Preparing for my First Proper Craft Fair

I've been creating more stock for my stall and now have 9 little cat brooches. I'm really chuffed with them and hope people like them. Here's them all together :)



I've also been shopping for cheap picture frames today and picked up a couple from my local Pound shop. The plan is to remove the glass and cover the backing in black fabric and then use them to display me earrings. I'm planning on getting some bowls to put my brooches and bracelets in and then hanging my necklaces up somehow. I also need to pick up a cheap mirror as I've learnt from past experience that people like to see what items will look like on.

I'm so looking forward to doing the fair and it would be even better if I sold enough to cover the stall cost. I figure either way it will still be great experience and a great opportunity to give out some business cards and SHHIM flyers :)

Cats & Pots

I've just got back from a nice hour down the plot. The weather has been glorious, better than the summer! We got a visit from the black and white allotment cat and she was extremely purry and excited. She was especially lucky as I had a cat stick in my bag for just such an occasion =).



I've also been making lots in preparation for the craft fair I have a stall at, at the end of November. I've been making more brooches and have been lots of these little cat brooches. I'm really chuffed with the design and how they are coming out. I'm also going to make some keyrings too, so watch out for those.

As my giveaway hasn't been whipping up very much enthusiasm I'm also going to throw in one of my new cat brooches. I will leave it up to the winner to select the colour scheme as I have masses of different colours of felt, so I should be able to accommodate. To enter just follow the instructions on the previous post :)

Finally, my Boyfriend has also had a successful time with his crafting. He works in ceramics and had his first open studios last weekend. It went so well and he sold loads, far more than he was expecting. I feel extremely proud :). He's also set up his own blog so if you want to follow his tales as a potter then pop on over to his blog :)

Owls, owls and more owls.....

I've gone a bit owl crazy of late and have been making little tiny owls like theres no tomorrow. It all started when I was searching from some inspiration the other night in one of my Sew magazines. I saw these cute owl buttons and liked the simple design so I set about making myself a very simple pattern.
I've now made 4 owls and I'm on my fifth! Heres a pic of the little brood on my craft desk :)



Here's my tutorial that I uploaded to Cut Out and Keep.

See Cute Tiny Owl and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

I'm also really chuffed with myself as I won a £5 voucher from Beads Unlimited for one of my tweets over Christmas \o/. I've already got a little wish list so I can't wait to put in my order.

Beaded Allotment :)

I've been itching to get down my plot and start work on it but the weathers been far too cold. I started trying to sketch out a plan for next year but abandoned in for a beaded, felt allotment plot :) It took me a couple of days and I used up odd scraps of fabric and stray beads I had laying around along with embroidery thread. I'm pretty chuffed with how it came out.
I have even put in a little, ginger allotment cat at the front of my shed :)

Crafty Non-Christmas

I have been merrily crafting away Christmas pressies like theres no tomorrow :) I don't celebrate Christmas but always get pressies for family and they still buy for us, we just don't enter into the whole Christmas day b*****ks (sorry couldn't think of a better way to express that :/) The whole spending and commercial madness that goes on every year does the complete opposite to making me excited. It also seems so wasteful for a day that started life as a religious festival and I'm not religious at all. I always get a few raised eyebrows each year and a few worried looks when I say I don't celebrate Christmas, but not celebrating it is so liberating and relaxing. I'd definitely recommend it :)
As well as crafting pressies, I've also been making the odd extra bits for the shop. I've been making brooches today which I'm really chuffed with. Here's some piccies of the results. I was going to put some pics up of the pressies I've made so far and then I thought - Doh! - family maybe looking - kinda spoils the fun of unwrapping things if you saw it several weeks ago online.

Maybe I should have been a Surgeon :)

I've been stitching like there's no tomorrow. I've made loads more inchie xmas cards, some more stuff for my folksy shop and a craft roll for myself :) I have been meaning to make one for ages and finally got round to it last night. Its made from a pair of old jeans with some scraps of felt for the pockets and an old hair bobble. I can fit loads in it and when its done up its about the size of a pencil case. I'm really chuffed with it :)
I've also been out and about a bit this weekend. Yesterday I went over to Stevenage to visit my boyfriends new studio. He's really into pottery and has now got himself a studio so he can make pots and stuff any time he likes. It was a great size and I got to see his wheel and latest creations. Its really exciting.
Afterwards we went to Hexton and had a yummy lunch in the Lavender Tea Rooms and a potter round the craft market. I picked up some more cool ribbon, some cool silver beads and some coloured wire. I want to have play around with the wire and try and make some wire wrapped jewellery. I've seen some really pretty stuff on flickr and would like to have a go myself.

Folksy Kat & RIP Ari Up

I've been a bit on the fluey side this week :( This hasn't stopped me creating though and I have been merrily making inchies. I'm making them on a festive theme to use in Christmas cards. I loved making them for the swap earlier in the year so I thought I'd make some more for myself. If you're not familiar with them they are roughly an inch square (hence the name) and can be made from any material and are tiny pieces of art. For the swap we were sewing them but I've seen loads on flickr since which are made from paper and other craft materials so I think its pretty much anything goes. I've been sewing my latest ones and so far have made 7 cards from them :) I'm aiming to do a minimum of 1 a day.
I've also been busy setting myself up in business over on Folksy.com. Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs is now up in business so please go over and take a peak :) I'm thinking of eventually swapping over completely at some point in the future. Dawanda is a great site and there are some beautiful handmade items on there, I was just struggling with getting my head around pricing everything in Euros. On Folksy its all in £s so I'm getting along with that much easier. Also being UK based I'm guessing that the customers will also be UK based and this may help to increase sales.
I've also been doing a bit more crochet and I'm mid way through a crocheted scarf. Its the biggest thing I've attempted but I'm really enjoying it. I'm thinking of making it as a Christmas pressie so I'll have to see how it turns out. The plan is that I make quite a few of my pressies this year. That way I keep costs down but with the added bonus (I hope) that my pressies will be original and more personal.
Also on a sadder note, I spotted that Ari Up from the punk band the Slits had died. If you don't know them, they were an all girl band fronted by Ari. She was just 14 when they got signed up and they did more for equality in the music scene that the Spice Girls could have ever dreamed and they were doing it a good couple of decades earlier. The pic above is a sketch I did a couple of months ago of Ari so I thought I'd post it with this.

Vintage Shopping

I've got some annual leave this week and next so I've been having a nice chilled out day in the charity shops and vintage emporium. The Vintage Emporium is great - only discovered it recently through boyfriend and its like Aladins' Cave. It enormous and stretches on for miles! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the idea :) I bought a few bits - some beads to feed my addiction, a pretty necklace for my neice's bday and lovely brown maxi dress with a massive, stretchy, sequined band at the top. I'm going to take some pics in a bit to add to this. I'm really chuffed with it. I was originally going for another dress I saw, another maxi dress but black with a white embroidered design up the side but when I tried it on it was not a pretty sight - :( It had two side splits and when I put it on the splits seemed to create arrows pointing to my belly! Not really where I wanted the eye drawn to! The other dress I got is much better as its all sparkley round the top \o/
I've also been making some more jewellery for my shop. I made a monochrome beaded necklace and a brown, wooden beaded necklace. Both were made from beads that I picked up when we went to Hexton.
I also finished the top I was making. I hasn't turned out how I was hoping so I'm going to take it in a bit so its more flattering . A piccie is on its way though. The gold around the top though looks great against the yellow.

Sewing a Bit of Sunshine

I have been playing around with some fabric I bought ages ago. Its a really pretty shade of yellow and I got it from the remnants basket for about a pound. I've made a design for a simple vest top and even made myself a pattern. This is virtually unheard of for me - I usually dive in scissors first and then think about how its all going to go together.
So far so good. I've hemmed around the neckline and around the sleeves. I just need to hem the bottom and makes some straps. I've also got some cool gold ribbon that I picked up ages ago for about 20p that I want to use on the front to create a band horizontally across it. Hopefully it will come out okay. I've used a tape measure and everything so I can't say I didn't think this one through. :) I'll post some pics when its all done. I may even post a pic of me wearing it :)
I'm also going to make sure I finish this sewing project. I have got a bad habit of starting things and then putting them down when something new comes along. I've still got a shocking pink infinity dress and a tartan pair of trousers half finished in my fabric pile. I plan to get to those next so I can clear a few things off my making list.
I've also made a few new bits of jewellery for the shop. I made a necklace out of some of the beads I bought in Hexton last month and a necklace I made a few months back.
I was working this morning so to treat myself I had a little potter round the charity shops in Watford. There wasn't a great deal on offer today (which was probably good for my purse) but I did pick up a lovely strapless mint coloured dress for £3, a zip for 10p to go with some fabric I bought to make a skirt from, a mini electric whisk for frothing milk for 50p and some wine glass charms for 20p. Not bad for a days work :) The electric whisk will get a bit of a soak in some sterilising fluid and then hopefully it will be ready to go. I'm looking forward to my fist DIY latte.
I've also nearly finished The Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood - I've never seen the film and I picked up the book from Oxfam Bookshops 50p shelf about a week ago. I've had my nose stuck in it ever since. Its a brilliant read. I've got The Count of Monte Cristo lined up as my next read as I've already started that on my DS.

Inchies

I've been a bit of a slack blogger of late again. I'm not quite sure why but time seems to have picked up pace this month and got away from me.
I had a little experiment last Wednesday and tested out the matinee that is on most Wednesday afternoons at my local theatre. I saw Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr and once I'd got over the awkwardness of being the youngest person there by about 20 years I really enjoyed it. I got myself settled down with my 50p hot chocolate and bag of sweeties and whiled away a couple of hours in the company of Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. Not a bad way to spend the day and tickets cost a bargain price of £4! I think I can safely say that experiment was a success.
I've also been doing a bit of shopping round my local charity shops and had a real bargain fest. For about £20 I picked myself up a mid length, black, velvet coat, a grey fleece hoody, a little, short, brown dress, a cool, bright green, bag for work, a bronze, sparkly cardie and a bathroom set of smellies which were unopened. It was a good days bargain hunting. Unfortunately its not that good all the time but thats largely why you have to get things when you see them.
On the crafting front I've been getting into making inchies. I can't remember if I've described these before but they are basically inch square scraps of fabric decorated with beads and embellishments. I've been making them for a swap and they are on the theme of spring. I've loved doing them and once I finally get round to sending these off I think I'll make some for myself.
Finally, on the spodding front, I have been thoroughly addicted to the latest GTA game (Chinatown Wars) and have been totally engrossed. For the first time ever in a GTA game I've actually finished all of the missions! \o/ I've just got a few odds and sods to do and I'll have totally completed it. Once again its been yet another reason why my DS was such a great buy.
I'm hoping all the snow has come to an end as I must get myself down our allotment. My boyfriend went down last week to empty our compost bin of kitchen scraps and its apparently looking good. I've also bought some Nasturtium seeds today. I'm hoping to put them in the trough on the balcony and down the plot. I know they will probably go wild but they have such pretty flowers.

February

I lost track of time for a bit then so haven't posted anything for about two weeks. Oooops.
Not much has been going on the last couple of weeks. I finished reading How to be Idle. That was a good read and I enjoyed it. It was probably because it was quite good for the soul to read something that says doing nothing is good and that actually promotes guilt-free time off. I would definitely recommend it, not just to workaholics but to anyone that struggles to sit still and relax. Some of it I found a bit idealistic and not entirely practical but I liked the fact that he he acknowledges that. I would also whole heartedly agree with the concept that work costs money and cutting down on work doesn't mean you'll necessarily be giving up on your quality of life. I cut down to 30 hours a week last April and it was one of the best things I did :)
I've started reading A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and so far I'm really enjoying this. It reminds me a little of A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. It has a similar wit to it.
I've taken up another craft swap on CO&K, I am making 12 Inchies to send out. I'd never heard of Inchies until a week ago but basically, from what I can gather, they are inch squared pieces of fabric which you decorate through stitching and using buttons, beads, anything else. I've got a couple on the go at the moment. The theme of them is 'springtime'.
I also finally sent of the Sweet/Candy Swap to Kira in the US and have recieved hers. It was packed full of yummy sweeties from the US including Reeces Cups, which I love :P.
Finally I got to have a trip out to the Hare Krishna Temple, just outside of Watford on Friday and had a really nice time. The grounds were so peaceful and must look amazing when everything is flowering. We also got a brief tour of the temple and saw people making up the flower garlands which get put on the idols first thing in the morning (apparently 4.30am) and we saw prayer time. I also brought some snacks from the shop and we were given some yummy sweets when we left. Although I'm not religious there were a few things that really struck me about the temple and their philosophy. Firstly they seem to take the view that everyone has value and something to contribute no matter what their age, disability, background, etc and rather than just say it we actually saw it in practice. Also everyone seemed so at peace and friendly.

Fishy Wishies

I had my first ever visit to the London Aquarium last week and it was lovely. So calming just watching the fishes swim around and do their thing. The sharks were a little on the scary side but I am pleased to say that I managed the Shark Walk, where you walk over one of the shark tanks on thick, reinforced glass. Initially I was worried that all my sweetie eating would be my undoing and I'd crash through the glass into some sharks waiting mouth but this didn't happen :) Phew! Although they're not exactly pleasing on the eye there is something oddly fascinating about them. Luckily there were no enormous sharks like those you see on telly but they were still sharky enough for me :)
I'm also having a bit of any experiment at the moment with some tartan fabric I picked up ages from the YMCA Charity shop. I only paid £2 and there was masses of it so I'm having a go at making some trousers out of it. I'm using an old pair of combats to make a pattern from and so far so good. I don't know how they're going to turn out but its a bit of fun and I quite like bigger projects. When I was younger I never had the patience to sew something bigger like clothing. I always used to get over excited and rush it so they didn't come out particularly well or very wearable. I'm quite happy now though to take it gently and I know that if I take my time the stitching will be stronger and look much better. I'll post a piccie if they turn out okay. I might even be brave and post one if they don't :)
I've also had my first go at Blanket Stitch. I found a tutorial in a sewing magazine I got ages ago and I tried it on a lion pin cushion I'm making for a swap. I quite like how its come out and might try using this again. At the moment I'm sewing on the lion's mane and thats proving to be a task and a half. I also keep finding little bits of yellow wool stuck to everything :)
I'm currently reading a couple of books at the moment - one on my DS at night - Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy and during the day I'm reading How To Be Idle by Tom Hodgekinson. Both quite readable although I haven't got into the first one properly yet. How to Idle is perfect train reading on my way to and from work and I'm pretty impressed how much I've got through already.

Horray for my new furry bag :)

I've been a busy bee the last couple of days and found up a bag I was making ages ago but hadn't finished. I just needed to sew the strap on it, the buckle on the front and the flap and some pockets inside. I've done almost all of that now (just the pockets inside to do) and I'm so chuffed with it :) It will hopefully become my new work bag if it all turns out well.
I've also made myself a pair of fingerless gloves from an old pair of socks. I made these using a tutorial on CO&K. These are excellent. Just the thing to wear while spodding to stop yourself getting cold fingers.
I have also been baking tonight after quite a break and have made some cheese scones. They are cooling at the moment but I'm hoping they will be pretty yummy. They're from an old recipe I had which I modified. The recipe was for fruit scones so I just kicked out the sugar and fruit and added grated cheese.
I'm finished making up one of my swaps but unfortunately I'm going to have to wait till payday before sending out as it needs to go to the US. The swap is a sweet swap so I've bought about a fivers worth of sweeties which you can get in the UK. I hope she likes them. I'm looking forward to seeing what she sends me :P.
I've stalled a little on the favourite animal swap but I think I can get that done for payday too. I just need to get my crafty arse in gear.

If I can't keep a cat in my flat I'll keep one on my blog :)

I am now the proud owner of a virtual cat, a long haired silver tabby which I've named Sparticus. If anyone is reading this feel free to say hi, play with him and feed him :) Its a bit of silliness but its a close as I can get to having a cat where I live. I live right on a main road which doesn't seem to be compatible with cats and I don't want one which we keep indoors all the time as that seems uncatlike.
I also finally finished my crochet hat \o/. I've uploaded a pic here of my boyfriend modelling it :) It doesn't totally stand up to close inspection but I'm pretty chuffed with it. Especially as its my first proper attempt at crochet and I didn't use a pattern. I just kind of played around with what I'd learnt from youtube until it looked hatlike. Excuse the pun, but I'm well and truly hooked on crochet. It suits me more than knitting as you're not holding onto so many stitches and it feels more portable :) I look forward to creating more in the future.
I've eventually got back into sewing my dress. Thats such a long process though as the straps as incredibly long. I knew that in advance though as thats part of the secret of how infinity dresses work but it takes a long time to hem when your hand stitching. Quite relaxing though.
Also finished 'a spot of bother' by Mark Haddon. That was amazing. Really witty but moving too. The characters were all really likeable too. I'd definitely recommend to anyone. I'm reading 'Little Green Men' now but I can't remember who thats by.

Shooting stars, crochet hats and dresses

I got back Sunday from a weekend meteor spotting and camping in Wales. We had a brilliant time and even saw some meteors on the Saturday night. They never fail to fascinate me and after a while watching them becomes almost addictive. We gave ourselves quite a stiff neck leaning back on our camping chairs to watch the sky. It was well worth every second of pain though. They just look so magical :)
We had a bit of an explore on the Saturday and I found an amazing craft shop. It looked tiny on the outside but was like an Aladin's cave inside with bits and pieces of everything you could ever want. My inner magpie was well and truly awakened and I felt quite proud of myself for only coming away with 2 balls of wool. The wool is very cool though, both are multicoloured and great for crocheting with as every stitch comes out a different colour. The first is bright pinks and greens and purples and the other is more autumny colours. I'm having a go at making a hat with the bright wool. I have no idea how its going to come out as I'm not following a pattern but its fun to do.
I've also been doing odd bits and pieces to the dress I've been making. As I'm doing it all by hand its a very long process but in spite of this I'm finding it oddly therapeutic. Its just nice to sit on the sofa with a pile of fabric on your knee while listening to some music and just sewing away. I've put a picture up of it at the moment. I've still got tons to do, mostly hemming but as its an infinity dress theres absolutely tons of hemming. Hopefully it will look cool when its finished. I mostly liked it as its such a simple pattern. I'll have to have a poke around on the internet and find the site I got it from and put up a link. I was very impressed :)
Hopefully I'm off to Craftacular this Saturday. Its a Craft Fair in London. Its my first full on Craft Fair so I'm hoping it will be good. I'm sure I'll give feedback after Saturday :)

How much rain!?!?

Been working some more on my pink dress and did a bit of the hemming at the bottom. Its actually coming out quite well which is a surprise. I haven't done any proper sewing for years and I'm not using a sewing machine. Hopefully it will carry on well and I'll have a nice pink dress at the end of this :)
Also got a couple of swaps \o/ My one from Ale in Mexico, that was the Global Village swap which I'm still struggling with my end off and the other was from Miss Dee in Oz and that was the New Age Swap. They both sent really amazing stuff and it was like my birthday having so many things to unwrap :). I also got my order from beads unlimited and that was great. Loads more beads to play with plus some more fimo (sparkly green), some charms and some other bits and bobs for making jewellery. To add to all this fun I also got the DS Lite that I'd ordered second hand today so parcel wise its been an amazing week. I love getting cool things in the post, I don't mind what it is so long as its not a bill or doctors letter or anything boring
The DS looks cool and I've wanted one for ages. Its a girly pink one :) I just need to get myself a game or two but I might pay blockbusters a visit tomorrow and try something out.
I've also been learning how to crochet. I've finally got the hang of it (with a bit of help from a couple of the ladies on CO&K) and have crocheted a few little square for practice and to prove to myself that the first one wasn't fluke! They look really cool. Just like real crochet!!! I'm going to have to hunt now for a pattern, something simple though to start me off.

Swap 3 winging its way to Oz

Finished my 3rd swap on Cut Out & Keep and posted it off today :) It should be with Miss Dee in a week or two. This swap was the New Age swap so I made a selection of bits and pieces, mostly on the theme, although that was harder than I initially thought it would be. I made a bracelet and pendant with rose quartz, a joss stick holder, a Capricorn/Yin Yang coaster, a draw string bag (as she said she didn't have anywhere to keep her tarot cards), some earrings and added some Chinese coins and some stickers from my flickr photos which I had done by Moo earlier in the year. Hopefully it will all reach her in one piece and she will like what I've made. I'm a little worried as its going to Australia and I know they have really strict quarentine rules and will apparently open any packages coming in from out of Australia to check that things comply with the rules and will remove anything that doesn't. This threw me slightly as this includes anything made with plants - she likes herbs and I wanted to make her a lavender bag like I did for Sugar in the first swap but this would have been removed so thought better off it.
Anyway what else have I been up to. Made my first proper post on Wardrobe Refashion (my bat vest) and got good feedback :)
I've totally stalled with the two dresses I'm making. I've got a terrible habit for starting things and then getting distracted before finishing them. Hence there are always several things on the go. Thats where the swaps has been good - it forces me to finish things :)
I need to start making a few more things for my Etsy Shop. The teabag earrings in there look a bit lonely on their own. Hmmm what to make :/
Finally the weather here has been very unsummerlike - mostly grey clouds, rain and wind. As much as I quite like a minimal summer we're not getting down the plot as much as we should. Its been looking a little neglected the last few times we've been down. We've done tons but with all the rain the weeds are having a great time. Friday afternoon (if its dry) will have to be allotment day, even if all we do is empty the compost bin!

This and That

Finally finished A Passage to India this morning. Very good but nothing like A Room with a View, much darker. I'm not sure what to read now so reading a bit of Issac Asimov. Some short stories just to keep by brain occupied. Picked up a couple of books to add to my pending shelf today which I might have a look at. Another one by Mark Haddon (who wrote A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night time) and another E M Forster, this time Howards End.
Also been working on the current craft swaps. I just need to finish off a couple of things and then I can send off the New Age swap to Australia and come up with a few more bits for the Global Village one. I'm also in a Recycle swap too but hopefully that should be a little easier as its what I do anyway.
I've nearly finished one of the dresses I'm working on. Its made from 2 of my boyfriends old t-shirts. I just need to hem around the sleeves. I've kind of stalled on the bright pink one so I'll get back to that one pretty soon.
Also picked myself up a nice box to store my jewellery making stuff in. It was in some tray before but the tray was baskety and pots of beads kept falling through the gaps, so far from ideal. The new box is brown and fake leather and holds everything together and is much tidier.

Raspberries :)

We have had the most amazing year so far for raspberries. We've had absolutely tons of them. Today we came back with a big bowl full from the plot and I bought back a few Wednesday too. I might have a go at a recipe I found for raspberry muffins. One small hitch though, I don't have a muffin tin :/ I'm wondering if I could make a loaf out of the mix. It looks quite filling as it has oats in it so it might be worth a go.
Did tons of weeding too while we were down there. Found the peas I'd planted a while back. They looked like they hadn't made it but were there after all underneath all the weeds. I have tied them up a bit to the poles as they don't seem to want to climb them by themselves.
I'm also working on a short dress from an old t-shirt. Its one of my bf's old ones that he said I could cut up so I'll have to see how it goes. I figured it might make a good nighty if nothing else. A bit of fun :) I just hope I've made it big enough.
I have made my first post of the wardrobe refashion site. No piccies as yet but if one of my creations comes together I'll get posting pics too.

Shopping at the plot :)

Went down the allotment today with my carrier bag and came back with 4 onions (3 red & 1 white) and some fresh raspberries \o/. Really chuffed. I would have stayed and done a bit of weeding but it started to rain while I was picking raspberries so I thought I'd better head off. Yesterday we had the oddest rain. Really heavy for about a minute and then it stopped, then in about 15 minutes it started again. It was like someone emptying a bucket in the sky!
Also set up my profile today for Wardrobe Refashion. I have started making a dress at the weekend out of the shocking pink flat sheet I bought a couple of months ago from PDSA charity shop. It was only £3 so I figured it would be good for practising on :). At the moment I'm doing all the sewing by hand. I've had a total mental block about threading up the sewing machine and I'm actually quite enjoying just sitting sewing. I had one FAIL moment (well actually two - the same one twice!!) and sewed the two front panels on back to front. I unpicked it and then did exactly the same! Doh!!!
Anyway, I'm looking forward to having a play around with old clothes and seeing what I come up with. It should be fun and save some cash. Every little helps.