One Week at A Time!

Having flown round like a headless chicken during November & December I decided to start the year in a little more organised & structured way. With orders, Christmas shopping, school plays, concerts, hubby's 40th birthday & loosing our poorly dog Libby there were times before Christmas when I didn't know which way to turn.

I decided that had to change (at least for a while) in 2012. One really important aspect of Muddy Puddle is that it fits in around my children & family life. Knowing that half term & my daughters 8th birthday will be here before I even get used to writing 2012 I made a plan......

Week I - 9th - design, suss & make Valentines stock

Week 2 - 16th - design, suss & make a start on Mothers Day stock

Week 3 - 23rd - TAX RETURN from start to finish, with no excuses (boo) THEN start work on Owl Murals that I am doing during 6 afternoons over the next 3 weeks at my kids school

Well I've impressed myself (so far so good)...............taaaaa daaaaa!!!!

3 new designs added this year

3 card designs made, put in the shop & listed on the website!

Mothers Day Design 1

Mothers Day Design 2

Mothers Day Design 3

So onto this week....boring paperwork looms, booooooo, wish me luck :(

Oooh Knitwear!

I'm not really a jumper kind of girl but today I am converted!

I much prefer the whole layering look and dress for comfort. Having items you can put on & take off is such an easy way to dress. Take today for example I'm wearing a vest, a top & a dress with leggins. Add to that a scarf which has been on & off all day and the cardi I threw in the car earlier but never wore & I'm sorted.

Now jumpers on the other hand are just jumpers, you cant throw much on top of them and what do you wear underneath in case they have to come off? But tonight I have flicked through my new NEXT Directory and they have a whole range that are right up my street. I want them all...hearts, stripes, spots, simple pattern I'm in heaven!

http://www.next.co.uk/

Goodbye Christmas

With the tree taken down yesterday, the decorations boxed up safely for another year, homes found for new gifts & the kids back to school I guess thats it.

I LOVE Christmas but when its all done & dusted I always feel a little lost. I think its got something to do with the need to find a purpose....I thrive on planning, excitement, organising, arranging and December was certainly full of that. But other than having a major spring clean and doing the dreaded tax return I have nothing as such to do. So for now until I find my 2012 feet I'll keep pottering & slide showing my Christmas & London Photo Albums!

Happy New Year Guys x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get Personal

Merry Christmas Guys! hope you all had a good one and are still in the festive spirit? I had a great Christmas thanks and have at last been finding some time to edit my photos.

With the 25th well and truly behind us and all my personalised orders given out I can at last share a few of them with you. Judging by the amount of 'special' orders I had and the fact that I even ordered a few personalised pieces to give myself I get the feeling it may have been the year to get personal and give a gift that meant alot.

From teachers to babies to newly weds to grandparents to kids to men to women to friends to mums & dads and to even house names....I think I did them all....and I enjoyed creating each and everyone!

 

 

 

 

Have a great New Year guys & I'll be back in 2012 x

A Gingham or A Gold Christmas?

For those of you who know my 2011 Christams Collection you will be familliar with my Block Tree Decoration in greens & reds. These colours are very me and sum up everything christmas and are just the done thing at this time of year in my house. Wheteher it's buying paper & cards, wrapping presents, decorating the house, icing the cake or laying the table the theme in my house is a very traditional red, green & white. I struggle to get my head round purple at Christmas and find gold & Silver a bit old fashiomned & dare I say naff? I also dont do tinsel on my main tree, is that just being a spoil sport or are you with me?

When I was asked to make a Block Tree in Calamine, Cream, Gold & Black I was a little scared! It was explained to me how its resting place would be the contemporary & trendy flat of young couple. I was told about the black sofa, the stripped oak floors, the calamine walls & the cream accents and it all made sense. Working with such lack of colour and pizaz was really not me. However at the end I actually could invisage it in its minimal surroundings and was really pleased with it.

So what look are you, does your house have a theme?

I doubt you have a red & white santa made out of a log (by my daughter aged 3) but does the big red & white man put in an appearence in your home?

The look of these snowmen at the German Christmas Market make me feel all fussy inside & I wish I had a display full of them. And the minute I do my red & white fireplace I'm in the Christmas mood!

Now I associate garlands on fireplaces like this with the 80's and garden centres. Its someting that I'm sure looks ok in some modern houses but in my cottage above the wood burner, on the cast iron mantle? now thats just not right.

My red & white tree just about has room for this gold & lace angel me & the kids made at school last year but her wings are the nearest we get to tinsel on our tree.

Then there's this lantern, created by my daughter at school this year. Now you've gotta love kids & glitter creations but this really doesn't appeal to me, black for Christmas?

So how about you?