Wednesday 9 November 2011

Mirrors, mirrors everywhere!!


That's kind of what it feels like at the moment. For the last few days at least I seem to have been surrounded by them! All because I decided to start selling plain fabric mirrors (by plain I mean not embroidered) alongside my stitched ones...

It started with these festive ones, but I then decided to make up some pretty floral ones too, which could be given as gifts or bought as a treat all year round...


My favourite 'Flower Sugar' fabric has been cut in to...


...as has some of the gorgeous fabric I bought in Bath last week! I do love them, so very girly and pretty!

So it's been a little like a production line here, ironing fabric, cutting out circles, cleaning the mirrors (the most annoying part of the process, but they come really filthy!) pressing them into mirrors and popping them in their little organza bags. Hundreds and hundreds of them... especially the Christmas ones which have been flying off the shelves! I don't think I'd make a very good factory worker though, I'm not very fast on the production line, and I'm also very picky... I would have been fine on the quality control section though!!


Anyways, they can be found individually or as jumbo packs of ten in both my Etsy and my NOTHS shops :)

I have also been doing a little mirror embroidery though too as I've just put my personalised badges and mirrors back on the website, so quite a few orders for these coming in again...
After the matching badges were in the NOTHS spring catalogue, I was so sick of making them, so suspended them whilst we moved house and went on holiday, but actually am really enjoying making them again. I seem to be much better at doing neater embroidery in the mornings though - by the afternoon I'm all over the place!! So I have to make them the first thing I do in the morning... very strange!

Anyway, so apart from all the mirror making going on, I also had a lovely weekend with my parents. It was a very spur of the minute decision for them to come and visit, but it was so nice to see them. It came about because on the Friday afternoon we had torrential rain! And I do mean torrential... only for about an hour, but it was absolutely heaving down... Maybe the title of this post should have been  'water, water everywhere...' that would have been more apt!


I was at home as normal working away when looking out of the kitchen window, the road seemed to be turning into a river. More and more water just came flooding down the road, until the road wasn't even visible. Cones, bins and building materials began to float down the road too...


We live on a newly built estate which isn't even quite finished yet, and the way they have built the road coming in, seemed to be channelling all the water from the main road down through the estate, straight past our house... Luckily for us, we are set back a bit from the road and it was literally just flowing past our house, but not so lucky for the people who live slightly further down the road - lots of people got badly flooded where the water all collected where the road dipped - some of them old people's homes, it was awful, so quick and so devastating.


Because the builders are all still on site finishing bits and pieces, hopefully they will have to do something about it and build some flood defences or better drainage or something, it can't be allowed to happen every time we get heavy rain! Just feel so sorry for all those affected, can't imagine how I would feel if it was our house with all our furniture and belongings ruined... Nature can be so scary sometimes, the force and the speed which it has is frightening.

Anyway, as this was all going on, I was relating it to my parents over the phone and they just randomly decided they would come visit for the weekend. They hadn't seen our new house yet and they've only been down here once or twice very briefly before so it was nice to show them a little around the area too... we went to Castle Cary for a potter about on the Saturday afternoon, then out to eat at a lovely pub called The Three Horseshoes in Batcombe in the evening. Karl was away for the weekend so it was just me and them but so lovely to catch up! I do wish they lived a little closer, it is still a 3-4 hour journey up to where they live now and we don't get to see them very often at all, but I guess it beats the 7 hour journey to their old North Yorkshire house.

Well the day seems to be whizzing by, so I best go and get on. I've got a little list I want to get through by the end of today, starting with... yep, you guessed it, some more of these!
Isn't this fabric pretty? I've not got much of it, so these ones will be a limited edition range! It's an old ('vintage') Laura Ashley fabric from the 1980's I think - mum gave me the fabric, which was an offcut from their old sofa which we had when I was growing up, so quite nostalgic for me really. Kind of feel sad cutting it up, but it is an odd shaped piece and I'm not sure what else I would do with it really, except keep it in my stash for years and years... whereas at least I am putting it to good use now... plus the little posies of flowers are just the perfect size for the mirrors, so maybe it is meant to be! You can find them here for now.

Anyway, really better go now... but hopefully you are all having a lovely week and keeping cosy and dry! Oh, don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway too which is still open for a few more days! Back soon xxx

18 comments:

Coco Rose Diaries said...

Your mirrors are gorgeous! What beautiful fabric! I have a mirror in just about every handbag I own! Always good for an emergency! ha ha!

Wowzer...that's a heck of a lot of water your way! It has been fairly bright here today and boy I needed it. Grey and miserable makes me just so!

Happy Wednesday!

Vanessa xxx

Anonymous said...

your mirrors look very pretty, you won't want to see another one again haha.

So sorry about the rain, it looks awful. Hope its all dried out now x

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Your mirrors are lovely, especially the new Laura Ashley fabric one!!
Wow that was a lot of water, you were very lucky not to be affected!
Water is so destructive and leaves such an awful mess in it's aftermath.
Nice for you to spend some time with your parents. :)
Vivienne x

Deborah said...

Your mirrors are so pretty no wonder they are flying out the shop! Blimey! the rain did come down, the new housing estate down the road from us flooded last year in the heavy rain, hope they do something to improve this for you.

Bee happy x
Have a delicious day!

♥ Mary Janes TEAROOM said...

Hello to the little mirror-making elf!...Love your mirrors Jenny..they are so pretty....and I am a great fan of Laura Ashley vintage fabrics..
Your flooding is unbelievable..the only time I have experienced something like that was on holday in Falmouth one Winter and it was very scary!..Isn't it nice though to know your mum and dad are always at hand?
Susan x

Biba said...

Girly and pretty indeed, I love your mirrors!

Helen Philipps said...

The mirrors are soooo delicious, Jenny! I (of course) adore the pretty flower sugar-y ones. The vintage Laura Ashley design is lovely too and reminds me of dresses I had long ago! It's a perfect size for the mirror with its lovely little flower posies. I'm sure all these will be amazingly popular as presents. I was sorry to hear about all the flooding where you live....I'm glad your new home wasn't affected though, and glad you had a lovely visit from your parents. Enjoy the rest of your week, Jenny.
Helen x

Maria - A Playful Stitch said...

Ooooh love those mirrors!!! Especially the two pink ones - can't decide which I prefer out of those! I think I might buy three actually - one for my mum, one for my sister-in-law (for little extra xmas presents) and one for me!! Just got to pick which ones!
Maria x

magie said...

Those mirrors are just so pretty..love the floral fabrics!
I am sorry to hear about the flooding, that is just so sad. I hope something will get sorted out, so that the effected houses don't have to go through that again..such a shame.

my4lilgirls said...

Jenny your mirrors are so beautiful, i think i'll have to order some from you for my girls for christmas, they would adore them.
Shocking flood at your estate, how awful for those people whose homes were affected, specially at this time of year, thank God yours is ok!!
Have a sweet day
Karen x

Polly Dolly said...

I love the fabric on the mirrors, they look gorgeous xx

Katie said...

I subscribe to Crafts Beautiful and have used your designs before but didn't twig initally that it was you! every design Ive seen is fabulous! Keep up the good work! x

koralee said...

Wow that is a lot of water...so sorry about this and hearing about the elderly always makes me sad.

Your fabric mirrors are sooooo lovely. xoxoxo Hugs

Annie @ knitsofacto said...

Beautiful mirrors! That rain really looks to have come down fast and furious. Glad to hear you kept your feet dry.

fee @ chipper nelly said...

lovely Jenny - and I have nothing but repsect for your factory skills! if I have to make anything more than a handful of times I go crazy (so turn down all offers of wholesale...I'll never be rich!)
Glad you're busy!
fee x

Maria - A Playful Stitch said...

Me again!! I know what I want to buy now...finally! 1 Floral Handbag Mirror and 2 Pink Rose Handbag Mirrors. I would just order them through Etsy, but it says there is only one of each - is there a way that I can get 2 of the Pink Rose? What should I do? Thanks!!
Maria xx

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