I've been a good girl

I have, honestly!! Since the studio is plastered and will be getting painted next weekend it was time to start sorting....who knew you would collect so many crafty things in the space of 6months. Well that's what I'm telling myself because I'm sure I didn't half as much this time last year. I nearly broke my back carrying just one of the fabric totes I have in my garage. I even shocked myself when I emptied it onto the lounge floor......WOW what a collection. But it is starting to look like I've got an obsession with buying fabric and not using it.

Chris sat me down and trying not to get stressy when I told him I'm waiting for some fabric from the states said it was kinda getting cramped in the garage and blah blah I do get the point though...it was like being in rehab or AA, my name is Emma and I'm addicted to fabric! :D but I love it so.

So the decision was made that I had to pick 4 fabrics from my stash and 'get rid' not my words I might add. So as you can see above these 4 beautiful, vibrant, sassy fabrics are in my etsy shop for a bargain knock down price. I have said in the listings that I will give major discount if someone wants to bulk any but I thought I'd throw it out to my fellow bloggers that if you want to make me an offer on any or you would like to swap for something please get in touch. I'd love them to go to a new home.....so offer away.

Excitment level : OVERLOAD!!!

OMG I don't think there is a word in the English dictionary that explains the level of excitedness (which is not in the english dictionary) I am feeling right now!!!!

Gary the plasterer has gone, dust sheets taken up, the floors vacuumed and mopped......and................I now have a COMPLETELY PLASTERED STUDIO!!!!!!! Wooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooooooo! OK think I may have over done it with the Woo Hoo. Did you notice I called it my studio rather than: the loft, attic, conversion.....its now a studio, it feels and certainly is starting to look like one. I haven't taken any photo's of it yet as I thought I'd wait until the plaster had dried out a little so it looks more pinky than dirty brown :D

Today I have also completed my second draft of the book text, which I am pleased that I've managed to get it done before the weekend....and even written a small bio. I was really struggling with it, most people would say duh you know yourself so why cant you write about yourself. I just couldn't every time I had written something down and read it back I just sounded so BORING and I know I'm not.

I read on the Internet that you should write it as the third person but inject your personality into it, obviously in my head I was thinking...."OK Emma write it and reign it in a little" as there is a fine line in my life between funny and just plain ridiculous :D

So I jotted a few lines down and when I read it back I actually laughed out loud!! It is totally me! Funny and light hearted but in a semi serious manner. And if I could imagine what my bio would look like, it would have a cheeky little smile on it.

An exciting day.....

because we have the plasterer in doing the walls in my sewing room/studio today :D I'm so excited. I have lots of things to distract me so I don't keep peeking to see what he's done. I want to wait until the end of the day to see how he's got on. Hopefully he will have finished by tomorrow and it will mean that I will be playing the waiting game whilst its drying....I've lost count of how may times I asked "When can I paint it??" and I'm sure its starting to wear a little thin with the other half :D

So on my list of things to do.....there will be some etsy listing, website tweaking, email writing, some sewing, gluing, writing and I would imagine quite a few cups of tea/coffee and shhhhhh maybe some biscuits too :/

Did you all pop over to our new blog yesterday?? Thank you to all of you that have joined so far we will be adding you to the members list over the next couple of days. So excited to see what tips/advice/tutorials/links you all have. Don't we all want to be 'that little bit greener'?

The secret is out!!

At last, I can let you all in on our secret project! I'm very excited about this but a bit nervous too, so I hope you'll like it! Rachel and I have launched today a new blog called, as if you couldn't guess from the above pic, That Little Bit Greener, and you can find us HERE! Please do click over and take a look. The basic idea is for it to be a central point for all of us in this crafty/bloggy community to share information, links, tutorials etc that will, hopefully, help us to become "that little bit greener". We are not expecting everyone to become 100% green, eco-warriors (because we are certainly not that either!) but rather to just encourage each other in making small changes, that will hopefully add up to make a difference. The site will obviously be developing as we go along, so please do let us know your thoughts or suggestions.
So what are you waiting for? Click over and take a look!

I have a secret!! Sssshhhhhhhh!!!

Can you remember a little way back, not too long ago when I said "I've just embarked on a collaboration project with my bloggy friend Rachel, which is both scary and exciting all at once :) I cant really say anything about it yet but all will reveal by us both soon!!!" Well I still cant say too much but what I can tell you is that LAUNCH DAY IS TOMORROW!! Wednesday 5th August, its green, we want YOU ALL to be involved and we hope that its going to make a difference.

So make sure you stop by here tomorrow to find out all about what we've been doing and the link to take you somewhere special!!! ;)

Monogram birthday cushion

Remember this???

Well now the birthday girl (Hi Andrea) has received her gifts I can now show you how it started....

I made a card template and cut her initial out of black felt, pinned it onto this gorgeous magenta felt.....

And sewed the initial to it.

I then placed and pinned it to the cushion piece, added a flower and a little sparkle.......

Et Voila.....one custom monogrammed cushion.

I think I have become slightly obsessed with making cushions.......there's more to come.

:D

Now for some totally random bits of info :: I'm sporting rather a lovely 2 inch burn on my right hand from the photo shoot on Friday that is gradually getting more stingy :( I burnt it on the iron just in case you were thinking I was tortured while I was there ;) :: last night was so much fun, food, wine and girly chat.....perfect :: Andrea loved her birthday gifts which were this cushion (of course) a huge chrome piggy bank and a very gorgeous note book from a fellow blogger Picciolo (**wave**) :: sleeping is becoming an issue again ggrrrrrrr, why wont my brain switch off???

How did it go yesterday?

When I got up first thing I thought, Oh no not a migraine not today! But after a sweet cup of tea and a wash I was feeling a little better. It was such a long day yesterday but sooooo worth it.....there were parts I'd missed out of the written instructions (most probably because they come second nature to me and hadn't realised I'd missed them out), I made all three of the items for the book whilst being watched the whole time and it wasn't as bad as I thought, and amazingly enough I didn't make any mistakes!!! I know!!

I got a sneak peak of some of the photos but declined on seeing any of the head shots John took of me, because I would have hated them all :) We made a lot of adjustments to the text and have all the photos completed (apart from the cover shot and a few intro photos) but the main bulk of it is there. I just need to add to the text and email it off again!! Wow, this is so exciting (for me, hope its interesting for you) I cant wait to hold the finished book in my sweaty little palms!! :D

Chris was an absolute sweety yesterday, he drove me all the way to Birmingham and back and disappeared whilst we did the shoot (didn't moan once). He came back promptly to pick me up, packed all my stuff into the car and then when we got home he said "go and put the kettle on". I said "yes sir" with a smile on my face. Then when I went into the kitchen he said "well if you don't put the kettle on then you cant have one of these!" My eyes nearly popped out of my head when he handed me a dozen box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (my total fav!!) for those of you in the UK will know that other than Harrods in London and Selfridges in Birmingham stocking them, these things are like gold dust!!! So to have a whole box was just 'swwweeeeetttt'.

They were a 'well done' gift from Chris, isn't he lovely :) I can hear you all thinking it, "How are you going to eat all those doughnuts?"......easy we had one each last night, one each for breakfast this morning, Chris will eat one later and I will probably have another for brunch tomorrow :D the rest I will not tell you when I will eat them because you will totally think I am little miss piggy. And this is me looking very 'non-attractive' wearing a Krispy Kreme hat with Nell fast asleep on my knee.

I'm off out tonight to a lovely place for good food, good company, LOTS OF WINE, and lots of chattering as I'm going for a meal with my friend Andrea (mybeadyeye) to celebrate her birthday, so there's even going to be some presents!!!! (I'm in such a good mood today!! Must be all that sugar) :D