Recommended reading

I really enjoy being connected to other crafty types via Twitter. It's a great resource for finding useful information, and the ability to bookmark, or 'favourite' tweets is a feature I use on a daily basis.

Here are some links which I thought might be useful to share:

via @designsponge/@metropolismag: cool site that lets you find info on individual buildings in your area (architecture + design-wise) http://bit.ly/djuqnK

via @thelifecraft KNITTERS! Are you capable of designing a hat? Have you seen this competition in aid of Mencap? http://www.mencap.org.uk/page.asp?id=15496
closing date: 31 August

via @justforfunhmn For you ladies (or gents) who cross-stitch, here is an online Celtic alphabet chart generator: http://bit.ly/a3FQSh

via @wildcatdesigns Useful, detailed blog post on calculating yarn requirements for a knitted garment http://www.kristentendyke.com/blog/081210.php

and also via @wildcatdesigns Check out the Edinburgh Festivals 2010 Craft Trail map! http://moourl.com/edcraftfest2010

I also stumbled across a couple of blogs I had to share: the first being a post about the most amazing party ever over at My Life My Loves: and the second being the home of this weekend's featured seller over on Etsy, Aunt June, who blogs over at http://www.myauntjune.com/ I couldn't resist picking up some of this fantastic fabric for a new project that I am very very excited about, and Lauren, who runs the shop, is a complete doll. I wasn't surprised at all that her blog was funny and sweet and bursting with colour and ideas.

Yum yum yum

One of the best things about being on Twitter is hearing about competitions. I think I've hit my third time lucky with this latest score - enough breakfast cereal to last me until the end of the year!

I won a competition hosted by @sew_pretty, to win cereals made by @dorsetcereals - which is the brand I buy anyway, and best of all - I had just run out! As if that wasn't enough, I also discovered a great new blog to read, Mary Poppins, and a fantastic maker of pretty homewares as Polka Dots and Posies.

I had to share the photos of unpacking my delivery this morning - such luxury, especially as I *really* don't feel like leaving the house any time soon - definitely not long to go now!

Shhh - a secret project!

I'm finding myself getting more and more into embroidery. It's so easily pick up and put downable, and I'm especially enjoying this particular project because it's a lot like colouring-in. So relaxing! So little brain work involved!

I'll have to keep this project a bit of a secret for now as it's one of a series I'm doing as wedding presents for the three upcoming weddings that we're having to miss while we wait for the baby to arrive and for everyone involved to return to full health. The last wedding I went to was at the end of May and I spent most of the day sitting very very still, before heading off to bed at 8pm in a lot of pain. So you can understand why I don't fancy doing it all again, but with a tiny baby in tow. All I'll say for now is that the project was inspired by this one, over at the colourful blog of 14countess, as well as this one, where thanks to Penguin and Fish and my trusty 1963 pamphlet of stitches, I learned how to whip up French knots.

Last date for orders to be posted

I know I'm not giving you much notice, but after my second night with almost no sleep whatsoever, I've decided that tomorrow will be my last shipping day before closing the Girl Industries etsy shop until well after the baby arrives.

I'll be back in October with hopefully some new products, some improvements to the shop and lots more new stuff to tell you about, too.

I'm going to try and keep up the blogging during the next couple of months, but I'm sure you'll understand if posts are a little few and far between. Answers on a Postcard subscribers will continue to receive their copies, and I'd still love to hear from anyone who wants to take part - you can email me using the address in the top right hand corner of this page.

If you'd like to take this chance to stock up on goodies from my shop, use the code 'sleep' in your notes to seller when you check out and I'll refund your shipping costs on anything you buy - so get shopping!

All about zines

And the July issue of Answers on a Postcard is here - pick up your copy in my Etsy shop quick sticks!

If you've ever wanted to put together your own zine, but weren't sure where to start, there's a great opportunity to learn the basics and get some pointers on where to find out more taking place in Glasgow this week. Fellow Glasgow Craft Mafia member, and long-time zine maker and collector, Marceline Smith, will be on hand this Sunday to speak about all things ziney. Alongside Jen Collins of Hello Jenuine, at the new-ish Glasgow crafts and art outlet Welcome Home, the zine workshop will take place this coming Sunday, from 2-4pm.

I'm so gutted that I'm too enormous with child to make it along, and hope that Marceline and Jen might consider re-running the session in future. I understand that a zine to accompany the day is being produced as I type, which you should be able to find alongside issues of Answers on a Postcard in the Asking for Trouble Shop.

Of course the quickest way to get involved in making a zine is to join in the with the Answers on a Postcard project. There are four issues remaining, and it's not too late to answer one or more questions in order to take part. All you have to do is drop me an email at katy [at] girlindustries [dot] com - I've skipped the punctuation here to avoid receiving lots of spam email automatically generated by machines - but just chuck an @ and a . in there to get your mail to the right place. Or leave a comment here and I'll be in touch!