Homeland

We Hello my lovelies, well what a lovely couple of days we've had. We had planned to travel up to Newcastle on Thursday but we needed to change our plans a little as Mr.B was recovering from an abscess on a tooth. We made it up north on Friday afternoon...boy was it cold :) lol I think I have been living down south too long! We met up with my Dad and had a mooch round the shops and the Christmas Market. 

The lights in Newcastle were so pretty and it was a comforting feeling walking around hearing warm Geordie accents...this is what I miss the most. Mine is ever so slightly diluted now, although some would disagree. We made the trip as 15 years ago we had our first date in Newcastle when I was still living up there. We even had our first kiss on the Millennium bridge. Awwwwww!

We also visited a favourite childhood memory of mine, Fenwicks Window. Every year they decorate their street facing Windows with some sort of theme, this year.....PADDINGTON BEAR!!! How adorable is he!

The Windows seemed so much smaller than I remembered as a child but still as magical. 

Then this morning we walked over the Millenium bridge and had breakfast in Pitcher and Piano. It was such a beautiful view sat overlooking the River Tyne and the Baltic Mill. It was bitterly cold but blue skies and sunshine. After coffee and pancakes we walked back over the bridge.

Now we are back home and unpacked....whirlwind visit indeed. Tomorrow I am ice skating with my lovely friend Mel, let's hope I don't fall on my ass! Then it will be all systems go....the last week of work and time to get prepping for Christmas Day. Food shopping, house cleaning and present wrapping.

Are you all ready for Santa? 

Emma xxx

Hello

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

Sewing + sunshine = makes me happy

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.

Home......

Well I would love to start by saying I've had such a relaxing day after the last 4 days but unfortunately I had to go to work this morning :( those bills just dont pay themselves do they ;) and I have to admit that I haven't even unpacked any of my kit. All the bags are still packed in their travel box and they are all waiting on the landing to be put into the studio. To say that I had an attention span of a nano second at work would be an understatement, too tired and dreaming of bag related things to even concentrate...not good!! I did, once home manage to get some washing in and start tidying up a little. Then I had a mountain of emails etc to go through, I'm only half way there so bare with me if I haven't got to you yet. Both cats have fallen out with me for leaving them, Oli because I accidentally tread on his tail while trying to get the fireplace off the roof of my car :/ and Nell because she is a little princess (madam) and does not like being left. Even though she was spoilt rotten by Grandma and Grandad (yes I do know that they are cats not children). I decided that after BCTF I was having a week off from sewing to relax and get the boring things like the house and ironing back on track (neglected doesn't even come close) but I just don't think that's possible! I am itching to get into the studio and sew.....I even managed to sneak onto a fabric website this afternoon and order some more. Sssssshhhhh don't tell anyone!!!!

Owee owee oweee

I have muddled through a morning at work with a piercingly sore throat today (without moaning too much). But now I'm armed with throat spray and Strepsils I thought it was time to tidy my studio. It looks soooo much better now, everything is back where it should be, rather than just all over the place (I call it organised chaos). The cosmetic pouches in the photo above were finished earlier in the week but its been so dark on an afternoon that I haven't been able to photograph them properly for my website. Fingers crossed Saturday morning is bright and photo friendly :D

I'm off to get snuggled up on the sofa now with some hand stitching, please, please, please go away sore throat!!!

I dont normally....

....post photos of our house (for personal reasons) but since it has been dominating my time so much over the last week I thought it only seemed right. I am EXHAUSTED!! to say the least, muscles and joints crying out for a soak in Radox but here is evidence that it is all worth it.

This is our compact and bijoux dining room, a totally rubbish photo (taken with my phone) but you can get the gist of it.

As you can see we trialed out many tester pots before we found the right colour. Way back when we bought the house we painted every room Chalk Stone, an off white colour. We only wanted a subtle colour change as our furniture speaks volumes and adds the colour to the room so eventually we chose the top left tester colour which is Egyptian Cotton. You can just see where I have cut in round the ceiling.

And here you can just about see the change in colour, well I did say it was subtle. It makes the rooms feel so much warmer. Cant wait to see the walls painted tomorrow (groaning from all of my body), I will post some more (better) photos soon. Now I'm off for something warm and hearty for dinner, its soooo wet and windy outside.

Meet Aurelia....

Isn't she pretty (if I do say so myself) :) Perfect for this season, although I don't think I'd have any problem carrying her around any season. She has sumptuous chocolate brown lining and plenty of pockets for storage. There are only 3 available and you can get your hands on one here!

Today I ache in all the places that I have obviously not used in sometime. But on the upside I have a newly painted kitchen (walls, ceiling and woodwork) and the dining room is half way there. Egyptian Cotton on the walls, Jasmine White on the woodwork.....it looks warm, inviting and sophisticated. I love to paint (as in decorating), maybe its because my Grandad on my Dad's side was a painter and decorator by trade (hope I'm doing a good job Grandad, where ever you are in the universe). I love losing myself in the concentration of it all, its my version of meditating.....Oh yeah and getting a work out at the same time :D

My week....

I was 'up with the lark' this morning, cup of tea and dressed by 8. (That's early for me on a Saturday). I have packed all my sewing kit up, just in case I was tempted to do a bit more this morning. My suitcase is all packed, well to be honest it was all packed yesterday, not that I'm eager to get back home or anything :D

Yesterday I finished this bag, you may recognise the fabric, but I loved it so much I bought it in 3 different colours. The other colour (yet to be revealed) is going to be a clutch bag.

Its been a strange old week, didn't turn out at all how I thought it would.

I didn't: watch any films, read my book, write some tutorials, sew any felt purses, make a million (slight exaggeration) new bags, talk to Chris much (as he was busy working on our small but perfectly formed house).

However, I did: meet up with lots of friends, met Russell Brand, went shopping, caught up on the soaps, make 3 shoulder bags, half make 3 clutch bags, make 2 custom brooches, blog hopped (and read) til my heart was content, walk many doggy walkies, eat out, surf the net.

And that was my week in the Northeast house sitting......my next post will be from home. Still lots to show you!!