has spread all over the house whilst I am preparing for my first market this weekend. 2 more days to go and enough things to do to fill many more! Head over to Kirsty’s to see many more lovely creative spaces.
I’m also taking part, for the first time, in Sew, Mama, Sew!’s Giveaway – click here if you fancy entering my part of this huge giveaway. Thanks. x
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Tagged creating, giveaway, green life, handmade, market, my creative space, sewing, thrifting, vintage
I had so much fun going from blog to blog on the last giveway and seeing what all you crafty people were up to that I’m really looking forward to taking part in this one myself. So here it is! Welcome to you all – thank you so much for visiting and hopefully you’ll see something below that you like and so will enter my giveaway! I am very happy to post anywhere in the world.
Now I am going to ask for something in return. Nothing big, think of it as a favour maybe! But because I am going to ask for something I’m going to have four winners drawn. So, should I ask the favour first or should I tell what’s on offer first?!!
Favour first! I’m preparing for my first handmade, craft market this weekend and as such have been busy making, making, making and I could really do with some feedback. I’ve uploaded some photos to flickr and wondered if you’d be so kind as to pop on over and let me know what you think. Do you like? Do you not like? Any fabrics you prefer? etc, etc. So you see it’s not that big but it does mean you have to click somewhere else too! If you fancy playing along just CLICK HERE to see my flickr page.
IN RETURN HERE’S WHAT I’LL OFFER YOU!!!!
Part One:
EITHER a DRESS OR a pair of TROUSERS similar in style to those shown, made to fit your child’s measuremements (age 12 months to 5 years) in colourways to be discussed. All the material I use is vintage, recycled, upcycled and I have a fair stash so I’m sure between us we can find something you’ll like. When entering please specify whether you’d prefer dress or trousers.
Part Two:
Everybody who enters the giveaway will also be put into the draw for a MYSTERY PRIZE, in fact there will be TWO. It will be something do with sewing/fabric/buttons – you get the picture?
So there it is. All comments will be very gratefully accepted and I hope the giveaways tempt to you to comment! One entry for each comment, plus THREE more ENTRIES if you link to this giveaway on your blog. Giveaway is open until 6 December 2009, after which the draw will take place.
Many, many thanks! xx
in return
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Tagged creating, giveaway, green life, handmade, market, sewing
Today I have been a sewing mama.
I have not been a brusher of hair. I have not been a brusher of teeth. I have not been a maker or provider of food. I have not, in short, been a mama!
Market mania has hit the house but fear not their Dad has finished up college for the year so they had a lovely day with him!
Some more photos have been uploaded to flickr of the finished items. Unfortunately the day has been very, very wet and grey so apologies for the dark photos. x
and so she can say:
“Thank you for making me. I think I will just take some fresh air before my long trip to England.”
“The geraniums smell divine, as for the smelly old boot they’re in …….! Anyhow, I’ll just wander on over and get myself some strawberries.”
“I WANT some strawberries! LET ME AT THE STRAWBERRIES!!!!”
“Fine I won’t have any strawberries then. I’ll just sit in the shade and protect my lily white skin from this fierce New Zealand sun.”
She’s now ready to be wrapped and sent. All the materials used to make her were ‘old’ – her skin was curtain lining removed from recently thrifted curtains, her body is vintage Laura Ashley, and I do mean vintage because it used to be sheets that were on my sister’s bed!, her skirt was once bed linen from our house, the embroidery silk for her face was given to me through Freecycle and the trims used were picked up in the op shop.
Apart from a wonky mouth and wonky hair parting I don’t think she scrubbed up too bad! x
With Christmas postal deadlines looming and a market to prepare for I really should have stayed focussed, however having seen this lovely use of scraps and then linking to the tutorial I got distracted! The result? A 16″ quilted square to be used for … something! I loved doing it and what a great use of little scraps, and I have PLENTY of those!
I didn’t feel too guilty because I’ve managed to get lots done, see here, and, as you can see, the doll is almost done. It’s the first time I’ve made a doll and the face has been a sticking point – really all I need to do is the mouth but I seem to be stuck!
The two little notebooks were made from recyled paper with vintage picture book covers – an idea for the market.
So this is where I have my QUESTIONS. I have seen how willingly many of you give advice/info/tips and I’d really like to tap into that if I may. I know that a lot of you have done markets before and also that a lot of you go to craft markets.
I guess my questions are:
Do you have any tips for me or can you point me to a blog/website that could help?
Have any of you spent a lot of time doing something prior to a market only for it to be not be necessary?
Did you find at your first market that you really wish you did/had something that would have made your life easier?
Any practical tips for setting up a stall?
Would you tend to make lots of a couple of products or less of more products?
And so the list goes on. Really anything would help. I’m very excited about the prospect of doing a market but would truly welcome any advice!
And of course I couldn’t ask for something and not give in return because that just wouldn’t be fair! So as a BIG THANK YOU for any comments on this post EVERYONE will go into a hat and a person will be picked for a little something. That little something hasn’t been made yet but I’m thinking vintage fabric, buttons, linens, Christmas ……..
Many thanks in anticipation! xx
Oh and be sure to check out everyone else’s creative space over at Kirsty’s.
The deadline for sending post to the UK is fast approaching so I thought I’d take stock of what had been achieved, rather than worrying about what has yet to be done.
From start to finish – hurray! I loved the idea when I saw it on the net before the release of Amanda Soule’s Handmade Home and having now got the book it reminded me to do some more! Note to self: Do one to keep – just for ME!
I love how you can individualise (is that a word?!) things when you hand make them. The back of the bookmark on the left is made from vintage Laura Ashley fabric which we had in one of our houses and that’s going to my sister. One of the purple pieces on the bookmark on the right was wrapped around something sent to me by my sister in law and now it’s returning to her on this!
Tree decorations by Little Miss Brown (we will be making somemore of these for us!). A little thrifty aside – the string which these will hang from comes from some thrifted fabric that frayed when I washed it – waste not, want not!
A wonderful Christmas picture by Little Miss Blue – all offcuts from my scrap basket of course!
I’m in love with children’s art!
These were the snowflakes that featured in My Creative Space and I didn’t know if I liked them or not – well I’m still not sure! The pattern said to soak them in fabric stiffener to retain their shape. I didn’t want to buy something else so I used my normal PVA glue watered down a bit. It’s worked but has altered the colour of the yarn where it’s really soaked in so they don’t look great. If anyone has any other alternatives for stiffening yarn/fabric then I’d love to hear – non-toxic ones would be a huge bonus!
Quite a lot done in all when I see it like this. Now only a doll to finish, cards to write and think of something to make for my dad and, of course, make it in time! xx
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Tagged creating, family, green life, handmade, sewing, thrifting, vintage
Why do I gravitate towards the smallest, most cramped space in the house?!!! This week everything seems to be happening on my ironing board!
I had every good intention of working on the things I had sorted out last week but then things changed! I found out the last posting day for economy mail to the UK is 23 November so I realised I had better start working on some things to send for presents for my family over there. Little Miss Brown did some drawings and I’m going to embroider them and make into bookmarks like this.
Some crochet snowflakes in the making – not quite sure whether I like them yet!
The other thing that happened was finding out that a weekend craft market is going to be starting up in our town. I’ve been toying with the idea of markets for some time and it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. Although I still have lots to consider it has to be done very quickly because they’re going to start at end of November!!!! So whilst I’m thinking I thought I’d get some reversible sunhats cut out.
The hats are from a pattern I made up a while ago and whenever the girls wear them they get lots of compliments so I thought they might be something good to sell. They’ll look like these:
And in the background you might have spotted some doll’s faces. I’ve been playing! The idea was for a babushka doll to go on the wall. The results so far?
Still not quite finished and some tinkering to do but I think I like them. I like the idea of having a row of them decreasing in size on the wall. You might also spot that the dress of one of the dolls is the same as one of the sunhats – it was oringally a pillowcase. All the fabric I’m using is recycled, pre-loved, thrifted etc and it’s great to actually be cutting into it and using it (instead of washing, ironing and hoarding!!).
So with a little bit quilting thrown in too it’s been a pretty busy week!
To see lots more creativeness pop over here.
Certainly not as messy as it has been but not really conducive to easy sewing!
My nod to organisation yesterday was to go through some op shopped linens and sort out which ones could be cut up and used for other things. I buy most of them with the idea of using them for something else and then once they are washed and ironed I am very hesitant to cut them. So my new criteria is if they have any marks or blemishes then I will re-purpose them. Contained in the wonderful blue floral knitting holder (a great garage sale find) is:
an old hand embroidered cot sheet. This is so soft and beautiful to touch but we don’t have a cot so I thought it could be a drawstring bag for pyjamas, some hand made linen napkins which are destined to be girl’s headscarves, two blue doilies which I think are going to be a zippered purse of some sort and then there is the beautiful doily with the owls on it. I think that deserves a closer look!
I wasn’t go to use this for anything else but the big black stain at the bottom just won’t budge so I thought I would make it into a cushion/pillow cover and it would be perfect for one of my little girls to go to bed with.
I haven’t played along here for a little while now and I’ve really missed it. It’s like a self-enforced deadline – now these things are up here I’m going to have to do something with them!
To see lots more creative spaces head on over to Kirsty’s at kootoyoo.
home, heart, happiness 