Kate's visit, eating & re-organisation

We have been busy as bees all week at Sumptuosity Towers, the new layout for the studio is working well (much easier for me to sweep the floor, etc!) and we have been trying new methods of organisation in regards to the sewing, making up and packing of the orders. Sophie has proved to be John's 'Mini-Me' and is always cracking the whip! John has also been busy with the website (it is not unlike the painting of the Forth bridge...) and has now grouped the Mirrors and the Bookmarks into relevant subject areas. This means that whether you are looking for flowers or fashion you can immediately go to the area that you want to look at. We have now finally decided to put Sophie's beautiful embroidered Alice in Wonderland pictures for sale on-line. The greeting cards are now firmly established and so we are now in a position to let them go...although to tell you the truth I shall be sad to see them go as they are lovely!

What is this I hear you cry all work and no fun at Sumptuosity Towers??? Don't worry, as usual we have had a number of pleasant diversions this week. On Thursday we were visited by a lovely student called Claire. She is currently studying illustration in Cumbria and wanted to visit Sumptuosity Towers to see what we got up to.... After swearing her to secrecy and making a blood oath (....only joking!) we demonstrated our various skills, including free-hand embroidery, being silly, drinking tea and even let her have a go on the sewing machine. Basically, I told her exactly what Naseem Darby told me all those years ago - just have a go and don't worry about anything!

On Friday, we were visited by our mate Kate from Oakwood Aromatics. She appeared as if by magic the second that Sophie said that she was going to make the three-o-clock cup of tea! She and Phil had been busy at their stall with 'Made in Yorkshire', but she still found time to come and see us (which is always great) and even better she had brought a rhurbarb tart for us all to eat. John had just popped out to do the banking but I was good and made sure that we left him a piece....no honestly I really did!

I am really looking forward to our long weekend in Oxford - this is to celebrate our wedding anniversary and not to do with the business....although we do have a stockist in Oxford that we will be visiting while we are there! Don't be too sorry for us, as it is the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and I am absolutely desperate to visit again as it must be nearly twenty years since I was last there...as a small child obviously.... (ho ho ho). I am hoping to get some more natural history inspiration for embroideries. I'll keep you all posted...

3 B.T.'s

1: Sophie and I went to Space 109's 'Gorrilla Cafe' for our tea yesterday. It was wonderful veggie food and a great arty/musical atmosphere - it reminded me of the sort of fundraiser I used to go to when I was a teenager living in Forest Fields in Nottingham... we also both ate a piece of Lemon Meringue cake..... fabulous!
2: Kate and the Rhurbarb Tart - always lovely to see her cheeky face at Sumptuosity Towers.
3: Re-arranging my bookshelves so that I can fit more on....

Bye for now,

Love Ruth xxx

Alice in Wonderland, Hamsters and Guinea-Pigs

Well we have been back now for a few days and I must say how nice it has been to be sewing again. I am sometimes asked (often by people of the Academic fraternity) if I don't get bored with all the sewing that I have to do? The emphasis being that I 'must' do really... However, I can honestly reply that I love to sew, especially after a few days away at a trade fair when to return to my sewing machine is with as much joy as a smoker takes their first puff of a morning (although without the hacking cough and much much healthier!). The running of your own business is wonderful, often stressful, sometimes worrying, sometimes brilliant but never never BORING! If I ever look a bit down in the mouth by husband reminds me of some of the names of my least favourite students from the last Higher Education place that I taught at... it does the trick instantly (I of course will not mention anybody by name... even the girl who refused to believe in the existence of Nano-technology).

The rectangular brooches are now back at Sumptuosity Towers, we had some trouble between the machine and the silk that we use last Autumn and didn't have the time to sort it out until after Christmas, but now it is all systems go! Silk (as any sewer can tell you) is often somewhat troublesome to work with but it more than makes up for itself with the vibrancy of the colours and the lustre of it's sheen. The designs that are proving to be of particular interest are our 'Alice in Wonderland' range, some of these are embroideries onto silk, while others are on to sections of text from the book. We have got lots more ideas for this area and shall be putting them on-line as and when they are produced - so do keep coming back! The Sumptuosity Fairies and I are all looking forward to the new Alice in Wonderland film by Tim Burton that is due for release on March 5th, we are currently trying to persuade John that it would be a good idea for us all to go and see it as a Sumptuosity trip out - for inspirational research purposes obviously and nothing to with the inclusion of Mr. J.Depp in the cast.

At about five-0-clock on Thursday morning, I was awakened by a strange noise and lay in bed wondering what on earth it could be... then I remembered it must be Guy and Johnny in their wheel! Sumptuosity Fairy Sophie and James are away for a few days holiday in London and have left their beloved dwarf hamsters with us to look after. So that they are nice and comfortable we have put their cage on a table in our hallway - this is the warmest spot in our whole house and an area that we are always walking through on our way to the kitchen etc. and so we (o.k. me) can talk to them. All that John keeps saying is "Don't get attached because Sophie will be back soon!"

The last piece of news is that Mumsie has now got a new Guinea-pig! When her beloved Biddy died just before Christmas, she wasn't sure that she should have another pet (mumbles along the lines of being 87 in May..), however the whole family stood firm and said that it was important that she should rescue another piggy and so last Monday, Mumsie, Eddie and Barbara drove to a Guinea-pig rescue centre in Nottingham and chose a pretty little one whom Mumsie has named 'little Biddy'. Both Mumsie and Little Biddy seem very happy.

3 B.T.'s

1: The 'musical' Capybara in Gerald Durrell's book 'Three Singles to Adventure' - absolutely hilarious.

2: Guy and Johnny, our little furry hamster guests.

3: Talking to Mumsie on the telephone on Monday night, she sounded so happy now that she has got a new Guinea-pig.

Bye for now

Love Ruth x