Make It! March under review

So maybe I didn't get quite as much made as I expected but I never set out for the theme to be a design-a-day challenge!
Anyway, I'm pleased with the results - I came up with at least two new designs (the fuzzy felted flower rings and the spool knit necklace) plus I repurposed some wire and fibre stars, making my first tiaras! I finally "made real" my drilled seaglass cufflink design and am very happy with the result! I also took a week out from working at the bench to set up my local artists' cooperative with a social media network - phew! that was hard work (and fun) to connect and is still ongoing. Then an extremely heavy cold landed me in Complete Exhaustionsville for over a week. Managed to pack in one jurying session, my season opener at the Blim Community Market, delivered my work for a gallery exhibition and a workshop for teens during Spring Break during all of this .....ah yes, and Spring Break!

Make It March day 7

simple drilled seaglass and sterling cufflinks

The sea glass tablets, collected from the beach in Scotland I used to play on as a wee girl, have been ready drilled for a while now. So yesterday I torched and pickled the wire then assembled the fittings.

Voila! They're part of what's turning into my "simplicity" collection - a range of simple, classic, unadorned pieces similar to this argentium sterling lace cuff.

Cufflinks above for sale on Etsy, $82 plus shipping.

Lace argentium cuff is a custom order only right now.

fibre friday

wire fibre art pendants

Finally got around the listing these cute and fresh spring pendants, both handcrocheted wire with wool roving embroidery felted into the mesh.

Cute, funky, totally original and available here.

ring cycle

purple poppy: wire and fibre needlefelted ring

 

Finishing a project off is as good as starting a new one!

I'm really pleased with this ring. It's an almost first for me in wire crochet and a continuation in exploring a new technique to add into my wire pieces. This bracelet was the first one (and it sold!) and I hope to explore some more in less functional, more artistic projects (though I hope that all my pieces get worn sometimes). Maybe I'll have a whole bouquet of these little rings soon!

fuzzy friday

 

A new ring and a new technique.

Exploring needlefelting with wire crochet - voila! a flower ring (and the loos end of wire will be 'incorporated').

wordless wednesday: my studio

working at the bench (also my computer table)

new storage layout (and hidey hole)

on one side of the bench

my new summer workspace!

or maybe here!

please take my child to work day - yabloodyhoo

portable crafting kit - ready to go

Today is "(Please) Take My Children To Work" day - but I am unlikely to benefit from this (just like all the other SAHMs round here especially since school has ended for the summer).
This is a glimpse of how I routinely take my work to my child (since that is how things are done around here right now) - a tray of handcrafterly goodness with projects to complete. If I have something set up like this it means I can indeed go watch Spiceworld with The Wee Guy for the umpteenth time and manage to be productive too (and even retain a little sanity and brain power perhaps).

projects to go

clutch of wire crochet pendants for the Main Street car-free Vancouver festival

It was with some trepidation that I approached this morning's task - checking inventory for a craft fair. Not so bad, some of you might be thinking, but this event is only a week away and I don't have a whole heap load of time for stocking up! I was anticipating setting up numerous portable crafting projects plus some 'burning the midnight oil' sessions ahead. :(

Instead I was pleasantly surprised. Despite having what seems like all my inventory out on sale in local boutiques, etc. there was still quite a sizeable collection suitable for the street fair. (For you locals out there, this is the Car Free Vancouver festival being held next Sunday, 14th June - I'll be selling on the block between W20th and 21st). My huge workload vanished 'pooft' and was replaced by some relaxing afternoon crafting.I finished off some wire crochet bezels for sea glass chunks then strung them on pendant cords (see above).

There are still some important tasks on the horizon (bungee cords to hold the tent down, afix some nosestuds to business cards, and so on) but, on the whole, this week should be a leisurely trot thru some portable crafting while out and about. Might get to try some new ideas!

Phew!

buttonless knickers

wire and fibre felted buttons
(alpaca and tinned copper)

Phew! After Sunday's most incredible Got Craft spring opener I have relaxation in mind. Once that's been achieved portable crafting will have to take a bit of a back seat as I reload my online shops and attend to my website. I need to photograph and list my inventory - all of which translates into much computer time!
I also need to road test a new design - wire and fibre buttons (shown above). They look beautiful and will survive the washer/dryer but I need to find out how they function as functioning buttons. For example, since they felt they are unsuitable for certain wools ie. those which are not machine washable, and how stable are they for pushing in and out of a button hole? Normally I test out my fabric-related stuff on ..... knickers since they suffer a lot of abuse (?) and are laundered a lot. None of my knickers have buttons so I'm a little at a loss ......

Stay tuned!

gearing up for spring in Vancouver BC

You must attend the Got Craft? spring craft fair this Sunday and shop local for your Mother's Day pressies!
Word!

Legion Hall
Commercial Drive @ E6th
11am - 5pm
$2 admission
swag bag for the first 30 thru the door!

earth day - ebbandflo is doing her crafty bit

I've always been a thrifty gal, my mother's influence from her own rationing and wartime in London experiences have helped shape me as someone who hates to discard. Even my craft studio is built around semi-conservation/upcycling principles - a lot of my crafting materials are stored in those transparent plastic boxes which prepared salads come in. They are ideal since they stack, are easily labelled, are lightweight and the contents are seen readily.


However, I'm not as quick as some sellers of handmade to jump on the eco bandwagon. I've made a few tagging changes to fit in with the Etsy perception of 'being green' (when in Rome, .....) but I'm still uncomfortable with whooping up eco credentials. I try to incorporate green-ness in everyday life and crafting but I'm no eco-warrior. The spotlight above brings together some of my more thrifty, upcycling projects and the new design of felted flotsam cuff above incorporates handspun 'sweepings' (from Yummy Yarn) with brand new wire (it's almost impossible to upcycle wire though my flotsam brooches do use up the odds and ends of all kinds of handcrafting offcuts). I love working with sea glass and am slowly working thru a stash of machine knit wool swatches for felting which my mother gave me.
With a little thought it's possible to work some earth-saving practices into your crafting life!

the structured chaos of organised personal time

Last night I switched off the computer, removed myself from the lure of the interwebs and the seduction of twitter ..... and Made Stuff. This follows on from my previous blog post kvetching about not having enough personal time over Spring Break.

I poured a good big goblet of red wine and the creativity flowed(?).

accomplished =

• a new pair of copper earrings

• three flotsam wire and fibre items ready to be felted in today's batch of laundry
• the prototype for a new flotsam wire and fibre design
• set up some portable crafting projects for when I'm out and about
• an inventory check of wire crochet for upcoming craft fairs and B&M's
• prep for the promo items I need to make for the upcoming Got Craft! fair at the beginning of May

Once these housekeeping items were out of the way I then settled down to some real creating, something I've been 'itching' to do for a long time. I've been making wire beads for about a year now and using them in necklaces or as focal points. Recently I've started felting them (my beloved fuzzy balls!) but last night's project was a wee bit different.

I made a graduated set of fine silver wire beads and teamed them with some beautiful white agate to make a "purity" choker-length necklace. For some reason I gravitate towards pure white with the fine silver and the pieces always end up being "purity". Ho hum - makes sense to me I think.

 

chasing jump rings

Chainmailling is of course portable IMO. As long as I have a clear idea of the weave I'm attempting and have somewhere flattish for jumprings I'm usually happy chainmailling al fresco.
It's usually best, if you are supposed to be minding a child, to have a set up that is easy to put down as soon as the first wail for assistance comes thru. For this reason, always identify the start of your weave with a paperclip and be ready to scoop everything into a bag when you resume motherhood.

orbital weave and serpentine choker available here

how do you craft?

So, how do you pull it all together and manage a few crafty moments in your day? How does it all fit together in your family life? Whether you're a stressed new mum following the 'sleep when the baby sleeps' mantra or the follower of a very active out-and-about preschooler it can be a real juggling act to try keep that ounce of sanity going by snatching a creative moment or two in the day's itinerary.

Recently I found some inspiration from an article run in the Etsy blog, The Storque where seller Nikki aka BabyBelle talked about her studio and how enmeshed in family life it is. Far from the usual unfeasible "Quit Your Day Job" (!) series, this article actually addressed the ins and outs of working at home and weaving it around normal family duties. It turns out that there are a whole slew of work-at-home mum articles available here ....... maybe you can find some nuggets of inspiration in them too!