Agggggghhhh it's nearly the end of September!

Hello Everybody - if anybody is still out there as it has been about a month since I last wrote a blog - oh dear this is starting to sound like a confessonal!. Anyway the good news is that all is well and good at Sumptuosity Towers. I have just about got everything organised (still a few tweeks here and there to accomplish) and we apparently have this fluffy thing on the floor that I have discovered is called 'carpet'.

This is just as well as we are super busy even more so than this time last year. August saw an incredible number of trade orders and so we thought that September would be a little quieter in comparison.... but no! even before we got to Top Drawer (Trade Fair in London), the spreadsheet for September was filling up quickly - as Sophie would say 'Woohoo'!

And speaking of Sophie (and of course Alanna [Banana]), they seem to be really enjoying the new working processes. Sophie decided to visit friends in London on Tuesday and Alanna (Banana) is always off somewhere seeing friends or family. Alanna is also now finding time to work on her own designs and is hoping to do a craft fair in November with a friend from university. She is a real jewelry fanatic and so is currently designing some rings, I won't say what her ideas are (there are some fabulously wacky ideas) but will keep you posted as to when they can become public. Anyway, they both seem to be able to cram lots of activities into their lives and still come to see us with a mountain of embroidery, so we all happy bunnies.

John has just submitted his last assignment for his first Open University course, he has really enjoyed AA100 - The Arts Past and Present. It has also given me more opportunity (as if I needed it!) to look for books on abebooks and Amazon. The idea being for books to help with John's studies but what can I say occasionally one or two books have come through the post for me....

We are so busy that we haven't had much time to get to Askham Bog, although we have taken to having a walk around the Museum Gardens in York. On one afternoon we counted (at least) seventeen squirrels! The view out of the windows at Sumptuosity Towers is wonderful. I saw a Kingfisher fly along the river early one morning, although generally we see more geese than anything! The Greylag Geese and the ever-present Canada Geese are making more noise than usual and often fly in 'bomber-command' like formations past our window. In fact sometimes we see them flying across the city and straight towards our window!....fortunately to turn left or right at the last moment and land on the river. I don't fancy the idea of a couple of kilo's of goose crashing through the window and into the living room...

And so time to go to the sewing machine, orders won't make themselves!

3 B.T.'s

1:The sight of a Kingfisher flying along the Foss, it's jewel-like colours of bright orange and turquoise looked as exotic as anything you might see in the jungle. Simply gorgeous.

2: Saw Mumsie on Sunday, she has been away for a week on holiday and so 'Little Biddy' has had a holiday of her own at Avalon Guinea-pig Rescue and holiday home. Please make sure I get the right Guinea-pig back she said.....arhhhh she is soooooo sweet and at 87 still busy knitting and baking cakes!

3: Alanna (Banana) had a holiday in France with her boyfriend while we were at Top Drawer Trade Fair. She knows what a bug fan I am and so when she saw a Praying Mantis she just had to take a photograph for me. I am not sure who her boyfriend thinks is the craziest...Alanna for taking the picture or me or wanting it......think it is me ;-)

Bye for now,

Love Ruth xxx

Back from the Trade Fair and Open Studios

It is now Thursday morning and I think that I am a little more awake than I was yesterday as the first day back from a trade fair I always feel like a sleepwalker. We were in the Studio yesterday but I didn't get that much made as I was trying to tidy up and sort out all of our wares from the fair. We also still had some customers come into the shop area, one man was busy looking for a card for his wife's birthday and resorted to going through a box of cards that I had yet to unpack! Needless to say he managed to find a nice card with hens on it, one of a collection that we have just got from our friend Phil at Beamer's Designs. Phil has even given us our very own 'spinner' in which to display the cards and so I spent a pleasant few minutes emptying the box (after the customer had gone) and arranging the designs on it - until I got a look from my hubby that suggested that I stopped 'playing about' and got on with some real work!

Mind you it is still all 'up in the air' at Sumptuosity Towers as this weekend is the York Open Studios and we are hosting Sophie's work. Sophie, as many of you know is a Sumptuosity Fairy by day and at all other times a fine artist (mixed media sculpture). So for the past week or so, work has been appearing in the studio and we have all had to be very careful not to tread, sit on or walk into any of the pieces! On friday morning we will be clearing the shop area and Sophie (who has booked the day off) is spending the time, finishing off the window displays and preparing the main display area. We have also got to finalise the food and drink (always essentials at Sumptuosity Towers!). It is all very exciting and we are all looking forward to the event and seeing the work in it's full glory.

3 B.T.'s

1: We looked out of the window this morning and John said 'is that a Pheasant over there?', I got out the binoculars and lo and behold it was indeed. Now you might not think that the sight of a Pheasant is that strange an occurance and you would be correct except that we live in the middle of a city!
2: Yesterday morning I spotted 'Bennie the bunny' on the brown field site across from our flat, I haven't seen him for a while and so was pleased to see that he was back and still chasing pigeons - go for it Bennie!
3: Alanna (Banana) had made some cakes for Sophie's birthday and had saved a couple of them for when we got back from the show - what a sweetie!

Bye for now,

Love Ruth xx

Day Two of the BCTF

Hello,

Well, we are just back from day two at the BCTF (British Craft Trade Fair) and to say that John and I are tired would be an understatement! There is something that is just so peculiarly mentally exhausting about a trade fair unlike any other type of work I have ever done. Firstly, there is the standing in one spot all day (except of course when I sneak off to buy coffee or to look at 'pretty things'), smiling all day, talking to people (or not depending upon the footfall at the show) and trying to not be 'away with the fairies' as a potential stockist can appear at any time - in fact we had our last buyer today right in the last minutes of the show! It is not the same as doing a craft fair (although that can also be very tiring), because there you get to count money at the end of the day and at a trade fair it is orders (hopefully) or simply the amount of information given out that you hope will eventually become orders! No, a trade fair is on a level all of it's own.

However, it is proving to be a good fair and we have taken a number of orders and got some interesting new commissions, for example work for the National Trust for Scotland in relation to Robert Burns. I also have to embroider 30 crabs for a gallery in Cromer as there is a crab festival going on there at the moment - never a dull moment at Sumptuosity Towers! I have also been having a lot of fun placing some orders with other crafts people for items for our little studio shop. I have been given strict instructions by John that it is not simply about 'pretty things' that I like (although the orders I have placed are indeed for things that I think are pretty but that is another issue). We are also going to be having a lot more cards in the shop area, as these are always popular and there are just so many gorgeous cards at the fair this year. Our new Alice in Wonderland cards are also going down a bomb and I can't to get them into the Studio shop and on-line - we will of course keep you posted!

3 B.T's

1: There is one section of road on our way to Harrogate, where the roadside banks are full of primroses - beautiful.

2: I ate my sandwich on the steps outside of the venue in the warm Spring sunshine, looking at the lovely Yorkshire countryside and listening to birdsong.

3: John has made a lovely curry for dinner, after a long day what more could I want?

bye for now,

love Ruth x

p.s. John has purchased a Mi Fi (mobile internet thingy) and so if you are 'down with the kids' you can follow our adventures at the BCTF on Facebook, as we are updating through the day.

My feet hate me!

Well we are back from Glasgow!

We have emptied the Land Rover at both our house and the Studio and have even been shopping for some bits and pieces in order to make some nice dinner. Yes, even as I write John is busy preparing one of his wonderful curries (don't worry, I chopped the vegetables etc so he hasn't been left completely to his own devices!).

It was great to be in Glasgow - even though we heard Frankie Boyle on 'Mock the Week' state that it was both the country's friendliest city and the murder capital! Needless to say for us it was simply very friendly! Sunday was very busy for us at the trade fair and I had made the mistake (what was I thinking????) that I would wear some slight heels to make me look more the sophisticated business woman and less of the mad embroider that I normally look! By mid day my feet were yelling obscenities at me and by the end of the day I had actually taken them off fortunately none of the buyers seemed to notice or at least didn't care... The second and third days I wore my trusty Doctor Martins but still my feet and me were not on speaking terms - I am afraid that standing for long periods is not much fun whatever you are wearing! John's feet also hated him, although I hasten to add that he wasn't wearing heels just his posh Chelsea Boots.

It was a good fair, as we not only met up with a number of our existing stockists (some of whom we hadn't met face to face before) but because we made some new ones - all are welcome as stockists at Sumptuosity Towers! The stand opposite us was selling 'Scottish' products - namely beach towels that look like kilts and Nessie key rings etc, but one of their very nice salespeople gave us all a 'Scottish Tablet' packet (which looked like fudge but was much more sugary). I decided that I would only have a little square of it and save the rest for when I was back in the Studio BUT I am afraid that the sugariness was really rather yummy and just what was needed when standing all day at a Trade Fair and so by the end of the day I had polished it off! I felt a bit like the enamel of my teeth was dissolving by 5.30 and time to leave for the day...

One of the saddest things about doing a 'regular' trade fair as opposed to a 'craft' trade fair is that you are often near people who import all sorts of 'stuff' from the far east. This wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to go through lots of endless questions where you explain that "yes, we really do actually make all these items, ourselves"... "yes, I really do, do a lot of the sewing myself...", "No, we really don't have these items made and then shipped in from China...". Then after they finally believe that you really do make all the items that you have on display, they then look at you like you are insane to make things yourself.... Oh well as my Mum would say - "It doesn't do for us all to be the same!"

3 B.T.'s

1: Many thanks to Rob on the stand opposite to us for giving me a 'Scottish Tablet', it was yummy.

2: I finished reading Gerald Durrell's 'Birds, Beasts and Relatives' - it was wonderful and I heartily recommend it to all who like both humour and the natural world.

3: As we drove back to York we saw a huge flock of Lapwings, all in the air and with their characteristic flight - beautiful.

Bye for now,

Love Ruth xx

Dib Dib Dib - preparing for the trade fair

John and I have been busy with the preparations for Top Drawer our next and biggest Trade Show. John used masking tape to mark out the area that we have booked for the show and then we had the 'fun' of putting together the new display units and lighting to see if it all worked, fitted and of course how it looked! I am happy to say that all went well. Let's just hope that it goes so well together in London - fingers crossed.

3 B.T.'s

1: We walk to the Studio and pass a girl who has her headphones on and is singing aloud as she walks to work.

2: Alanna's Mum had made us two types of yummy buscuits for our morning and afternoon tea.

3: The leaves of the trees in the nearby park are definitely beginning to turn colour.