Props Award!

Well I have just spent the afternoon photographing a 'haep o' shtoff' for the Etsy shop. Long overdue.

Much as I love taking photos, and trying to do them well, I'm always putting off doing the shop photos. I guess its the old notion of better to not do something than fail to do it perfectly- serious problem of mine, which I am addressing but...

Anyhow with the idea of adding verisimilitude to the photos I assembled a cast of thousands to aid the artsy-fartsyfication thereof...well, hundreds...well, put it this way, I scoured the flat to find items which looked like genuine props rather than just junk left on the counter!

And so, since we are entering Award Season here is my

Props Award Acceptance Speech:

'I'd like to thank my Apple and my Orchid, my Granny's Vase and Gardening Book.

I'd like to thank Youngest for not nicking all my cheapo bangles and leaving me one bead necklace (I'd like the rest back please)

and Home base for having a sale on tea-light holders at the weekend wave.

I'd also like to thank my lovely Address Book and Biro for being such good sports during a long and gruelling afternoon: I wouldn't be here without you kiss kiss.

And most of all I'd like to thank my millions of readers for putting up with

this preposterous guff sob sob.

Thank you!'

So whaddya think? Will I make it as a star???

Or just an eejit?!

Aren't the ridiculous posts the most fun to write?

Of Neckerchies and Lurid Cabins

This was meant to be a wha'ja'me scarf...eternal? everlasting? infinity- that's the one!
But I over estimated the amount of wool in the ball, or, to be more exact, under-estimated the woggledyness of it.
I just bought the one ball because I liked it, without considering what I would use it for- story of my life!!
So it turned out to be a Neckerchie...but I doubt anyone calls them that any more either. Dear me, my English has really gone to pot...

Anyhow, its a short neck scarf, or draft excluder, if you'd rather, with a button pin to fasten it closed. It sits nice and close, and the woggledy wool has crocheted into a lovely soft tweedy effect, as you can see. As soon as I can grab a gargoyle I'll take photos and post it in the Shop.

Actually, have you had a look at the 'New In' section? Its beginning to look nice and Springish!
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I feel a Log Cabin Quilt coming on, and, since its bally-yonks since I made one, I think I will succumb to the yearning!



Bold colours, I feel, something outrageous...possibly even quite lurid!



...red perhaps? I got a new packet of red dye on Friday which is also calling to me...and some fabulous purple hand-dyed fabric from Vicki which is eating holes in my imagination...



How does Purple and Red grab yez?



Do tell, O Sageous Ones?!

Shop SALE! and a New Treasury

How is it that some weeks nothing exciting happens, and other weeks are a constant scramble?

This week I have scarcely been at home, so everything is in a right pickle. And what does one do when the chores are calling desperately for attention?

One decides to have a Shop SALE ! Working out the reductions was a bit hit and miss, my Maths not being of the most accurate, but if you want to stock up on girly presents and Christmas decorations, hurry on over!

I've a bunch of new items made, just waiting to be listed, so I though I would do a bit of a Spring Clearout! Not that there's anything Spring-ish about our weather- howling gale, snow on the hills, and lashing rain and sleet...EEEUGH!

And if shopping isn't your thing but you fancy some eye-candy, have a look at my new Treasury- Homespun Hearts and Happiness. I had great fun the other evening making it!

S'long folks!

Festive Napkin Rings and Special Offer!

Welcome to this Friday's Crafts! I thought I'd do something quick and easy today, partly as its been a long and busy day for me! Part of this morning was spent in School teaching a class of 6/7 year olds to play hand bells to accompany their song in the Carol Service...great fun...please pass the ear plugs?

For the Napkin Rings I used 12" pipe cleaners, or chenille sticks, as they appear to be called nowadays, and some funky beads. I don't expect you'll all have the time to rush away to South Africa to get similar beads, but never mind about that!

The size of the beads will probably dictate how many you string onto one pipe cleaner, also, whether you want to conceal the pipe cleaner, or have part showing, as I did.

I bent the pipe cleaner into two loops, pushing one end into a middle bead...

...and then the other end into the same bead...but the two ends can easily go into different beads if you want a wider ring. By pushing the ends into beads, I covered the ends of the wires, which I was afraid might catch on the napkins and snag threads...an important consideration as I intend using the good damask at Christmas.

An alternative Napkin Ring decoration is to twist greenery around a pipe cleaner...

...then loop the pipe cleaner into the correct size...

tuck in the ends...

and twine some beads or sparkles around everything.
You'll notice here that I actually ended up with the Ring too small for all the extra bits I added, so be sure not to do the same. Beads actually take up more of the middle space than one thinks.
Also, greenery won't keep between now and Christmas, so that would add to the last minute jobs.

Finished Napkin Rings!

I thought that as a December Special I would offer a couple of 'freebies' to anyone buying from my Etsy Shop during December, so I've put a notice to that effect in the Shop.

But then I thought that since you, my long suffering Followers, are there for me all the year round, you should have something extra!

So for any Followers buying anything at all from my Shop between now and the New Year, as well as the other things, I'll include one of my Crochet Brooches as well.

(Please remind me that you are a Follower when buying, so you get everything!)

Howzat for bribery and corruption!!

(Would I make a good Politician???????)

'Tee Hee!' as Ladydi would say...!!!

Thankful Thursday

I don't know what happened to Thursday of last week...perhaps it never arrived here? However since I do believe that today is another chance at a Thursday, here be my Thankfuls!

1. Thankful that Dilly continues with her cheerful outlook, despite walking slap into a lamp-post and then tumbling down the theater staircase yesterday. Bruises on bruises, she says!

2. Thankful for an enjoyable morning's teaching yesterday. The children were ummm, interesting, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

3. Thankful for more bright, sunny weather- cold enough, but things are really growing and the May is out. (I'll take some photos later to show you.)

4. Thankful for a sale in my Etsy shop yesterday! Yippee! (Does one sale every six months make me a viable business woman???!) Its so nice when it happens.

5. Thankful for Coca-Cola when you just gotta keepa goinga but are feeling like a five-day-old-bowl-of-cold-sloppy-mouldy-porridge...

I think I'll take the dogs and the camera for a bit of a walk and see what I can see now, the wind is rising and they love running with the wind in their ears!

Sunrise, Sunset

Just LOOK what arrived in the post yesterday!

THANK YOU Kat for the prize! and THANK YOU Jane for the Buttliscious Artuluoso!

Do I love it or DO I LOVE IT!!

Thank you so much people!

And on the very same day...

an apron made just for ME by Diana! Its wonderful! Thank you so much!

Double sided, no less, one for polite and one for work!

Lovely sun today- good opportunity for a roll, Bertie!

Been knitting a lot this week- very useful when my head is not in a 'happy place', as Dilly would say.

New item in the shop:
And some eye candy:

Thank you for bearing with me this week- I really appreciate your continued visits, especially when I'm giving nothing of myself. Hopefully next week will be better.

Hecklers Ahoy!

Ok I know you've seen this photo I took at Rosses Point beach before but...Tricia gave me some ideas for the Shop at the weekend, sooo, I've used this photo to make a new banner and rewritten my little intro thing. If you have a moment PLEASE visit the Shop and then tell me what you think? I'd really appreciate it.

And now for the results of the Inspiring Music Challenge! Tan-ta-ra-ta-ra!!
Here's the links you all suggested if you're interested?

Heckety- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poaXgXQmdIo

Amanda- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkT07TP-mo

Kat- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xJICYvprKQ

Candi- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nb2xf6ZZm0

Diana- Birdsong and silence

Ruth- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2RG94YuAw

And an extra from Dilly, just for fun…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1JzCDqt3BM&feature=related (but don't tell Kat, she might freak out?)

We are all so different! That in itself is an inspiration, I think.

I thoroughly enjoyed your favourites, thank you, and have listened to all of them! Since there were just five I'm going to post you each an envelope for fun! I think Candi and Diana's are the only addresses I am missing? So if you email me, or message me in 'facebook' with your address I'll post them near the end of the week that's in it!

I'm glad the weekend is over although it was enjoyable. I got up in the night to tidy up as I was too tired to sleep, and it was lovely getting up to a clean kitchen! I hoovered after everyone was awake this morning ...so now we are back to normal, even though I ache all over and the eczema on my hands is ferocious.
BBug is 15 in April, and Dilly 21 in May...poor planning on some one's part to have all the birthdays together, I've always thought- and NO! your comments are NOT INVITED on that subject...mumble mumble mumble...besides, sometimes the Hub reads this!

Minimalist? or Boring?

D'you know what? With all the lovely comments yous have been leaving me this week especially, I'm becoming the most inflated head this side of the Irish Sea! Its very kind of you all and I really appreciate it!

I especially love when a sort of repartee arises in the Comments of a post- it amuses me, and also it somehow draws the big wide world in a little. Is that selfish? For instance yesterday I discovered that Jane gets her buttons from Ruth whom I just discovered, and she's here in Limerick! How 'small world' is that? (sing together now- 'It's a small world after all, Its a small world after all...small,small,world!')

And another thing...
(whilst I'm on the subject of Connections)
(yeh, yeh, there always is 'another thing')
...if Amanda thinks I'm a bad influence, Jingle is WORSE!
There's me all chuffed with myself for starting a facebook site, and then I visit Jingle and she had a 'fan page widget' so, not to be outdone, I trundle off to get me one of them yokes too! Which is all very well, but somehow, on the information section I managed to get NIGERIA into my location???? Hours later (and much blue air) I still hadn't got rid of it, so when BBug returned from town she finally managed to ditch it!
Ok, so I'm not saying Jingle is responsible for my stupidity, buuuuut, if she hadn't had such a cool fan widget....
And do join if you feel so inclined!

Now, here's what I wanted to ask yez-

These are three of the photos I retook for my Etsy shop:
...A Red Wall-hanging or Table-topper...

...A 'junk collection' Handbag...

...and another Wall-hanging or Table-topper.

But what about this Handbag- is it too boring? Should I decorate it somehow? And if so, with what? Beads? Buttons? Ruffles or cotton lace?? I really need to know- the fabric isn't corduroy but its quite heavy so its a fairly solid piece.
This is the other side.
So do I stay with minimalist or do I add something? Opinions please??

PIP Friday!

PIP? Projects In Progress!

I remembered this 'Jungly' quilt top and am going to batt, back, quilt and bind it!

Sleeveless pullover for me; I've been wearing the same one all winter and its getting a bit thin.

More Brooch Pins for the Etsy Shop- I uploaded two collections of them yesterday. Its such fun playing with-oops! CHOOSING buttons for the middles!

Also, FYI (!!) I got these buttons and the metal brooch clasps from NiceDaySupplies on Etsy, and the speed with which Ruth packed and posted my order was amazing to behold!

The Hub forgot his workplace Swipe card this morning so there was a mournful phone call at 8am asking me to deliver it after taking BBug to school. It was a glorious morning so, stuck in traffic on the Bridge I was looking to see what small boats were in the estuary and noticed there was a ship in the Port. After giving the Hub his card I went down to have a look:

I think they were loading metal re-cycling:

There are a few pussy willows out down at the sea, warmest place in the county I should think!

Since returning home I've been retaking Etsy photos and dealing with the workmen who are connecting us to the water supply...I'm not complaining- three and a half years of temporary piping off S's cattle trough?

When they were done I turned on the tap and was knocked across the kitchen by the water pressure! Whoossssshhh splaaat!

The workmen went off laughing...

My Letterbox is Definately Too Small...

Please click here for my 'One World One Heart' Giveaway!

Look what arrived yesterday! A package from Finland!!! From Ulla, to be exact!
Her picture is clearer than mine, but the fabrics are just lovely, and most unusual. I'm so happy! I played with them yesterday so I'll show you the results again.(Is that an Irishism? I meant 'in a while').

Some ab fab news from yesterday too- Terri has been offered a job. After all her heartache and the steep learning curve God threw her this is ACE NEWS! As Paulette would say 'Happy Dance'!! Congrats to you Terri, I'm so happy for you!

Something to make you laugh, well I did!...have you seen Janes's new header? Its ACE!

And now before I excuse myself for bragging I read something yesterday which has stumped me, because I simply don't know how to answer. Here it is:
What do you hope your customers gain by reading your blog & buying your product?
I could give all the blather about unique, traditional, hand made, long lasting (hopefully), eco friendly and yadda yadda but is that enough?
Is that it?
Should I aim higher? And if so what?
I don't think that 'needs cash' counts as a morally integrityalish worthy reason...
Any opinions???Please???

And just to NOT be morally ethically something or other, I've just posted these things in my Etsy shop:- bunting... ...fabric scrap bird mobile...
...wrist warmers into the HeartsforHaiti shop...
...and another pair of wrist warmers in my shop...
Now I'm into town to go to the Library to find some books on Medieval Pilgrimage destinations, have coffee with my Dad (if he remembers?) and collect B from school (if I remember!).
The Hub actually polished his shoes this morning because he has a Church Meeting in Roosky with the Dean this evening! And B and Sos have Choir practice at 8pm for the Praise Service on Sunday night.
Still, its been a nice quiet week up till now so I'm not complaining. I'll take my knitting in case I have to wait places.