December already?

Is it really December already? Where has the time gone?
I'm currently on day 8 of working non stop for my normal job so crafting has taken a bit of a back seat thanks to being out for at least half of every day. I have the next three days off so I'm going to be busy catching up on a few things which I will have ready for next weeks Handmade Monday. It seems everybody has suddenly got really busy, I just wish mine was with crafting rather than boring normal work!
This week I realised that I don't have any handmade decorations for my christmas tree so in the little time between working, eating and sleeping I made these little decorations.

These have the same design on each side and are only about 5cm in size, I really like them and will be putting them in little organza bags to give out to friends and family.
I have a few more designs which are just on paper at the moment but they will definately be finished this week.
Sorry this week is so short but on the positive side its made me realise how organised I need to make myself if I want to do this job properly as well as my normal job.
I'm off to have a quick look round the other crafters on Handmade Monday and also on Bath Bomb Creations new linky party before I head off into work for the last shift before 3 well deserved days off!
Until next time,
Jem
x
P.S. I actually saw snow whilst working in the early hours of this morning, not just small bits you can mistake for rain but proper big flakes, winter is most definitely here!

Sunday

So what have you been up to this week? I've spent most of it working the night shifts (boo) and being woken up during the day by deliveries and builders working nearby. As I work a weird shift pattern at my normal job when ordering things for delivery that I know won't fit through the letterbox I try to arrange for them to arrive when I have a day off or I'm working nights. 9 times out of 10 they arrive when i'm on nights so the postman gets greeted by me in the middle of the day in my PJs with crazy bed hair, I dread to think what they must think of me!
One good thing about this week though was that I told a lady at work about my new business venture and showed her some pictures of things I'd made. I handed her my camera then sat back bracing myself for criticism or at best a "Hmmm that's nice," instead I got "Will you make some for me for my neighbours children for Christmas?" I was so chuffed I was smiling for the rest of my shift! She asked me to make two plaques, one for a little girl and one for a little boy. She left the design up to me but asked that the girls plaque be girly (so pinks and purples) and if possible could I do a Fireman Sam for the little boy. All the things I've made have been from images that have popped into my head or from various doodles so to have a specific character to try to do was a bit of a challenge. After a search of the internet to make sure I got the colours and detail right I came up with this:

She couldn't remember the name of the little girl so I've not been able to finish that plaque just yet.

Also this week as I mentioned in my last post, I got my new logo:

I'd been trying to do it myself on the computer but with a complete lack of computer skills it was never going to happen so I sent a drawing of it to Verve Designs who not only made it a proper logo, they improved it by giving me that lovely swooshy style writing. Not to mention they did it in less than a week! As soon as I received it I got onto Vistaprint to have some business cards made up and they are (hopefully) on their way to me now. I have added it to my website too, which has taken a bit of a back seat this week, I've decided it will now go live in January to give me plenty of time to get it just how I want it.
I like this design as I can use it with or without the writing, I'm going to have some little round stickers made up too so that I can add them to the packaging.

I love money boxes and think they make lovely gifts, especially for babies so today I did a bit of a practice with a rocking horse design,

I'm not that keen on the colours for this one but I do like the shape, I think the next ones I do will be in just one colour like all pink or all blue. I do like the little heart gems though, I've used them on some baby plaques before and they're something I will make sure I've always got in my craft box!
Pop over to Handmade Monday to see how busy Wendy has been with her camper-van clocks and to see what the other crafters have been up to.
Until next time
Jem
x

I have a logo!

Look I have a logo!
I had an idea in my head of how I wanted the logo for Jam Dalory to look but being the computer dummy that I am there was no way I was going to be able to design it myself. Instead thanks to a member on Craft Forum (who's name I can't remember - sorry) I was told about Verve Designs. On Thursday I contacted Carl at Verve and sent him a photograph of a drawing I'd done and with his computer skills he produced this for me. It's better than I'd hoped for and much quicker than other companies I'd contacted so I'm one happy girly right now. All I need to do now is work out how to re-size it on Blogger but that'll have to wait as I'm off to my normal job for the night shift. :(
Jem
x

Marty and Matilda

I've not been doing this blogging thing very long but there's something very addictive about it. At the moment this is mainly thanks to Handmade Monday hosted by Wendy each week. Through this I'm receiving feedback about my work and gaining a few followers, both these things are great for helping me to launch my new business so thank you.
I've not been able to do a lot this week thanks to being back at my normal job and getting a dose of the latest virus thats flying around. This has meant that as soon as I get home I've been jumping into my bed with a hot water bottle and medicine feeling sorry for myself. Fortunately though my computer is a laptop so thats been joining me and its been the perfect time to get started on building my website. Its still a work in progress at the moment but it feels good to have got a good start on it.
By yesterday I'd managed to drag myself out of bed and get the paintbrush out again. After all whats the point in building a website if I don't have anything to put on it!
On my first blog post I showed you a plaque I'd made:

I thought he was cute so I had to give him a name so I chose 'Marty'. Being the dreamer that I am I then started thinking of a whole back story about him, I won't bore you with it but the question that came out of the story was what does a little giraffe need? That's right, a friend. So yesterday I created Marty's new best friend, Matilda:

Isn't she pretty? Well she is but my camera skills are so poor the colours aren't coming across right! Any tips anyone can offer would be welcomed.
The wonderful thing about crafts and self criticism is that now I've made Matilda I want to improve Marty. Maybe that's a woman thing, always wanting to improve her man!
I have a few ideas in the pipeline for next week but haven't had time to finish them yet. I will make a big effort to get them done for next week.
Anyway, all feedback and followers are appreciated, I'm now going over to Handmade Monday to see what everyone else has been up to. Make sure you take a look too.
Until next time
Jem
x

Never Forget

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" a quote by Winston Churchill in August 1940.

I don't know about you but this week has been a thought provoking one and one which has made me realise how much we owe to those brave soldiers for their actions all those years ago.
And, whilst its important not to forget what those soldiers gave for us, its just as important to remember what our brave girls and guys are still giving for us to this day.
This week has definately made me feel quite patriotic and proud to be British, in turn this has motivated me to design my next couple of plaques,

The blue in the flag is actually a bit darker than it looks in the picture above.

I decided to do a pink and blue outline to the heart and star but after seeing it I think I might change it to a black outline. I need to neaten these plaques up a little bit but overall i'm happy with the design.

Also I have now officially registered with HMRC and would like to officially give you a warm welcome to JAM DALORY, I will be making and selling handmade gifts, many of which will appear first on this blog to get opinions and feedback. I have lots of ideas and designs bubbling away in my head and I can't wait to pour them out to you. The website will be coming along soon and the above plaques will be added to it (once I've perfected them!) along with many other gifts, I do hope you'll visit it.
I'm really quite excited now, a new adventure is looming and I can't wait to start exploring it.

Someone else with exciting news is Wendy over at Handmade Monday, she's celebrating a beautiful new granddaughter, go and have a look then see what the other crafters have been up to, I'm off to get a hot chocolate, some biscuits and have a browse of them all.
Until next time
x

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.

Did you remember?

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain

Laurence Robert Binyon 1869-1943

Babies EVERYWHERE!

Is it just me or does there seem to be a bit of a baby boom at the moment?
At this moment in time I have one cousin pregnant, one cousin has just had a baby girl last month, at work I have one colleague who also had a baby girl last month, three colleagues who are heavily pregnant and two male colleagues have just had babies (well their partners did!)
It seems that everywhere I turn theres either a buggy or a bump. Now i'm not getting broody, i'm far too immature for that, but I am getting creative. All these babies being born deserve beautiful gifts!
I wanted to create a baby plaque that people could buy before they knew the name of the baby, or even before they knew the sex. So I came up with these:
For baby boys:

For baby girls:

And I did one very similar in cream for those who don't yet know if its a little boy or girl, unfortunately I haven't yet photographed it!
I think they're pretty cute but I'm still toying around with the facial expressions and debating whether or not to add some more embellishments, what do you think?
Now going back to my cousin and my colleague who both had baby girls last month, amazingly they were both born on the same day and their mothers share the same name, spooky! I wanted to create a little something special so for my colleague I made this:

and I made a similar one for my cousin

And then a matching money box as my mum wanted a gift to give her too

Here's the two of them together:

Myself and my mum travelled to London on Friday and delivered the gifts to the new baby, I also did a plaque and bag of sweets for her big brother and sister so they didn't feel left out, big sister had this:

And big brother had a similar plaque to the giraffe from the last post, again I stupidly forgot to photograph it (slaps hands)
The cousin who's still pregnant (due next month) had a baby shower today which myself and my mum went to, it was good fun and she had a whole table full of gifts. I haven't made her a gift yet as I'm waiting to see what she names it however my mum wanted a moneybox to give to her so I made her this:

I didn't get to see her reaction as we had to leave before the end to travel back however she did see the other moneybox and she loved it so hopefully she'll like hers too.
Anyway thats enough baby talk from me, its tired me out!
What have you been up to this week? Pop along to Wendy's Handmade Monday to see the other talented crafters and their wonderful creations. This is the second time I've entered as Jam Dalory and as well as picking up new followers i'm hoping to join in every week at least until the end of 2011.
Until next time...