March 31st, 2012

SHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Typing this blog insanely quietly, as there's a certain little miss upstairs that doesn't seem to want to go to sleep!

Day One of Maid of Honour dress shopping done, not as successful as it could have been but we certainly ruled a lot of things out, so that's productive at least!  We started by looking at high street shops, Monsoon, Coast etc but as we suspected they're just not "special" enough for a MoH!!  I'm not having bridesmaids so we don't need to worry about things matching, so onto the independents it is!!

March 30th, 2012

After two days of cooking for one I'm please to say that I finally have my three favourite men home - Andy, Ben & Jerry! 

Good day today, we managed to sort the artwork for some packing for a few new products I'm hoping to list soon.  The samples will be here next week but even on the computer they look very professional with my Lucy Liz logo!  Love them!  Hopefully the products will look just as good!

Going to get myself to bed, my Maid of Honour are her beautiful little lady are arriving tomorrow for a day of dress shopping so must be at my best!

March 29th, 2012

What a long day...and not in a good way!  Andy's been away in London for two days so I've been on my own, which I've not enjoyed as much as you'd think!  I like a bit of time to myself sometimes but I hate being on my own in the evenings, cooking for one, makes me thankfully that I've got someone to cook for/with! 

Someone who, in 6 months from today, I'll be married to!  6 months!  That's really not time at all is it?  It's going to fly by I'm sure, only feels like two minutes since we booked it, I'm sure we'll be sat looking at the photos of the day before we know it!  We're all organised too, got my best friend and Maid of Honour coming to stay this weekend to do some dress shopping (for her!) and that's the last big thing to sort...I told you this wedding planning thing was easy!!

www.lucyliz.co.uk

March 28th, 2012

Today, for the first time in longer than I can remember, I ran.  Actual running.

Good lord I'm not as fit as I used to be!  I used to be seriously fit, was on the netball team, hockey team, athletics team...now I can barely move!  We've been going out for walks since I got my trainers, so tonight I did a good "power walk" to warm up then threw some running in.  It started well, very well actually, I was praising myself for how much of my fitness I've managed to maintain....then it hit me, I could barely breathe!  I must admit though it felt good to be exhaused having done something to make me feel exhausted, rather than just feeling it for no reason, I could definitely get used to it!

Now I shall be taking my weary self to bed ready to wake up in the morning and not be able to move a muscle!

March 27th, 2012

Today can be summed up in one word - stamps!

Having kept our eyes peeled for weeks today we finally found out the new 2012 stamp prices...oohhh there's some unhappy folks out there!  I suppose 60p for a first class stamp does seem a lot, especially when you ask for a book and it comes in at more than £7.00, but I just think it's such good value!  With fuel prices the way they are can you imagine how much it would cost you to drive your letter from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall?!  An awful lot more than 60p!!

The one thing I do disagree with is the new scheme for pricing packets.  For those who haven't heard about it, a packet weighing anywhere between 0 and 750g will be one flat price.  It's an absolute winner if you're sending heavier things but for those selling small, light things it's pretty hideous.

It makes me worry about those of us with small, online businesses.  In some cases, especially for those people who make and sell textiles, postage (with packaging) will be at least half the prices of the products.  I have some brooches listed on my Etsy shop which, with the brooch pin on the back, are too big to be Large Letters, so on a £6.50 product you'll be paying £3.00 in P&P - I don't expect to be selling too many of those!!

Who knows, it may work out, but I really don't see this doing anything to boost online sales, for anyone!

March 26th, 2012

My 100th blog post!!  I must admit that when I decided to do a blog-a-day for the year I did think it would be a  lot easier than this, but determined to stick with it!

My site is slowly but surely finding it's way back online, it's just unreal how much their is to do!  I'm not making things easy (for anyone!) by having 4 photos per product but I think it's important to give as much info as I can about a bag, especially as you've already paid for it when you see it for the first time!

Just a couple more bags to add, newspaper print and the skull and roses print, then the purses and totes can go on....only a little list huh?!

March 25th, 2012

This weather!  Summer has definitely arrived here in Cheshire!  I've decided to greet it with a cold but apart from that it's great! 

Got back from our trip to the north east and we were straight in the garden getting some bits done...Andy got the grass cut whilst I tried to salvage the plants that I've probably killed.  I'm rubbish with the garden...I have every good intention of doing it, and I come from a very green-fingered family so I really do know what I'm doing, but on a day-to-day basis it just doesn't get done.  There's always something else to be done first (usually involving a sewing machine!) so the garden always comes last.  We really must make an effort to keep on top of it this year, and hopefully I'll catch some sun while I'm out there so I can have a fake tan-free wedding!

Handmade Monday tomorrow and I must submit something!!!  Public promise!

March 24th, 2012

Greetings from Harrogate!  Another long day today, but a florist appointment, lunch with my mum and dinner with my brother in law to be made it worth it!

And now, annoying, I'm off to change the clocks ready to lose an hour of sleep!

March 23rd, 2012

Loooong day. Started uneventful with that "same s**t different day" feeling, then exciting, then miserable, then fine, then super excited....I hope to be able to elaborate on all of those sometime soon but for now, I'm going to bed.  Another day of wedding appointments tomorrow so got to be ready!

March 22nd, 2012

We've just finished watching John Bishop's Week Of Hell for Sport Relief....what a hero.  For those who don't know what it's about, John Bishop started off in Paris, cycled to Calais, rowed across the Channel then ran more than three marathons to get from Dover to London.

I just love these programmes, David Walliams' swim was equally as epic, it amazes me to see what people will do for other people.  I also find it puts things into context...here we all are complaining about the budget and what 37p on a packet of cigarettes will do, and there are orphaned children drinking water from a town's sewage.  It just kills me, if I could fly out there tomorrow and bring those kids back I really would - Angelina and Madonna would have nothing on me!

What these shows do motivate me to do is get up off my arse and do something.  There's two or three charities that I care a lot about, which I've had plans to fundraise for for a while, but in amongst every day life it just doesn't get done. So this year I'm determined to do it.  I won't say too much now but later in the year I shall be begging you all for your hard-earned cash so be warned!!!!

March 21st, 2012

Ohhh The Apprentice is back, I love this show but as a self-employed person it frustrates the life out of me!

The "crafty" lot reading this I'm sure will appreciate my point here....tonight's task was to come up with a design, choose a load of blank products, screen print the design onto those products and sell them. Yes, because it's THAT simple!  That's why all us designer makers are millionaires! 

It's made to look so easy, the amount of capital needed even to set up the girls' market store would reach thousands (unless you happen to have a spare heat-press in your attic?!)

And on that note, I shall be going to bed ready to get up tomorrow, spend the entire day at my sewing machine then work hard to sell my products...! #NotBitterAtAll  !

March 20th, 2012

I'll let you in on a secret...whoever it was that said that wedding planning is one of the most stressful things you can do...they were doing it wrong!

It's just the easiest thing in the world! So long as you're organised there's just no way it can be difficult.  I'll admit we did have a little struggle finding the venue last year (when your Mum is the youngest of 8 children you don't get away with a small venue!) but once that was booked it's just gone so smoothly I'm actually starting to wonder if we've done something wrong, I'm half expecting to turn up on the day and realise we've forgotten something obvious like the cake or dinner!

Today we booked our entertainment, florist appointment this weekend and then we're done!  With 6 months to spare!  Simples! 

I always maintained that this period would not be stressful, I can't imagine anything worse than getting to the wedding day and just being relieved because the stress is over.  If the build-up isn't enjoyable then don't do it!  Just got to make the most of every minute!

March 19th, 2012

I don't man to complain but I really just don't seem to have enough hours in a day!  Remember when I made that epically long To Do list?  It just keeps getting longer!  It's as if for every product I cross off the list two more are added to the bottom!

Hopefully my site will be back up and running this week, lots of changes, some you'll notice and some you won't but it's been a lot of work!  The distinct lack of hours in a day (I'm sure I'm being short changed, there's no way I'm getting 24 hours!) has meant that not everything that I wantd on the new site is finished, but I've done what I can and the rest is on it's way...I promise it'll be worth the wait!

March 18th, 2012

Yet again it's the end of another busy weekend, they're flying by so quickly at the moment!

It's been a weekend of wedding plans for us, hammering out some details with the venue, RSVPs are coming back to us...it's all starting to feel very real!

Also got to spend some time with my lovely Mum yesterday, I hate not to see her on Mother's Day but geography is against us sometimes!  She bought us such a fab little pressie though, I unwrapped this packet and it's a white ceramic chess piece, really big it's about a foot tall.  I love it, really quirky, but then it turns out that the piece is a King, which will be my new surname - clever gift!!  Possibly a gift that was a little too clever for a non-chess player but I love, very thought out!!

March 17th, 2012

Today was day 1 of the rescheduled wedding appointments having cancelled the last lot when I was in hospital...a few detours along the way have left me physically and emotionally drained, so Im going to bed!

March 16th, 2012

My running trainers have arrived. I hate them.  They've not done anything wrong, just turns out that I hate all trainers! 
They're actually great, they're really solid with fabulous supports in all the right places. The problem is that in this age of Ugg Boots I really don't walk properly anymore in boots, I drag my feet like I'm in slippers, so the trainers force your feet into the position that actually they should be in all the time....ohhh agony!  I don't know about running I can barely walk in them!  They pushed my feet into the "right" position and I could just feel them cramping almost instantly - my 6 inch heels don't kill my feet like these things!  Unreal!  No pain no gain though...apparently...!

On a side note, March 16th is always a day I spend thinking about family and friends, all of which I love very much - you're a good bunch! X

March 15th, 2012

Finally, after what feels like a wait of about 6 months, the first of my new products was finished today!  After the frames arrived on Tuesday I set about putting them together but inevitably with a new product there were a few creases that needed ironing out.  Thankfully I seem to have sussed out the problem and fixed it and now I have the beginnings of my new ranges sat ready for photographing!  Such a great feeling, I love this bit when it feels like all the hard work is coming together!

Just been watching Mary Portas and her British knickers....bloody love that woman!  I have so much respect and admiration for what she's trying to achieve, I only hope she can pull it off and do something towards the state of our economy - us British makers need some help!!!

March 14th, 2012

I'm taking up running, yes I am!
I've been meaning to do something resembling exercise for months (figured I should seeing as I've barely moved since about 1993!) but today I've finally decided to do it and I shall be starting running. Got myself straight online and ordered trainers and and some trousers...I'm like a pro!

Hard to believe but actually I used to be a very good runner!  At school I was on lots of the sports teams, always played netball and hockey (I'm from a big family of hockey players!) and always ran 100 and 200 metres in the summer...there's an athlete in there somewhere, just got to find her again!

So I've posted this publically, in the hope that if I failed to do this it'll be a public failure, and that's not an option!

March 13th, 2012

After weeks of frustration, things are finally moving again with my new products!

I was so organised!  I put my order in for the frames I needed for my new bags and purses, made a list of what I'd ordered and proceeded to cut and stitch all of the pieces so they were ready for the frames arriving.  Got all the sewing done and then waited...and waited...and waited....nothing turned up.  Turns out my parcel got stuck in customs for almost 2 weeks! 2 weeks to get a box through an office, unreal!

But they're here now and I'm back and running with it, so hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll be bombarding you with nothing but new pics of new products!  Good times!

March 12th, 2012

Ohhhh Lord I'm tired!  After a week off having been back to hospital, today was my first day back at my "other job"...I'm exhausted!  You just don't realise how much you don't do when you're off, until you get back to work!  I went back and dived straight into my jobs that needed doing, by half past one I was ready for bed - and all I can think is that I've got to do it all again tomorrow!

Must get a good sleep tonight, tomorrow my box with all my new bags frames is arriving, lots of new sizes and styles that I've not been able to get on with because they held the frames in customs for what's felt like a million years!  Don't care how tired I am tomorrow, I'm making those bags!!

Night night all! X

PS - 3 days to go to guarantee your orders for Mothers Day!  Don't forget! http://folksy.com/shops/LucyLiz?page=1

March 11th, 2012

If Wendy doesn't mind I'm actually going to use this Handmade Monday post to promote someone else that I feel deserves such a mention!

Today Andy and I went to the Vintage Market in Stockport.  We've been meaning to head down there for ages and just never got around to it so today we finally made it.  For those who don't know what it is, it's a monthly event held in the covered Market Hall in the centre of Stockport, it's primarily vintage (the clue's in the title!) but there's also a scattering of in-keeping handmade in there too, some really beautiful things actually, I'd bought something before I'd got to the second stall!

Anyways, one of the reasons for going was to see an old friend of mine that I know from my former life which was spent trackside at the British Touring Car Championship.  Alistair (now of Come Dine With Me fame, if anyone watches that!) was there working with his partner Stuart who is the proud owner of Stuart Thornley Cake Design - you have got to check this guy out!  I had every intention of taking a pic of the beautiful cakes that we bought to show you but they didnt last long enough! 

All of the products are baked entirely from scratch and Stuart has designed just the most beautiful product range, from cupcakes to push-up cakes, cake lollipops...you name it, he can do it, even down to the packaging it's all finished in the most professional way you can imagine.  Brilliant!

On a side note, may I remind you all that it's Mother's Day one week today!  So be sure to get your orders in before Thursday to guarantee delivery for Sunday!!  You can find most things from me over at Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/LucysDesigns?ref=si_shop - or message me via the Lucy Liz page on Facebook.

March 10th, 2012

Today I made an amazing discovery.  It turns out that, against all odds, my work room has a carpet!  Who knew!  I've not seen it in at least a year but it's definitely there! 

I just can't keep that room tidy...threads go on the floor and I have every intention of hoovering it later, but later never comes, and before you know it been months and months and I couldn't tell you what colour the carpet is if my life depended on it!

Tomorrow I may tackle removing the layer of cotton and felt fibres that sits on top of the carpet - who knows, it might make the room an inch deeper! - but for now, it's enough to know that today I found the floor.  Well done me!

March 9th, 2012

Very important day today - today, we bought my wedding dress!
It is perfect, I know I'm biased but it really is.  Typically it's the first dress that I liked in the first shop, but it's definitely MY dress.  It's been a long slog getting it, turns out the day I tried it on it was a complete fluke that I even got to see it, it's so new it's not even on the designer's website yet!  Nowhere can even get samples of it so I'm taking it as a massive sign of fate that I was meant to walk into that one shop on that one day and see it....meant to be!

Having placed the order today I don't actually get to see the dress now until June, when it'll arrive and all the alterations can begin...so frustrating as I want it here, now, but it will be so worth the wait!

Happy, happy day!

March 8th, 2012

Good, good day!!  Apart from getting a decent pile of sewing done I FINALLY got our wedding invitations done!  Written, in envelopes, addressed, stamped...you name it, it's done!  Still a few evening invites to write (bit of a cock up with the printing so need some more, can only blame myself as the mistake was on the sample and I still approved it!) but apart from that they're done and I can't tell you how relieved I feel!

I didn't realise how bothered I was about the invites until a few weeks ago when I started having dreams that it's the day before the wedding and I still haven't sent them...clearly it was on my mind!

Just got to remember to post them!!!

March 7th, 2012

I got the best surprise today! I'm sitting in our living room complaining to myself that someone had parked in our space outside without a permit when the guy comes through our gate. I opened the door to him and he's stood with a big box, tied with string, full of cupcakes from my best friend!

I'm not sure how bride-to-be friendly these are but what a brilliant Get Well Soon treat!

March 6th, 2012

Finally back to my sewing today! Didn't get loads done but enough to feel like I've done something productive!

And my sewing was so kindly interrupted by a surprise delivery of flowers from my mum, aw!

March 5th, 2012

So today was my first ever day "on the sick"...I don't think I'm very good at it!  Doing nothing is not what I do!

Been extremely tired today, the slightest thing is exhausting so I actually haven't done too much, but tomorrow I intended to pick up where I left off with my sewing and get back to it.  Got plenty to do, had a nice order in at the end of last week (which I still haven't elaborated on have I!) and got another bag to get ready to go off for a photoshoot at the end of this week so tomorrow I intend to be back with a vengeance - the joys of self-employment!

Hope everyone else's Handmade Monday has been more productive than mine!

March 4th, 2012

Absolute nightmare of a weekend, was in hospital (again) for most of Saturday, sent home and was back in within 12 hours!  And not even the same hospital!  I seem to be making a decent collection of hospital wristbands though.

So not a great weekend all in all, had to cancel a meeting at the wedding venue and another one with the florist, I did though manage to finally settle on the dress I want, so at least that's something positive, will be ordering that tomorrow!  Andy's been a star as usual, spent two days sitting on a hospital chair...the things I put him though!

Only good I can think of is that with the amount of "rest" I'll be getting this week I'll get a lot of sewing done so hopefully will have something to share with you all for Wendy's Handmade Monday!

March 3rd, 2012

Nightmare day, just been discharged from hospital, in way too much pain to be doing this but wasn't failing my challenge!

Speak tomorrow!

March 2nd, 2012

Tonight's blog comes to you from Harrogate where I'm feeling a little worse for wear!  My uncle Richard and his wife have a pub up here and tonight we were all invited over to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.

Do's with my family are always great as there's always plenty of us (my mum is the youngest of 8) but they're very loud! The yorkshire accents all come back and the volume goes up! Wouldn't swap 'em though!

Going to get to bed, got a day of wedding appointments tomorrow so must be on top form!

March 1st, 2012

It's March already!  Where on earth have the last two months gone?!  I think I've worked through and missed them!

Long day of making today but a very good one, lots of bits ready for posting out tomorrow.  Oddly I ended up changing a tote bag design today on the basis that I was too tired to finish it!  I was doing some of the totes with the Queen's head over the Union Flag, I did the head and set it aside to dry (and very nearly dozed off) and when I looked back at it I actually preferred it to the design I'd originally been doing...less is more, and all that!

Must get to bed, we've had a non-stop week so far and it's set to continue tomorrow with a trip home for a family party, and you should never take my family on without sleep!!