mans best friend

Today has been miserable weather wise, rain lashing against the windows and very dark, haven't picked up a stamp, but have been on the computer finding images for scrapbooks with the new stamps. Whilst I was looking I came across this pohoto of Bob who is back to being my constant companion. At the moment because Martin is in his office, having got back from deliveries and seeing customers, Bob is currently stationed between the two rooms. But he does pop in and put his head on my lap every now and then and in about an hour he will start to tell me it is time for his tea.

Bob always came to work with me until I went to the Craft Place full time, he carried on going to work with Martin at Write Now until that closed two years ago. Since then he has been here with Martin and now with both of us. One thing he is not keen on is me going into Martins Office or him coming into mine.

When I tell people I have a dog I am not sure what they expect, especially when I say he is a minature poodle, if fact he has an excellent pedigree and his father and sister have both been to Crufts. But here is Bob, in his favorite spot watching the world go by and patroling case any blackbirds dare come in the garden.

time to play

The lastest designs for Oak House Studio have at last landed in my craft room. Now please remember that I still haven't got to grips with finding new homes for all the craft goodies I brought with me from the craft place, so my present attempts at using them are rather limited, but space is always going to be an issue for work from here so I better get used to it.

So far I have managed to emboss using basic metallic powder (colour chemistry of course) I did the scrolls on to black linen card which is one of my favs at the moments ( just in case you hadn't noticed)

And I have stamped the floral frames using versafine ( vintage sepia) on the cream card and coloured using Faber Castell Watercolur pencils. I have embossed the heart version on gold and coloured that but you will have to wait to see that..looks good though, anyway not excellent work but you can see the designs which I am very pleased with.

The floral heart is so versatile it has been renamed Floral Frames. These have been made with just 3 out of the 6 stamps in the set, so there is even more you can do with them.

where does the time go

over a week since my last post, I am still recovering from the show.
This week I have been dashing around with my best clothes meeting various business people in nice hotels. It has probably been a welcome break but it amazing how all these things all come at once.
Yesterday involved me getting to the hotel 30 minutes ahead of the meeting to do a live braodcast on Radio Humberside. It was a lot of fun and I was pleased to get my piece out of the way before the full days activities started but it did make for a long day.
I did seem to spend an awful amount of time explaining what I do now! Even one of the ladies who sell scrapbooking items needed me to explain how unmounted stamps work and why they so much more versatile than wood mounted rubber.
It was nice to listen to other people stories how they had ended up doing what they were doing, for most people it was about a life changing experience.
We also had a very nice lunch in super surroundings, and I have more of this to come this week,
Lets hope that it all helps to move the business forward.

THE weekend

We had a great weekend. The focus being a new papercaft show in Hull. We have played at these things things, but this was our first serious show. The main feature of our stand was of course Oak House Studio stamps. We did manage to get 10 colours of embossing powder packaged and labeled too. This involved pleading with our jar supplier to express the right size out to us, lengthy negotiations over labels, when the one we originally chose months ago was discontinued.
The whole week was busy preparing for the show and still we weren't quite ready.
My family were a great help not only doing jobs at short notice but also putting up with me very anxious about it all.
I can't thank my friends enough for all their help which entailed supplying chocolate when my hormones decided to kick in two days before the show, filling jars with embossing powder, bagging and labeling acrylic blocks with Martin for company (that is a friend), making great samples of cards and boxes and bows. Turning up on the day, and talking to customers and keeping me calm (well at least trying).
One of the best moments for me on Sunday came when I took a moment to look back at the stand after talking to a designer I knew from another company. Everyone on the stand was talking to someone, and the enthusiasm in their voices was amazing. For me to talk about the stamps and how you can use them is one thing, but my friends had all bought these stamps before they knew they were mine and here they were telling other people how great they are with such passion, it was a great feeling.
So for every minute of their time they gave me to help with Sunday, the moment that gave me most joy was that one.
We had a super day and sold out of the clematis tower stamp quite early, so we sent the customers down to Paper Roses as we knew they had new stock, but they sold out too. In the end we were both taking orders and came home to find more orders waiting for us.
So what am I doing now, well that is obvious, think about the next show after all we only have 31 days to Port Sunlight Stamping Show.

the far east comes to Beverley

I have had a great evening out with my friends from the Beverley Circle of Women Merchants better known as the Beverley Sisters. We all met up after work in the local Tapas bar with the idea of moving on somewhere to eat. I arrived with Susan to discover three more of the girls all about to start on some very pink Singapore Slings. I took a quick look at the drinks and a quick sip of Alison's cocktail and decided to go mad and have one myself. I rarely drink but tonight was special and so I decided to indulge. Just the one !! oh yes we have all heard that before. Alison ordered a few nibbles, some garlic bread and olives and a few vegetables, then some more nibbles and another drink.
Now this event started at 5pm so by 8pm we are all very relaxed and laid back literally in the leather sofas. So another good night. The girls presented me with a lovely pair of Pilgrim Earrings from Figaro in Wednesday Market, excellent choice girls. I LOVE THEM, and the earrings.
Serious note here. The Beverley Sisters always have a good time when they go out or get together, the emphasis is definitely on having a good time, but the friendship and support the groups offers each other has been invaluable to me a woman alone in my shop everyday. These girls know what the problems are and they have been very encouraging through out. THANK YOU

what a picture

Well having described my Easter as sitting on the sofa with the dog eating chocolate I saw the prefect picture of just such a scene today. If I hadn't been saving all my pennies to get started on our range of embossing powders I would have been very tempted. It was a long picture with a lady of a certain age reading a book entitled how to change your life in 21 days, and beside her was a tin of chocolates, a pile of other books and a bottle of bubbly. Then at her feet, on the sofa two dogs. It looked like heaven!!
My life is slowly getting to where I want it to be but I am still surrounded by boxes and trying to make space to work. Unfortunately I do have to keep doing a few minor other jobs like feeding the family. OK I can hear you saying they both bright enough to feed you, but possibly I am feeling guilty about how much they have looked after me in the last few weeks. Is it just women who feel guilty about such things.
On Easter Sunday I decided I needed to make Yorkshire puddings. My Son loves these things and can be persuaded to eat a whole variety of other foods if Yorkshire puddings are part of the meal, so I general keep a few cheat ones in the freezer then I can add one or two to his meal at the drop of a hat, but the freezer was bare. SO I decided to make some, I have a few interesting attempts at this delicacy of the years but mostly edible and often fine. Well this Sunday they were awful I have no idea why they were just so bad but they were. But they insisted they were fine and asked for second helpings. I had to smile, I am sure they just being nice and where hoping that if they asked for them again even I couldn't possibly make them so bad twice!! in the past I would have got mad that they lied so much, but actually this time it seemed nice that they cared enough to lie! Now I know I going silly again.

happy easter

We have had the sort of weather that makes you want to curl up on the sofa with the dog and a good supply of chocolate to watch a long film on the television.
I had expected to get out a little over Easter put we made two rather poor attempts at getting outdoors and both times to shop, not we bought very much either!!
My son being 15, has enjoyed the long sessions in front of the TV and it has been fun to spend that time with him, I have been outside with the dog, but he too has enjoyed the long cuddles this holiday weekend.
Today I have desperately been trying to find the motivation to get things sorted ready for a show we are exhibiting at next weekend at the KC stadium in Hull. I did stop once to play, I mean try out a new embossing powder sample but my excuse is simple I need to know if we want to order this new colour for the show in Hull. The answer is quite simply yes and now all I have to do is decide which of the many colours on my shopping list are essential for the Hull Show and which can wait until we launch new stamp designs in May.
I hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend, however you spent it. Why don't you let me know.
email me at oakhousestudio@googlemail.com I would love to hear from you.

I hope to have news of a way you can keep in touch with the Oak House Studio and how you can find out about new products as they arrive. When this is all sorted I will let you know here and on the website. If you haven't checked out my stamp website yet have a look now www.oakhousestudio.com