Wednesday 24 November 2010

Last Order Dates

Here are the last ordering dates for my shops.  So hurry up!  Also for you lovely blog readers I am offering a special discount in my etsy shops 20% off.  All you have to do is quote BLOGSPECIAL . 
So hurry to my Bigbluebed shop
Alix Beech shop
 

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia  and New Zealand  - Friday 3rd December


Eastern Europe, USA and Canada Wednesday 8th December


Western Europe  Friday 10th December

UK - Monday 20th December
 






Wednesday 17 November 2010

Button Wednesday - Handmade button, interrrupted but finished.

Last Wednesday I was going to post about a button I was making. I had taken the before shot and then would take another photo when I had finished the button. It was a pink button for my sister to go on her newly made ipad case.

Then I had an urgent message from a friend asking me to take over her half of a stall at a fair on Saturday. 'I cannot do it. I have no stock.' I said. But I thought about it and agreed to do the half table for her.

When I got home from work in the evening I was told the other person was unable to make the fair and could I do the whole table. So my mornings quiet relaxed button-making went and was replaced by frenzied sewing for the fair.

So to continue where I was last Wednesday - here is the before photo of the button. A naked button you could say.


And here is the finished button.


For more Button Wednesdays pop over to Kraplap's P8 Buttons & Fabrics Blog here.

Friday 5 November 2010

New Car Booty Finds

Well an Indoor Car Boot.  They used to hold a flea market in the sports hall before the refurbishment. Not it is an Indoor Car Boot but it looks to me like the flea market stalls are coming back.  Which is a good thing.

I had a wander a couple of times round. Passed over responsibility of child to my mum which gave me the time and space to go where I wanted.

And I was rather lucky.  I bought two dishes with gloriously kitsch ducks on them for 10p each.  A lovely lady gave me free a Singer machine attachment as she had no idea what it was (mum tells me it is a buttonholer).  And I saw this lovely plate and purchased it for £1.



It is by made by Arabia in Finland. I looked them up and they have a huge production supplying a lot of Europe. But I could find nothing about this particular design.  I would love to know when it was made. At first I thought 1950s but now I am thinking 1970s.  If you know please tell me.

**UPDATE** The loevly Louise of ThirtyFive Flowers blog found the name of the design for me (see comments). Thank you so much!   It is called ' Emilia'.

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Button Wednesday - Google it!!

I didn't really know what to do for Button Wednesday this week.  So I thought I would put buttons in Google and see what comes up. What a lot, and lot, and lot and lot.  But what is much more fun to do is to put the work buttons in the Google IMAGE search. This way you can look through the lovely images (ignoring the badges and computer buttons etc.). And if there is anything that appeals click on it to see where it came from.

So this way I found a couple of great tutorials for making your own buttons.

Click on the links to go and have a look:

How to Make Singleton Buttons

How to Make 9  Hole Buttons (and a fantastic idea for embroidering letters on them).

So go explore and have fun.

For more Button Wednesdays pop over to P8 Buttons & Fabrics blog.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Halloween - a Night for Witches (one of them a bear!).

I live in the UK and I am in my 40s.  This means that Trick or Treating never played a part in my childhood.

Not so for my daughter.

For the first time I went trick or treating and okay all the costume I had was a spider drawn on my cheek with an eye pencil.  But my girl certainly looked the part.






And she spent the afternoon making Halloween decorations:



And I carved my first ever Pumpkin.

I am now looking forward to next year.  I might have to wear a costume myself next time. 
Thank you to everyone who gave my girls sweeties and made her feel welcome.  Thank you.