Flower Brooches Galore!

I was trying to work out what to do with what I thought was the teeny final bit of my lovely SkeinQueen yarn. So I found a little flower pattern and thought I would make a couple of those and make them into brooches. This is what happened next -

I wasn't expecting to get quite that many of them! Undeterred, I rifled through my sewing box, and found some pretty buttons I bought a couple of years ago from creamrose on etsy (who doesn't seem to trade on there anymore, or else I'd give you the link), some brooch backs, and some felt.

Two episodes of Cold Case and one episode of GhostWhisper later (OH helpfully being out at cricket for a long time yesterday), and I was done! Flower brooches all over the place. One is already winging its way to a friend of mine, leaving 7 to find new homes somewhere else.

This post is part of the I Made It Blog Party at Everything Etsy - go check out lots of other lovely things people have made this week!

New lovelies from etsy

These are my two latest etsy purchases. That's the trouble with spending time on etsy - too many lovely things to look at! I am not supposed to be spending money....

This is a cute fabric brooch from Sabeena who makes brooches, bags and cushions, as well as unique paintings.


This is a really gorgeous silver lily pendant from somethingxtraspecial who makes really beautiful silver jewellery.

Do check them both out - you won't regret it!

Boot Fair Bargain

Look what I got at a boot fair yesterday - matching Daddy and Alice Green Flash trainers! The cutest thing ever! This, combined with my first etsy sale on Friday, made for a very satisfying weekend. Simple things.....

I got other good stuff at the boot fair too - baby clothes, toys and books - all for less than £10. I haven't been to one for ages, but it was really good. Guess where I'll be spending my Sunday mornings from now on......

Showcase - bookity

bookity is my new favourite shop on etsy.

It is a great UK based store which makes lovely things out of books! And don't worry - it specifically says on the store that (I quote)"All my items are made from damaged, unwanted or unsaleable books." Phew.

This is what arrived in the post for me last week, with really cute packaging as well:



There is lots of awesome stuff though - romance novels made into wedding confetti, room ornaments, and amazing handbags made out of books as well. I am saving up for one of those.

Do go check it out!

I Can Read You Like A Book Treasury

I bought into my first BNR treasury today on etsy (Buy and Replace - you buy an item, and it gets replaced with one from your own shop). I hadn't really planned to, I just saw some hair pins that (fingers crossed) will go perfectly with a dress I plan to wear to wedding in September.

Having said that, I do feel slightly glum that it hasn't resulted in a sale. It is going pretty well otherwise! I wonder again if it is my photos, but I just don't know what to do about that. Will have to have a good think.

On the upside, it reminded me to make a treasury I have been thinking about for a while. Called I Can Read You Like A Book - Almost it features gorgeous hand made notebooks and clever things made from books, all from UK-based etsy sellers.

I love books. One wall of our living room is pretty much filled with books. As well as a wall in Alice's room. And one in our bedroom. And there are boxes of my books beyond count in my parent's loft! I really must get up there one day soon and check them out....

I Knit Weekender Design Competition

Oh my gosh! One month to go before the I Knit Design Competition closes.

I Knit is a great shop in Waterloo which is really much much more than a shop - it is more like a knitting community centre, really. They run the I Knit Weekender Event (10-11 September 2010) which this year includes a design competition, with an exhibition of entries at the event and prizes of £250/£100/£50 - plus yarn! Further details can be found on their website.

I have been working on my design, which uses this lovely Rowan wool, for a while now -

Not because it is especially complicated, but because I am also working on the Blanket of Doom, and that is taking me forever. But I'd better get a wriggle on if I'm going to get in completed and sent off in time!

Flickr Themed Challenge - Graveyards!

The UK Etsy Challenge has been opened up! It has become the Flickr Themed Challenge Group and it is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, with an online shop or craft blog to promote - so get those thinking hats on, people, because the new challenge is here.

The challenges are pulled out of a hat by the lovely c-urchin from a big pile of suggestions, and this quarters challenge is Graveyards. Yes, really. It even finishes on Sunday 17th October - just in time for Halloween.

Work in progress photos are welcome, but you are only allowed to enter one item into the competition. There is no prize except pride, but it's a fun competition to enter.

And finally - I always like to throw pictures into my blog, so here are two picture of graveyards from my photo library, both coincidentally taken from the battlements of a castle. Funny, that (have I mentioned my castle obsession before?). The first is from the Isle of Wight, and the second is from Jordan - they are not very clear photos, but hey, sometimes you got to work with what you got!