Lovely shopping

I haven't been to the V & A museum in oooh, ages. But I'm signed up to their email news service and love it when news of their shop sales come through. At the moment there are excellent bargains to be had out of season for Christmas decorations with a handmade feel, and I quite often buy stationery from the museum for Christmas presents - they have a great range of designs and I feel good knowing the money is supporting the museum in these troubling times for the arts and public institutions. How wonderful is this memory book, in bright powder blue?

If you stray away from the sales section, you can browse fabric reproductions of vintage designs available by the metre, many of which are also reduced in price. But the sale itself is worth a look, with offers like this felt feather decoration, a snip at 30p! Or a crocheted Christmas tree bauble for just 50p! It's a good reminder that now is the time to be thinking about Christmas stock for our own shops - 2011 is flying past and it'll be Autumn before we know it...

Things to do in Glasgow - when I'm not here!

I'm missing some good stuff while I'm away on honeymoon, but if you're in Glasgow, be sure to check out these events on my behalf.

First up is the Glasgow Craft Mafia social at Mono on Sunday 27 September. This is in place of our usual market, so that members, craft fans and potential new members can say hi, have a blether and maybe a cheeky drink or two. Craft materials and know-how will be on hand, so bring your own project, or start a new one on the day.

Over the entire time I'm away, I'm quite spectacularly managing to miss a good deal of hand-sewing going on at Glasgow's Women's Library. They'll be recreating banners in the style of those used to promote Suffragette activity 100 years ago. I love the iconography of the banners, the visual style, the hard work and sheer bloody-mindedness put into them, and of course I love the fact that I can vote. If you love all these things too, you can take part on 22nd & 29th Sept and 6th October from 1-3pm. It's being facilitated by the lovely Loraine, of SherbetHeadCreations, and culminates in a re-enactment of the march on 10 October - when I'll be jetlagged but hopefully able to catch up with all the excitement.

Here's a SherbetHead classic for you.. which also sounds remarkably like something the unreal Troy Dyer would say.

And finally, I've been trying to catch a band called Sonny Marvello in Glasgow for ages. I saw them defeat the band I was rooting for, Maslow, in a Battle of the Bands back in December 2007 in New York. Wouldn't you know that they're back in town... when I'll be somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Not only are they playing a gig where I actually live, but I could have been holding a stall there too - because it's time for the Pin Up Nights circus! There's even a guest appearance from Naboo from the Might Boosh, he'll be DJing. Get yourselves to the Flying Duck on Friday 25th September. And let me know how it goes!

And if you want to catch the best of indie business and craft, the Made in the Shade Gals are back at the Lighthouse on Saturday 26 September for a shopping extravanganza - so don't enjoy yourselves too much at the circus!

I feel like a princess

I can't wait to take and upload some pictures of me wearing this at a friend's wedding tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's a shot of the package I received this morning (in the nick of time!)

This wonderful, beautiful object came from the lovely Emily of whichgoose, on Etsy. I realise I am spending a lot more than I am making on Etsy at the moment, but when you see such well made and pretty little things like this, you can understand why. I feel like I just found the most amazing treasure and was a little reluctant to share my sources, but Emily scores high on price, packaging, customer service, and sheer likeability, how could I not spill the beans?

I'm back...

... relaxed, and raring to go, having received craft inspiration and chilled right out in Ibiza. I came home to find that I'd sold another fall inspiration craft pack on Etsy while I was away, so today I've been curating a package for a local buyer.

I also popped out for some new soft toy filling and just happened to see some orange cotton yarn in the discount corner, so plenty to keep me occupied in the evenings and weekends to come.

While I was out, I noticed Glasgow craft activity all over the place - at the Merchant City Festival street market, another swanky craft fair in the Corinthian of all places (if you don't know Glasgow, think 'Footballers Wives') and the weekly Sloans Market at the foot of Buchanan Street. Wow!

First sale on Etsy!

I'm not sure how much more I could possibly be excited, but put it this way, the big event happened 3 days ago and it's only now I can bring myself to sit and blog about it.

I sold a couple of items (oh yeah, two at once) to a customer in Baton Rouge, LA, which, as everyone who loves Ignatius J. Reilly knows, is where he went to university. I didn't manage to visit on my trip to Louisiana last year, but I at least know where it is, I like to know where my stuff's going.

One of the items was one of my fall craft packs, which I only listed a week or so ago. I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours putting together an assortment of items, and drafting up then writing out a handmade zine explaining where everything came from and how old it was and so forth. Here's a snapshot:

I really hope she likes it as much as I had fun putting it together. Not to mention all those years I was collecting and stashing. Whoo it feels good to have a clear-out, too.

Little Silver Box

Here's something really interesting, and for a worthwhile cause, too.

http://www.littlesilverbox.blogspot.com/ is an initiative started up by a fellow crafter here in Scotland. We're trying to get a bit more visible out there in the wide world of craft, so if you want to receive some Scottish goodies, or if you're a crafter, donate and potentially access new customers, take a look at the blog.

I'm donating some of my upcycled items and also buying a little silver box for myself - all in a good cause. Get in touch with Aileen by the start of October if you want to take part.

Enjoying the autumn

My favourite season is upon us! I love going down the woods, getting my 'back to school' stationery, wearing thick tights and dainty wool skirts. My favourite colour is brown and I'm starting to warm to shades of orange and gold too.

A weekend away in the country last week only heightened my anticipation of the nights drawing in, that smoky bonfire scent you get towards the end of October and (at last!) the end of eating courgettes with everything, after my late-summer glut in the garden.

Fall-themed products are soon to appear in my shop (if the weather plays nice this afternoon). In the meantime, some blurry but definitely autumnal snaps I took last weekend - as good as it gets when you're shooting through patio doors into the sideways rain. This red squirrel had the good sense to shelter under our patio table, while we abandoned our barbecue and retreated indoors.