Area Thrifty One

17 Days...

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:22:00 +0000

... to go until my biggest Christmas event! Finally finished my pile of zipper pouches/coin purses/pencil cases so now it's on with the softies.

When I'm making a big batch of rabbits or cats or dolls, I seem to spend a lot of time with a basket of limbs next to me. I save all the stuffing and turning bits throughout the day, then I can spend the evening simultaneously chilling out and being productive. Tonight I think I'll stuff rabbit legs while watching Demetri Martin which is a more innocent evening than it sounds.

Monda loves is getting ready for two big Christmas craft fairs so why not pop by and check out her lovely birds.

Behind Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Last Friday, I fully intended to sit down and write a post about my newly finished stack of pencil cases and coin purses. Then go on to chat about a big upcoming Christmas event I'm involved in. I was going to start off a kind of countdown so I could set goals, keep track of how I was doing, keep motivated, forge a solidarity with other crafters out there getting ready for a busy holiday season. Please let me know in the comments about which events you're involved in, either online or off - it would be great to know what others are doing.

So, here I am, three days late... and my stack of zip pouches is looking like this:

So very nearly finished, but not quite. Real life intervened (as it does, tsk), and I got behind schedule. Setting impossible goals is my modus operandi, so it's not usual for me to do a last minute creative editing of my to do list so that I can feel better about my progress. So, instead of starting last Friday, I'll start today:

19 days left to finish making stock for a Christmas event that will last for 9 days. That's a lot of sewing, better get going... unless I want to have a creatively edited to do list, simply displayed on a minimal empty table, amid a sea of fairy lights and Christmas shoppers...

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:51:00 +0000

This week I managed to finish up these little ladies:

... and these little ladies:

... but these bashful little guys are still waiting for me to make them some trousers:

... I'll make them soon, I promise!

Workbox Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:33:00 +0000

This falls under the "things I should have blogged about ages ago but I was crazy busy with summer craft fairs" category. Check this out:

It's the October/November issue of Workbox Magazine and it has a double page article about me and my work! It's a nice article, about how I came to be making my guys. It was weird having someone ask loads of questions about my process and then reading about myself, but weird in a good and very flattering way.

(If only the article didn't boast one of the most unflattering pictures of my face I've ever seen - seriously. My husband collapsed in uncontrollable laughter when he saw the photo, honestly, Awkward Family Photos has nothing on this.)

What's going on?

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:11:00 +0000

Well, some new fabric came through my post box yesterday:

and today I've been embroidering 13 noses on 13 small rabbits:

and now I'm trying to sneek back to blogging by pretending that I've never been away...
... is it working?

Pirates Ahoy!

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +0000

1. Children Across the Sea--Volland--Janet Laura Scott-Book Cover, 2. Whales, 3. Shiver my timbers!, 4. Vintage Kidnapped Book Cover--Pirates, 5. Pirates of the Mexican Riviera, 6. "Pirate Story" from A Child's Garden of Verses, 7. Pirates, 8. Vintage Game Illustration, 9. Vintage Pirate!

Staycation

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Recently we had a staycation. It feels a bit like cheating on the staycation rules when we live in a holiday destination, but when you live somewhere you tend to keep to the same daily patterns and not look up at all the great stuff you have around you.
So we had absolutely no traffic delays, waiting for flights, or stressful squeezing things into suitcases. We just got ourselves a bit of beach time, a little history, a little sun, and lots of ice cream - it was the best holiday I've had in years!

New Guys in the Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:26:00 +0000

I try hard to make sure my toys work as objects to be played with, imagined with and loved, as well as being objects that make beautiful additions to the home. This retro inspired dinosaur does all those jobs. He is so soft and lovely and he stands up by himself so he looks great popped on a bookshelf or side table. His circles and ridges are made from fabric designed by me, so he is extra-specially one of a kind.

This little rabbit is so cuddly, the linen I used to make her is so soft and my favourite shade of chocolate brown. Remember a while ago I rambled on about my favourite new fabric print? Well, this rabbits dress is made from the green version of that print - so fresh, simple and stylish.

I've made a new range of little coin purses, to help "take care of the pennies". Only one is available in the shop at the moment, as the others are all on my market stall, but there will be more added to the shop in the near future. This purse features an applique of a little patchwork lion. It is such a great size for coins - its only 11cm (4") square but keeps all your change together and easy to find. Also, a great size for little ones to store precious pocket money.

... OK, shameless promotion over...

Little Bird

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:07:00 +0000

all images used with permission
1. seaside donkey ride, 2. miss yum yum, 3. constellation boy, 4. Lets Go Fly A Kite
These amazing images are the work of Joanna, an illustrator who sells her limited edition prints on etsy. A range of beautifully soft organic tee shirts screen printed with her designs are available on her website Little Bird by Post.

I absolutely love the gentle colours that Joanna uses, and the vintage inspired imagery really reminds me of one of my favourite illustrators, Mary Blair. I ordered one of the Little Bird tee shirts for a friends newborn baby and it arrived so quickly and with such a lovely selection of little freebies - balloons and stickers - simple things that kids love. The whole of Joanna's tee shirt business is based on the concept of respect - being respectful to children by not covering them in inappropriate slogans or adverts, and being respectful to the environment by using only organic cotton and water based inks. You can read more about Little Bird here.

Joanna shares glimpses of her sketchbooks on her Flickr photostream so you can have a peek into her working process, and have a peek behind the scenes at her blog Little Bird Twitterings. Best of all she lives really near me! A fellow Jersey Etsyian! Yay!

Genuine Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:37:00 +0000

I live on the island of Jersey, between the south coast of England and the north coast of France.

Jersey has long been famous for it's agriculture, the Jersey Royal is the king of potatoes Gordon Ramsay is a big fan and Jamie Oliver cooked some up for the Obamas. The Jersey Cow is prized all over the world for it's superior milk (I was always very pleased that a Jersey Cow makes an appearance in Anne of Green Gables ). Jersey has other things to offer too, stunning beaches, breathtaking cliff walks, an abundance of red squirrels and plenty of talented artists and craftspeople.

The Genuine Jersey group was formed in 2001 in order to promote the very best that Jersey has to offer. Only produce that has been grown or reared on the island and products created by accredited members are allowed to carry the "Genuine Jersey" logo. I'm very pleased to have been accepted as a member of Genuine Jersey, so if you happen to visit this lovely island drop by one of the many Jersey Farmer and Craft markets and say hello to me.

Soggy Gazebo

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Yesterday evening started like this:

a busy, bustling craft market with lots of exciting food stalls and live music. Then it got all British:

and it rained and it rained and it rained. The kind of persistant rain that has everyone saying "it'll stop in a minute", "it's just a passing shower", "it's clearing up over there, look", but it never does.

Frantically rearranging stock to keep it dry, my ridiculous trousers soaking up the water puddling round the edges of my gazebo and my feet turning lurid green from my hilarious flip-flops - weirdly, this generated some sort of buying frenzy at my gazebo. Then it all got a bit too soggy and the whole market packed up early.

I've just written a blog post about the weather - that's definitely gone all British. The point was meant to be that if you do a craft market and get stuck in a downpour don't panic. Just make sure you keep your stock safe and keep smiling at people. My hands-down favourite source of tips for a regular craft stall is Fluffy Flowers series "How to set up a Craft Booth at a weekly Farmer's Market". The summer is pretty much here so if there's a local Farmers and Craft Market near you go and get yourself a pitch - it's brilliant!

Thinking Talking and Doing...

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:12:00 +0000

That's what today has been, so far. Though more thinking and talking and less doing... so a bit more doing later tonight, hopefully! These guys are on my work table today:

They will be turtle and snail zipper pouches. I love this stage where all the main shapes are blocked in and waiting for the details. If I'm working on a new design this is exactly the moment when I can tell whether or not it's going to work.

The thinking today has been about "business direction" and all those plates that need to stay spinning in the air. I really need one of those "experts" that you get on the TV that go through your whole life and sort you out, some kind of House Doctor/Alvin Hall/Gillian McKeith hybrid. (Come to think of it, that sounds terrifying!)

Thank goodness for having someone to talk to. Beverley came over to chat about craft business stuff today. It helps so much to talk to a "real life" person doing a similar thing, online friends are fantastic but meeting up with someone to talk about sewing machines, taxes, and the school run makes a real difference to morale. Oh, and this book is very helpful too for craft business advice, though some of it is only US relevant, I'm always coming back to it and it's very helpful.

Blogging - What's it all about?

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:06:00 +0000

This blog has been wavering dangerously close to abandonment lately. Not intentionally, you understand. It's just that blogging keeps slipping further and further down my "to do" list.

Why is that? Partly, it's the old chestnut that the busier the blogger, the quieter the blog. Partly something to do with the distraction of Twitter. Partly the fact that I have become hopelessly disorganised. So now it is time to take action. Time to pull myself together, ask myself some questions, write a few lists...

Why did I start blogging?
To connect with other people doing the same thing - other crafters, other toymakers, other work from home mothers, other people who sew.

What do I like so much about the blogs that I like so much?
I like a regular glimpse into someone else's world, and hearing about the interesting things they are doing. I like seeing pictures of crafty, homely, beautiful things that other people are making. I love to see other people "nesting" and peeking at their homes. Sometimes, I like a piece of solid, useful information, but also I like chatty stuff (as long as it's relevant to the blog's main theme).

photo credit: Phil Regan

Why am I blogging this list instead of using a piece of paper?
Because this way I hope to kick start the regular blogging process. Also, now I've publicly promised to be a better blogger so I'll have to try to keep my promise instead of losing my piece of paper.

photo credit: Phil Regan

What does the future hold for the blog "Area Thrifty One - Scraps of my Life"?
Based on my answers to the above questions, there will be:

More 'work in progress' posts, perhaps some pictures from my sketchbooks too. I think it's time to let go of the paranoia I've had about showing the world my working process.
More posts about 'round the house' stuff. We rearrange our house quite often, and bicker over prints on the walls, how to organise the books, etc. I like reading this kind of real life interiors stuff on other blogs.
There will still be links to interesting, useful and inspiring things that I find around the internet.
Occasionally, there will be a tutorial or two and probably the odd giveaway.
More frequent posts.
Lots of great pictures.

Thanks so much for reading, especially as you pretty much just read a "to do" list, which isn't the most exciting thing in the world. If you have any tips on keeping up your blogging momentum, I'd love to hear them.

What would Benita Larsson Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Everything has been driving me crazy lately. I'm naturally clumsy so when the house starts to get out of control it really stresses me out, I'm falling over everything at the moment. I pull out a piece of fabric and the contents of a shelf fall on me. I open the "thread drawer" and it's full of zips and rulers and absolutely no thread. This picture might not show the extent of the chaos, but it is chaotic, believe me. Everything needs a really good sort out but where to start?

So I turned to Flickr for some inspiration and there I found Benita Larsson of Chez Larsson. Oh my, have you ever seen such a fantastic home? So restful, so beautiful and so perfectly organised. Just a quick glimpse will be enough to make you want to turn out your kitchen drawers, or paint something white. Check out Benita Larsson's Flickr photostream here, her blog here and find Benita's Top 10 Organising Tips here.

My first challenge is my sewing room. I've made a great start at clearing it out, the whole time reminding myself of Benita's phrase "Edit, edit, edit". It's amazing how much stuff I've allowed to build up and I'm not even much of a hoarder. Hopefully, I'll soon have some "after" images to show off!

Pretty Fabrics

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:55:00 +0000

I've been a bad blogger lately, but I'm hoping that some eye candy will go a little way towards making you forgive me. Look what the postman bought today:

Every once in a while I find a fabric which is completely perfect, from the scale of the print to the tone of the colour and the texture of the fabric. I just fall head over heels in love, everything about that fabric is just "right". The minute I opened the parcel I was totally in love with the red on white print in the foreground, it's from P&B Textiles, it's available in blue and green too. Normally blue would be my first choice but this red spoke to me. I wish I had some kitchen soft furnishing that needed doing. This fabric would be everywhere - covering stools, hanging in the window, probably a table cloth, find a way to turn it into oilcloth and line shelves with it... the list is endless. What's your most recent "perfect" fabric?

Upcoming Events 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:38:00 +0000

Come and see my and my work at these events throughout 2009:

May
Saturday 16 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Saturday 30 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

June
Thursday 4 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Thursday 18 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 13 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Saturday 27 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Wednesday 17 June - Sunday 5 July Bromham Mill, Bedford (more info)

July
Thursday 2 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 11 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Sunday 12 - Durell Day Jersey (more info)
Thursday 16 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 25 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

August
Saturday 8 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Thursday 13 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 22 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Thursday 27 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 29 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

September
Saturday 5 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Thursday 10 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 12 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Thursday 24 - Weighbridge Place Jersey 4-8pm
Saturday 26 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

October
Saturday 10 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Saturday 17 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

November
Saturday 7 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Saturday 21 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm
Saturday 28 - Victorian Market (venue TBC)

December
Saturday 12 - Spirit of Christmas, Royal Square, Jersey
Saturday 13 - Spirit of Christmas, Royal Square, Jersey
Saturday 19 - St Aubins Market Jersey 9am-2pm

Liberation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:10:00 +0000

Hello! I'm still here! Been away from blogging for so long because it's been crazy busy but I think I'm in the "eye of the storm" now - so time for a quick catch up.

photo credit: Phil Regan
This weekend we've been celebrating Liberation Day here in Jersey, every May 9th we remember the liberation of the island from Nazi occupation at the end of the Second World War. This years celebrations were truly amazing, with parades, speeches, re-enactments and a big open air market.

photo credit: Phil Regan
I have honestly never pitched my stall at such a massively busy event. Usually there are peaks and troughs in the crowd, but there were just no troughs at all - the people kept coming. There were solid crowds the whole day, I even got a little freaked out at some moments because there were just so many people! It was a lot of fun and surprisingly emotional at times.

photo credit: Phil Regan
Right, better get back to that sewing machine, via a mountain of boring admin jobs. The shops are looking a little empty just now but I promise to restock as soon as I can!

Snail's Pace

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Sewing progress is soooo slooooww during the school holidays, but I am still pottering away. New applique pouches are creeping along on my sewing table. There are all animal images and I'm using my Spoonflower fabrics for some of the details.

I'd really like to get something finished... but it is lots of fun spending the day building camps, going to the park, and playing hide and seek.

The Enormous Turnip

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:18:00 +0000

The idea was simple and beautiful, at first. All the children were to come to school dressed as a character from a book. My son's class is the youngest in the school and they have been having "Elmer Week" so we were asked to send them dressed in bright colours just like Elmer "unless you have another book character you really want to dress as" - which is where it all fell apart. You see, my boy doesn't want to dress up as a patchwork elephant, he wants to dress up as (drumroll please) The Enormous Turnip...

If there are any other mothers out there who need a high-speed, no-cost solution to making their child look like a turnip, here is how we did it (this can be adapted to any vegetable that takes your child's fancy):

Brown paper bag, large sheets of paper, pipe cleaners, reference material. The pipe cleaners were completely essential, if you don't have any to hand some of that thin garden wire would probably do a similar job.

The leaves are the key to the whole thing, I cut out three pairs of leaves and taped the pipe cleaners in a vein-like shape to three of the leaves. This gave the leaves some structure and meant we could give them a graceful arching shape(!) instead of having them just flap down. Green paper would have speeded things up but I didn't have any, so I set Sam to work:

Paint would have made this job much faster, but I was worried about soaking the tape that held the pipe cleaners on, and I'd gone to far to turn back and start again, and there was a bolognese sauce needing my attention in the kitchen...

Once decorated and with a pipe cleaner 'skeleton' in place, glue the pairs of leaves together. So there are three leaves, each with pipe cleaners sandwiched in the middle. I made an inch long cut in the base of each leaf, at the middle point, making two small flaps. I folded one forwards and one backwards giving the leaf a small stand at its base.

I cut a quick face hole out of the bag (tip: you can find the right size for the hole by making your child stand with a paper bag on their head while you poke them lightly in the face asking 'is this your chin?' 'Is this your eyebrow?' and marking with a pencil).

Adding the leaves to the main vegetable head took a bit of patience (it would help to not have pasta boiling over in the background as you do this). I found the best way was to use lots of small pieces of parcel tape to get everything in the right place while Sam wore the bag. Then remove the bag and thoroughly tape everything on as securely as you can.

Next morning, get your child to dress in the colour of the vegetable they are pretending to be, add the bag/leaf/hat and bend the pipe cleaners to add a gentle arching shape to the foliage. Then stand proudly at the edge of the playground as you watch your turnip running around with a group of colourful elephants.

Fun with Glasses

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Today, I found a pair of glasses and so we all went on an imaginary trip to the library. This Rabbit likes books, he thinks they are very interesting...

...and this Cat likes the library very much. She loves being able to read and learning all kinds of new things from books...

...This Rabbit is fed up, she has had enough of the library and would like to go to the shops now please.

Happy Mother's Day fellow Geek Mums

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Today is Mother's Day in the UK - Yay! I got a lie-in, a beautiful handmade card, a campanula plant and a packet of chocolate biscuits that are firmly "for sharing".

Talking of mothers, I did enjoy reading this article about Geek Mums. It's pretty similar to how I wandered on-line and found this amazing community of bloggers and crafters. If you're reading this, then it's very likely that you are a Geek Mum too.

Happy Geeky Mother's Day everyone!

Plushapalooza!

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:44:00 +0000

There's a Plushapalooza coming to a computer screen near you! What's a Plushapalooza? Why it's only an incredibly exciting event, where you can view some amazing soft creatures, meet the people behind the plush and explore deeper into the realms of Etsy, and you can do all this in your pyjamas if you like!

Come to the Etsy Labs at 3pm EST (that's 7pm GMT fellow Brits) on 24 March. You can get to the Etsy Labs here. Then just click on the Gallery room - don't be scared - I was at first, but there isn't any need to be - it's fun. (you do need to be logged into Etsy to get in, by the way).

Once inside, you might see my face (don't let that scare you either!) and the faces of some other members of the Etsy Plush Street Team.

We'll be live via webcam to talk plush, soft sculpture, and stuffed toys. We won't be able to see you though, just your avatar, so as I said, dress code is as casual as you like...

We'll show you a soothing, rhythmically changing parade of plush creatures, three at a time, and you can ask the makers questions and get answers straight away. If you especially like someone's work, you can click through to their shop and browse around at your leisure.

(left to right images property of: Emily Follow the White Rabbit, Weirdbuglady, Squirrel Momma)

If you've never been in a virtual lab before this is a great opportunity to try it out in the company of one of the softest and cuddliest Etsy Teams ever.

Get me! I won an award!

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Remember I was telling you that I had a stand at a local Textile Showcase? Well, I only went and won the award for Best Newcomer! Woo-Hoo! The competition was judged by textile artist Diane Bates who was very complimentary about the finish of my work.

My very talented friend Beverly won Best Soft Furnishings, and she has a new website going live any day now, so I'll post the link as soon as it's ready. Her work with folk art applique is seriously amazing.

Vintage Sewing Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:26:00 +0000

Look what arrived in the post recently:

I bought these gorgeous 70's sewing patterns from Bec's Etsy Shop BeckyBean. They are in such good condition, one of them hasn't even been cut. I think that there will be a lot of 70's style dresses turning up at birthdays this year - I have so many small nieces to make things for.

Bec also included some beautiful fabrics from cool Aussie designers and some lovely buttons - thanks so much Bec, it was a very exciting parcel! The absolute best bit about this purchase, though, was that all proceeds go to the Handmade Help Bushfire Appeal. So, if you'd like a really cool retro pattern to make yourself some great outfits head over to BeckyBean, while you're there check out the stunning, vintage inspired handbags designed and handmade by Bec and her sister Jade.

Little Red Riding Hood

noreply@blogger.com (Net) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Here's some more pictures of one of my newest animals. I've been working on a mini-series of rabbits as characters from Grimms Fairy Tales. This is Little Red Riding Hood:

I'm very proud of her removable cloak with the special gap which allows her ears to pop up and enjoy the gentle breeze on her walk through the forest.

And the shoes... oh the shoes were fun: a double layer of felt, all hand stitching and teeny tiny button shapes cut from the same trimming used for the cloak. Those little circle details on the shoes are my favourite bit of the whole outfit.

Pictures of the other Fairy Tale guys are coming soon!