Everything Coming up Roses!

Posted on March 4, 2017March 4, 2017 by karenlorenz

Bonjour tout le monde! Now you all know that I am a bag fanatic, I have so many because people are always making lovely new ones! I am equally addicted to shopping bags, I have this Ted Baker one…….

I have this tribute bag from the Alexander Mcqueen one from the V & A exhibition ……

When I saw these bags from italian brand Kartell, I nearly fainted …….

How gorgeous is that? but the price tag is also a bit swoon making….£254!

So with my thinking cap on I popped to the retro brand Sunjellies and bought this gorgeous number……..

Just £17! I then sat down with my trusty Sizzix machine and cut some flower shapes……

You can also cut these shapes or similar by hand, just google “felt flower pattern”. I wasn’t keen on the black ones so I ended up with these………

Before I got any further I received my inspiration box from Katie at Felted Fancies supplies, behold its loveliness……..

Inside there was also some felt flowers and of course much nicer than mine so I glued my pink ones and Katie’s flowers straight onto the bag using my hot glue gun….

I also made some Chrysanthemum ones by folding a strip of felt in half, then cutting vertically every half centimetre almost to the bottom, roll up this strip and you have a flower! after much gluing this is the result……..

Cute enough but it think it needs something else? my super talented daughter suggested more flowers gradually getting less as we move up the bag. I will be thinking about this alongside some new product development next week and i’ll hopefully post the updated picture next week.

In the meantime, here’s your links:

http://www.sunjellies.com

http://www.feltedfanciessupplies.co.uk

http://www.kartell.com

http://www.tedbaker.com

http://www.vam.ac.uk/shop

kisses

Karen

You Gotta Respect The Process!

Posted on January 28, 2017 by karenlorenz

Morning my little cupcakes, you find me in a sunnier mood and ready to share with you the process of designing one of my felt doodads and at the end of the post a giveaway! And a sneak peek! Yay!

Let’s start with what’s on telly, yes I have to work in the living room and I have to have the telly on to keep my mind from flying away! So for the last few weeks, this has been absorbing my spare brain capacity……

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are phenomenal as a President and First Lady hell bent on furthering their own careers.

So we start with lots of drawing that eventually turns into a design…….

I decided to start with the Chinese New Year character, 2017 being the year of the rooster.

The design then gets reduced to simplified lines and stuck to card………

The tiger balm is omnipresent at WDS HQ as a nice alternative to more painkillers! Then i cut the pieces and because they are teeny tiny I bung them in a sandwich bag……………

I draw round the pattern pieces using a Pilot Frixxion pen that erases with a blast from your hairdryer…….

Except this is where life in blog land went wrong and I used a biro!

Sewing and embroidering commences, for this little girl I wanted a face that was a bit like a Blythe doll……….

Many apologies for the light quality here, it has been a super grey week in normally sunny Sussex!

Finally, when all is done we have this………….

This little girl is made in the traditional good luck colours of red, gold and pink and could be yours if you pop over to our Facebook and like this picture on our page ! All the lovely likers will be entered into a draw for this lucky rooster to pop on your keyring or hang where you need it most!

Finally, there will be new products coming to While Darcey Sleeps, here is a little teaser picture of some phenomenal supplies courtesy of http://www.sewsweet.co.uk………..

Oooooooh who’s excited?

Have a a super week

Kisses

Karen xxx

She’s Sew Sweet!

Posted on May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 by karenlorenz

In the last of my reviews of Facebook businesses, this time we are taking a peek at the work of the super talented Emma from Sew Sweet…

Emma designs her own PDF patterns and sells them via Etsy and Facebook, she also makes various feltie goodies, I love these felt cactii…

She has a great range of Kits too….

Emma is always developing new products, like these quotation hoops…..

and here is her very latest pattern…….

How cute is that? Emma also made a move into the high street and her products are stocked at Blighty Bazaar, take a look at this lovely shop at http://www.Facebook.com/BlightyBazaar.

You can find Emma”s products at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewsweetuk

http://www.payhip.com/sewsweet

As promised next Saturday we will have a tutorial for a shabby chic curtain.

Kisses

Karen xxx

Never Mind The Election, Girls are still running the world!l

Posted on May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 by karenlorenz

After all that we didn’t get a hung parliament or another coalition, I love politics but I have had enough for the moment and feel the need to get back to talking about what we all love – pretty stuff! As promised this week we are featuring Samantha Goddard and her journey from a Facebook business to the high street.

Sam started out by setting up a business called the Tea Party Company that specialises in the hire of vintage china for everything from small parties to weddings, check out these beauties…

Sam then ventured into a shared space selling vintage china and other goods, it was at this time that she got interested in up cycling furniture so she decided to leave that space and concentrate on this and the Tea Party Company.

Fate stepped in at this point and the beautiful indoor market Martha and Daisy’s opened locally…

this set Sam on to a new business idea and Rose and Bea was born. she is now selling new goods and her beautiful up cycled pieces, feast your eyes…

I would have liked enough room for the blue dresser but had to settle for the lovely Katie and Alice mug. So, that is how Sam achieves the elusive work/life balance and is able to do what she loves as well as raise her family.

Whilst I was at Martha and Daisy’s I had to have a snoop around and it is fantastic! there are all sorts of stalls, selling everything you can imagine all with a vintage/handmade feel, here are some of my favourites…..

There was also the gloriously bonkers Ice Cream Bike, selling ice cream as it should be, made with cream and milk…

So if you live anywhere near to Burgess Hill in West Sussex, you need to take a peek.

Following the little technical disaster I had with the blog on Sunday (well done MrsP for spotting it, I owe you one), I have decided to move publication day to Saturday, it seems my Facebook reach and visibility are much better at the weekend. So this Saturday will be the last of my reviews of Facebook businesses, it will feature the super talented Emma from Sew Sweet.

The following Saturday will be a tutorial for a shabby chic curtain, start gathering hankies everyone!

Kisses

Karen xx