so where were you?

If you make it, they will come...

Well, not when it's boiling hot and all they want to do is be in the park.  The market was a bit of a wash out really.  I met some nice people, I sold a few things (including a hulder print which made me happy) and got lots of nice comments but ended up making less than I did at the last market which was hailed as the quietest market of all time.  And just look how smashing our stall looked!

Annoyingly, I've come home with lots of chocolatey things that will either have to be eaten or binned.  I guess it's not the weather for chocolate cravings.  The edible buttons were oohed at but not bought by many.  The sure fire winners from last time (button cards and moustaches) were total losers this time.  I don't understand the fickle craft buying (or just looking or not looking at all) public!

It was a good day all in all.  I got to hang out with my friend and have some food and a drink and make (a teeny bit of) money at the same time.  Here's a wee behind the scenes shot of my half pint of cider that I had to accompany my big bowl of spicy chips.  Yum.  

I'm just a bit downhearted about it all because I thought it was going to be great and in four weeks time I'll be out of a job.  I really hoped I might be able to make a go of the whole crafting thing (with something else on the side) but now I'm not so sure, and it's a lot of time and effort for an out and out hobby...

I guess I just need to try again or maybe set up an online shop and see how that goes?  Onwards and upwards (via the job centre)! 

come and see!

If you are in Glasgow today, why not drop by and visit us at the craft market?  I am just getting the last few bits and pieces together now and am a bit stressed but quite excited.  Will my edible buttons and chocolate moustaches withstand the heat or will the city centre be swamped by a sweet but sticky mess?  Either way, it will be worth seeing, I'm sure!

As well as sweet treats, I'll be selling Eastenders notecards and samplers; gocco prints/cards (the hulder print and the new design which is still top secret for the moment...  you will have to visit the market for an exclusive preview!); Big Daddy lino prints; zip brooches; vintage buttons on cards, earrings and hairclips...

We will be at Mono (on King's Court) from 1-6 this afternoon.  Hope to see you there!

postal delights!

My letterbox is my new best friend.  Not only did it bring me my tickets for Jarvis Cocker and various crafty bits I'd been keeping my fingers crossed for, it also delivered a brilliant surprise package from Emily.  I had seen a picture of this coaster on Emily's flickr and instantly commented how lovely it was, little knowing that it was already in the post and on its way to live with me!  This is going to be my personal craft room coaster... once I've cleared enough space on my desk for it - ha!

Emily also sent this little handmade whale, designed to hold the earphones for my ipod and stop them getting tangled.  He is practical as well as adorable!  His mouth is pink on the inside.  At the moment I'm having to keep him well away from Lola who wants to adopt him as her latest baby.  Every time I turn my back, he ends up being carried away in her mouth.  He was very tricky to photograph (especially since the cats are sunbathing in the only part of my flat light enough to take photos) but you can see a better photo of him here.

Just before I got in to discover the parcel, I had been telling Graham how I wanted to make a little display of old buttons on cards.  I've found a few nice sets lately plus I got those lovely ones from my sister for my birthday.  So it was a fabulous surprise to find four vintage button cards tucked away in the parcel too.  Yippee!  I love the design of the cards.

The parcel wasn't finished there either.  I got lots of cute kawaii-esque stickers and papers, a badge, a very entertaining old postcard sent in 1961 and some yarn beautiful enough to make me consider coming out of my knitting retirement already...  I knew it wouldn't last, especially since I have a book of super cute hat patterns to tempt me.  My photos of these things didn't turn out so well, unfortunately, so you will just have to use your imagination.  You can do it!

I love getting mail and this was the best parcel I've had in ages.  I will have to make a parcel to send back now, of course, as this parcel was in return for the hulder print I sent to Emily but that was in return for gocco instructions she sent to me...  We're caught in a vicious circle of thanking for thank yous now but such a stash of wondrous loot really must be responded to!

In other news, I have had a slightly less productive than I would have liked morning but I did manage to package my edible buttons.

Ta da!

Again, not the greatest picture.  I really seem to have lost my camera mojo lately.  I might make another batch of buttons later.  I would totally buy these if I saw them at a craft market so I'm hoping other people will feel the same.  I do have A LOT to do though, so I may not get round to it.  Oh well, back to the happy grindstone :)

friday night chez laura

Candy Button Tutorial is up! 

Originally uploaded by Amanda *Bake It Pretty*

Now, I totally meant to photograph what I was actually doing but I got so carried away doing it that I didn't realise it had got dark and I have had to resort to flickr photo theft yet again. Sigh... I have so much to blog about (oh, the charity shops and the post fairies have been so good to me this week, not to mention all the crafty business I've been up to) that this mini post couldn't possibly wait until tomorrow... 

Tonight I have been making these beautiful edible buttons. How cute? I got the mould from Bake It Pretty (who this photo belongs to) months ago but my colourful candy melts only arrived this week.* 

Oh my, my buttons are looking so good! I got off to a bit of a shaky start but once I realised I was putting too much of the melted candy in, it all got much easier and the buttons got much cuter. Now they are turning out perfectly. Yay! I have made them in five different colours (including the two shown here) and intend to package them up for the craft fair on Sunday. I've even designed a cute vintage looking label for that extra va va voom. I'll try to take a photo of them all packaged up over the weekend. 

*Because I only ordered them (from a UK based supplier, and not even Bake It Pretty) last week. I realise now that made it sound like they just took months to get here. Sorry...

sleepy spoon dweller

Shhh...It's Asleep! Swap Matchbox Kitten 

Originally uploaded by MuxOriginals

It's a kitten sleeping in a teaspoon! I love the fact there's so much cute stuff on flickr to post about when you are just too darn weary to come up with anything of your own :)

jarvis!

I've been listening to (and loving) Jarvis Cocker's new album today. I was loving it so 

much that I just got tickets for Graham and I to go and see him in a couple of weeks 

time. Yippee! I can hardly wait - I have loved Jarvis for a very long time...  

I hope you enjoy this little video :)

the printer's lair... sounds spooky!

I've spent the morning huddled away with my gocco.  Fun fun fun!  This is a picture of my lair, which built up around me as I printed more and more and more...  The tiny bit of carpet in the middle is where I sat all bunched up, getting very stiff knees.  It wasn't easy to escape to take this picture.

This was my first time re-using a screen which I was a bit worried about but it worked pretty well.  There are a few early prints with a blue tinge to the red but I quite like the way they turned out so it's all good.  When I printed on Saturday I didn't think the screen had worked that well (maybe too many big expanses of burned bits?) but it was printing much better today and I now think it was the ink that was causing the problems.  When I did the hulder print, I found the black ink very oily and a bit hard to manage compared to the green.  The ink I used on Saturday was a very dark blue (despite coming from a turquoise tube - grrr!) so I wonder if the very dark colours are a bit hard going?  Or it could have been something I did!  Ha!  More than likely...

I have signed up to a gocco swap which I'm really excited about.  I can't wait to get goccoed goods in the mail.  Yay!  The theme (which can be taken as flexibly as you wish by the looks of it) is 'one' which put me off to begin with (lack of inspiration on my part) but I have it covered now, I think.  The deadline to sign up for it is today/tomorrow and the prints have to be sent out (to 10-12 people) by June 19th.  If you fancy signing up, all the details are here at clothpaperstring.