the cute continues

Most of the parcels arriving this week contained 'cute'.
Super cute animals in race cars and Easter bunnies, ceramic animal cuteness, little cute vintage-y fluffy yellow Easter chicks and rabbits, yep, all about the cute.
The wooden animals went off (like an animal driving a racing car) but we have got another delivery and I have restocked the online store. I was thinking of popping some of the ceramic bunnies online too- yes?
I've finally got my wrist out of plaster and although I am in a splint still for the next 5 weeks (minimum) I am feeling a bit more positive about going into the studio again. I have so much work to do and I need to the sale preparation under way.
Oh damn, it's 10 already. I better get moving. Saturday mornings always run to a timetable. Shop to be vacuumed, stuff to be sorted, cat to be teased. I intend to spend tomorrow waking Jethro up from his afternoon naps just like he has been doing to me all week at dawn. It is payback time!
I'm in the shop today. Lots of lovely new stock. Come visit!

yes, easter

The first box of Easter has arrived, two more boxes seem to be lost in the back of a Australia Post van.
I think we are early for once!! These are so cute, a lovely rabbit with an easter egg basket and a fabulous trio of animal friends in their racing cars. I like to think Mr Beaver has custom made personalised racers for his mates Bear and Rabbit.
I've even managed to get them into the online shop!
And of course they are available in the real store tomorrow too.

nip in the air

Just a quick post this morning.
We spent a fair chunk of yesterday unpacking the Slade Knitwear delivery and getting it on the hangers. Phew! There are now boxes everywhere and I have less than an hour to find space to stash them again!  Not everything is out but we have managed to sort it into styles and colours for slightly easier assess. The twinset style crew neck cardi and sweater and these fabulous argyle sweaters are out, the cable sweaters and polo neck pullovers are in the boxes (we are running out of rack space and hangers). This year's colours are stunning- amazing cobalt blue, jade, pink, the fabulous Slade red, dark grey, amethyst and of course black..... think I may have missed a colour or two there. You know the drill with these, get in quick! You know it is going to get cold so just take the plunge and don't leave it until you are shivering, think of that crisp morning when you can pull a beautiful new sweater or cardigan out of its shopping bag and feel warm and toasty and prepared for the chill.
The cotton knits are still 40% off but we have stashed them in the big wooden filing cabinet so please just ask if you want to look at any styles.
OK. Got to repack the cartons and wrangle Jethro.

let's go shopping!

Can't believe I've actually managed to get stock loaded into the online store!

Yes there lies another job well and truly procrastinated over.

We've gone back to BigCartel as they are nice and simple to deal with.

Lots of enamelware, mason jars and some textile pieces, there is still a bit of tinkering to do and I have FAQs to write but I'm bunking off now. So if you are in the mood for a late night shop go here.

back at the counter

Hello all!

Don't know whether you noticed but there was no blog post last Saturday, as is usual.

I had surgery to my wrist to fix two things last Friday and they wouldn't let me out until lunchtime Saturday (which was good as I wasn't in a very good state from the anaesthetic). I'm stuck wearing a back-slab cast and bandages again but at least the swelling and bruising is disappearing. And I can for the first time in 6 months actually carry a mug of tea with my right hand so it must be on the mend!

I've spent most of this week pottering about, annoying shopgirls, moaning and complaining and eating all the fabulous care packages and garden produce that have been dropped off for me. I feel pretty lucky I have such lovely friends.... and thank you to the people who called and sent messages. The first few days were spent recharging with my purr therapist and thankfully now I have finished the high dose antibiotics I am feeling far less queasy. 

Even though I was out of action for most of the week we still had stock arriving and also had a chance to unpack stock from the week before. This weeks bounty was vintage French wooden toys from the Clair Bois factory that closed in the 70s, a new shipment of the brass handled scissors, gorgeous horn hair combs, vintage British scrubbing brushes and, yet to be unpacked, Slade woollen Autumn/Winter knits. We've got a shipment of vintage enamel and another four boxes of our newspaper carry bags arriving early in the week and I think things are only going to get worse..... zero storage here and I am not quite up to my usual box juggling.

We need to find homes for the Slade cotton knits and today I am knocking 40% off all of this Spring/Summer stock. Sales in the shop never seem to work at the Cottage but I don't have the energy to pack it all away and lug the boxes to the studio so please take advantage of this and come and buy some cotton cardis!! You will be doing me a favour!! We will also mail these anywhere in Australia flat rate $10. You can call the shop if you want to check colours, styles and sizes. I'm also thinking if I can get my act together tomorrow I might be able to get some photographed and into the online shop... what do you think? Would you like that?

OK, I'd better get off the computer and downstairs to sort stuff out. 

I am in the shop today, come and visit!

I am the hump

Morning all!
What a strange morning it is (weatherwise) it wants to rain but just can't quite do it. I'm hoping it will as it is a strange mix of humid and cool. Bring on some autumnal rain I say!
I'm in the shop today if you are looking for me. I'd like to say I was in the studio making stuff but apart from a couple of hours I might be able to squeeze in tomorrow my studio time is over for a week or two. Surgery on the hand and wrist happens on Friday and that is going to keep me out of action for a little while. I'm hoping even with a plaster cast for a couple of weeks (and then a splint) that I will still be able to sew. We've had a run on the wax print dresses this week and are crazily low now. I did manage to make some 'Alice' tops but I would love the chance to get some chemises and party dresses done in our new fabrics. I scored new designs on Monday too so the fabric mountain is getting even higher....
There are also new vintage floral linen cushions made and the cushion bunk is looking pretty lovely. There is some new (vintage) designs and some new pattern combinations.I've made two of each combo but they are available singularly of course.
Better bust a move. Got to get things together to do in the shop today. I'll be shopgirl until 6pm.

pie dishes of autumn

What a topsy week it has been. Bad news for dear friends, deliveries and unpackings, juggling and struggling, confirmation of surgery for me (next Friday) and trying to work out how to get as much making as I can do done in a few days.
I am definitely glad that Summer has ticked over and the light is lengthening. Autumn and Winter how I love thee. We still have hot weather coming but with the drop in the angle of the sun the bite just isn't quite so bad. There has been a week of auroras and I wish I could have just run away and followed them.
We had two deliveries of enamel this week. A small drop of Romanian Tara enamel of red kettles (they boil faster) and some big enamel basins which would look amazing filled with an autumnal harvest of apples and quinces. A big part of our Falcon order came through too and we've restocked the pie dishes and now have the new black 'granite' baking range as well.... and kettles in black enamel too, they are pretty special! I've spent a couple of evenings photographing and hopeful the images will be ok and I can get the online shop revamped. I haven't checked the images on the big screen yet and it's making me nervous. I'll let you know when it is up.
So today is the first day of Autumn..... time to come purchase your pie dishes!
I'm in the shop until 5 pm.
I might be reading this. I've been mourning the death of print newspapers and am exciting that in our time of appalling political crap and financial insecurity this paper has been started. If I didn't have to work today you would have found me sitting at my big kitchen table with a pot of tea and surrounded by newspapers. Of course I would have had to clean the kitchen table off first, sadly it's 6 years since I got to spend my Saturdays with tea, toast, 3RRR and the newspapers.