And This little cupcake cried wee wee wee all the way home.

I was a women obsessed making these. I totally forgot I was a bag maker. I needed eye candy to attract people to my stall and I ended up making nothing but eye candy but all was not lost because in the process so many things happened.

1. P from the craft shoppe taught me to do a colonial and french knot. So now I am an ametuer embroiderer.
2. I fell in love with epoxy resin which is so BAD because im a greeny. I have guilt but oh my god I love epoxy resin. Its so shiny and glasssy! Sparkly! mmmmm
3. I fell even more in love with sculpeys. So add ametuer sculpeyer to the list.
4. I found a use for the 3 millions beads I have laying around that I bought during a "beading" phase.
5. I actually felt clever at designing something from scratch which is much needed after my sewing machines gave me so much grief and wont sew my bags. (the nagging need for an industrial machine arises yet again)
6. oh and we only had to pay for one stall even though we had booked 2. Bonus!!!

This list was put here as a reminder to myself that you can find positives most things. It also made me forget the negatives about the market and see how funny it all was.

1. I parked on a beer bottle which smashed under my tyres.
2. The lid came off of my emergengy glue bottle and spilt over many cupcakes(all ruined) and some bags and other stuff.
3. A soap lady had a stall next to us and the only person who came back to buy a cupcake said she couldnt because it was s scented and her mum was allergic...... *glares at the soap stall*
4. police could be located in 3 separate locations and this was a primary school!
5. Finally, too funny to be real. on our way home and up the road from the school, a young man in a beaten up car was pulled over and being fined by 2 policemen on horseback. I would have loved to have seen that chase!!!

And then finally some questions I ask so that in future my life isnt so chaotic when under pressure.

1. How do creative people manage to run a household, kids , husbands, dogs, cats and all the orher mundane stuff whilst they are in a creative coma which could last for weeks!!
2. why do we creative people feel dead if we dont create?
3. why dont other people see how much work goes into handmade things and appreciate it yet whine when their 2 dollar item breaks or poisons their kid?

The questions could go on all day! I do believe I have a house to clean now.

Blog ya later!

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To Market To Market we went

The Narre Warren Craft Shop was asked to put a stall in at the local School's carnival where they were holding a trash and treasure market. Whilst it was probably not the best setting for our well loved creations, it was good to be represented out in the public and a fair bit of networking was done. I dont think any money was left after visitors had purchased thier showbags and temporary tattoos. I might reconsider if asked to attend next time.......

I took some fabbo pics though.

JS is a very skilled Teddy Bear maker and these guys are awesome. I love love love her Little ones. I love them all!!

JU is a textile artist and she brought along some skeins of hand spun and hand dyed wool.

and she whipped up some coin purses

And these are my little pin cushions. Totally FAT FREE!!!. I figured that my bags, which is my real business, wouldnt sell and I was right. Perhaps if I screen print some skulls on them next time???

The following pics have nothing to do with the Narre Warren Craft shop. These are pics of the finished rocking horses that the members of the woodworking club I am in have finished. As a tradition we line them all up on Cup weekend. I think a few were scratched though because I am sure there were more. I am awestruck when I see how clever these guys are. Well ahem, most of the makers of these rocking horses are ladies so I use the term guys loosely. I cant help but show them off. I just reckon they're awesome.



So what next?

Well. I volunteer now at a historical site locally 2 days a week until about Christmas. They needed some help and I needed to keep my skills in use so it was a win win thing.

I aim to have my line of environmentally healthy, polypropylene free grocery bags available on my website by the 1st of February 2008 but I desperately need an industrial machine.


I am also working on guides and jigs to start banging out my new and reclaimed wood range of craft handles for all of you crafty bag makers out there. I might bang out a few embroidery cotton reels too. Hmmmm , I better dust off the lathe and the router eh? Move over Mrs Sewing machine, the noisy toys are comin out!!
Im hoping to keep that part of my craft as reclaimed as possible though so it always depends on availability.
Before I do all of this i need to build a room under the carport for woodworking only because I found, to my surprise, sanding and cutting wood in the same shed you sew in is STUPID!!!! Its like confetti. You just keep finding the sawdust in everything. Thank goodness I store stuff in tubs.

Between now and Christmas its a mad dash for cash for xmas. With 4 kids and 1 income ( yes yes, one day I will contribute) it gets really tight and I KNOW alot of people out there can relate to this. So I guess my Xmas list in on my list of things to do.
Time to make that List
Blog ya later

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Boxes of beautiful bounty for premmy babies.

With boxes filled to the brim, feeling very pleased and excited, Phyllis set off to hand over the booties, bonnets, cardigans, pants and many other assorted pieces that the generous woman of the Narre Warren Craft Shoppe had knitted,sewed and crocheted for the premmies. The garments were exsquisitley handmade with love and kindness as is everything these women make for charities and they are on thier way to the Monash Hospital to be given to families with premature babies. The clothes are so tiny. I wasnt a part of this venture as my skills are somewhat lacking in the garment department but I had to write about it with pride to mark the day. I was lucky enough to snag some pictures of the women making garments for one of the other charities. I was, however, too late to snap piccies of the boxes of tiny brand new hand made babies cloths but I did get to see them quickly before Phyll whisked them away and they were absolutely adorable!

If you live locally and love handmade, come and support the girls at the Narre Warren Craft Shoppe in Malcom St Narre Warren.

There is an enourmous range of hand knitted babies outfits as well as other beautiful hand made giftware. Yeah, I know, I go on and on about it, but with good reason. Its places like these that ensure the continuation of the art of craft. You cant buy this kind of community spirit or the atmoshpere created when a group of women are engaged in crafting and sharing their knowledge and skills. Where ever a group like this exists, whether in my town or yours, I want to support it, visit it and embrace it. Anyhow, arn't they marvelous? Good on ya girls!! Good on all the folks that do this kind of stuff!

Oh and totally unrelated,and all about me, its only 8 more sleeps till my first stall!!! Dont know whether to be stressed or excited at this point. Its like " oh my god, will people like my stuff?" Yes yes, everyone who has does the markets knows how I am feeling. But this is all about me remember? A voice in my head is saying " For goodness sakes, go get a real job" And i can often be heard answering that voice in my head out loud with " No, this is my job, shut up"

Last but not least. A big wave to my absolutely fabulous textile arteest friend Jan who occassionally spies on my blog and points out my spelling errors .I say to her, less time critiquing my spelling and more time being arty farty please. Chop chop dahling, 8 sleeps to go!!!!!

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Aways knitting never fancy, never hard, but always treasured blankeys

I am obsessed with blankeys. Apparently I was very attatched to one when I was younger and my mum gave it some kind of ceremony so that I could get over the loss of it (after she tossed it in the bin).

I wonder how parentally correct that kind of thing is nowadays? I better make sure these ones can withstand 20 yrs or so until the kids can afford therapy for when the day comes and they have to say good bye to their blankey or I might find I have the bad parent police on my door step. They seem to be every where now!

Anyhow. I did love my blankey and I have done what any well adjusted person would do. I made myself a truckload of them. I made mum one too, just so she knows I am a good sport, after all, it was 40 years ago....

A Blue blankey of squares for Jaz because she learnt knitting, tried knitting and hated knitting. I guess I will finish it!

A heavy random brown blanket for Dad because brown is a very blokey colour for a blankey, should a bloke ever be seen with one

A stripey Blue one for Connor and maybe some red as requested by his lordship because 6 year olds insist that red and blue look cool in blankeys......and maybe some pink mum. What about maybe some yellow too?.........

My iced Vovo. mmm scrummy!!! This one is mine!

A sea of green. Started May 8th 2005. The day I quit smoking and discovered knitting and food...........

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Wouldnt be dead for quids!!

In the Garden!! I love Topiary. I love and collect pelargoniums. I love hedges. I love woodland violets. I love daisies. I love mass plantings. I love dandelions and dont see them as weeds. I love clover too and oxalis. I love the garden!

In the pea soup pond where the fish are fat and plantlife abounds! If only frogs loved my algae ridden pond too.

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