Sewing, Printing, Sewing, Printing......................

So much to blog about, but no time. Have a market coming up this weekend (Saturday, 6th September), fingers crossed that people come and rain stays away. It is the inaugural Olive Tree Market held at The Junction Public School at The Junction. Hopefully this market will be a success otherwise it is no more markets for me in Newcastle. I'm getting a bit over throwing stall money away and not recouping anything in return. The Janome is burning rubber at the moment. Have had it revved up for the last few weeks now, I'll make sure I take some pics of my stand and see what you guys think of my setup. The pic I'm leaving you with today is of a letterbox that I rode past on my way to work one day and has been crafted by some crafty Kenny me thinks. The letterbox is an exact replica of the house behind it. Too funny...... Promise to pick up my act after the market on the weekend. Must post about the 'art of the note' swap. There are so many cool cards arriving in my letterbox... Thanks everyone.

Dolls Galore

Well, I've been sewing dollies for a market this weekend. I think they are super sweet and I've already had my niece crying over them and pleading with me - "but, but, I'll love them forever and I won't ask you for anything else until Christmas". Meanwhile in her room it is stacked to the rafters with teddies and numerous prototypes from me, of course the crying got to me and I struck a deal. She has to stand still and model one of the dollies and she gets the pick of the crop once the market is over. Here she is modelling Peggy with the lovely long nightie I made for her a couple of weeks ago. Peggy has a lovely flowery American craft material on front and back with a lino cut print I did on the front. She has rope arms and swishy filled legs. I will be putting these in my shop very soon.

Market Surprises

My new corner bookmarks

Book corners in action.

Market wares

Market wristlets

Surprise, surprise I did very well at the markets and there was hardly anyone there. I nearly sold out of my new book corner bookmarks. Must list them tonight in my madeit shop. Thinking about starting up a market here in Newcastle with some other crafters. There just isn't a good market around here for handmade goodness, but I now know some other crafters here and just need to get together and launch something.

To Market, To Market

This print was inspired by a wedding invitation I did for a friend and then got converted to a collage for my niece. The wedding invite was for a friend who got married on her partner's farm, way, way out of town. His farm is very isolated and it has very few trees. The trees that are on his farm are just big majestic sticks, no foliage whatsoever. I liked the idea of hearts growing on one of those sticks and then one blooming into this big love heart.

Well I'm off to peddle my wares at a Steiner school tomorrow, probably won't sell much. They don't seem to advertise very well and therefore not many people show (go figure). The consolation is it's such a lovely school to hang out in and they have the best stalls with tres excellente wares. I'll probably be listing like maniac to my shop on Monday. I made some ace bookmarks last night (god so modest) and was so impressed with them I went in today to my local bookshop (very unlike me to approach anyone, in person, peddling my wares) and offered them up for sale and the lovely lady said 'yes'. yippee!

The Carnival Crowd

This week me and my friend did the markets and got a really crap spot and got just enough money back to pay for the stall. So in effect, we went to the market to give a few things we have sweated over away. We definitely went to the wrong market. So hard to sell handmade little teddies and other gems to VB t-shirt wearing, pluto pup with sauce eating punters. Those that did visit our stall said we were the best stall there, but alas they had no money and there were no ATM machines about, me and my friend felt like kicking these people as they whined 'Will you be back next week?' It's a hard slog, but also really satisfying when someone picks up something you've made and they love it.

Me and my friend T have been doing the markets for a few months now and are feeling very much part of what we call 'the carni crowd'. Although we like to distance ourselves from most of these social misfits, in fact, we are very much part of this odd-bod crowd.

One of our favourite (or should I say more successful) markets has the most bizarre stall holders. Most smoke, which I understand to a certain degree, as this particular market has a faint and not so faint at times cat piss smell. By 8.30-9.00 am hot chips are the order of the day, the smell is particularly off putting as it bravely competes with ciggie smoke and cat piss.

After bitching for many Sundays about this foul hot chip in the morning practice, me and T joined the ferals and got a sausage roll with sauce before 9am. Much fouler in fact than hot chips, sausage rolls really are a faux food, let's not even pretend. I swear karma went around that day and our previous bitching came back, at least to me, to bite me in the arse. On this particular day we got a spot on a rather big slope. Already having warned T I haven't got the best balance I sat down on my grounded picnic chair ready for the day. T set off to get the sausos. When she returned we hooked in and then just as the sun caught my eye I over balanced and went for a roll down the hill with sauso held high and sauce thrown into my eyes. I will never eat another sauso again. T and I were in hysterics and neither of us could help me get out of the dirt, thankfully a hot chip eating, smoking stall owner picked me and dusted me off. Thank you carni crowd one and all.