my year in craft: 2010

My Year in Craft 2010

1. In my twelve months of crafting, my crafty self made all these...
* my first quilt (proudly sitting on our lounge since)
* 12 cushions (personal and for sale)
* 25 owls
* 50-odd softies (including 3 custom orders. lots of monsters, dollies, animals and odd characters)
* 30 cards
* 6 coin purses
* clutch purse
* 7 baby rattles
* make-up case
* car DVD player cover
* bunting
* loot bag (for my son)
* 30 embroidery kits
* money pouch for markets (crafters bum-bag?)
* courier-style bag
* 2 skirts (both for me)
* bangle (for secret santa)
* oven mitt (for me)
* hot water bottle cover
* 5 hand-stamped tea-towels (for a swap)
* 11 postcards
* travel organiser
* light box

2. If my year was a colour it would be...

* red, red and hmmm... red

3. This year I spent way too many craft hours...

* procrastinating... without a doubt.  I have to learn to just trust my gut and jump in.

4. This year I wish I'd had more craft hours for...

* more crafting. I really don't like working for other people. I'd rather be making money for myself and growing my little hobby into a full-time business.

5. My proudest craft moment of the year was...
* teaching myself how to sew and jumping into the world of craft and design markets


6. My biggest craft disaster was...
* not sure that I've had too many major blunders.  The standard case of unpicking wonky or incorrect stitching, but that's about it.

7. This year I had stalls at/visited this many markets...
* Daylesford Makers Market
* Mathilda's Market
* Craft Hatch @ Fed Square
* North Melbourne Market

* Sister's Market

8. My most enjoyable market was...

* Daylesford Makers Market is a hands-down winner in my opinion. The stallholders are lovely, the market organisers are fabulous and awesome to deal with and the customers are generally nice (who wouldn't be when you're in spa-country).  I've done that market about 4 times this year and it is definitely one I'll be doing again next year.

9. My best handmade purchase/present/swap/acquisition was...

* My owl bunting which I received in an owl swap earlier in the year. It is strung up in our bedroom beside my side of the bed, so I get to see the owls every morning when I wake up.


10. After this year I swear I'll never again...

* Do as many markets in one year or back-to-back markets for that matter.  Especially while working full time.  It's not pleasant for anyone including my patient and loving husband and son.

11. Next year I'm determined to...

* Work on my business strategy and focus my attention on actually making some money (not just covering cost of materials).

12. But I'll probably do this instead...

* Procrastinate a little more ;)

Check out Mrs Beckinsale's answers to these same questions. That's actually where I borrowed this post idea from...

Here's to a fabulous 2011. Thanks for coming along for the ride my lovelies.

I see the light!

Hello lovelies.

Have you had a nice Christmas or Hanukkah? Our Christmas tree has already been pulled down and put away. We simply don't have the room for it.  And thankfully we had a stress-free Christmas day.  Phew.  I've heard some horror stories about Christmas day dramas.  Glad we weren't part of any of that.

I've just enjoyed four days off work, then back to work today and tomorrow before another four days off.  This afternoon I whipped up a light box.  Something which has been on my "do-do" list for a few weeks.  And it only took me half an hour to make it.

And look at the awesome result... Miss Ella gets a professional studio-style shoot she's worthy of.

I've even impressed myself!

that's a wrap

Last night was my last market for 2010. I have to say, I'm relieved that it's over for this year. I have to remember NOT to book two consecutive markets the two weekends prior to Christmas ever again.

I'm absolutely exhausted.  So much so, hat I didn't wake up until 11am this morning.  I NEVER do that.  Especially as I have a 5 year old.  I'm thankful that I have a very supportive and considerate husband who kept our son entertained until I got up.

Daylesford held a Twilight Makers Market last night and I'm glad I got to be part of it.  I've never done a night market before so it was good to experience it.  The doors flung open at 4pm and the crowds kept coming for the first 2 hours. 

At dinner time things died down and the lovely organisers decided to close the market early at 8:30pm. Don't know if it was the weather (it was quite cold despite being summer) or the town itself, but people just weren't out in Daylesford last night.  Not that I'm complaining because finishing early meant that I got home earlier than planned. The hour and a half drive doesn't bother me, unless it's late at night.

Here's a quick wrap up of last nights twilight market in pics...

my stall

the lovely (and camera shy) curlypops was stationed across from me



the smell of these was too much. heart-shaped waffles with strawberries, cream, melted Lindt chocolate, sprinkled with cocoa powder. thanks for feeding me and the other stallholders ChocolateRex!



Sawdust's birdy mobiles were to die for. The lovely Jayne makes these birdcages and I have to say they are the most divine things ever! You must check them out.  Oh, and you can place a custom order by emailing Jayne

 

these little cute ones from the Spotted Jinx

  


the cutest paper doll books by buntyandsars... too cute!

Thanks to all the many talented and lovely stallholders who make Daylesford Makers Market the great market that it is.  The stallholders, market committee and market visitors are always so lovely... that's why I keep coming back!  And did you know that the market recently won a local tourism award!? Well deserved.

Now, if you entered my Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway, I have drawn a winner.  Thanks to the 228 comments which I received.  Mister Penguin will be finding a new home with lucky commenter #9 - Annie and her son.  Congrats Annie... I have no doubt Mister Penguin will love living with you.

Christmas countdown is on...

Tuesday's Temptations: My Poppet

If you're looking for my giveaway, it's just over here

Hello lovelies and welcome to the last of the Tuesdays' Temptations series for 2010.  Today we take a little tour of lovely Melbourne-based Cinti's online shop called My Poppet.  It embraces divine things for little ones made from new and vintage materials.  And it is in absolute delight.  If you're stuck for a gift idea for an upcoming child's birthday or special occasion, I urge you to visit My Poppet and have a look around.  And the best part? There's a price-point to suit everyone's budget!

Here's a selection of some of my fave items.  It was difficult to select only a few to share with you!


crochet bunting



needle felted bunny... so adorable!



soft toy houses



set of 5 japanese paper balloons



felted macaroon's play food



retro christmas stockings

I hope you enjoy shopping at My Poppet.  There's a great selection of unique gift ideas, that's for sure. I will recommence Tuesday's Temptations on Tuesday the 4th of January after the silly season is behind us!

All images are care of My Poppet

Until then, happy shopping dears.

giveaway day: softie

Hello lovelies!

Welcome to all of you visiting via Sew, Mama, Sew especially if it's your first time here and a very big hello to all of my regular followers. Oh my goodness, it's that time again.  Sew, Mama, Sew's famous giveaway day.

I had so much fun playing along last time that I simply couldn't resist participating again.

Today I'm offering the chance for one lucky person to win a one of a kind Mr Penguin softie.  He has been lovingly handmade by me, is soft and hugable and a total cutie-pie with lots of character.  Suitable for little kids and really big ones too!

I actually wouldn't mind keeping him for myself, but I would prefer that he go to a good home where he doesn't have to compete for love.

So here are the details you need to know in order to participate in this giveaway:

• This giveaway is open until midnight Friday 17th December (Australian Easter Standard Time)
• Open to international residents. Yes, that means anyone in the world can enter to win, not just Aussies!
• To be eligible to win you must leave a comment telling me what your favourite colour is.
• Only one comment per person.  Any person found to have commented more than once will have subsequent comments removed.
• BONUS: For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post and using #PenguinLoveGiveaway in your tweet
• Winner will be drawn randomly through random.org and contacted by email to confirm postal address.  Please make sure you use details that will allow me to track you down such as your email address or blog. If I can't find you, I won't be able to send your prize.

Good luck to everyone and for more giveaway goodies, check out the three giveaway lists over here

my last market for 2010

I'll be here next Saturday. It's my last market for 2010.  And I'm rather excited because it's a special Twilight market and the very first time Daylesford has run an evening market.  It's going to be so festive and fun.  Looking forward to seeing everyone in a festive and shopping mood.  This lovely lady will be here too.  And many other lovely and very talented designers.  Have I told you how much I love going out to Daylesford?  It really is my favourite market to do.  And the drive is so lovely and picturesque.

P.S. there's a giveaway tomorrow.  Stay tuned.  Yes, another one!

handmade living book winner announcement

Hello lovelies.  Thanks to everyone who entered my competiton to win a copy of Handmade Living.  I've drawn a random winner and that person is... Cherrie from Willy Wagtail !!

I am so excited that Cherrie was the random winner as she was very kind to send me her unwanted Rob Ryan tea towel from the 10th anniversary issue of Inside Out magazine a couple of weeks ago so that I could make another cushion to go with the one I'd made from my own tea towel. I call that great karma. Cherrie, congratulations.  I will be emailing you shortly.

Thanks again to everyone who entered.

to market, to market... sister's that is!

I'm gearing up for Sister's Market at St Kilda Town Hall tomorrow.  So excited to be there with so many other talented designers.  There are so many of them!  Looking forward to doing a zip around the market myself when I am relieved from my post for a toilet and food break.  I have some Christmas shopping to do.

P.S. that's one of my dollies in red in the Sister's Market flyer above.

my creative space: mess

This week, my creative space comes to you directly from my actual creative space.  I'm just warning you; it's not pretty.  I've been madly preparing for two Christmas markets on this Saturday and next Saturday .

So my creative space looks a little like this...

there's a chair under there!!

and a bin under here!

and lots of other stuff under all of these piles

Scuse the mess.  In a couple of weeks I hope to share some clean and pretty pics of my creative space.  But until then, don't judge me!

For more creative spaces (which I'm sure look much prettier than mine) head over here

Oh, and don't forget that I'm running a giveaway until 8pm this Friday.  If you haven't entered yet, you've still got time.  Sorry, Australian residents only this time.  But I will be running another giveaway as part of Sew, Mama, Sew's great giveaway day on December 13, so make sure you pop back then!

Tuesday's Temptations: Little Shop of Handmade

Who can resist shopping locally.  It's the environmentally friendlier shopping option, it means you're supporting local trade and it's ace to have somewhere nice to shop for pressies without travelling over the other side of town.  Of course, for some that's not always possible.  But with Little Shop Of Handmade, which is local for me, you have the option to buy online if you're not a local. And with categories such as "dude stuff" and "for the little people" how could you resist!?


Bec is the owner of Little Shop of Handmade and she is a tops lady, I have to say.  Her shops' mantra is that it has to be handmade, it has to be made locally (Melb designers only) and everything in the store is under $50.  Yep, that's right. EVERYTHING is under $50.  Bargains galore indeed.


Here's a little sample of some of my fave things from some of the bestest Melbourne peeps around.  Maybe you might find something you'd like to give to someone for Christmas or maybe you'd like to add something to your own wishlist.

Toadstool phone pouch by Rabbit and the Duck

ABC Craft Panel by Auntie Cookie

Birdy Duo Brooch Set by LSO



Tea Sipping Bunny Brooch by Bramble and Bear



Doily Pendant by LSO

 

Baby Bird Ornament by Pirdy

Owl Softie Kit by Harvest Textiles

And remember... everything you've seen on Tuesday's Temptations today is under $50.  Plus there's so much more. So head on over to Little Shop of Handmade's online store and take a looksie around.  You can find some of our softies there too!
Until next Tuesday, that’s today’s temptations wrapped up.


Happy shopping dears.

handmade living giveaway

  

I've been sitting on a little bit of exciting news for a few months now.  But like they say, all good things come to those who wait.  And I have waited.  And waited.  And waited a little more.

Last week, I received a parcel of lovely books.  My Handmade Living order had arrived.  I eagerly flipped through the pages of the book, taking in all the beautiful photography and handmade projects for the first time.  Then, as I got to the section I was looking forward to seeing, I spotted my little softie, there in all his softie glory.

It's times like this that I remember just how many talented people there are in the world.  The book covers so many fabulous things including nest, cloth, closet, adorn, little, paper, indulge and more which are the names of the sections.

In the "paper" section, Emma from Kidson Jewellery shows us how to make a beautiful brooch out of paper!

In "Cloth" Tina Snerling shows us a great embroidery project to make your own Parisian inspired pillow

I'm so excited to be included in such a gorgeous book, but also to own a copy.  It's one of the most beautiful craft/handmade books I've ever seen.  It's the kind of book you leave on your coffee table and comment to clueless friends who see it "oh, I told you craft is ace"

Of course, I could show you so much more of this book.  With over 70 projects, the book is inspirational and truly a feast for the eyes and creative soul.  But I'm not going to show you anymore - there's simply too much.  Instead I'm going to give one of you the chance to win a copy to check out for yourself.

Giveaway rules:

1. Giveaway opens now and closes 8pm Friday 10th December (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time)
2. Sadly for our overseas friends, this giveaway is only open to Australian residents
3. To enter, you must be a follower of this blog (I will be checking the winning commenter)
4. If you're already a follower, then all you have to do is leave a comment and let me know which section of the book you're most interested in.  You just need to mention one of these: nest (home), cloth (fabric), closet (clothes), adorn (jewellery), little (for the kiddies), paper (as the name suggests), indulge (food)
5. Winner will be selected randomly (random.org) and notified by email, so please make sure you enter an email address into the comments form so I have a way of contacting you.

So hop to it.  You have to be in it to win it I say.  And what a nice thing to win just in time for Christmas.  You could give it to someone special who enjoys crafting just as much as you do.  Or you could keep it for yourself.  I would.

Good luck to all of you my lovelies.  Winning stuff is fun.  But for me giving it away is even more fun! Especially when it's such a divine book.

P.S. I will have copies of the book available for purchase at Sister's Market this Saturday 11th of December and at the special twilight Daylesford Makers Market on the 18th of December.

Tuesday's Temptations: ModCloth

Welcome to the tuesday's temptations series.  If you missed my last post in this series (which also happens to be the first), you can read it over here.


Squee... that's the sound I make whenever I jump onto ModCloth's website.  I want to buy so many lovely pieces from their online store. 'Mod, Indie, Retro and Vintage Clothing' is their tagline, so it gives you a good indication of the kinds of pieces your likely to find when browsing through their many collections.


What do I like about it most?  Well, there are lots of different styles all under the one roof (so to speak) and despite being U.S. based, they ship internationally - always a bonus for us Aussie folks.


You know what they say: A picture is worth a thousand words, so without further delay, here's a selection of my fave pieces (images all courtesy of Mod Cloth of course).

Soda Fountain Dress in Ginger



Tied up in Oslo Dress



Family Recipe Dress



Croquet Champ Top



In the Marketplace Skirt



Beach Blanket Bingo One Piece Bathing Suit



Pardon Me, Boys Dress

So, do any of these little beauties take your fancy? Or maybe they're not quite your style. There's lots more over here!

Until next Tuesday, that’s today’s temptations wrapped up.

Happy shopping dears.