Headingly Arts and Crafts Market

I'm counting down to the 11th Oct when I'll be selling at Headingly Arts and Crafts Market. The Marvellous Tea dance company have made some rather marvellous posters/leaflets for the event so I'm hoping that lots of money yeilding people shall be tempted along




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last of the summer

On Saturday I ventured over to Sheffield for "Last of the Summer" where I was kindly allowed to set up a stall. I sold a few brooches, loads of bookmarks as per usual, and a couple of cards and badge packs. It wasn't a roaring success compared to other stalls I've done, but it was exciting to branch out to a different city and to hear all the lovely compliments people had for my wares. Plus I love that I've affiliated myself with indiepop music and that people often ask if I was at indietracks....its great to be part of a little community of music lovers.

Someone included my little felt train brooch in a treasury :) http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=11921

I finally finished a disposable camera which I bought for indietracks. There was a cute photo of the food van at indietracks on it....



And one of Liam looking like a prisoner of war behind my stall on Saturday...




xxx

etsy update

I've put three more beautifully photographed brooches up on etsy...I decided to stagger slightly listing items because I think that way they reach more people.



One of my favourite things to buy as a treat for myself is charity shop books. A while ago I found a really cute big hard book Singer Sewing Book (I'll take a photo of it sometime) and some of the opening paragraphs are so funny. It really is designed to help cultivate the perfect housewife. I'll give you a quote

"TO SEW SUCCESSFULLY...physically.When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Go through a beauty ritual of orderliness. Have on a clean dress. Be sure your hands are clean, finger nails smooth - a nail file and pumice will help. Always avoid hangnails...if you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should."

I could go on because the whole first chapter is full of similar tit-bits but my typos are appalling...every time I look up I have to re-type so much! It's obviously offensive to a modern woman how the book sets out her "duties" to be prim and proper, but I have to admit to loving the opinion that sewing is her pleasure and her pride and joy. I would have failed so miserably at "knowing my place" and at being organised in everything I do. Such a cute book though.

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I just read this essay by David Foster Wallace on the guardian website

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/20/fiction

I'm quite cynical about this type of philisophical writing usually, but he's actually very unassuming and not at all know it all, but at the same time he somehow manages not to cross the line of being annoyingly self depreciating despite clearly deeply questioning how to live his life. And it's all the more sad when you read it within the context of his recent suicide. I've never read anything by him before but I think I will, especially the non-fiction essays. After a quick look at some of his obituaries he sounds like a really interesting guy. I guess that's the point of an obituary though. I think he's the kind of person who'd find the irony of me discovering him through obituaries interesting.

I sold another badge on etsy hurrah! And I've paid to be on a holiday guide blog, more info to follow. I've never paid for any kind of ad before. Is it cheating? I don't think so, I may as well try just the once. Plus it's nice to help out a fellow blogger and lover of all things handmade

Here's a cute little flask set I saw on etsy, makes me long for winter picnics...


(from www.stephieD.etsy.com)

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toochache

I have horrible horrible tooth-ache. It's swollen my little face. Owwwww. I'm giving myself a full dose of painkillers, two paracetemol and two ibuprofen every alternate two hours. I'm so self consious about facing the world with my wonky whale face =(

I made a custom fox terrier badge for a lovely etsian yesterday and I'm posting him today. I'm a cat person at heart but it did turn out so darn cute that I think I'll be making more.

Gotta go jet off for a job interview, ciaow

xxx

doe a deer

I've just realised that when I add to my favourites on etsy they change on this blog, so the post I did yesterday on red autumnal delights was filled with deer when I went on a deer rampage on etsy today. I've edited the post and just put some of my fave red items as pictures, it's a shame I couldn't leave the links to the items up but I'm not sure how to find a way around it.

So today's favourites are of the bambi variety. I've been slowly but surely been falling in love with images of deer and stag for a while now, there are just so many pretty illustrations of them around. Plus I'm a fan of vintage toys and they're lovely fairytale animals. As a devoted (but non-preachy) vegetarian I shouldn't want a big dead stag head on my wall and yet....oh dear! I'd prefer some kind of non dead-animal version though of course.

Here are my current etsy favourites, I'm going to have the same problem of them changing once I add more favourite items so I'll be careful not to add any new favourite items for a little while.




In the wonderful world of amypanda badges I have little news. I got a rejection email from a shop in town after sending them photos and wholesale prices of my badges =(

www.amypanda.etsy.com

xx

the animals came in two by two

My new favourite etsy shop this morning is berkley illustration. They have amazing prints of drawings of animals in clothes. I love them. They'd look so lovely in a big old frame. The obvious choice for me would be the panda, but lots of the other ones have tickled my fancy too...here's a couple....







www.berkleyillustration.etsy.com

xx

rosy red cheeks, glowing red nose

I nearly forgot...I've been putting together some new favourite items on etsy because I'd love to do a treasury, but keep missing the key times when there's space for them, so incase I never get to post it on etsy here are my exciting choices. My theme is red for autumn, inspired by my red nose and cheeks! They are rouge whimiscal items to take the attention off my face! Also a few items are very "back to school"....sigh...those were the days....












xx

picture perfect

Liam's created some new badge "promo-shots" for me. Some of them have little tiny plastic people gazing lovingly at them, and all of them are bloomin ACE. Some I've listed on etsy (so go see! www.amypanda.etsy.com) and here are a couple...










I love them!!

xxx

this little piggy went to market....

Yesterday was the grand debut of my Leeds craft market career. It wasn't a total failure, but it wasn't a total success. It was just too quiet. And too cold....I thought that my feet were going to fall off. I did make more than I spent on the pitch though and it was worth it just for the nice feedback people gave and a couple of good contacts which I made. I absolutely love the buzz of seeing reactions to my work especially as invariably people at least smile at them. Also usefull to see what sells well...my 50p bookmarks sold out and the cards were pretty popular too. There's a market in October in student-ville (Headingly) and I'm going to buy a 10 quid small stall there. The people who run the market I was doing are called "artsmix*" and they're moving their market indoors for the run up to Christmas. I think there are about 5 markets run by them between now and Christmas and I'm fairly sure I'll do at least 4 of them (possibly not the first indoor one as I'd like to gauge how busy I should expect it to be and also it's a bit early for the Xmas rush).

Here's a photo of Liam behind my stall...



and another of the stall....