Goodbye September CRAFTfest...hello November!

Well that's another CRAFTfest over and out. And what a fantastic week we all had. We've been tweeting, facebooking, pinning, waneloing (is that a word?), pinspiring, blogging, stumbling, digging, deliciousing (another iffy verb there) and everything else we could possible think of to get as many people to visit as possible. And the result...

56,234 visitors!

 

 

What a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. I really enjoyed taking part in the June event - so much so that I became a group leader for September. It allowed me to iundulge my love of spreadsheets (yes, really) and do something that required planning and organising which I hadn't really done since leaving my previous job 12 months ago. I just can't help it, I do love lists and data. So being an organiser for CRAFTfest gives me the best of both worlds: I get to be a techy geek and a creative crafter too. It'll be time for the November event before we know it...

 

 

 

 

 

So what happens next? Fingers crossed we keep up the brilliant networking momentum, not to the crazy intense level of the last week, but just to make sure we keep ourselves visible. And now of course we can kick back and relax a little and maybe even do some crafting. If only I could find a way to detach myself from this laptop for long enough!

 

PS - booking forms are open for November CRAFTfest. Click here to book a stall



Folksy sale at last!

Well what do you know, after joining Folksy almost a year ago and not having a single sale, all of my listings had expired. So, yesterday I thought "What the hell" and popped a listing on in the morning. And guess what - sold in the afternoon. Now that's what I call a result. If only it was always so simple...

With CRAFTfest almost upon us I've got my organised head on. I'm busy ploughing my way through everyone's stall albums pinning selected goods, tweeting and Facebooking. I've tried to approach this as systematically as I can but even so it's a long road I'm travelling. And I don't think my laptop is appreciating the endless application switching either. Never mind It's all in a good cause. I just hope everyone is putting in the effort to make the event work.

Take a look at some of the items for sale by visiting my CRAFTfest Pinterest board and please feel free to repin and share with your friends.

What's for dinner?

Slow roast shoulder of lamb

Servings - depends on the weight of the joint

Whole or half shoulder of lamb
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 large sprigs of rosemary
4 anchovy fillets, cut into strips
Maldon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

• Using a small sharp knife, make 1cm incisions all over the lamb joint
• Insert a slice of garlic, a strip of anchovy and a small sprig of rosemary into each incision pushing in firmly
• Season the meat with salt and pepper
• Roast in a low oven for 3 - 4 hours until meltingly tender. The meat should fall away from the bone.
• Serve with roast potatoes and green beans drizzled with lemon juice

Promises, promises...

Well I didn't do very well there, did I? Promised to do my blog every day and missed the following day. Never mind, I'm back now.

In the spirit of supporting all my fellow crafters designers and makers I'll be pulling together some treasuries on Etsy and Pinterest boards to showcase our lovely work. Fingers crossed it'll lead to some sales - times are hard for everyone at the moment and we could all do with a little boost. I need to think of some themes - perhaps a rainbow of treasuries each featuring a colour of the rainbow, and something summery of course. I don't know about you, but it's been boiling here for the last few days. Summer has definitely arrived.

What have I been making today? - a lovely cotton ticking cushion cover for a customer in New York

The stripes play havoc with your eyes when you're cutting and sewing though!

What's for dinner?

Pasta Arrabiata

Serves 4

300g penne
6 rashers bacon or pancetta chopped
200g chestnut mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
400g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
200ml chicken stock
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes

• Add a little oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to a saute pan and gently fry the bacon
• Add the onion to the pan and soften, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes
• Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and fry for a minute
• Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time
• Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan with boiling water, salt generously and add the penne. Cook until just tender; around 8 - 10 minutes
• Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and simmer for a minute
• Serve in warmed pasta bowls and season with black pepper and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan