I know it's here...somewhere...

I have a problem. I am not the world's tidiest person. I'm a lot better than I used to be - my mum doesn't shudder when walking through my front door anymore - but that is due to the fact that a: I am actually at home a lot more these days so I have TIME to tidy and b: I have a toddler and if I want to keep anything whole and usable I need to put it away before he tries to eat it. Or bury it in the garden.
To make matters worse I also have a memory like a sieve (I have a theory about that, but I'll save that for another time).

I lose my phone on a regular basis - it usually turns up down the side of the sofa although on one occasion I found it in the watering can in the garden... (Riley....?!). The OH suggested that I give it a designated spot on the book shelf so I know where to find it at all times, which is fine, until someones phones me or sends me a text and I take the phone into the kitchen, whilst I am making tea, and then the LM needs some attention and I put it down wherever I am etc etc...You see what's happening here?

Anyway my latest loss is quite a biggie. I have managed to lose a small piece of plastic about the size of a credit card that holds my camera's li-ion battery in the charger. It popped out when I fetched the battery to put it back in my camera the other day and I put it down, to sort said battery/camera, with the intention of popping it back in the charger when I was done. But the phone rang. Riley spilt water all over the kitchen floor, the post arrived, the load of washing in the machine finished so I hung it on the line... I completely forgot about that little bit of plastic. And now I can't find it!

It's here somewhere - I know it is. It really can't have gone far. I have to find it; the li-ion batteries last well but not THAT well and we have an Easter Egg Hunt to chronicle, a couple of new shops at the Old Shambles Village that need photographing and one of our biggest local events - The Coleford Carnival of Transport on Easter Monday.

The OH often tells me to slow down, do one job at a time, finish it before moving on to the next and then maybe things like this wouldn't happen. I wish it were that easy... 

Where does the time go?

Once again I have been a bit lax in the old blogging dept but I do have an excuse...honest!

I have been working on my other blog The Old Shambles Village, visiting the new shops that have opened up and getting to know all the lovely people that are now based there. There are some great events being planned in the coming months including a Spooky Spectacular for Hallowen and a visit from Santa when he switches on the town Christmas lights. Subscribe to the blog to be kept up to date on this fabulous restoration and rejuvination project.

I have also set up a second shop on Folksy.  Forest Gems is a destash shop full of gorgeous semi-precious gemstone beads left over from my days as a jewellery designer/maker. Lots of lovely colours and shapes, including a few special one-off pieces to inspire your creativity. I am selling in small quantites: singles, pairs or packs of ten so they are ideal for those of you who would like to have a go and making for yourself or as gifts for friends and family but don't want the outlay of buying whole strings of beads (which is how many semi-precious beads are sold).

I currently have some lovely rose quartz, tigers eye, moonstone, mother of pearl, jasper, snowflake obsidian, carnelian and red goldstone on offer along with some very special, and quite difficult to come by, genuine Jet beads.  Lots more to be added soon including hematite, amethyst, jade, turquoise, pearls and - if I can bear to part with it - some fabulous Baltic amber!

So do pop by and have a look!

Also with the Christmas season just around the corner me and my sewing machine have been beavering away producing some festive lovelies for your delight... But more about that next time!

Sunday, busy Sunday...

Well now that the euphoria of being followed on Twitter by Duncan Bannatyne has worn off (or at least subsided a little - though it still makes me grin when I think about it :) ) it's time to get back to work.
I had a very busy day at The Shambles yesterday, chatting with all the shopkeepers there and taking photos in preparation for a new blog I am setting up chronicling the transformation of this tucked away courtyard just off the main road through the town of Newent  into a busy retail centre dedicated to local traders, artists and crafts people, including the OH's shop Biker Dean and also Lara's Den.  The blog is still in the planning process at the moment but I will let you all know when it's ready to role...

On top of that I have just booked a stall for Forest Flower at the Coleford Summer Festival on July 25th - so I now have to fill a market stall full of lovelies!

Oh and getting all the Biker Dean paperwork for 09-10 all finished up and sent off to the accountant... phew...

It's no wonder I have fallen behind with June Loons... (although technically as i have listed 2 or 3 items on some days I haven't really  ;) )

So...better get cracking then I suppose... *sigh* .... whatever happened to lazy Sundays?