Who's a lucky girl then?

I have been a busy little bee this week! And such a lot has happened too! First of all, I had the honour of creating a beautiful Alchemy set for a lady I have worked with in the past, Valeriellen of Valerie's Vintage. Such a cute snuggly set, of bib, onesie and blanket. I loved making it:

Then, just when I thought I was having a good week, it turned into a great one when I received a message from Etsy Admin saying my supermarket shopping bag (yeah, the one I was bragging about last time) was to be featured in their EtsyFinds email! How exciting! I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame and strutted around the house like a peacock for a good day, which I think is allowed every now and then.

I am currently hooked on watching the Amazing Race - every week I can choose a different pair to cheer on, and I enjoy seeing all the different countries. What an experience!

Speaking of experiences in countries, I may not have mentioned that I am going to Mexico this year! More updates on this soon, but I can tell you now that I am soooo excited about the food, the people, and the shopping...

I know I'm probably light years behind all you savvy computer users out there but I would like to share this fantastic video of Feist counting to 4 on Sesame St. What a classic! I love her. And such a great song to have on Sesame St. I remember learning that it was "Hip To Be A Square", Miss Piggy's "New Way to Walk", and the Count doing the Batty Bat. I was petrified of the two aliens "Yepyeps" that only said yep, uh-huh and no. So scary I still don't like watching them even now I have grown way beyond being scared of brightly-coloured puppet aliens. I would post a picture but I would never be able to look at my blog again.

In other news, I have beed working on some special requests that have been interesting. Here is a onesie for a friend of mine with a cutie niece:

Gorgeous! I love doing custom sayings. Off to work now on a newborn set with another cute motif... wait and see!

To Market, To Market

So, those produce-inspired shopping bags I was chattering about last time I was online have materialised. I have just finished sewing, photographing and posting this latest offering. I like it a lot and I think I will make a few more with some different groceries on.




As happens so often with me, I had a middle-of-the-night brainwave about some new products for my store the other night and was unable to sleep. I am going to venture into greeting cards and see how that goes. I have some cute ideas and have bought up on supplies! Off to do some crafty business...

Last night a vegetable soup saved my life

I'm not exaggerating - the vegetable soup! Delicious, nutritious, and hearty, it made my poor fading, aching, winter-chilled body liven up immediately. Just look at it:

How could it not make anyone feel better? I know you want to make it, so here it is: Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan. Throw in (all chopped roughly) an onion, a carrot, a parsnip, and a stick of celery. Saute until onion is transparent and soft. Add 1 litre (4 cups) of chicken or vegetable stock. Throw in (again, chopped roughly) a small tomato, a small sweet potato (kumera), a zucchini, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper, a dash of worcestershire sauce, and a good teaspoon of mixed herbs (dried, or if you have it, fresh thyme is lovely). Bring to the boil. Add a good handful of chopped silverbeet or spinach (washed first please, unless you like the feel of dirt in your teeth), and a dessertspoon of tomato paste. Stir in and simmer for 20 minutes. Eat with toast covered in LOTS of butter! (Makes 4 large serves).

Of course you can omit or add any vegetables you like, but the more the merrier!

This seems like a good time to mention that I have an addiction to collecting gorgeous old crockery and kitchen knick-knacks. This is my favourite toast-to-go-with-soup plate -

I think it helps greatly in the recuperation process.

All this talk of produce has me inspired to make a new range of shopping bags for my Etsy store. Keep your eyes peeled.

A treasured collection...

I just had to share my latest Etsy treasury with whoever is out there - such beautiful, clever and classy toys for lovely polite well behaved children! (In my mind, anyhow.)

Thanks to Silvercanyons for helping me out with the screenshot! Much appreciated!

The Joys of Meandering

There is nothing I love more (well, maybe some things) than strolling along looking at interesting shops, buildings, streets and towns. It is one of the things that I think are particularly enjoyable and even heightened when you are alone. I have spent a lovely morning with not much to do other than buy fish and a plastic sleeve for my clothing patterns, and so I indulged in a little wandering and letting my thoughts go.

A good friend of mine is getting married so I have been looking with interest at a few bridal shops in my area. Such a big industry, and so much to think about! Being the emotional rag that I am, I was already imagining the scene when I see her in her dress, and was feeling a bit teary until I pulled myself up and reminded myself where I was.

So many beautiful wedding-related things on Etsy!





These gorgeous eyelet lace-inspired letterpress cards by Pistachio Press are to die for. So understated and elegant. I recently bought some other non-wedding related cards from PP and was very impressed.

And while I was trawling I spotted this great photo, as part of the Handmade Wedding Series:

What elegant guests, and such a happy bunch! *Sigh*