U-handblog

U-Handbag Crafty Clear Out #2

Before I continue I just wanted to let you know that I've released 3 of my U-Handbag purse making kit  patterns for paid PDF download.  If you want to sell items made from these patterns that's fine by me, usual official-ness applies (pls read the fine print on the pattern).

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The closer we get to having to move house the more there is the need to shift this crafty goodness that I've amassed over the last 5 years.  It's all lovely crafty gear, I just can't take it all with me.  I'll keep having these Crafty Clear Outs until it's all gone.

It's all yours if you want it and you stump up for the postage :)  Click on photo to enlarge.

  OoooKaaay, this time we have:

• 3 x Sewing World mags (one of which contains one of my bag designs)
  
• Haute Handbag Vol 2. Somerset Studio journal
  
• Quick & Crafty mag,
  
• Taunton Threads mag
  
• Quick Stuff to Sew by Craft Stylish mag
• Pair of blue acrylic omega shaped bag handles
• Pair of bamboo half ring handles with brass hooks
• A skein of lovely lipstick pink Cascade 220

Contest Details (please read carefully)

I'll send the all of the crafty gear in the picture to one winner.

To enter all you have to do is comment on THIS PARTICULAR POST by:

• Think of 1 question to ask me. It can be anything you want as long as it doesn't require a long answer  ;D       I'll read thru all your comments and I'll pick the question to answer. Hopefully we can have a bit of fun with this.  Ooooerr!!
• Only one entry per person please.
  

Contest Official-ness :

1. I'll pick the winner in 5 days time - 31st March and announce the winner the following day-ish.  Good luck!
   
2. I'll need to ask the winner to make a donation for the postage.
   
3. Sorry I can't notify winners, so please keep an eye for the winner announcement.  This is made easier for you if you subscribe to this blog so you don't have to keep checking back, although it's always great to have you pop-in for a read :0)
4. Prizes which are not claimed within 3 weeks of the winner announcement will be carried forward to the next draw.
5. Sorry I can't reply to contest/draw comments, but I do love reading every single one :)

...and the winner of the U-Handbag Crafty Clear out #1 is...

Thanks for your entries to the U-Handbag Crafty Clear out #1.  You're doing me a favour believe me :)  If you didn't get lucky this time, I will be doing lots more of these.  I have a whole load of crafty gear that needs to go to good homes.

The winner this time round is Comment number 41!

  

Which means that Kira who said:

"I have been wanting to make a pretty summer dress for ages so I'd love to finally make one with a matching (not in a matchy-matchy way) handbag."

Wins the crafty loot.  Kira will you please email me (see blog right-hand top corner for address) so we can send you your goodies.

Look out for the next post which will have details of the next Crafty Clear out.

New Carpet Bag Kits & other craft linky love

Eeeeeeyowwwngggg!  That's the sound of life moving fast.  In the space of a few days we've had a mortgage agreed in principle and 3 folks are viewing our house our this week.  I hope they don't open any cupboards - they'll be swamped with my stash and sewing gear (which I've shoved in the cupboards in a lame attempt to make the house look tidy).  Woo hoo!  So we're really excited about that.  But rather anxious about house hunting because this time round we have to plan for family and schooling - yikes!

I'm still hacking away at my inbox - so sorry to anyone waiting :(    When I've made good inroads into it I'll feel less guilty at  working on a freebie tute I have planned.  But I also have a bag making workshop (with Sewing World) in May to plan for.  Bit nervous about that, but I think it will be a fun and educational experience for us all (hope hope hope). The devil makes work...  and all that.

Here are some nice crafty links that you might enjoy whilst I sit chained to my inbox (boo hoo!):

 
Taken from Cotton Patch.  How stunning is this vintage quilt?  The amount of love and hours that must have gone into bringing this baby to life.

 

  The new Carpet Bag Kit. Going going...

• Less than 15 of these Strawberry Shortcake Carpet Bag Kits left.
• Can't get to the V & A Quilt Exhibition or fancy a sneak peek?  Check out Cotton Patch's preview piccies. So inspiringly YUM!
• ...and here's some V & A quilting fabric. That was a bit mean wasn't it?  :D
• Use this cute iPhone holder PDF pattern to make this this cute iPhone holder.
• I've been using this excellent photo editing/viewing software for the last 2 weeks and it's my absolute fave!  Try it free for 30 days here. 
• Here's a good tute on taking crafty product photos.
• This amazing woman is  attempting to make herself a dress a week
• Ace round up of free twitter or website backgrounds.
• Cool & kooky video tute on how to make a cropped waist coat
• Just because it's so vinatgey and nice. Claire Nicholson textiles.

Utter load of boswelox

Daft in any language!  Good old boselox.  This is an old ad (so glad I found it) Loreal pulled the name bo&%ocks named compound and the wrinkle blasting claims made alongside because they got into trouble. Heh!  They now have Linda Evanglista as their saa-lebby spokesperson.  But looking at the picture, I won't be slapping that stuff on my face for fear of...

  ...looking like a startled cat...

 
...and what in the Jimenny is that?!?   You don't seriously think that this daft contraption massager applicator thingy (what's wrong with fingers?) is going to make me think.  "Ohh! If I buy that and lock myself in the bathroom (because if my husband sees me using it he'll split his sides laughing) and I run this cheap plastic land fill ridden nonsense on my face I will again have the skin of an 18 year old! la la la!".  Um yeah, of course I will.

  Image taken from here. It's not that any of this is surprising.  What is surprising is that the beauty, food, and baby food (grrrr!) companies get away with it - for ANY length of time.

Like most women I'm not overjoyed at seeing my wrinkles and rolls increase in number.  In the fight against the inevitable sag I'm happy to try to maintain a healthy-ish diet, get a good night's kip, and keep-up a reasonable skincare regime.  But why do beauty companies think that all because we want to look after our skin a little bit everyday we are idiots who will lap up their daft claims of being able to tighten skin and wrinkle be gone-ness?  And another thing just how long and thick can a girls lashes be?  Before long we'll look as though we have wigs stuck to our eyelids...

But at least it's funny watching them trying to pedal their wares by bandying about crazy makey-uppy science-y sounding names.  Here's is a small selection of hilarious and cringe making ads.  Sorry guys, but you're talking utter boswelox!

• Urgh! I don't have anything against Jennifer Aniston (unless she's trying to sell me shampoo)
• See above - Cheryl Cole + more shampoo = parody ad.
• I don't know who she is, but when Eve agreed to advertise for Olay she became a tool of the devil.

Do you think these ads are daft too?

U-Handbag Crafty Clearout Giveaway #1

Awwwwwww!! Thank you everybody for your lovely comments about my book and for welcoming me back to the crafty fold. And thank you to everyone who has purchased or wish-listed my book.  I'm touched that you trust me enough to go ahead and spend your bucks on some of my writing :)

  This is for you; a big fat virtual 'squhuggle' (a squeeze, a hug, and a cuddle all rolled into one).

Sorry I couldn't reply to all of your comments, but for what it's worth I read every single comment that you lovely folks leave for me - always have, always will.

There were a few questions from your comments that I can answer here:

• What's the publication date?  September 2010
• Can I use that author photo for the blog? Yep, I sure will use one of the  fancy pants piccies when I know which one my publisher will use on the book cover.
• Will I be doing book signings?  It's very likely that I will (oooh!!!) My publisher is going to try and have some advance copies ready for the Festival of Quilts in Aug. If my publisher manages it, I will be book signing on the same stand as Amy Butler (The Cotton Patch stand). Fingers crossed! It would be ace to see ya!  I'll keep you posted.
• For the step by step photography were there several bags already made in varying stages or did you have to make each bag from scratch and photo them as I went along? I made one of each bag.  I wanted the instruction shots to be close-up detailed shots (you don't get to see a wide view). This meant I could (to a point) make up various different parts of a given bag for the various shots without necessarily having to complete the bag. That said, I did have to do a fair amount of sewing, but Jack was very patient so I didn't get (too) stressed about having to make him wait in-between shots.  As I mentioned in my last post, a lot of thought can go into creating an instruction shot.  It has to look attractive, be well lit, but importantly it must illustrate what you want it to say in a quick and impactful way (that made me sound ever so nerdy).
• Will I be selling signed copies in my shop?  Thanks for asking!  Yep I sure will.  All copies sold from U-Handbag will include a friendly paw-print from me.  But you still might want to pop into Amazon because it will cost less (they buy books by the truck-load so they can get hoooge discounts whereas I can't to the same level). 
• A baby quilt?  Yes Linda, you're right.  I will have to get on with making a baby quilt - at some point soon (but not just yet!)

So now book writing is finished the publisher is busy putting the book together by amalgamating the photos with the text.  I will then have to begin editing the whole thing at the end of this month.  That leaves me with a little bit of a breather to get on with life things and shop things. It goes without saying my in-box has big fangs and my stock room over-floweth.  You know how I am moving house this summer? (she says that with such certainly even though she hasn't started house hunting yet - EEEKKK!!!)  Well, I have to clear out loads of my crafty gumpfh to help  lighten the load.  To be honest I'd much rather do some sewing than answer emails and clear out my office. I have mad urges to sew my first quilt and sew some summer dresses.  But duty calls. Phoooooey! 

I will having a good few of these crafty clear out giveaways over the next few months until I can see the floor of my stock room again... I couldn't think of a better home for it all to go to - yours! 

  My 1st crafty clear out consists of: 3 Sewing World Mags (one of them current. I'm not in any of these). They are a mine of sewing information with full-sized patterns too; 1 Quick & Crafty mag with a sequins & glitter pack; 1 Artist's Cafe Iss 1 by Somerset Studio; a yummy pair of metal 3D floral ring handles (perfect for weddings), a small sew-in purse frame and a piece of my very fave type of fusible interfacing. Phew that's enough to keep anyone anyone busy for while!

Contest Details (please read carefully)

I'll send the all of the crafty gear in the picture to one winner.

To enter all you have to do is comment on THIS PARTICULAR POST by:

• Telling us what you really fancy making/learning craft-wise this year. 
• Only one entry per person please.
  

Contest Official-ness :

1. We'll randomly draw the winner in 5 days time - 24th March and announce the winner the following day-ish.  Good luck!
   
2. I'll need to ask the winner to make a donation for the postage.
   
3. Sorry I can't notify winners, so please keep an eye for the winner announcement.  This is made easier for you if you subscribe to this blog so you don't have to keep checking back, although it's always great to have you pop-in for a read :0)
4. Prizes which are not claimed within 3 weeks of the winner announcement will be carried forward to the next draw.
5. Sorry I can't reply to contest/draw comments, but I do love reading every single one :)

The Bag Making Bible Photo Shoot

Hello Folks!  How are you all keeping?  In good health and happy spirit I hope.

Yes for those who don't yet know my book is to be called The Bag Making Bible and it's now in Amazon in the UK & US (so it must be real then). I can't tell you how weird it is to see my name in a shop in which I've spent way too much money....

Oh I and thought I should mention that Amy Butler is writing a foreword in my book. I know?!

I tell you what, I'm a sooper good mood.  Not only is it gorgeously sunny, I have finally finished writing my book. Yeah, I finally finished!!! I sent the last bits and pieces of writing in yesterday.  All that remains is one final (and thorough) check-over the book before it goes to print this April. What a journey it's been. Thank you to you for keeping me company during the process and putting up with me being (at times) a wretched moany pants.  I have kinda have gone on about it sometimes...

Everyone who has worked on the book has been brilliant in pulling it all togther. Lots of stuff goes on behind the craft book creating scenes; the craft author just writes and designs. Without a talented and caring team to put the author's material together in a clear, presentable, and LUSH package it just aint gonna happen. And the results?  I can report the book looks stunning.  I think even a person with a more objective eye than mine would still agree :)

I'm positive I will at some point write more books.  They are very hard work, but at the same time very magical.  I love teaching anyone who will listen.  For a person like me who's a tad shy and who loves the process more than the product; teaching through the medium of books is great. But no book writing for a year though.  We have to move house and we want to have a baba - eeeek!

To everyone who has got in touch and said Hi; I'm doing great, thanks so much for asking XX  (I really am touched that you asked, you know?  I mean really, how lucky does that make me?)  I'll be back to blogging more regularly.  There is so much I want to share with you.  It's all been kinda building up.

I thought you might to see some pics of Salcombe, Devon where I went to stay for 5 days to do the book photography.  Almost all of the step by step shots were taken in a bright studio (with the freshest and cleanest light I have ever seen inside a building). The studio is called Bangwallop and they are nicest most helpful bunch you could hope for to take gorgeous pictures for you.  Unfortunately I'm not able to post those pics here.

  Soo pretty! This was the view from my guest house.  The studio was a 10 min stroll away (very close the 3  pointy roofs in the middle of the pic, at the bottom).

I walked pass this every morning.  It's enough to put you in good mood on the way to work!

Salcombe is a very pretty and tiny town by the sea.  Very quiet in winter and packed to the rafters in the summer.  Every lunchtime I would sit on a park bench and munch on my sarnies looking at this view - bliss!

There are pretty pastel coloured houses everywhere.  The only way in and out of Salcombe is up this mad steep hill - and yeah, my guest house was up the mad steep hill.  Great for walking off my supper though!

Cute and chocolate box pretty.  Great shops too, but I didn't indulge...

This is the front of the Bangwallop Studio where most of the shots were taken.  It's got a cool gallery where you can buy prints and pictures and it has a few studios where the in-house photo action takes place.  Inside there's a little cafe area where Little Jack makes THE best cappuccino.  Hiya Debbie, Little Jack, Jack, & Lorna!

Inside the shop part of the studio.  Sat behind those drool-worthy huge screen Macs are (right to left) Jack - my photographer and Little Jack the studio's go-to guy.

Some of my sewing mess tools and equipment (Marilyn is probably thinking; 'Why the hell can't Lisa just tidy up as she goes along?')  That's not the half of it, there was loads of my stuff strewn all over the studio.  In the end Jack took well over 2500 shots and you can't do that by keeping things nice and tidy!

Tools of my trade (and loo roll for keeping coffee away from fabric!)

See that pile of papers in the middle?  That was what Jack and I were working from for the photography.  The sheets are called '1st pages'. 1st pages are your text and images laid out as they will more or less appear in the finished book.  As you can just about see there are a few grey boxes where the photos are going to be placed. At the 1st page stage my editor and I have to check over all of the text to ensure we are happy with the way the text and pictures are laid out.  The corrections and additions then go to the design team at the publishers.  Later I will receive what is called the 2nd pages and the 2nd pages will have everything all laid out and included.  The 2nd pages are where my editor and I get one final chance to make sure that my writing makes sense that all is present and correct before the book goes to the printer in mid April.  Ohhhhh!

See that uber sexy camera there?   It's probably worth more than my house!  And to think Jack left me alone in the studio with it more than once!  Hehe!

Here's Jack in full concentration mode. I really have to hand it to the guy.  It was dead easy to explain to him what part of the bag was important to shoot.  Actually, getting the right shoot can take a good bit of thought, but you'd tell him once and he'd get on with it.  Plus he was easily as fussy as me (if not more)  about getting the right shot.  In the end I swear he could write a bag making book himself!  Don't even think about it Jack - I know where you work...

Yes I know the place looks untidy, but wait until you see the finished results, you won't believe your eyes (in a good way of course!)

My trusty Janome 6600p which I used all though the writing of the book. I've probably driven her up the wall these last 6 months, but she stuck with me the whole time.  I love her! 

See that blue and white gingham tea towel at the bottom of the picture?  Between you and me it has a very naughty word embroidered on it (only click here to see what if you are not offended by swear words...)

Yes Mum that really is me!  If you ever get an opportunity to prance around in a studio with a pro photographer - DO IT!!  It's such a gas and much cheaper than placcy surgery.   Here is one of the many author shots that Jack took after we finished the craft photography. I dunno which my publisher will use.  We'll have to see.

Oh!  It is sooo good to be back, I really missed you all!  XX

PS:  Thanks heaps to Jen (who is the lovely lady from D&C who approached me to get this book shenanigans started - so double thanks) for my award :)