It's so good to be back

Hi all,

After such a long time not blogging it feels good to be back and getting back to normality, well as normal as I ever get. I finally managed to get the trusty sewing machine out a couple of weeks ago, it didn't mind the rest as she started first time ;-) She is a brother machine I bought in 1985 for a lot of money then and I don't have the heart to replace her, anyway a trip to a fabric store saw me with some gorgeous new fabrics and time to play. I hadn't realised how much I missed sewing until I got back to it, these are some of the items that I made last week and have lots of ideas for this week too.

Also managed to get my Folksy shop back up and running, Facebook and Twitter came next - where did I find the time?! I shall have to keep a checklist of what to do, I don't know how you all do it? Which does anyone prefer, I like FB for looking and keeping up with everyone's lovely new stuff, Twitter is much more interactive although I'm still pretty novice at it, I'm also a bit a a forumaholic for all my interests - blimey however did we manage before the internet!?  What's your favourite? Great to be back, I'll be off now to find new blogs to follow and see what you've all been up to. xxx

The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen

Following on from yesterdays exploration of the Willow Craft in Somerset I came across The Somerset Guild of Craftsmen. The Guild was founded in 1933 and embraced a range of crafts: in 1949 The Guild included builders, plumbers, photographers, an organ builder, potters, engravers, thatchers, weavers, blacksmiths and stonemasons. There were stained glass makers, and workers in wood and leather. Today, some of these old crafts are considered to be trades but the current craft list still covers many of the above and includes furniture restoration, fabric design, stained glass, calligraphy, embroidery, silk painting, glass blowing, jewellery and musical instruments.

All Guild members makers are skilled, dedicated craftsmen and women who have undergone strict selection to become a craft Guild member. Situated in the ancient heart of Somerset, the Guild has a membership of over a hundred and seventy members.
The Guild's Gallery, the Courthouse at Somerton, is open Mon - Sat showcasing and selling members' work. With up to as sixty members exhibiting work, the range of skills displayed in the Guild's gallery is very diverse. Many makers use traditional techniques to create contemporary work ranging from pottery, glass, metalwork and wood through to furniture and textiles. I have made a note to make a visit this summer! For further information visit:

http://www.somersetguild.co.uk

Dudley Ted

Well, it's Monday evening already and I don't know where they day has gone. I have had another order on Folksy...whoop whoop!!! This was for 2 more Ted cards so my little family are proving popular with others too. This is one of the cards I sent out today, 'Dudley' -
He is a tiny Ted, only about 4" high and sooooo sweet. I can see I shall have to write a book about them and their antics eventually! I'm trying to get my head around SEO or search engine optimisation but why they can't write about it in English I really don't know! I'd better get back to it or no one will ever find me. Fingers crossed for another order on Folksy, I'm at www.adiencrafts.folksy.com by the way :-) Update: I was fiddling around with all the buttons on here...as you do...and somehow managed to put this on my Facebook page. Apologies if this has been sent to you and you didn't want it...that's what you get for being my friend!

New to Blogging!

Well here I am with my own blog...have no idea what I'm doing so will work things out as I go along...no change there then!
Yesterday was a big day for Adien Crafts, the Folksy shop opened and I welcomed my first 3 customers...hooray. I sold 4 of the lovely Ted Range of cards, as well as a wall plaque and a couple of other pretty cards. It was so nice to think other people liked what I'd done so I was on cloud nine all day. All orders have been posted off so let's just hope the customers are happy with their purchases. Here is one of the Ted Cards purchased yesterday: Arthur Ted, one of my favourites,A day away from crafting today and off to dog training where Sandy and I took a class of advanced puppies - the sun shone, the puppies were all well behaved, life is good!