Each year I use the Christmas-in-July promotion on Etsy and elsewhere as a useful deadline for myself, to get my new designs completed, photographed and launched for the coming season.
I'm not suggesting anyone else should think about Christmas yet unless they want to, but after my first overwhelming Christmas season in 2014, when I had to close the shop on December 1st and work 16 hour days to get all the orders done by the final posting dates, I got my head around the concept of Christmas-All-Year-Round, never mind July, and now the first half of the year is for design and development, new products get launched in July, and the second half of the year is for stitching away madly to make enough stock. (I'm usually taken unawares in December when I realise that the actual real Christmas is close, and I have nothing ready.)
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It’s been a very busy few weeks of drawing, making samples, starting again, making more samples, trying out colours, and photographing the final selections. Here are a few of them…
The angels have been on my to-do list for several years but I could never come up with a pattern I was happy with. This year I’ve done a lot of design work and so far created two versions. The smaller ones are meant to complement my range of colourful patchwork style ornaments and are wearing the traditional long dress and have star-sprinkled wings.
The larger and more detailed ones are Everyday Angels, dressed in their best visiting clothes and with just a glimpse of subtle wings. Each will be a one-of-a-kind, as their faces never come out the same, like people. They take a long time to make but I'm really enjoying them, and looking forward to putting more outfits together for them in different colours with little matching handbags. (I wonder what angels keep in their handbags?) Perhaps you’ve been visited by one of these everyday angels in real life, or know someone who has?
Angels are here
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The ever-popular dogs have been joined by some new breeds. There are Bella and Bailey the black and golden Labradors (I'm going to confess that I was stuck for names so shamelessly Googled Most Popular Dog Names), and Merlin and Millie the Cocker spaniels. (Merlin is my mother's black spaniel.)
The Scotties, in a break away from their traditional tartan, welcome Flora and Bonnie in their floral jackets.
Dogs are here
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