pandapop

hey baby!

2012-02-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-10-03T01:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

mmm cute expensive sea-scape patterned wallpaper. lovely.

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

books

2011-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of books. Magazines don't really do it for me, and technological replacements aren't the same. I mostly buy fiction to bury my nose in, but I'm also slowly but surely becoming addicted to buying vintage sewing/craft books. I can't resist a cheap charity shop find.

Some of them are real gems packed with projects that don't always date very well! think tassels!

amsterdam

2011-09-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last few days in Amsterdam soaking up some culture. I was SO pleasantly suprised to find that the sex, drugs, and Stag-do's were very easily avoidable, and that outside of the small central red-light district the city is both stunning and oozing with European style. I spent much of the time gazing up at the apartments, peeking in the windows at the perfect modern interiors, and longing to live such a stylish perfect life! But, alas I am much to fond of clutter for such a life! We hired bikes for a day and took a ferry north, which was windy but really lovely. A row of wooden picture-book houses along the sea-front were pretty much the most perfect place to live that I can imagine. I loved it. Cute children in boxes on the front of bikes. Cool bars and coffee shops. The best falafel we've ever had.

cute shop! I managed not to buy anything but fell in love with brightly painted vintage bread tins.

felt ja!

bikes!

x x x x

shop

2011-08-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's extremely early days but I've started looking into getting a small shop space in Hebden Bridge. We're thinking of moving there. It's so very exciting. Hebden is lovely; such beautiful countryside and a place where people would (hopefully) buy my craft all year round. Plus I love its eco credentials, maybe we could finally stop feeling guilt over every purchase and rest safe knowing that our food/clothes/books were all bought from a good source. I'd be able to sell my own work and also sell other people's on their behalf alongside my own. I've been very excitedly looking at ideas of how to fit out the space and display work in interesting ways. I need to get sewing too! It wouldn't happen until early next year, but I'm sure that time with fly and like any other crafter I'm thinking about christmas and preparing for the joy of christmas fairs...busy busy!

this shop looks cute...

sino works

x x x

children's books

2011-08-08T02:02:00.001-07:00

I love children's books. I used to work in the children's section at Waterstones and had a shift back in there yesterday, much of which I spent re-familiarising myself with my favourites and swooning over some nice new additions. Pictures books are my absolute favourite (apart from the Moomin books which I love with a love normally reseved for cats and pandas) and although I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the big names in picture books (I hate you Julia Donaldson), Anthony Browne is a firm favourite. There was a new autobiography of his picture books....

looks really interesting and inspirational for any budding illustrator (unfortunately I dont fall into this category, I'm terrible at drawing).

Speaking of picture books this Japanese website is AMAZING. there are even some vintage Tove Jansson books on there! curio books

My other major picture book lust is usually over vintage scandinavian books, there are so many good websites out there showcasing their cuteness.

x x x x x

bunting

2011-08-05T05:07:00.001-07:00

I know bunting has become so widespread that if I see another set of floral print cath kidson style bunting I might be sick. HOWEVER the bunting on tents at indietracks was just plain cute, and although I dont like to toot my own horn I do love how the felt bunting I made to decorate my stall looks. I've been thinking about how great it'd look down one of the red brick streets in Armley or Hyde Park (Leeds) with hundreds of rows of bunting draped across. Maybe it's all the (gross) nationalism around the royal wedding/olympics seeping in, but I'd love an excuse for some kind of twee street party.

This bunting illustrates my thoughts...

By Sophie Cuvelier

selvedge magazine

indietracks

2011-08-05T04:38:00.001-07:00

I took along a couple of other handmader's work to indietracks to sell on their behalf. We all did amazingly well, and the indiepop crowd were our perfect target audience...full of compliments and the cutest children I've ever seen. If a bomb had dropped on Derbyshire that weekend then there'd be a lot less cardigans in the world.

Some snaps of our stall....

Looking forward to doing similar "handmade on tour" stalls in the future, worked a treat :)

x x x x x

indietracks

2011-07-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be selling my wares, and a couple of other handmade-ers on their behalf, at INDIETRACKS again this year. sigh. what a lovely place it is. cannot wait!

indietracks

alice in wonderland

2011-07-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been eyeing up this book at work for a while. I'm a big big fan of Tove Jansson's moomins books and novels, so this'd be a lovely addition to the collection. There are illustrations throughout, although some are in black and white and most are quite small.

alice in wonderland

x x x

Todmorden

2011-07-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sold my wares at an admittedly quiet but never-the-less lovely vintage / craft event in Todmorden at the weekend. And we went for tea in Hebden Bridge on the way home. I want to live there! Probably one of the few places where you could actually make a living out of crafts. Although I'd probably have to give my future children double-barrelled made-up names. Not sure how I'd feel about having middle class children. Swings and roundabouts.

x x x x x

kites

2011-06-28T04:27:00.001-07:00

This nice weather has given me some mega kite lust. I like making little kite brooches but can't help but feel that I could go one step further and make some kind of kite of epic porportions. I especially love their little triangles hanging down, which would look great in felt! Kites always makes me think of flat stanley for some reason!

Charles Eames' kite design. so good. pinched from here.
x x x x

doll scenes

2011-06-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

We recently went to Whitby and there were some old dolls in one of the charity shops crying out for a new home, but I decided against buying them as my never ending piles of stuff that needs a new home really don't need any new company. Kind of wish I'd got out my purse now though...these cute little dolls with their own shoebox world are great (hopefully they wont lead to my obsession with dolls houses re-surfacing!)

http://www.vendredimatin.be/

mobile

2011-06-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

We're lucky enough to live somewhere with a clamp thingy in the basement for holding wood (or, as Dan uses it for, bicycles)which has helped me to think ouside of the felt box and plan on making some mobiles. I bought some thin wood poles and a saw!

I've been looking online for some nice mobile inspiration....

specksandkeepings.com

makikomo

also...

snug songbirds mobile

mine would be very different to all of these, mostly because it'll look more like my brooches but dangling in the air!

x

listings

2011-06-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

FINALLY we had some natural light coming into the house so I quickly took the chance to snap some pictures for etsy. New items listed today looking bright and perky =)

www.etsy.com/shop/amypanda

reetsweet

2011-06-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

I've been busy playing shop at stalls at reetsweet events :) First at a lovely little fair at Nation of Shopkeepers, and then this weekend at the corn exchange. They're such great events, second only to handmade!

x x x x x

night in

2011-04-24T03:53:00.001-07:00

Me and Syliva had a girls night in hanging out in my sewing room.

She "helped" me to cut out a dress pattern. And I spent a good few hours wrestling thread from her snappy little mouth.

The end result was a dress of tiny proportions fit for a 6 year old and with dodgy seams thanks to a sewing machine in dire need of a service. Success? I think so.

Spring clean

2011-04-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

All of my aims for March were put on the back burner because my lovely amazing little cat Panda died. He was only 1 year old and his horrible death put everything on hold for a little while. The house was incredibly empty without him around, and so we made the decision to get a new kitten.....

Introducing Sylvia....

On the craft front I have still been a busy bee, I sold at 100%handmade in Ilkley, and Reetsweet at the corn exchange in Leeds. Both were lovely events and I look forward to doing more this summer.

xx

sewing machine

2011-02-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

I rarely use my trusty sewing machine. It's seen better days; I inherited it from my mum (that makes it sound like she's dead, which she is not!), and it could probably do with a service, but it still goes fine so I should put it to more use.

With this in mind I've been eying up the new Meet Me At Mike's book, called Sew La Tea Do, at work. It's a beaut and has a couple of very easy very wearable dresses in it (along with lots of cute kid's, men's, and house stuffs).

I'm not one to buy expensive sewing books; all of the books in my sewing library cost under £5 from the market or charity shops. So I've been browsing dress patterns on etsy but I'm struggling to find exactly what I want.

This one's cute but I'd like something simpler...

http://www.etsy.com/people/historicallypatterns?ref=ls_profile

I'm sure I'll find time to sew myself something soon, just as soon as I've achieved brooch world domination

x x x x x

aims

2011-02-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

Hurrah, two etsy sales in the last two days; nothing like a bit of custom to raise my spirits.

Handmade5! has been and gone, so now I can concentrate all efforts on amypanda global domination.

I've rented out a shelf space at BirdsYard, a lovely independent shop in Leeds, here's a snap of my shelf...

www.birdsyard.co.uk

So, aims... I've never quite got to the stage where I treat crafting as a serious part-time job, and thus I'm never quite organised. THIS MUST END. I have four new short term aims, and four more for the year

In the next two months:

- always have more than 10 items up on my etsy at one time

- sell 10 items by the end of March

- have at least 4 craft fairs booked, including the next handmade date confirmed

- blog or tweet or facebook or post on etsy about amypanda regularly

By the end of 2011:

- hit 100 sales on etsy (I'm currently at 49 so this will mean doubling my sales; I joined etsy years ago now so this is a big push)

- get a decent website up for handmade

- do at least 8 craft fairs over the year (indietracks definetely counts, hope I make it there again this year)

- join up again to some groups on etsy

Oh and I forgot the other BIG aim; keep track of all incomings and outgoings to finally establish whether or not I'm making any profit. Starting from now. No excuses.

lovely stuff

x x x x x x x x x x x x

new year

2011-01-13T04:18:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution #2 - Put more time and effort into crafting

www.amypanda.etsy.com is back up and running

xxxx

sunday

2010-12-01T03:31:00.000-08:00

My fourth "handmade" craft fair is on Sunday. I've done endless sewing in preperation and have a day of baking to look forward to on Saturday, I just hope that all my work isn't in vain due to SNOW.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=15896951&id=723215313#!/event.php?eid=122981384430005

christmas is coming...

2010-12-01T03:25:00.000-08:00

and the robin's getting fat....

books

2010-10-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Although I'm a super-consumer of fiction, my softest spot is for children's books (thanks to running the kids' department at Waterstones). They are SO good. Picture books are my absolute favourite.

I've order a few Bruno Munari books for work but can't seem to shift them (customers are fools and buy the boring boring gruffalo instead)

One of my favourite picture book bod's is Polly Dunbar. She writes such sickeningly sweet stories with fairly traditional and completely lovely pictures. There's a recent series by her called Tilly and Friends. The elephant story is the BEST. Tilly the elephant tried to hide. argh it's so cute and lovely. buy it.

pretty much all of my recommend cards have the word lovely on them.

lovely lovely lovely

cat jumper!

2010-02-11T03:23:00.000-08:00

i like:

rosiemusic.etsy.com

x x x x

handmade2

2010-01-30T01:56:00.000-08:00

I am organising an arts and crafts fair. me. And it's my second but I'm a lazy blogger. The first was ace and this one is going to be bigger and hopefully even better. I get incredibly nervous about playing host but I LOVE it. Everyone looked so happy at the last one, it made me all warm and fuzzy inside.

this is the events page on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/#/event.php?eid=234836278142&ref=mf

and this is the pretty flyer made for me by "wonderfullypretty" Laura (who'll be selling her wonderfully pretty knitted delights at the fair)

lovely stuff. excited as heck.

x x x x x x x x

like

2010-01-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

last night drempt that these two people picked up some paper masks from a box and put them on and one of them was this huge 3d horse creature thing with opaque paper and the other one was just a flat donkey or something. it was good.

i like these

via booooooom.com but by tomoko yondea.

xxxxx

ps snow is ace. anyone who thinks otherwise is a party pooper.

2009-12-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

"Rob collects ladybird books and had some shelves made especially to house his collection!"

amazing

from design*sponge sneak peaks. (www.designspongeonline.com)

Rachel Denny

2009-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

wow.

from racheldenny.com

wild young things

2009-09-29T04:21:00.000-07:00

YES WOW YES

company

2009-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

ARGH BEST SHOP EVER

com-pa-ny

p.s. check out their prototypes. they look like they have a really fun job. chair man is particularly inspired. and the duct tape "jesus" chair

x x x x

lego

2009-09-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

They're having a lego event at work soon. YES. So exciting.

x x x x

regional assembly of text

2009-09-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Saw this on design*sponge. looks good enough to eat. lolol

and their bricks and mortar shop looks so so lovely in the photos on their (equally lovely) site.

assembly of text

stationary makes my world go round.

x x x x

douglas coupland

2009-08-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

Coupland's house is incredibbbble.

more photos HERE. I'm not tidy enough to have a house devoid of general clutter, but I can still envy.

x x x

the book club

2009-08-26T03:32:00.001-07:00

I'm in the first stages of planning a clubnight. The first stages being getting giddy and thinking about how fun it'd be. I want it to be called the book club and loosely have a bookshop/library theme (geek)...people will be stamped with a date stamp upon arrival and the music will be "influenced by literature or books" haha so basically anything with words. I also would like to wear animal costumes but that might be asking too much of your average punter.

I'm excited about possible flyer designs. To start with I was thinking of making it like a vintage puffin bookcover with orange stripes and have the bands in some really cheesy font in the middle. But now I'm thinkin that I'd like to encorporate some kind of totoro inspired character eating books. This is cute...

oui xx

everybody wants to go to Japan

2009-08-16T15:59:00.001-07:00

everybody just hold hands

I wanna go back. Please.

x x x x x

bigger better cuter

2009-08-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very inspired by these felt instruments. I'm going to think bigger, and sew bigger.

http://www.pulsewidth.etsy.com

I'm currently embarking on a VERY exciting project involving puppets of animals. Watch this space. Eeeee!

x x x x

buttons

2009-08-11T03:38:00.001-07:00

buttons buttons buttons

vintage buttons on card look SO GOOD. I love them SO MUCH.

x x x x

miranda july

2009-08-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Miranda July doesn't seem to post much on the internet at the moment, but I'm going to assume that she's a busy little worker-bee. I hope she writes more books, I really loved no-one belongs here more than you.

And this film is so cute

hmmm you might want to watch it on the actual site because my page cuts off the edge. oh and ignore the advert at the beginning, I keep thinking I've accidentally posted flight of the concords but I haven't.

http://www.vbs.tv/watch/vbs-meets/miranda-july

teehee

xx

trees

2009-08-03T07:54:00.001-07:00

I want this wallpaper more than anything in the world (ok. I exaggerated but I like it).

It's from finelittleday.blogspot.com

Yet another person whose life I envy after peering in regularly via their blog. What a funny world it is.

silly billy

2009-07-30T14:25:00.001-07:00

I like silly

http://www.staceyrebecca.etsy.com

x

sew tired

2009-07-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Been busy busy bumble sewing stuff for the craft fair this Saturday. But also listed a couple of newbies on etsy, and re-listed some unsold stuff

go see go see

x x x x

back from indietracks

2009-07-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Indietracks was fab. super-dooper. I'm smiling just thinking about it. I sold lots and lots of brooches to lots and lots of lovely people. Everyone there was so so nice. I think it managed to be my FAVOURITE ever indietracks. Toot toot! I don't even mind that I missed a few bands I'd really wanted to see, playing shop was fun.

It was definitely my drunkest indietracks though. I sure managed to get through a lot of cider. It was too lovely and fun for me to be embarrassed about manically dancing and talking absolute rubbish to new people. I had a moment of rosy-cheeked shame when on the second day I was manning (or woman-ing) my stall and saw a couple of smittens and suddenly remembered talking to them the previous night extremely drunk. I remember going on and on about how big America is, and I think I kept forgetting if they were from Canada or America and asking over and over. God. I am a silly little thing when I'm drunky. But in summary, it was great! Oh god, I should also apologise to any of the several Swedish people I insisted on talking to (or rather talking at) about how I've been to Stockholm. Amy, they don't CARE. I met so many nice people, what a wonderful indiepop world it is. Even the rain didn't dampen my spirits too much. Dancing til dawn has taken it out of me, I've eaten a whole pack of rich tea's since getting back and at some point I have to face that it's time to sew some more brooches before Saturday. I'm tired.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Indietracks

2009-07-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

Toot toot! It's that time of year again; when a bunch of lovely indiepop fans party like no-one's watching among the steam trains of Derbyshire. I've been hidiously last minute about the whole thing and only just found out that I got the time off work, but somehow it's all coming together. Badges are sewn. Tent-pitch is booked. Train-times have been glanced at. I haven't even sorted out what to WEAR yet, or bought any little tubes of toothpaste and shampoo, or made TENT SNACKS. Jeez louise. What a crazy adventurer I am. I have been watching bear grylls though so I'm prepared for most eventualities.

I seem to have completely lost touch with the music world mostly because of silly technology...this laptop doesn't have my itunes on and is so old n slow that I can't stream music on it. So lots of the bands at indietracks will be a big fun suprise for me. Yay! I've just scrolled through the band listing on the website, wow wow I'm so excited! So much cuteness!

http://www.indietracks.co.uk

x x x x x

p.s. but I'm going by MYSELF. scaredy scaredy scared.

they're a hoot!!

2009-05-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Listed some new (and old) owl brooches on etsy. Having a bit of a purge. I've got handfulls of the little guys hanging around slowly loosing their shape hidden away in bags. Aw that sounds so sad! I feel awful!!

x x x x

Rachel Harris

2009-05-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is ace.

http://www.rachel-harris.com

x x x x

Ian Whitemore

2009-05-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

I like this a lot.

His channels series is a cool idea too

www.ianwhitmore.com

x x x x

waiting

2009-03-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

Etsy is down when I need it dearly. Not to post new items, but to window shop and distract myself. I tell myself that browsing etsy inspires me and so isn't just window shopping...but essentially I just want to burn some time. I'm waiting by the phone to hear if I have a new job or not and I really really really want it.

I think I'll go back to reading my book. I'm reading the summer book by Tove Jansson. Tove is better known for the Moomin stories...which I'm sure that anyone who is vaguely interested in whimsical books, design, or graphic novels, is well aware of and in love with. The moomins would make everything seem okay right now! But the summer book is great too. It's aimed at adults (although the moomin books are definately suitable for adults too!!) She tells the story of a little girl and her grandma living on an island for the summer. It reminds me a little bit of the books I've been reading by Amelie Nothomb, mainly because the main character is a young girl and we're treated to a view of the world from their creative little eyes. The grandma character in the summer book is great too, her human faults are laid bare and the book feels very real.

x x x x

stamps

2009-03-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to stamps. I love collecting the stamps from internet-purchases and snail mail with friends. And I like other post related items too...the post office "post-pak" stationary with white and red print is suprisingly stylish. Maybe I'm a sucker for practical European-looking design.

Any way, on to stamps of the other variety. I remember getting a little amy rubber stamp at school and stamping all my homework with pink ink all over round the heading and down the margins. Teachers were amused to varying degrees. I was 16 so maybe a bit old for messing up my essays with my name in pink.

These stamps are far more attractive, and useful too

and the little wooden suitcase to carry them around in...stamping on the go!

link: karaku.etsy.com

x x x x

pandas

2009-03-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I seem to have deviated slightly from my panda obsession. I assure you that they're always on my mind.

lil cuteys

link: crywolfclothing.com

x x x x

tape

2009-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Imagine these amazing tapes wrapped all around a brown paper gift. No matter what was inside it'd be the best present since sliced bread. I'm excited just thinking about what else I'd use it for...maybe just tape up all the windows and doors and live in a magical little cave of tape-flavoured joy. How are all these characters by Japanese designers so very Japanese but yet so French. Oh to live in this perfect JapanoFrench world and never grow old...

all from cottonblue (who also stock loooovely fabric)

Julie Pollen

2009-03-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

These brooches are so sweet. Makes me wish I was a bit more creative in thinking of new directions to go in with my work. from: juliepollen

x x x x

eric carle google

2009-03-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Follow up on the eric carle post...I just saw this...

cutey x

Spring sprang sprung

2009-03-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

top row: stephieD , cabin + cub , orientalfabrics
middle: OhMyCookies , darlingclementine , CircaCeramics
bottom: thebuttercup , blancucha , sweetbeets

the sun is a shining, the birds are a singing, the flowers are a blooming, lets go outside

x x x x x

easter chic

2009-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of living in Manchester for the time-being is that I can go and drool over products in a big paperchase store. I love stationary. And when all lined up in colour-co-orinated height order...sighhh. And they've got a really impressive range of stationary with interesting prints.

Any way, some of their easter stuff is really sweet. a real tweet. (sorry). My absolute favourite is a little set of chenille chicks. I've realised that I'm a sucker for silly little chenille characters. I bought some little chenille santa's from barnados at christmas and I can't wait to stock up on more this year! The idea of things made out of pipe-cleaners is so so sweet! I'm a child. The paperchase website doesn't have the chicks online but I found these fellas on a site called easter parade...

can't believe I'm going awwwwww at a snip of yellow pipe-cleaner.

And this bunch of chicks on etsy have got me all mushy, they look like they really do just want a loving home

from: schmetterlingtag.etsy.com

x x x x x

cute as a button

2009-03-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a button enthusiast. For anyone who doesn't know me/hasn't seen my arms...I have three little buttons (although one a litle larger than I'd intended) tattooed on my left wrist. So this stool is perfect for me :) So cuuuute

Designed by Josef Frank in the 50s and now back available to buy from svenskt tenn in Sweden. If anyone wants to get me it. I like that it looks like real furniture and not just a "fun" item. If you get what I mean?

x x x x

eric carle

2009-03-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today I saw an interview in the Guardian with Eric Carle and it reminded me of shelving and smiling at his books while working at Waterstones (*sob* those were the days). Of course pretty much everyone knows and loves the very hungry caterpillar, but what I didn't realise until working among the wonderful world of children's books, is that some of his other characters are even better. His illustrations of bears and other creatures have the style of collages; their limbs look hinged and thus they come alive. I can imagine exactly how they would move if animated.

He also seems to make lots of really quite magical "merchadise". At charistmas there was a pop-up advent calandar thing, and I remember seeing some loooovely animal flashcards for learning ABC. He seems to appreciate the art of papercraft as well as illustration. Look at the pop-up santa...he looks like an old tin robot :)

x x x x

T-rrrrrific

2009-03-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

See what I did there...T-rrrific...a post about t-shirts...nevermind.

Everyone knows threadless is the best place for t's online, but I've come across two other shops which rival. If only because they fulfill my seemingly endless need for wacky animal related tat.

link : RECESSACALIOUS (found via design4mankind.com)

Check out the other t-shirts too...the dog-headed creature in the desert is my close second favourite.

I've just found out the t-shirts at the other shop I intended to blog about have sold out. So here is a picture of a sold item...it needs to be shared even if lusting after it is pointless...

from the now empty : http://www.meow4ever.etsy.com

Happy Wednesday

x x x x x

petit affiche

2009-03-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

What a quaint poster from le train fantome
link : http://www.letrainfantome.bigcartel.com

x x x x

kitty kats

2009-03-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've had a little etsy sesh jumping from favourite shops to favourite shops following a trail of ever wierder and odder finds. Two shops in particular have caught my eye...

link : http://www.memonster.etsy.com

link : http://www.schmooks.etsy.com

The second shop (and to some extent the first) reminds me of the series 'I am not an animal', which was a series made by the BBC a few years ago. Steve Coogan did the horse's voice...if that jogs any memories. I'd reccommend it highly...very funny and very silly.

x x x x x x

moving in

2009-03-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

So I've just moved house from Lovely Leeds to Mega Manchester. I was tempted to type manky manchester which'd be clever-er since people from Manchester are mancunian which sounds like manky...but it'd be a bit too negative and I'm all about seeing this as a positive move. Positive thinking. It's difficult because it was a move of necessity not choice, but I'm sure it'll be a fun change. Any way...moving...nice luggage...hardly the most tenuous of links...

from GetReadySetGo.etsy.com

from moxiethrift.etsy.com

from heirloommarket.etsy.com

x x x x x x

Oh and the etsyowls blog have published a little collection of googly eyed etsy finds I put together!! hehe. Go see! http://etsyoffthewall.blogspot.com

the book of proper names

2009-02-26T02:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw a little collection of Amelie Nothomb books in the library and got out The Book of Proper Names. It was such a sweet little thing that I read it in one sitting. I love that it ends kind of suddenly; it reminds me of every single story I wrote as a child..."and then I went to school and I wrote this story". In the case of The Book of Proper Names it ends with the main character meeting "Amelie Nothomb" (the author) and becoming great friends and then killing her and spending the rest of her life wondering what to do with the body..in the space of two pages.

I'm also reading My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead which is a collection of love stories curated by Jeffery Eugenides (who wrote the wonderful Middlesex). It's great. I've loved nearly every story, and I really really like that they're stories about people and the ups and downs of love, not about romance.

On the subject of books I just stumbled across www.bookcoverarchive.com
I'm a sucker fro judging a book by it's cover. Lovely lovely covers. I like looking through charity shops and finding those old Penguin books with big thick orange blocks at either side, or top and bottom. Lovelllly.

x x x x x x

walls!

2009-02-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'm always inspired by the lovely art-work on etsy and can't wait to have a house of my own to hang lots of prints in odd old frames on my walls.

These are some of my favourite more unusual etsy wall decorations...

sweeetnothing.etsy.com

ilovegreyskies.etsy.com

petitcollage.etsy.com

from petuniasplace.etsy.com

girlsavage.etsy.com

tastysuite.etsy.com

highflight57.etsy.com

x x x x

if you wanna be my lover

2009-02-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

top-bottom left-right:

www.raedunn.etsy.com
www.belleandboo.etsy.com
www.emedemarta.etsy.com
www.erinaellis.etsy.com
www.joettamaue.etsy.com
www.ArgyleWhale.etsy.com
www.royaloaker.etsy.com
www.Blueberrypark.etsy.com
www.circaceramics.etsy.com

Happy Valentines Day!

And if anyone's free on valentines day (Saturday) and lives in the Leeds region come along to the Brudenell Social Club where I'll be selling my badges at a special valentines event with games and cake....fun fun fun

x x x x x

my bearded man

2009-02-11T02:43:00.001-08:00

My little bearded beauty (Liam) has started selling his photos on etsy...and is already doing so well. I'm so proud! One of his photos has been used on the "news from the craft and style blogosphere" section. WOW! And he's already selling photos like hot-cakes. I'm too happy for him to be jealous.

We're now an etsy couple :) amypanda and liamhenry sitting in a tree s-e-w-i-n-g

linky link: http://www.liamhenry.etsy.com

x x x x

A little Goodness

2009-02-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've been browsing through my favourites on etsy and just re-discovered alittlegoodness's shop. It's SO GOOD. Lots of cute fabric and sewing books from Japan. And gocco tools. And wooden stamps. I want to move to Japan so so soooo much. I'd buy the sewing books just for the photos of adorable little children looking cute as pie.

link: alittlegoodness.etsy.com

x x x x x

woof woof

2009-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am unashamedly and absolutely a cat person. I have a couple of feline friends back at my mum's house called Popcorn and Charlie, who I miss constantly. But these unusual canine-themed etsy items just have to be shared....

boodog.etsy.com

rubenacker.etsy.com

KaysK9s.etsy.com

Wonderful!

x

hello kitty

2009-02-04T04:02:00.000-08:00

cuteyyyy!

link : http://retro attack

xxx

Lisa Bengtsson

2009-01-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

I just saw a link to Lisa Bengtsson's wallpaper on design*sponge and had a little look at the other things on her site...look at this poster!

link : http://www.lisabengtsson.se/default.asp

xxx

p.s. I know I'm blogging like a mad thing but I'm bored

flip book

2009-01-31T06:02:00.001-08:00

You know flip books...where you make a man kick a ball or jump up and down...well look at this one by Matt Shilan , puts my WOW HE'S ACTUALLY MOVING HIS LEG attempts to shame...(and also his amazing paper sculpture below it)

link : http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/01/matt_shlian_paper_sculpture.html

x x x

animals

2009-01-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

I'm continually surprised and excited by new finds on etsy. www.enna.etsy.com has some really strange and lovely illustrations involving pencil drawn animal-head sketches on coloured cartoon-like bodies. Really unusual and lovely. My favourite is this top doggy in an anorak, I love the colours...

go see/buy at www.enna.etsy.com

x x x x

make something cool

2009-01-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

I keep stumbling across people admiring work by a guy called
Mark Weaver who has some really interesting pictures on his site under the title make something cool every day. I have tried in the past to set myself tasks of making something every day but failed to make anything, never mind anything cool. Any way I really really like a few of the pictures

(image taken from itsnicethat.com)

mark weaver art

xx

three potato four

2009-01-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to blog about this vintage and vintage-inspired things to lust over. The typewriters, the letterpress paper-stuffs, the painted metal things, the wood....ohhh just go see for yourself. Inspirational even if I can't afford to buy anything. Such beautiful colours and designs.

www.threepotatofourshop.com

xxxx

Housey housey house

2009-01-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

I've updated my etsy yet again, I'm on a roll!!

BUY BUY BUY CONSUME

www.amypanda.etsy.com

x x x x x

geographific

2009-01-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

As a history graduate I recognise that am a sworn enemy of geographers and all things science or geography-based. And yet the geek in me is drawn to maps, globes, and funny looking weather devices. I'm such a floozy. No sticking power.

Map envelopes and cute pirate notecards from www.presentsforpirates.etsy.com

Globe piggy-bank www.sweetshorn.etsy.com

Embroidered map collage www.selflesh.etsy.com

Cute little badges www.minorthread.etsy.com

x x x x

new fellas

2009-01-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

I've added two new brooches to my etsy shop, and have photos of another two I'll be adding in the next couple of days. About bloomin time too.

Go shop!!

www.amypanda.etsy.com

(for) SALE

2009-01-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

I have a new hate. Restaurants and bars have started advertising food and drink "SALE"s. This is STUPID. You can't call it a sale. It's on offer. It's always been on offer. That is how it is supposed to be. It's NOT on sale. I probably find it more annoying than I should, but it's so stupidddd. I know that they're just trying to cleverly use the current economic climate and sea of sales in shops to grab our attention...but it's stupid. If it was one bar or one brand doing it I'd understand that it was just a advertising stunt and I'd find it bearable...but it's everywhere.

stupid stupid stupid.

I am drawn to the garish sale signs in other shops though. Super consumerism in tecnicolor. Funny old world.

illustrative

2009-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

I'm still mourning the end of my time surrounded by children's books of all shapes, colours and sizes. It's led to a fascination (read: obsession) with illustrations of various child-friendly kinds.

I'd love to have this on the wall of the nursery of my hypothetical future-child

www.belleandboo.etsy.com

...while reading aloud from this

www.OhMyCookies.etsy.com

...and < tenuous backstory > this

www.ashleyg.etsy.com

the world is a lovely place x

tiny things

2009-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've just become unemployed. I was working at Waterstones in the children's department, but I was just a lowly Christmas temp so my time there has come to a sorry end. I fell in love with so many illustrations and sweet stories in children's books. I feel inspired in so many ways.

And now that I'm unemployed I have time to trawl etsy aimlessly and lusting over things. I've fallen in loooooove with the illustrations in cosas minimas (blancucha's) shop.

I love the colours. I really really really want one on my wall in a black frame. They remind me of Dick Bruna's stuff pre-Miffy for a bookseller. I keep sighing...I love them so!

www.blancucha.etsy.com

xxx

pandahat

2008-11-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

I want I want I want

made by www.bobcathats.etsy.com

fact not fiction

2008-11-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

I am OBSESSED with finding strange oddities on etsy. I really don't want to offend anyone by blogging that something is wierd, because I mean it as a huge compliment. I love all this bad taste stuff and hope one day to have a room dedicated to it..."Amy's retired to her study to be surrounded by her stuffed fake-animals with googly eyes, and flourescent doll heads..."

I feel like I should document my finds regularly. Or at least semi regularly.
So today's finds include....

topical russian dolls from www.belleslettres.etsy.com

A needlefelted version of your own cat from www.AmeliaMakesArt.etsy.com

...And finally I must metion angelacatirina's shop, which I did mention a few blogs down in my favourite new items but which I must mention again because there are a whole host of AMAZING strange knitted hats. www.angelacatirina.etsy.com

enjoyyyyy
x

Obama

2008-11-05T03:30:00.000-08:00

We stayed up til 4am and went to bed sleepy eyed but merry. It really did feel like living history to an extent that only negative landmark events have in my lifetime (9/11, Diana, protests before Iraq etc. etc.)

It amazing that such an obviously media-led and biased and flawed election campaign has made me SO excited about democracy! I'm just so inspired by all those Americans who voted, and all those Americans who got excited about voting and excited about democracy.

I'm suprised by my own pro-American sentiment this morning. I just wish I was there last night, I bet it was such an amazing p-a-r-t-y

x x

election-mania

2008-11-04T12:55:00.001-08:00

Me and Liam are staying up tonight to watch the American election. We've gone all American and bought dounuts, pretzels, and we're getting some take-away pizza. It's so exciting! So much more exciting than any British politics.

Any way, in the spirit of all the manic madness I've got some new favourite weirdly wonderful items on etsy....

x x x x x

red robin

2008-11-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

I've started making lots of robin tree decorations and brooches, they're SO CUUUUTE. I can't wait to sell them in sets at craft-fairs.

I've listed a robin brooch on etsy, but think I'm going to be pretty slack on the etsy-front for a while because I've no internet at home and no money to get it :(

Here he is any way, I used lovely buttons for his eyes the handsome fella....

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x xxx x x x x

Busy Buzzy Bumble Beeeee

2008-10-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been BUSY this month and managed to totally drop of the face of the earth internet-wise. I need to put in some time on etsy and get the wheels back in motion. Plus I've finally faced the reality of how broke I am, so I'm determined to actually start making some money flogging my wares online.

My craft-fairing has gone so well lately. The vintage tea party thingy was so so lovely and despite paying a whopping 40 quid table fee I still sold enough to make a reasonable profit. It was nice to sell to a different crowd, although I think that the children at craft fairs are my favourite customers as their reactions are so sweet :)

Here's a photo of my stall ...

x x x x

Rayon Rose Vintage fair and Tea Party

2008-10-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

I've just found out about, and decided to take part in, a rather exciting tea party themed event. It's called Rayon Rose Vintage Fair and Tea Party, and not only do they have lovely stalls, but they also have an attached tea rooms where you're served tea and cake on cake trolleys by your own waitress. I am so so happy about taking part in something like this because it really signal braching out into the vintage lovers market, and I think that although my brooches aren't strictly speaking part of the "vintage fashion" scene I do think that they'll fit in just fine there. Plus the event is at Leeds Met students union, so is bound to be a very busy affair.

It's on the 18th October, so I'd better get sewing like crazy just as soon as I get all my stuff unpacked in my new flat =)

Exciting times

x x x x x

Christmas kitty

2008-10-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest thing I've seen all day. He sums up how I want Christmas to look this year. Cute, felt, red and white, and cat-shaped. Tis the season

It's by inkypaws (www.inkypaws.etsy.com)

x x x x x

holidays are coming

2008-10-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

I'm part of a holiday gift-guide at

http://papergirlproductions.blogspot.com/2008/10/12-days-of-christmas-gifts.html

I really really hope that people look at it and that they're interested in my wares. Fingers crosssed.

x x x x

October

2008-10-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

It's October already! Crazy! September whizzed by and I achieved very little. But a whole new month a whole new outlook; I've got high hopes for October. I want to make myself some little targets so that when things happen I can tick them off and feel like I've achieved something.
So... targets for October 2008:

1. Approach 4 more shops face to face and ask about selling brooches there. A yes or no from them isn't part of the target, just getting out there and being pro-active is.

2. Go Christmas crazy and make 30 tree decoartions so that there's the option of packaging them up into sets.

3. Do at least one stall and book at least 2 more for later in the year. (This is a semi-cheat as I'm definetely doing a stall on Saturday any way).

4. Make up some kind of decent looking "press-pack" and email a couple of record labels and the Leeds Uni student paper.

5. Make 30 badges.

6. List 10 badges on etsy during October. (I've already started on this target as I've listed 2 already)

7. Enter the OWLS contest for October

The last target is not some kind of wierd bird-lovers code...I've joined an etsy team. It's very exciting! I'm now a proud member of the etsy OWLS team which stands for Off The Wall Ladies, but is also full of people who craft owls so I'm right at home. I'm not entirely sure what being in a team with be like, or what it means, but I do know that they blog at www.etsyoffthewall.blogspot.com, have a team shop which has items donated by each of the members at www.offthewall.etsy.com, and the team all promote each other in a friendly and usefull way. Hurrah I'm part of a community. And the exciting bit is that they set monthly challenges every member can take part in. I'm hoping that I'll be a fairly active OWL; I'm already worried that I'll somehow let the team down!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15871678

xxxx

Headingly Arts and Crafts Market

2008-09-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

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

x x x x

last of the summer

2008-09-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

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.

x x x

2008-09-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

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)

x x x

toochache

2008-09-18T02:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

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