Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

We are now definitely on the countdown to Christmas - especially the Sumptuosity Christmas dinner and Sophie (true to form) has mentioned it at least once a day. However, we are all food obsessed, as Alanna and I both noted how we could all turn practically any conversation back into one about food! I am definitely sure that it is the cold weather that does it...

We have been super busy in our new shop/gallery space and were delighted when our friend Nicola could manage to bring in some more of her lovely tea-towels and peg bags (they are so nice that even I have considered being more domestic in order to buy them for ourselves). We sold two of the tea-towels and a peg bag last Friday and I had only just put them on display, I am sure that the rest will go before Christmas. Nicola told us that she had stayed up until one -0-clock in the morning in order to finish off the items and get them to us as soon as possible! Life as a designer-maker isn't all glamour...

3 B.T.'s

1: John was washing up in the Studio when he called me over to the sink. One of the glasses had a large soap bubble over the entire mouth of the glass and was domed with a swirling pattern like the weather clouds on Earth when seen from space. It was so pretty that looked at it for what seemed like ages until John said "I just get my camera..." and yes you guessed it.. it popped.

2: While walking past the new building at York St.John University on our way to the Studio, John and I spied a Pigeon walking ON TOP OF a row of Pigeon spikes and then squeeze behind some more Pigeon spikes in order to get into a gap behind some panelling. I am not fond of Pigeons to say the least (you should see the mess the little ******* make in my courtyard) but you have to be impressed by it's SAS style manoeuvres.

3: While in the Studio today (Sunday afternoon) I saw Sophie and a bunch of Angels walk past the window. Don't worry I haven't been over doing it with the Shiraz - Sophie has been doing some voluntary walk with 'Space 109' and was an official helper of the stilt-walking Angels... I wish I had got my camera!

Bye for now

Love Ruthie xx

Sheep, shop windows, Nicola and lavender (again!)

Yesterday morning I took down the Halloween decorations from our two studio windows; however the question then was 'How to redecorate them?' I know that there are only about fifty shopping days left until Christmas but I still didn't want to do the whole 'Christmas' display just yet. I decided to give it some thought and anyway I needed to get on with my embroidery!

Later on that morning our friend Nicola came to visit. She had brought in some of her recent work, which combined both her skills of illustration and her ability with the sewing machine - absolutely beautiful tea towels printed with sheep designs. This is a project that she has been working on for her college course and has proved so successful that she has been selling some of these items at a local shop. We all loved the designs and were delighted to be able to offer them for sale at Sumptuosity Towers. I was even more pleased because it then gave me an idea for the redecoration of the window - we would have a sheep theme. So now we have two of the tea towels hanging in my window with some of my sheep brooches and books marks. I shall get John to take a picture for a future blog. In the meantime I am putting up one of Nicola's sheep photographs. It is always nice to see Nicola and hear about all that she is up to - and fortunately she is as good at baking as she is is at design and had made us some delicious cakes! There was even one for John, which he saved for his afternoon cup of tea but me and the other Sumptuosity Fairies devoured ours immediately.

We are still busy and having a challenging time making sure that we have enough materials with which to keep making our wares. Today, Jimmy (our lovely and very cheeky Fastway delivery man) appeared with another 10 kilo bag of lavender - just as Barbara was emptying the last one for a batch of lavender bags. This was definitely what you call 'Just in Time'!

3 B.T.'s

1: It was pouring with rain as John and I walked to the Studio, but I was warm and dry (mostly) in my Barbour Stocksman Coat and Hat with Cherries on it. This is the first outing that the hat has had this Autumn.
2: Is that the full moon? I ask John as we walk home through the city on our way home. It was big, bright and slightly fuzzy looking in the misty sky.
3: At home Barbara, John and I tuck into hot bowls of my home-made vegetable soup, made even nicer with a loaf of Cheese and Herb bread from Sue at 'The Hairy Fig'. Just the thing after a long day at Sumptuosity Towers.

Bye for now,

Love Ruth xx