It's too hot - What's a crafter to do?

Some revamped Christmas cards, made into birthday cards and other greeting cards. These cards can be found at Love Miss Luck on King Street in Newtown. Pop in and browse this ace shop and chat up the even more ace shop owner Sarah, otherwise known as my little sister.

So, I'm back after a bit of a hiatus, went on holidays and had myself some swimming and reading relaxation- mainly interior mags, but that counts doesn't it? Also read the 'Slumdog Millionaire' that apparently they've made into a movie. Was a bit sad and confronting in spots, but a good summer read. I love the heat, adore the heat, but jingies I'm a little over it at the moment. Being a sticky hot crafting mess 24 hours a day isn't so pretty. We had some absolute corker days this week and last. Last week we had a 43 degree day, celsius that is crafters, in fahrenheit that is about 110 degrees - insane I know.

In other news I've re-branded myself (as you may have guessed by the new banner) and have actually registered my business name with the big wigs in New South Wales - serious business! So welcome to sketch&jones. Being a piscean I feel, at times, I'm a split personality fish swimming both up and down stream confusing all and sundry. My name reflects this, hence the double barrel, and also the fact that I'm sewing like a two person operation at the moment.

So to kick off this year I'm going to go full tilt into getting my stuff out there. So far I've got some lovely people who have helped me get it out there thus far. One of my latest stockist's (of my dolls), Leonie of tippietoes , has opened a sweet online store called tippietoes - petite couture, which I've been perusing lately. Go check it out here, all in Aussie dollars, yay! The US exchange rate is killing us here so it's much better to buy local. Please peruse my new sidebar for all my stockists and hopefully I'll be adding some more very soon.

How cute is this crochet sleeve russian doll top from ivy designs and featured on tippietoes ? The cutest. I love crochet and intend on stepping up my crochet production once Winter hits.

And to finish up. How about Obama's speech? Very inspirational and even included a warm inclusion of the heathens, yay for the heathens, very funny! Maybe it will be the heathens who will bring America out of it's troubles? Apparently no American president has ever addressed the heathens before - the times are a changing my friends!

Exciting News!

Ta-da! So I've started a new business. Exciting times! I've started the business with my friend from high school Naomi. Naomi is one top chick and I've known her for over 20 years, man how old am I? So our little business is Little Red Designs and we are at mo' doing kiddy t-shirts and then wall decals. We both have a million ideas and our first foray was supposed to be on Saturday at the Olive Tree Market, but alas it rained and poured and was called off. Just to dig it to us it was beautiful and sunny on Sunday. Naomi and I have been heat pressing vinyl onto shirts and looks fab. We have stretched, pulled, tumble dried and washed the vinyl on a t-shirt and it looks great. Naomi bought the heat press and at first we were very tentative using the big hunking thing, but then we started to just rip in and use it after a few attempts. I love the heat press, but the alarm is going to do my head in. Everytime it has reached the right temperature or has finished pressing it has an tinny alarm that plays Fur Elise. Beethoven you have a lot to answer for. In other news Little Red Designs is headed off to the Glebe Markets in Sydney in the next week or two to launch our new range. Stop by all you Sydney blogger folk and say hi. Little Red and Sketch will also be soon featured in a fabulous new store opening in Newtown on King Street called Love Miss Luck. Love Miss Luck will have a whole range of vintage accessories such as handbags, shoes and other items of fabulousness including Little Red and Sketch, so go check out their new website here. They can be found at 498a King Street, Newtown.

And just to finish up. Thanks to thedogwhoblogs who tagged me. Feeling spesh, never been tagged before. Because I'm only new to this biz and don't feel like I know anyone that well, if you want to play along feel free to consider yourself tagged.

Tagging requirements: Tell us about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

They are indeed unspectacular so tune out and click off now if you want............................

1. I create best at 2,3,4 in the morning when everyone else is long in bed and I'm sitting up watching bad television and coming up with different ideas. I have been known to build and sew at these hours as well.

2. I have lovely journals to write ideas and to note crafty ideas in yet the backs of envelopes and scraps of paper are usually where all the big designs and ideas take shape.

3. I find it very hard to chuck things out - particularly paper. I often have to have a sort through day just to chuck out all the scraps of paper I've accumulated.

4. I love re-arranging furniture at any hour by myself. I am a shortie and not very big and can move anything, I've got many tricks and shortcuts. In the past I have used skateboards, towels and sheets to move heavy things around rooms. When I was a 10 year old kid I could manoeuvre a medium sized two door wardrobe full of clothes and shoes around my bedrooom. My mum and dad were always surprised by my handy work.

5. I once held the record at high school for being able to hold myself up on the parallel bars with my arms at a 90 degree angle for the longest time -and yes this included the boys. I think it was something like 3 minutes and I only let go because I had to go to the toilet. Granted I was a complete runt, but hey I'll take the record and relive my glory days in such things as this anytime I can.

6. And just to share a shortie tale cause I've run out of quirks. When I was 16 and learning to drive I was so short I couldn't see over the steering wheel so I used to look between the dashboard and just under the steering wheel. And due to shortness I also couldn't wear the seatbelt correctly as the sash used to pass just over my right eye - creating an even more hazardous situation. What the hell was my mother thinking teaching me to drive? Anyhoo I used to wear the seat belt under my right arm and all was good until a police officer pulled me over one day and told me and my mother off about wearing my seatbelt incorrectly. So having been chastised I flicked the seatbelt out from under my arm and over my right eye and gave the officer a filthy evil eye with the other visible eye and resumed the argh, argh pirate position and drove off.

Note: Don't worry peeps had a growth spurt between 16-19 years and now tip the height chart a bit over 150cm. So not dangerous on the roads nowadays - just short.