I hope to have the ornaments in my shops soon, but if you'd like to pre-order one please do get in touch!
But apart from that... well... *yawn*.... zzzz....
The colours are lovely, especially against the white - it looks so light and pretty, perfect for weddings or summer parties. I'm actually sort of embarrassed at never having thought of using a white background before!
Sprigs of mistletoe! It's lovely to be making these again this year, and it's always interesting to revisit old designs. This year's are sewn onto thicker red felt to make them a bit more sturdy and I've decided that I rather like the bolder, more solid shape made by leaving the middle bit of red as it is. Of course I only worked this out when I'd cut out the first one and had it side by side with the others for comparison! Ah well. I may list both options and let the customers decide which is best!
I also finished some long-delayed gifts made as a "thankyou" to the girls who did some felt modelling for me back at the start of the summer... some sets of hairclips...
Here's a peek at some of the owl sketches I've been doing since making that last brooch (I'm plotting a whole little series of owls for my shop) 
- this was pinned to our noticeboard today by my boyfriend who was slightly annoyed and greatly amused at how I'd scribbled all over his to do list in my owl-sketching frenzy: "typical!"
... and a pincushion version of my forget-me-nots brooches:
I made a bit of a mess of the kitchen table in the process!
... but as you can see, I also started a couple of other things too! The bracelets turned out really nice (and got posted in such a rush that I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them, oops), a much softer look than my white poppies. As for the other stuff... the pink and yellow is the start of a new pincushion design that I've been wanting to try for just ages (no prizes for guessing what it will be!) and the ginger is my first bit of Christmas sewing.
A custom pale pink poppy brooch, a custom Lily of the Valley ornament (I love making special ornament versions of my brooch designs), an assortment of poppy bracelets, and two new masks: a white rabbit (with seriously lopsided ears) and a brown bear. I also made my first flower necklace but foolishly omitted it from that picture. I went to take a quick snap of it to put up on this blog, and DOOM! my camera had died again!! Argh. So far giving it a good whack has not fixed it. Not good :(
... and a great customer appreciation photo starring the regular blossom:
(The delicious-looking scarf is from one of my fellow UK-based Etsy sellers, Shunklies.)
I'm just starting to get a feel for how Dawanda works, so for all I know that could be a super-common occurrence, but it made me smile regardless!
It's very interesting (to me at any rate) to see the familiar mobile shapes in unfamiliar, softer colours. Sewing the finished discs onto the ribbons was a different process to normal, too, as they were single-sided (it's to be a wall-hanging) so the back looks like this:
I am just in love with that bag and cannot wait to show it off to everyone. Its arrival also prompted me to finally make the swap item I will be sending out... and because it is a SECRET there will be no photo until it has arrived at its destination.
I managed to sew a few of the discs together before I went to bed, but there are still lots to do! I also managed to get a small batch of cloud brooches finished and relisted, though I wasn't totally awake and managed to sew one of the clouds on the wrong way round! Very annoying. I shall probably list it as a slightly discounted oops or something, there's nothing technically wrong with it... it just doesn't look quite right to me & it certainly looks different to the photos in my listing! Ah well. Must pay more attention next time! Here are the clouds nestling amongst the pastel discs - I think the grey looks quite nice next to the pastel colours...
I also did a little bit of dull work on my accounts last night, which is why my crafting 365 photo contains a calculator (resting on my snazzy accounts book - it's only snazzy on the outside, believe me!). Nothing too interesting/important, just adding up a few expenses from last month in an attempt to keep up with my paperwork!
As you may be able to gather, I have been making fat little bird ornaments. These are bigger versions of an old pattern - you can see the old & new patterns in the first picture. Hurrah for birds! Also late last night I started knitting little hats for the Big Knit. They are the perfect "it's late at night and I am half-asleep" crafty project, although sewing them together takes a bit more concentration!
A lovely print from theblackapple and the gorgeous teapot brooch I ordered from seaurchin (she also sent a little freebie heart pin and an "emergency" teabag, brilliant!). The brooch is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures, it almost made me cry when I first saw it. I shall be wearing it pretty much constantly this winter I think. The print is the second piece of art I have bought from Etsy - I also treated myself to a print from atwhim which is now available as delicious postcards. I have my eye on a few more bits of art but I shall have to restrain myself and build up my collection slowly or I shall be bankrupt before you can say "gosh what a nice picture of an owl/tree/teacup"
... that's 120 of the pieces sewn together, only 200 left to go! They are quite the perfect occupation for sleepy afternoons and evenings (and I do have a lot of those).
