A few small changes

I've finally managed to set aside some time for a think lately, about my life, my normal day to day and my shop, more specifically the direction I need my shop to go in.

I don't know what it is about the Summer holidays but they always seem to set me off on a "new things" kick and while there's nothing wrong with that, it can be too easy to let it get out of hand and all this development can put a lot of strain on a girl's time.

And so after a fair amount of thought and planning and stopping myself from making my usual snap decisions I've decided to make some changes, hopefully for the better.

I've decided to reduce the volume of different things that I make and really concentrate on the ones that I love to make, the ones that are my own designs and this will mean that I am more able to make them in quantity for my customers because they aren't (or shouldn't) be available anywhere else:)

The card and coin purses will stay.



I love these little things and it's surprised even me how handy they are, especially when I'm out and about with Chloe and could really do with having two hands free. Sometimes I just don't need a bag to carry as well as anything she happens to need.

The regular coin purses will be leaving as soon as they sell or delist. To help them along they've all been reduced to £2.50 and once they're gone, they're gone.


The large ladies wallet will also be leaving in it's current form, a slightly more compact version will replace it later on this year. The last of the wallets have been reduced to £6.00 to clear.


The Kindle sleeves. I actually quite like making these and would be happy to keep doing so, these started as commissions and I decided to offer them in my shop as standard. The only problem I have is that, on their own, they don't really feel like they belong in the shop. It feels like I should also be offering other gadget sleeves for phones and MP3 players and that will likely just send me off on another "new things" kick. These have been reduced to £5.00 and maybe next year, definitely after Christmas at least I'll give some more consideration to extending the range and adding them back into stock. In the meantime, I'm still happy to accept custom orders for them.


The brooches, pendants, plain cuffs, a couple of bag designs and some homewares are all also going, they've all been reduced to clear as well and you can find everything in my half price sale

It seems like I'm cutting back a fair bit doesn't it, it's not as bad as it looks honestly!

The glasses cases will stay. They're very popular and they'll be joined by a zipped case later in the year.



Everything else that you know me for will also be staying, the kids and adult bike bags have been a huge success and more will be added in plenty of time for Christmas. The clutches will also stay in mini, the soon to arrive midi and the maxi wrap clutch. The shoulder bags will also still be available and will be joined by one more design for Spring next year.

The plain cuffs have been replaced by more intricate beaded and embroidered designs and I'm currently working on more of these.

In place of the brooches and pendants will be 100s and 1000s. It's my second shop on Folksy and managing two separate shops is becoming a wee bit time consuming so over the next few weeks I'll be removing the stock from 100s and 1000s and moving it to it's new home at Leanne Woods Designs.


Hopefully all of this works out to give me a better handle on what I'm doing, give me time to introduce a new range of homewares that having been in the planning and making stages just a bit too long, it should definitely make supplies orders easier to manage and with a bit of luck it should also free up a lot more time for making during the free hours I have to myself which will leave me with a lot more time to spend with my family. If it doesn't, I'm going back to making snap decisions:)

And so normality returns

or so you would think. Ok, so maybe "And so normality sort of returns on a part time, job share basis kind of thing with flexible working hours" would be a bit more accurate if a hell of a lot more waffly.

Summer is over and Chloe's back to school again, not to mention wanting to go to just about every club run by the school and a few that have nothing to do with the school. If she had her way a) I'd never set eyes on her, and b) I'd be broke. Those clubs are not cheap and she wants to dance and sing and act and play tennis and kick some ass in karate too, plus she has her heart set on GB this year and football, she wants to play football. Why does football arrive with the rain? Rain, hail, sleet, snow and the odd five minutes of sunshine that makes it all seem worthwhile and all of this played on a pitch that child haters walk their dogs across at weekends. Do you want to do that load of washing, because I'm not sure I do.

So with all that I'm to be left with a lot of time on my hands every day. Lots of lots of lovely long stretching hours rolling out in front of me and I'm having trouble getting back into the habit of not filling them with the Gruffalo and jungle ginger cookies.

Because I loved our Summer this year. Chloe seems to have morphed into a real little lady this Summer, maybe it was going on holiday earlier this year, maybe it's me giving her more leeway, maybe she's just at that age but I can merrily while away hours just listening to her talk about everything and nothing. At times she still seems to small with her childlike outlook on the world and at others she's far wiser than her years. It's been great spending so much time with her this Summer, but I have to admit that sometimes at the end of the day when she was all tucked up in bed I'd feel fidgety, itching to do something or make something but with no time or light left to do it in. The notion passed come morning again and I'd happily fall back into the land of all things Chloe without a passing thought of work or accounts or paperwork or much of anything else if I'm honest.

And now I'm sat with all the time in the world and the fidget just isn't playing the game. Maybe it only creeps in during the wee short hours ... or maybe I'm just a chore of a woman who wants what I can't have when I can't have it.

What I could do with is a kick up the backside, if someone would be so kind as to oblige.