stripykat newsletter

I never realised Croquet was such a ruthless sport! Last Saturday, the sun was shining, birds were singing, kites were flying and my new sparkly shoes were being worn in on the soft green grass of Holyrood Park in Edinburgh.

Dear Mr Weatherman, I remember way back when I was at school revising for my exams and spending much of the revision leave lying in the back garden working by the light of the sun - doing my part for the environment by keeping electricity costs down, it was not to sunbathe!

Hello and welcome to the April newsletter from stripykat. Tim and I have just returned from a lovely week's holiday in a little village called Low Row in Yorkshire. We stayed in the most gorgeous cottage, with a bath, that I was seriously considering uplifting and bringing home with me!! We were with a couple of friends, so enjoyed a week of laughter and chit chat.

The weather continues it's quest to encourage me to move to warmer climates. We have a snazzy thing on our computer's desk top that clearly demonstrates this with with the temperature in Edinburgh, St Louis and Toulouse. Let me tell you Toulouse is looking very toasty warm at the moment, compared to -2 in Edinburgh bbbbbrrrrrr!

I am sat here with my SAD light on, I am not feeling particularly sad, but it's great to sew and type in. It is so good to see the nights starting to get shorter and plants starting to come back to life after the crazy weather we've had over December and January.

A very Happy New Year from stripykat, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and an enjoyable New Year or Hogmanay as we call it in Scotland. I would like to say that I didn't have a hangover on the 1st of January, but I can't, and I doubt there are many people who don't. We brought in 2010 at the Edinburgh street party along with a 100,000 other people. Armed with a bottle of bubbly to pop at midnight we watched the amazing fireworks that never disappoint.

Can you believe it? It's already December and I haven't even started making my Christmas presents. Yes friends and family it is a stripykat goodie for each of you...I have however made everything for Christmas for stripykat.com so there is loads of choice for you all.

stripykat has also had an exciting makeover. With a brand spanking new posh logo,it's looking very swish, I think you will agree.

So, with lots of new stock on the site for Christmas be sure to stop by and get yourself that special gift or if you are feeling kind, that special person a gift. Christmas isn't just about buying for other people, I am a big believer in treating yourself too!

I am sat writing this with the rain lashing down our windows on what has been a truly miserable day weather wise! With a slightly sore head due to lack of sleep not the red wine that I was drinking at Willie and Sheila's bonfire party last night – honest!

I went to buy the fireworks and was asked for ID – how to make a girl feel good! However, I am sure they were just giving me the cheap banter that keeps them going on a long Saturday afternoon in retail, but it was oh so nice to be asked. I got two big boxes of explosives including one that I bought purely for the name. "Blow your pants off" It did not disappoint let me tell you!

Can you believe all the shops are already gearing up for Christmas? I mean to say it’s only October….oh, but it does mean there’s only just over 11 weeks to go! OH NO!!!!!! Why am I not sewing?!!!

You know, it might be a sign of getting old or a serious lack of time on my hands, but running round the shops or surfing the net the week before or even the day before is certainly not appealing. Therefore, I have to admit it, I too am gearing up for Christmas.

Yikes, it is true what they “time flies by when you’re having fun”. The last month has certainly been great fun, with the West End Craft Fair, lots of stripykat production and new product designing oh and of course the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. First of all though the fair went fantastically well and I got to meet so many lovely people I just wish I could be there every day. We set up on a very, very wet and windy Monday morning, so I was confined to my stand all day due to the constant rain. Luckily the weather improved through the week and I am pleased to say the stripykat stand was bright and cheery so it caught everyone’s eyes along the way.