Jim Jam Sandwich

Belated Happy New Year

2011-01-17T21:25:00.000Z

This is a little belated, but I just wanted to wish all my blog followers a

**VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR**

I hope you all had a festive Christmas and a very Happy New Year. After a cancelled flight on the 21st I managed to re-book another one for the 23rd and just got to Norway in time for Chritmas celebrations with my family. I had a wonderful time, although it was - 25 degrees!!! Here are some photo's of my wonderful snowy holiday :-)

Christmas day walk

Family photo

Gaskell family photo

Bro preparing for a ski

Featured in Not on the high street mailer

2010-10-04T22:16:00.000+01:00

Yippee!! I had an email from Not on the high street on Friday saying that I was going to be featured in the next customer emailer which went out today. The theme for today was crafts and my Cupcake Brooch was featured. I have made some stock in anticipation for a few orders - fingers crossed!

Cupcake Brooch

THE perfect girlie weekend

2010-10-03T16:23:00.000+01:00

I have just spent a lovely weekend with two of my greatest friends Lorna and Kath. Lorna lives in London like myself and my best friend lives in Nottingham. Kath is 8 months pregnant and decided she wanted a girlie weekend in London before her second baby arrived! So Lorna, Kath and myself spent a blissfully girlie day together yesterday.

We started with a trip to 'Britains Best Sweet Shop', Hope and Greenwood on Russell Street. We were like three very excitable children! Between us we managed to pick out flying saucers, confits, pink shrimps and the lovely guy who works there also gave us each one of their best selling Earl grey tea and lemon chocolates - delicious. You can buy their sweets online so make sure you check out there website if you don't live in London.

Kath with our goodies from Hope and Greenwood

We then strolled onto Somerset House. We had planned to go and see the Courtauld Gallery but then decided to go on the free guided tour of the house. None of us had any idea just how much history was involved in the site and building of the house. It was a fascinating hour and we got to go to areas only open to tours including The Dead Room - a bit spooky!

Lorna, Kath and I in the courtyard at Somerset House

It was then on to much needed traditional afternoon tea at The National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. This was the highlight our of day. We each got a beautful 3 tiered stand, on the top layer were four scrummy little sandwiches, on the second layer was an enormous fruit scone with clotted cream and then on the third layer 3 divine little cakes. And of course your choice of tea. I would highly recommend this to anyone. It was such a lovely atmosphere.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pie was the best!

We then retired to my flat and settled down to a night of Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor! And despite how much we ate at tea we still managed to squeeze in a few pizzas, some more sweets and some popcorn.

Kath and Lorna sipping their tea at The National Dining Rooms

So, the next time I see my best friend she will have another baby! It was wonderful to have this time together. She is glowing and looking as wonderful as ever. A truely perfect weekend. x

Facebook giveaway - winning prizes!

2010-09-13T17:27:00.010+01:00

I recently had a facebook giveaway to celebrate reaching 200 fans. Two of my new square felt 'Tea Cup' brooches/badges were up for grabs including your own hand stitched message of choice for the tea cup. Two winners were randomly selected and they were a very dear friend of mine, Harriet, and Nina Wood. Nina has her own company offering handmade stationary and accessories for special occasions. Make sure you go and check out her website, Macy Molly's.

Harriet chose a cerise brooch and Nina chose a red one. Now that the girls have received their brooches I can now show you a picture of them.

Having had such great ideas for quirky messages/wording from people who entered the giveaway, I have been inspired to use some of them for products in the future. In particular I loved 'I Love Earl Grey', 'Milk no sugar' and 'Fancy a brew'. Anyone's ideas who I use may get their very own original brooch as a way to say thank you x

A beautiful little gift from Austria

2010-09-08T22:31:00.009+01:00

I met up with an old friend this week who was over from Austria for a few days. Anna-Maria and I used to work together at Andrew Martin and I haven't seen her for three years. It was so lovely to see her and she bought me this beautiful little box of chocolates all the way from Vienna, her home town. I haven't wanted to open them all week as they are so gorgeously wrapped up but when I finally opened them up this evening they were even prettier inside. They are really mini too so I don't feel bad if I have one too many! And they are DELICIOUS! xx

Facebook giveaway

2010-08-24T22:43:00.003+01:00

To celebrate reaching 200 fans on my facebook page I'm doing a giveaway :-) Its a brand new product so make sure you all enter. I've taken my Tea Cup design and made it into a square felt brooch. Its larger than my round brooches so allows more room on the cup for personalised messages. All you need to do is leave a comment below the post on my Jim Jam Sandwich facebook page saying which colour is your favourite and the message you would want stitched onthe front. I've made one for my housemate Helen, who loves tea :-) xx

Jim Jam Sandwich abroad!

2010-08-23T21:34:00.035+01:00

Another few months has whizzed passed and I've been so busy that sadly I have neglected my blog. Firstly I want to say thank you to my new followers who've joined me over the summer. Secondly I want to let you all know I'm going to be doing a mini giveaway from tomorrow on my Facebook page so make sure you all go along and enter

I've been very fortunate to manage to squeeze in two holidays this summer. Firstly 5 days in Granada with my Mum taking in the incredible views and history of The Alhambra, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and indulging in too many churros and tapas!! I then had a wonderful weekend at a festival with housemate Helen, followed by 4 days soaking up some sun, reading until our hearts content and consuming some of the most amazing cheese and wine you can imagine in St Cyprien in the South of France. So here's a few photos to feast your eyes on. Sorry they're all a bit jumbled up, I can never seem to work out how to move them around!!! I'd love to hear what you've all been up to for your holidays so please leave your comments to let me know. x

Views from inside The Alhambra

Beach at St Cyprien with the Pyrenees in the background

Hall of the Mexuar, The Alhambra

Geraniums in Pampaneira

Helen and I sheltering from the rain at Camp Bestival

Mum and I at the Alhambra

Colourful flags at Camp Bestival

The newest members of Holmbush Road!

2010-06-22T18:21:00.010+01:00

My housemate Helen and I were very excited about our trip to the Asics store on Argyll Street to get fitted out for new running trainers. Having both recently suffered with sore knees and with half marathons approaching we decided it was time to invest in new trainers. We arrived at the store to have our feet scanned, and with various minor abnormalities discovered, we were fitted with the most suitable trainers for our feet and were then filmed running in them. Both happy with our new fit outs our newest family members are now home and have both been broken in!

Also recently purchased for our weekend at Camp Bestival in July is my new Vango tent! I did feel slightly geeky and old one Saturday night when instead of getting ready to out and party I decided that buying my tent online was a far more important activity!! She/he has yet to be named and as I come from a family who sadly names everything any suggestions would be greatly received......... :-)

Yippeeee its Friday!

2010-06-18T09:06:00.007+01:00

I am literally about to head to work but wanted to write a quick post to say

***HAPPY FRIDAY***

I have never been so glad its Friday! I have had a very busy and fun week catching up with friends, going to gigs and design evenings and tonight is my first night in! Ok I know its Friday that you should usually go out but I think its time I gave myself a much earned night on the sofa relaxing and chatting with my lovely housemate Hels who I have hardly seen all week.

Anyway I hope you all have a great end to the week. I will be updating you properly over the weekend with what I've been up to. I will leave you with a lovely sunny picture I took on holiday in Mexico that will hopefully encourage the sun to shine this weekend! xx

Introducing my fab friend, housemate and personal chef!

2010-06-02T22:19:00.026+01:00

This is a special blog post to introduce my wonderful friend, housemate and personal chef Helen! I'm a very lucky lady to be living with such a fab friend and one who loves to cook and bake and who does it very very well. So, Bank Holiday Monday saw me getting on with some card making while Helen baked a batch of Black Bottom Cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. Mmmm totally delicious. I've actually just had another one and they are to die for :-)

The proud chef

Cooling!

All gone!

Then last night after a long day at work I returned home to Helen cooking her amazing Toad in the Hole accompanied by some lovely red wine, followed by lemon fool. After the miserable weather this was truely the best thing ever!! So a big thank you to my lovely Hels, love you loads xx

Toad in the Hole

The winner of my blog giveaway....

2010-05-30T17:58:00.020+01:00

Thank you so much for all entering my blog giveaway. I had a great 36 comments left. The winner has just been picked at random by using random.org and I can reveal that it picked number 7 and comment number 7 was left by the lovely........

Jo Williams of Muddy Puddle Crafts

Jo wins all these goodies, a Jim Jam Sandwich handmade Cupcake Card and 'I Love Tea' Brooch, some Cath Kidston napkins, some buttons and a yummy Iced Gingerbread Cupcake Biscuit! These will be winging their way to you as soon as possible Jo.

Make sure you all go and have a look at Jo's fab blog as well. She sells gorgeous unique hand painted shabby chic inpsired creations which you can find on Folksy. These are my favourite, her lovely Patterned Pegs.

My first trip to Anthropologie

2010-05-27T21:35:00.006+01:00

I headed to Kings Road after I finished work today to make the most of the 30% discount at GAP but I got side tracked by all the beautiful things in Anthropologie! I have never been before but have heard so many people talking about it. The one on Kings Road opened recently and it is just amazing. It was so inspiring and I would do anything to have a shop like this one day! The layout of the fashion and homewares together is just fantastic and works so well. Clever people! Anyway I couldn't leave empty handed and having lovingly gazed at some stunning but every expensive dresses I then fell in love with this gorgeous and slightly more affordable mug :-) I also bought my Mum a pressie but I can't put the photos up incase she see's it before her birthday.

Blog giveaway reminder

2010-05-25T17:09:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to all you fans that you still have until this Sunday, 30th to enter my blog giveaway. There's a handmade card, brooch, craft supplies and a few other goodies up for grabs. All you need to do is click HERE to be taken to my giveaway post. Then just simply leave a comment letting me know what your favourite cake is. Easy peasy! One lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday 30th. Good luck :-)

Fabrics galore from Fabrics Galore!!

2010-05-22T17:18:00.008+01:00

I had a wonderful hour mooching around Fabrics Galore on Lavendar Hill. I decided I needed some new fabrics to help inspire me with some new card and accessory ideas so headed there this morning. I could spend the whole day in there and not get bored, its amazing! I came out with yet more spotted fabrics (You can't keep me away from them!), a few pretty florals, some cool striped Paul Smith fabric which I thought might be good for some Fathers Day Cards and last but not least my favourite finds, the retro bird and apple print fabrics. These both spoke to me from the other side of the room, I LOVE them!

My very own studio!

2010-05-19T20:18:00.005+01:00

I recently moved flat and although my bedroom is much smaller than in my previous flat I have gained my very own studio space in the living room, yeh!! Having had to work in my bedroom for the last year in quite a cramped space it is a luxury to have so much space with my own shelves, desk and cupboards. It really is helping me to be inspired to do more work and hopefully it will help to me produce a few new exciting designs! So here's some photos for you to have a nosey at :-) These were taken a few days after we moved so not all by bits and pieces were out, its definitely not looking so immaculate now!

Dorset Cereals fab VW Campervan competition!!

2010-05-17T21:35:00.007+01:00

Dorset Cereals have had huge success running their Little Blog Awards and they have just launched a fantastic competition where one lucky person can win a VW Campervan (see picture below of actual campervan!!!)

All you need to do is to enter their free prize draw. The deadline for entries is June 2nd. Click HERE to take you to the link where you can enter. Go on, theres nothing to loose only a gorgeous campervan to win :-)

Celebratory blog giveaway

2010-05-16T19:07:00.008+01:00

At last, I'm back online at home after 7 weeks of no internet having recently moved flat. I have my life back, yippee!! As promised a few months ago, I wanted to celebrate reaching 100 blog followers by doing a special giveaway to say thank you to you all. So here it finally is, I hope its been worth waiting for.

One of my lovely blog followers can win all these gorgeous goodies; some pretty Cath Kidston napkins, one of my handmade Cupcake cards and 'I Love Tea' brooches, some buttons for you to get crafty with from my vast collection and a yummy treat, an Iced Gingerbread Cupcake biscuit!

All you need to do to be in for a chance to win is to firstly be following my blog and then simply leave me a comment below this post letting me know what your favourite cake of all time is. I will choose a winner at random in 2 weeks on Sunday 30th May. Happy commenting lovely fans! xx

Giveaway & Jim Jam Sandwich is featured!

2010-03-22T21:45:00.011Z

Thank you all for helping me reach 100 followers, and I'm now even up to 102! Huge grins from Jim Jam Sandwich! I promised a massive giveaway to celebrate and I won't disappoint you all. Its Design Week down here in London so my day job is a little stressful this week and then I'm moving flats on Saturday so I will post the giveaway details this coming Sunday/Monday.

I had some lovely news to start my rather busy and hectic week and that is that my Easter Chicks Card was featured in todays Notonthehighstreet emailer. I've already had a mini influx of orders, so thank you NOTHS for featuring me.

Lovely Summery things on Folksy

2010-03-16T09:41:00.027Z

Well, I'm home today ill and whilst I should be resting I'm already bored so with some blue sky finally showing and the nasty cold weather hopefully gone for good I have started thinking about all things beachy and warm :-) Ok, so we have a few more months to get through until Summer is really upon us but there's no harm in thinking about it and starting to get excited!

So here are some gorgeous happy summery beachy themed things that I found on Folksy. I hope they make you smile too. All these lovely little companies sell through Folksy so make sure you go and check out all the gorgeous hand made things they make.

(From the top: Multi coloured striped tote bag by Crack in Pear, Driftwood Fishing Boat by Kirsty Elson, 'EAT' Summer Bunting by SewRecycled!, Nautical Button Collection by Little Solsken, Purse by PantsandPaper, Beach Huts Tea Cosy by Charlotte Macy Textiles)

Cupcake cards off to Lymington for some fresh sea air!

2010-03-15T21:42:00.006Z

I sent off a lovely big order today to a little kitchen shop in Lymington called Kitchen Matters. Vicki met my Mum at a fair last year and saw my cards and said they would be great for her shop. She ordered 24 hand made Cupcake cards all of which were totally individual and unique. Vicky also liked my 'I Love Tea' brooch design so I transformed that into a card design for her as well. I packaged them all up and off they went today. I really hope they're popular with all those lovely people down on the coast.

Beautiful buttons galore!

2010-03-13T20:44:00.006Z

I use a lot of buttons on my cards and accessories and always try to use vintage/old buttons I've found and collected. This makes all my pieces unique and special which is really important to me. My grandmothers both handed down their button collections to me but they are now sadly dwindling away as I sell more and more cards.

To buy vintage buttons is incredibly expensive so I was very lucky a couple of weeks ago when one of my very special friends, Sarah, told me her Mum had had a massive clear out at their farm house and had come across 3 jars of buttons which she didn't really want. Sarah very kindly thought of me straight away and I am now the very proud owner of these three large jars of buttons :-) Huge thanks to Sarah and her wonderful Mum Anne xx

Crafting with my best friend

2010-03-07T21:06:00.017Z

I have just had a wonderful Sunday being crafty with my best friend Kath. Its not something we get to do that much anymore as she lives just outside London and also has a 11 month old daughter Amy, who I am godmother too, so life is pretty busy. Ka th ventured down to mine this morning armed with all her jewellery making things and fresh muffins and lots of herbal tea :-) After re-arranging my usual work area to accommodate both of us we had a perfect workspace for two over looking my little garden and with the sunlight pouring in, perfect!

Girlies at our little work station!

So with plenty of girlie gossip to catch up on and with a constant flow of tea we had a hugely productive 5 hours of crafting. Its always so much more fun having someone to bounce ideas off and actually I stay so much more focused with someone to chat too.

So here are our efforts, two beautiful pairs of earings and a necklace by Kath, and I managed to complete my card order for a kitchen shop in Lymington, Kitchen Matters. Vicki of Kitchen Matters, has requested card similar to my 'I Love Tea' brooches so I really hope she likes these. I will get these listed on both my Folksy and NOTHS stores soon too so you all can all get your hands on them!

Kaths beautiful necklace and earings and my semi finished cards

My finished 'I Love Tea' cards for Kitchen Matters

Snowy Seefeld!

2010-02-19T22:32:00.011Z

Ok, so my new years resolution of keeping up with my blog is not going very well :-(

I'm so rarely doing anything crafty at the moment that I never have anything exciting to up date you all with. So......... to give you a peek at what else I've been up to (apart from working ridiculously hard in my day job!) I spent 5 gorgeous days cross country skiing in Seefeld, Austria with my friend, and fellow designer, Laura Long. Sun, snow, blue skies, fresh air and lofs of amazing strudel :-)

Here are a few pictures with the promise for crafty news very soon..........

A lovely 'Sunshine Award' from Bluebell

2010-01-17T13:02:00.016Z

What a lovely surprise on this beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon to receive a 'Sunshine Award' from Bluebell of Bluebell and Rosie, thank you so much. It is wonderful to have such lovely followers and to know that people read my blog. I hope it inpsires you as much as all the blogs I follow do. Blogging truely is a wonderful thing.

The condition when excepting this award are as follows:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post
Pass th award on to 12 bloggers
Link the nominees within your post
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
Share the love and and link the to the person from who you received this award

The 12 bloggers I have chosen to give this lovely little award to are people who have wonderful blogs which inspire me for their brilliant craftiness, fun posts and true fabness! Please make sure you become a follower if you aren't alreaady.

Blueberry Park

Bugs and Fish by Lupin

Dots and Spots

She Draws (draw, glue, glitter, make)

Have a great weekend and happy blogging in 2010 xxx

New Years Resolutions....

2010-01-09T21:58:00.015Z

First of all a huge Happy New Year to all my lovely fans and followers!

The summit of Mt Kinabalu, 4095m (me in the middle!)

I have to admit to feeling very awful at neglecting my blog during the last few months of 2009. A new job took its toll but now that I'm more settled my first new years resolution is to dedicate more time to my blog and to JJS. Jim Jam Sandwich flourished over the Christmas months and I had an overwhelming amount of orders from my NOTHS and Folksy online shops. My 'I Love Tea' Brooches were such a hit so I'm now starting to think about developing other products. I want to start 2010 by keeping up my ever expanding, if small, company. Valentine's Day is the first big event for me and I already have a few ideas which you will hopefully see the results of very very soon

Abdul Raman Islands, just off the coast of Kota Kinabalu

Another New Years resolution is to continue my love of new adventures and travelling. I very luckily saw in Christmas and the New Year in Borneo so this is definitely one resolution that is going well. I spent a very action packed 8 days in the amazing and beautiful region of Sabah with two friends. We managed tropical islands, cities, night markets, monkey safari's, canopy walks and we also squeezed in a quick but very hard trek to the sumit of Mt Kinabalu, SE Asia's highest mountain at 4095m! I can just about walk again!! Here are a few photos to share with you some of the most stunning views I have ever experienced.

Via Ferrata on Mt Kinabalu. The way down!

Sunset at Laban Rata, 3000m

HUGE apologies and a very Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T18:32:00.011Z

It has been far too long since I lasted posted an entry on my blog so I am very sorry.

Jim Jam Sandwich totally took off this Christmas and I was so inundated with orders that after coming home from my full time job every day I have been working until about midnight most nights making brooches and cards. Having only started with NOTHS a year ago and not being that well established back then, I didn't have any idea of how busy I could possibly get. I ended up having on average about 4 - 5 orders a day with some through Folksy as well. I have been so thrilled :-) It has been incredibly hard work but hopefully worth it in getting my name out there. It seems my 'I Love Tea' brooches have been my best seller to date and I have a few new similar ideas for the New Year so watch this space!

In amongst the Christmas rush I also had an order from No8 in France requesting Christmas cards and lots of brooches. Eve asked me to make some 'J'adore Cafe' brooches to see how they went down with the French. I was quite pleased with how these turned out so they will making an appearance on my NOTHS and Folksy shops in the next coming weeks.

I did a blog giveaway a few months ago which I also must hugely apologise for not announcing the winners of. I promise to do this on my return in January and two lucky people who left a comment will still win one of my brooches x

Anyway I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and very Happy New Year. Thank you to all my followers and fans for helping JJS to do so well. I'm off to Borneo for Christmas to try and soak up some sun (inbetween thunder storms!) and to climb Mt Kinabalu so there will be lots of photos on my return.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

Cupcake heaven!

2009-11-21T13:02:00.006Z

I forgot to blog about this last week so here it is, the pictures of the most amazing cupcake a very special friend gave to me. I've been through a bit of a rough patch and to cheer me up my friend Jemma searched her local area and found this cupcake shop 'Candy Cakes' and bought me this cake, totally delicious! I almost didn't want to eat it though as it looked so incredible. They have several shops in London, the picture below is of their Monmouth Street shop in Covent Garden. I haven't yet been there but am planning to go tomorrow.

Second blog giveaway, yippee.....

2009-11-14T19:25:00.008Z

This is long overdue so many apologies. My new job is taking up every spare minute I have. Anyway finally I have a day to myself to catch up on blogging and Jim Jam Sandwich :-)

I was going to do a festive blog giveaway but I have decided to leave that until early December. So that means you get an extra one now!

I have recently been inundated with orders for my brooches so I thought I would share them with my lovely blog followers. Up for grabs is one 'Cupcake' brooch and one 'I Love Tea' brooch. All you need to do to be in for a chance to win one is to become a blog follower, if you're aren't already following me, and leave a comment below this post telling me which special person you would give one of my brooches to and why.

Two winners will be randomly picked on Sunday 29th November so you've got a week to enter. Happy commenting people x

Jim Jam Sandwich in France!!

2009-11-14T18:36:00.008Z

I had a large card order over summer from a lovely little shop in the south of France called No8 and I have just received photos of my cards in situ! No8 is a gorgeous boutique shop in Auberterre in the Bordeaux region selling beautiful gifts, accesories and my cards :-) Eve has sold most of them and is hopefully about to place an order for some more.

How cute is this little place... You can see my cards on the top two shelves below.

Christmas card designs are here at last....

2009-10-18T21:24:00.004+01:00

Its taken me quite a while longer than I hoped but what with a new job which is taking a lot of my time and energy up its been hard to find the time to get these done.

So far I've done two designs, a Christmas Pud and some little Christmas Robins. Both card designs have been handmade using felt, fabrics, buttons and sequins. They are listed on both my NOTHS and Folksy stores. I have another few designs up my sleeve which I hope to get done by the end of next week.

I would really appreciate any feedback from all my lovely followers.......

Watch out for my next blog giveaway which will be coming in the next week.

Still alive, just very busy!

2009-10-14T20:55:00.002+01:00

Hello blog followers. I am still here but my new job is just so so crazy! I just want to say a huge big Jim Jam Sandwich welcome to all my new followers, hello!

To say sorry for not blogging recently I am also going to do a blog giveaway which I'll post this coming weekend. Lots of goodies will be up for grabs so come back soon :-) x

Christmas Gift Tags for sale....

2009-09-27T18:18:00.008+01:00

Here's what I managed to get done yesterday, a set of hand printed and hand finished Christmas Gift Tags. They come in a set of four with the following messages: Snowflake, Merry Christmas, Shining Star and With Love. There is a choice between silver or gold print with either fuschia or aubergine satin ribbon. I've never done gift tags before so thought I would give them a go. I have listed them for sale on my Folksy store at £3.00 (inc p&p) for a set of 4 so fingers crossed. I wanted to keep them simple and just go for some fab colour combo's. Would love to hear your thoughts followers and fans.......

Christmas card designs are still sadly not done as my felt is still stuck in the postal strike! Hopefully I should receive that this week and finally be able to get them listed really soon.

Goodies from Greece

2009-09-26T17:11:00.003+01:00

My wonderful mother sent me a gorgeous little parcel of goodies from Greece from her's and Dad's recent holiday to Rhodes. After a very busy first week at my new job this was a lovely surprise to wake up to this morning. Enclosed was a beautiful sarong, which will come in very handy for my Christmas trip to Borneo, some very strong and delicious smelling herbs/spices and some authentic natural sea sponge! Thanks Mum you are a star xx

And the 2 winners are.....

2009-09-18T17:05:00.009+01:00

8. CRAFTY ELSIE

&
9. MARICE

CONGRATULATIONS you've both won one of my new Fairy Cupcake cards

They will be winging their way to you in the post asap. Please can you email me your addresses (link on my blog). Thank you to everyone who entered and for sharing what type of tea (or coffee!) they would choose to accompany one of my little cupcakes.

Marice has a wonderful shop on Folksy called Marice's World so make sure you go and have a look at all the lovely things she sells.

Sadly Crafty Elsie is a new follower and I'm not sure what/if she sells but please let me know if you do so I can mention your details too.

The two winners were randomly picked using Random.org

For those of you who didn't win this time I will be doing another giveaway in the next few weeks so keep your eyes open for it. I hope you've all had a great National Cupcake Week. x

A special thank you xx

2009-09-18T12:26:00.006+01:00

A very quick blog post to say a huge thank you to all my new blog followers this week. You've helped me reach the fab 50 mark and its put a huge smile on my face. The pretty daisys are to say thank you to all, new and old followers!

I will be doing my second proper blog giveaway in the next few weeks so make sure you all keep your eyes peeled for it. Lots of lovely goodies to win.

Also remember you still have a few hours to enter my Fairy Cupcake card giveaway which is to celebrate the wonders of National Cupcake Week. So far there's 8 entries. Get commenting on the National Cupcake Week post below this one to be in for a chance to win one of these cute little cards. I will reveal the two winners later this afternoon.

Happy Friday all you wonderful followers and I hope you continue to enjoy my blog. xx

National Cupcake Week!

2009-09-14T17:05:00.027+01:00

I can't believe I didn't know about this until this morning, how amazing! And funnily enough I have spent all afternoon making my 'Cherry Cup Cake' and 'I Love Tea' brooches, very appropriate I thought!

So as you're well aware from my designs, I love cupcakes too! So to celebrate, Jim Jam Sandwich is offering 15% DISCOUNT all week on all my cupcake related items (cards, brooches & framed pieces) on my Folksy store. When ordering please use the code NCW.

AND I'm giving away two of these cute little Fairy Cake cards that I made today using a lovely new printed fabric I bought at the weekend. To be in for a chance to WIN one all you need to do is become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment stating what tea you think would best to accompany this little Fairy cake :-) I will announce the winners on Friday.

There are also lots of other fellow bloggers, crafters and tweeters helping raise awareness of this very special week including some great cupcake giveaways which not must not be missed out on!

Domestic Sluttery are giving away a box of cupcakes (from Cupcakes & Peonies) every day this week so make sure you check out their blog every morning to enter.

New Mummys Tips has also just posted a cupcake related post on her blog with some great exclusive cupcake products and offers so another must to check out this week. Carol has very kindly mentioned Jim Jam Sandwich and all my cupcake related brooches, cards and frames so thank you.

So, Happy National Cupcake Week everyone and I hope there will be lots of glorious indulging! xx

Festive fabrics & fireworks galore!

2009-09-14T13:41:00.011+01:00

I was about to post this entry on Monday morning but then got totally carried away when I discovered it was National Cupcake Week! So, back to my original post for this week.............

I finished my old job last Friday and now have a blissful week of craftiness before I start my new one on the 21st. I have planned to get all my Christmas card designs, gift tags and festive accessories made this week and listed on both my online stores Folks y and Notonthehighstreet.com.

I have already ordered a wonderful Christmas felt pack from Lupin which has all the perfect colours to make all my designs. Last Saturday I then headed to Fabrics Galore on Lavendar Hill in SW London to buy some festive fabrics (above). FG is a fantastic shop and always full of new & exciting fabrics including Paul Smith, Liberty prints and Amy Butler. I always get very distracted so I had to makesure I went in for Christmas fabrics and only came out with Christmas fabrics..............it almost worked!! I was very controlled though and only strayed twice (see pink spotty fabric and cute floral print below). It would have been rude not too!

I have templated all my Christmas card designs and have all my fabrics and supplies so tomorrow is dedicated to finally getting some made, yippee :-) I will let you know as soon as these are ready for sale.

As well as my fabric trip last weekend I also went to the Thames Festival on Sunday evening. Having lived in London for 8 years I can't believe I have never heard of it until now. My bf, myself and some friends followed the wonderful carnival procession at 7.30 pm and then wandered around the food and craft stores on the southbank waiting for the fireworks display. It got a little chilly later on so we were praying the fireworks were going to be worth the wait, and they were. It was truely the most incredible display I have ever seen and roused our spirits for the journey home. I managed to catch some great shots on my camera so thought I should share a few with you. If you're in London next year make sure you go.

Things I cherish...

2009-09-06T15:17:00.007+01:00

I was lucky enough to have incredibly crafty Grandmothers and they both left me all their amazing collections of threads, buttons, needle cases and all sorts of wonderful containers/boxes which housed these crafty things. They are things that I use and work with on a daily basis and I wanted to show them off!

My true favourite is the small box addressed to my fathers mother, Mrs Geoffrey Thomas. It is so beautifully made and I just love the old stamps and italic writing on the label. The date stamped on the the box is sadly not visible but the stamps have George VI on and were brought out in 1941 so this little box is probably over 50 years old! Its something I would grab if there was a fire in my flat. I cherish it so much. It's home to all my machine spools, I'm not sure what Gran used it for but I like to think it was something similar.

Here are also some of the wonderfully retro/vintage buttons my mothers mother left me. I'm planning to incorporate & use some of these in my button jewellery swap.

Below that is a picture of Granny Thomas's needle case.

I'd love to hear what items you really cherish that may have been handed down to you. x

Button Jewellery Swap - meet my partner.

2009-09-03T15:12:00.007+01:00

Yippee, partners for the swap (organised by the fab Incy Wincy Stitches) have been announced and mine is Jane from Hooked Yarn ☺ You can check out Jane's website and beautiful shop on Folksy. Here's a peek at one of my favourite pieces of hers, this stunning Sea blue bracelet hand crocheted in wire with myuki beads. Its already ear marked for a friends birthday.

Our parcels have to contain the following,

Handmade button jewellery and/or accessories

Some craft supplies (for example, extra buttons or ribbons, beads, etc) and a chocolate or sweet treat :)

I've got a few ideas but am so busy this week I'll have to leave it until the weekend when I have more time to sit down and think and plan.

I won't post photos until Jane has received her goodies otherwise that will spoil the surprise so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a few weeks to see what I come up with. x

JJS's wet and wonderful fjordland adventure ☂

2009-09-02T14:13:00.007+01:00

Back from hols and finally time to dry off! Norway is well renowned for its damp, drizzly weather and it didn't let us down! It was however a fab 5 days spent with my brother and his family surrounded by beautiful scenery, the freshest air you can possibly imagine and plenty of adventures including white water rafting, beaver/elk night tour and lots of fantastic walks up steep hills.

I sadly didn't have time to shop and find any crafty Norwegian bits for my next blog giveaway but I am planning to still make something that sticks with the Norwegian theme. Keep your eyes peeled for the date to be revealed.

Anyway here are a few photos from my holidays. I will endeavor to get some more craft related entries posted soon. I only have 8 days to go at my current job then a week off where I'm planning to get all my christmas card designs/gifts done and listed for sale on both my folksy and notonthehighstreet stores.

Norway bound...

2009-08-25T11:40:00.004+01:00

I'm off on holiday tomorrow to stay with my brother and fiance who live in Norway and I'm EXTREMELY excited! Five days of lovely fresh air, walking in beautiful mountains and maybe swimming in fjords if its not too cold.

I also thought that whilst on my travels I would look for some typically Norwegian handcrafted pieces to include in my next giveaway. Their greetings card selection leaves a lot to be desired but I may try and find the worst possible example just to show you all how terrible they really are!!!

My next post will be an update from my holiday in about a week so until then have fun and keep being crafty ♥

Home to some of my goodies!

2009-08-24T10:20:00.004+01:00

Anne of Angel Eden who won my first blog giveaway lives very near Tiddlywink Interiors in Castleton, Derbyshire where some of my cards, pictures and brooches are on sale. She had a day out in her local area last Friday which you can read about on her website and she also really kindly took a photo of Tiddlywink Interiors for me. Sadly it was closed but it looks very cute from the outside. Thanks Anne ♥

Knitted Toy Tales by the fab Laura Long!

2009-08-20T14:26:00.006+01:00

I had a sneak preview last night of my friend Laura Long's first knitting book that is being published and I have to share how excited I am for her!

She has been working on her book for a while and it will officially be on sale in October. You can pre-order it through Amazon now. Knitted Toy Tales shows you how to make each of the 20 adorable characters in the book. With beautiful photography and illustrations by Laura its a wonderful gift for all abilities and ages I can't wait to get my hands on one ☺

She has been selling her wonderful knitted goodies for years, from dolls and mice to little purses each item is exquisitely made. I recently commissioned her to make a doll for my goddaughter and it was utterly perfect! She has her own website and you can also find her on notonthehighstreet.com

Exclusive discount for facebook fans

2009-08-20T13:15:00.005+01:00

Announced yesterday, I'm offering all my fab facebook fans an exclusive discount on all items listed on my Folksy shop until the 24th August.

All you need to do is become a fan and then email me for your special code and then you can shop until your ♥'s content :-) There are also FREE goodies to be given away if you spend a certain amount.

If you see anything you like and want it personalised or altered in any way then just ask I'm very happy to create whatever you want.

G xx

One of my favourite places to go and get inspiration

2009-08-19T10:19:00.010+01:00

I spent most of my childhood summers in north Devon (Hartland) where my grandparents lived and I recently took my bf there for the first time for a long weekend.

Its a very special place and one where I can always switch off and find myself being inspired by the beautiful coastline and fresh country air. My grandparents had the last house on the way down to one of the most beautiful rugged beaches which never had anyone on it (and still doesn't). For us grandchildren its known as 'Grandpa's beach' and it was always a very magical place with lots of rock pools to explore and have adventures in. At the age of 28 my bf was exactly the same!! I hasten to add I was bare foot and straight into the Atlantic but his wellies stayed firmly on this feet, wimp!

Anyway I just wanted to share a few pictures, enjoy x

Anyone for 'A Spot of Tea'

2009-08-18T22:08:00.008+01:00

Finally after starting these weeks ago they're ready for sale and listed on my notonthehighstreet online store.

Each set of tea cups are made from vintage fabrics and felt and presented in a beautiful distressed white frame with mount and glass. There are two colour ways available, pink/blue and green/blue. They come with the message 'a spot of tea' on the mount but can be personalised with a name/date/message.

Would love all your thoughts and comments. As my followers/fans your feedback is invaluable.

Please email me with any queries or if you would like to place an order directly through me. x

Logo

2009-08-17T13:15:00.004+01:00

I thought it was about time JJS deserved a proper logo so I have commissioned a fab graphic/jewellery designer I met through Folksy to design one for me. Laura from Glue&Glitter has done some really wonderful logo's and her style is so appealing. Take a look at her blog to check out some she has designed recently.

I don't want to give too much away just yet but here is a peek at the starting point, a machine stitched outline of a jam jar!! Laura has some great ideas for it, which even I am yet to know about, so I am just waiting for her to work her magic! The finished logo will be posted as soon as its ready x

The winner of my first giveaway is....

2009-08-13T12:13:00.003+01:00

Anne from Angel Eden, Congratulations!!

Anne please can you drop me an email with your address and let me know if you want specific greetings on the cards. You will find an 'email me' button on the right hand side of my blog.

To see Anne's beautiful jewellery please visit her website Angel Eden.

Thank you so much to all 11 of you who entered and for leaving all your lovely comments. There will be plenty more fab giveaways and prizes will only get bigger and better so please keep your eyes out for the next one.

In the meantime if you still want to get your hands on some gorgeous cards you can find me on Folksy and Notonthehighstreet.com.

Coming up in the next few weeks will be a special voucher/code entitling all blog followers to a discount through my Folksy store so keep your eyes peeled!

Hope you all have a great weekend and thanks again for entering and for supporting Jim Jam Sandwich. x x

Framed Cup Cakes finally for sale.

2009-08-08T14:01:00.012+01:00

Having photographed these quite badly last week I finally had time to get them done properly this week. I listed these on my notonthehighstreet online store yesterday evening and fingers crossed for a good response.

These were my first two which have gone off to Tiddlywink Interiors up in Derbyshire. I also sent up one of my framed Tea Cup pictures which I haven't yet listed online yet but it will be up there really soon.

Please watch out for a special discount voucher for all you blog followers/facebook fans which will entitle you to some money off one of my new pictures. This is to say thank you for following me.

Please remember that if you want to be in with a chance to win some of my handmade cards in my first giveaway leave a comment below the giveaway post.

MY FIRST FREEBIE GIVEAWAY!

2009-08-06T13:30:00.011+01:00

Slowly my networking seems to be paying off and I'm meeting lots of fantastic fellow crafters and wonderful fans. In an endeavor to attract more Jim Jam Sandwich followers and as a thank you to everyone who has supported me so far I thought I would do my first giveaway :-) Its something I want to do more regularly once I've got more products in my range so this is just the start.
This first one will only be a small giveaway but a freebie nonetheless! As my cards are what spurred me on to start up Jim Jam Sandwich in the first place I will be giving away two of my lovely hand made cards to one lovely person, one gorgeous Cup Cake card (above) and an Embroidered Heart card (below) with messages of your choice on the front. All you need to do to be in for the chance to win them is to leave a comment below this post. I will choose a winner at random on Thursday 13th xx

A special preview of my 1st framed cup cakes!

2009-08-04T10:23:00.007+01:00

I told myself I would wait and get these photographed properly (and not in my badly lit flat at midnight!) before blogging about these but I couldn't wait any longer, sheer excitement has taken over :-)

Well here they are.......my first two framed cup cakes in the beautiful frames I ordered a few weeks ago. I'm so pleased with them. They do need a bit more work and I'm still pondering over backing fabrics and colour combo's of the cakes but I showed my housemates last night and they loved them! These two are to go to Tiddlywink Interiors along with some larger ones which I'll finish tonight. Over the next week or so I will get some more done and photograph them properly and get them up for sale on both my online stores Folksy and Notonthehighstreet.

I'd love some feedback so please leave your comments. Its very hard to sometimes know what will sell and what looks good when you've spent so long working on one thing at a time. Advice will be greatly received x

Commission

2009-08-04T10:19:00.003+01:00

One of my friends commissioned me to make a Fairy Godmother card which had to include a wand with a star and silver thread! This is stitched using felt and metallic thread. Apologies about the awful lighting, the photos were taken very late last night at home! Hope you like it Hels! x

My gorgeous little god daughter!

2009-07-30T11:09:00.004+01:00

I had the most fantastic weekend in the Yorkshire Dales last weekend with all my closest friends. We don't see eachother as much as we'd like to as we are all spread around England but inevitably when we do get together there's always a lot of laughing and fun to be had. Last weekend was made even more special as my god daughter Amy was there, the first baby out of our group of friends and quite the centre of attention!

Here she is all snug in her baby bjorn!

New stock, yippee (+ my efforts last night!)

2009-07-29T15:20:00.015+01:00

Yesterday was an exciting day when my stock of picture frames arrived! I think the delivery man thought I was slightly mad, I couldn't contain my excitement!! It was like Christmas unpacking my two boxes of goodies. I am so pleased with them and need to send a special thank you email to the suppliers who have just been so wonderful and helpful.

I dashed home last night with one box safely in my clutches with the aim to make some gorgeous things to fill my fab new frames with. But alas there were more important things to do like a personalised mini motor card order from notonthehighstreet.com. I also had to make 35 discount vouchers for goody bags (organised by ShopHandmadeUK) which are to be handed out at a womens confidence coaching workshop.

Jim Jam Sandwich gets mentioned

2009-07-27T12:46:00.006+01:00

Very excited to have a picture of my new Cherry Cup Cake brooch on ShopHandmadeUK's blog alongside lots of other great new designers. They've just reached 1000 designers listed on their directory. So far I've had lots of interaction with them including putting products forward for PR opportunities and a sample box proposal. As a small business trying to expand it, its fantastic to get these chances to be seen and heard more, thank you ShopHandmadeUK!

Shop Handmade UK

2009-07-22T13:40:00.005+01:00

I've recently joined this great website called Shop Handmade UK which is the UK's largest directory of artists, designers and makers of quality hand made goods. Its a really wonderful website to source lovely unique gifts from and also nice to support small businesses and designers in the UK at the same time. I'm listed under cards/stationery so come and have look.

They also do features on designers and I particularly love Yunisacs who was featured in April. Such beautiful purses. I want one of these, her large Tea Garden purse!

20% discount for all my blog followers and FB fans.

2009-07-22T13:01:00.006+01:00

For the next two weeks I'm offering a lovely 20% discount for all my Facebook fans and blog followers. This is just to say thank you for supporting me. This applies to all my card designs and my new little cup cake brooches. You can view all my designs on my online stores Folksy and notonthehighstreet.com. Please email me directly if you would like to order anything.

Old sketch books full of new inspiration

2009-07-17T19:48:00.004+01:00

Whilst at home a few weeks ago I had a clear out and came across all my old sketch books from uni. It was so strange going back over all my projects and seeing how much work we used to have to do. I certainly don't draw as much as I used to but I found some work that has given me lots of new inspiration and ideas.

Cup Cake brooches baked and ready to go!

2009-07-15T12:29:00.010+01:00

I'm so pleased that I have finally got around to getting this little brooches done. Its been on my to-do list for far too long and although I was up until very late last night battling with my laptop and tiredness I managed to get them up on my Folksy store. They have already made my housemates and lots of friends smile so hopefully I will sell lots :-)

I have got some other designs coming which involve little chicks (of the feathered variety!) hearts and hopefully tea cups if I can have enough patience with all the fiddly cutting out.

The Sandwich is twittering!!

2009-07-09T17:21:00.002+01:00

I'm on twitter, come and follow me!

Striving to expand

2009-07-09T14:38:00.009+01:00

Its been a while since I've last posted any news but its a been a busy few weeks at my full time job and my evenings have been spent training for the British 10k run which is this Sunday!

To try and have more of a focus I've set myself a challenge to make one phone call or enquiry every day to try and give myself the step up I need to get Jim Jam Sandwich moving on to bigger and better things. Today was a call to my local pottery cafe in Dulwich, All Fired Up to see if they would stock my cards. Marilyn, the manager, seemed quite keen although they don't sell a huge amount of cards she has asked me to pop along this weekend. Christmas seems like it will be a better time to start though.

I have also finally found a great supplier of ready made frames and am going to get my order in this weekend so I can start framing some of my designs which has been on my to-do-list for ages! On the button/badge front, I am really happy with a a few I've done this week so this weekend I'm going to sort out the packaging and then get them up on my Folksy online store.

And finally a quick note about last weekend when my friend Sarah came down from Liverpool. We had the most fab weekend, catching up with friends, their babies, a day at Henley Royal Regatta where my boyfriends boat of 8 was competing and a Sunday of culture including a trip to the Saatchi gallery and tea at Fortnums, yum!

THE best ice-cream in the world!

2009-07-01T13:42:00.004+01:00

Ok so I have to admit to not having the sweetest tooth but working next door to Italian ice cream makers Sulqui has recently changed this, especially in this heatwave too! My housemates and boyfriend wait expectantly on warm evenings to see if I return home with another amazing flavour. So far the melon I had the other day was totally out of this world, I can't even begin to explain what an incredible experience it was :-) Others to add to the favourite list have to be their Dulce de leche and hazelnut. Anyway check them out, it will be a life changing moment!

Cards galore all weekend!

2009-06-29T13:03:00.011+01:00

I had an incredibly busy weekend getting all the cards made for my order for No8 in France. I started cutting out all the shapes on Friday evening (whilst watching Wimbledon highlights with a cold beer which probably slowed down proceedings!), was stitching everything together most of Saturday, embellishing Sunday and I have finally just bagged and boxed all 39 cards! I can't wait to get them sent off and get Eve's response down in the South of France.

Here are a few photos of my cards in progress and all safely wrapped up and ready to go :-) Eve is going to send me some photos of them once they are displayed in her shop, I can't wait!

Jim Jam Sandwich goes French....

2009-06-24T13:25:00.012+01:00

I am very excited about my first order from a new store, No.8, that is opening very soon in the south of France. Having spotted me on Folksy, Eve and I have been in touch over the last few weeks and I have just had confirmation of the cards she wants to trial. She is focusing on handmade products so hopefully my cards will go down well. I am all for supporting talented and individual crafts people and small businesses so I hope things go really well for them.

Their website is not up and running yet but the holding page already looks really beautiful. Good Luck Eve and hopefully I can visit you one day in person....

A very busy weekend.....

2009-06-22T10:40:00.010+01:00

Its been a very busy weekend, rollerskiing, helping my flat mate move house, a night out to see The Crack at Underbelly at South Bank which was just sheer brilliance and a day with my best friend and her 11 week old daughter Amy. I was also very honored to be asked to be her godmother, and of course said yes! I also was able to give Amy the beautiful little hand made doll I commissioned my knitwear designer friend Laura Long to make specially for her.

I also found time to buy a few new cheeky fabrics and ribbon, yes more spots! I also had my first card order through Folksy which was great as I seem to get lots of views but no one buying. Anyway it all takes time so I must learn to have some patience.

My family and other animals...

2009-06-18T15:13:00.012+01:00

Last weekend was just pure heaven. Sun, fresh air and relaxing in my parents wonderful garden which is in full bloom. However, I was kept on my toes by Molly who was like a racing demon running circles around me in the garden 24/7! I just caught her here in this photo on one of her many laps of Mums amazing flower bed.

Engagement card approval..

2009-06-18T12:31:00.035+01:00

I have been meaning to get around to designing and making an engagement card for ages. Thankfully my friend (gi r l on tou r) ordered four from me this week so there was no excuse not to get on with it!

I am posting this especially for her as she lives far away from me and I want her to give me the ok on it. G.O.T. what do you think?

The band is made using metallic threads and the cluster of jewels is a combination of pearl and clear beads. Greetings can be personalised, or simply 'engagement' or 'congratulations' put on
the front.

This will be up on my online store by the end of the week.

That Friday feeling...on Thursday!

2009-06-11T11:18:00.003+01:00

I'm so glad today is my last working day, joy! Off to Yorkshire tomorrow for some lovely country air and home cooking. It's also going to be time to get some much needed help and inspiration from my very creative and arty Mum. Its sometimes hard working on your own in your studio (desk in bedroom!!) so feedback from friends/family is invaluable to me.

I really need to get moving with my new ideas so I will hopefully return on Monday refreshed and motivated to start getting my new products online.

This week has been very exciting as I've had a few new trade enquiries which have come from Folksy browsers. One from a shop in the south of France and one from an online card store. My mission is definitely to get my name out there a bit more so this is a huge step in the right direction.

Almost edible buttons!

2009-06-10T12:12:00.006+01:00

Here's a sneaky peek at a new idea I've been working on. It was harder than I thought putting these little things together but I'm quite happy with how they look. I'm also going to work on some larger ones and make badges as well. I'm even thinking on bags and as a framed set they might look really fun too.

Yippee, business cards have arrived.

2009-06-05T11:49:00.004+01:00

My first business cards have just arrived in the post. They look great, maybe needed a bit more work before I rushed into ordering them but they will do the job very nicely until I make lots of money and can get some amazing ones!

Puppy love!

2009-06-04T15:04:00.009+01:00

Ok so this is not a very card related post but anything this cute deserves a place on my blog! Meet Molly, the latest addition to my family. 10 weeks old and despite already unearthing plant pots, biting noses and eating Mums roses we are all totally in love!

A moment of Folksy craziness!

2009-06-03T17:45:00.006+01:00

Ok so that was a bit of a whim and I was just filling a bored half an hour after work but I've just opened an account with Folksy so my cards are now available on there too! Its a slightly different set up than notonthehighstreet but I'm going to give it a go for a while.

'Brewing' up some new ideas!

2009-05-28T11:19:00.017+01:00

I've always got lots of new ideas but its always about finding the time to sit down work them out and turn them into reality that's the hardest part. Having a full time job means I find myself getting home and then working until the early hours on new card creations but it is relaxing as I'm doing what I love the most!

Here is a sneak preview of my latest designs that are in the pipeline. As a total perfectionist I would say they are still 'work in progress' but my Mum already loves my little tea cups so for me that's a great start as she is my biggest fan and source of inspiration.

Wedding Season is upon us.

2009-05-23T15:32:00.023+01:00

Here is my first Wedding Card design of the season, there will be more to come so watch this blog!!

This very special Wedding Cake Card is hand made using felt, metallic threads and finished with beautiful little sequin and bead embellishments. This can be personalised. For more details and to order please visit my online store.

Fathers Day Cards now on sale!

2009-05-22T15:43:00.019+01:00

Its Fathers Day on the 21st June so not long to go. Here are two new designs, both of which are now available to buy directly from my online store.

Both designs are lovingly hand made using felt, vintage fabrics and stitching. They are both finished with personalised hand embroidery.