I didn't chase the postie this morning

I do love a morning when the postie brings absolutely no grown up post whatsoever.

NO bills.

NO snail mail spam.

NO election leaflets.

NO appointment letters.

Just oodles of lovely things for me to play with:)

Karen of All Things Blonde was in need of a new name for her lovely bias binding in blues. Now I'm fairly rubbish at coming up with names, but (luckily for me) the winner would be picked randomly from a hat, so I had a bash and my gorgeous new bias binding arrived in the post this morning. Thanks Karen!


I genuinely couldn't make my mind up which colours to choose so left it up to Karen to surprise me and she sent a gorgeous selection of reds. I'm particularly fond of the floral one at the bottom and Chloe has already earmarked it for a little reversible top I had planned to make for her. I think I may go the whole hog, order a few more metres of the cherry red and whip up a sun hat while I'm at it, a few metres of the lime green may sneak into my basket while I'm there ... for a skirt. A girl can never have too many skirts.

In other news, the ladybirds also arrived this morning and so the big green beaded leaf has made it's way over to 100s and 1000s.


After having a featured item on Folksy, the past couple of days have been very busy over Leanne Woods Designs so it's high time I got my finger out and photographed my new range of bicycle bags, the shop seems to be getting very light on stock and I get antsy if it drops below a certain level.

Time to get myself out in that sunshine, don't you think?

A New Venture

I must admit to having a bit of a thing for seed beads.

I kind of like them ... a lot.

And I buy them, lots of them, in all different colours and shapes and sizes and finishes. On the face of it there isn't any good reason for me to have so many, I make precious little in the way of jewellery, nothing at all really beyond the very rare custom order, maybe a wrap bracelet or two and I keep my mum in earrings because as much as she loves them she's forever losing them.

And yet I've drawers full of tiny little glass beads. It was time to use them.

They're like the little work horses of jewellery, almost always there, playing supporting roles to bigger more impressive beads, tying everything together and they're mostly overlooked.


Maybe that's why I like them so much, hard at work and getting very little credit. They're a bit like the wadding in the quilt, all the glory goes to the gorgeous fabric, but it just wouldn't be a quilt without the wadding.

They're fairly time consuming little things to make, usually with anywhere between 200 and 400 individual beads to sew, but I enjoy making them.

They're a bit too different from what I usually make to sit comfortably in my shop, so I've opened another. So far I've been wrapped up in brooches but have plans for pendants and maybe some earrings too.


You can find them all now at 100s and 1000s on Folksy, well all apart from the leaf which is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a little ladybird.

Mo, this is everyone.

Everyone, this is Mo.


Our newest family member is settling in quite nicely and proving to be a lovable little ball of squeaky snuggles.

Mo, meet ever

Winner Winner

Not a chicken dinner though ... sorry.

The good news is that the pin has been found!!!



I honestly thought it was hidden about as well as a giggling 6 year old hiding behind a curtain that's about 8 inches short of the floor, but it was only found by two people.

Still, it means that none of my lovely customers will be poked with a pin, fictional or otherwise, when they open a parcel from me.

And now for the winner. From the two people who found the pin (Gill and Stephanie), Random.org picked ... [insert drum roll here] ... Gill Watson.

Congratulations Gill, I'll drop you a wee email now, feel free to have a browse and choose your prize.

Put a pin in it - Giveaway

I have, rather stupidly, left a pin in one of the items in my Folksy Shop.


It could be in absolutely anything and I need your help to find it.


I'd be really grateful if you could just pop over to my shop and locate the pin. As I say it could be anywhere. In return for finding the pin I'm offering a free £20 voucher for you to spend on or towards anything you like currently in stock.


When you've found the pin all you need to do is come back here follow or subscribe (if you haven't already) and leave a comment simply saying "Found It" then drop me a line at seethewoods (at) gmail (dot) com to let me know where it is. On Monday I'll use random.org to pick a winner.

Good luck!!

The usual giveaway fine print

• Vouchers can't be redeemed for cash, only goods currently in stock
• Giveaway is open to UK entrants only (sorry)
• Voucher must be redeemed within one month from the date of winning
• Vouchers can be used as part payment on orders totalling more than £20 however vouchers will not be issued for any remaining value if used on orders totalling less than £20
• P&P costs will be included on any order
  

Pears a Plenty

Hopefully!


After being butchered right back this year our little pear tree has come good and is now teeming with blossom.


I really don't remember it being quite so packed last year.


They're very pretty little flowers though very papery and delicate. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have too many high winds until the bees have had a chance to do their thing.


Though something tells me I might have to get out there, cotton bud in hand, and give those little bees a bit of help this year.

Growing Pains - The "Mummy Needs a Nap" Edition

Oh the sick, evil, twisted irony of growing pains, I remember them well! The irony being that I always was and still to this day am a short arse and now my poor wee girl is suffering with them too. She's as much of a short arse petite as I was and yet I remember those pains being absolute agony and Chloe doesn't seem willing to let them pass as "mildly uncomfortable" either.

For anyone lucky enough to be unfamiliar with growing pains, they're a pain sometimes cramp like in nature which occurs in the muscles of the legs and arms, usually in the evening or at night when the child is tired and probably already a bit grumpy, they can occur earlier in the day but often because of a fairly fast paced or "on the go" sort of day with lots going on and tons of places to be.

In short they cause almost no problems during the day leaving kids to run and skip and hop and jump and play all day long and crumple in "agony" almost at the very mention of bedtime resulting in most parents (my own mum and even with 20/20 hindsight me included) thinking their kids are faking or laying it on a bit thick.

It's been going on for about ten days now with it either keeping Chloe awake until almost midnight or she's fallen asleep a bit earlier than normal only to be woken out of a sleep in pain for a couple of hours at half past daft o'clock. She's not been at her most reasonable for the past couple of weeks, neither have I for that matter.

I'm actually dreading the next couple of days, tomorrow her class is walking to the library in town in the morning then on Wednesday and Thursday night Chloe's in her class play. She'll need to go back to school at 7.00pm both nights, the play begins at 7.30pm and then she can go home at 8.00pm, so that's two fairly busy days considering that 8.00pm is already a good half hour past Chloe's usual bed time routine. I know she's six now and most kids stay up a bit later than that, but I've said before that this is her bedtime routine and we don't mess with it. She knows when she wants her shower and jammies and to curl up for the night. She just never has been a night owl, the kid loves her bed. I just know both nights are going to end in tears by the time we get her home and ready for bed the pains will have kicked in and it'll be a rough night for all involved. Thursday will definitely be worse than tomorrow.

And speaking of her being six now, the whole lack of sleep thing meant that the poor child's birthday passed as something of a non event. She did go to soft play hell with a few friends in the afternoon but she just couldn't seem to be bothered with the whole thing and didn't want to go running around with her friends. I'm fairly certain it's the lack of sleep catching up with her, we're just hoping now to cruise into the weekend and she can go to the cinema with a friend on Saturday and have cake and popcorn.

I just hope these growing pains realise Chloe isn't destined to be some great six footer and clear off sometime soon because there just isn't enough caffeine in the world:)

Totally Bazaar

Unless you've been nestled under a rock for the past few months you might have heard me mention Totally Bazaar.


I've been raiding the vintage fabric stash (I can't just keep it all for myself after all) and making like a demon for the past couple of months in preparation for Totally Bazaar and now here we are with just one week to go before the event takes place on 3rd April (that would be Mothers Day in case you've been under a rock inside a box).

Totally Bazaar will be held at the Holiday Inn in Belfast and it's well worth the trip to come and pay all of us a visit.

Admission has been lowered for the event and is only £3 for adults and £1 for under 13s and all ladies attending the event will be entered into the giveaway with a chance to win a gorgeous Mother and Daughter Glamour Hamper. Totally Bazaar opens its doors at 11am so why not come and spend a few hours surrounded by the very best of vintage and handmade and then have a long lunch at the award winning Junction Bar and Restaurant at the Holiday Inn.

As if that isn't reason enough, 50 exhibitors will be showcasing at Totally Bazaar and with bags, accessories, jewellery, clothing, homewares and everything in between there will be something for everyone along with special Mothers Day offers and I'll even be hosting a giveaway myself.

Every purchase from my own stall enters you into my giveaway to win a luxurious handmade lavender pamper hamper containing handmade candles and soaps, lavender sachets, neck pillow, eye mask, lavender filled bath teabags and a wonderfully thick and soft cashmere spa cloth to really pamper yourself.


And the best bit of Totally Bazaar is that while it's in the very heart of Belfast, it's also on a Sunday. Ha, free parking!!

A full list of exhibitors can be found on the Decadence Vintage Clothing website, but for a sneaky peak at some of the handmade goodness on offer, click on the following shops and have a wee nosy.






I'll see you there.

I don't care about the seeds, I'll poop where I like!

I'm so glad to see some signs of Spring in the garden, even if the cat is less than chuffed to have her hunting and pooping grounds hijacked for seed planting.

We've even had a solid few days of nothing but blue skies and sunshine here, it's great being able to do the school run without bundling up in coats and scarves for a change.


We even have some colour to look at in the garden, although it is only a teensy tiny little bit, but the fruit trees are back again. I don't know why but I'm always a bit of a pessimist about these trees every year so I'm even more chuffed to see the trees completely covered in apple and pear buds just waiting to blossom.


And I know it's only parsley but it's one of the brightest greens in the garden and one of the precious few things out there which is ready to eat. The poor thing's been a bit savaged by us lately, but it's nowhere near as bad as the chives which are in two fat bunches and the grand total of 4 inches long. Every time they make a bid for the sky we pounce on them for everything from soups to sandwiches. We're trying to give them a bit of a break, really we are!


And my dogwood isn't just a tangle of pink branches any more, well it is really but there are a couple of little lime green spots in there to break things up.


And finally a little apology. I've not been around an awful lot lately, one thing and another keep cropping up and robbing me of days at a time. I've missed my early morning blog reading, commenting and coffee reading but I'm hopeful that things will start to settle down somewhat in the next week and I'll be back to my usual routine and catching up on what you've all been up to.

Kids, cars and all the rest

Well for starters Chloe's been sick, just a dose of the flu so nothing too serious but it has been a lurgy filled week.

She better now and thankfully back to school in time for her trip to Carrickfergus Castle because her teacher has a good two weeks of lessons planned around that one trip.

The car went in for MOT and failed, our little darling of a car which never fails us and never lets us down is in a bad way. This led to a week of

1. panic
2. phoning around for quotes, including our car guy and all mechanics in the family
3. concluding that we couldn't afford to have it fixed
4. considering whether we could fix it ourselves
5. that would be a no
6. SORN the car
7. apply for a tax refund
8. and relax, because
   
   we're not exactly in any dire and desperate need for a car at the minute and I'll be able to put my hands on something with four wheels for Totally Bazaar next month.
   
   Speaking of which, I'm very nearly ready at the minute, always good to be finished with three weeks to spare. Think of all that lovely time spent panicking that I haven't enough stock or the display looks like guff and all the fiddling and fidgeting and general faffery I'll get done between now and 3rd April:)
   
   I've just the giveaway to put the finishing touches to now. Totally Bazaar is on Mothers Day this year so I'll be giving away free entry with every purchase to win a gorgeous handmade bath and bedtime hamper. As I say, just a few finishing touches and I'll give more details but suffice it to say, it's proper "send the hubs to the cinema with the kids, pop on some music, grab a book, wine and lock the front door so they can't get back in" luxury.
   
   All the cats in my neighbourhood seem to have taken up residence in my garage since we put the cat flap in for our cat.
   
   I'm a bit sick and tired of chasing cats.
   
   Some of these cats really should be on diets, a big ginger one in particular. If I can't get hold of a car for Totally Bazaar, I could probably ride the cat stock and all, it's that big.
   
   We've whittled Chloe's birthday party back somewhat. She originally wanted a big party but after we went to a big party last weekend it quickly became apparent that Chloe prefers smaller groups. She got into it eventually and really enjoyed herself but she probably doesn't want to spend the first 20 minutes of her own party locked to my hip so we're having a smaller do at home with about 10 of them and her teacher's happy to let them all have cake pops on 4th in school so we're all good.
   
   And finally ... I had Chloe's parent teacher meeting on Wednesday (her first day off sick, she can pick her days let me tell you). The good news is that it's all good news. She's really come out of her shell this year and volunteers to speak to the whole class more often than she used to. Her attention can be a bit off at times but her teacher said that's a bit like pointing out that kids like sweets, she's definitely not the only one in the class and she's improved since before Christmas. She's had a dramatic improvement in her reading level, though admittedly she still doesn't enjoy it as much as other subjects but the best news is that she's way ahead, a year or twos lessons ahead in maths. I couldn't have hoped for better news, but we will keep working on the attention span.

Possibilities and Absolutes

I'm possibly going back to work.

I'll possibly need to wind up my little business.

Robert will possibly be a stay at home dad.

He absolutely can't take over my little business.

Chloe will possibly have some adjustment issues.

Then again she possibly won't.

Robert will possibly have some adjustment issues.

Then again he possibly won't.

I absolutely have a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make in the next couple of months.

I'll absolutely put my family first over everything else.

There will possibly be a headache or two.

I'm absolutely not at all sure about much of anything at the minute.

Anything is absolutely possible.

Ah, ah... why am I drippings with goo?

Because you name the adhesive and chances are I've been elbow deep in it at some stage this week!


Gift bags (birdhouses*) for Chloe's garden party/mad hatter's tea party/sugar fuelled kid frenzy themed birthday party on 2 April. Ten down ... 18 to go! Along with a stack of 30 rolled paper lolly pop sticks ready to carry 30 cake pops to school for her actual birthday on 4 April.


Fabric Easter egg pendants for Totally Bazaar on 3 April


Fabric disk pendants for the same shindig.



All in gorgeous vintage cotton prints.


And a new display for the pendants. I had a clear one but somehow managed to snap it in half after my last fair. Not that I'm complaining, it's one of those things that I ordered, received and immediately didn't like but because the only thing inherently wrong with it was that I didn't like it I couldn't justify replacing it. Does anyone else do that? I like this one a lot more than the last, it was black acrylic and black isn't really me either but because I picked this up as destash I felt perfectly happy blitzing it with sandpaper and smothering it in glue.


Don't pay the wrinkles no mind either, honestly it's still damp they'll flatten as it dries.

They will!!

Also on a related note, all manufacturers of Super Glue should be brought up on charges by trading standards. Super Glue is not super, at best it's barely OK, so so even. Henceforth all Super Glue should be referred to as either OK Glue or So So Glue.

*The Birdhouses - I think I originally spotted these on Flickr sometime last year and I've seen them pop up all over the place since then so I don't really know who to credit for the idea. They're fairly simple to knock up, but if you need a tute, Just call me Martha has a lovely one already for you.

Killing dead things

Nine times out of ten if you hear me say that I've been killing dead things all day, what I really mean is that I've been doing all those stupidly annoying little jobs that build up over time, keep me out of my mind busy for an entire day working through them and leave me shattered and worth tuppence, slouched in a chair come 10pm and someone else could scour the house for hours on end and not be able to tell what I'd been up to all day. The things that need to be done and are a nightmare to do but make no visible difference whatsoever. Think renewing car insurance!

Every now and again though, I'm talking about the little jobs that matter to me and only me. At the end of the day I feel completely satisfied knowing they're done but they make no difference whatsoever to anyone else.

Like I finally sat down and recycled all this year's Christmas cards into tags for birthdays and Christmas this year. It might not be much but it makes me happy.



And I finished two more circle skirts and a little dress for Chloe to wear when we're on holiday in June. It's a bit dark and miserable to take photos of the skirts now, but I managed the dress earlier.


Besides a circle skirt is a circle skirt is a circle skirt, if you've seen one ...

And not only that, but the repair basket is only half filled now instead of overflowing! The hubster's work trousers are sorted, I've finally taken up two pairs of my own trousers (they've only been waiting a year or so) and I've let the hems down on Chloe's school trousers too. She's grown 6 feet since the start of the school year (she has, I swear she has judging by the number of hems I've let down since Christmas) and we still really need those trousers. It's just a wee bit too cold for a skirt just yet and Chloe hates tights with the venom only a five year old at the head of the bathroom line with 30 kids waiting impatiently in line behind her can muster.

So I'm done for the day and it's high time I treated myself to a nice hot brew and a curl up on the sofa with a good book for a while.

Gift it?

I'm asked more and more often by my customers these days if I'm willing to send items as gifts and the simple answer is that I'm more than happy to send any purchase direct to the giftee if need be.

Image courtesy of Swirlyarts

I get that we're all busy beavering away, between work, kids, housework, school schedules and just trying to find five minutes to sit still once in a blue moon it's all too easy for one day to blur into the next and before we know it birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and all those other days loom before us and sometimes schedules just don't allow for us to make the trip home or to see a friend on exactly the right day or weekend. Even thinking of Christmas this year when travel of any kind was pretty much a no go if not downright dangerous and the thought of a gift making it through the post once, never mind twice was stressful enough.

That doesn't mean that you don't want your gift to arrive on time though, sure you can always visit at the weekend later.

So, if you need something sent directly just drop me a line with the recipient's UK address at the time of purchase and I'll sort the rest. All gifts are sent gift wrapped in simple ribbon tied heavy cream calico gift bags with a handwritten tag and the usual confirmation bumpf (receipt, shipping label) will be emailed to the customer, rather than included with the purchase as they normally would.

The bags are entirely reusable and can be used again and again for gifts or storage or even to fill with dried lavender or herbs and used as a scented bag.

Gift wrapping is free of charge on all single purchase items, however if you purchase more than one item with the intention of each item going to separate UK addresses then the full postage cost of each item as stated in my shop will apply. This amount will be invoiced separately via paypal.

Oh and if you happen to order a purse, coin purse, one of the minis, full sized wallet or whatever it is, it'll be sent with a new penny in coin compartment for luck because you can't give an empty purse as a present.

Reasons I love you - #1

Because even though you're five and should know better, in fact probably because you're five and do know better, you still call nostrils "snotrills" and I think you might be onto something.

Britcraft

Business Decisions and Shop Update

I've been mulling over a few things in the back of my mind for the past six months or so regarding my little business and I've finally made a few decisions which will lead to some changes in how I run things here.

Most of these changes are small, many will go completely unnoticed by everyone but me. However, the first and perhaps biggest change which I've put in place this morning is that Leanne Woods Designs will no longer ship worldwide.

I realise for a business this probably seems a little bit counter productive. I've effectively reduced my customer pool to those living on the tiny group of Islands known as the UK but after some thought I'm completely fine with that, if anything I'm happier.

It's always been a goal of mine to use as many locally sourced materials as possible. Many of the fabrics I use are manufactured right here in the UK a smaller quantity are made in neighbouring EU countries however those were still purchased locally, I never add to the volume imported where possible. With things like zips and some hardware which just isn't manufactured anywhere in the UK I will import but I try to offset these items by using carbon neutral companies for things like stationary, business cards and packaging or by making donations.

Because of this I never felt comfortable with the idea of shipping worldwide, it was something I did way back when I first set up shop and it hasn't sat well with me since then. The idea of sending a purse or a handbag halfway round the planet when I'm completely and utterly positive that something could have been sourced closer to home seemed ludicrous to me.

I'll announce any future changes in time, but as I say they're teeny tiny compared to this and most won't have any dramatic effect to the shop or products on offer.

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Mini Pocket Purses - Now in Stock

Passing the buck

So I'm getting more than a little bit concerned about our upcoming holiday (if you missed that post by "our" I mean Chloe and I, Robert will be living the life of a bachelor for a fortnight).

The thing is Chloe is very independent for a five year old, you could never describe her as being clingy or attached to my apron strings. She's also very familiar with the area we live in and the town as a whole, because I don't drive most of our time together is spent locally so she always knows exactly where she is. If anything this has made her even more independent and I'm confident enough in her ability and the fact she has some common sense that I let her have a lot of free reign, or at least what she considers free reign.

I let her go into shops by herself while I wait outside and I don't make her stay within arms reach of me while we're out and about. She's always in sight but for instance I'm fine with sitting outside The Streat having a coffee while she plays in the square with whatever kid she's just met for the first time. Plus we've more safety nets in place than I could even list here, if we were to become separated Chloe knows exactly what to do and where to go depending on what part of town we're in whether it's the statue in the square, my old office or any one of dozens of shops staffed by people who know her and know my number.

Giving her so much leeway also makes it a lot easier on both of us when I have to take it away for one reason or another. Like if we're at the museum, obviously they don't want kids tearing all over the place and because it's a one off thing Chloe's happy enough to stay within arms reach without being frustrated or getting an attitude. She always knows it will be business as usual once we're home again.

The problem, and I know this is a complete cop out, is that I've always passed the buck when I need to reign her in for while, "the museum don't allow kids running around", "Kids have to stay with their mummy in the supermarket, the manager says so!". You get the idea. It never started as intentionally lazy, we just genuinely only visited places with rules about kids to begin with, but sometimes for the sake of a quiet life I have stooped to blaming someone else for her having to stick by me.

I know, trust me I know!

Only now we're off somewhere for two weeks to a place neither of us have been before, we won't know anyone from Adam and I can hardly tell her the entire country wants her to stay close, can I? She just isn't that gullible.

I've tried explaining that she'll have to stay a lot closer to me than she's used to, and we've had lengthy conversations on the subject where she'll spend a good 30 minutes agreeing that it's much better and much safer to stay close, only to walk away after we're finished talking and casually fling a comment like "sure the pool's not far away", or "Aimee's been before, I'll stay with Aimee" over her shoulder. Aimee's 8 by the way. I've visions of much frustration and tantrums on both our parts. I may need a holiday to recover from this one.

Oh 'eck

OK, I know it's been almost a month since I last posted, but I have excuses. Don't I always come armed with excuses?

For starters it was January and January is not the lovely quiet month everyone says it is. I've been lied to, I've lied to myself. I have to try and remember what January is like so it doesn't bite me next year!

I've had all the ick things to deal with like tax returns (never as bad as I think they're going to be) and paperwork to complete because Bob's out of work (worse than it really should be), but we've packed in the fun stuff too ...

Countless bike rides around the Floodgates


Trips to the duckpond



The birds really aren't walking on water, it's just frozen solid.

And I've been a busy little beaver making new stock.



I've even booked my first fair of the year, so I've been making like a woman demented for that too ...



Totally Bazaar is run by Decadence Premier Vintage Fairs, the same great organisers who bring you Frock Around the Clock each year. It'll take place on Sunday 3 April 2011 and starts at *11.00am at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast so if you're in the area feel free to drop in for a natter.

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On top of everything else we've been kept really busy by school things too. First there was the Exploris visit, a really fun day for the kids in school but it did come with a ton of extra homework. I don't mind homework but Chloe was being a bit of a nightmare about it, then she came down with tonsillitis and that explained everything. Obviously then once she was better and back to school we had a mountain of homework to catch up on, but at least it's finished now.

We've had two sponsored events to take care off and then there was pirate day!. Have you tried finding a pirate costume in the shops in the middle of January? It can't b done, so another thing went on the to do list and it had to be made from scratch. I've photos and I'll show them to you but they're on the camera and I just haven't had a second to deal with them yet.

I've a stack of foodie photos too and I will get round to posting the recipes at some stage, it just won't be today because today I'll be mostly making birthday presents for my mum and dad and finishing 3 skirts for Chloe so that I can drop them in the suitcase ready for pressing and packing before the holiday. I know it's not until June but I just like to know these things are done, then I don't have to think about them again. It's my own fault really, I cut the fabric and pinned it all and set it on the back of a chair where I could see it. Every. Single. Day. So it has to be done today, for my own sanity.

And at some stage in amongst everything else I'll manage to squeeze in my 30th birthday on Friday. I might sit down for a coffee or something instead of carrying it around with me like the cup's attached to my hand.

* You really have to love an organiser who appreciates that loading the car at 6.00am on a cold Sunday morning in April is not a big ol' bundle of giggles and let's us have a lie in!