Holiday Cards and Headbands... and how to get them...

...I have made more than 50 crocheted snowflake ornaments (which come with or with out a greeting card depending on preference).....

....I've made stenciled snowflake postcard sets in silver, black, and blue...

...I've made flapper-esque crocheted headbands with one giant flower....

...and I've made the earmuff version to keep the ears nice and toasty...

And there's MORE stuff in the works too... :) annnnd everything is a limited edition item people. (gift giving anyone?)

You can get these and other things by:

a) visiting me at the Fair Alternative Market in the Princes Street Church on the following dates:
December 12, 18, 20, 22, 23

OR

b) you can sign up to get my newsletter that will be coming out later this week with pictures, details (oooo the story behind the stuff!), and prices and all the other exciting info about how to pay and stuff. :)

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Let your Daemon Stay Up Past Bedtime

Yesterday, I didn't have a very productive day, or rather, jut not as much as I'd have liked for it to have been. Then, at around 9pm, I got that feeling I sometimes get, just this need to create, a sort of welling up; so I followed the feeling and skipped bedtime. What can I say; when my creative daemon wants to play, it wants to play, dammit. So worth it! I managed to get a lot done in the next several hours, and had a mini epiphany on another item I'm going to make for the Holiday Market coming up.
At one point I walked into my little studio after I had shut the overhead light off, but the light on my sewing machine was still on. There was something about the light in the room, the feeling of it that just made me want to play with my camera. So I followed that desire too, and eventually this image came out of that. And I really love it.
So, if you feel an inkling of that desire to create, follow it, it will reward you with a better, if shorter, night's sleep.

Cork Flooded or The Venice of Ireland Returns

Once upon a time, Cork actually was a city of many small canals traversed by boat. Though that was ages ago, today you can get a little of the feeling as the city has flooded due to the heaviest rainfalls in 30 years (link via Evin). Here are a few images I took this morning:







A few of our friends are stranded in their houses in the lower part of the city (and their water has been shut off, ironic, to have no water in a flood....), so deliveries of water and wellies have been made, but no one is in any serious danger. Also, it seems like the city response has been fast and fairly effective. Bubs and I are on higher ground in the city, so although we can't get west of the city center, we have access to the local shops and all, so don't worry Mom & Dad. And ironically, the weather today is absolutely gorgeous, sunshine and fair temperatures, so we're having a reprieve from the deluge. Tomorrow we may be flooded again, but after the weekend I think the flood is supposed to subside. So glad I bought wellies recently!!

A Little Holiday Decorating

I've been a busy bee preparing lots of goodies to sell at the craft market in December! Among other things, I've been making loads of crocheted snowflake ornaments that I'll be selling with gift cards. While they are here however, I decided to string them all up on some yarn and hang them in our window for some holiday cheer. Can I just say that I LOVE them!? (and they totally make up for the fact that we don't really ever get snow here...) definitely going to have to make a ton more so I can keep a garland for our home!
Also huge thanks to Beata, yarn-dyer and knitter extraordinaire, for the much loved gift of a set of fine crochet hooks with wooden handles. They have made crocheting the finer yarns so much easier!!
Back to the crafting and creating!

What I sent for the Talisman Project

Hope my secret swap partners enjoyed their surprises. :)

Peace and Time: Gifts from the Talisman Project

There is nothing quite like the joy of receiving something in the post. Something tangible, something handmade, handwritten. Its not that the e-world is thoughtless and cruel, quite the contrary; if the e-world didn't exist I wouldn't have received these gifts at all. Snail mail is just, well, different, and special in its rarity and the time that you know went into getting it made and sent.


This part of the Talisman Project involved sending two people from the group a small handmade gift symbolizing a quality or thing you wish you had more of in your life. These were the symbolic gifts I was given through the swap: Time and Peace.

The gift of "time" was given to me by Emma of Little Brown Rabbit. In Emma's letter she related that though she wishes she had more time, she's recently made a personal commitment to always find the time to stay in touch with her friends; this was what inspired her to design the little notelets she sent me.


{You can tell Emma is a pro at this kind of work, these cards a beautifully made with gorgeous illustrations and beautiful little details that just elevate the quality of her work. You can buy her gorgeous stuff here.}
I'm so glad she sent me "time" because I actually needed to look at how I've been valuing my time. I'm actually very fortunate that I do have a lot time, what I'm working on is how to use it. Not long after I got these notes from Emma I decide to address this by taking the plunge full force into the free e-book Wishcraft (don't be put off by the cheesy graphic, this is an awesome book). And I'm loving it!
It's also really wonderful to get a gift that I know I'll be giving again when I send these three beautiful cards off to surprise some other friends. :) Thank you so much Emma for your thoughtful gift.


My second gift was "peace" from Laura Davis of Cutline Crafts. Laura said that she is always peaceful when she knits so she made upcycled yarn from an old t-shirt, and took it to a whole new level by tea-staining it (giving it a slightly vintage feel too)! I don't actually have a picture of it "before" (I hijacked the one above from Laura's blog post) because I got so excited I had to make something with it right away.

I made a crocheted yoke for a dress using the yarn, and for the body I used yet another upcycled t-shirt. I think the idea of reducing our waste with innovation is very peaceful. I also love the idea of peacefully lounging around in this super comfy dress. Thank you for sharing your peace with me Laura and inspiring me to create something new with something old!