed with my gift) received this personalised iphone cover this week.

The cover is a vibrant shade of lime with two different shade of green for the letter 'K'.

I am loving working with leather and I've certainly overcome my fear of cutting and sewing leather. Working with leather allows for no mistakes but practice is all you need. Once you've got the hang of your first project your confidence will grow.

Karen was thrilled with her cover, it was the least I could do. Lots more on the list to make.....see you soon.

Hello my lovelies....

2011-11-22T20:35:00.000Z

OK let me just sit down and take a deep breath in.........and out.

Whilst the dinner is in the oven and I'm sat with Gingerbread men, Houses and Angel kits on the floor in front of me (waiting to be put together) and 10 gingerbread men, 5 stuffed, 5 waiting to be stuffed I thought I'd spend some time here at my blog. Something which is becoming less and less, certainly not through choice but through necessity.

I miss being here and miss reading every ones lovely blogs but at the moment there just aren't enough hours in the day. If I thought that for one minute that all year round could be as busy as this I would most definitely be able to give up the day job and Bagladee myself til my hearts content (if that's possible).

The 'To Make' list is astronomical, normally I would be freaking out on a massive scale but surprisingly I am enjoying the buzz of taking multi tasking to the next level ;) that's how I like to think of it anyway. This week I've been making copious amounts of decorations, bless those Gingerbread mens cotton socks, who knew they would be this popular. The last time I counted I think I was at 74 completed gingers! Phew!

I have also been making a few clutch bags and a very special Changing/Baby bag for my cousin. To be honest its a while since I've used the changing bag pattern and felt a little intimidated by it when I laid it out on the fabric. As soon as I machined the first bit I was motoring my way through it. Just like riding a bike but with the exception of not falling off and grazing your knees :) See even us seasoned Bag makers can be put off by a unfamiliar pattern. The end result, it looks fab and its on its way up North in the post as I type.

Best go and dish up dinner, its been a long day and I'm starving.
See you soon....hugs x

Helen's ginger bread man

2011-11-19T18:18:00.000Z

Just wanted to stop by and show you the very first finished gingerbread man kit, not made by me but by a very lovely lady called Helen Lay. She won the kit in my giveaway last month and very kindly emailed me a photo.

She also made this necklace from one of Blooming Felt's kits, isn't it pretty! Perfect gifts for Christmas. Thank you Helen, you did a fantastic job, now do you wanna come and make about 150??? Ha ha only kidding ;)

You can get your very own kit from 3 places:

My website

Blooming Felt

My Etsy Shop

I really don't mind which one you buy from as long as you do :D

Custom gingerbread peeps

2011-11-14T23:15:00.000Z

As I write this I am hoping that this gang of gingerbread lovelies will have almost made it to their destination in the U.S.A.

A very lovely lady named Mary ((hello)) asked if I could make 5 custom gingerbread people decorations. 3 boys, 2 girls (that looked different to the boys) and with name embroidered on the backs.....

I have to say I had forgotten how much I enjoy hand sewing, I used to love doing cross stitch and tapestry when I was younger.

I took as many photos as I could before I wrapped them up to post. I love these gingerbread girls and boys the most. I love making things to order but there is just something extra special about custom orders, really personal.

They aren't listed in my Etsy shop but if you are interested in custom gingerbread boys or girls, drop me a line emma@bagladee.com they look fantastic on a Christmas tree.

Sheila Fleet Gallery

2011-11-11T17:23:00.000Z

I've been so busy lately that I didn't get a chance to show you all these gorgeous clutch bags. They are now on sale at the Sheila Fleet Gallery in Orkney. So if you are passing by please do pop in and have a look, Sheila also designs the most beautiful jewellery.

30 Bridge Street
Kirkwall
Orkney
KW15 1HP
Scotland

There are 5 different clutch bags in the shop but these are 3 new ones. You can also get the Juicy clutch and the Amarillo clutch, unless they have sold out of course :D

These 3 new bags are now available to buy from my website here, now you know the drill there are a limited number of these (I only have 1 of each) so be quick before they're sold out.

Did you know that each clutch bag has a bow on the front in the same fabric, it frames the rhinestone flower nicely and gives a different dimension to the detail on the front of the bag.

Oh how I love to make clutch bags :D

Rememberance Day

2011-11-11T14:11:00.000Z

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.....we will remember you!!

Round up...

2011-11-08T21:28:00.000Z

Phew!! At last I get to sit down for an evening and relax with C. Oh yes and Nell and Oli. Its been a manic week. Christmas decorations have dominated my week, along side a poorly kitty (Oliver) with Trauma to his cornea :( on the mend now so that's good.

This week its going to be another busy one with 2 bag orders, one a custom order, kindle covers and some more decorations. So if I'm missing from blog land you know where I am.

I'll be back with photos soon :)

Read all about it......

2011-11-07T15:17:00.000Z

Isn't this fella just the cutest chimp in town? I have to confess this is part of the reason that I signed up to Mail Chimp, the rest of my decision was down to the fact that they have such a fab reputation of being against spam emails. Therefore what you get when you subscribe to a Mail Chimp is genuine and not a load of rubbish arriving in your mail box once a week/month. I hate spam emails.You have an option to unsubscribe at any time, which I like so people have the right to stop subscribing anytime they want.

After being on the receiving end of Mail Chimp newsletters I thought, yeah I'd like to have a go at that and signed up.

My aim is to use a monthly newsletter to offer discounts and promotions like 'free delivery' and incentives. There will be little snippets of news and links to some very lovely fellow crafters. Like I said I hate spam emails so there is no chance of me bombarding you with a load of tosh. So far I only have 24 subscribers so when I reach 50 I will launch the very first Bagladee Newsletter. They are all from the UK so it would be really lovely if you overseas readers joined in too :D

If you would like to subscribe then you can do so by clicking on the Mail Chimp image above or by the little box on the right of my blog. I would love to have you on board for the next milestone of Bagladee.

5 things you didn't know about me....

2011-11-03T16:01:00.000Z

(Saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun)

1. I am obsessed with Zombie Films and I'm a huge fan of the American series 'The Walking Dead', its my highlight of a Friday night. I have no idea where this obsession came from but its there and I embrace it by watching all the latest Zombified creations.

2. I was a competitive dancer in my early years and when I was 16 I won the Lincolnshire and Humberside championship (I have a lovely shield to prove it :) lol).

3. I cant eat Lasagne without covering it with vinegar! C thinks its disgusting but I've always done it. In fact my Mam called me last week and said what did you have for dinner and as soon as I said Lasagne she said "with vinegar?" to which I replied, "Of course!".

4. When I was little I wanted my middle name to be Mary (I don't actually have a middle name). My best friend in infants school was called Mary. Her Dad was a doctor and after a couple of years they moved back to Pakistan. I missed her so much I wanted to have her name as a middle name. I never actually changed it, I just used to write it on my letter to Santa every year ;D Awwwwwww!!

5. I have one Tattoo, I spent all of my youth saying I would never get any tattoo's until one day I just changed my mind. I have my own Celtic inspired design on the side of my hand and on Thursday next week I will be having a very special tattoo added to my wrist on the same hand. Its something that means a lot to me (some people will think its a bit strange) but as it represents a significant milestone of my life I'm sure you will all understand why.

Feel free to join in by posting your own :D

Cupcakes & books

2011-11-02T14:40:00.000Z

Cant believe I forgot to show this post :( I think it was because I posted some photos on my FB page and thought no more about it. I know 'How dare I'!!!

These lovely pair were another order from the fabulous Clare *waves* and I have to say that the cupcake is most definitely my favourite motif to date. Gorgeous sunny yellow front and candy pink back. And another of the book motif, this time petrol blue front and sage green/grey back.

Couldn't resist showing some close ups.....

.....pretty button detail on the cupcake, looks good enough to eat right?

Here is the close up of the book, lovely hues of greys against the petrol blue.

When I first thought about cutting up the lovely samples of leather, I felt sick to my stomach. One mistake and its ruined. Now I'm itching to get my hands on some more leather so that I can have a go at some ipad covers and a netbook cover for myself.I'm thinking monogram 'B' for obvious reasons.....

If you are interested in having a kindle/iphone/ipad cover made, please do get in touch.....you can have what ever you like as a motif on the front you just need to ask :)

Giveaway Winners!!

2011-11-01T18:37:00.001Z

Thank you to all of you who entered my giveaway. I used the good old Random.Org to draw 3 winners from the entrants. Now time to announce the winners....

Christmas Angel Kit :: WINNER :: Dinki Dots

Gingerbread Man Kit :: WINNER :: Helen Lay (FB page entrant)

Gingerbread House Kit :: WINNER :: Jojobi

Congratulations to the winners if you could all email me your postal addresses to emma@bagladee.com I will get them out to you this week.

Keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway in December :)

Want to win one of these?

2011-10-27T22:15:00.001+01:00

EDIT: Giveaway now closed

I thought it was about time I had a little giveaway to say thanks for being such lovely readers, there are one each of these kits up for grabs.

There's the gingerbread man,

the Christmas Angel......

....and the Gingerbread House kit.

Each kits contains full instructions with illustrations, templates and all the materials needed to make your very own felt Christmas decoration.

To enter simply leave a comment on this post.
Yep that's it, I will post internationally so anyone can enter outside the UK.
Only one entry per person.
The giveaway is open until Tuesday 1st November and the winners will be drawn on Tuesday evening.
Winners will be drawn at random.

I will also be taking entries from my Facebook book page for those no familiar with blogger (again only one entry per person, which ever page you enter the giveaway from).

Good luck!!

Hello

2011-10-26T23:27:00.001+01:00

Hasn't it been a long time since I just sat and wrote a blog post on the spur of the moment?? For that I do apologise.

Since becoming an SBS (Small Business Sunday) Winner (thanks to Mr.Paphitis) Bagladee has taken a huge leap. Then there was the radio interview for BBC Radio Nottingham.....from then on every day has been filled with bag making adventures. I say adventures because no day is the same, from trade orders, commsions and website orders to christmas decorations by the bucket load and even working on some new ideas.

Even though I am exhausted I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

On the home front, at last after nearly five and a half years our home is almost fininshed. From completely gutting a 1935's semi detatched house, we have cleaned, stripped, plastered, painted, decorated, extended, built, planted, replaced every inch. You can definately say that we have put our heart and soul (blood, sweat and tears) into this house. The last thing to be completed is laying the turf in the front and back garden which will be done this weekend. I cant wait, I'm so excited to see it all finally finished. We will be able to sit back and enjoy our 'space' this is something that has been long awaited for both of us!!

I'm hoping to have a couple of days 'me time' this weekend...no sewing if I can help it. I want to make some cupcakes and get a little bit of house work done, then maybe veg out of the sofa and watch a film.

I hope you're all well out there in blogland. This is still my favourite place to come and 'escape' from it all. Bye for now, I will be back soon with a giveaway!! xxx

Make your own felt decoration kits

2011-10-25T15:41:00.000+01:00

The kits are now available to buy here.

Happy Crafting ( ha ha best you thought I was going to say Christmas)!!

Dragonflies

2011-10-24T14:48:00.000+01:00

I've been at it again :) Kindle covers galore. This one was requested for a birthday, it had to be purples and lilacs and had to have some kind of dragonfly design on it.

After looking at some images of real dragonflies I came up with this design, I drew out my templates and then the fun bit....picked the leathers. I had to incorporate this lovely magenta pink as my stash of leathers are quickly diminishing :(

The back is a lovely shade of lilac with a tab of leather cut out the top so that you can grip the Kindle to slide in and out. And of course wouldn't be complete without my Bagladee tag on the back.

I was pretty pleased with the design but was anxious to know if the lady in question liked it?!?! I received a lovely comment on my Facebook page this week to say that she loved it. Ahhh happy customer always makes a happy Bagladee :D

Now the race is on to find somewhere I can get my hands on some off cuts or old sample books of leather. Can anyone out there help I am of course will to pay for said leather. I'd be forever grateful.

More Kindle photos to come soon.....I've been making quite a few these past few weeks.

On their travels...

2011-10-21T17:06:00.002+01:00

Edit: the kits are now available directly from my website here

------------------------------------------------------------

These little cutie pies are on their travels to far away destinations. The gingerbread gang and their house (although I do sometimes wonder how they all get through that tiny door??) are on their way to New Zealand. I wish I had have been able to hand deliver them as well as hand make them :( *sigh* well at least I know they'll enjoy their new home. They were so excited before they left ;)

And this cute set are winging their way to Australia....see I could have dropped these off on my way to New Zealand!!!

I'm amazed at how popular my decorations have been, I can remember last Christmas packing the 'ginger' felt away and feeling a little sad that it would be a long time before I would sew another again. But this year has passed over so quickly I barely noticed and before long I was sewing them by the dozen again :D

They are available to buy here and here. If you would like to make your own from my kits there are an Angel, Gingerbread man & Gingerbread house kits available to buy. I will be adding those to my website later on today. Links will be posted soon.

** the gingerbread man kits are very low on stock so be quick if you don't want to be disappointed**

Books and busy weekend

2011-10-16T22:57:00.000+01:00

Phew!!! What a weekend. I am exhausted. Need another one to get over this one ;)

There has been sets of Christmas Decorations, Gingerbread men by the bucket load, more bags than you can throw a stick at and still the orders keeping coming in. So it makes the tiredness worth it :D

At last I got round to ordering some copies of my book from the publishers (I know I promised to do this quite sometime ago). I decided to add them to my website as signed copies so they are a little bit more special than the ones you can order direct from the publishers. I think they'd make fab Christmas gifts and would most likely fit nicely into a stocking ;) You can even have a personalised message, just make sure to add it in the comments on your order. You can get yours here.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Something for Rachel...

2011-10-14T14:49:00.000+01:00

Even though I have a very structured 'To do' list I'm always moving things around and adding little bits here and there. I had two items on the list and without even noticing I had completed both tasks by finishing one :) BONUS!! The two tasks were:

1. To make a birthday gift

2. To design a new shaped purse (as I was never happy with the original)

I wanted to make a purse for Rachel for her birthday and wanted to make it extra special as it was also a thank you for the fantastic sewing machine mat she made me. So I took the pattern of this purse, which is very lovely but I always knew I could make it prettier and more in keeping with the rest of the bagladee range.

Grabbed some scrap paper a pencil and my trusty grader square (which is the grand old age of 11 years old. I have to say that for a triangle piece of perspex it is along side my most treasured possession of my sewing machine) and got to work adjusting the pattern.

I'm a great believer that everyone has a gift, whether that be being a musician, singer, mother, healer, artist, scientist...you get the picture. Well I've never been that great at academic things, I got by at school with maths etc, but I always excelled at the more creative stuff. English, Arts and languages were my best subjects. But I honestly think my gift is that I can take a piece of paper and a pencil and draw my own patterns from scratch (to be honest I hate following commercial patterns because I enjoy the process of discovery when creating my own).

After one attempt this is what I came up with, it was exactly how I pictured it in my mind and I'm pleased as punch at how it turned out.

I love the fact it is more rounded and mimics the style of the clutch bag and has even more room inside than the previous design. All the time I was making this purse all I kept thinking was "will Rachel like it?" I used the button fabric as she had commented how pretty it was when she made me the sewing machine mat.
Thankfully she did and you can read her post here.

After I'd added the bow and rhinestone flower it dawned on me that I had just created the new shape purse that I'd wanted!!! And to boot made a very pretty present for a very special friend :D I know my gift of "being able to create my own creations from scratch" is not life changing or amazing, but I love it and love the fact that I can put a smile on someones face even if it is just for half an hour. Its still worth it!

Kits in the making

2011-10-10T22:23:00.000+01:00

Thought you might like to see some 'in progress' photos of the kits. It felt strange at first with it being totally different from my normal crafty tasks but I thoroughly enjoyed chopping up bits of felt with my new rotary cutter and mat (see I even bought the right tools for the job) and the measuring and counting of ribbon, buttons and brads.

Then there was the task of making 60 little 'clouds' that's balls of stuffing really :D

I even enjoyed making 20 ribbon bows which I've pretty much got it down to a fine art now. Once all the copies of the instructions came back from the printers. C helped me fold them and slot into the already packed cello envelopes.

And then once the tops were folded and stuck down, they were all packed into a huge box and shipped off to Blooming Felt.

Don't forget to give me a shout if you want to pre-order any of them as the remaining kits will be returned to me this week. They'd make great stocking fillers.

Dreaming about the Magenta Ford Fiesta

2011-10-07T16:56:00.000+01:00

Isn't this a beauty!?!?! Its the new Magenta Ford Fiesta, I've seen a couple on the road and have to say it turns my head every time. I currently own a Fiesta and have done for around 5 years. Its a 'Silver' edition,a 53 Reg and has been used and abused to be honest. I take her everywhere with me ;) she's been to trade shows up and down the country, takes regular trips up the M1 when I visit family and back and forth from work. And Oh how I love her.

Ever since the launch of the new Fiesta I have been harping on to the other half about a new car.....at the moment not an option. So now I spend my days ;) day dreaming and 'picking' my car in the Fiesta 'Configurator' on their website.

But it was only yesterday that it crossed my mind to follow them on Twitter so now I am ~~stalking~~ following #FordFiesta on Twitter. After reading a tweet that the very lovely Shellibobbins had written about picking up her car that was being branded with her business, we spent a whole hour discussing sign writing on cars as advertising. And then got completely carried away with me wanting a Magenta Ford Fiesta with "www.bagladee.com" across the sides of the car with "Sponsored by Ford" underneath. Wouldn't it look lovely with my type face. Elegant & classy! Perfect.....advertising for Ford, me whizzing round everywhere in a pretty car with advertising for them and advertising for me and my business. Yes I know I'm a 'daydreamer' and my head is stuck in the clouds.

I love being imaginative and dreaming about stuff, its what makes life interesting and certainly gives you goals to aim for. If I didn't then I would 'imagine' that Bagladee wouldn't even exist. Seems funny that most people dream about having a Porche, Mercedes etc when all I would like is a Fiesta :) Simple but classy, a perfect car for getting around, with the added bonus of all the gadgets inside that you need for a busy lifestyle. The ideal solution for me and my ever growing business.

Can you tell I'm obsessed?!?! I could also be tempted with the black Fiesta with silver text. See I've thought about this in great detail :D

Not my usual post I know but sometimes you just gotta be a little bit diverse. Also would be real nice for Ford to sponsor me and deliver a spangly new Fiesta with my website across the sides. (Deluded I know, gotta be worth a punt).

(images courtesy of www.Ford.co.uk)

At last!

2011-10-05T16:19:00.000+01:00

The secret can now come out. For weeks now I have been working on a new side line venture called 'felt creations by Bagladee'. Well this is what it will be called for now, I'm sure there will be more tweaking as I go a long.

There are 3 Christmas kits in the series (so far) the very sought after Gingerbread Man...

The Christmas Angel....

And the new addition to the family Gingerbread house.

The kits contains all the materials, instructions and templates to make your very own decoration for your Christmas tree and they will be making their debut at The Knitting and Stitching Show @ Alexandra Palace. The show starts tomorrow (6th Oct) and ends on Sunday (9th Oct). They are kindly being showcased by the very lovely Sarah from Blooming Felt and she will be there will all her felty goodies on

Stand M13

so if you want to get your hands on them that's where you will find them. If you aren't able to make it to the show you can pre-order them with me so just leave me a comment or contact me at emma@bagladee.com

If they prove to be popular I am hoping to add to the series with different holiday themed kits. Let me know your thoughts on them. Always after a little bloggy feedback :)

Almost

2011-10-03T20:36:00.000+01:00

Right before I start unfortunately there are no photos in this post...Ahhhhhh. This is because the photos I have to show you I cant until a very huge brown box is received by a lovely lady in Essex. Oh I should mention that this is not connected to the 'other secret project' that some of you kindly thought was Harrods (yep in me dreams maybes).

I've been working on said mystery huge brown box for a few weeks and surprised myself when the contents were all packed in looking very cute and lovely indeed (yes I am biased) ;) It wasn't a smooth journey to getting them all ready and posted off, well it wouldn't be me would it.....nothing is perfect for me. I like obstacles :D

There was the incident of the 'only half of my delivery of "something" arriving' and then there was the printing saga that was finally resolved this morning (yes cutting it fine is the polite expression) then there was the mad dash to get them all in the post in time for 'Special Delivery' this meant swapping my shifts at the day job. Which in turn meant that I had to stay at work til 5pm YUK!!!

Any way all said and done the box went off on its merry way, I'm just bricking it that fore mentioned lady likes the contents of said huge brown box. I'm doing quite well at not spilling the beans so far aren't I. Its killing me to not just blurt it out!!!!

I will be back tomorrow with photos........Oh yes I will :D

Whats all this then??

2011-10-01T10:12:00.000+01:00

Wow, its almost like its not even the 1st of October today, the sun is shining and its gloriously warm. I love waking up to good weather, it always puts me in a good mood.

The last couple of weeks have seen me working on some new projects, this is one of them, where I'm branching into new territory with things I never thought I would.....

I've spent this week thinking, "Will they, wont they" (work) and I will find out soon enough. In fact I will find out after next weekend.

I couldn't be happier at the moment, things are really starting to go places with Bagladee, I've even had the discussion with C about maybe reducing my hours some more at work!!! However I still need that cushion until C goes back into work. Oh how I would have loved to have had a year and a half off work.....well he did deserve it after flogging himself for 10 year then having a health scare so maybe my deal in all this is pretty sweet :D

Have a fab weekend and enjoy that sunshine, it wont be round for very long....well this is England after all.

A gift...

2011-09-27T21:15:00.000+01:00

I am such a lucky lady, look at what the postman brought me on Saturday!! A sewing machine mat, beautifully sewn by Rachel from Contented. I have been friends with Rachel for a couple of years now and we met through the blogs. She's very lovely :)

I am always admiring Rachel's work and especially love the quilted projects she makes. Already being a proud owner of one of Rachel's mug rugs, it inspired me to order some very gorgeous 'sewing' themed fabrics with the idea that I would make a sewing machine mat.

Months go by and the fabric is still in my stash and I'm having a conversation with Rachel about how I never have time to do the 'me' projects. She kindly offers to make it for me and I accept......and I am sooooo pleased I did. Isn't it beautiful!! Sewing machine print on the front with a bobbin boarder and bound in the button print.

Thank you so much Rach you did a fantastic job and I love it, love it, love it!!!
I would never have gotten round to making one and because Rachel made it, that makes it even more special. Please stop by Rachel's blog and say 'Hi' you'll be able to admire the rest of her handy work.

Look at those neat lines!!!

And here it is, Bessie my Janome loves it too. Perfect!!!

Whats in the box???

2011-09-25T18:11:00.000+01:00

I bet you are itching to know whats in here!?!? Its part of the 'Big Secret' I have been dropping hints about lately. I still cant tell you much (I know its not right I keep teasing you all) but what I cant tell you is that inside this box there were samples of all my bags.....and they've gone to a very special place indeed.

Hopefully once all the T's are crossed and I's are dotted I will be able to let you all in on it :D

Custom Orders

2011-09-23T17:11:00.000+01:00

I love the fact I am quite a diverse 'crafter', in that I mean that I will take on just about any challenge. Quite some time ago I was asked by the very lovely lady called Clare if I would make a Kindle Cover out of some leather samples I was given. I said yes and took on the challenge. Fast forward to a month ago and Clare was back asking if I would like to make another.....Oh Yeah!! Then one turned into two. And here they are.

One for Clare's Dad which were 'manly' colours. Brown for the front and tan for the back and a cute book motif for the front.

The other for Clare's Mam which were lovely shades of pink and mauve. Clare's Mam is a quilter so I tried to mimic a quilt square and popped a pretty button in the middle.

Now I have an order for another two (not Clare), the theme dragonflies!!

I kinda feel that I've been neglecting you all lately. I know that I haven't been providing you all with the usual amount of blog eye candy and for that I am truly sorry, please bare with me I promise there will be lots of photos to come soon. I'm still popping in and reading your blogs just not commenting very often. I'm still being nosey though :) very busy time for lil'ol bagladee at the moment.

BBC Radio Nottingham - Interview with Bagladee

2011-09-21T20:07:00.000+01:00

Its been anonther exciting week here at bagladee HQ. It started on Friday when I received an email from one of the producers for BBC Radio Nottingham asking if I would be interested in doing an interview about my bags, winning SBS and being in Elle Magazine.

How amazing!!!

So Monday afternoon I drove down to the studio and met Lewis, Nigel and Phillip. They were so lovely, they knew how nervous I was and made me feel relaxed. I had no idea really how it worked as I've never done anything like it before. I tried to answer the questions as best I could without stuttering too much :D but made a big FAUX PAS. Philip who interviewed me obviously refered to me as Emma Castle, but I never mentioned thoughout the whole interview that I was Bagladee. A bit silly really as you all know me as Bagladee :( Hopefully some people will have put two and two together and worked it out. Definately something to remember for future interviews ;)

If you would like to hear the interview you can by clicking here its only live for 7 days from the day of recording but I'm working on getting a copy to pop on my blog permenantly.

My Etsy & Folksy Shops are now....

2011-09-17T00:21:00.000+01:00

....Christmas shops.

New additions to my felt decorations include this very sweet gingerbread house.

Candy Canes

Remember these little fellas?

And here's the gang altogether!

All available to buy from my Folksy & Etsy shop.

Welcome to my 'secret' world

2011-09-13T23:11:00.000+01:00

Some of you have been here before when I showed the 'ta da' photos, right back in the beginning when C created the most wonderful workspace all just for me! For those of you who have are probably thinking 'shame on you' for letting it get so messy and for those of you who haven't then you're in for a right treat.

(No one actually comes up here other than me, C has tried to but gets shooed away, this is our secret OK)

Because of the crazy hecticness (if that's a word) of the last couple of months my beautiful workspace wasn't so beautiful anymore. When ever I went to get something out that I needed, I had to pull about five other things out just to get to it and just never put it back :( So last week I decided 'no more' I had to have a re-organise, I had to get things into order to make my work hours more productive.

So here are the pictures, before and after:

Before: this was my fabric stash corner, not very organised at all and as you can see from the other photos most of the fabric is all over the floor (fabric sin!!!).

After : fabric moved and boxes re-organised with the least used 'stuff'. I may be 31 but I still love my stuffed teds :D

Before: I am not proud I let it get this bad ;) I'm surprised I could find anything in this mess!?!?!

After: a new home for all my fabric and felt and look no fabric on the floor.....Wooooo!!

OK, so I didn't have to organise it into colours, but it just looked so much prettier when I did.

Before: anything and everything stuffed under the desk, including my lovely felt which looks better in its new home where I can appreciate its vibrant colours.

After: all my ribbons, leather samples, cottons, scraps and tool boxes neatly stored away. Box sorted with the very few items of stock that I actually do have (good thing as means all others are sold).

Before: this is my 'relaxing area' although in that mess there definitely wasn't any relaxing going on here. Just moving mess from corner to corner.

After: now doesn't that look better? A place to sit and read or hand sew and a place to put my cup of tea :)

Now its all organised and I have a tidy workspace, its work, work, work. Or as I should say craft, craft, craft it never feels like work when I'm here doing what I love.

My first magazine advert...

2011-09-08T15:08:00.002+01:00

...was placed in this months issue of Elle Magazine! Unbelievable!!

I've just been to pick up a couple of copies as this is a huge milestone in Bagladee world. I have toyed with the idea of ads before but kinda passed it up as I didn't think my bags would sit well in most magazines, craft wise. Most people who read craft magazines can pretty much make anything they want and will most likely be looking for places to buy supplies. So when I was contacted by Elle Advertising team to be part of their 'Best of British' I sat and gave it some serious thought. Leaving it right up until the week of the deadline I said yes and bagged the last spot.

So here I am (bottom left) in amongst some lovely jewellery and accessories. I never dreamed that I would ever be able to open a magazine on the level of Elle and see one of my creations staring back at me!! Very surreal (I almost wanted to walk up to a stranger in Tesco and say "that's me!!").

I still cant believe what a month I'm having, Small Business Sunday Winner and then this......at one time I thought I was silly day dreaming about having my own business making things that I love. Finally I can now stand up proud and say "I made it!".

Cant wait to see what happens next...................

Are you ready to drool?

2011-09-01T23:56:00.001+01:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been working on another trade order. This one was destined for Unbox Shop in Lancaster. It arrived yesterday so here I am to show you these lovelies.

There were 5 clutches and 5 purses in the order. This order was different to others. Normally (and I have learnt this through experience only) I buy in fabrics that are either in season/fashion or what I think a wide range of customers will like. This time I sourced Autumn/Winter fabrics that I thought would fit in with Unbox and their exhibition. I love their shop and their style and these fabrics I picked are very 'me'.

I love the lemon clutch 'Juicy Lucy' and could def see myself accessorising an outfit with it. It has made me remember the reason why I started out making bags. Bright and funky fabrics are a vice of mine and these were an absolute pleasure to make.

I already have my eye on some more funky fabrics and plan on adding lots more clutches to my website very soon.

The ones pictured above will be available on my website but there will only be one of each.

SBS Winner

2011-08-30T17:58:00.003+01:00

Every week for about the last 3-4months I have been 'pitching' my little business to the one and only Theo Paphitis through Twitter. Every week I'd think of something new to write about bagladee and every week I would constantly refresh my BB to see if I had been retweeted.

For those of you not familiar with SBS (Small Business Sunday) Theo opens his Twitter name to a constant flow of 'pitching' tweets from hopeful business peeps 5-7:30pm every Sunday night. Then whilst Dragons Den is airing he chooses 6 of 'the best' and retweets their tweet.

For some weird reason this week I thought I'd not check because it wouldn't be me. Dragons Den had finished and me and C were watching Match of the Day. One email came through my BB, then 2, then 3.....until there were so many emails and mentions on Twitter my phone completely froze!!! Yep froze!! Jumping up and down and squealing "Its me, he picked me!!" whilst C was shushing me because I was interrupting the football. Once I had calmed down enough to explain he was thrilled I had been picked (first too). I'm still on cloud 9 and still cant believe it. Orders are coming in, my email is jam packed with enquires and I have gained about 300 new followers on Twitter.

Now I know Theo is never going to read this but if he were:

Dear Mr Paphitis, I really cant thank you enough for picking me this Sunday for SBS I am truly over the moon. It means more than you can imagine and gives me the encouragement to push myself that little bit further. You really made my forever. I have placed my badge proudly on the front page of my website (made by the lovely Tia of Whoatemycrayons) and will be forever grateful.

Many many thanks

Me xx

Riot Raffle

2011-08-25T15:54:00.000+01:00

This week I donated a prize to the Riot Raffle.

I have huge admiration for the very lovely Zoe Grant who is the organiser behind it all. Zoe has brought together the creative community to support the independant businesses who suffered at the mindless violence and vandalism of the riots in London earlier this month.

Karmen Shopper (filled with more goodies) donated to Riot Raffle

Over 80 independant businesses have stepped forward to help those who need it get back up on their feet again. And I have to say the prizes are fantastic. It really is heart warming to think that at the worst of times there are always people who are there to help and support others and if I were ever in their shoes someone would be there to help me.

Raffle tickets can be bought in multiples of £1 and all the monies donated will go to Retail Trust who are helping the retailers and their families affected through this difficult time.

Right I will stop waffling on and give you the specifics, if you would like to read more about Riot Raffle click here. If you want to learn more about Retail Trust and what they do click here. If you would like to buy a ticket and be in with a chance to win a fab prize click here.

Progress

2011-08-22T23:18:00.000+01:00

Today I've had a lovely afternoon making some clutch bags for a special order. The fabrics that I had chosen for this order (including the one above) are different to what I would normally buy to add to the website but more 'me' fabrics. And whilst I was sewing it felt like the 'old me'.

There are lots of other things going on too (no surprise to you who know what I'm like for doing a hundred things at once), a secret, another secret, some 'C' prep (Christmas for those who don't mind me saying it), a custom order, another gallery order, Oh yes and I haven't forgotten about your request for a clutch Mama its cut out waiting to be sewn.

I'm really enjoying being part time at the day job for the first time since I transferred contracts, I feel like I'm finally in a 'routine'. Well as much of a routine as there can be, it just means that I have managed to organise myself enough to start growing my own veg, help C out with the final renovations of the house and sew sew sew til my hearts content.

Life feels good! :)

Zesty

2011-08-19T16:17:00.000+01:00

Perfect for a sunny day, this gorgeous lemon slice fabric is cut up and ready to be sewn into a clutch bag for a special order. There has been a lot of cutting and chopping yesterday and today, which means I have lots to sew at the weekend. We have a garage to empty too that we have been putting off until we have no choice other than to just get on with it now :( My veggies are now big enough to transfer into bigger trays and if time allows I might even make a batch of cupcakes :)

Sponsor Ads???

2011-08-18T21:21:00.000+01:00

Following on from my question in yesterdays post I was wondering if we could have a little chat about sponsor ads?

It looks like I will be giving the AdSense a miss, I don't think it would work for me. Judging from other peoples comments about it it will only earn me a few pence if I'm lucky. So I'm thinking about introducing sponsor ads to my side bar. I haven't quite figured out the ins and outs as yet but I just wanted to put the feelers out to see if anyone would be interested. I do get quite a lot of traffic to my blog and with major news in the next couple of months there will be substantially more in future months.

What will I be offering in exchange for sponsor ads??? Well I will be posting more tutorials, more giveaways and those advertising will get a special discount code for my website.

So let me know your thoughts, would you consider taking out ad space on a blog?

Ack!!!

2011-08-17T18:54:00.000+01:00

Well I did have an afternoon or should I say 'crafternoon' (my new buzz word cleverly created by the lovely Sarah of Blooming Felt) planned but this was scuppered by the pesky day job :( So by the time I did the food shopping the afternoon was over. Booooo!!!

However C is out playing football so I get to have a crafty evening instead. Yeeaaahhhhh!!!

I'm feeling kinda dizzy high at the moment and no its not because I've been gluing purse/clutch frames :D Excited but not really knowing whether my feet are on the ground or not. Its like waiting for Christmas. Oooh speaking of which, sorry I can feel some of you virtually poking me in the eye right at this moment, but because of recent events I am having to ramp up the 'making' so I am currently surrounded by cute gingerbread men and some new cuties. I promise to show them to you as soon as they are finished, as long as you all promise not to hurl something at me for talking about the dreaded 'C' word.

Quick question: Do any of you use AdSense on your blog? Do you find it profitable? And do any of you reading blogs find them annoying? Just wondered if it would be worth me adding it, as extra funds at the mo would be a great help.

Just whizzing past

2011-08-15T15:14:00.000+01:00

....as I have a super busy afternoon ahead. Purse to start and finish to post tomorrow, hand sewing of something new to finish (if you follow me on Twitter you might have seen these yesterday?), a mission to find some buttons, a 'mission statement' to write and a tidy up in what I think used to be my studio, it seems to be disguising itself as a rubbish dump :D

My sneaky order

2011-08-13T21:53:00.000+01:00

My sneaky order arrived yesterday, C said there's a parcel for you. Now if I hadn't been so excited I should have said Oh right thanks and walked off into the studio with it. Oh but no, I came straight out with "Oh goody it must be my fabric" DOH!!!!!!

They are soooo pretty, some are for an exhibition order and the rest are for me to play with :)

Today I visited Strawberry Cupcakes, I only wish it was to do another course but this time I was just picking up some more sugar paste so I can make some more decorations for my yummy cupcakes. We then went to get some flowers for the garden which is looking pretty good now. Not quite there but will look lovely when we get the turf and decking down. This afternoon was spent putting them in the boarders and giving a second coat to my cold frame.

I have lots of secrets at the moment but I cant tell anyone yet, they are bagladee related.....lots of new projects....hopefully. Fingers crossed!!

Riots, Bamboo and a wedding

2011-08-10T23:56:00.001+01:00

Time for an update....I have to say first and foremost that I've been consumed by the events of rioting and looting since Friday and have busied myself with tasks trying my hardest to not feel frightened, sad or let down by the thuggery that has taken hold of a vast majority of our cities here in the UK. It felt only right just to say a little something here. I have my own opinions and thought of the events but I wont voice them here. I don't wish to get into any political debate about it, I just hope its been brought to an end now.

Thursday we travelled up north to watch my nephew get married on Friday, which was a beautiful day. Saturday through to yesterday we were working in the garden, trying to get it to a 'tidy' stage and planted 6 huge bamboo trees in hope it will screen off the garden a little. So far its working a treat :) I have been doing a little sewing and patiently waiting for some fabric and purse frames to arrive (please Mr.Post Man deliver them tomorrow). After having been given a huge bag of red peppers we have been experimenting with different ways of fitting them into our meals. Our favourite so far being stuffed peppers with choriso :D yum!!

Speaking of vegetables.....I might just be turning into Margo from The Good Life. Last week I planted a whole load of seeds and they are just starting to pop up. Hopefully we will be having, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsnips, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes and cabbage. Grow little seedlings grow!!

Gingers!!!

2011-08-07T14:37:00.000+01:00

Do you remember these little fellas? My lovely little ginger bread men. I have been twoing and frowing for the last couple of weeks whether or not to start making some more in time for Christmas. Oh crap I've just gone and said the 'C' word, nope not that one, the other. Now I'm sure I've just heard lots of moans in the background that its months away. But last year I ran out of time to make as many as there were being demanded. Especially when people were ordering them in their dozens.

I am going to be prepared this year and yep I have already cut some out this morning.

I'm kinda using them as a 'get back into work' exercise. Now don't get me wrong I love to make bags, this is what I love to do. But late I have felt like I have been stuck in a rut. Ever since I was little I've loved to (as my Mam calls it) faff with bits and bobs, I love variety and I think this is why I have arrived in the no mans land of non craftiness. There hasn't been any variety! I've missed playing with felt and missed the general "Today I think I will make...". And the worst part of this is that I have more time to do these things than I've ever had!! So how come I have let it happen? Complacency? Who knows?

I have ordered some new purse frames so that means I get to construct some new patterns, that should fix the problem. I also have a list of tutorials I plan to make/write so this old blog of mine should be back to its interesting (well some may think it is) and not this drivel I have been writing about.

Right moan and boring bits over, hurray for Christmas decorations!!! Lol :D Oh yeah and today I've realised I could do with a peg bag so I'm going to be working on a funky modern pattern, watch this space.

I did it!!

2011-07-31T22:01:00.000+01:00

And in a very respectable 36 mins, which is actually a personal best for me. Please ignore the the red sweaty mess in the photo above :) It was soooo hot today especially when the sun was out. This was the first time I had run the Holme Pierrepont course and have to say that I preferred it to the Victoria Embankment one that I normally do. The course was set round the huge lake and as expected it was packed.

It felt a little strange being on my own to race but C was there to stand with me until the warm up and then he went and positioned himself at the finish line. I happily joined in the warm up and didn't feel on my own as there were lots of groups of ladies around me laughing and chatting and once it was time for the start I felt quite humbled and emotional. Such an uplifting experience but so sad to read all the back signs with Mothers, Daughters, Father's, Sons, Aunts, Uncles and friends who had been lost to Cancer. Anne (my Mam's best friend) was in my mind as I passed the start line.

I had noted what time I passed over the start line, and was quite surprised at my time as I crossed over the finish line. As always I received a medal, a goody bag and a well needed bottle of water.

C gave me a congratulatory hug and we walked slowly back to the car. After scoffing the Special K bites that were in the goody bag and gulping the water down we headed for home. My legs felt a little wobbly this afternoon but that didn't matter. I felt a sense of pride today, £370 going to a most worthy cause and I would do it again. Sorry rephrase that, will be doing it again. A huge thank you to all of the people that sponsored me, I am very grateful.

A good day indeed :D

Race for Life 2011

2011-07-30T12:54:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow I will be taking part in the Holme Pierrepont Race for Life. Unfortunately this year I will be doing it on my own, however I'm sure I will be able to coach myself round the course no problem. C will be there to watch me set off and arrive over the finish line (in a reasonable time I hope). If you would like to support Cancer Research and sponsor me for taking part in the race there is a link in my side bar to the right. Even if you can only spare a couple of £ its all going to go to a fantastic cause and hopefully a cure one day.

I'm doing quite well so far with sponsors, a very generous donation from my Dad and lots of sponsors from my workplace which is nice. The weather report for tomorrow is suggesting it might be as high as 23 degrees.....shhhheessshh I think there is a danger I might melt into a pile of mush!!! :) So here is hoping for a little bit of cloud.

Wish me luck!

Rewind

2011-07-26T17:51:00.005+01:00

What I would give to rewind to our 5 days in Madrid *sigh*, dream on woman!! 5 days of glorious sunshine, relaxation and doing pretty much what we pleased. Here are some snap shots that I took on our trip. Not my usual way of posting photos but I thought they made them look more interesting :) hopefully.

Our night at Las Ventas for Redbull XFighters 2011 was fantastic, and with it being the 10 year anniversary that just made it all the more spectacular. I swear we were almost deaf when we left the Bull ring, I don't think I have ever experienced anything else like it. Its official I love the Spanish!! :D

We spent our days walking in the sunshine and doing some of the touristy stuff we didn't get round to doing last time. We even went on the cable cars which was a little scary at first but the view was amazing. I loved the botanical gardens and couldn't resist another visit to Retiro Park (that's it in the photo of me stood in front of the boating lake). I'm hoping that C will not notice the photo of us sneaked in (he doesn't like me posting photos of him so shhhhhhh don't say a word ;) lol) We had such a lovely time it was over too quick and back to the good old British weather. Peeing down when we got off the plane, what a welcome home!

Only one thing left to say : Madrid = B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

sneaks in quietly

2011-07-21T23:03:00.005+01:00

(Wonder if anyone notices I'm here?)

I'm back, well I've been back since Monday but various things have kept me away from my blog. Madrid was wonderful, I always feel at home in places with a warmer climate and I'm so much more relaxed when the sun is shining. I will write a proper post about what we did later in the week.

I thought that when I returned from holiday so would my creative mojo......I waited and waited and waited.....but nothing! So I have filled the week with other 'jobs' that needed doing in the hope it would come back on its own. Boring bits out of the way were the holiday washing and the mountain of ironing that has been gradually building up for the last month, generally just pottering about in the house. Fun 'jobs' today were making these delicious cupcakes (my new found hobby) and doing a stock take of bags and making sure my website is up to date.

Tomorrow I'm travelling up North for a short break to help my Mam choose a dress for my Nephew's wedding which is in a couple of weeks. And the cupcakes are travelling with me. Looking forward to some family time with my Mam and Step Dad Ian. As always the time will go over too quick.

....and then.....

2011-07-13T17:10:00.000+01:00

This is my last post checking in with you all for a few days. I'm off on my holidays and wont be back until next week. If you pop over to my website you will see a whole load of new items added this week *hint : check out the new clutch bags and purses....too cute*.

So excited to get some sun and relax, have some beer and sangria and eat lots of Tapas :)

Verlos a todos pronto, Viva Espania!! x

Cupcakes

2011-07-12T23:01:00.000+01:00

Just thought I'd do a quick post and show you one of the birthday cupcakes I made on Saturday. Sorry its not a group shot, we were in a hurry and I didn't have time and they were all scoffed :D

Just in time for the Summer

2011-07-11T17:01:00.000+01:00

This is Florentine and she is also now available from my website. She can be worn full length across the body or as a shoulder bag at the shortest. I am now the proud owner of a Betty Bag. Lovely spacious bag to (shove) put all my daily essentials and more. Well I did think it was about time that I carried one of my own creations, its pretty shameful that I haven't up until now.

I'm even taking her with me to Madrid next week, 5 days in beautiful Madrid. We will also be going to see Red Bull XFighters at Las Ventas again, really looking forward to that. Not only will it be 1 year since C proposed it will be a chance for us to spend quality time together. This year has been pretty manic, the time has gone over so quick because everyday has been filled with a multitude of tasks.

I have been busy this weekend making a bag for an order, some purses for a trade order I'm sending out this week and some very pink birthday cupcakes for C's Aunties birthday. *Note to self: must buy other colourings than pink.* They were vanilla with pink frosting and pale pink and white flowers and butterflies......Oh yes and a heap load of edible glitter!!!!

What's new?

2011-07-07T23:09:00.002+01:00

Today has been my first proper day back in the studio. Two weeks break is far too long for me I was starting to think that my creative mojo was slipping away. I am the type of person where once I am in the swing of things I can get addicted to the task in hand but when I've had a break from something I find it really hard to get motivated again.

(Louisa shoulder bag)

So whats new with me?? Well yesterday I listed some new bags onto my website, this is my Louisa shoulder bag. I love this retro print. This afternoon I tried to kick start my mojo by writing a plan and a list of To Do's and then I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting out fabric and interfacing for lots of new purses and the last Helena shoulder bag which was sold yesterday. It felt good to be back on the crafty horse :)

(Jane slouch bag)

I have a whole weekend of sewing planned so if that doesn't get the creative juices flowing then nothing will.

(Marie Louise shoulder bag)

(Emma slouch bag)

I am also making another batch of cupcakes on Saturday for C's Auntie Pat, this time unsupervised so lets see how they turn out. I have all the kit now, part bought from Strawberry Cupcakes after the course and the other bits and bobs came from HobbyCraft and The Range.

Having two weeks break from sewing allowed me to step back and think about things, a little too much I think :/ I have spent my budget for shows this year already, if Bath had turned out better then maybe I could have squeezed another in later on in the year. But for now I am concentrating on Trade and advertising my website. So if you are feeling generous please mention me and my bags to your friends and family and point them in the direction of my website. Thanks :D

Cupcake Course

2011-07-04T21:41:00.000+01:00

I've been bursting to tell you what I had been up to early on Saturday morning but things just kept getting in the way. Anyway I am here now.....

(the venue : The Grange)

Quite some time ago, you may remember me telling you that C bought me a Groupon Voucher for my birthday, half a days cupcake making/decorating course with Strawberry Cupcakes. Since I had only just made my second batch of cupcakes ever, I couldn't wait to go and learn some skills.

I arrived just before 9am (start time) and joined the other course members for a cup of tea (how lovely), once everyone was accounted for we were introduced to the very lovely Jeaniene and Emma (nope it wasn't me helping) and had a brief induction. We were then lead into what I was going to say the 'training room' but it was a lovely bright and airy room with lovely windows that looked out onto The Grange entrance so it was more cheery than just a training room.

(end result)

Jeaniene took the main part of the class with Emma helping and they were the most entertaining teachers. Very relaxed atmosphere where you felt you could really have a go and not be too bothered about getting it wrong.

(a better view of the sugar flowers)

Firstly we made the cupcake mixture, piped it into our lovely coloured cases and these were then ushered off to the oven for baking (*tip : remember what colour cases you have). Then out came the sugar paste and dyes. I have to say I cant remember the last time I had so much fun, I love learning new skills, especially when they are artistic ones. We dived right in with butterflies and sugar roses.....

(unfortunately they have all been eaten)

I think it was at this point (I cant remember as I was having way to much fun) we stopped for a break, another cuppa AND one of the delicious cupcakes that had been made by Jeaniene. I picked a toffee one and I tell you what I could have eaten a dozen!!! We then went on to learn how to mix and pipe butter cream frosting and as you can see from the photos (yes these are the ones that I actually made with my hands) we even made stripey frosting! The cupcakes were ready and cooled and we decorated them with our sugared fancies.

I have to say that I never thought they would turn out this good, I really surprised myself and had a ball doing it. C said I was beaming with pride when I returned home with a dozen cupcakes and even he was impressed with my new found skills.

If you do live in the Nottinghamshire area and fancy having a great time and learning how to decorate your own cupcakes you can find all the details here on Strawberry Cupcakes Website. If you cant stretch to the full price of the course then keep your eyes peeled on the coupons websites to get a great deal. Please bare in mind that Jeaniene provides you with all the ingredients and the utensils and is a great teacher to boot, so well worth it for a treat. Go on get nagging your other half to buy it as a gift!

Verdict: Brilliant opportunity to learn how to decorate cupcakes with a friendly and talented tutor, no need to bring anything just yourself, leave brimming with pride and a dozen cupcakes!!! What a fantastic day out!!!

Disgusting!!!

2011-06-28T19:41:00.000+01:00

No not these lovelies....definitely not. Today I had to get a grip of myself and help C empty and demolish the shed. It was here when we bought the house, its old and smelly and full of spiders and other creepy crawlies. I don't have a phobia of these things, they just make me physically sick. I am pleased to say that I lasted the whole of the afternoon without complaining and squealing too much. Its quite some time since I helped out with the house renovations as I've just been so busy with bagladee. So I've taken the opportunity this week to 'do my bit'.

So that's the garage sorted and tidy, shed emptied and demolished.....next is to tackle the giant weeds in the front garden before we start moving the top soil around in the back garden.

Now I couldn't very well write a boring post about chores without popping some pretty photos in. These were taken before Bath, pre-framing session. Some (but not all) are now listed on my website here.

Rain dance?

2011-06-27T23:45:00.000+01:00

Were still sat here waiting for this so called down pour that was expected. Its been a glorious day today, but I think the rain is needed to clear the air. There's not much going on in the sewing department but there was an afternoon of clearing the garage. Now normally I would be moaning that it was one of those chores I'd rather not be doing but since its a necessity to move on to the next stage of the outdoors renovation I am more than happy to get stuck in.

Last week was spent taking photos of new items for my website, I have started listing some but there are still a lot more to go :)

I seem to have lost my sewing mojo and I haven't sewn a thing since my return from Bath. I'm not in the least bit worried, there are a lot of other bagladee things to be getting on with. One of those being looking for some Christmas fairs. I know some I will be too late to apply for but I'm sure there are still some out there that haven't reached their closing date for applications. Any suggestions?

This ones for you Annie!

2011-06-25T16:56:00.001+01:00

Thought you might like to meet my Mam's westie Ted!!

Taking part, what do you think?

2011-06-23T23:50:00.000+01:00

After not taking part in last years Race for Life after a 5 year run of raising funds, I knew that this year there was no way I was missing it. And the fact that I could do with a little exercise is added motivation.

So on my return from Bath on Monday I signed up to take part in the Holme Pierrepont race on 31st July at 11am. I have started collecting sponsors from the day job and have set up an online page too. There are always 'Donation Stations' at the event where you can donate your unwanted good quality clothes and home ware, so I've been keeping all the bits and bobs that I usually take to the Charity shops in a box to take along on the day.

As an added boost I thought of maybe doing an auction or raffle on my blog. I have a load of stock which I no longer sell through my website. I wanted to get your opinion as I wasn't sure which way to go with it. One option could be to list it all individually on a blog post with a donation value, if you wanted to buy it you would email me and I would list it as reserved you could then make the donation. Or I could group them up into 3 packages and then hold an auction/raffle. A raffle will mean you make a donation of an amount and I would draw a winner from the donations, an auction would obviously be bids the highest would win. Would anyone be interested???

For anyone who is interested here is my online sponsor page : www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/emma-castle

Back to sewing tomorrow after a well deserved break :)

HIB 2011......done

2011-06-20T00:13:00.000+01:00

4 days in the beautiful city of Bath and I am now home. Hitting the ground with a little bit of a bump having to go back the day job this morning. Set up and the preview evening was on Thursday and then we have 3 days open to the general public.

Its been quite sometime since I last did a 'retail' or craft fair if you like, infact I think it was getting on close to a year. Other than the fact Handmade in Britain was being held in such a beautfil location and city and that I had already made my own assumptions of what I thought it would be like, I hadn't read or spoken to anyone who had previously shown at this event.

The Assembly Rooms have to be one of the most pretty buildings I have seen inside. The chandaliers were gorgeous and the fair was held in the 'Ballroom'. The detailing on the ceiling was beautiful.

It made for a 'perfect' venue for showcasing British Designer makers..........however. Attendance of the Private View evening was dissapointing, the only Trade customer I spoke to was a shop owner that I already supply and I had sent her a free invite so I'm guessing that doesn't really count. Over the 3 days I did make some sales and there were quite a few people through the doors but not half as many as predicted. Was it just a sign of the economic climate? No one can know for sure. If I were local to Bath and didn't need to pay for accomodation for the 3 nights and petrol to drive there and back then I think it would have been a very different outcome for me. This is just my personal opinion of my experience and if you were thinking about showing at next years show then I would get a collective opinion of other crafters who exhibited this year. But for me it just didn't work.

On the postitive side of things: I did get to visit Bath. I made some lovely new crafty friends. I made a couple of contacts which might lead to other things. C and I got to spend some time together on an evening without me being distracted by sewing, internet surfing or Tweeting :D And all in all I had fun.

I am quite the person where I didn't feel down that it hadn't been a success for me. I've just taken it on the chin and I am moving on. I loved how my stand looked, same set up as BCTF, but with an added perspex shelf for my purses and it was full, full, of bags. I swtitched the bags round a couple of times trying out different layouts and said goodbye to some of my bags.

I did finally meet the very lovely Judith Brown whom I have been chatting away to on Twitter since BCTF, her jewellery is so gorgeous if you have never seen it before check out her website. I also had the pleasure of having a stand next to Maya Wilson who designs hand printed textiles and makes the most gorgeous cushions and lavender cats, very stylish table runners and napkins. Helllooooo to my new friends *waves*.

So whats next on the agenda for me and bagladee??? Well at this exact point I have no idea :/ there is nothing booked in for me until April next year. So I guess I'll follow up some of the contacts and work on my website for a while. And maybe I might just get round to painting the upstairs of the house?? Who knows.....

Handmade in Britain Preview Over......Day 1

2011-06-17T19:38:00.003+01:00

After a 3 hour journey which turned into a nearly 5 hour nightmare we arrived in Bath very late yesterday afternoon. We were quick and efficient at setting up and even though I felt a bit dishevelled it was time to get my 'game face' on for the Preview evening.

Today we had the first full day open to the public, it was a little quiet but I think part of that was due to the very wet weather. Here's hoping that tomorrow is busier. There are so many stands with beautifully hand crafted work, if you are able to pop in and have a look at whats on offer you're certainly in for a treat. And what is better than a craft fair?? A craft fair with credit card facilities!!!!!!

Come and shop until you drop!! Hopefully see you there tomorrow :)

2 days to go until Handmade in Britain 2011 Bath

2011-06-14T17:36:00.002+01:00

Well its technically 1 and a smidge but if I say its 2 it has a strange calming effect that doesn't want me to start blabbering on about how 'not ready' I am.

*enter stage left : drama queen!*

Lets not get into the I dont think I have enough stock. I am over that already. One outburst to C was quickly quashed with a "what if you dont sell anything at all". Now I know that sounds like a harsh comment to make but it did make me think that I was overreacting and that it was better to have a happy medium than an overkill of stock and a extremely exhausted Emma :) So after a good long chat I am CALM (on the outside!).

I am just grabbing a well deserved break accompanied with a cup of tea (and a few biscuits, well it would be rude not too) so I am sat with my laptop in the garden.

So how's the prep going I hear you all screaming! Well good to be honest, I have a good mix of shoulder, slouch, saddle and clutch bags, LOTS of cosmetic pouches (thanks to a trade customer who decided after 2months that she did not want her order >:/ that's one for another day) and a little collection of purses. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to make any of the utility bags, which I am gutted about but as I am a 'one woman band' I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

C as always has complete and utter control of the display, I am so thankful that I don't even have to think about it, I've started calling him my creative director. He likes that title :D

So the display stuff is all sorted, I just need to go and ravage the stocks of bubble wrap in Tesco's this evening and that is that done. All paper work is printed and sorted and all my other bits and bobs are stuffed into a box.

I am sooooo looking forward to Handmade in Britain, I have never been to Bath before and it is such a long time since I sold at a fair. Its normally just trade for me so it will be a refreshing change.

If any of you are able to pop in and say Hi and look round the stands post your email address in the comments and I will send you a 2-for-1 voucher for admission. I will be on stand HIB 49 and I love to chat so come and say hello.

Handmade in Britain
@Assembly Rooms, Bath.
17th-19th June (with a private view evening on 16th).

See you there.

I'll be back with some updates soon......ah and some photos too.

(thanks for hanging in there in my absence)

I know I shouldn't be here but...........

2011-06-03T14:20:00.003+01:00

...........I am in need of some crafty help urgently. My current supplier is out of stock of some of the plain coloured cottons that I use for lining and I am in desperate need of some fast. Do any of you know of somewhere in the UK (that can deliver) that stocks a wide variety of colours. Only 2 weeks until Handmade in Britain and I've run out of lining fabric.

All I can say is that I would like to give myself a right good kick up the a**e for not checking stock sooner!!!!!

I would really appreciate any suggestions.....many thanks.

:) xx

The Situation

2011-05-24T23:10:00.000+01:00

This is the situation.....

24 purses , 15 clutches, 15 cosmetic pouches, 11 saddle bags, 9 shoulder bags, 7 slouch bags, 3 utility bags is what I need to make before 16th June!!! Writing that down makes me feel queasy :/

I kinda have a plan, well an order of what I need to do and what I manage to get made is what I will be taking. I don't feel as stressed out as previous prep but I think that's because I'm still not feeling 100%. Last night I made a list of all the things I would normally do in the week, I then picked 3 things out of that week that at a push I could live without for a couple of weeks. One of those things is going to be blogging.

Now you all know that I love my blog but I am stretched further than I've ever been and I am conscious that I need to keep myself well in order to get everything done. I know that when I do come back that you will all still be there in blogland (you will wont you?). I'm not totally isolating myself from it though, I will still be having the odd cup of tea here and there so I will have a little time to catch up on blog reading. There just wont be any posts for a while. So if you've never read some of the tutorials that I have written or want a laugh by reading some of my really early posts then please feel free to delve right in. And if you just cant live without finding out what I'm up to then you can read my posts on my Twitter page. If you look to the right about half way down in the side bar you will see my Tweets.

Take care and I will see you again real soon :)

Hugs
Emma xx

Twin (Peaks, well a mountain really)

2011-05-22T12:44:00.002+01:00

I'm so glad that I am finally starting to feel better, time is ticking and there are lots to be made before June 16th!!!
Yesterday was the first day that I've really felt up to 'getting stuck into it', being ill when you work for yourself and you are the only person in that business is not ideal. But I think the few days of rest did me good.

To go with the photo that I posted yesterday of the Ruby triplets here are Phoebe and Cordelia twins. I really loved this print, hence why I bought it in purple and white :)

These are all ready to be packaged up and off on their travels this week and then I can add my new stockists to my website and blog.

I have no idea how many purses, clutch bags and cosmetic pouches I cut out yesterday but I now have 3 huge piles ready to be sewn together. Its gonna be a huge mountain to climb in 3 weeks but I am more than ready for the challenge!!!

Ruby Triplets

2011-05-20T19:19:00.000+01:00

Out of all the bags that I have made since starting up bagladee I have never made the full 3 all at the same time. I have used this print before, but in mustard and brown and I love it. Raspberry is the Pantone trend colour for this Spring/Summer, which I think is what attracted me to this one. Let me introduce you to 'Ruby'. Or should I say Rubies?

Before 2 of them go off to their new homes I thought I'd take the opportunity to photograph them altogether.

It feels weird as this is the first time that its felt like a proper 'run' of designs, so to speak. I think the last one will be sad when the other 2 leave next week ;) I'm sure she will find a home too soon.

Now that I have some medication (previous post : ill) I am ready and raring to get stuck into making some stock this weekend for Bath. Watch this space :)

Fabric stash.....well whats left

2011-05-17T21:09:00.003+01:00

Some time last year I took this photo of my fabric stash....on the rare occasions that it was tidy :D A pretty big pile of fabrics, mainly patterned with a few plains at the bottom left.

You might have seen this post recently? So after a good clear out and selling some of my stash it now looks like this.....

A few more plains and half the amount of patterns than there was before. That's a good thing though. As I only make 3 of each bag in a fabric combination I usually buy new fabrics for every new collection. So it seemed pretty pointless keeping these fabrics when I just don't have the time to make anything with them.

But then this also means that I have a lovely tidy studio and with everything that's going on the tidier the better. Can you see my little collection of monkeys :)

This is some of the stash I have left in my bagladeedestash shop on Etsy, a yard of fabric for £3.50.

My Mama's birthday was lovely, we had a meal on the Saturday night, and Sunday lunch with Chris's family and then tea and cakes late afternoon. I bought my Mama a new watch for her 60th, DKNY, silver cross over bangle with a round face....very pretty. Even if I did have to buy it 3 times!!!! Yes I did say 3, that's what you get for buying a watch on Friday 13th!! Bought it to be told it was out of stock but would take 5 days to credit my card, so went and bought it from another website (and paid extra for next day) only for the courier to not knock on the door and take it back to the depot. A phone call later I couldn't have it redelivered until the Tues (too late) so I had to go into town and buy one over the counter (which I should have done in the first place) so 2 refunds later I had the watch!! Phew.

I am busy trying to plough through some orders that I have so that I can get started on stock for Handmade in Britain.....which is looming. Only 1 month to go, best get my skates on!!!!

**thanks for the get well wishes I have an appointment at the doctors on Thurs so hopefully will get sorted then**

Smiles and thank you's

2011-05-16T23:24:00.000+01:00

Can you remember a few weeks ago when I had a little giveaway for my blog birthday? Alex from Daisie Days was the winner drawn from the 'pot'. I'm not sure who was thrilled more, me because Francesca Alex's daughter really wanted to win it as she is a 'pink' girl or Francesca herself :D

Here she is with her prize!

Then to my surprise and delight this card arrived in the post yesterday......it was a thank you card from Francesca :) thanks ever so much hunny it was such a lovely thought. And thanks to Alex too :)

Smiles and thank you's all round

ill

2011-05-16T23:07:00.000+01:00

Today has just been one of those days where everything that was planned just didn't happen. We've had such a lovely weekend for my Mama's 60th Birthday and today I was planning on getting right back into it with a To Do list as long as my arm. I have felt dreadful all day. Feeling better this evening I think I'll be back at work tomorrow.

And I promise I will bring photos and more interesting stories :)

Happy Birthday Mama :)

2011-05-15T10:37:00.000+01:00

Hope she doesn't mind me telling you how old she is today but I think its a pretty special one. My Step Dad and Mam are here for the weekend.......pressie opening time in a little while, then out for lunch with the rest of the family.

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA :) LOVE YOU LOTS**

Back tomorrow with tales of red hair, buying the same present 3 times! and some but not much sewing.

I love my blog

2011-05-09T23:14:00.002+01:00

Its always quiet and friendly, a place I can think and plan and organise. Where I can show photos and experiences and write tutorials. Be free to express myself, be with like minded people. Chat and make friends. Have the most valuable encouragement and support. Get honest feedback, discover new skills and learn new things about myself. Sit in my PJ's and holey socks with a cup of tea and read wonderful posts by fellow bloggers. Feeling inspired to write a post @1am and someone somewhere be up to read it. Being able to admit I am down, scared, upset or angry without fear of being judged or deemed weak. Being entertained and laughing until I think my sides will split. Making life long friends even though we haven't formally met.

This is why I love my blog!

Why do you love yours?

***feel free to use the picture above to write your own 'blog love' post***

Felty Bride & Groom

2011-05-08T21:15:00.001+01:00

When I was going through my "what can I make out of felt" phase I made this adorable pair.A Bride and Groom made out of felt. I started by sketching out lots of designs, different dresses, hair styles, faces, colours, ties, suits. But then settled on these two to make up.

The Groom even has a tie and handkerchief that co-ordinates with the Brides dress. Awwwwww!!!

Today I decided to list them in my Folksy shop, they'd make a very cute gift for someone who is about to get wed. A unique gift.

I am hoping to get round to making some more......maybe even custom ones where you can say what you want them to look like!?! That's if I can find the time to fit it all in :D

Destash Update

2011-05-06T20:57:00.000+01:00

Today I have added some more fabrics to my destash shop (trying not to sob whilst I did it). Beautiful fabrics, just I know that I'm not going to get round to using them so they are up for grabs for a bargain. This is the last lot, thank goodness, it was like having an arm ripped off.....only joking, it wasn't that bad. There is no point hording stuff (Are you listening Mama!!!) ;)

Bizarre, I have sold more stuff in my destash shop in a week then I have in the 3 years in my bagladee shop :/ Oh well I suppose its just the way it goes.

Exciting - new additions!!!

2011-05-03T23:17:00.001+01:00

Sadly I seem to have lost some followers this week. I do hope its not because my posts are boring or you don't like what I write? I like to think that even if I do ramble on a tad that there are always nice photos to entertain you all.

On a happier note and speaking of photos, yesterday was spent adding all the new items to my website that I took with me to BCTF in April. Yes its shocking that it has took me until now to complete this task but I do have my excuses :) This is one of the new bags I designed early April. A compact saddle bag with an adjustable over shoulder strap, that can be shorted and used as a handbag. I love this print, its def one of my all time favourites. I love to place patterns.

This cute little addition to the bagladee family is a chrome framed coin purse. They replaced my felt purses on the website. I sold out of quite a lot of these at the trade fair but don't worry there are lots more on their way.....cut out and waiting to be sewn together.

And last but not least new chrome framed clutch bags!! I have to admit that these clutch bags were designed for selfish reasons :D I wanted to make a clutch for a wedding that I am going to later on this year so thought while I was taking the plunge to make something out of my comfort zone I would add them to the family too (providing that they turned out OK that is). What do you think? I think they are gorgeous, but then again I am biased ;)

There are lots of other additions too why not pop over and have a browse, there are also some new pages. I've jiggled some bits about and removed some old bits that were looking a bit duff. Let me know what you think.

Catch up?

2011-05-02T23:34:00.000+01:00

I know you're probably thinking where have I been for the last few days and I have felt a bit duped that I've broken my continuous blog run :( I have been so busy this past week it hasn't felt like the Easter break at all.

Not that I'm complaining Ooooh Noooo......we had a week shutdown at work last week so I spent the time working on orders from BCTF and lots of other bits and bobs that seemed to take up more time than I had planned. As you can see from the photo above, mid week I had a couple of supplies deliveries including these very yummy coloured zips for my cosmetic pouches. And now that I have found a trade supplier I can get them in larger batches :D I also received some interfacing (not so yummy but essential) Still waiting on fabric, some more findings and clutch frames.

I have also been packaging up some more fabric that will be winging its way to new homes where I hope they will be transformed into wonderful creations. If you haven't checked it out have a peek in my new destsash shop....link on the right side bar. It was about time that I stopped hoarding fabric and did something productive with it. Offering a bargain seemed quite appropriate.

I have managed to get a lot of sewing done this week and as a little reward we took the day off yesterday and rode out to Matlock on C's bike. This is the first time that I have been on this bike. Previously C had a sports bike and I wasn't too keen on it, far too fast and not comfortable to ride on. This one is a Honda Shadow and has been customised by C himself. As he is a massive fan of American Chopper on Sky its beaming with Chrome and has had a custom paint job Very pretty. Its an 'easy rider' bike so we had a nice leisurely ride, a nice walk in the sun, chatting to other bike fanatics, fish and chips and then a little more brisk ride back. Lovely day......back to work today sadly.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T13:59:00.000+01:00

Photo courtesy of AP

I couldn't let this remarkable event pass by without at least writing one little post. I have watched the celebrations on and off all morning and finally sat down with C just before 11am to watch the ceremony in Westminster Abby.

Catherine looked absolutely stunning in her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress, understated, classic and beautiful. William looked very handsome in his uniform and don't they make the most adorable couple.

Photo courtesy of Reuters

But I have to say that I am absolutely smitten with Pippa's (Catherine's sister) bridesmaid dress. Since we got engaged last year I have been wondering what type of dress I would like to wear to get married and not being able to make my mind up. I text my Mam straight away and said "Are you watching the wedding, Kate's sisters dress is what I want to get married in!"

That's settled then, just need to find someone who will make it for me (when we actually get round to setting a date).

I am excited where this new marriage in the Royal family will take us, I think its like a breath of fresh air and just what we all needed in the UK for a boost.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

And I cant go without saying didn't the Queen look stunning in her Saffron outfit?

Bagladee De-stash on Etsy

2011-04-27T10:51:00.000+01:00

Just a quick one this morning before I emerge myself in a mountain of cut out pieces of bags :) Yesterday I took the plunge and opened ANOTHER shop on Etsy, now before you think I have had a mental breakdown (again) ;) let me explain.

I have the most ridiculous fabric stash -FACT. Its ridiculous because some of the fabric I have had quite some time and I have either never used it or for some crazy reason I bought in excess of 5 metres. Now as you now I only use small increments of fabric to keep my bags limited and exclusive so being left with this extra fabric is such a shame. There is so much of it there is enough to fill a shop! And I am not ashamed to say the cash will come in very handy - FACT.

OK so here it is, click the image to go to the shop. All of the fabrics have been kept in excelent conditions and come from a non smoking enviroment. Anyone who knows me knows I treat my fabric like its gold dust :D Some of the fabrics I have for sale are going for about £12.00 a metre elsewhere on the internet, but since I want to de-stash and it to go to a home where it can be used I am selling it for £3.50 a yard. BARGAIN?!?!?! Well I think so.

I still have about 6-8 fabrics to list which I will get round to doing later on this evening. So if you want a bargain you know where to go...... BAGLADEEDESTASH!!

Much needed supplies

2011-04-26T00:00:00.000+01:00

Are these purse frames just sooooo cute, 3 and half inch. They arrived this week and just in the nick of time too. I had completely run out and needed them to finish an order. There are lots more supplies due to arrive in the coming week......gorgeous new fabric *swoon*, more clutch frames, rhinestone flowers, interfacing, zips, and hopefully some plain cottons. Why is it you always run out of everything at the same time :D Not complaining though I love getting parcels, even if they are just supplies.

Wrapped lovliness

2011-04-25T00:01:00.000+01:00

I am hoping that Alex over at Daisie Days has received her prize from my blog birthday giveaway. Congrats :) as promised I popped in an extra prize but I cant tell you what yet until I know its been opened. Well I dont want to spoil the suprise do I?

Pretty pink tissue and sealed with bagladee 'B' Moo stickers. I love wrapping!!

From Emma To Emma

2011-04-24T00:01:00.000+01:00

I have been meaning to write this post for weeks (sorry Emma) but I just haven't gotten round to it. Pre-BCTF when I was stressing myself silly, Emma from over at Moo and Mouse asked me if I'd ever tried Lavender to help calm and de-stress myself and then kindly said she would send me something in the post.

I was so excited when I saw this envelope in the post box!!! Isn't it soooo pretty hand stamped and coloured by Emma herself, I love it.

And inside (sorry there was no time for photographing wrapped parcels as I was too busy ripping off the wrapping...oooops!) was this gorgeous handmade lavender heart, which smells divine.

Beautiful embroidery.

It is hanging just above my sewing desk so that it can soothe me whilst I work and when the door has been shut over night it fills the studio with the lovely scent of lavender....all ready for a days work.

Thank you so much Emma, it was a lovely gift and very thoughtful. xx

Sewing + sunshine = makes me happy

2011-04-23T09:13:00.003+01:00

Its a beautiful sunny morning again, we have builders in the back garden so its not so peaceful but good to see progress at last. If you've been reading my blog for sometime you will know that since we moved into our house everything has been ripped out or changed. Now the house is complete its time to get the garden/outside sorted. After 5 and half years I think its about time :)

We already have a new fence (the old one was decrepit) and we are having a garage built, decking laid and a new (very much in need) lawn as its all just weeds at the mo. Thankfully C is sorting all this, I have enough on my plate to be getting on with without worrying about builders :)

Posts have been lacking here on my blog simply because I have been in the studio every day working on orders. So far so good, but I'm very conscious that in only a month or so I have to have some serious stock in place to go to Bath. Progress is slow but its not a race. So slow is good for me for now. This is a photo of what will be Ruby's doppelganger and soon there will be triplets.....but alas they will be separated soon, one is going to Devon, one to Cumbria and one will be travelling to Bath with me. I have booked me and C into a lovely, modern B&B for the duration of the show. Yes I did say both of us......can you believe it, he's been such a trooper with my shows he really is the crutch that holds me up when I'm being crazyladee and stressing. I don't know what I will do when he goes back to work :(

Well today is going to be spent partially in the studio (until the builders have gone) then I think I will walk to the shops and then have lunch in the sunshine.

Bagladee on ukhandmade

2011-04-19T15:37:00.004+01:00

Remember these bunnies? Well about a month ago ukhandmade contacted me asking if I would like to contribute this tute or any others to the Makes section. Very chuffed indeed I said yes.....

Click the image to go and check it out!! :D

A very big thank you to Annie over at TheFeltFairy *hugs* if it weren't for her commission these bunnies wouldn't even exist. Aren't they sweet......bless'em.

I had lots of fun making these bunnies, I especially love the ones with the headbands. Dont forget to check out the link at the bottom of the tutorial to go and visit Annie's shop :)

Blog Birthday Giveaway Winner

2011-04-18T15:12:00.000+01:00

And the winner is...............

Comment number 8 :: which was Daisie

Yey, congratulations!!!!

If you could email me with your postal address I will get the cushion out to you this week.

Thank you for all the Blog birthday wishes and for entering. It really means a lot :D

Hugs

Emma xx

Happy 3rd Birthday bagladee blog

2011-04-17T10:35:00.000+01:00

UPDATE :: as someone has rightly pointed out I totally forgot to say that the birthday giveaway closes tonight at Midnight (GMT) and I will announce the winner on Monday.....sorry for getting a bit carried away :) Who would have guessed back in April 2008 that 3 years on I would still be writing on my blog? Not me.....I thought it would be something that would be just a passing phase, not managing to reach 554 posts, have 331 followers (and many more readers) and had 35,000 visits!!!

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To say a little thank you for your support, friendship and encouragement I though it would be nice to give this sweet little cushion away. Its lovely and soft, being made of felt and has little rhinestones in the centre of the flowers.

Easy one, just leave a comment on this post. Please leave a way of me contacting you in that comment so I can notify you if you win. I will post worldwide so anyone can enter. Only one entry per person.

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p.s. told C about my fabric shop idea, thinking he would think it would be a good idea, he just raised his eyebrows as if to say are you mad woman!?!?!

If I won the lottery

2011-04-14T20:24:00.004+01:00

I would open a fabric shop and sell beauties like these. (My latest purchase) How fantastic would it be to have a brick and mortar shop where you could make people happy by supplying them with lovely fabric. I would be in my element for sure. :D Cant wait to get cracking on this little lot.....and then maybe there will be some more on its way to me very soon. Honestly I do make things from it I don't just hoard it away in my studio!! ;) Well some fabrics I do....

I am feeling 'a very lucky lady' at the moment, I never take anything for granted but every now and then I have a day where I think 'wow' and smile to myself. I hope you have those days too? Its my blog birthday tomorrow so I'm thinking a little giveaway might be in order? I'll see what I can dig out.

Yippeeee its nearly the weekend! :D

Here we go again

2011-04-13T18:55:00.009+01:00

Its only been 1 week since the end of BCTF 2011 and already I feel like my feet haven't touched the ground. And its looking very likely that they're not going to anytime soon either. In the middle of getting orders ready and contacting possible new customers I am trying to compose myself for longer than 5 minutes to prepare for this..... Handmade in Britain 2011 at the very gorgeous Bath Assembly Rooms. It is a trade and public fair, which I have never attempted before. Talking to buyers, selling and networking at the same time....easy (I hope) ;) I am so excited its ridiculous, especially since I received my Exhibitors manual and floor plan today. Look at where my stand will be situated (little red box)..... ....right next to one of the very beautiful fireplaces, how apt :D If you would like to come down and have a look/shop/natter here are the details:

Bagladee

Stand : HIB 49

Handmade in Britain 2011

Assembly Rooms, Bennett St, Bath. Avon BA1 2QH

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17th-19th June (Private view evening 16th June)

Tickets are £3 and that's including a catalogue (BARGAIN!!)

I still cant believe how bagladee is blossoming and how far we have come since last year, its amazing. Doing something that I truly love for a living, I never thought that would happen. I hope that I have made the right decisions for this year and I am writing something towards the end of the year along the same lines.

I LOVE BAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D