It's getting real!

Sorry no photos tonight! I have been mega busy this week with rolls of this and that, handbag hardware and fabric not to mention some rather gorj business cards and lovley parcel labels arriving!I can't hand out the cards yet as I have loose ends to tidy up beofre I can register with the old Inland Revenue! Oh yes and I have some lovley simple fabric labels on order too!
I have been funding this start up with selling lots of my rubber stamps etc on ebay - bidders certainly love the Tim holtz stuff - it gets bids within minutes of being online! Selling off my beloved stamps also means I am gaining more space in the dining room to work at! Rob has built and electrified his "shedquarters" which should see a lot of his dining room "stuff" move out too - gosh we might actually be able to eat in there again!
I have been laying in bed late at night this week mulling over designs in my head - great but why does inspiration strike after midnight?!
I picked up some fabulous great quality lining fabric today - its yummy but you will have to wait to see it!
Debs and Nicks - I have not forgotten your birthdays but I honestly think that I will end up bringing your pressies to AP!! Sorry what a rubbish friend I am!
My name inspiration - the gorgeous Ruby has been poorly this week - she's still not quite better - I hate it when someone I love is ill and I cant help them.
A chance convo this week led me to discover that someone I work with has a lovley building in Wales that they rent out for workshops! Yay! You can imagine the old brain has gone in to overdrive. It would be great to run purse or bag making workshops in a pretty environment.What do you think?
Last week Debs suggested that I look at goddess names for my bags - why are they all called names like Hecate or have names that sound beautiful to the ear but mean something hideous like "death by overdosing on chocolate"?!
Anyway - things to attend to so need to disappear and try and sleep.
I must not think about bags, I must not think about bags, I must not think about bags!!!!!
Have a wonderfully crafty week folks!
J xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Happy birthdays and more glue!

As i sit here overwhelmed with 50 metres of interfacing for the old bags it has been a weekend of celebration for my friends. They say things come in threes and that is certainly true this weekend as Debs, Nicks and Jude all celebrate. Last night we went down to Rustington to Judes party. As ever Jude and Paul are great hosts. I met a lovely lady who also works in education _ Hannah. How fab to be able to discuss distressing and glue with someone!
Today the Rubymeister came over for a few hours and we took her out for supper. I love that girl soooooo much!
Right now Jordy is playing his bass very loudly and goodness me he now needs a whole cabinet set up of amps - yay our neighbours will love us! the orange amps he is after come to a stunning £27500!!! hahaha im afraid he will have to make do with fender or marshall if im paying!
Friday night saw me playing with oil cloth for the first time. It was easier to handle than i expected and i drew up a pattern and made a giant sunglasses case. My sunnies are huge and need more space and protection than the average case sold on the high street. The inside is so padded i could lay my head down on it and sleep soundly right now! i also decided to revisit some lovely fabric i have in jelly roll format by american jane. i sewed three strips together and then embroidered along the seams for added detail. the purse pattern was then overlaid at a jaunty angle(a bit like a rakish parking angle!) to give me an original look.I hope you like it.
Two blogs to have a good look at this week are nicks arty stuff and debs altered mind - go and have a look they are fab and sooooo talented.
have a wonderful week and stay happy crafting xx

Glue Glue GloriousGlue !!!!!!!!!!!

Evening everyone
At last Wimbledon is quietening down - it has been hectic here for the last two weeks with the tennis. The good bit is that Murray did really well and can be proud of himself - unlike the other lot who were playing in south africa recently!
Have had a really busy week - lots of courses here there and everywhere and finally ordering business cards and return address labels for the launch of Ruby Summer. I also finally found a reliable source for glue - yes ok that probably sounds boring to most but I am thrilled!!! I have been drawing some new shapes to try out for purses and have got some great linings for totes and book bags. I need to get really busy now if I ma to be a kitchen table tycoon!!! Decent delivery boxes seem to be eluding me right now and I am just a little fed up of looking at wholeslaers of packaging!
I have been dabbling with the idea of making some purse and handbag kits together to sell - what do you think? I would love your input.
I have decided that I need to name my lines, for example, totes with linings, unlined totes, the purses using the shape showing on the blog and the current clutch bag shape showing on the blog. I don't want to use peoples names or link it in to fabric otherwise the fabric cant change over time. If you have any ideas i would love to know.
Jordy has finished college this week - we went to see him and his band play at the Inn on the Green in Ladbroke Grove/Notting Hill this week.You can find out more about him at myspace - www.myspace.com/jordanepibass - it's worth a look in my humble opinion!In the meantime he has modelled the pink three pocket apron at the top of the blog!
I'm hoping for a lovely sunny successful week this week!
Hope you all stay happy and healthy and keep crafting!
Janie xxxxx