From A Room With A View ...

I cannot believe where this month has gone to ... it has simply flown by ... and Christmas is almost upon us once again.

When I started this blog I promised myself that I would blog at least once a week and almost a month has gone by since I did so I hang my head in shame ...

So, what have I been up to I hear you say ... Well, I have managed to complete the bedroom make - over and all that remains for me to do now is make the patchwork curtains and get shelves up but the drill has broken and there are no funds in the pot at the moment to replace it so they will have to wait.

It is also a year (on the 26th) since my mom passed away suddenly so I have been a bit melancholy for the past few days and tomorrow would have been her birthday too. It has also been the month that saw 16 year old Miss J tell a boy that she liked him as more than a friend as he has liked her for a few years now and had almost given up so he is very happy! It is also a few weeks closer to Master J returning from a term at university in Finland and in fact he will be home three weeks today. To say I am excited is THE understatement of the year!!

November has also seen me making Christmas cards, decorations, gifts and start planning a possible change in direction for me next year. As much as I want to continue selling the things I make I am finding it increasingly difficult. I sell on Etsy and Folksy but have barely sold enough to cover my costs this year. I also have a business page on Facebook and although I have almost 1000 likers and people always say they like my things it just doesn't seem to help sales. I don't know whether to start doing craft fairs or not. My prices are very reasonable I think compared to some sellers who charged £85 upwards for a cushion but seem to sell a lot of them ... the jury is out at the moment but I need to come up with a better way to make some sort of living ... any ideas and tips gratefully welcomed ...

So ... a few pictures of what I have been up to ...

My patchwork wall which I LOVE!!!

I do love a bit of bunting don't you?

A bit of order at long last above Mr Handemade Lifestyle's wardrobe as all my crafting things were just shoved up there but I "borrowed" Master J's vintage suitcases and hid my stash in them instead.

My corner of vintage delights ...

A very small stack of my many books of deliciousness ... I really must get the shelves painted as well tut tut!

A few more of my handmade moss stitch scarves ... I have sold the last batch so only have these three left at £15 each.

Some painted pebbles have also been completed this month as well as ...

Jars of Christmas Chocolates for a friend's children as well as my own. I just need to do a vegan one for Miss J.

Christmas decorations were made for a Christmas swap over on Faith, Hope & Charity Shopping's blog.

A selection of covered 2013 diaries and notebooks have also been made and are priced £5.50 plus p&p.

And finally, some poppies were knitted and the money donated so all in all quite a productive month after all. Next on the to do list is a bag for my friends daughter for Christmas as well as a cushion for a friend and something for my sister as well ... best get back to it then ... thanks for reading this and I promise not to leave it so long between posts again xx

Up, up & Away ...

Last week saw me and the family get on a plane and fly off to Finland for a few days. It was the first time we had, as a family, been on a plane and the first flight ever for Miss G.

We flew via Ryanair to Tampere which is a really lovely little town. The reason we went there ...

was to see Mr J who is spending a term doing International Politics at Tampere University. He's been there since August and won't be home until Christmas so we went to see him. It was about 1 degree when we got there and -4 when we left but it didn't feel as cold as it did when we arrived back in the UK.

The Finnish people are very friendly and laid back and are happy to speak English and I would thoroughly recommend it for a city break. We stayed in an Omena hotel which sleeps four people in a room and it was around £40 per night. They have no reception or staff apart from cleaners so that keeps the cost down. It was clean, well thought out and functional. We only need it to sleep and shower in really don't we?

It's the first time I'd seen a double decker train so I had to take a picture!

The Three Musketeers together again and a lovely Finnish church in the town square.

A bit of Finnish writing for you - haven't a clue what it says and how cool is that chair?

On our last day we woke up to snow! Miss J and Miss G couldn't get up and dressed quick enough and we were outside by 8am! They had their picture taken with Santa (aka Mr  Handmade Lifestyle). The picture below this is the local theatre.

Sadly, before we knew it, it was time to board the shop in the sky (those of you who have flown with Ryanair will know what I mean!!) and head back to England ...