To Market, to market.....

Hello fair maidens...
I just couldn't resist holding back this bit of exciting news that I have known for a while now, but up until yesterday was not 100% sure if we had the thumbs up....so time to share...

From September I am going to selling at a local goods market here in my town!!

*eek. squeal*

I am terribly excited and nervous and anxious. "what if nobody buys my stuff?" Is the biggest question going through my head right now...

A dear friend of mine is going to be my partner for the craft market and together we have called our little "enterprise" -The Rosey Nest.
I will be selling all my homemade goodies-journals, tags, gift packing set, aprons, embellishments etc etc and she makes gorgeous knitted hats with cute owl faces on them and lovely shopping bags and a host of other things.

This is where we are going to be selling: Hathersage Farm


YAY!!! So I have two months to get my stock up and it's going to be work, work, work!! (but my kind of work is also play,play, play!!! hee hee, I get the best of both worlds, cos I love it!)

Have a fantabulous weekend! What you up to?

Surfer's Corner

It's been a busy week so far. The spiffying-up has continued, it seems, without letup.
When I embarked on this schmaintenance thing, I did not perceive that it would continue to haunt me, forcing me to re-examine every corner of my home with scrutinizing eyes...

*let this be a warning for all who "just want to spruce up a little something" in their home-once the bug bites, it digs its teeth in and refuses to let go!*

After much ado, and trying splashes of varying shades of teal on my wall and not quite deciding which I liked, or even if I did like it.

Just when I thought I would have to decide between "transcendant" or "rain forest", my mother-in-law came to the rescue *waving her magic paintbrush* , a paint so fabulous, so chic, so glamorous, so wild and free, I thought it too good to be true.

Meet "surfers Corner". A gorgeous paint color that is Environment friendly. (From Midas here in SA).
It has a zero-VOC (volatile organic compound). This I found interesting, *but if a bit of factual information on the environment and how paint affects it bores you, by all means skip this part!*
VOC reacts under the influence of sunlight and in the presence of nitrogen oxides to convert oxygen into ozone.
This paint uses Glycol-free colorants which helps to reduce the health hazards of paint and therefore is a "green" paint.


So there you have it~! Not only do I get a beautiful color paint, but I am helping the environment and my family's health by not using toxic paint. And let me tell you, it is wonderful to use-no fumes, no headaches! It covers amazingly and stretches far! I'm sold!

Moving on...
A few years ago while grazing chips and watching TV, our dining room light fixture came crashing to the floor, shattering into a million pieces and nearly caused me to go into cardiac arrest! Did I mention the "a few years ago" part? So finally...I got a new light fixture to match the oh-so-chic newly painted walls and skirtings and dado rails... It stood proudly on my dining room table while I oohed and aahed over it for two days (didn't have the right fitting to put it up!) and clicked away happily at the sunlight catching on the fake crystal pendants...


I got home today to find it hanging in all it's miniature splendor and grandeur (my sweet hubby had come home from work to hang it for me!)

ooohhh.....

aaa

Like I said...it's been a busy week so far...I also have been making some decoupaged frames and trying to achieve some type of picture "gallery" on a wall in my lounge. So far, so good but want to put up a lot more frames still.

A mix and match (or not matched!) kind of idea, with different frames and sizes. I wasn't planning on the whole "step" look that I accidentally achieved, but somewhere it is nice, although It won't stay like that when I add more frames.
Close up of the decoupaged frames.


These frames were really cheap, I got them on a sale for R9 each ($1.33 or 0.82£)
So if you can get frames really cheap, this is a great way to add some interest to plain frames. (and make them unique!)

And lastly, I managed to squeeze in some crochet and make a bunting with a pattern out of the June British Country Homes & Interiors



Hope you are having a good week so far. Drop in and tell me what you've been up to!

Ideas

It seems the maintenace shmaintenance thing rubbed off in other areas too and I decided to my blog needed a bit of sprucing up, a face-lift. So I have a new blog header, a new footer (scroll all the way to the end of the blog!) Made these two myself *ahem*
The cute little blog buttons I got for free from shabbyblogs. *thank you kindly*

So my little blog is looking rather gleaming too...

I know I have some readers who are not South African and I wanted to share with you one of my favorite local South African magazines. It is called Ideas. I buy this magazine every month without fail and have been doing so for many years. It always has something of interest in it every month.



Crafts, hobbies, sewing, knitting, crochet, gardening, business and financial advice, recipes and lots more. What is great about this magazine is that it stays clear of your trashy run-of-the-mill magazines that think sex is the only thing that sells. It is a real magazine, grounded, fresh and solid.
I think you would enjoy it .

*by the way I do not get any type of payment for saying this nor am I in any way affiliated with Ideas mag, it's just my opinion! *

You can download a digital version for cheap here.
Payable by credit card from any country. There is also a sneak peek at the mag!


Have a good weekend!

Craft and coffee

{Got this lovely idea from my friend Emma, a little fabric covered card-book with felt inside for storing your safety pins and sewing needles.}

It's been that kind of week...
At first Mr Sun was very becoming and graced our little corner of the world with his charm, warmth and comfort. He gladly shone for us, infusing into us some much needed Vitamin D and warming our ice-cold bones. But then after a few days, I think he got bored as we woke up yesterday morning to a sulky, sullen Mr Rain pounding on our windows and making great big sploshy noises.

This week I got stuck into some much needed home maintenance. The doors in the house where screaming for a face-lift, moaning that they hadn't had a botox injection for ages, years actually. Sadly, I had neglected their beauty routine.

So I spiffed them up with a new coat of white paint and thought "what the heck, since I am painting I might as well carry on" and painted all our dado rails and skirtings too.
Now they are all spiffy, white and gleaming with pride!

Of course you know how it is...once you start such things, other things get jealous and start to feel second best and you hear whispers like "HmfP! She did the doors, what about us walls?!"
And then you start to look around, through new eyes and see all kinds of things that need spiffy-upping and maintenance type things done to them....

So the walls are next...they need a new coat of paint too..

In the meantime between consuming large amounts of caffeince by way of coffee, I have been up to some crochet and making some Jar covers...*cos you know, they get cold too*.


The sweet little heart garland is from a friend of mine who came to visit today, bearing gifts...
Flowers, chocolate, crocheted goodness, jewelry...what more could a girl ask for?


Today I dabbled in my much neglected Photoshop and made a little blog header for anyone that wants it. You can right click on it and save to your PC. (it is much bigger than what it shows here!)

If you put it on your blog, please save my little blog button too and link back to my blog.
That's all I ask for. Thanks!
Have a spiffy kind of day!!

Re-draw of Blogaverssary prize no 1! {winner}

Well the lady who actually won this prize:
Did not respond and I gave her until yesterday to respond.
So I did a redraw of the entrants and congrats to...


pamdux

I have sent you an email!!

Vintage inspired scrapbook kits

It's been a cold, wet week so far, with nothing much to do but stay indoors.
Which leads to a busy bee creating all kinds of things.
Normally this entails a messy craft room, with things strewn about all over the place, resembling nothing short of a mini tornado having been in here.
Lot's of coffee, an over-active brain, cutting and sewing.

I am still waiting for the words "step away from the scissors"...

New stuff just uploaded into my Etsy shop.

My very own scrapbooking kits!
These are totally unique as almost everything in the kit is digitally designed by me using Photoshop and then printed out.

1) Bird set.
Available here



The Bird set contains:
9 papers which have printed onto high quality card and measure 20x20cm (8" x 8").
2 little cards,
4 journal cards,
5 tickets,
and 5 transparent cards
9 Birds are various vintage images printed onto card and hand cut.


2.) Rose set
available here

The rose set contains:
8 papers which have printed onto high quality card and measure 20x20cm (8" x 8").
7 labels,
4 journal cards,
7 tickets,
6 yoyo's and fabric flowers
4 little transparent cards




And some fun little sets, transparent envelope pockets.
With wording.
Some without wording.

And some with journal cards included.




Anyway I have a sick little girl at home too :( so it's back to playing Doctor!

Weekend activities.

{the beautiful orchid my hubby bought me!}

You know the weekend has been good when you can check off "things-have-been-meaning to-do-but-haven't-gotten-around-to-doing" list.

So this is what I accomplished:

*glued in the mountain of recipes to my book that was threatening to take over the kitchen
*Glued in all the pictures I have cut out of magazines into my inspiration book
*started the "I've-been-meaning-to" book for my daughter. It's a book full of 'How-to ' things and advice that I will give to her one day when she leaves home. (oh gosh, that just formed a lump in my throat!)
*did some more crochet for the surprise I am making my son.

*sat in the first bit of sun I have seen all week, crocheting, drinking tea and watching my daughter play. (bliss) and the cat soaking up the sun.
*took off all the bedding to wash and hung up (only to have it all dripping wet from the rain today!)
*made us all pancakes and we played scrabble. (I won! hee hee)
*uploaded a new product to my Etsy store-embellished pink paper bags.


Limited time only: all packergy gift sets 15% off.
Use code: PACKERGY6 upon checkout!

Hope you had a good weekend!

Inspire me Monday- Blogs

From time to time I stumble upon a real find in the blogging world.
A blog I want to spend all day viewing, reading and absorbing.
It might be for the brilliant way it's written, or for it's beautiful photographs, it might just be because I enjoy the content.

So let me share with you my recent finds....

Michelle Alynn Clement -
A fun blog about all craft things.

JmpGirl- Jamie {on Today}.
I love her ideas, she creates beautiful things and also like me, loves vintage things.

Trisha Brink
Love her soft, vintage photography


I still have some more Vintage postcards to share from my trip to Paris....here is another one for you! Enjoy!

PS I am aware that my label cloud has expanded to gigantic proportions! I am trying to fix it :)

Creative things

Hey, Hey, It's Friday! *whew*.
So this is how I am dressed today...Sort of a mustard girl today, all knitted out and cozy.



I am off to see a good friend of mine, to drink coffee, catch up on things and admire her new stylish craft room. I go bearing gifts for her *cos that's how I roll*.

Some crochet bunting for her new studio aka craft room...



Three bunting pieces which is adding to some she and her mom have made....



I have to just mention that my dear sweet hubby came home with a gift I have been hinting at for ages!! He bought me a white Orchid!!! A real one!! I LOVE them....It has two beautiful blooms on and two more waiting to open! I was so happy! I will have to post a photo of it soon!

Have a GREAT weekend, whatever you do, do it with heart and soul and find time to do something creative, it's good for the soul!!!

Another Vintage image for you...(see previous posts for more).

{right click and save as, for personal use}

Etsy shop update: packery set for Friendship

Last night I stayed up waaaaay longer than I should have, but I got so engrossed with a Gift I am busy with for a friend of mine, that I decided to make some goodies based on what I was doing for my Etsy shop.

It is a Friendship set. The idea is that you have all the packagery (that SHOULD be a word!) you would need to make a little gift for a friend. There is fabric, paper, vintage music paper(one of the best finds!) tags, brown paper bags, trim etc etc. You could make a card, another tag and some pretty fabric embellishments to give to her. Or you could just use all the supplies as the pretty packaging you wrap her gift in. Either way....

One of the already made ideas is a little brown paper bag with a paper doily and butterfly negative sewn onto it, with a ticket stamped with "to and From" slotted into the negative. The sides of the envelope then stitched by machine.
another already done thing are two sweet, tiny tags with butterflies stitched on.
And an already made friendship tag complete with stamped "Cherished Friend", fabric ribbon, and stringed button.

Another idea is simply to use it for card making or scrap booking. There really are a lot of possibilities.

Here I made a tag from the goodies in the set and pasted it onto a card.

The paper is made from the 6x6 paper included in the set, and ribbon trim. I used the fabric to made a little embellishment and paper flower with a button center.By the way did you see my new easy-to-locate pages at the top of my blog? This is to make things a bit easier when searching for my digital kits, craft and tutorials which I will be continuously adding to. Is there a particular stand-alone page you would like to see listed at the top?

Anyhooo....here are two more vintage postcards from you.
You can see more of them here and here.
Isn't this baby so sweet??

Please check back tomorrow and next week, I still have about 9 postcards.