Monday, December 17, 2012

Light Bulb Moments and Other Happenings....



Hello girls, it's blue skies and sunshine with some lovely cottony clouds this morning......
What sort of weather is greeting you at the start of a new working week?

I'm feeling quite excited this morning.

No major earth shattering news just a little creative epiphany taking place.......

I toyed with this 'patchworky' style of design a little while ago and whilst I loved it, somehow, it just didn't 'click'.
 But now the last piece of the creative puzzle has given me the full picture and I can't wait to play some more.





Ditching the black thread today.

I love red and pink together......

I have a small list of sewing projects that need to be finished this week and this most definitely isn't one of them, but I had to 'get it out' and see how it looks.
It will be a tea cosy when finished, more stitching  to take place.








Friday morning when I should have been packing up for the market I was actually stitching some pincushions. I just wanted to play with some more Zinnias....time was limited and I forgot to add the lighter coloured stitching around the flower centres.....lesson learnt!!



My little Owlets from last months market were tweaked and the brighter colours are much more appealing.......


Saturday morning saw the last market at Bright for 2012.
Rain was forecast over the weekend but we were meant to get 28deg.
I wore my outdoor boots as tramping over the wet grass in sandals wasn't my cup of tea.......
Just as well I took the practical option as once my gazebo and stall were set up it started to rain, lightly......





Erin, my stall holder neighbour is also a wildlife carer and had  with her a Black Cockatoo feather.
A couple of these birds visit her property regularly.
Some markets Erin has had a little joey with her that needs feeding every hour or so......
It's interesting listening to stories of her wildlife work.

Isn't the feather stunning?



It wasn't long before the rain set in.........
Fortunately, people still came down to the market but in reduced numbers and as the rain got heavier they left so we all packed up an hour early......
I managed to sell 5 of the 6 tea cosies I took, so that salvaged the morning for me.
 Although everyone was very disappointed there was still lots of laughter and light hearted banter taking place and to be honest, we really did need a good drop of rain.
The garden is certainly looking a lot happier and it means we won't have to water for a few days......




Here's the pic of the finished gift from my last post.
The Zinnias became a pot holder for my artist friend Ella........
She's a fabulous cook and being Italian, whips up many wonderful dishes.  I thought I would 'jazz' up a basic kitchen item and on the reverse side I machine embroidered a little information about Zinnias.
Thankfully, she loved it. 
Somehow I don't think it will find it's way into her kitchen. Knowing Ella, she'll probably hang it somewhere in her home as an 'artwork'....


♥♥  Hollyhocks ♥♥

I now have a lovely pale, pink Hollyhock  in flower as well.





The Sea Holly is about to have it's turn in the spotlight.
It's colouring up nicely and by the end of the week should be a  lovely, deep purple ......




The Agapanthus are bursting into bloom.
This pic was taken on one of the hot days we had last week.

A lovely, blue sky pic for all of you who are dealing with leaden skies and low temps.

I do hope you can feel the warmth.
 Let me tell you it was hot....




Whilst the rain wasn't particularly welcome at the market it has washed away the humidity we were experiencing.
Today is going to be a balmy 28deg. 

Oh almost forgot to say......
After the market and feeling a little damp and bedraggled I headed up the main street to check out the Bright Op shops and scored 3 woollen blankets for a very reasonable price.
You know that little purchase made up for the mornings disappointment.

I have decided to give the Jan/Feb markets a miss and have plans for the new year......
I hope to get my sewing room sorted.
Tigger headed in there last week and I warned him to leave a little trail of breadcrumbs so he could find his way out again!!
Needless to say ...being male.....he didn't listen and hasn't been sighted since!!
There are also windows that need to be cleaned and wardrobes sorted.
Sewing has taken precedence over other things this year and balance needs to be restored, so something had to give.
Of course, I will keep 'playing' with new ideas and designs.
 The creative side of things will always be there.
I'm toying with the idea of opening up a little shop in 2013.
If you have any experience with Etsy or Madeit I would love to hear it......

Well, I better get on with some of those sewing projects and tick them off the list.

Hope you are managing to tick a few things off your lists and thanks for taking the time out to come and visit.

♥♥♥♥♥
To all the people who have been affected directly or indirectly by the Sandy Hook massacre......
Words fail to accurately describe the deep sadness of this tragic event.
Hopefully, someone will have the strength and support to change the gun laws and make it alot harder for people to get access to weapons.It will never solve the issue but you've got to start somewhere.......


Take care everyone,

Claire xx



17 comments:

  1. Hi Claire, Love all your market makes, it's a shame it was so wet, but the rain is good for the garden, and you have some lovely flowers happening there, hollyhocks are a favourite of mine. I think you would do really well with an online shop, I am thinking about an etsy shop next year too, looking forward to hearing how you go. Julie :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love red and pink together, too!!!
    Such pretty your pincushions....!!!!
    even the work for your italian friend.......yes, an artwork!!!
    xxx Ale

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your sewing work gets more and more lovely. I particularly like the bee. Glad all is well with you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful craft work Claire and loving those pin cushions and Owlets. It's such a joy to see what you've been making.
    I love your photo of the Agapanthus against the blue, blue sky. I have Sea Holly in my garden (didn't know what they were called, thank you), but don't have any flowers showing yet. I had a prune today and a dig out today, Foxgloves are finished :( and sweet peas soon to follow.
    Enjoy your week,
    Anne xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. That tea cosy is absolutely lovely, and the brightened up owls just darling. I'm sure you'd do really well on Etsy.

    Enjoy that sun x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Claire, I am glad you are taking some time to get things sorted, I bet you will be missed at the market. If I was given that beautiful pot holder, I would never take the chance it would get dirty or greasy, it would definitely be hung on my wall.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely, lovely, 'makes' Claire! I love the colours you are using these days - very uplifting :) Can't get over your glorious weather - that 'agapanthus' pic - amazing colours! It's good to take time out sometimes - hope you enjoy a little break, you would do wonderfully on Etsy I'm sure :D
    Alison xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. A beautiful post Claire, I love how your zinnia pot holders turned out and am also really taken with your owls once again - so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, and I meant to say - Merry Christmas Claire - I know yours will be filled with love and fun :D)

      Delete
  9. Love it all, especially the zinnias and the robin. What wonderful people you meet at the market, even when it rains. Your friend Erin sounds like a really sweet and caring person, taking care of baby kangaroos and all. I hope you do open a shop. I've never heard of madeit, but really like how easy it is to purchase from etsy. I'm not a shop owner, so can' help you from that end of things. Best of luck getting it all sorted out, and your sewing room too. Wishing you and your family a very happy Christmas!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sorry to hear the rain put a damper on the market .....
    I suppose thats the life of a marketeer (I think that's a word)
    you never know what the day will bring. Lucky op shop finds !
    Cute little owls and the zinna pin cushions....lovely!
    Love the photo of the agapanthus against the beautiful blue sky do you have plenty of water for your garden?
    Enjoying the early morning wanders around my garden and veggie plot before it gets too hot, we did get 8ml of rain over the weekend but its still very dry......Xmas shopping all done and now doing a little sewing for myself, I can make as much mess as I want for the next 4 days while hubby is away visiting friends. ( I'd rather stay at home and enjoy the solitude before the xmas madness)
    Best wishes for a Happy Christmas ! hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends. XX

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks so much for visiting me, you make the most beautiful things. The red and pink on the new tea cosy works really well. Your talk of temperatures in the high 20s and comments about needing rain sound so strange from this side of the world where we're barely above freezing and could do with a wee dry patch! Juliex

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love seeing photos of your craft fair stalls! You're so good at laying your makes out and making the most of them! I think I need some tips!
    Carly
    x

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm glad you got some much needed rain, but it's a shame it couldn't have waited until after the market!

    That agapanthus looks stunning against the sky.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Claire , just had to pop by and wish a very merry Christmas to my good blog buddy.
    Hadn't seen this post. Your makes are wonderful as always and I LOVE your Agapanthus pic with the blue sky and hills in the back ground.
    Hope you and yours have a happy time over the next few days and thanks for your kind comments over at mine.
    Jacquie x

    ReplyDelete
  15. So wish I lived closer so I could pop in to one of your stalls. It would be very hard to choose a favourite *make* : -)

    ReplyDelete

Life's busy isn't it?......thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
I love hearing from you and will reply via email unless you are set up as a
'no reply blog'
in which case I will reply here on the comments page...♥

Thankyou xx