Wild flowers, Jubilee Fever and Business Cards

Well, at long last, the British weather has sorted itself out, stopped trying to drown us and is now currently baking us :-)   Son and I went for a lovely walk along the lanes and we picked these gorgeous wild flowers

A couple of weeks ago I was asked for my business card, WOW I thought, im on my way, rushed home and got some ordered from Moo.com, they were doing a special deal for Folksy sellers. I could choose up to 50 photographs for the front and any text plus logo for the back.  They are really very lovely, brilliant quality, lovely thick card. Sooo pleased.  Now, to figure out what on earth to do with them now?  If you reading this, do you have business cards? when do you distribute them? ect Leave a comment!                                

With the Jubilee coming on really soon now and the gorgeous weather it feels like the whole country is gearing up for the massive celebrations.  Its all very exicting!  This has really inspired me to make these two cushions.  Really enjoyed making them as well. Can be purchased from my Etsy or Folksy shops.

Both of these items were featured on www.cuteable.com which is a really lovely site and my goodness it has helped with internet traffic for the much needed sales! 

Just recently son has been a little curious about size, specifically, adults.  Yesterday, whilst in the barbers shop getting his haircut, he pointed directly at another mum, looked her straight in the eye, and said 'She is very big isnt she Mummy'?  Now, I thought this was bad enough, told him that was rude ect.  A little later, we went into a little toy shop, son picked up a rhino, said he wanted to buy it, took it to the counter, looked at the shop assistant and said 'your not as big as a rhino yet are you'?

On that note I shall blog off. 

p.s take a look at the poll im doing on craft magazines, be interested in your views.

Shoplifting, PR and Gardening(ish)

Intersting blog title ay?  Its been a very busy few weeks, as always.  Isnt family life just nuts? do you ever look back at your own mum when you were a child and think "oh I get it now", I do, then I find myself sounding exactly like her, sometimes its amusing, sometimes its rather horrifying!! Anyway, shoplifting.....trip to Tesco recently with 4 year old son, as usual he bounced around most of the store, I said his name at least 50 times, forgot lots of things but finally made it to the chekout, the only one free was right opposite a pick n mix.  Whilst destracted packing the shopping, son snuck over to the sweets and stuffed as many into his mouth as possible, I caught him on the second time around, Tesco caught him on the third....he had so many jammed into his mouth the dribble could not be contained, so as he was trying to say sorry, not only did saliva pour from his mouth like a waterfall, he managed to splutter half chewed sweets at the Tesco lady, who had, very nicely come down to his level. 

I hit apon a new idea too, photo transfer. After our little trip to Badbury Rings (see previous blog post) we took a lovely pic, my house is already full of photographs as it is, so I wanted to transfer it to a cushion.

After some failure,(NEVER use the glue stuff!) I finally managed to make myself this gorgeous cushion that now sits very happily on my kitchen barstool chair.  I love it. It was such a funny moment, setting up the auto pic on the camera and running back to squash everyone! 

Then I had another idea...Oh yes im full of 'em. I needed a present for my mums birthday, and whilst sitting on my kitchen chair and looking at the many pictures the children have drawn, I thought 'EUREKA' how about the kids draw a pic for grandma and I transfer to a cushion.  First attempt drawn with pencils was not so good, but second attempt with crayons was this rather lovely item.  My mum adores it! I adore it! Infact its now a range to the business as everyone adores the idea!  I do have a confession tho, I did direct the children in exactly what was required for such a cute pic. But looks great dosent it? £15? bargain!

Having now learnt photo and picture transfer I figured it was time to turn my hand to PR.  I dont want my business to be all about facebook, I dont think it is the direction I want to go. I genuinely feel I can offer something special to people, I WANT to do something special for people. I WANT to be different. Sooooo, PR! I totally and utterly revamped by website.  Have taken a lot of items OFF. redesigned, everything!  I certainly think it feels fresher and so much nicer www.thesewingcroft.co.uk   Then of course there is the blog, which I am still also working on revamping.  I have also sorted out my Folksy shop and listed lots of items on there, sorted out Etsy also.  In case you dont know, Folksy and Etsy are shopping sites for handcrafted, individual items. Stuff you wont find on the high street. Speaking of Not on the High Street.  I applied to there site, was knocked back. I am determined to make them regret that.  Next on my mission has been a press release, so I did one of those too, spent hours researching who to send it too.  I shall now wait for hoards of media moguls clambering to get the first editorial.

At long last I also have sewed all seeds in the vegetable garden - hooray! Roll on summer. Altho looking out the window at the hailstones pouring down, it seems a long way off.

Funny, with a blog, I put it off and put it off and then when I get started I cant stop! BUT I do have some work to do so I will blog off for now.

Zoe

Yay!! I CAN embroider

Very very very very pleased with myself, after researching, reading, thinking, rethinking and finally finding some time, I have learnt to embroider and applique.  So today, I made MYSELF a present, I love it, the kids are totally unimpressed, preferring to rub their snotty noses over me instead.

And here it is...............

Illness, marketing and sewing

Been ages since I blogged. Been actually feeling guilty, no idea why, not as if I have hundreds of followers :-)

Both kids been off one day or another with a nasty cold virus, mainly a high temp but its been hard going. Funny how you would happily give them a kidney but when it comes to being a personal slave, it all gets a bit much.  Today for instance, daughter home with a temp. son not at nursery, he had only been in once this week as it is.  Daughter is calling me into the living room just to look at her lip which is chapped, go back to kitchen, son calls me in to look at his thumb which is sore, back to kitchen, daughter calls me in, she is thirsty, son calls me in, he is hungry, and so it went on all day, inbetween me changing the sheets and making 2 headbands and a ballet bag.  Oh and 'networking' on facebook. 

I was very down in the dumps at the begining of the week, with little sales I was thinking that perhaps, altho I can def sew, and sew well, perhaps my style was just too 'old' or out of date.  I live so rurally and am very much a home body that knowing what goes on in the wider world becomes tricky. Weeks could go by before I even catch the news, let alone knowing what is going on in the world of fashion or furnishings.  I think leaving the city does that too.  Not much point in fashion when your knee high in mud and theres a tractor at every corner (damn them!).  I got myself out of the dumps by applying to go onto a new website - homemade in britain and they liked my things, made me feel much better.  I then sorted out the website, got my rear on Twitter and printed my leaflets, determined to thrust them at everyone who so much as glanced at me.  Then came the cold bug!!! So all I managed was a quick trip to the village shop, leaflet in hand, feeling like a total idiot. The post office lady (who is a little scary) pointed at a very small corkboard in a corner and I then had to put it up myself, trying not to cover anyone elses, whilst the p/o lady was glaring at me, I now understand what the expression 'eyes burning into your back' or whatever it is, means.  She pointed me in the direction of the village outside noticeboard, by the park she says, which happened to be a glass display cabinet type thing, I was convinced it would be locked.  Then I notice some woman watching me, I  prayed with all my might it would open, and thankfully - it did - phew!  I managed to escape my marketing campaign, without making a total idiot of myself and have barely left the house all week. Thankfully a couple of friends have dropped by. 

Decided I would offer a 10% discount on my website for all local peeps, after all, im hoping to get out to craft fairs and it raises my profile. Did anyone buy anything? Not saying!!!

Then theres Twitter, but thats another long story :-)

Zoe x