JUST CRACKERS

JUST CRACKERS

Skull Necklace - Comf!

Heart Bookmark - Nintai Jewelly

No these things are not crackers, but will be in crackers on the festive table this year!

Every year my family try and make a home made cracker present for everybody around the dinner table, the cost is around £5.00, this necklace is for my teen niece to go in a cracker, and the heart bookmark is for my mum, I'll get the Sis-in law to get a couple and Mum to get a couple.

I have decided that I am at my up most going to make my own Christmas presents or buy all my presents from fellow crafters, artists on Folksy, and failing that on Etsy or from Other British crafting outlets.

We set ourselves a limit of £20ish on Christmas presents anyway, and have listed ideas below, if anybody comes up with ideas let me know.

Cracker Present

(has to fit in a Toilet roll, and can be fun, sexy, humours, get my drift...)

Husband Neil - No Idea! Reads, plays computer, loves tools

Brother Mark- No Idea! Loves Rugby, VW Caravans, and the shop Fatface!

Sis-in-law Jan (brothers wife) - Loves Jewellery, green & brown - £5 Earings?

Mum - Reads - HEARTBOOKMARK - DONE

Niece Bethany- Anything teenage, boys, skulls (Lucky!) - SKULL NECKLACE - DONE

Nephew Thomas- Loves Dinosaurs, Green, Yellow, PS - Thinking Finger Puppet?

Me -Anything!

Main Present - £20ish

Mum - Make-up/travel bag, yet more jewellery, clothes?

Sis-in Law - Jewellery , make-up bag

Niece - Skull 16" Cushion, one of mine in Pink & Blue (Easy!)

Husband - Thinking printed T-shirt?

Brother - Thinking Printed T-Shirt / VW Pic / ?

Nephew - Thinking printed T-shirt (see where I am going!!!)

Also like to point out Thomas my Nephew already has a pile of things made by me, but have yet to finish his stuffed felt letters, spelling his name, and every week he asks, 'when is Karen going to finish my name!' (as he can only spelt TOMS at the moment!)

Me - Anything.....

K x

LOLLIPOP CUSHIONS FROM SANTA!!

BY BLONDE DESIGN

Just uploaded these to folksy, country charm meets lollipop flowers! I have inherited my fathers very large stash of beautiful fabrics, from herringbone weaves to tweeds, all are ex-military, or quality suiting 100% wool fabrics, which would cost the earth to by in the right shop, all have have been stashed away in a trunk, and now take pride of place (admittedly a very large space, and they weigh a ton), in my fabric cupboard.

I knew I wanted to do smart cushions with these without trying to be to cheesy or them looking to dated, if you catch my drift. Perfect for cuddling up on the sofa in front of the fire and a mug of hot chocolate. If anybody else has any other ideas on what to embellish on the front, let me know, and if you come up with an idea I will use, I will send you your very own cushion!

I have priced them at £20 for the large ones and £15.00 for the smaller ones, I know I could go higher, because if I had brought the fabric, there wouldn't be a profit, but then I am less likely to sell more. Kx

I'm in the NewYork Daily Newspaper!!!!

This is an article from today's Friday NY Daily Newspaper, supplement. I guess it is the equivalent of the Evening Standard Friday supplement.

My Cushion made into the bottom right hand corner, and was told by the NYDailynews, it was the firm favorite, amongst the team, how exciting.

All I need now is for the article to bring footfall to my Etsy Shop!

I'm waiting with my sewing machine and overlocker at the ready...........

REGRETSY - HELEN KILLER

Helen Killers Comment

"And I like to think somebody broke your soldering gun before you could make any more of these"

http://www.regretsy.com/

I have stumbled upon this website/blog called regretsy, it is basically taking the rise out of some of the stuff produced on Etsy. The site even links you back to the item for sale on Etsy.

Etsy are aware of this and don't condemn it, as they think it brings sales and footfall!

And they are right, some of the objects, art, sewing and knitted items are just so WRONG!!

but they sell!

Some of the items, which I didn't even know existed, can be seen as risky or X rated to others, and as per Helen's heading; 'handmade - looks like you made it with your feet'.

Helen Killer's comments, underneath each item just adds to humour, I haven't laughed so much in weeks (this of course does depend on you having a warped sense of humour).

Kx

THINGS ARE ON THE UP!!

I'm so happy.

I have had a great week this week, and I just hope it carries on getting better! It may not seem much, but if I was to carry on selling the same amount each week, my sewing skills may just bring in a pre-Christmas little bonus to spend on presents or filling up the house with food and drink!

I have sold one of my Olive the coffee cosies through
Hunkydoryhome, 1 apron through blondedesign on folksy, some supplies of plain totes through my blondesbackyard on folksy, plus 2 of the 10" red and black skull cushions for a Christmas present through babyblondedesign on folksy, I almost sent them out only to see a comment that the little girl had a pink and black room! So I quickly emailed her to say I will make her 2 pink and black versions, and she is over the moon.

I was contacted by the New York Daily News last week, they are going to put the orange large cushion in an article! And she is going to send me a copy after.

So I am now almost out of skull cushions, and after having a light bulb moment, realise that if something sells well ~ keep making them!

Before I go, and catch up on everybody's blogs, thought I would show you my latest little make, teacup pincushion for sale on blondedesign on folksy & Etsy.
Last but not least....
At the end of the month I am going to do a giveaway of this lemon spot floral half apron...so watch out next week for a giveaway post where all you will have to do is write under the article and I will pull a name out of the hat. Kx

CUTE AND COOL BLOG STUFF

As you may have noticed I have gone from simple to downright over the top with my blog header and background, there is nothing like a total change, but you never know next week it could be different again! I could theme my backgrounds with my blog of the moment!!

This is all thanks to a blog site called Cute and Cool blog stuff , and has free stuff for you to use, some of the designs are amazing, she also does tutorials for those of us still trying to get our heads around HTML!
Anyway take a look you may just get yourself an idea, and it has now inspired me to start revamping my own blog with my designs (which will take me about a year!!)

Shabby Blogs is another blog who also has free downloads and ideas to get you going.

Happy Loves Rosie is just pure British Kitsch, the only way we can do it! And again she has blog banners for sale, and can also make one for you....

Last if you have still yet to work out your HTML codes to show a word which is then linked to another page, Bloggertipsandtricks shows you how easily.

Enjoy

BLONDE'S BACKYARD BIAS BINDING

VINTAGE 1" DOUBLE FOLD BIAS TAPE

MODERN FLORAL 1" BIAS TAPE

CHOCOLATE SPOTTY DOTTY 1" BIAS TAPE

All from BLONDE'SBACKYARD

I don't know if you are anything like me, but until now I have always shop brought my own bias binding tape, but find that now rather than using plain tapes on patterned fabrics, I want to venture out and use pretty, vintage or funky fabrics as the edging as a highlight and plain linens, calico's and cottons as the main piece of fabric.

I have started making chunky bias binding for my shop blondesbackyard, and next week hope to add daintier tape in 1/2" double fold or 1" in single fold.

Since I have started, I now realise how easy it is, and wish I had started sooner, but then every thing takes time, and for those who would rather spend time making something in the evening, than trying to make bias binding tape on top, keep an eye on what I put in the shop, you may just see some you want to use....

I went out and brought the tape makers but if you go to this wonderful blog by Lucy Bloom, she explains just how to do it without all the fuss, although she doesn't explain that the fabric has to be cut on the bias, 45 deg angle, otherwise you get twisting and how to join your pieces together to make one long piece of tape. I will add a tutorial to the site to show you how, but for now take a peek here CREATIVE LITTLE DAISY

I tested this out about half an hour ago, and it really does work, 100%, and she is right you don't even need to lift the iron off the board! so now I have no excuse for not having the correct width bias tape for my project, OK so it means now finding fabrics with wonderful small designs and prints as the larger designs don't work as well... oh well I'll just have to go fabric hunting:-)

K