Oh my goodness, I have just realised that I am a late starter and that the run-up to Christmas has seemingly taken me by surprise this year!

Having been bimbling through the summer not making very much, just dipping in whenever the fancy took me, enjoying the garden and the hot weather, having weekends away and seeing my lad at home instead of working, I have not put in the legwork required to get me prepared for the time of year when I actually sell things.

It’s been ages since I did an Etsy shop update, or sold anything much (other than fabric on ebay) and it is something of a shock to the system to suddenly realise that soon it will be November, the month when, pre-pandemic, I used to be doing fairs virtually every weekend.

I decided not to do any fairs this year, although it was a tricky decision because it is lovely to see everyone in person. It’s just that each fair needs so much preparation and so much work – planning the display, making enough stock to fill the stall and keep it re-filled, pricing everything, printing out signs and ironing cloths, packing and transporting and setting up and taking down and repacking and unpacking … And what I’m making now is more complicated than the simple dolls I started out making, and I’m not sure people will pay what I need to charge for my current work at a local fair.

I decided to sell online instead. But without the deadline of an event looming, to kick me into panic mode, I have let things slide a little and consequently seasonal panic syndrome has just kicked in. I have so much to do!

So just by way of an update, I am planning to do a big Etsy shop restock before Christmas (or possibly several smaller ones!) – I’m just not very together. I’ve never been a good planner, never got my head around setting goals and working towards them, I’m too much of a dreamer and a drifter.

I’m currently deep into making a collection of dolls (to be followed by a smattering of fairies) for Sarah Campbell, which is lovely, but takes quite a while.So can only I apologise for being such a late starter and hope that when I finally get my act together to put some dolls and bears on sale there will be people still around who would like to buy them – and enough days when the posties aren’t on strike to get them delivered to the folk who do. If you would like to be amongst the first to know when I set a date, subscribe to my mailing list.

The one advantage of being such a late starter and not being together enough to sell what I have made during the last few months is that the mantelpiece is currently looking quite full. There are even a few characters that haven’t been photographed yet – you may be able to spot some new faces…So now that I’ve realised just what a late starter I am, I’ve just got to get my head down and sort it all out.

Please bear with me! ♥