Blackberries in abundance

Yesterday afternoon Jeff and I decided to go for our usual walk. Throughout the Summer I have patiently been watching the hedgerows change and 'Yes' the wait was over - blackberries galore. 

We picked loads and they were delicious - so what to do with them all. 

An apple and blackberry crumble of course but I also wanted to make something a little different. This is where Pinterest comes in very handy - I simply typed 'Blackberry Recipes' into the search box and a whole host of delights popped up.

I had to wait for the children to come home - I'm not allowed to Bake without help! 

We went for this delicious Blackberry and Apple Cake - you can find out all the information *HERE* 

And I must say, it is delicious x

Ready, Steady.......

 ........goooooooooo!

The iPhone cases are now live and up on our website.

And you, my loyal blog followers, get first dibs! 

I didn't order too many to start with so there isn't huge amounts of stock. I do have more on order to come in at the end of next week. So if you really want one go and order *NOW* I will tweet, facebook etc about them tomorrow, so you get chance to know about it first!

A few eagle eyed dots and spots shoppers have already spotted them on the website and placed their orders - I must say I LOVE mine xx

Coming SOON!'

eek! I'm just a little bit excited to share with you my new iPhone covers coming soon to the dots and spots shop. I have wanted to do them for 'aaaaaages' and finally, I have found someone who could print them at a reasonable price here in the UK.

There are 2 designs to start with - the spot and the star design. 

Poor Jeff just walked through the door and I had him modelling it for me!

There are 4 colours to choose from - red, blue, pink and navy.

The design wraps around the sides of the cover too.

They will retail at £18.00 each.

I still need to photograph them and then sweet talk Jeff into getting them onto the website, so they should be available within the next week or so - I'll keep you posted.

Nature

The garden is still very much used, it's been warm enough this weekend to be out in the garden, if for no other reason than to smell the candy floss 'Katsura' tree.

I spotted this snail the other morning as I fought through the cobwebs to put the washing out. The garden is actually full of slugs, snails and spiders. We could do with a hungry hedgehog to keep them at bay.

The apples are ready for picking.

And I couldn't resist taking a photo of this beautiful leaf. 

Spotty paper inspiration for the future.

And this photo came out beautifully.

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend - I have a roast dinner in the oven and the return of Downton Abbey to look forward to later.

Bad drivers!

Some people just shouldn't be on the road!
This morning as Jeff was going to work, an old man drove into the drivers door whilst Jeff was stood to the side of the car about to get in. A few centimeter's the other way, this damage could have been done to Jeff. It doesn't bare thinking about.

We live in a terrace row of houses, supposedly in a 30m speed zone - parking is on the road but very obvious to road users. People simply drive too fast, do not leave enough time or room to react and as a result these unnecessary accidents do happen.

This is the damage to the key alone, which was in the door!

I know no one got hurt (luckily) and I know we have insurance but we now have the hassle and expense of finding a new car. A minute, not even of time and care by the driver was all that was needed. So how unlucky are we, after my tractor incident earlier in May, that we are now on the hunt for a second car in less than 6 months. My sister will be sad - she had the car from new and my parents then had it, before passing it onto us when we needed a second car. Guess what I'll be spending this afternoon doing!

mid week round up

How is it Wednesday already? 

The weeks are going by far too quickly for my liking. This gorgeous view greeted me on Monday morning - what a way to start the week.

My days at the moment are spent picking and packing orders and in between, making up as much Christmas stock as I can. I feel happier going into the coming weeks, if I have plenty of stock made up and on the shelves ready to fulfil orders.

In the little free time I have, I have turned my attention to Christmas 2014!

I know it seems ridiculously early but if I need any reprints done on my current stock, it's best to have other stuff ready, if I need to make up a print run. I always find it easier to design 'Christmas' at this time of year too, rather than during the Summer, even if I am a year ahead.

So enjoy the rest of the week - today is dry, so I'm making the most of it. The washing is out on the line and I hope to squeeze in a walk before the school run later.

Autumn feels like it's just around the corner!

Saturday was a bright sunny day - the perfect warm start to Autumn.

I was working in Maddie Brown's all day so saw little of the sunshine but was kept 

nice and busy as everyone was out in Wells. 

I'm really enjoying myself but am being terribly tempted by all the gorgeous things on offer. I just couldn't resist these fantastic salt and pepper pots by Cath Kidston.

So my Sunday has been spent on catch up over at the premises,
packing orders ready for tomorrow's post! 

And my afternoon was spent in the studio which is beginning to get a little chilly,
hence the socks have come out

So whether you love it or hate it, Autumn is on the way.
I actually like Autumn and as we've had a lovely Summer this year, I don't mind it's arrival.

Back to it

So as Autumn arrives, the children now in settled routines again, I need to knuckle down and get on with lots of work. The Summer was lovely but I may just have relaxed a little too much, so fuelled by my porridge, my days are now very busy.

There is a lot to do at home in the studio - design work, updating the website, NOTHS store front and of course the many lines of social media I find myself enticed by!!

I've been up dating a few of our products shots......

.... ready for the festive season.

Trade orders are coming in as I desperately try to make up stock piles of Christmas cards. As quick as they are being made up, they're going out.

We are also finalising the artwork and designs for a range of phone covers for the iPhone 4/4s and iPhone 5. This was just a test cover to make sure the colours were exactly 'spot' on. The actual designs will be of course, spotty and a set of star designs. So keep a look out for these, arriving in the next couple of weeks.

Regular customer orders are going out daily and 50% FRIDAY is still proving very popular

Check out today's 'Tape-tastic' selection

As the evening draw in, the fairy lights are going on. My evening coffee is now accompanied by my hot water bottle as we resist the urge to turn on the heating yet.

I have a busy day over at Maddie Brown tomorrow and guess I'll be catching up with all things dots and spots on Sunday. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and it stays dry. (wishful thinking)

I know you don't want to ......

..... hear the 'C' word mentioned yet 

but there only 15 Saturday's between now and then!

We're entering our busiest couple of months, as our trade customers want their stock, then you all want yours! So I'm busy making up piles of Christmas cards which you can view properly *HERE*.

We've also introduced this new Merry Christmas sticky tape, which is proving very popular with our stockists, I'm already considering ordering more.

Our everyday wrap is perfect for Christmas too - just add ribbons, tape, tags to make your pressies look beautiful this year.

Our Not on the High Street storefront is beginning to have the festive touch. I know I've designed it all but I must say, I think it all looks rather lovely. There is more to tell you about but as it's only September, I'll leave it a little while yet. Just beginning to tempt you!!

A little bit of 'new'!

I hinted in my last blog post that I was doing something new, well I am!

My friend Sam owns the fabulous Maddie Brown in Wells, Somerset. She was dots and spots first ever stockist. At the time of Jeff's redundancy, Sam's Saturday lady handed in her notice. She didn't want to do every Saturday so I offered to help her out, extra money in the pot and every other Saturday felt do-able along side dots and spots. 

So over the Summer I have been doing a few days there, to get myself  'trained up'. I've always loved the thought of having a shop but was realistic about the time restraints that come with it. So doing a Saturday here and there is perfect.

So yesterday was my first day behind the counter going 'solo' and I survived. In fact it was a lovely change. When you work for yourself, even if you have a little help, it can be quite insular, so being in a busy shop was actually quite fun. It also means there is a little extra going into the pot. So all round it feels like a good decision. Thank you Sam for giving me the opportunity too. 

September Start

  

To round off the fantastic Summer this year, September has been lovely. Sunny, slightly foggy start which burns through to a beautiful warm day and evenings where you can still enjoy being outside - the perfect start to the school term.

Yesterday Sam started Secondary school and with great relief had a fantastic day - phew!

It's a big school - 250 pupils per year group so they sensibly had the new Year 7's in on their own yesterday to give them all a head start.

Sophie and I took the opportunity to sneak over to Street and do a little shopping in the sunshine before she started back.

   

So this morning another sunny start was most welcome. 

Jeff started teaching in his new job today and 

once Sophie and Sam were dropped off I started something new too. I'll tell you more about that another time but for now I have a date with Celebrity Masterchef and a large mug of coffee.