Small things

My plans for gift tags and cards have come to nothing. As another, far wiser, Etsy seller said recently: "This is not the time of year to be coming up with new products." Sigh...

So instead I've put some tiny little ceramic things in my shop. We're past the deadline for speedy international delivery, but I do know of people who have birthdays in January, and they're so often neglected.

Another printer!

Pics by HomeSweet

These gorgeous block printed textiles are by HomeSweet. She doesn't have an Etsy shop yet, but you can follow her progress to that end on her blog.

Just a random aside: is it 'blockprints' or 'block prints' or even 'block-prints'? I tend towards 'blockprints', but I'm Afrikaans and we just make up new words by running existing ones together.

Moonwalk

Can't turn your back for a second in this house. Bake a simple pudding, and someone has to decorate it.

Never noticed before, but our stove is labeled in two languages; it's old! And clearly South African.

Another thing that's South African is SA Rocks. Sarah from Babazeka is a contributor, and posted an interview with me. Thank you! It's a pretty cool site - there's even a recipe for Baccala.

I told Sarah that I'd have Christmas stuff in my shop this week. Um... I will. Today was just a complicated day. I walked to the Post Office twice, the second time because I'd forgotten the address for the thing I wanted to post the first time. Both times I walked past the bank and forgot to draw money. Spaced? I think so.

Buckets galore.

Yep, I spent Sunday sewing. This lot's off to my shop. (They do look like they're trying to get away.... Either that, or I've run out of brain, and interpreting the body language of buckets is a first misstep into the chasm of cuteness. Or alliteration. Which might be worse.)

Of Ghitties and Kukus

print by Mizu Designs

Look what I got! Such a sweet print from Mizu Designs. I won it by coming up with the title "But I want that one..."

Now I just have to make sure my 18 month old niece doesn't see it. Her favourite things in the whole world are ghitties (kitties) and kukus (birds). This print will send her over the edge.

Reflecting

Pocket mirrors, now in my shop. Each mirror comes with a sweet little printed pouch to protect it.

I found a great article on what it takes to be really good at what you do*, and it fitted very neatly with something I've noticed in the CraftSanity podcasts: all the people interviewed have been doing some form of what they're doing now since childhood.

A friend's daughter once phoned me for advice about a school project. We discussed stencils and paper-mache and things for a while, getting quite excited, and then she asked me where she could get the supplies. I had no real clue... I think that's the first time I realised that not everyone has a stash of old cardboard boxes, newspapers, and three different kinds of glue at home.

*found via A Dress A Day

Must have been asleep...

Left to right, top to bottom: uncorked, bubbletime, devotees, MiaBeads, shecological, thepairabirds

My things have been on the front page of Etsy a few times recently, thanks to all the sellers above! Of course I missed each and every one of these, but thanks to a great Flickr group called Etsy Front Pagers (found via Flowerpress) I was able to track them down. To say thank you I've made my own version of a treasury with some of my favourites from their shops... there's a lot more where those came from, so scoot on over to do some shopping.

Another place you should scoot over to, right now, is CraftSanity. I can't remember how I found it, but I've been listening to the podcasts while inking illustrations, losing all track of time. Fascinating interviews with crafters; interesting questions, interesting answers, and really nice people. My studio doesn't feel like such a lonely place anymore.

Bean bag(s)

Ever been silly enough to buy one of those vinyl bean bag chairs sold at the side of the road? Then you'll know how they droop as the poystyrene balls inside compress... After a year or so they're good for nothing but tripping over as you stagger towards the back door with arms full of laundry.

We have two of these things taking up space. I could have thrown them out, and I could have thrown out the green curtains from our old flat. But then what would I have used to make this seat - I mean, dog bed?

(I downloaded the pattern for a bean bag chair from here.)

Print basics

I can't seem to get enough of seeing how the same block can look so different, depending on the texture it's printed on.

Production line

Phew! And still not done...

(Sorry if this published twice - I'm still not good at typing while holding a teacup.)

Yardwork

Green Standing Waves by Yardwork

I thought my fabrics were time-consuming to make, but they're a snap compared to these beautiful book cloths by Etsy seller Yardwork. Read all about how they're made in her shop profile.

The process is only part of the attraction - it's the gorgeous colours and designs that keep me looking at them over and over again.

(Found via Scoutie Girl.)

Knitted Fish

photo by geolady

At the craft meeting on Saturday Christie casually mentioned that she'd knitted a fish. Don't you love knitters?

The pattern is for sale on Ravelry, and proceeds will be donated to Cordova District Fishermen United’s Scholarship Fund (www.cdfu.org) to support the education of fishermen and their families

New market

Our little suburb of Observatory has a new weekly market!


Every Thursday from around 4-ish at the Community Centre. (Don't be too punctual... Obs is still a slow place.)


Yum yum yum!

In other shopping news, I've started listing yesterday's fabric storage buckets in my shop.

(And if you want to make something similar, check out vlijtig's beautifully clear tutorial.)

Craft meeting

Craft meeting this coming Saturday at The Book Lounge in Roeland Street, Central Cape Town, from 2:30 pm. They have coffee, tea, cakes and air conditioning!

Possibly the last one of the year, because December is - well, it's December. You know how it is.

Links

Swallow by flox

Found these beautiful stencilled birds by flox on the Aroha Lamour website, which I found via the sunday project (lots of exciting stuff happening there too - check out her archives for a brilliant postcard campaign - such a clever way to contact people).

Also via Aroha Lamour, fabric designs by Leanne Culy.

Lampshades by Leanne Culy

Not only lampshades, cushions too. I want to stencil! I want to make cushions! I want to make stencilled cushions!

I had this week planned like an intricate military campaign, but I'm need of sleep... overslept by about 3 hours yesterday, and despite that have come down with a cold today. Bleh.

Snappy

Apologies to vegetarians, but I just couldn't let the presence of an octopus' beak in our kitchen this weekend go undocumented.