Procrastinators contest

Now hold on a second there, you need to head over to Toronto Craft Alert to take part. You need to do things to get entries, and it involves unfinished craft projects.

The prize is just spectacular, and you can go straight to the relevant page of the website by clicking here. You have until the middle of March to get your act together, so take a snoop around the rest of their site first. You also don't need to be in Toronto (or even Canada) to take part, so that helps, too.

Now what to pick, between my jumper that I didn't have enough wool to finish the roll neck three years ago, or the chocolate tin of unfinished animal parts... Or even the bag of partially started (not even partially finished) felt brooches I just bought over on Etsy (I know, I know, the ladies from Hoarders Unite will be on to me again!)

I'm going to finish here before this list of unfinished items goes into double figures. But go and take a look, and enter the contest, it sounds like a lot of fun.

Eye Candy

I've found two new-to-me blogs which I'm dying to share. I won't go on too much, because they are gorgeous to look at and enchanting to read.

In no particular order, but first of all Lou Lou & Oscar, and also HeartHandmade (I can't do those little heart thingies, forgive me). My friend Josie also put me onto Domestica - she is one of their giveaway winners this month!

Now stop hanging around here and go and read!

Ooh, someone spied my envelopes

On Valentine's Day, the lovely Melanie of Happy Thoughts mentioned my wallpaper envelopes, which are also currently a featured item over at http://www.craftcult.com/ - where us Etsy sellers look up our hearts and views with sometimes frightening regularity.

I also sold a set of the same envelopes recently through http://www.ozbushfireappeal.etsy.com/, and they are on their way to upstate New York. Another Etsy connection to the same region is my recent purchase from the amazingly talented Erin, of http://www.haunt.etsy.com/. I've had a bit of an Etsy crush on Haunt since she was the featured seller on Etsy last year, and vowed to put in a huge order on her bath and body products in time for my hen weekend (which is where I have been for the last few days). I wasn't disappointed, and can whole-heartedly recommend this, this and especially this, which smells like you've rolled in After Eights, without having to clean up afterwards. Nom nom nom.

I also bought a few other bits and bobs on Etsy for the hen do, but I'll have to catch up with you later on those, as I am still tired and recovering! I can't believe it's only Tuesday...

Hey, ladies!

If you're in Glasgow a week on Friday, be sure to call in at Pin Up Nights. On 27th February they are holding a second annual Ladies Night, with guest DJs, and stalls featuring the Glasgow Craft Mafia members.

I'll be on hand with brooches, gloves and much more that you can pop into your pocket or wear home that very evening.

See you there!

Support OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com

After chatting with my friend Liv in Melbourne and watching all the TV footage of the awful results of the bushfire in Victoria, I have been mobilised to help in any way I can.

I've donated one of my products to http://www.ozbushfireappeal.etsy.com/ and will be shopping from the wide range of products on offer in this new shop. Already they have raised more than $5000 AUS and the hard work and dedication of etsy seller feliciafairy is inspirational.

To donate a product, send a convo to the shop, and verify the email address to which you will have to send your product images, description, tags and price. Your product will then be uploaded, and when it sells, you will be contacted with the address for sending. All participating etsy sellers are funding the postage costs to keep things simple for buyers.


As a buyer, all you have to do is browse, buy and wait for your goodies. It's a great opportunity to get free shipping on all manner of items, truly the best of etsy. Etsy admin have approved the appeal, and money transfers from PayPal (banked every Monday, first payment to be transferred 16 February) are shown clearly on the donation website.


For the record, I donated my most-hearted item, these upcycled envelopes made from Laura Ashley wallpaper. As of lunchtime on Saturday, they're uploaded and ready for sale.

Update on 15 Feb: my envelopes sold! Thank you to the generous buyer. Missed out? Get more here.

The sewing pile

Well, from my last couple of posts you'd never guess I was having a busy week. I've also got a little too into Twitter and will try to keep this blog entry more than a couple of sentences long.

I have a huge mountain of sewing to do. Making up and sewing seams are never my favourite part of finishing a knitting item. It doesn't help that I am the world's worst procrastinator and ... oh, hold on, the cat's being sick...

Right cleared that up.

So where was I, oh yes. I should really be doing my sewing instead of sitting here telling you about it. I have four little knitted turtles who really need to be stuffed with polyfill and have their heads and feet sewn on, I have a pair of pink gloves to finish off, and a matching set of legwarmers (yes, those ones), some grey bowls which I wanted to sew up then felt in the washing machine while I have towels that need a good hot wash, some little corduroy dogs which again, need to be stuff and finished, and another couple of pairs of gloves which I can't actually find, let alone get around to sewing. Sheesh.

The good news is I have a whole week off work to tackle this pile of stuff, and no doubt I'll keep you posted as to how I get on!

Wherewedowhatwedo.com

Ooh, I love noseying at other people's places of work, and this site is the motherlode.

Upload your workspace today!

Craft magazine's Valentines contest

I've entered, have you?

Linky

Updating my blog

Hi everyone,

I've decided that this blog needs an overhaul. I've done away with the backgrounds and moved to plain white, and I've been updating my links to other blogs that I admire. Mixed in with the other blogs I love to read every day, you can see all the Glasgow Craft Mafia bloggers over to the right, there ------------------>

I'll be working towards achieving a whole new look and format for the blog in a couple of weeks, when I've taken a week off my day job to do some much needed 'admin' across all my web outlets. I'm looking forward to:

• uploading ALL my recent photos to my flickr account
• doing something... anything... to my myspace page ugh
• working out the mystery of linking my facebook to etsy - I know it can be done!
• looking at the amazingly helpful hints on managing a good blog using blogger, provided by designer Jessica Jones of How About Orange

Aside from all that, I also have plans to upload a tutorial right here, and prepare for a tutorial I'll be delivering in person, in Glasgow, which should be taking place in a couple of months' time.

I'm in a treasury!

Oh my goodness! I'm in a treasury for the first ever time. Check it out but bigger and better at this link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37678

I'm so thrilled, thank you so much to http://www.themix.etsy.com/ - you rock!

A new product... maybe?

I just made this new pouch as part of a gift for a friend (it holds a gift card). It was fun and quick to make, entirely by hand, so I'm wondering about making good use of my felt and ribbon stashes and making some more. It would certainly count towards my HoardersUnite monthly destash tally...

Any thoughts?

We're also looking for new members, so fellow hoarders, sign up at Yahoo groups to take part in monthly challenges and a great new community.

Lots of crafty goings-on

I haven't been updating the blog as regularly this week, because I've been really quite taken by Twitter. It's the kind of social networking, well technically micro-blogging, that I can cope with because everything's in 140 character bursts. And it's got celebrities. You can even join in by phone. You can sign up and follow me by clicking on any of the linkage over there ------------->


I've also been very busy crafting in anticipation of my hen weekend, which is this month! I'm so very excited. If you are reading this and you are one of my hens, look away now, you'll only spoil it for yourself...

First up, I made some cards with a guide on what to bring for our weekend away, and some instructions for where we are meeting up. I ordered some gorgeous rubber stamps from Corrabelle, of the Mayberry Sparrow. When I told Corra what I was making, even though she wasn't selling them already, she designed and sent me a suitcase stamp, isn't it adorable? I love her vintage style and the craftsmanship on the stamps themselves is wonderful. They even have a very special tin to live in, it used to contain ink cartridges but they have been demoted for my new favourite things!

For the rest of the week, I'll be sending these lists out with hand-drawn maps and links to relevant driving instructions for all the girls. After much fighting with my laptop and printer, I've managed to put resize, format and print hand-drawn or altered maps on the back of three of the cards, I think it took me about two and a half hours for each one, and I've run out of card, so that's that. I hope it's worth all the effort!

Once the pre-weekend stuff is sent, I have a whole 'nother to-do list to get started on. With upcycled t-shirts, fabric ink (thanks for the tip-off, Marceline), this felt and some pin backs from Muer, as well as some super-special-top-secret purchases from the amazing Magda of Craftpudding, I'll be making felt brooches for everyone in a dazzling array of colours.

They'll go into a gift bag (these guys make the best recycled bags and boxes ever), decorated to match the brooches and orange checklists, along with sweet treats, cosmetic samples, lip gloss and all kinds of crafty bits and bobs that came in the Little Silver Box from Aileen in Aberdeen. The company I work for in my ever-diminishing free time, AQA, recently had a book out, so they'll all be getting a copy of that too! I'm on p44 talking about David Niven - woo-hoo!

Once I've made them, I'll post some photos of the place-cards, door hangers, and menus (yes, that's what the spoon and fork stamps are for), and once I've finished sewing them, I can show you the hot pink legwarmers I've made for my bridesmaid Jenn. She's currently stranded in Nepal, so she won't be back in time, but she might need the legwarmers once she's back in Blighty if the weather carries on the way it has been! For a sneak peek, check out my chunky fingerless gloves in my etsy shop. Don't worry, she REALLY loves that colour!

So between this, the radio excitement, the tweeting, the guest-writing of the GCM blog, the sales in my little shop and moseying on down to country crafting!, it's been a busy old week!

I nearly didn't have time to mention this miniature upcycled banner, in the shop right now in time for Valentine's Day.

Fish and penguin

I'm making my dinner and planning to update you later on what's been going on over the last week. But in the meantime, here's a shot of what I'm cooking, it's so cute I couldn't resist!