Alchemy...

I have just received the BEST service from a lady on ETSY via Alchemy.

I didn't know until recently that you can request a custom made item, and other Etsy members can email you with bids...

Now, you know if you follow my blog about my Paypal fiasco, when a bag I agreed to pay for never turned up... well 8 weeks later I DID get my money back (Phew) and I promised myself to still treat myself to something I love...a Bag...

Well I left a plea on etsy and emailed a few bag shops..one of which agreed to make something, and then suddenly stopped emailing me until out of the blue lovely Raquel sent me a message..

and after lots of emails, about the style and fabric, Raquel made me a bag!!



Look at the lovely lining!! oooooo!! and all the stitching is perfect!

Raquel went above and beyond, to make this bag for me, she emailed me in such detail about the size and all the other bits and pieces, examples of fabric and metal locks.

I will certainly be asking for another bag from her...she can sew what ever you like!

So if you are looking for a custom made Item please visit Raquels Etsy shop, she can make mens bags too and she is such a pleasure to work with!

Here is the link..

Raquel Gonzalez

Thankyou Raquel!!

Happy Saturday


Mmmmm now what bag do i want next!!

xx

Hamish...

If you have stopped by my little spot here in Blogland you may remember me mentioning that my husband also 'colours in' ...and writes a bit too...

Rob is rather good at painting and drawing, and has written and illustrated a children's book called Hamish...as yet to be published...

but that may be soon to change, as he received some rather promising news today...from a very well known publisher...so in a few weeks...fingers toes, everything crossed..after the Frankfurt Book Fair, Rob should hopefully hear that he can actually finish the story, and illustrations...

and hopefully...a series of Hamish books will be published next year, and I have been commissioned to make 2 more 'Hamish's' for promotion... as the Hamish above is currently in London with the publisher...

I hope he is behaving himself...

So the good little sewing machine will be coming out this weekend!

Happy Hump Day Bloggers!

PS...Keep your eyes peeled for a new 'Hamish' blog...will hopefully be appearing this weekend!

Nighty night!!

xx

Busy Monday Night...

Last night was a an unexpected busy one, as I had to get another picture sample finished, in time to submit to a publishers... so tonight I'm sat very quietly in my 'den' pootling on the internet..in the cool and quiet...

ooo I do love my own company....and I'm thinking about making a new bear...

Happy Tuesday!

Love Samxx

Sewing and painting...

Very early today to be exact...

6.30am early...I woke up...TOOOO hot..and just couldn't get back to sleep, Mr M had already moved downstairs with Silkie on the sofa, as its much cooler..

This is my lil bargin sewing machine, from a shop called Argos, of all places...I hunted high and low, and in the end I bought it from ebay for £30. You can still get this little machine, I think its about £60...its called a budget sewing machine....and its BRILLIANT. I made some loose covers for a chair today, the fabric was quite thick, and it sewed like a dream. Plus its smaller and than the usual machines...

Poor Miss Sue, being an older lady, really can't bear this heat...she keeps moving from spot to spot and doesn't seem to get comfy. I have to say though for a pussy cat who is 15 this year, she is really fit...we found her asleep on top of one of our new wardrobes on Friday night after climbing some ladders that we had left in the bedroom!

I have also been working on more samples....of a jungly nature...fingers crossed one day I might get to illustrate a children's book!

Now I'm for my T.. and a spot of Dallas!

Happy Sunday Bloggers!

Love Sam xx

The bears have started to appear sam...

ummm have they? I replied....this was yucky desk before...I kept it as Silkie had a little secret den in the corner...but enough was enough..

And yes some of the bears have made an appearence...Hi Big Sue...

I've now got our old dining table desk...which is lovely and long...I can spy on the neighbours comings and goings...:0)

Thats not a TV in the corner there...I was lucky that Mr M gave me another monitor to use when I'm working on my mega mac.. (Ok ok..between you an me it is rather handy to use as a sort of telly, when I want to watch an ep of Dallas or a spooky film...:0))

Now the above pic doesn't really do justice to how much nicer our bedroom is. Gone are the yucky woodchip walls, and hello to lovely flat farrow and ball painted walls..which I have to say is expensive... but its the BEST paint we have ever used....

The furniture is Oak too and smells lovely, everything matches, and I have a whole wardrobe to myself which is such a treat, and a dressing table...

So thankyou to Mr M, for building and treating us to our new bedroom furniture...

I'm glued to the sofa now watching old TV re runs...with Miss Suexxx

nighty night!

Love Sam xx

All done!

My hands are sore, Mr M is knackered, but we did it...well nearly.. we painted the porch the stairs, the hall, glossed, made EVERY where a complete mess, tidied the garden..sorted clothes out, striped the yuck woodchip from the bedroom, well the nice handy fellow did...

Poor Silkie moved in behind the telly, so we had to make a bed for her there..

Shes acting like a Kitton exploring everywhere...

Oh and if you can go to see INCEPTION...do! Its was blooming amazing...

New celebrity crush Mr Leo xx

Nighty night

Love Samx

Welling up whilst painting?....

Yes thanks Mr M...we have been listening to The War Horse...Goodness me..I couldn't listen to the whole story...can't stop blubbing about Joey the horse....

We are just about clocking off tonight, I have been a glossing machine all day, Mr M, demolished our bedroom furniture, and thanks to a huge rugby/plumber/handyhunk, Mr M has hired to help us, he completely stripped our bedroom with NO steamer today in a day...we would never have managed it otherwise as we are 2 lil hobbits...

Happy Wednesday!

Love Sam xx

Has a tornado hit Keynsham?

Well it well and truly has here..

My house is an absolute TIP (rubbish dump) at the mo....

But I have been a busy bee..painting and glossing...I can't tidy anything up really as we our having new radiators too, and ALL of our old yucky bedroom furniture has nearly been demolished...

Oh Bloggers..you should see the dust...YUCK!!!

Be back soon!

Love Sam x

PS sorry this is the real deal, messy, real life decorating...not very Martha Stewart at the mo!!

Byeee!!

let the mess begin...

Had my Ma n Pa to stay...now between me and you its rather tricky keeping two 70 somethings and two 30 somethings all happy, at the same time...different views on things etc etc...so the plan was to keep doing something each day.

But we made it to the Bristol Aquarium..

Had some nice walks round the harbour,

and a visit to the zoo...'Why hallo Mama Meercat!'

But now the weekend is over..my house has gotten messier and messier...(Sorry Mum I seem to only have one tea spoon...?? Seriously I cannot keep it together when I have visitors...


But I shall embrace the chaos...and I'm getting a new desk tonight... I shall keep you posted bloggers!

Sam xx

Heres the bag!

Well I'm not brave enough to show my face...and I was sucking my tum in as I had just devoured the largest bowl of soup in the WORLD!! The leather cleaner was brilliant and has given the bag a new lease of life!



I have also been working on another lil pic for my illustration blog if you are interested too...just click the link at the top of the page here!

Happy Hump Day Bloggers..

Love Sam x

Bag Joy!...

Well nearly...
Paypal STILL haven't refunded me my money, on my non delivered bag from a few weeks ago, and the "lady" who is probably a man, has not returned any emails..near enough 10 emails by now...but enough of that Grrrrr...I have purchased a bag..a vintage one...inspired by my love of MULBERRY...



Yes here she is the rather popular Alexa Chung...No offence Alexa..I'm not really that interested in you, to be honest I don't really know what you do..but you were a bag muse to the head designer at Mulberry, and wow what a bag...

what a price though...around £750.....ridiculous!

Any way this was me in the bathroom tonight...cleaning and treating my new £30 vintage satchel!



It was a bargin, and almost the same size as my beloved Alexa...



I bought it from a vintage shop on ebay...don't get me wrong, I have no problem with second hand things..infact I LOVE vintage old things..but if you are selling something on ebay..can you clean out the bag from old makeup first? It looked like someone had spilt old face powder from the 1970s on the inside!



Fear not though, I cleaned it and treated it...its now looking like a new bag,, but I have to let the restoring cream do its job over night so the dye soaks in..

then yum, a lovely vintage bag...

In the mean time, I'm trying to chill out as much as possible before my visitors this weekend and the great 'DIY' mission next week..and I'll document it here...

I hope you all don't mind though...I live in a normal, small terrace house, with no paddock and ponies...its going to be a very everyday account of decorating, mess and stress...

Happy Tuesday!
Love Sam

No point being house proud at the moment...

Well in a weeks time gradual mess and chaos will be here at Chateaux McPhillips...My parents are coming to stay for the weekend next week..and things just never stay tidy, and it can be a little stressful keeping every one happy!

Then I have a weeks holiday to do .....DIY...yes in the space of the week we are redecorating our bedroom, bye bye woodchip hello lovely farrow and ball flat painted walls.

Mr M's got to dismantle and put together our new bedroom furniture and dining table, plus we are having new radiators fitted and a new kitchen sink. I'm getting the old dining table for my new desk...which is perfect especially when I have bought some new oil cloth and I can have all my bits and bobs on it including my tiny sewing machine.



(Bye bye...nasty argos cluttered desk!)

So I have 'slacked' off a bit with the house work...normally I'm dusting and tidying..as there isn't really much point this week, and I keep looking around my house, seeing all the flaws..you know things like tatty skirting boards that need a lick of paint... how do most people keep on top of it?

And I'm still working on more new samples for my agent..thats the trouble with freelancing ...theres a lot of 'free' work you have to do before you may get a paid job!

So I am sat here, thinking I should be working on another picture, and to stop blogging...buts its my little outlet...

Oh and my "to do' list just keeps getting bigger and bigger!!



(Thankyou diaries!)

Yes ...here are my to do's

More illustration samples..aiming for 5 more before next weekend
Finish 'dummy' book and tweek a couple of pages
Buy Oil Cloth
Buy 2 tins of FB Paint
Buy tin of Magnolia paint
BIG food shop for visitors
Quick tidy before they come
Look after my friends cat poppy for a week (thats not too bad!...shes so cute!)

(Oh and go to my full time job too!)

But I have been promised to be taken to the cinema tonight...any guesses on what film?

(Be seeing you later tonight..Edward :0)

Happy Saturday!

Love Sam xx