The lovely and most beautiful Living Creatively website has featured Cupcakes for Clara this month in its Creativity Exposed section. I'm so thrilled. It is a really great interview and just looks as perfect as a strawberry ice cream on a hot summers day. Thank you so much to Angela and Carolyn who put in all the hard work and were kind enough to choose to write about yours truly.
Thank you x
Keepsies \keep-see-s\ noun:
Lovely little pouches to keep your most special and precious things in.
-
'Aren't keepsies just marvelous for keeping your most special and precious little things in?'
'Oh yes, I just love keepsies.'
Do you remember all those weeks ago when I showed you this and left you guessing for far too long? Well, they are Keepsies. A new Cupcakes for Clara product. They will quite happily hold your mobile phone, digital camera, ipod, credit cards, money, lipstick, anything special and little.
There is going to be a whole range of keepsies. All handmade from wool felt and delicious printed cottons, with fun little embroidery in the Cupcakes for Clara style. A cute little button holds the flap down, and a cupcake label lets you know just exactly where it's from! They will even extend to larger versions soon, to hold your lovely books or notepads.
They aren't quite ready for selling just yet - I'd like to have quite a few made first - but if you are interested do let me know, and I'll send an advanced newsletter to anyone on the mailing list before they hit the store. If you don't receive newsletters but would like to please e-mail me and you'll be added.
p.s. a few extra pages have been added here and there if you fancy a browse... an about page, questions asked a lot, and other bits and bobs.
A belated but very happy Easter to you all. Of course, after another period of absence (explanation to follow soon), I am back! I can't help but think that if someone were to write a school report on me it would read 'could do better' and 'must spend more time concentrating in class'.
But enough nonsense, instead lets move to far more interesting things...
Did you happen to see the Guardian on Easter Saturday?
Cupcakes for Clara was published in it! In the new kids section called the Comic. A lovely feature on how to make finger puppets. And it was even on the cover...
I am excited beyond all belief! I mean the Guardian! And on Easter weekend too! I couldn't help but wonder how many little kids were making my finger puppets over Easter - it's amazing.
If you didn't see it, you can download the spread from the Guardian website here and then you can make your own little finger friends!
And here's what I'm doing at the moment... well, not right at this very moment because I'm typing right now, but maybe in a few moments, or a few moments after that, or a couple after that, but quite soon at least...
Little bird fatties! A robin and a newly designed sparrow.
Christmas is upon us folks and, I've finally managed to add my holiday range to my lovely shop. If you would like anything to arrive before Christmas please make sure you order before November 25th.
So before I show you what christmassy goodness I have made, let me tell you a little something... Clara has been up to a bit of her usual bossiness and has persuaded me to hold a competition. So, if you would like the chance of winning one of these...
... then please leave a comment on this post. Any comment will do, I won't be commentist. The competition will be open until November 17th, so get your entries in soon if you'd like your very own big fattie pudding for Christmas.
So, the shop, well there are quite a few things although not as many as I'd hoped. We have...
A few new cupcake keyrings
A cute little robin flattie for your tree, or chair!
Holiday bunting
A teeny pudding flattie for your teeny tree
and big fattie puddings for you big tree
And my favourite of all... Clara and Macy Holiday cards.
Clara is up to her old tricks and has wrapped up a special gift just for you...
Yep... you guessed it, she wrapped up Macy!
Cards are available on their own or as a set of two with a 'wrapped Macy' gift tag.
Clara has just sent out will very soon be sending out November newsletters, if her computer would work properly, so if you're a newbie here and you'd like to receive one... hello, thank you and send me an cupcakesforclara@yahoo.co.uk.
Good luck to all in the competition and a great big
THANK YOU LOTS
to everyone who has voted for the Clara and Macy snowman in the Softie Awards.
And just a quick note to my Dad, who may be reading, we love you and hope you get well as soon as possible, (he's in hospital with a very nasty gallbladder infection and stuck gallstones).
Have a lovely weekend everyone x
Bonjour!
Albert is possibly the cutest crocodile you will ever see. He's learning how to snap, but it's taking a while because he's ever so shy. He has quite big teeth but isn't so sure how to use them!
And he has the sweetest little tail! He makes me laugh so much... just the thought of a fat round crocodile is enough!
Albert is available in the shop now. £35 / $70
Lets just hope he doesn't eat Lucy first...
Little Lucy is heading to a lovely birthday boy this weekend, who is about to have his new room decorated in a soft Laura Ashley blue colour.
Don't worry Albert, Lucy will be safe!
And I've slightly changed my packaging bags, putting the cupcake label on the side rather than the front.
You know how people always say that you should wear what you make, so that you're like a walking advert in case anyone says...
'Hey there, that's awesome, wherever did you get it?'
... and then you can reply...
'Ah, well actually I made it. Oh yes, indeed I did, la di da!'
Um hum, that's how it works! So I was thinking that although I made the very wearable flattie Mr Kitten, you can't really wear fatties. And if I wanted to be a walking advert without yelling 'Hey look at my toys gosh darn it!' I really ought to make something quite wearable.
A Clara bag! With a pocket just for business cards, and maybe my phone, and maybe also my keys, small things do tend to get lost in the bottom of my bags. And you know what they also say... it's all in the details.
The bag is made from lovely brown tweed fabric. With straps from a shirt: I cut off the buttoned strips from the front of a shirt, so one strap has the buttons and the other has the buttonholes. The inside of the pocket is lined with cute pink stripey cotton, and little Clara is embroidered on the front. Plus it has a cupcake tag, oh and the green badge is supporting the Woodland Trust.
And the thing is, once you have your very own Clara and Macy, they want to come everywhere with you...
As soon as I purchase some bubble jet set, I'm going to make tote bags for selling. I think I'll make ones similar to this one, with a Clara pocket, except saying 'I'm grumpy but I don't know why!'
I've been a busy little bee creating a whole chair full of work! Yesterday I was feeling quite under the weather and curled up in bed with a needle, scissors and some fabric. Not the cosiest of poorly things but boy I got a lot of work done!
1. Pirate bunting
I love bunting! And even more I love pirate bunting. This is designed especially for a little friend of mine who is turning one soon, and he just loves pirates.
I just love the old fashioned-ness of it. And not only bunting, I fully intend to bring back the hankie, the petticoat, and I can't think of another right now but there are lots!
And just in case you thought she'd managed to escape...
... it's Clara pirate bunting! As if I could leave her out! Although I am wondering about Macy - she really needs her own range of products. Hmmm... maybe book covers, bookmarks and 'Clara is mean to me' badges!
Pirate bunting is for sale. 3.5m, 15 flags, 5 fabrics: £15 / $30
2. Rupert
Flattie number three. But not just any ordinary flattie, oh no, Rupert is also a decoration. He comes with a detachable ribbon so that you can use him for hugging or hanging. Perfect for chrsitmas trees!
3. Save the date cards
I printed the basic cards, with accommodation inserts, and because I couldn't bear blank envelopes for the hand delivered cards, I made 'Hand delivered' stamps. Which I loved so much I made Clara ones too! So now I just need to add the ribbons and buttons, and pop them in the post.
4. Robin's in the shop
This little fattie hopped into the shop today. Wool felt with a hand knitted red breast. £31 / $62
Well that's all folks! I'm off to hunt down some lovely fabric to make dragon bunting!
Thank you very much for all the lovely birthday messages. I had such a good day - quiet and laid back. And Harry Potter 5 was great, I loved it, although not quite as much a film 4. This one is very much like the book, and speaking of books... only 5 days to go! Woo hoo! I'm excited beyond all sensibility, especially beyond the point that is acceptable for a few hundred sheets of paper. But it's the final one. Final. I'll be in the Waterstones queue at 11.30pm on Friday to collect my pre-ordered copy, and hopefully will make it in time to sit and read the first chapter at midnight in the coffee shop that they are opening especially!
So, onto the actual reason for posting...
Flatties!
... they've arrived. And here they are...
Little flattie bluebird, perfect for taking out with you. He can come anywhere, just slip him in your pocket.
What a lovely friend he makes. And he has a pal...
Mr Kitten.
And what a lovely one he is too. With a suprise...
He really can go everywhere with you! On your arm, or leg if you prefer, I do feel a new fashion hitting the streets! But that's not all, he has even more up his sleeve. So much so that I have it all in a mosaic to show you...
Not just a softie, but a keeper as well. This one is designed to keep something very wonderful but I'll have to show you that next time.
Oh and thank you a huge big amount to feeling stitchy who included me in a post a while ago but I've only just come across, in which she called me a "sewing god". I think that's the nicest thing I've ever been called!
A new post, a new week, a new toy, a new design, a new film, a new year older for me. Oh my goodness it's an exciting week. Not only is it my birthday on Thursday (I'm going to be exactly half my dad's age - he turned 50 in May) but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out. On my birthday!!! I'm soooo excited! And a bit of a geek - which you already knew!
So with this new week, and may I wish you all a happy one, I am also showing you some new things. Oh yes, and don't worry I haven't forgotten about the website change I told you about, it's just taking a while.
So here we have it...
A custom order of two fluffy robins and a kitten money box.
He has a cute black tail!
And they are all on their way to Lincolnshire, England. And I've been working on a new design. You've all seen fatties, but are you ready... is the world ready... here they come... flatties!
Okay so maybe they aren't quite ready for the world! But they will be soon, with an extra suprise!
Four money boxes have just been shipped off to Mahar Drygoods. There is a robin, kitten, pig and panda. All in seperate boxes because the silly post office refused to send them in a big box.
'Oh no,' said the cashier, 'boxes of that size cannot possibly be posted to America.'
'But,' I said, 'you just sold it to me minutes earlier.'
'Ah well,' she replied.
So if you come across a small square box containing a precious handmade money box somewhere between England and America, please send it on the Mahar Drygoods. Thanks!
Anyway here they are...
... soon to be on sale at Mahar Drygoods (if they ever make it!).
