Crafty...

I should be deep cleaning the house really. Getting it ready for a little inactivity on my part. Instead I keep pausing at my work table and making things with small scraps of leather. I chose the thinnest, most supple pieces for the two drawstring pouches. They are still fairly sturdy, it's the gathers I guess. I think they make better little bowls than pouches but they'll function as both.

The little red leather tray was a total experiment. I made a paper template but it was tricky to know whether the sides would form themselves with just a pinch of the corners. I did little knotted ties but studs would have worked too. In fact lacing the corners right the way round would also have been quite clever and helped the sides stay up too.

I've been upcycling leather belts galore into wrist cuffs and hair barrettes. M, E and J have been very encouraging about my efforts. Commenting as each new design rolls out. J likes to do the maths for the quantities I've made and the unit price I suggest. He's extremely quick with numbers. E likes to wear a sample for a few days just to make sure they are fully road tested. M came with me to a nearby small town to research a craft market and see if my goods might fit in there (they wouldn't, it was wrongly billed as a craft market when in fact it was fruit and veg, bread and junk).

The plan for actual selling is to wait for the cricket season to finish, by which time I should be fully recovered from my keyhole surgery later this week. We will have free weekends once more and I'll be fighting fit. On my travels through the Internet trying to find suitable events at which to sell I came across an American couple who travel around in a campervan selling handmade jewellery to fund their lives and travel. Oh yes, I could totally cope with that lifestyle! Trouble is I don't think the UK would be quite as successful for that type of thing. I can't see a cheerful hand painted campervan rolling up in Skegness having quite as much success with that line of goods. Now 'kiss me quick hats' or Candy Floss, maybe.

In the meantime there's more cricket. E is playing in a ladies match tonight which makes a change. It's just the right weather for it too. This is one match I won't be watching from underneath a thick blanket!