Bespoke and Personal

Realised I haven't shared any photos lately of things I've worked on. This is from a few weeks ago when a customer asked if I could incorporate a picture of a pram into the ever popular Bespoke Personalised Large Bunting. Normally I only get asked for the normal pink and blue for baby showers so it was lovely to do something a little more sophisticated and I loved the combination of the green picture with grey lettering.

I also did another grey bunting recently but this time teamed with pink for a Welcome sign that Kate from Vintage Style Hire requested for an event that she styled. 

I've done a lot of the Bespoke Personalised Large Bunting this month which I love because by its very nature each order is different. I must remember to photograph more of them but sometimes I'm just so busy I just need to package them up and send them off and of course quite often I forget to charge the battery for the camera :-)

Rugby Season 2012

Rugby season is nearly over and as is tradition we had the annual Fun Day and Presentations on Sunday. The games they play at the Fun Day never vary (!) but there is something comforting, familiar and happy about that and as I stood with two other mums we ahhhd over the little ones and remembered when we had boys in the Under 6s. Oscar and Ed were missing this year as they were on the Under 12s Tour in Harrogate but Archie and I enjoyed our day out (actually we quite enjoyed our whole weekend alone but don't tell the other two family members).

The Fun Day involves getting wet

throwing eggs at each other

and running around after a giant rugby ball - 

these rugby types don't need much to keep them amused :-)

Rugby Tour seemed to involve lots of very silly games and mud.

Blood and no gore

I did something amazing yesterday.

Actually I didn't really but that is what they tell you when you go and Give Blood and it does make you feel like you've done your "good deed" for the day. And they tell me I'm special. No, really they do because my blood group is AB+ and only 3% of the population are in this group apparently.

My mum embarrassed inspired me to give blood. She's given loads of pints of the red stuff and I thought a few years ago that I should too. According to the shocking statistics I'm part of only 4% of the population that gives blood.

Honestly if you've never done it then go along as it is such an easy thing to do and I think of it as a bit of an insurance policy as hopefully I will never need to have any of it back ... really they can keep it!I now won't have to go again until September so it's not exactly onerous and I'm very lucky that I only have to go to the village hall where I pick up the boys every afternoon so it fits in with me picking them up and now I'm in the system I just book the next appointment when I'm there.

As a bonus/encouragement to go you get really nice biscuits afterwards and a cup of tea and all the staff are lovely. I'm really difficult to get blood from and I promise you it doesn't hurt as obviously they do the whole needle thing all the time and are very good at it ;-)

Monthly Photo 2012

A bit late in the month and not the finest of photos but it will have to do as it is May soon.

All photos taken at approximately 8am.

Eggs for Sale (NOT the chair)

We have had a glut of eggs and so Archie designed a poster and set up his little stall by the side of the road outside the house. He's done quite well with the eggs going almost as soon as he puts them outside. He makes a bit of pocket money, the eggs don't get wasted and someone else gets the pleasure of our lovely free-range eggs. A win win situation .... or so we thought.

Unfortunately that's not the only thing that has gone because when we came home the other day we noticed that the chair had gone too! Now this is not half as bad as my poor sister's tale of woe but annoying nonetheless. Especially as the chair was a wedding present and especially because oh wise one aka husband/father had told us not to leave the chair out on the side of the road (it must be so annoying to always be right).

Anyway I hope my mum isn't reading this because I always get very upset with her when she wants to lock her car even for a moment outside our house as I tell her it's perfectly safe here and that nothing ever goes missing ..... until now of course. 

Ever the Pollyanna though I've decided that somebody must have thought that they were allowed to take it because it was left on the side of the road, a much nicer thought that knowing someone nicked it don't you think? 

Quiet Day

I've lost my voice. Family happy. A quiet Monday morning with no shouting just rasping "You need to hurry up". It amused them but they still didn't hurry up ....

Dreaming of a pause button

I really wish there was a giant pause button I could press to stop everyone else but me!

I've got a number of things I want to finish, some things I want to start, emails & texts to reply to, orders to get out, a house to clean, washing to do, stuff to sort out. The boys need to be taken to places and need picking up from places and seem to want feeding continuously.

White Rabbit

  

I'd just like a few extra hours in the day to catch up.

Spiral Clock

But then again I'd hate to sit twiddling my fingers, I'd hate not to be needed and I'd hate it if I had so much time on my hands that I was bored so perhaps it's not so bad. Maybe next week I'll catch up .... 

A little trip to A&E

Oscar went to the skate park on Good Friday and just as I was about to go and get him my mobile rings and I can see it is one of his friends. Not overly concerned, as this friend often rings me about various things when Oscar has lost his phone or needs something, I answer casually.

"Jo you may want to come up to the skate park" he says with no sense of urgency,
"Why's that Josh" I say quite nonchalantly,
"Oh it's just that Oscar's bone is kind of sticking out the side of his finger"
"I'm on my way" I say very, very quickly

Luckily Ed happens to be at home in the garden. My command to get the dog in the house and get in the car is quickly complied with and it must be obvious from my tone of voice that this is not the time to ask why.

So on the way to the skate park we discuss the pros and cons of boys doing various activities like riding bikes, skateboarding, playing rugby versus sitting indoors doing nothing and we come to the conclusion that he's twelve and accidents happen and that's life.

We get to the leisure centre and there is a gaggle of his friends surrounding an ambulance. The boys were brilliant and had got his bag and his scooter, they took my instructions to call the friend who Oscar was supposed to go out with later and seemed genuinely worried about their friend.

Oscar meanwhile is in the ambulance sucking on gas and air. He's on a bit of an adrenaline high and seems totally unconcerned about his predicament, possibly even quite proud of himself. All the way to the hospital he was sucking on the gas, getting very cheeky and generally loving his experience and loving the gas. On arrival at the hospital I told him quite emphatically that I never wanted to arrive at A&E in the back of an ambulance again.

There then followed a long wait of about six hours whilst he was xrayed, had his finger put back in place, xrayed again, had it cleaned and then stitched. He loved the gas and air, I mean really loved it!

So what did he do ... turn away if you don't want the gruesome details. Well how he did this is still a mystery but he managed to fall off his scooter landing on his left hand and somehow managed to dislocate his ring finger forcing the top joint to break through his skin. The whole top of his finger was in completely the wrong place and there was this beautifully smooth white bone sticking out. The x ray was brilliant!

It could have been far worse and it does make you appreciate how kind people are, from the boys and adults at the skate park to the paramedics to the nurses to the very tired doctor who had been on duty all day and not had a break all day. Even on a bank holiday not one of the many people we came into contact with was anything but kind and caring. I just wish that tired looking doctor could have turned off his bleeper for five minutes and had a sit down with a cup of tea.

And how is Oscar? He's fine, a bit hacked off that there won't be any sport for a bit but he didn't break anything so it should all be back to normal quite quickly. He was back at the skate park the next day {not riding anything} and there isn't much point worrying about if he'll do it again because it was just a freaky accident. He was wearing a helmet when it happened and he'll continue to do so .... just in case.

London Day Out

I had the day off yesterday for a London day out .... didn't all quite go according to plan, but sometimes things don't do they?

One of the reasons for going to London was so we could visit Tate Modern again to replace Archie's WHAAM mug that I'd inadvertently broken last month.

Whilst there we saw this amazing installation by Do Ho Suh, I have no idea what it is supposed to convey I just liked it. The light shining through it was incredible. 

It was a perfect staircase suspended up high with a balustrade and light fittings!

The Tate also had these giant dotty balloons which I wanted to bring home.

This giant anatomical form was outside, part of the Damien Hirst exhibition. 

We saw some interesting things and the boys got to ride in a London taxi cab for the first time. Archie regaled Granny and the taxi driver about the only other time he had been in a taxi, "you know Mum the time we came home really late after a party and you were really .....". 

The taxi driver was amused not sure about Granny?

We decided not to get a taxi back to Liverpool Street (much to Archie's annoyance) as I love walking through London. Thing is I want to saunter along taking photos and everyone else wants to hurry along. I think next time I visit London I shall go on my own.

No New Clothes Challenge Month 3

Another update on how I'm getting on not buying any clothes .... still nothing new bought!

Had to put nothing new bought because I am sitting her wearing something new but before you shout cheat/failure/loser I didn't buy it. It was a birthday present from sister in Australia.

I received the package last week and could see from the customs label that it was clothing and although I was tempted to peek there and then I was a very good girl and waited until it was my birthday.

So I spent a few days in turmoil trying not to get excited about a new piece of clothing in case a) I didn't like or b) it didn't fit. Luckily .... oh so thankfully .... it fitted and I love it. I probably should have saved it for a going out night but I've never been very good at saving things so have just worn it constantly since I got it!

Thank you Lizzie.

Oh by the way other two sisters gave me fabulous presents too. Will share in another post.

Are you feeling patriotic?

A notonthehighstreet customer asked for some special bespoke bunting for a hen night she is organising for the Jubilee weekend.  The request was for

"large personalised bunting for a hen weekend which is being held over the diamond jubilee weekend with union jack theme in pink and white and / or crowns or a royal theme". 

Of course I said yes, because I always say yes I can do that! This is what I came up with. A "union jack" pennant and a little crown at the bottom of the letter. 

I loved it so much I've given it its very own product page. I'm now selling it under Personalised Royal Patriotic Bunting. Not a very catchy title but you you know what I mean!