spring clean!

I've finally picked up a needle and thread (and felt) for the first time in MONTHS. Crafting is going to be really important to me when I'm on maternity leave, and the dream is that I'll contribute to the household income when the maternity pay dries up (I think I'm going to take a year off work, half of which will be unpaid) through crafting. I know it'll be tough, so I need to make as much as possible now, so that later in the year all I'll really have to do is list and promote it online. My focus will have to move off craft-fairs onto selling online, although that being said I'd like to squeeze a few in before baby is born.

So, as well as starting some new sewing projects, I've been looking through my existing stock. I took a handful down to testspace pop-up shop at the corn exchange for their final weekend, but most of it is going online. I'm sure many crafters are, like me, trying to have a final push before the end of this financial year.

ALL stock in my etsy shop is 10% off if you use code SPRING at the checkout. Currently listed are items I've already photgraphed, but there'll soon be plenty more added. So it's the perfect time to bag yourself a bargin!

x x x

hey baby!

I've not posted here for a while, in fact I've not even picked up a needle and thread in months, but I have an excellent excuse. I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY. Eeeek! I'm 18 weeks today! So almost half-way there.

I'm going to be trying to craft lots of things for baby, baby's room, and maybe even for myself, so I might do some posts on how that goes here... but most of my baby related blogging will be done over at panda bump. I'm planning on doing a bump diary, taking a picture every day or so to watch my belly grow into a baby house. And also keep track of all the tricky decisions of what to buy/do, as I'm sure that it could be interesting and maybe even useful to someone. The blog's pretty empty right now but hopefully it'll grow as I do.

Exciting times!

x x x

jeepers peepers

I've been looking for some new glasses. I'm steadily getting blinder and I'm long overdue an eye test, so it makes sense to get some nice new frames for when my prescription is inevitably increased. I don't wear my current glasses that often, just for the cinema or watching films with subtitles at home, and occassionally at work. But if I found a pair that I loved then maybe I'd be more inclined to wear them more, and could finally stop squinting like a mole all the time. I'd like a cat eye pair but I dont think I'd dare wear them much. I'm leaning towards brown ones as I think black's a bit urban outfitters, but I do suit the darker frames.

Etsy is pretty good for cheap, nice, vintage frames.







jenericvintage


ifoundgallery11

nice. x

busy busy

I feel like I've been super busy the last few weeks...I've sold at a few craft fairs, one of which I organised, and one of which I helped organise alongside reetsweet. I've been sewing til my fingers hurt, and speaking of hurt I've been suffering big-time with horrid flu. But there is a light at the end of the slightly stressful busy tunnel...this weekend will be my last craft fair before christmas and I've got a few days off to relax. I'll be selling at reetsweet at the corn exchange this weekend, hopefully I can sell some things so that I can buy christmas gifts from other sellers!



x x x x x

lucky number 7's!

I've just finished a nice bulk order for number 7 brooches for John at the record label WIAIWYA for his singles club. Lovely!








If you'd like to join the singles club for a nice dose of indiepop and lots more thrown in, take a look at the blog here


Always nice to do something different. It's made me think about doing custom letters at craft fairs spelling out names, or just using initials. Might look nice.

x

jammy

As part of the dream to live a more sustainable, green life, we have been delving into the world of foraging. If we can't grow our own just yet then we can at least go out and collect some free food from the amazing countryside around West Yorkshire. So we donned our matching walking boots and went on a woodland walk oozing with brambles. After an hour or so of collecting we had a plastic bag FULL of blackberries, and I made jam. Hurrah! I think I over-boiled it a bit so it's extra thick, but it tastes really good! And I even used half a jar in an apple crumble (with apples from Dan's parents apple trees!), which is really yum!





x x x

wallpaper

mmm cute expensive sea-scape patterned wallpaper. lovely.



by Abigail Edwards (check out her owl paper too here)