today im

So ive woken up with Zjahs flu setting in only to find the studio looks like this.

This isnt one of those times when I give you nice photos of me decorating the mantlepiece or a shot of the bed freshly made with perhaps an artwork hung for a change of scenery above it.

This is me trying to cope with the massive amount of housework that every monday brings about.

Let alone after a sunday market.  Im normally very careful and methodical when its comes to unpacking the car but yesterday I got the flu on the way home. It started to rain just as the market ended and we packed up as the storm hit. I got soaked through in parts and that was the end of that.

The good news is ive tried to cram as much tidying up in this morning while my energy lasts and then ill be able and happy enough to sit at my machine. Result: a tidy house and a streamlined studio. I really didnt feel like doing anything but somehow knew id feel much worse if I wallowed in bed. Plus ive booked into the next Mulgrave Makers market which is this wednesday night.

I shoved everything that wasnt necessary for the market on the industrial shelves behind to be dealt with later.

Ill work my way through these eskimo jackets today

and I might even finish one or two by tonight to show you all.

I dont mind getting the flu, after all

it was worth it.

Every single moment.

art production

Heres a quick glimpse of some art for Little Tree Kids were working on. MrTL came home from the market today just as buzzed as I was and here is the result. He's helping me paint some tree art for kids rooms. Who thought getting up at 5:45 this morning and going to market together would produce such a nice result?

These are just the bases and they are looking really good.

Cloudy back drops for trees of course.

250th blog post giveaway: maybe I need to give more details?

The other day when I posted about my giveaway I wanted to capture the moment, before I got sidetracked and forgot, but I wasnt feeling wordsy at all and couldnt seem to find the right way to say

that my 250th post snuck up on me. So...

1. I havent had time to work out what it will be yet, (pin-cushion, cushion cover, something ive forgotten that ive made ages ago that you remember you liked?)

 2. I need a bit of help from you all because I cant decide (after all who better to tell me what they love about what I make than you people out there)

and 3. I need to be inspired because there is only so much room in my head at the moment.

There, ive said it. The lovely Abbe of Copperpatch suggested something with a tree on it.

The mind boggles but thanks Abs.

Things that are in my head right now are....

that my daughter is sick with the flu and I have to rush off to the country today to look after baby. Shes throwing up with the pregnancy too, the poor thing. ( I was supposed to leave yesterday but its taken me a whole day to pack the car and get organised) There was some furniture to be loaded into the van too, in my defence.

Then theres the market on this sunday, that ive been so looking forward to. It has come around more quickly that I wanted and I havent really done anything new apart from some dresses.

Ill be taking these combinations in the photos of woolen blankets and embroideries with me to Zjah's for some eskimo jackets, and yes, it took me all day yesterday to decide on the combinations and im still not 100% happy!

So if youd like to enter the giveaway please leave me a comment either here

or follow the link in the side bar. And a little bit of inspiration would be much appreciated.

And before you all try to remind me that its the middle of summer, so why am I making my eskimo jackets? Your guess is as good as mine. I have been taking my girls spring jacket to the markets with me and everyone heads straight for it and enquires about them.

So ive decided to make some. Anything to distract me from the nappy bag unpicking is good!

This one is for an order through etsy from a lovely customer named Molly.

P.S. regarding the giveaway, I dont require you to 'follow me' to be in.

I prefer to find that the nice people in my sidebar are there of their own choosing.

Thanks for joining in and good luck ladies!

shop find: pollon

There I was strolling down Flinders Lane today on my way to Tessuti with a friend when I stopped in my tracks to admire the window display of Pollon. It.  is.  absolutely.  stunning.

 These ladies know what theyre doing.

Before I knew what I was doing I had entered and become mesmerised by the abundance of

foliage surrounding me. I mean this in the very essence of 'mesmerised'. I think I had my mouth open!

It was such an enchanting space with its greenery reaching almost to the vaulted ceiling.

I asked (while already reaching deep into my bag) if it was okay to take some shots, said I had a blog, you know, the usual stuff. The lovely lady was so obliging and said she'd even check me/it out.

I wish id thought to ask her name.

I could not take it all in in one visit. Even the lighting inspired me to try something like this around home although I have no idea how they did it.

Im a real fan of glass in case you havent seen my latest instalment on the mantlepiece.

 Yep, im in the reflection doing an amateur job of capturing the display.

Hydrangeas are my all time favourite flower.

These greeted me as I entered at the perfect height. So captivating. I think these are peonies?

I know im gushing like a child over this shop but its pretty unforgettable,

  im sure ill be dreaming of this.

I know I need to get out more but hey, ive been busy completing etsy orders and trying to come up with some new designs for the sunday market.

I forgot to take shots of the finished pants in my hurry to the post office. They were really nice too.

I did varying shades of blues on the pockets as the customer wanted them plain, not printed, to go with some existing shirts.

Make sure you enter my 250th post giveaway even though no-one, including me, knows what it will be yet.

Something to do with trees, apparently.

250 blog post giveaway

(This post has a giveaway at the end. Scroll down and leave me a comment to enter the draw.)

At a party the other night this was the gift my friend Berlinda gave me. Images of my kids she had taken years ago. We hadnt seen each other for 7 years as she has been living in Amsterdam.

She is quite a talented photographer and I cant seem to stop staring at these raw images of my children.

She has captured them in a way I have never been able to.

If I got the camera out they would always play up and fight for attention.

If you have a friend who takes loads of photos they may have images

you have never seen hidden away too.

Thanks Berlinda for this gift, x

Yep, its giveaway time.

I dont know what it will be yet. Any ideas of what you ladies might long for?

Hit me!

Edited * this will now be drawn at the end of january and it may just be a cushion cover with something to do with trees on it!

today im

Today im working on these gift bags for the Mulgrave Makers Market this sunday. I made some for the last market and had lots of pleasant comments over them. They are in three different sizes. Simple small ones above, just two different pages sewn together with handles placed into the seams.

The medium were very tricky as I tried to make a concertina-ed bag, why do I always try hard stuff?

I chose to fast dry the glue in the sun (because these medium ones took three stages of glueing!) weighted down by things close at hand as they kept wanting to blow away. At least I didnt use the bike.

And then the large ones which were so much simpler, kind of in-between the small and the medium timewise to complete.

I cut the edges like old fashioned lunch bags. I love zig zag edges. Frankie and Ray has been getting into it  too over here.

The medium ones at the finished stage. They do look good but they are sooo not worth

 the amount of time spent. 

I have Etsy orders coming out of my eyesockets and people even want some eskimo jackets. So im hoping to start these by tonight.

Just as soon as I walk the dog,

make a long list for the week so I dont forget anything,

visit the post office,

go to the bank,

personally deliver an order for a nice customer who lives local,

pick up fabric,

go to the gym (I may give this a miss as its all the way into the city),

prep some furniture ready for painting (im so hoping to do this while the weather is good),

and perhaps sneak into the local oppy to find some more blankets.

Im wondering what everyone else is up to on this fine monday?

a shop update

size 1

size 1

size 4

size 5

size 4

size 8

size 10

size 7

size 12

These blue numbers are my take on the popular pillowcase dresses around at the moment. They are

an a-line style with gathering under the embroidery and I have tweaked the pattern for a roomy fit so they should last through a few years. Im hoping four to five.

The mens shirting fabric is the softest, lightest cotton I have ever found.

It should be called a swiss lawn, but is that an old term that not many people may know?

Have you heard of it by any chance?

my happy list

I have so much to be happy about that some things are just not bothering me.

Im happy that when Mr TL got pulled into the ocean the other week he didnt drown.

He was fully clothed and it was stormy enough to frighten him.

 Even though he had his iphone is his pocket and we still havent gotten around to replacing it.

So forgive me if all the washing is piling up but im happy to let it sit there.  

Im happy letting the papers and junk pile up around me because at least im healthy and I can choose when I feel like attacking it. Some people dont have the energy or the ability to do the little things I take for granted.

Im happy that I can enjoy the pleasure of my sons company on days

when he should really be at school. Even if hes just playing COD

and wearing his thermals cos someone hasnt kept up with the washing.  Im happy that there is a gamers addiction hotline available for when we need it.

No, really I do love this person. (whoever he is.)

Im happy he kisses me on the cheek when he (finally) leaves the house lately.

Im even happy when there is no sunshine coming in and the blinds have broken again because someone pulled them down by hand instead of with the cord, as it means

there were movies watched late into the night and laughter to go along with it. 

Im happy just thinking of sublime thoughts about the family we will soon be enjoying having stay and the close family we have been enjoying lately.

 Happy because somehow summer hasnt hit and I was dreading the heat.

Happy I have my mother-taught ability to make my own clothes when I have a full weekend

like this one coming and I dont need to shop like a regular person for something new that

 I will really only half-feel-okay-in.

Happy this isnt a craft post and I have the opportunity to bore you senseless from a different angle for a change. Apart from the washing mention. 

I am happy that I have been inspired by this woman on more than one occasion.

Thanks for your happy thoughts Kate!

Write your own Happy List here

Possible Happy Hour happening here

four bags so far

These are proving harder to get my head around than I first thought. If im not in the right frame of mind to follow my notes then they simply dont work and I spend more time unpicking than I would have thought possible and I get so frustrated with myself. So here are four so far.

 Only one of these will be available in the shop as the others already have homes. 

This one is my favourite and I think its a keeper. After all im going to need a nappy bag.

Dont nanna's need to carry supplies too? Plus I cant part with it as it has taken me way too long to complete and get 'right'.

Something funny happened while I was deep in the process of making these. My daughter told me in quirky code that she was expecting her second baby via the comments section after posting about them. Only I didnt read this because my computer was down.

 She got hold of me by that same night. I was the last to know.

It was a big day in our house as my son and his wife found out they were expecting a girl.

So now Zja and Adelin (my daughter-in-law) are pregnant at the same time.

Their babes will be 5 months apart. Adelin loves the first bag I made which is great as I had her in mind when I started these anyway.

So no wonder I cant focus enough to follow my own instructions more carefully. 

Sometimes ive forgotten to put the pockets on and have to unpick the entire side.

Once I forgot to put the straps on one side.

Did you notice this one has no pocket yet?

So its back to unpicking for me today. Im really hopeful that I have made all of the mistakes that are possible with these and I wont make any more!

Id love to hear your thoughts on which bag is your favourite and whether you like the patchwork look or the plainer check tablecloth bag? Also whether you prefer the outer pocket style for easy to reach items or just an inner pocket?