All is good...

Well nearly! Lauren my eldest was 14 yesterday. I could hardly believe it - gosh it makes you feel old! Her and a friend went sking for the afternoon (dry slope) and her middle sister went putting, while I took the youngest to pick a birthday card.

This turned into such a serious affair. Holly is 8 but she's the one who keeps us all right. Card after card was picked up and then discarded. Too girly, too pink, too serious were the comments, until we finally found the one, and it was PERFECT. The thing is she was right, she usually is, it was perfect. The three girls get on pretty well together and are always making up little comedy sketches and putting on silly voices etc. and the card was just about that. I was really touched that such care and thought had gone into the choosing of this card and Lauren laughed her socks off at it.

Good news about ivycottagecrafts.com - two more people have signed up and their webshops should be online soon. There has been a lot of interest in this but everyone seems to be waiting to see who elses joins. It's a bit catch 22 really!! Any ideas on ways around this would be appreciated. We put on a special offer to join now but people still seem to be waiting.



Just had another wholesale order today, it's for my bayleaf ornaments so I'll have to get making - I'm pretty low in stock for these at the minute.

I love making these as the whole house is filled with the scent of cinnamon. It's got to be my favourite, even in summer. I've got loads of new ideas for Christmas but as the summer has only just arrived Christmas seems so far away. I know this isn't true because last year I was run off my feet and vowed to get ready earlier this year, but I feel all summery and want to be making pretty summery things from my antique french linens and vintage quilts. I made the bunting above from some old quilts and I just love it!! It's really pretty in the garden. I must make some more. We are converting an old barn in France and we've got a lot of work ahead of us!! The setting is really magical though, it's in a little hamlet of 5 houses and we are just at the end of the little lane, surrounded by hazelnut trees, an orchard, a little wood, elderflower etc. When we go in the summer we just camp in the garden and put up our gazebo etc. for the girls to play under. This needs brightened up so I thought of trimming it with the bunting - it looks lovely blowing in the breeze. Oh how I long to be there, it's my little piece of heaven.

Anyway, enough daydreaming for one day. If I don't go and do some work there will be no money to fix up my little treasure.

Take care and remember, you're only young once so grab life with both hands and make the most of it.

Sacha

xx