Happy New Year - Happy Valentine!

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and a good start to the New Year!

Books (of course) featured significantly in my Christmas stocking but I was also delighted with some presents that had been handmade. 'R' Kid (a.k.a my sister Chris) had knitted a pair of Victorian Mice for me and they are now sitting on my Victorian literature bookcase (and looking very happy). My friend Karen ("I'm in Charge", a.k.a. 'Our Leader') had knitted a slice of Cake, complete with a beautiful strawberry on top. It looks delicious! I shall get John to take some photographs so that you can all see what clever talented people I know.

My television hi-light this Christmas has definitely been 'Cranford'. Judy Dench et al were all wonderful as usual but my favourite was the magnificent Macaw that stole every scene that it appeared in.

Today was the first time since we broke up for Christmas that me and the gang were back in Sumptuosity Towers and already we have been working on our new designs for St.Valentine's Day. John has been busy taking photographs and putting them on-line for you all to see (as well as showing our stockists the latest designs). We had already had a design discussion (in the Blue Bell) one afternoon last week and so we able to 'hit the ground running'. No rest for the wicked!

3 B.T's

1: The Magnificent Macaw on Cranford at Christmas - beautiful and hilarious.

2: John hanging onto the last copy of 'The Greatest Show on Earth' by Richard Dawkins to be found in SALE at Waterstones in York on Bank Holiday Monday. Nobody was going to rest it out of his fingers, as I searched for my book token from 'R' Kid but he did enjoy showing it (at a distance) to a couple who were busy searching for this book in the sale....

3: Watching a pair of Crows walking about on the frozen lake at Potteric Carr nature Reserve - I have never seen crows wandering around amongst Ducks and Geese before!

Bye for now

Love Ruth x

Cheshire Cat Grin & Make and Cake

Sorry for the lapse in doing my usual blog, life has been really busy at Sumptuosity Towers. We have had a few special requests, one lady on seeing my noticeboard (which contains all my ideas and works in progress) asked if I could do a special bookmark for a birthday present - she wanted a carnivale mask and her friend's name embroidering. I do like this design, it is one we originally made for a charity mask ball and it was great to do it on a bookmark as I was able to embroider long twirly ribbons. I must get it added to our usual range.

John has had a real Cheshire Cat grin on his face this week as orders have been piling in. It is probably the start of Christmas! I know that it seems scary to think of Christmas when we are still in August but for retailers (and those of us who supply them), Christmas has to be planned for early - not that I approve of Christmas stock going out on display early I do believe in the proper seasons!

Two ladies came into the studio, who told us about a craft group that they belong to called 'Make and Cake'. It sounded really good and we especially loved the name - it seems very like life at Sumptuosity Towers. Among the items that they admired was a textile Chocolate cake made by Suzanne Smith. Everybody likes this slice of cake, except John who said that it didn't look like a proper cake because the back of the slice was straight and not curved. I said that he sounded like an engineer but he said that he was just 'observant'. One of the ladies pointed out that slice of cake could have come out of a square tin and so the back of the slice wouldn't necessarily have to be curved! I shall have to put that idea to John, although I wish that I had thought of it first!

Sophie has been busy doing larger embroideries from 'Alice in Wonderland', as we have some plans for some new products - more at a later date. It is now time for my Saturday cocktail.

3 B.T.'s

1: 'Make and Cake' it sounds great !

2: Buying 'Witham Green' paint to decorate the front windows of the studio.

3: John and I sit on the settee reading on our day off - he is finishing his latest Patrick O'Brien novel before moving onto Sense and Sensibility.

Bye for now

Love Ruth