Saturday 20 November 2010

November's Christmas Class, home comforts and..the next workshop

November. Suddenly it has all gone a bit chilly, and the scarves and gloves are out, with a perfect excuse for a nice new coat. What have all you crafters been up to since we last saw you? Anyone been making Christmas cards, knitting masterpieces or scrapbooking delights?
Last Saturday was the last Christmas class, thank you to all the ladies who came and crafted.
We arrived at St Cuthbert's church at 9.15am-ish to start setting everything out, and I don't know what the weather was like for everyone else, but while we were safely inside it went from cloudy to rain to serious hailstone to blue sky and sun to rain! It's true, that saying: Britain doesn't have a climate, it has weather. Just the sort of day when you're glad you're inside arranging paper and stamping :)

Now, we are having a class on Wednesday 5th January 2011, which will be repeated on Saturday 15th January. Both classes are 10.30am - 3pm at St Cuthbert's Church, Lytham Rd, Preston. It is on the subject of birds and leaves and a general nature with a mix of winter. The class is being designed, and when designs have been made I will post them on here, as well as price. However, places are filling up, so if you would like to book a place on either of these dates, drop an email to Jennifer, craftyhearts@hotmail.co.uk
Also, if you book a place and would like directions about how to get to the church, email too. We will happily give you directions. The church has a car park and a bus route from Preston city centre stops nearby.

Here are piccies of some of the cards that were made last Saturday...










































...And am very glad to be making a few of these; I got so used to making half a dozen cups of tea at a time, and cleaning the cups afterwards, that when I am in the shared kitchen here at bookland (university), I offer to make passers-by into the kitchen a cup of tea. I'm not used to making just one!








I am being a bit naughty, I've put a pic on of the class, I hope nobody minds, I made it a small piccie so as to be only slightly cheeky...









Finally, I have not yet put photos on of the little new home (this is due to shameful lack of blogging). New home contains the Body Shop lemony products, cards, pink pen and lovely blackcurrant jam that were all presents from crafty friends - you know who you are, thank ye!

New home also contains applique cushion, furry rug and patterned things to make it feel homely. There's a modern-vintage style floral duvet cover and throw, and the handmade bunting that was a present, and the spotty bag (well, you need a pretty bag to take your laundry to laundry room, a crafty must!).
And a pretty bucket for cleaning things..









































Oh, and there are some of these too, have to read a few while here in bookland...












...And this cheeky characters is keeper of the keys, so I can't lose them.

Happy weekend everyone, and thank you for the comments!
Craftybird x
P.S Did anybody go see Harry Potter yesterday, on the day it opened? Not to name-drop, but we went to see it at midnight last night at Leicester Square. It's the biggest cinema in the country, so I've heard, and the film was AmAAAZing. The atmosphere was fab, everyone laughing and cheering. I recommend it!x


Wednesday 10 November 2010

The Craftybird is back and blogging :)

I am ashamed. I have not blogged for...three, yes three months. Serious bloggage is required, as lots of things have happened.
So, what has happened in three months...
August was the last full month in our beloved shop, Crafty Hearts. Our last classes were of the Christmas variety (you know how it is with crafters; Christmas in August, etc), and we were madly repricing stock and everybody thankfully popped in for tea and a chat before we closed on Friday 3rd September. Then chaos began, as I (Craftybird, the sidekick in the Crafty Hearts duo) relocated to London in the third week of September, while also we were having to remove everything from our shop into our house.
So, my room was summer-cleaned, and I quietly packed my mountains of stuff and put the boxes in the other room...and then got home one day to discover these boxes had been put back into my room, because the spare room was needed for several big shop items! My room was short of space before the towels, new books and wok. I'd like to point out here that the spare room is no longer spare, it has been sneakily made into a craft room!
The Crafty Hearts duo are now 'on the road': my mum (Jennifer) is on the road in a sense that she is continuing teaching craft workshops, but in different premises. An adventure :) And I am literally sometimes on the road: I am studying in London, and have popped back to the good old North this week :)
I planned to start blogging the moment I got to London, but didn't realise how chaotic it would be! It's a bit of a distracting place :D I'm only just starting to get a routine, where I can have a time of the day where I sit and blog, or do a bit of email chatting (or ring the mother - that requires a good hour of course).
I haven't popped any photos of the Christmas class that Jennifer taught in the middle of October, and is repeating this Saturday, because it sold out straight away! It was a case of people telling us to put them down on the next class she was doing - even though she hadn't yet designed it! Thank ye all for the faith :)
Now, we are planning a class at the very beginning of January, and I will post on here the date and the samples as soon as they are available. The plan is for it to be a bird, owl, leaves and trees vibe, as we didn't get chance to do an autumnal class, and those sort of colours might brighten up a chilly January day. And I will blog about mine and chief crafter's travels until then :)
I'll be back soon for a natter,
Craftybird
x