As one door closes...you need to start knocking on others!

 eek! Where has the summer gone? where has the past 6 months gone??? 

Life has been so busy - again! the fact that I am not 'working' seams to mean that I have less time to do anything, how does that work? 

Clitheroe held it's first arts and crafts market - unfortunately it felt like most of the county had attended, and I only managed to get close to about 3 stalls! 

My new favourite wool shop had it's grand opening and a fashion show - the owners knitting daughters made excellent models! we will miss these girls at the weekly knit and natter once they are back at school

I did a whole week of African Drum workshops with these guys - we also did some tie dying, they are all getting ready for the performance here, wearing their t-shirts and getting the grease paint on - they have promised me a DVD of the performance!

And a lovely lady bought 3 of my pin cushions off Folksy for her haberdashery stall, so I am busy replenishing the stock, and trying to come up with some idea's to make for my own web site - I have signed up for a free moonfruit website, that is supposedly easy to create - 3 weeks in, and I now have JuicyFig written in one corner....err, not as easy as I had hoped! so anyone out there who has made a web site on moonfruit, I would be grateful for any tips! 

Next week on the 7th I am hopefully teaching my first ever craft class, I really hope it is booked up - I have to cut all the card this week, and right up the instructions.

Apologies once again for not getting round the other blogs I follow, I am dying to catch up, but think I need to learn to manage my time a little more efficiently.

Thank you for all your comments regarding my job ending - To be honest, the relief has been worth it, and now I can't understand how I managed to put up with it for so long, anti-depressants, counselling, tears, sleepless nights, frustration and bitterness...my time with the Child Support Agency is now another closed chapter in my life.

And - although we have no income at all at the moment the money worries aren't half as depressing as the job! Things will work out for the best, I will make sure of that!

Swapsies, wips and the end of an era!

What a week! 

I received my swap goodies for tilly roses shabby vintage swap all wrapped in Cath Kidston paper and in a CK bag...Look what the fab and very patient Traci @ Handmadehappiness sent me! 

This is so cool - they are wood! I love the colour of the flowers, how did she know?

I love the round box, and inside were vintage buttons, a linen tea towel just like my mum used to have back in the 70's and this gorgeous thimble looking a little er...snug on my pork sausage like fingers...

Thank you so much Traci - I love it all!!! - notice anything missing though...? yup, you guessed, the chocolates did not make it to the photo shoot due to er...being eaten.

My return swap parcel has just been posted!

Other news in the JuicyFig household - I have finally been 'let go' from work - I am no longer a Civil Servant! I am so happy - it has been a really miserable 6 years working for a government agency that had a reputation as bad as it had (and it wasn't HMRC) - my only regret??? that no one ever asked me to sign a passport! 

So - now I am now unemployed. 

It was Mr Juicy and I's 7th wedding anniversary on the 1st August, so I finally finished the waist coat I had been knitting him for about 5 years - I will get him to pose for a photo soon...

It is baby figs 19th Birthday on 15th August, so I have been busy trying to arrange a surprise pressie and may also get this finished in time

so she can keep warm and snugly in her cold cold flat...

on the 24th August it will be my Grandma's 96th birthday - she is at the age where you add on a year, she has been telling people all year she is 'almost 96' - funny how we do the same as kids, then loose a year after we get to about 30 "I was 29 last year you know"! or "I am ONLY 36" then revert to adding on a year when we pass 80.

oooh - good news though, I will hopefully be teaching my first box making workshop on the 7th September at a lovely shop in Barrowford called Patchwork Chicks - lets hope we get lots of folk sign up for the day...

I have been doing the odd drum workshop here and there but next week I am doing a full week of drumming with family's working towards a performance next Friday - I am still trying to figure out how to keep everyone entertained for 5 hours a day! eeek! I think some instrument making may be in order...anyone for a yogurt pot shaker??

Lastly - in case I don't get back here for another week or so I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has left comments and who follow my exploits, I love reading the comments but at the moment feel like I am being rather neglectful when it comes to replying and visiting all my favourite blogs - I will get there in the end!