And the winner is...

...#6 Ange Moore. Congratulations Ange! Thanks to all those who entered. It was great to read everyone's comments. When I was writing the original post I couldn't remember many of the books read to me or by me as a child. But I've thinking about it since last week and I now recall that we had a huge collection of Little Golden Books. One of my favourites was about a little Indian boy who found a horse and cared for him out on the plains. I also remember a book about a horse called Horatio and the one about a pet gold fish that grew so big he had to be kept in the local swimming pool. Does anyone know what that was called? Oh, and the classic Green Eggs and Ham. 'I will not eat them Sam I am. I will not eat them in car...'

Piggies in the store

The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf are now in my online store. 

What's a girl to do?

What's a girl to do when she is surrounded by gorgeous handmade goodies? Well, shop of course! Needless to say, I made a few purchases at this weekends Handmade Hobart market. Fate found me situated between the fabulously talented Edwina of Little Snoring and Narelle of Ruby Victoria Press.

All weekend, Little Snoring's cute little pocket pandas were on on left (and who doesn't need a pocket panda now and then?). Bought: a pocket panda and matching purse. On my right, letter press tags galore. For a stationery addict, this was very dangerous! Bought: all my Christmas tags.

Directly opposite my stall was the lovely Grace of Little Black Crow Studio. As some of you may know, I've been eyeing off these beautifully handmade dolls for some time. Spending the whole weekend looking at them was both a delight and a torture! In the end I did buy one. Let me tell you, deciding which one to take home with me was no easy task, but more on that in another post.

On the far wall across from my stall was Dance in My Garden. Happily Lusia and I are often at the same markets and I love to fondle admire the fabrics that she chooses for her gorgeous bibs, buntings and other delightful creations.

There were many other fabulous crafters and designers there too, but sadly I didn't get around to taking photos of their wares. Markets are great for meeting customers and fellow crafters. It was lovely to spend some more time with Marita of Loopee Designs (yep, bought something from Marita as well).  And I always enjoy drooling over looking at the beautiful fabric chosen by Fairy Goat Mumma to make her children's clothes.

I find that working alone at home can be productive, but it is also insulating. For me markets function as a pseudo support group. They are great places to socialise and network, and chatting to other stall holders reminds me that I am not alone in the ups and downs of the crafting life/career. I love meeting up with my fellow market-eers. They are a group of amzingly talented, intelligent and funny women and I am thankful for them.

Handmade Hobart

This weekend it rained and rained and rained here in Hobart. This is what I awoke to on Saturday morning. Luckily the inaugural Handmade Hobart market was indoors. Note to self: always load up the car the day before market (especially if rain is forecast)!

Despite the very wet weather (wet even by Hobart standards), many (slightly soggy) people came to browse and buy.

St Peter's Hall provided a beautiful light and airy atmosphere for the market.

And Barista Sista provided to awesome coffees to get me through 2 days of market madness and little sleep!

Handmade Christmas

Check out Paper & Stitch's list of top 50 cyber shops. All are full of full of handmade goodness and most are having sales at the moment. Here are my top picks:

Nice Package 

Sloe Gin Fizz

Danielle Maveal

Perideau designs

Ink Lore

Children Inspire Design

Look what came in the post...

The last of my Christmas fabrics arrived this morning. So cute!

With love from Russia

These little babushka brooches packaged on felt angels will be available this weekend at the Handmade Hobart market. I only have 9 of these so if you would like to purchase one ($15) let me know and I'll pop it aside. Alternatively, if you are not in Hobart, I can send a paypal invoice via email.

I'll huff & I'll puff...

....and I'll give away these 3 little piggys! These brooches are made from gorgeous cotton canvas fabric and are packaged in 100% recycled card (thanks Narelle!). To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us what your favourite story was as a child. Mum use to read us The Muddle Headed Wombat and the Faraway Tree series. The two characters I remember most are Saucepan Man and Dame Washalot. When ever I walk under a tree I always look up to check that she's not about to empty an load of dirty washing water onto my head!

Winner will be drawn randomly on Mon 30 Nov. Good luck!

My Creative Space

Babushka, babushka, babush-ka...I always sing Kate Bush's song to myself when I make these little babushka's (sadly, I know the chorus!). I've sewed 23 of them today. Now all I have to do is stuff them and sew them closed. I'll be selling these at the Handmade Hobart market on the weekend.  A few of the smaller ones have ribbon attached so that they can be hung as decorations.

Bah Humbug Indeed!

Bah Humbug! My Dad read my blog. Who'd have guessed that an almost 70 year-old man would want to read my blog? Well, I guess he is my Dad, but that's no excuse. Anyway, now he knows what I was planning to give him for Christmas. Bah Humbug! Well, guess what Dad? I'm keeping George for myself and all you're getting for Christmas is a poke in the eye with your own walking stick and a big parcel of scorn (with a bow, of course). Merry Christmas!

Hee Haw

The Musicians of Bremen is apparently a well known tale. I must confess that I had never heard of it (insert gasp from readers).  Despite my literary ignorance this fabric appealed to me and I bought it thinking it would be good for Christmas, but now I'm not so sure. Do people really want to go around wearing donkeys? Ok, the dog may appeal to dog lovers and the cat may appeal to those of the feline persuasion, but donkeys? (I'm sure there's a joke in here somewhere about asses)

Drum roll please...

...according to my trusty random number generator the winner of the latest give away is #2 Ruthi V. Congratulations! I'll be having another give away later this week, so make sure that you check back a few days for all the details.

By Request

I love reading the comments that you guys leave and while I don't always respond to each one, please know that they are all eagerly read and any suggestions taken note of. Last night Lozza left a comment asking that I add some of the Bits & Bobs to my online shop and so, as requested, I have added 6 sets of hair ties. Most of these are one-off sets and I am offering them at a special price of $8 (usually $14). If there is something that you have seen on this blog (or elsewhere) that is not currently in the shop, please drop me a line and (if possible) I will add it to the shop.

Bits & Bobs

       

In further preparation for the Handmade Hobart market next weekend I've raided the box in which I keep all the hair bands and hair slides that I don't know what else to do with. These include buttons left over from my Easter and Winter collections and odds and ends left over from orders as well as product ideas that just never went ahead. It's a big box. I've spent the morning repackaging these bits & bobs ready for sale. I decided not to be too particular with matching up the buttons. Some are in pairs, but others I've mixed and matched.  I'm quite pleased with the results. I ended up with 71 sets. The scary thing is, the box is still half full!

       

How to make my day...

Step 1. print gorgeous vintage inspired pattern.

Step 2. sell and post said fabric to me

Step 3. demonstrate your generosity by also sending off cuts of other hand printed fabrics

Step 4. include a hand written note on a doily

Happiness in an envelope!

Thanks Jesse. You really have made my day!

My Creative Space...

...Saffron Craig buttons...super sweet for summer. I'm in the midst of getting ready for next weekends 2 day market extravaganza (also known as Handmade Hobart). I've been digging through my fabrics and uncoverd some odd and ends that have never really been utilised. I've been making goodies out of some of them to sell next weekend. I'll also have my Christmas brooches & cards, the 3 Little Piggies (and the wolf- if he behaves!), Red Riding, Alice and Babushka. There will also be plenty of other fabulous goodies to buy. Check out the Handmade Hobart blog for a sneak peek of what will be on offer.

Progress

This morning I was reading my friend Luisa's post about her 'challenge of the utmost kind'. This got me thinking about my own mini Christmas challenge (which was inspired by Luisa's commitment to a year long challenge). I took up the handmade Christmas challenge primarily to support my local crafting/handmaking community and to do my little bit for the environment (for which, admittedly, I could do more). Any one who knows me, knows that I'm a consumer. I love to shop. I love having new things. I went into the challenge thinking that I would buy handmade only for Christmas gifts, but continue my own consumerist ways. After all, you can't change a life time of habit overnight, can you? But as I was reading Luisa's post I started thinking about my own experiences of the handmade Christmas challenge and I realised that something had indeed changed. I've been in a lot of shops lately (an occupational hazard) and I've seen many an item that I would love to buy for myself or give as gifts. Yet I haven't bought any of these items. Not even for myself. This is highly unusual. My Christmas shopping usually goes something like this: buy a present, buy something for me. Buy another present, buy something else for me. I now realise that my attitude to shopping and consumerism as a whole has begun to shift. Instead of going straight into shopping mode and buying without thinking, I have found myself checking labels to see if it is handmade and (shock horror) I've been asking myself, "Do I really need that?" Surprisingly, the answer is usually "no". So, proof that a leopard can indeed change it's spots (or at least, how it thinks about it's spots) and that a seemingly small step can lead to greater change. All that remains is to see if this new attitude lasts...I'll keep you posted (excuse the pun).

Handmade Gift Ideas

Snowy Owl

Chandelier

Green Sprig Needlebook

Pear Jacket

Reindeer

M is for Magazine

Reindeer Cards

Fawn Party Pack

Handmade Christmas Challenge Continues

I bought this lovely little fellow at the market yesterday. He's for my Dad. I think he looks like a George (the little fellow, not my Dad). When I saw him I immediately thought of Dad. He has grey hair, like my Dad, and he's made from brown corduroy (which I imagine my Dad would be made from if he was a made from fabric...he's a brown corduroy kinda man). He's full of wheat and he warms up really well. My Dad suffers from arthritis, so hopefully George can help. I'm going to make a little remote control out of felt to pop into George's pocket and a remote control holder that sits over the arm of a chair for my Dad.

Bah Humbug!

This evening I was both horrified and delighted.

Delighted: I took my ten-year-old nephew to the movies.

Horrified: It cost $18.50 for me and $14 for Master A. How many DVDs can you hire for that???

Delighted: We saw the new Disney version of A Christmas Carol in 3D.

Horrified (just a little): It was scary! I wouldn't recommend it for young children. Even Master A said he was scared in parts. Very dark indeed (particularly the opening scene.) Also, I have to add that I have never seen Mr Darcy Colin Firth looking so unattractive! Bah Humbug!

Give Away

Time for another give away. This time around I'm giving you an opportunity to win these card/brooches. The set consists of the 4 designs pictured and is valued at $64. For your chance to win all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us about the best or worst Christmas gift you have ever recieved. The winner will be drawn randomly on Sunday Nov 22. Good luck!

Stockist Spotlight #2

Rose's Cupboard, on Macquarie Street in South Hobart, was my second stockist.  Mary, one of the co-owners, found me at the Woodbridge Summer Market last January and I have been supplying them ever since. Rose's Cupboard is a gorgeous store. As you can tell from the photos, the stores 'theme' is light and airy; lots of white with splashes of colour. At the moment the dominant colour scheme is red and white. The 'Cupboard' stocks a range of house wares, clothes, children's toys, jewellery, accessories (including some gorgeous scarves) and bath accessories. I love having a good browse whenever I'm dropping off stock. There is always something new to look at. At the moment I'm enamoured with the brooch and pendant below...I may have to treat myself.