Friday, 27 July 2012

I love Yorkshire! (I really do!)


We've just got back from a long awaited holiday... 

In five days we experienced, sunshine, torrential rain, gale force winds, castles, rivers, waterfalls and some of the most beautiful scenery I've had the privilege of looking upon!

Where did we go?
Why, Yorkshire of course!

Our holiday was based in Wharfedale and we rarely strayed far from the River Wharfe.
Our home for the week was 'Joe Blue' - a renovated Airstream Caravan sited on the wonderful Masons Campsite in Appletreewick. This tiny village is also home to a pub called The Craven Arms which is so friendly and serves great food (and beer!)

The view from our caravan in a rare sunny moment!

During our 5 days we managed to visit Knaresborough, Bolton Abbey, Grassington...

Knaresborough - so pretty, even in the rain!
The view from Bolton Abbey

 ...Linton Falls, Pately Bridge, Coldstones Cut...

The recent heavy rains made Linton Falls quite ferocious!
The view down the avenue at Coldstones Cut
 ...Skipton Castle and Ilkley!

So, you might be asking why go on holiday in Yorkshire? 

Well, I really love my adopted home and wanted to explore... and if the views from the places we visited weren't proof enough that Yorkshire is great, here are a few more examples of reasons why I love Yorkshire:


It's a place where money grows on trees... or should I say 'in' tree trunks!

thousands of coins inserted into an old tree trunk, discovered in Bolton Abbey estate


It's a place where car parks can look this pretty - and only cost 70p for 4 hours!



 It's a place that, despite a drop of 100's of feet, there isn't a single fence or sign telling you to keep clear of the edge!

The River Wharfe travelling downstream towards The Strid

It's a place that decides that it is a jolly good idea to create a pork pie that already includes mushy peas and mint sauce (sadly no evidence of this remains... it was eaten too quickly for photographs to be taken!)

And most importantly - it's a place that doesn't take itself too seriously!

Found outside The Craven Arms in Appletreewick
It was a most amazing holiday, and one I would thoroughly recommend! 
Who needs to travel thousands of miles to get breathtaking scenery, extraordinary weather, great food and a warm welcome?
You'll find it all in Wharfedale!



Saturday, 26 May 2012

Going Live!

Just thought I'd pop in and let you know my news... 

The website is now LIVE!


My new website www.madebylolly.co.uk is now LIVE!

madebylolly.co.uk is the place to find...
more information about me, slideshows of previous designs and a fully updated events page!

There's a new tag line: 
'Colour themed collections of felt accessories - all handmade in the UK'

As well as a brand new colour scheme, new banners and logos!


The grand announcement came during #yorkshirehour on Twitter on Wednesday 23rd May and was simultaneously shared on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/madebylolly

Luckily, (for once) there were no technological glitches, and the event went smoothly - which was a relief after more than a months hard work!

So if you would like to find out more about me, about my latest collection of folded felt accessories - 'The Spring Dreams Collection' or just fancy finding out more about made by lolly events and workshops....
Just click the link and be taken to:




Thursday, 19 April 2012

Mary's Marvellous Vintage and Crafts Market Announcement

*NEWSFLASH!*

I'm very excited to announce that I have been accepted to attend the next
to be held at St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane, Sheffield. 


The last event (which I attended as a visitor) was totally fabulous, with an eclectic mix of stalls selling a wide variety of antique and vintage clothes and home wares, as well as stalls selling handmade craft items, most with a vintage feel!

The event takes place on Saturday 5th May, 2012 and entry costs £1 - but don't let that put you off, it is an amazing fair, with a loads of stalls and a great atmosphere... not to mention the delicious cake that can be found inside!

I will be bringing a selection of items from the current 'Spring Dreams' Collection (I think the romantic, vintage colour scheme will fit right in), as well as selected items from the Limited Edition 'Jubilation' Collection - a bright and cheerful selection of red, white and blue felt accessories, just perfect to show your support for Englebert at this year's Eurovision, or to celebrate the Jubilee, or maybe you could could wear one whilst watching the sport this Summer!

For more information on Mary's Marvellous Vintage and Crafts Market just click here!

I really hope you can make it down for a visit... 
10am - 5pm on Saturday 5th May!
Laura xxx



Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Tuesday Tips - How to prepare for a long coach trip...

As our car recently drove to the great garage in the sky, we have (out of necessity) been going everywhere by public transport. Other than a rather arduous 12 minute walk up a hill to get to the train station every morning, and one incident where I got on entirely the wrong bus, this hasn't been too bad...

However, last week I thought I might have finally met my match in public transport terms... 
A 9 hour coach trip.

A miserable view at the start of our journey
Despite approaching this trip with some trepidation it has to be said that there was a silver lining to this rather long journey a) at the end of it was a lovely new car ('new' to me at least!) 
and b) I picked it up from Mum and Dad's house (so I ended up being at home for Mother's Day - scoring extra Brownie Points!)

In the end, the journey wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it might be, 
and in some ways was quite relaxing... I mean - how often do you get the chance to sit down in the quiet when there's nothing that you should be doing? 

Not often I'm sure!

BUT... 9 hours is a very long time so it is always a good idea to be prepared for such a long journey! But just in case you ever find yourself in a similar predicament I thought I would share my hints and tips for preparing for a long journey!

Invest in a flask...
A Flask of Tea and a Orange and Ginger Flapjack... don't mind if I do!
  ...who knows how long it will be till you can get a decent cuppa!?
And don't forget the nibbles... when you've been travelling since 7.30 am you may not be able to wait until elevenses time for a little snackette! This is where your pre-ordered graze box comes in!

Play silly games...
On the road to Chesterfield
Amuse yourself by playing with the retro camera app on your phone and taking 'arty' shots of unremarkable places! Even dual carriageway embankments can look pretty with the right filter! Or if you are travelling through urban areas try to spot the best business puns. 
On this journey we came across 'Deli -Ish' and 'Tuckin's' sandwich shops, and 'Ryan Hair' barbers - but my favourite ever so far is 'Tanfastic' tanning salon!

Do something crafty...
There's always room for a crafty bit of sewing!
 I also used the first part of the trip to get ahead of the game and start prep on my Autumn/Winter stock! The pieces for 10 red poppies have been trimmed and stretched! 
(What do you mean it's only April? Last year I couldn't make them quick enough!)
Crochet is also a fantastic thing to do on a long journey if you're tight for space - all you need is a small ball of yarn and one crochet hook!

Ensure you have plenty of snacks!
Travelling is hungry work!
When you've left the house at 7.30am and don't expect to arrive anywhere with a dinner table till long after 7.00pm, a packed lunch and lots of snacks are essential!

Get connected...
That shop looks familiar...!
Most long distance coaches now have charging points for mobile phones and laptops - so no running out of power half way through something crucial! If you have mobile internet, don't forget to bring your dongle! I managed to update my Etsy shop from somewhere in the vicinity of Wembley!

Take time out...
The Boss - Full Flow!
...and do something different! 
I'd heard good reports of the keynote speech that Bruce Springsteen gave at the SXSW Festival - but found on Youtube that it was nearly an hour long. So who has an hour free to watch Youtube? 
Not me... normally
But what have I got on a 9hr coach journey, if not plenty of free time?!
So, I made the most of the opportunity, and watched the whole video. And wow! What a Speech!
I guess he's not called The Boss for nothing!

 So... in the end, 9hrs on the coach went by in an enjoyable flash!
In fact, I enjoyed it so much (and despite my lovely new car) I'm already planning my next trip!

But how about you?
Have you got any long journeys planned? 
And what do you do to keep yourself amused?

Oh... one last thing...
 ...Don't forget the sweets!

Thursday, 8 March 2012

What's new Pussycat?

Well, I'm glad you asked.... LOTS!

Although I may have been relatively quiet on the blogging front, lots of things have been going on behind the scenes at made by lolly HQ!

The month started with what has now become known as the great Craft Room Makeover of 2012 This took far too long (and far longer than expected!) but has definitely been worth the effort!


This was closely followed by the development of my new range for 2012 - the
'Spring Dreams' Collection,
which combines new designs with old favourites in a romantic, vintage colour scheme:


I have also begun re-stocking my Folksy shop... and have re-opened my Etsy shop
AND... as a result of receiving my first order from America,
I have now updated both shops to include worldwide shipping!

The new design 'Flora' (shown top left in the pictures above) has become my my most searched for item on Etsy and has been featured in lots of treasuries! All feature a soft minty, spring theme and are utterly gorgeous - here are the links to a couple of my favourites:

A Breath of Fresh Air by Elizabeth Rowntree

Merriment with Merry Mint by Megan Cooper

February also saw the start of the Craft Fair season with a trip to Elsecar Heritage Centre. Due to a broken down car we had to walk all my stock and equipment to the venue, but I am pleased to report it was worth the effort as I had a very successful day (so busy I completely forgot to take any photo's!)

Straight after this I hosted my first official Craft Party where 4 willing participants had the chance to make a made by lolly x inspired brooch of their own!


This was closely followed by  promotional competition in conjunction with Itsy Bitsy Paper Blog 
(Hurry - you may still have time to enter, the competition closes later tonight!)

And what's next I hear you ask?
Well...



It's the 'I Love Craft' Fair at Barnsley Civic! This Saturday 10am till 4pm... with FREE ENTRY!

The new 'Spring Dreams' Collection will of course be on display
(and it's the perfect opportunity to purchase a Mother's Day present!)

Well I hope you now feel suitably updated
It's been a busy start to the year - with more yet to come!

Don't forget if you would like more regular updates, and sneak peeks of Work in Progress,
then you can  follow me on Facebook!

And if you're brave enough to listen to my daily waffle,
then please join me on Twitter!



Friday, 3 February 2012

#savetheteapot - a #FF perfect for #elevensestime

What the #*!#?
 ... is what you may be thinking!

But if you are a regular user of Twitter (or addict as we are sometimes known!) you may have some idea what I am talking about! I have been on Twitter as madebylolly for quite a while now and absolutely love it! I have met so many new friends through this social network and have also learnt a lot - as it is a super speedy way to share information!

Although each tweet is limited to 140 characters, you can use that space to post pictures or links to other more in depth stories. When people want to share a particular topic a 'hashtag' (the symbol # followed by a word) is used to 'tag' the tweet.

Hopefully this might be starting to explain the reason for the strange title to this week's Folksy Friday blog post...?! Well, either way, I shall explain!

#savetheteapot is a topic that has started trending on Twitter after a report was published that suggested most of us make our tea in mugs!

#FF or #FollowFriday is a way for tweeters to share a list of other people that they follow - a personal recommendation of people they think you might also like (it also has the same initials as Folksy Friday!)

#elevensestime is a way for people all over to share what they are doing at elevenses time!

So... today my Folksy Friday theme is Teapots - featuring some people I follow on Twitter and Folksy!
I hope you have time to enjoy this post while you sit down for your own cuppa at eleven - out of a teapot of course!

Teapot by Flossie Limejuice

Brown Betty Teapot Coaster by Kettle of Fish

Pottery Mouse Teapot by littlewrenpottery

Cheeky Blue Tits Tea Cosy by Dear Emma

Time for Tea Lino Print by Mangle Prints

Don't forget to take a peek at Twitter and follow some of these people!
Why not get involved with #savetheteapot
And if you want to follow me I can be found at @madebylolly

Happy #elevensestime!


Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Craft Room Makeover #2.... Nothing's ever perfect!

Getting a sense of de ja vue?
Remember me doing a craft room makeover not that long ago...

Craft Room Makeover June 2011
Well, you are absolutely right! Back in June 2011 I managed to persuade the OH to swap rooms with me and I had a grand old time setting up my new super-organised craft room 
PERFECT!

Or so I thought...

But since then I have inherited hundreds of beads and had an extremely busy Christmas period which resulted in the ironing board being used as my packing table, and the entire house being used as my workroom! This led me to the conclusion that maybe my craft room was not so perfect after all! So after much soul searching, another visit to IKEA, and nearly a whole month, I have finally finished Craft Room Makeover #2!

So, as well as the hints and tips for a craft room makeover I posted last year in my
 Room Re-organisation blog post, here are some additional handy tips that may help with your own studio transformation!

I guess it all depends on what activities you undertake in your craftroom, but I would always suggest buying the biggest that will comfortably fit!

Also, try not to crowd the desk with too much storage - I find a clean, tidy, empty desk is a real invitation to get creative!


After much deliberation I paid in expendable legs for the desk so that it could be raised to waist height. This has got two benefits. Firstly, I can comfortably stand and work at the table... but secondly, thanks to some freak of providence, the old sideboard (minus the doors) fits snugly under the desk creating a fabulous storage solution for all my packing materials!


Craft Room Makeover Tip 2

Invest in storage!
But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune! There are lots of pretty and practical storage solutions that don't cost that much! In this picture you can see toiletry boxes that have been re-purposed as ribbon and button boxes!


Swapping all my buttons and haberdashery from the gorgeous glass jars into much more practical plastic containers means I can stack lots of things on top of one another, saving shelf space, but also means all my bits an pieces are more portable for when I need to take them to demonstrations and craft parties (email me at madebylolly@hotmail.com if you're interested!)...


...but never fear, the glass jars have now been put to use containing a fabulous selection of beads that I recently inherited!

I also managed to thrift a mini filing cabinet that once cleaned and tidied (and decorated!) was the perfect storage solution for all my sheets of felt


Craft Room Makeover Tip 3

Make space for personal belongings!

Having extra desk space and a home for everything means I also have more space for a few little personal touches...


And now it's all finished, I can't wait to get back into my room and start creating!
 I've had to put my new range 'Spring Dreams' on hold while I got this finished!

Right, I'm off  to test whether everything is as usefully organised as I think it is!
Please feel free to comment if you've come up with any more suggestions for a super-organised craft room as I have a feeling that once I get started on the new range I may need all the help I can get trying to keep my newly re-organised craft room tidy!




 
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