me + studio + stuff + more fab etsy shops

Not sure about that look on my face or even what it seems to say! lol. Why do our faces never seem to look or say what we think they're going to when the pic is taken!! Can't believe I've actually put a pic of myself up here for the world to see! :) 

Yep it's me (and I seem to remember starting off my last post with much the same words!:)), how I look at the mo after a dubiously lucid moment during a bit of a funk! I decided I needed to cut it all off, and as you can tell that's what happened. No more beloved long bits in the front, but that's ok coz it's really easy to look after and it WILL grow back......eventually!  :)

I got my husband to do the deed with the clippers we use for his hair. Oh well, I used to wear it like this a few years back before I thought I'd like to have a proper style done by a proper hairdresser.

 

A very late Christmas pressie finally finished for my loverly sister Sandy over at Snapshots of Beauty.....long story, but, I do hope you like her sis.

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You know, I'm a very lucky and very grateful gal, and I try to remember and appreciate it as often as I can. Below are pics of my studio space before and after the work that my husband and I recently did on it. See previous post if you have the time.

So the poor old car is now living outside and he and I both have much more room in each of our allocated work areas! How exciting is that?! Also means much more room for the girrls on our Wednesday crafty get togethers!

I'm very lucky to have a dh that is a bit clever with a hammer & an electric drill etc and given that he's not a carpenter/builder, managed to take down walls and re-erect them to give me my lovely new space! Thank you so very muchly darling husband of mine. You're a treasure! Of course I helped quite a bit too dontcha know, so I figure I'm a wee bit of a treasure too!! lol.

Before

 

 after....with an extra 8x11ft-ish out into the garage. The shelves that were on the end of the old yellow table are now over on the side wall along with the air con.

This one also shows the two new retro tables mentioned in the last post too. and it's not as easy to see in this pic as I thought it would be, but hopefully you get the idea.

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Even though a lot of my time has been taken up with the changes to the studio, I managed to change one of these cross over tops into a simple cardy by cutting off the rib bit, (thus opening up the front) and then added some lovely vintage lace (thanks to the bestie Joolz!) to the hem of it. Shame I didn't have any more of the lace though coz I could have added it to the sleeves as they're 3/4 length. Still to decide whether or not to put some sort of button, loop, catch or closure on the front. Any thoughts lovely readers?

I have 3 of these all up, a black one as well as the two above, and intend doing similar things to the other two. Thanks again to my sister who passed them my way! and two of them have matching sleeveless tops to match. Love cardies!

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Two more lovely Etsy shops to promote....

The first is a very quirky and fun shop called tattaratscat. Great name for a start isn't it?!  :))

Evie handmakes all her goodies using beautiful fabrics and ethical principles....how can her shop not be good with those ideals? She specialises in Wunzies (onesies) and custom-made costumes and oh my don't they look great and fun?

 

           Wunzies for her and for him   Gorgeous Lolita JSK & Sweet Hello Kitty!

So if you're in the market for some fun one piece outfits or a fab costume for your next fancy dress up party.......you know where to go first!!   :)

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The second shop is such a gloriously colourful place to visit and it's called Wimcee. Apart from all that fantastic colour, the byline is enough to make you stop and smile really.....wimcee's whims and chickadees.  :))

Stephanie's shop announcement says "My clothing range for children, wimcee's chickadees, is buzzing with boho chic and woodland woo-hoo." ....and she's not wrong! I'm sure any kid would love to be seen out and about in Stephanie's creations! She also has other great and different things to look through and smile at including bunting, tote bags and journal covers.                                       

 

 Girl's gorgeous crocheted skirt..very fab patchwork boys shorts...Retro flag bunting.

Some fab ideas for gifts for anyone's children, for Christmas or birthdays or just any day really!

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So, there I have another blog post under the belt and I'll be back again next week! Can't get rid of me that easily you know!

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door! ~  Unknown (to me)

Doings and an Etsy promotion

Yep, it's me! Honest it is..... hello and hope you're all doing as well as can be expected!  :)

I've been keeping fairly busy of late and still trying to find that fine balance between home, life and creating. Sometimes I think I've got it by Jove, but then all of a sudden NUP I don't! Anyone else find this with themselves too? Quite frustrating dontcha know?!

Anyhow I thought I'd pop up a few pics of things that I've been working on over the last couple of months.

 

I still love to work on little birds and nests of course and along with one of my other loves, repurposing and recycling (especially kitchenalia), have created these little sweeties.

 

The top one is made with a silver baby spoon with one of those curled around handles. You know, the ones that are given many times as Christening gifts?

....and the second has been made with what I think is a vintage silver fish server. You can just see the holes under the nest if you look closely. I haven't quite finished this one....it needs a ribbon or something!

Both utensils are op shop finds of course.

Both nests have been made using waste from my sewing projects! It's amazing what can be used when you sit and think about it you know!  :)

 

More recycling and re-purposing with these two aprons....

 

....both from denim shorts (op shop) and my lace stash. I'm thinking they would be great as market aprons. These were fun and easy. I had a third using a denim skirt but tried to be too clever with the pocket (I've tried to incorporate both the back and the front of the skirt to make a clever pocket!) and it's taking a lot longer to nut it out. But it will get done!!

Now remember that huge yellow topped table I had? Well I found these fabbo retro kitchen tables at one of the local op shops(of course!), and decided they would make a great replacement. Yes I know the other table was a very good one but oh how I disliked that very glarey yellow, not that I don't like yellow, but one can only take so much expanse of yellow in one room!

But these still give me plenty of room to lay out fabric and chenille to cut out and I also get better options when it comes to placing them and trying to fit them around those awful cement posts that are used under highset houses.

Anyhoo, the dh and I have decided the car can now live outside and both he and I get more room in each of our work areas. Yay!! So we're going to move the wall you see in the background, back a few feet and I'll be able to sit the tables in a better formation, we'll finally have a designated laundry area and he gets a less cramped workshop for cutting out those lovely wooden blocks that seem to be so popular. Win, win and win situation wouldn't you say?

I must like to make tiny critters a lot, coz apart from the tiny nests, I now have a family of these gorgeous little dormice that I designed! I think I might be making up a pattern and templates for sale soon too. More about that later....

and, I also have tiny ordinary mice and elephants on the go too, all waiting to be finished. It's a veritable zoo here in downtown Clontarf!  :)

I've been finding new and lovely mags that I hadn't seen before.....two of them Australian publications. Go Aussies!

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ETSY SHOP PROMO

Last month I signed up to take part in a promotion for fellow Etsy Shops.It's being hosted by the lovely Denise over at her blog denthe.

It started last week, but of course I'm only just getting there! It runs for the month of May and I'm to promote 5 other Etsy shops in that time, and in turn 5 others again will promote me!

Apart from the post on my blog, I can also promote on my facebook page or my Pinterest page.

My first shop is DebiMDesigns. Deb works in mainly polymer clay and if you're looking for some very cute little whimsical dragon creatures, then this is the shop to go to!

Roxi - very sweet, and don't you think she looks like she's just begging you to give her a home?! Looks like expression to me!

Just look at all that work in this mosaic, using glass and polymer clay. Such patience!

Kellis - a very pretty pink dragonfly that comes in the frame! Noice Deb!

Deb also has a facebook page under DebiMDesigns.

I'll be back next week with another Etsy shop for you to go check out and some pics of something new I'm working on at the mo.

Now look at me go!.... Once I get started I seem to be able to babble on quite well don't I!? lol. It's getting me started that's the problem. Hmmmmm. 

Take care.   ♥

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.  ~  George Bernard Shaw