Everything happens for a Reason

A strange week that's gone by too fast - certainly too fast to blog it all. Junior OTR assistant has gone away for a couple of days which, by rights, should have left me some space to 'do my thing'. Has it by 'eck! I have managed to make one single Chocolate Jotter for a dear friend, and had other friends over for dinner. As for the rest of the time, I do not know where on earth it has gone. I did get to a local market yesterday, ostensibly looking for apricots (how glamorous a life she leads I can hear you say) but happened across an antiques type trader who had just obtained a van load of books - however hard I tried to find out where they got them from they avoided my insinuations and allusions. I bought several delicious ones from them which are being added to the gallery as I write this, and I'll have them on the website by the end of today, but apart from that the week has completely disappeared. No sign of the writing I'm supposed to be doing, being done. Oops. My very good friend Jules at Apple Tree Theatre company is awaiting a monologue from me, which she wants to share with the world. I'm full of ideas for what I want to do, but I'm completely overwhelmed by all the trivia at the moment and that is so effective a form of writer's block that I'm not even bothering to resist. However, I'm off on hols in a week and I'm hoping that my parents will be happy to play with my son whilst I can sit and smoke Gauloise and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully get it written. Once I start I know it will be fine, but starting is often the hardest bit.

I turned into a patron of the arts this week in the Butter Market art gallery in Newark. A picture by the artist Ann McLaren Hodgson quite literally shouted at me from the street (I have no idea what I was doing looking in a gallery window - I usually resist unless I've got unlimited time.) I wasn't previously aware of her beautiful work - it's certainly unusual and unlike anything I've seen before, but it is truly inspiring stuff. Before I decided to blow my holiday spending money on the picture I chose, I was aware of how badly I wanted to just plonk myself on the floor, surrounded by her art and write myself senseless. The inspiration was completely tangible. I had the very great pleasure of actually meeting Ann and she's a charming woman with a winning smile and a very very firm handshake. I can't wait until her exhibition (which is moving to the Sam Scorer gallery in Lincoln soon) is over because then I can take my picture home and hang it in pride of place in the living room. If AJ can get a nail into the brickwork that is.

I'm hoping we're off to the CLA Game Fair on Saturday (with evil Pooper who will be amazed that there are other dogs in the world. Again. Over and over again) and to a family bbq on Sunday. It'll be lovely to see my folks and for AJ to get to meet them again. Well, I think so, even if he doesn't. Then, one more week till the trip to France and then ta-da! On return I'm opening the shop up on the web and going for it BIG time with the very welcome assistance of Bertie at Click Creations . We reckon the world won't know what hit it. Have a lovely weekend!

Back to the bindstone

A week away in sunny Cornwall. Well, I would say that wouldn't I, but it's frankly a complete lie. We had one nice day when we went to Lanhydrock (and I got caught in a heifer stampede which was almost as scary as being admitted to Eastbourne Hospital and just as risky) but otherwise was a good day. It rained the rest of the time. Staycations? Holidays in the UK? Erm, no. Never again. Time's too precious to spend it sitting around in a raincoat.

Anyhoo, we're back and the production of Chocolate Jotters starts in earnest. I'm getting them made in between school holiday duties such as playing with aircraft carriers and taxiing the junior OTR members about the county. I'm hoping that the website will go live this week, but I'm on the horns of a dilemma as I'm off to sunny France in a fortnight which could really make people fed up if they don't get their orders. Alternatively, there is a view that it's the 'quiet' time and so it'll probably be ok. Don't really want to hang a 'Gone Fishing' sign on a brand new site........I shall ponder at the hospital this afternoon.

I've added a couple more books to the pile from a short wet foray to one of my (usually) fruitful hunting grounds yesterday morning. Largely it was a wasted trip, but I did acquire a set of six 'History of the Great War' books which would make fantastic journals or whatever for those people in your life who like gorgeous colour plates of soldiers and war maps and so on (is that the right term? I'm sure there's a proper term but not being geographically minded I don't know). They'll be on the website from the off and they're well worth a look with (dare I say it) Christmas in mind.

Had the chance en route home from the wetlands of Cornwall to meet the gorgeous aforementioned Bertie from Click Creations which was like a breath of fresh air in rain sodden Bideford (see - I'm not being Cornwallist - it was Devon too) and she made me one of these beautiful and quirky dry felt animals. This is clearly Angus and I can't wait to pick him up from the kennels tonight and introduce him. Mind you, he'd probably chew it up....... Talking of which, I'm going to get another border friend for Angus but hopefully I will be able to train this one to bring the ball back.

Off to taxi duties now. I'll post some pics later. If I can manage it. A week off and I'm a Luddite all over again

If At First You Don't Succeed.....

My good friend Bertie at Click Creations made an observation the other day that has really inspired me. She said that those who succeed in life are those who try try and try again. I was whingeing (a fairly normal function in my life) about something craftlike not working (it was actually, shamingly, when I managed to completely muck up a book I was making for her - but, it's life, it does happen. Except you don't get any second chances with unique old books. Gloom) and beatifically (or should that be Bertifically?) she issued forth that pearl of wisdom. Well, talk about a rocket inserted into various places that'll get you going, I've tried tried and tried again and have, after much gnashing of teeth and shouting produced another new scribbly idea. Take a look at these little gems.

I've taken a seed packet and rebound it into a plain paper notebook - a favourite fill of mine to be honest, it offers so possibilities - and inside the jolly pattern lined front cover I put the seed pack in a little slot. Just like this, in fact....

Now, I do love gardening (when I'm physically able.....) and I love all the possibilities for gifts that are related to my passion that I can give or make to my other gardening friends. I'm dead pleased with this latest idea because it means I've now got another option for this. And unlike the endless jars of gardeners hand cream that get bandied about and left in the back of the cupboard, I'm pretty sure that this lovely will get used over and over again. And, unlike stuff that goes off or out of fashion, long after the seeds have grown and given pleasure, the notebook will remain as a happy reminder of a lovingly meant gif


And this is what both covers look like (the back cover inside is the same as the front cover but without the little seed packet pocket). I think I shall call them Seed Scribblys.

Thanks Bertie for the inspiration to keep trying. I really should have learned by now not to be a quitter, but it helped to be reminded not to be. I'll be putting these on the website shortly and hope lots of people desire them for themselves and their friends and family.

I'm finding lately, no doubt as direct result of my passion for my wire binding machines (or, as I shall call them from now on wbm1 and wbm2) that I am eyeing up absolutely everything with a view to 'how can I rebind it'. My stationery habit is barely contained at the best of times, but now I can truly make my own, it's almost completely out of hand. Luckily I'm off to Cornwall for a week on Saturday and obviously can't take either wbm with me (not that I'd take the newest one, wbm2, as I can't make it work properly still and I'm seething at the expense with no return at the moment....) but I'm hoping that I'll find not only charity shops and possibly even a car boot sale (which will have to be a stealth thing as it won't be what the OTR junior members and assistants will want to do) but also that I'll get more inspiration for other bindery. I do know that by the time we get home I'll be aching to get the OTR team out of the house and to reacquaint myself with the wbms and get a-binding. Wirebound cornish pastie anyone?

A Lost Weekend?

Well! It appears that somewhere out there in the blogosphere someone has heard of our project and is already trying to buy stuff on the site. Whoops. We haven't tested it from cradle to grave yet so we've had to take it offline until we've worked through it all. I'm just stunned that anyone is interested enough to want to buy things before we've even launched properly. Mind you, like so many things, I guess that if it's online it's fair game. Oh don't for one minute think I'm ungrateful, not at all, it is just a demonstration of how little control we have in the virtual world.

It was a quiet weekend with (gasp, horror) no crafting or, well, anything really. It was too hot to be ensconced with a guillotine and a wire binder (or 2 grrr) and we just hung out. That's not strictly true, we attended 'Dogs Unleashed' at Newark Show Ground, with our guard terrier Poops, who disgraced himself by failing to race after the lure in the terrier racing and was far more interested in all the other dogs there. It's weird, he seems to forget that there are other dogs in the world and he just goes crazy with happy excitement whenever he sees another four legged friend. However, I'm hoping that the work we've started doing with Sara at A Dog Called Wander will sort him out so that we'll be able to go and enjoy ourselves around other people and dogs without Poops being so anxious. Who can say? He's a clever boy and I'm sure we'll be out and about with pleasure this summer holiday.

I didn't get to my usual place for books this Sunday, and we're away for the next 2. I'm a bit anxious about stock levels, but certain that there are charity shops in Cornwall. Hopefully the OTR team won't mind carrying the bags for me.........

Hope Eternal Springs from the Creative Breast

Well, isn't it strange how the creative mind works? I know that's nothing new, and creative sorts will raise their eyes and wonder what's new about that statement, but it's important to sometimes stop and consider how we all come to arrive at a creative outcome. The reason for this navel gazing is that I had had a fairly frustrating week with everything I touched turning completely rotten until yesterday when, a day late, a new wire binding machine and my new and long awaited grey board finally arrived. It was as if all of the frustrations of the week melted away, and I couldn't get creating quickly enough. Within about an hour of the kit turning up (which turned up almost simultaneously despite being from different suppliers) I had made my first Chocolate Jotter. And boy, do I LOVE it (and the chocolate too.......but we'll be sending the bar out with the jotter - double whammy for you, hell and damnation for us)


Well. What can I say. I've had a couple of people fondle them and although I'm sure one shouldn't be self congratulatory, I have to say, they're blooming fab. How inspiring is that? So I've added some pictures (I hope!) to show you what they're like. And hopefully, in between my mad day I hope to make another prototype to show you later! After a futile first 3 days, I'm dead happy that the buzz is back. It's also a strange situation where the pain in my back and shoulders (caused by a riding accident) are almost worse when I'm hunched up crafting, but the mental pain is eased. What's all that about?