Happy 2012!

There have been good times and bad this year... but so many occasions 
to be grateful and thankful. Thanks for your kindness and support :)
Here's to a wonderful 2012!

Holiday share

Hello again... Hope you've had fabulous celebrations? Did you have fun with 
your families?





It's the first year in many moons that I haven't had to host either family at ours. 
My lovely sister hosted for my side of the families and we had a fine ol' time, 
particularly when a packet of moustaches was brought out :)






My little one made fruit mince pies and they were amazing! If you'd like to try 
the recipe I've clipped it below... It's from this book.









The little one has since fractured her arm whilst rollerblading... our first visit to 
emergency at the hospital. She, of course, is rather proudly sporting her cast now.





Hope you've had a fun-filled time too... without any fractures, of course :)

Happy happy :)

Self-Gifting

It's that time of year when we're all rushing around frantically doing last minute 
preparations for Christmas. It's a busy time, but I feel like my Christmas has 
already happened... my present-to-self has arrived :) 


This is my updated collection...





I've fallen in love with a 1950s dinnerware range by Franciscan Potteries called
Starburst. It was only made between 1954 and 1957. I just love the fresh and fun 
1950s vibe. As you can see, it's taken top shelf position ;)

Last month I was an obsessive eBay lurker... all these amazing pieces appeared 

and some kind of craziness came over me. Thank goodness for Christmas and the 

certainty that my family would greatly appreciate me arranging my own present ;)

Do you do this too? Is it a universal truth that we purchase, wrap and place our
own gifts under the tree these days? I'm certainly thrilled with mine :)
The only thing I really wanted but wasn't able to get was a Starburst teapot...
but then there's always my birthday in March! (hint hint family)





Hope you've all found your special gifts-to-self for this year, or that you have
lovely families who find just the right thing for you :)

Big News

I'm still reeling here from the amazing events of today... I have my first stockist!
They have placed an order for 20 cushions... and it's all come out of last Thursday's post! 



I think the word for how I'm feeling is  bemused ;)


The best part is that they insist on paying me what they are worth (wow!)... no more
simply covering costs with a little extra on the top... it's strange even contemplating it ;)



What to do with my pricing on Etsy though? Do I leave that at subsistence levels, 
ie. just covering costs? It's a difficult question. Maybe if I don't have the same 
products crossing over in both arenas I can get away with keeping things as they 
are on Etsy? So, from now on Etsy prices will be like mates-rates for fellow Etsians :)



As you've no doubt noticed by now, the red ripple is finished and made up into a 
cushion with natural linen and red buttons on the back. My other good news from 
today is that someone has already asked to buy it  :)



I don't know why I feel so guilty to be feeling so happy...  How ridiculous am I?
Hope you are having a wonderful day and week too.

Our Creative Spaces - Red Ripple

I've been wanting to do a ripple for a while. Actually, what I really want to crochet 
is a proper pointy chevron but have been unable to find a pattern. Anyway, I thought 
I'd start with a ripple for the time being.





I've used Lucy's pattern at Attic 24. Her explanations + photos are always so easy 
to follow. I haven't had to pull it apart and start again, not once.





There's something so fresh and happy about ripply stripes. 





I've started on a chartreuse stripe already and plan to do a yellow one next.
Figuring on getting together a mass of rainbow stripey cushions. (Can you tell 
I've been watching The Dukes of Hazzard? The late 1970s version was on TV just before while 
I was crocheting... I always end up speaking like that after watching it! :))





Anyway, for all my plans I haven't finished the red ripple yet. This one's still 
a front panel only but I've draped it over a cushion to see how it will look. 





If you know of a pointy chevron pattern for crochet I'd love to see it.
Hope you've had a lovely week. See more spaces here.

Cloud watching

I'm back from the mountains. It was deliciously cool – a haven from the 
descending summer heat of the city. 





I must have had half a brain when packing... I forgot to take the right sized 
crochet hook and other bits and pieces that should have kept me busy. 





Instead, I just cloud watched :) 





Hope you've had a relaxing week too.

Holidays + pressies

My girls have finished school for the year and we are officially on holidays!
I won't be around this week but I do have a creative space item to leave here...


My youngest's class had a secret santa last week. They were allotted the name 
of a class member with whom they are not usually friends and had to do nice 
things for them. Then, on the last day of school, they had to give them a gift (no 
more than $5 in value) and reveal who they are. 





After thinking about what $5 buys these days, the Little One and I decided we 
could come up with something better from what we had at home... and so a pencil 
case was created for the price of a green zip, a gifted hand-screenprinted panel by 
Anna Bartlett at Shiny Happy Art of Christmas Angels and a panel of my very first 
attempt at screenprinting on a thrifted tablecloth.





Other stuff which we used that I already had were the Fabrico Fabric Markers 
bought ages ago from here. Anna doesn't do these particular panels anymore but 
she does have some other Christmas Angels here.





So, this is the result. 






I'm told she loved it :) See you in about a week's time!

Finished bag

:)

Our Creative Spaces: Printing + Bagging

My creative space this week has been all about fulfilling promises. Some of 
these involve screen printing and this orange number somehow came out of it. 



I began by printing with fluorescent yellow... but this was all but invisible 
except in the sun. (And don't get me started on lining up a screen to print when the 
rest of the printed pattern has disappeared into the fabric!)



So, I overprinted with fluorescent pink... but it's kind of bland too. Another sun shot 
here... too proud to show it's real dowdy self.
I think the more I use the computer the more I see colour in my mind as this 
back-lit explosion of vivid brilliance... which is obviously not the case in real life ;)



Next, out came the trusty embroidery floss... my attempt to add texture and colour 
brilliance to lift the bland-ness. I do rather like it but it can't be meterage... too high 
maintenance. So, they are going to be bags.



And I've accidentally ticked another job in my to-do list for someone I said 
I'd make a bag for. The others may go in the shop or they may end up as 
xmas presents.



I've only made up the front and back panels so far but I am pleased with how 
they are shaping up.



Note: flash photography can sometimes imitate that back-lit screen look ;)


What's in your creative space this week? See more here.

First sale!

I've made my first sale on Etsy :) Very excited. 
This little brooch is posting it's way to Steffen.





Please have a peek at Steffen's store 3 Girls and a Goat. 
She has the most divine paper products.

Sliced bread... (the best thing since)

I'm a tad giddy with excitement here. Can you see why?





I've just discovered these amazing cross-stitch kits for iPhone 4 covers.





They're from the ever-wonderful Purl Soho in New York.





You can read about the designs stitched in the first picture here.





And Purl Soho have them for sale here.

Our Creative Spaces: Zen Brooches

Do you remember this brooch? Well, I decided to make some more. 





I hurt my foot and haven't been able to move around much. 





I had to do something, so I've been micro-crocheting and constructing some 
more Zen brooches. 





I like the idea of things being a one-off so they are all slightly different from each 
other and the original.





And they're in the shop.





Hope you've had a productive, injury-free week. Find more creative spaces here.