Grabbed by the Galaxy

I seem to have craft fair fever. I have booked a couple of craft fairs in November and turned down a couple more - trying not to overdo it leading up to Christmas!

I am quite taken with my latest Galaxy crochet beaded brooch and have been making lots of different colourways of them.

I've worked on a backing card for them which is great for online sales. The next mission is to create the perfect box for the brooches to display and package them at the craft fairs!

Creative supplies

I've introduced a new section to my shop recently - Creative Yarn Packs.

There are lots of crafters out there making beautiful cards, toys, textile art, etc, all using small lengths of various yarns and other materials in their creations.

I happen to have a huge stash collected over several years of yarn-addiction that needs to be tamed in size.

Hence the new section.

I love the colourways that are emerging - for example the ones pictured here - Passionate Purples and Monochrome Mania.

In The Pink

29th October is Wear It Pink day to support breast cancer awareness, so what better than a treasury full of pink items from the UK Silly Sale!

Perfect for Christmas shopping - your chance to get an amazing bargain and a unique gift at the same time!

Sale on!

The Uk Silly Sale has started early in my Etsy shop loophole - come and take a look! 

I have marked 50% off everything until the end of this Sunday.

It's a great way to get some beautiful unique bargains as early Christmas shopping. There are lots of UK sellers involved - come and see!

UK Silly Sale

Woohoo - my turn for a little piece of fame - and maybe some fortune too?

I was one of the lucky Etsy sellers to be featured in the Etsy UK Newsletter focusing on the UK Silly Sale. 

The sale is scheduled for 24 hours from 7pm GMT Friday 8th October, but I'm extending mine over the whole weekend with a huge 50% discount on everything!

I have also made a treasury showing some of the items already tagged as part of the sale from lots of UK Etsy sellers. Of course lots more will be included in the next few days.

Take a look and get some early Christmas shopping bargains!

Fame!

Not for me but for my DH - John Thornton - on the BBC News today!

New stash

I've had several sales from my Etsy shop recently which have enabled me to buy some more yarn stash - yay!

I bought these lovely items from Scandanavian Knitting Design.

Big Fabel is a thick sock yarn which is also great for gloves, hats, etc. I used this yarn to make the unisex fingerless gloves in my shop.

I'm hoping to make some more of this style in these colours but with a half thumb. 

I'm going to try this technique of using waste yarn to create the thumb gusset.

Eskimo is a new yarn for me. It's squooshy and thick and lovely!

I adore the colours available and it feels next-to-skin soft.

I think these may become cowls.

Special offer

As we celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday I decided to share the love by offering a 15% discount on all purchases from my Etsy shop.

I'm feeling happy today so I'm extending the offer to last up to midnight this Sunday 19th September.

Continuing with the recent sunflower theme, my SIL gave us these lovelies as part of our anniversary gift - so cheerful!

Anniversary

Today is our wedding anniversary - 14 years!

I've made an Etsy treasury to celebrate of course.

Tonight we're having a meal at the Miner's Arms pub at Mithian - the food is apparently very good there.

Have a happy day everyone!

Feeling sunny

I seem to be fairly obsessed with sunflowers at the moment, so I decided to put together a treasury of sunflower-themed items from uk etsy sellers to share.

Take a peek - it'll brighten your day!

Supporting local crafters

I've made a Cool Cornish Collection Etsy treasury to help support and promote my fellow crafters around the Truro and Newquay areas of Cornwall.

Take a look - there are some great items there!

Bridal garter commission

I was recently asked by a neighbour to make a bridal garter for a relative of hers who is getting married. I've been meaning to crochet something like this for a while so this was a good kickstart!

I was given a length of plum satin ribbon and the leg size. Luckily I already had a pack of size 9/0 glass seed beads in the perfect matching shade. 

I used the same silk 4ply yarn that I have recently used to make the bridal accessories, and set to work with an idea in my head and my crochet hook in my hand.

About 7 hours later I had the finished bridal garter, incorporating the plum ribbon, some backup elastic, and 200 seed beads, all hand-threaded and crocheted in.

My neighbour is thrilled - I hope the bride is too!

Blog Feature

One of my unisex cowls has been including in a great feature on the Filigreephotos blog.

It is showcasing many items from various Etsy sellers with the theme "Cozy".

There are sections for all ages from babies to adults, plus gadgets and home cozies too,

Perfect for the time of year soon to arrive!

Crantock Summer Craft Fair

Just wanted to post a quick note about an event I'll be attending tomorrow: it's the Summer Craft Fair being held in the Village Hall at Crantock near Newquay, Cornwall from 10am to 4pm.

If you're in the area, drop in - it'd be great to see you!

Treasury-itis

Etsy seem to have made it easier to make treasuries recently.

You can now copy and paste item URLs instead of having to search for the listing id. This makes it much quicker and far more addictive!

Here's my latest called Misty Morning.

Such beautiful items inspired by the misty autumn mornings to come...

Front Page News!

Woohoo - my Starfish Crochet Necklace was in the treasury by CardsAndCraft that made it to the Front Page of Etsy this morning!

I'm so excited as this is the first time any of my items have been on the Front Page. It certainly helps get them seen!

Sunday Showcase

I am very pleased to find that I have been featured in a Sunday Showcase on the fabulous Gifted Designs blog - take a peek!

Shannon has included my Flora Crochet Coaster Duo in a lovely bright selection of items from different Etsy sellers.  Great full summer colours!

Dusting off the sewing machine

Quite literally. I hauled out my sewing machine from under the piles of yarn today and gave it a good clean before embarking on a mini project.

My daughters have both now got to the height where they no longer legally need car booster seats, but for my youngest the seat belt can be a little uncomfortable against her neck sometimes.

I looked around for seat belt pads but wasn't keen on any of the designs, so decided to make my own.

A short while later I have used up some leftover patchwork fabric, quilt wadding, and velcro, and we have the pads installed in the car.

They can be taken off easily using the velcro strip fastener and machine washed when they get grubby.

Very comfy they are too. :)

To reskein or not..

I've been dyeing yarn again recently. I love doing this but my dear family endure the strong vinegar smell with varied comments!

Since receiving my fabulous wooden swift for my birthday last year, I have rewound each skein after dyeing as I think it looks better. 

The colours are spread more evenly and I think the pictures give a clearer indication of what a knitted item will look like as the colours are in short repeats.

Plus I do actually enjoy reskeining the yarn - the swift is a joy to use.

You can see my latest two yarns - Hydrangea and Nasturtium - in my etsy shop.

New widget!

Craftcult have brought out a fab new widget called "Pocket Shop" to show off items from your Etsy shop - see below right for my version.

You can choose from various skins to suit the look of your blog or site, and choose either a sliding or fading animation.

Try clicking on the mini tabs and you'll find a ton of info about the shop including feedback from previous buyers.

Most excellent!