So, I’ve been making LOTS of things!

They’re currently covering both mantelpieces, the top of my living room cabinet, and anywhere else I can find space to perch them. As you may have spotted from the various bits of information scattered across my website and elsewhere, I have three events coming up in the run-up to Christmas, two of which are on the same weekend.

This is, quite frankly, making me nervous.

What’s worse is that the first of these is usually my busiest event, the Sherwood Christmas Craft Fair. Which begs the question: what happens if I sell out at the first event??

I have to say, this does provide motivation in a quite dramatic way. The problem is, the underlying panic is making it hard to focus on what I should be doing every day. I may look as though I am sitting quietly at the kitchen table, sewing away calmly, but inside I feel not unlike old Jonesey from Dad’s Army, mentally running around shouting “DON’T PANIC!”

In real life this translates to writing lots of lists, misplacing crucial pieces of fabric (WHERE DO THEY GO??!!) and losing my temper with household appliances that don’t behave as they should (I’m looking at you sewing machine – STOP CHEWING MY FABRIC!) whilst trying to fit in making stuff to sell around making dinners to eat and all the usual life stuff.

I have already done some preparation of course. A few months back I sent my little cabinet of wonders off to a furniture maker, a large, jolly man in a big jumper, for a bit of a makeover.

I bought said cabinet of wonders (well, knackered old cupboard) at an antiques fair, lugging it around a field for half an hour (oh, my arms!)

Outside it’s good – I love it’s chippy paintwork and perky red knobs (ooh-er missus!)

But inside was a bit of a mess. I immediately binned it’s wet, warped hardboard shelves, temporarily replacing the bottom one with cardboard, which was all I had at the time.

Mr Furniture Maker has done a grand job. I knew he would. I got him round to quote for mending my dresser drawer, out of which the bottom had fallen. When someone turns up covered in sawdust, looking exactly like a jolly furniture maker you would find in a children’s book about a jolly furniture maker, and after quoting very reasonably for mending your drawer then offers to fix your cupboard for free, it bodes well.

He has crafted lovely custom wooden shelves that slot in and out nicely. The only trouble is, they’re wood and a bit dark and I need to paint them white, or nobody will be able to see what’s in there.

So that little job is on my list.

I also have an order from Sarah Campbell for some more twirly girls made in her lovely fabrics, which she will be selling at the Selvedge Fair in London on December 1st.And then there’s the new pop-up shop to supply.

Rhea from Handmade Nottingham has taken on larger and better-located new premises in the city centre, and I have my wares on sale there.

And they’re selling well! Which is fabulous – except that it means that no sooner have I made, labelled, priced and delivered things, I have to start making more to top-up what has sold.

I suppose I could just leave the shelves empty, but when you pay to have your stock in a shop, it is not really good business sense to not have your stock in the shop.

Supplying the shop has also provided me with another challenge: how to display my dolls when they get there.

I already ordered more stands from Esther at Petrichoralia, who makes wonderful things from concrete, like the stands I use on my stall.

But these take a while to make, and Esther is understandably busy having her own little seasonal panic about making enough stock. So they weren’t ready in time for Handmade Nottingham purposes and I needed an alternative solution.

I’m actually quite proud of what I’ve come up with.

I bought some of these…

And some of this: And with the addition of a bit of glue, a few beads from my stash and a new drill bit I’ve made a load of these:

They’re relatively easy to make, light and easy to transport – and they actually work, making my little dolls look lovely, all standing up for themselves…

The added bonus is that they are cheap enough to supply with the dolls, so that they can carry on standing up for themselves when people take a doll home!  Genius, or what!

The only problem I have now is that it’s all very well painting cabinets and making doll stands, but at the end of all that I haven’t got time to pat myself on the back and sit down with a cup of tea because I still have a stall to fill…

Come on sewing machine, I promise I will get you serviced after Christmas…

Now, where did I put that fabric…? ♥