[ GIVEAWAY! ]

It's Giveaway Time!

It feels like a while since my last competition and I just so happen to have a couple of turquoise 'love' egg cosies sitting here in the studio, pretty prizes for TWO winners!

To enter all you have to do is...

1. Follow my blog & leave a comment below so that I know you've entered!

2. 'Like' my facebook page, www.facebook.com/charlottemaceytextiles

3. And tweet a link to my competition on twitter! For example...

It's competition time @charlottemacey textiles, win a pretty pair of turquoise linen egg cosies! http://stitchtales.blogspot.com/ (feel free to cut and paste!)

I will announce the winners on Friday (29th) and last but not least, good luck!

Home & Gift 2011

For the last few days I've been up in Harrogate at the Home & Gift trade fair. From sitting in the studio sewing away happily to the trade fair frenzy was quite a contrast, and it was wonderful! I met hundreds of people, from lovely independent shops to fellow exhibitors. 

So whilst I'm writing invoices and catching up on a week's worth of admin and emails, here are a few pics from the show...

It was also my birthday whilst I was in Harrogate, so my auntie treated me to dinner at Betty's - so wonderfully English and traditional, I am now their number one fan! x

We Make: Pop-Up Shop

This weekend I ventured to London town to help out at the We Make Summer Pop-Up Shop in Hampstead. It began last Saturday and finished yesterday, often staying open til 9pm, making the most of the Hampstead late-night shoppers, of which there were many! The shop was beautifully arranged, with wonderful art work and prints on the walls, and everything from cushions to necklaces dotted around the shop, it was wonderful!

We Make also ran workshops throughout the week, and yesterday's was Zebra Making... hand sewn and stuffed, I only wished I could've joined in, the zebra's were amazing!

Oak Studio in Hampstead...

New Bunting!

With the Christmas range getting underway here in the CMT studio I have turned my hand to my bunting. I have just about used up the last of the spotty charcoal, teal and blue that I have been using for my larger sized bunting since I began making bunting, however now that the spotty has stopped being produced it was time to look at new fabrics and colourways for new bunting. A while ago I introduced 'mini bunting' to my range and due to the success of this cute little version of the larger bunting, have decided to go for mini all the way!

After getting my entire fabric collection out, arranging linens and cottons in piles of colours and patterns that I liked the look of together I now have 3 new mini buntings... a combination of spots, stripes, linens and cottons, and now also a longer length of 1m 50 too!

First up, floral mini bunting...

...spotty blue mini bunting...

... and last but not least, spotty red mini bunting - jolly and festive and is actually a sneak peek at my Christmas range, to be revealed at Home & Gift in mid-July! x

Poppies

Whilst driving back from the post office this week two factors finally came together... the field full of poppies that I have driven past on numerous occasions in the last few weeks, and having my camera in my bag! So I pulled over and started snapping. The field was full of hundreds of poppies and lots of meadow flowers intermingled with them, the sight was spectacular.

Handmade in Britain 2011

I have spent the last few days in my favourite city, Bath, at the Handmade in Britain fair at the beautiful Assembly Rooms. I shared my stand with the ceramicist Julia Davey (we are also sharing a stand at Country Living in November, so this was the perfect trial run!)

We enjoyed four days of fair-action, assessing how our products sit alongside each other and planning our Christmas stand in London. I met so many lovely people at the fair, both fellow exhibitors and fair-goers, with some exciting new contacts too. 

And I even managed some early morning strolls and coffee expeditions around the centre of Bath before the fair opened to the public at 11am. It is definitely still my favourite city and I'm getting excited about Christmas already! x

Soft Brown Sugar Cookies

This week we have been celebrating birthday after birthday here in the Macey household... well, two birthdays to be precise. So at the beginning of the week I tried my hand at a spot of baking, and found a tasty-looking recipe for Soft Brown Sugar Cookies on Pinterest (my new favourite website!) 

For a start the recipe was using cups (as it was American) and I altered it a tad as I am wheat intolerant, but here is the original recipe...

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter, softened

1-1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 c. sour cream

Directions:

Blend together butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time; blend well.  Add vanilla; beat until light.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto non-stick or lightly greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack; cool. Makes 2 dozen.

I swapped regular flour for self-raising gluten-free flour and still used the same quantities of baking powder and baking soda, but left the salt out of the recipe, and the results were great!! When I make these again I would add chocolate chips to the recipe and then they would be perfect, but all in all, a good week's baking! x

Weddings & Chickens!

In the past week my range of cosies has seen a couple of new additions. Firstly a new Mr & Mrs tea cosy (with a coffee cosy to follow in the next few days!) that co-ordinates wonderfully with my Mr & Mrs egg cosies. Inspired by vintage lace and classic wedding dresses it makes a lovely wedding gift.

Each is individually handmade from beautiful ivory linen with a red ticking lining. The front and back of the cosy feature 'Mr & Mrs' stitched handwriting and a pretty quilted-effect floral design.

The second new design I've been working on is... chickens!! I have had customers asking me on numerous occasions for a chicken design, so here it is! This week I made my first couple of egg cosies and in the next few days I will also be adding a tea and coffee cosy. Check my website in a few days to see the full range of 'chicken' cosies! x

We have a winner...

Congratulations 

to the lucky winner of the beach huts tea cosy... 

Wendy Massey!

Wendy, if you would like to email your address to me at: design@charlottemacey.co.uk that would be great and I'll 

pop your new tea cosy in the post!

...and to everyone who entered, thank you so much!! 

Stay tuned for more blog news and adventures and 

more exciting competitions in the future!

I hope you all have a wonderful sunny weekend, 

Charlotte x

It's Competition Time!

Although the weather of late hasn't exactly been super-summery, I'm convinced that summer is indeed on the way! So to celebrate the impending sunny season I'm doing a little giveaway...

WIN this linen 'beach huts' tea cosy

All you have to do is follow my blog, leave a little comment below and 'like' my page on facebook (www.facebook.com/charlottemaceytextiles) - easy peasy!

So use the link above to help you on your way and I will be announcing the winner on Friday (the 3rd)... Good Luck!