Lemonade and Lamingtons

Rainbow Scarf

2011-03-30T19:06:00.000+01:00

Rainbow Scarf

Raspberry, Lemon & Teal Crocheted Headband

2011-03-30T13:04:00.000+01:00

Mustard Crocheted Cushion Cover

2011-03-30T13:01:00.000+01:00

Raspberry & Lemon Crocheted Brooch

2011-03-29T16:41:00.000+01:00

Crocheted Cushion Cover

2011-03-29T15:55:00.000+01:00

Raspberry & Lemon Brooch

2011-03-24T12:30:00.002Z

I think this is my favouritest (is there such a word?) product photo of all time. I had a sudden inspiration this morning - I've been wondering how to take my pics while my daughter was at school (she's my usual model) and it then occurred to me that all I had to do was take a photo in the mirror - and I'd know what it looked like, 'cos I could see it in the viewfinder on the back...like duh!

The brooch is pretty massive - 4 inches (about 10cm) across...if you like it, let me know - it *could* be yours! It's available in both my Folksy and Etsy shops.

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-03-23T16:06:00.003Z

Isn't this gorgeous! Well, I think so, anyway! It's made of 17 crocheted granny circle flowers, in the most delicious shades of teal, bright orange, and lemonade - and using my favourite fibre, a fabulous blend of 75% lambswool and 25% silk, which I buy from a mill in the Scottish Highlands.

Even though it's spring, it's not warm enough yet to go without at least a cardy, so this would be a super addition to any wardrobe!

It's listed in my Folksy shop - and would make a lovely gift for Mother's Day!

Why not have a look around while you're there and see if there's anything else you might fancy?

Rainbow Scarf

2011-03-18T13:24:00.002Z

Rainbow Scarf1 a photo by Lemonade and Lamingtons on Flickr.

I am *so* loving this scarf! It's all in lambswool/silk yarn, sourced from a wool mill in the Scottish Highlands. It's gorgeous to work with, and lovely to wear!

How To Crochet a Flower

2011-03-14T13:00:00.000Z

How to crochet a flower - my first foray into the heady world of video tutorials. Let me know what I can do to improve it!

Spring at Well Hall Pleasaunce

2011-03-13T16:33:00.001Z

Spring at Well Hall Pleasaunce3 a photo by Lemonade and Lamingtons on Flickr.

I quite like this. I printed out a copy of my original photo, using canvas-print paper; I then took a photo of it using my webcam, then imported it into an online photography manipulation program. A bit more fiddling, resizing and vignetting, then finally "lomo-ising" it. I'm quite impressed with how it's turned out!

I've just bought myself some twin lens reflex cameras so I can pay around with TtV, so it will be interesting to see if I can get any better results than what I can through the computer!

Is it just me?

2011-03-08T13:44:00.001Z

Or is it very cold today?

I was going around this morning in my son's jumper - that's my 10 year old son's jumper - I'd never fit into the 7 or 4 year olds' jumpers - and I've just taken it off...but it's *soooo* cold!

The sun's out, but it's very deceptive, making me think it's a lot warmer than it is. I had hoped to get away with a cardigan on the school run this afternoon but I'm afraid I'm going to have to look completely overdressed and wear the winter coat: and risk overheating!

At this point I think I should provide you with some lovely pics of things I've listed today in my Folksy shop, which may or may not conjure up images of warmer weather...probably not, just thinking about it!

No? No thoughts of spring?

Well, you could always buy them for your Mum...

Randomness!

2011-03-06T09:58:00.000Z

ufo space jam drum play games fun fez

The above is my 4 year old son's blog entry for today...

Mothering Sunday

2011-03-04T08:50:00.002Z

Did You Know?

The fasting rules for Lent were relaxed on Mothering Sunday, and so this day also became known as Refreshment Sunday.

Although the foods we would probably most associate with the Easter season are hot cross buns and Easter Eggs (hmm...loose interpretation of the word, "food" I know!), Mothering Sunday has its own traditional food too...Simnel Cake. It's a fruit cake made with two layers of almond paste, one on the top, one in the middle. On top of the cake is put eleven balls of marzipan icing, which represent the eleven disciples (not including Judas). Tradition would add sugar violets. It's an acquired taste - probably not your thing if you don't like marzipan!

Mothering Sunday at Folksy

Mothers love handmade. Particularly if their children have made the gifts - it doesn't matter if it's a wonky pot, or the flowers are a bit broken or skew-wiff, or if the portrait makes out that Mum has green hair and blue skin. Often these presents are treasured forever - in fact, the Mothers Day presents my brother and I gave our mother were kept for many, many years...a little embarrassing for us, but she really loved them.

If you want to give your own mother a present, but don't have the time to make something for her yourself, then Folksy is the place for your Mothering Sunday gifts this year! There's been a lot of thought gone into each and every one of the listings - all handmade, all made with love. The next best thing to a gift made by you would be a gift handmade with love.

Have a look in my Folksy shops and see if there's anything you fancy - here's some examples:

A few of my favourite photos

2011-02-27T06:54:00.002Z

As you may or may not be aware, lately I've been raiding my extensive photo library for pics that are worthy of sharing with the greater public. At about 17,000 (give or take a few) there's one or two in my collection which are good enough to be sold!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of my (current) favourites with you!

Bodiam Castle

Edinburgh Skyline

Horse Guards Parade, London

Storm Brewing, Arundel Castle Gardens

October Morning, Whitstable

So - what do you think? Are they worth sharing, or am I totally deluded?

October Morning, Whitstable

2011-02-23T20:21:00.002Z

October Morning, Whitstable
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

I am really loving this photo! I took it when our family had a quick weekend in Whitstable, the first weekend of October, last year. It rained all the way there, all the first night - and all the way home - but the Saturday morning was glorious, not quite sunshine, but definitely not raining.

I went out for an early morning stroll, while the rest of the family slept. We stayed at this most amazing holiday let, "The Harbour Buildings": it was a very odd 3 storey flat with a crenelated tower - the only place we've ever stayed in that's featured on a tea towel!

This photo is available for sale in my RedBubble shop, in various formats, and you can also buy it directly from me in my Folksy shop.

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-02-19T08:41:00.002Z

Oh dear! I've been nominated for an award...you might have noticed I'd spruced up my blog today...and this is the reason why!

Natalie from the gorgeous NOfkantsCurios has nominated me for a Stylish Blogger award - I don't really know why, as she did it on the basis of what my blog looked like previously...but I'm hoping that now I've polished it up it will be worthy of the label "stylish"!

Anyway, part of my duties as a nominee are to submit answers to a bunch of questions...so here goes:

1. Thank the person and include the link for the nomination - done!

2. Share seven things about yourself.

Seven huh? This is going to be a bit of a challenge!

(a) I've been married longer than I can remember - literally. My husband and I have to work out how old our oldest child is and count back from that! I think that's a good thing, as we're not counting the days!

(b) I can turn my hand to pretty much anything of an artistic nature, but get frustrated about having to learn the "proper" way of doing it. I guess this is why I had such a terrible time at art school!

(c) I can sing. Really sing. I mean properly sing. I had singing lessons for a number of years, and am a mezzo-soprano.

(d) I have four wonderful children, all of whom now attend school - yay!

(e) I'm an Australian, but have lived in England for over 6 years.

(f) Due to the above, my accent has changed into one which isn't instantly recognisable as being Australian - I get asked on an almost daily basis if I'm from "Country X" - most of the time these are countries other than Australia. The oddest ones have been Norway and the United States. What does a Norwegian accent sound like?

(g) I appeared on a game show, "Sale of the Century" back in Australia, in 1997. I didn't win, but I won a lot of prizes.

Okay, that's done! Now...the last part:

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

Wow - hard. Not hard to find 15, but hard to find 15 in my list who've not been nominated already. I'll give it a go though!

1. Whoopee
2. Kitschy Coo
3. A Beach Cottage
4. Annemarie's Brieblog
5. Attic24
6. The Royal Sisters
7. Troc, Broc and Recup'
8. The Lime Garden
9. Shellybobbins
10. Kitschen Pink
11. Bobo Bun
12. Happy Loves Rosie
13. The Farm Chicks
14. Do You Mind if I Knit?
15. Hens Teeth

Right! Now the last part...I have to let all these lovely people know I've nominated them, and let them know how they can continue the spread of the Stylish Blog Award! Wish me luck as you wave me goodbyeeee....

A New Venture

2011-02-19T07:52:00.001Z

Regular readers of my blog (and there are some, surely?) will have noticed that I have steered away in recent weeks from my usual posting of my latest crochet creations to things of a more artistic - as opposed to artistan nature. Never fear, I shall keep up the crochet, but after getting a new iMac for Christmas (yum!), which meant Hubby had to transfer everything over from my old MacMini (still yum), including nearly 17,000 photographs, I thought I had better do something with them. A new venture was born - Lemonade & Lamingtons ART.

As you can see by the link above, I have a separate Folksy shop for my photography, plus quite a few paintings, away from my crochet shop. I think it works better that way. I have a third shop in reserve at the moment, just in case I want to further split my art shop so one is strictly photography while the other is strictly painting. We'll see!

As I've said in the past, I went to art school several thousand years ago (back in the 80s - can anyone remember that far back?), and while I was there I studied for a double major, Photography, and Painting. So, even though I didn't finish my degree, and my creative drive was somewhat supressed for quite a few years due to my art school experience - that's another story - I have decided now is the time to return to my former loves, Photography first, Painting second. I'm having moderate success - I've been dabbling in small format art, beginning with ACEOs, which are small works of art, 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches in size, in any media. My first efforts, using watercolour pencil paintings, have been reasonably successful, and I have since branched out into miniature canvases, which could almost be considered ACEOs, except that they are 2.75 inches high rather than 2.5...so they are classed as miniature art.

It was only a small step from that to turning my photographs into ACEO form, which, although not selling so well on Folksy are proving successful elsewhere. From ACEO photographs, well, the sky was the limit, and so, having convinced my husband that a new printer, for the sole use of my photographic prints, would be a good idea...I can now print fine quality A4 size prints from the comfort of my own loungeroom!

It hasn't stopped there of course! I have discovered there are other websites out there where you can upload your digital photographs and they will sell them for you in various formats - with you receiving a modest commission. I have shops on RedBubble, DeviantART and Zazzle. So far I've sold a postcard on DeviantART, which is pretty cool, as I've only been open a week - onwards and upwards!

All this is not to say I've left my crochet behind! I've gained a new stockist, The Gift Gallery in York, and I've opened a new online shop in a very exciting New Zealand venture, Felt. Being Australian, I've been looking for a while for a place to sell "downunder" but it seems most of the Australian online handmade markets are closed to resident Australians only (the ones I could find, anyway), so to find Felt was like a breath of fresh air - and now I have a presence in both the northern and southern hemispheres, meaning that, no matter what time of year it is, someone, somewhere in the world, would potentially like to buy one of my crocheted accessories!

I still have my Etsy shop, which has become a blend of both art and crochet; I have also ventured out into the world of online auctions, and my creations can be bought on eBid.

It all sounds very busy and time-consuming, doesn't it? Well, I suppose it is in a way, but being online means I don't have to run around hither and yon - and it works very nicely now that I have ALL my children in school - I can do trips to the post office on the afternoon school run!

Anyway, it's half-term hols now, I hope to be able to keep my blog updated - I know I've been slack...you'll note I've tried to streamline it a bit...I hope you like it!

Looky Looky!!

2011-01-06T13:54:00.002Z

First off...look at this:

Now...look at this!
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/d5ecbf6f#/d5ecbf6f/12

Yes! That's my mug cosy! Natasha at Country Touches was contacted AAAGES ago about my red mug cosy, as she stocks them (and does quite well with them, I must say). Period Living wanted 2 of them, and of course, Natasha was completely out, as they're very popular. So, who was I to refuse when she called me to ask if I could make her one and send it directly to Period Living?

Thames Barrier Photographic ACEO Ltd Ed Print

2011-01-02T22:34:00.002Z

DSC09949
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

A couple of times a year the Thames Barrier is "open". That's not saying you can't visit it any time you want (within reason) - the visitors centre is open during normal hours - no, what I'm saying is that, depending on the tides, sometimes the barrier is "open" for maintenence - its normal state of operation is "closed" - with the barrier down.

We were lucky in that one day I just happened to see a notice in the local throwaway newspaper (the "NewsShopper", if you really must know!), saying that the Barrier was going to be having a Public Opening...and as it was on a Saturday afternoon, we thought, why not!

It was absolutely fascinating! The kids had a great time just running about in the fresh air (it was towards the end of October) and I had a fab time taking photos...this is just one of MANY...

I've listed this ACEO Limited Edition Print (print run limited to 100) of one of my photos of the Barrier - it's just about my favouritest photo ever - if you would like to buy a copy, they're available here.

ACEO Hay Castle

2010-12-28T20:38:00.003Z

ACEO Hay Castle
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Boxing Day, that same trip to Wales...having successfully made it to Clun, we decided that we'd take the chance and try going to Hay-on-Wye again...luck wasn't on our side though (not that I believe in luck), because, although we made it there (and back) without any car trouble, it seems Hay-on-Wye isn't interested in being the Second Hand Book Capital of the World during the Christmas season. There were 3 shops open. Total. It's a pity - I know they have to have a break sometimes, but we weren't the only disappointed ones: we saw at least 3 tour buses full of people coming to see what all the fuss was about, and leaving, still none the wiser. Ah well!

We had a lovely drive to get there though, and saw our first Boxing Day Hunt (no foxes!) in the town of Kington, not terribly far from Knighton, where we were staying. It was quite unexpected and therefore somewhat surreal; all these crimson jackets and black hats, and MASSIVE horses standing around. Lovely stuff - very English, although technically speaking, we *were* in Wales.

My ACEO is of the ruined Hay Castle, which is the second castle built on the site, and nowadays forms part of the Hay Castle Bookshop, famous for being that of the "King" of Hay-on-Wye, Richard Booth, he who opened the first second hand bookshop in Hay (in the old fire station back in those days), thus setting Hay on the heady journey it's relished to this day. This ACEO is available for purchase in my Folksy Shop where it shall shortly be joined by limited edition prints.

Clun Castle ACEO

2010-12-28T20:21:00.002Z

Clun Castle ACEO
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

I've been having a really good time going through all my photographs to find something nice to draw for my ACEOs, and I came across a beautiful shot of Clun Castle, just inside Shropshire from Wales, in the Welsh Marches. It's a gorgeous ruin, and we spent a fab Christmas afternoon there in 2007. We'd booked a week's hols for the Christmas period in Knighton (Tref-y-clawdd), a town built right on the border of Powys (Wales) and Shropshire (England), but of course, as is now traditional in our house, as soon as the rushing around with end of term school activities had finished, and we finally had a chance to relax, we all came down sick, and this time we had Norovirus, otherwise known as "winter vomiting sickness". We persevered though, and soldiered on to Knighton regardless, even though my husband was a shade of green not too dissimilar to that in my picture...

The weather for the most part was pretty attrocious, but we made the best of it - Daughter, No. 1 Son and I visited SpaceGuard 2 days before Christmas, which was great fun, right up until Daughter fell off a chair in a Norovirus induced faint...no matter, we kept on...then on Christmas Eve (day) we thought we'd try to go to Hay-on-Wye, to see if the town lived up to its reputation of being the second-hand book capital of the world - we started out on our journey, and only made it as far as the Knighton cemetery (about half a mile from where we were staying) and the car completely conked out. We called the AA, and my husband waited with with the car while the kids and I walked back to the house. Fortunately a Christmas miracle occurred, and a lovely mechanic from Llandrindod Wells towed the car away and brought it back later that evening...we were prepared for the worst, but he'd managed to fix it...for £35! We were very happy indeed! We had a few other disasters that holiday, which in retrospect might have suggested we would have been better off staying at home (such as the bank freezing our cash card access because we'd made some withdrawals in "another country" - yes...Wales *is* another country, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility is it, that people might like to travel there over Christmas? LONG negotations between Wales and India ensued before we were able to fix that one), but oh well!

As I was saying, we'd been sick, and so had the car, so as the weather (and we) had a brief turn for the better Christmas afternoon, we decided to get out of the house and test the car, so we took a short drive over the border into England, and found Clun Castle. Of course, we couldn't visit without having some sort of adventure...with 4 children (one of whom at the time was a baby in a push chair) it's sometimes hard to keep track of all of them all the time, and sometimes communication break downs occur as well...Daughter and No. 1 Son were supposed to be keeping an eye on No. 2 Son, but they lost track of him, and presumed he'd run off to be with either me or Dad...of course, we thought he was with the kids...when they returned without him, panic set in, particularly as there was a freezing river nearby with a suspicious looking lump under the bridge....

We enlisted the help of a lovely family out on a post-feast stroll (wearing Santa hats) who managed to find him, safe and unharmed (but very frightened, because his sister and brother had left him behind) at the back of the Castle...much relief all round!

This ACEO has been sold already, but I shall shortly be offering limited edition prints of it, so if you're interested, be sure to check out my Folksy shop!

Bodiam Castle ACEO

2010-12-28T06:32:00.002Z

Bodiam Castle ACEO
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Before I'd had a chance to blog this, I'd managed to sell it! Ah well! Bodiam Castle, East Sussex is a firm family favourite in this house. We visit it at least once a year towards the end of August to take a photo of the kids in the same position, and also to have a bit of a run around, and see what's changed (never very much, but sometimes they have different activities on offer). It's surprising to get home and compare the day's photos with the ones from the previous years; we don't notice just how much the children grow when we're seeing them every day, so it's nice to have a constant point of reference. Really telling was one year, our Daughter was the height of a certain stone, then the next, her oldest brother (about 3 and a half years younger than her) was at that stone, while she was absolutely towering over him! Next year we expect No. 2 Son to have taken that spot (3 years, 3 days younger than No. 1 Son), and maybe Daughter being just slightly taller, but not that much...who knows! We shall see!

If you're interested in any of my ACEOs, they're available for sale here:
Lemonade & Lamingtons ART

ACEO Lindisfarne Castle

2010-12-28T06:20:00.002Z

ACEO Lindisfarne Castle
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century castle located on Lindisfarne (Holy Island), Northumberland. It was almost totally rebuilt by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901. Holy Island is accessible from the mainland at low tide by means of a causeway.

Holy Island was the setting of the first significant Viking attack on British soil - in 793 The Anglo Saxon Chronicle reported, "On the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter."

My family and I visited Lindisfarne one Sunday in October 2006, and spent 6 hours there...After we visited Lindisfarne Priory, we then went to the Castle, and then...nothing else was open (we're not Viking raiders, so weren't prepared for pillaging and looting)! We went for a drive around the island, and then, when 3pm - the low tide for the day - was nearing, we decided to chance it and drive to the mainland. We weren't the only ones! We managed to get across safely with the water lapping around our wheels!

This has been worked with watercolour pencils, lightly brushed over with water, on watercolour card, and is in ACEO format, meaning it is 3.5 inches x 2.5 inches in size. Small but perfectly formed!

This is an original, not a print, and has been signed and dated on the back by me.

If you're interested, it's for sale in my Folksy shop, "Lemonade & Lamingtons ART", which specialises in, well, art!
http://www.folksy.com/items/1182081-ACEO-Lindisfarne-Castle?shop=yes

ACEO Doodle

2010-12-26T17:35:00.002Z

ACEO Doodle
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Here's another ACEO, while I'm on a roll! This one is a freehand "zendoodle" - ie. a doodle done unconsciously - I think it turned out rather well for a first effort, what do you think? it's on watercolour card, and it's been done with ballpoint, and I rather like the angles and curves - it's almost like an insight into my mind, although I'm not sure what that says about my mind - hmm...

If you're interested, I've listed it in my "Lemonade & Lamingtons ART" shop on Folksy, which can be found here:
http://www.folksy.com/items/1180265-ACEO-Doodle?shop=yes

By the way - remember the horse ACEO I listed yesterday? It's been sold! How encouraging is that!

ACEO Horse (after Stubbs)

2010-12-26T05:47:00.002Z

ACEO Horse (after Stubbs)
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

I've started doing ACEOs every so often, just to give me a little bit of a break from crochet - not that I'm giving up crochet, but it's nice to have another outlet to my creativity! I'm not entirely satisfied with this one, but it's growing on me - I have it in front of me at the computer even as I type - it's now in a plastic ACEO sleeve, ready for whomsoever chooses to buy it!

I've opened a second Folksy shop specifically for selling my ACEOs - if you're interested, this one can be found at:
http://www.folksy.com/items/1179453-ACEO-Horse-after-Stubbs-?shop=yes

Beanie Hat and Glittens Set

2010-12-24T12:24:00.001Z

DSC09965
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Keep the cold at bay!

Crocheted using a gorgeous green acrylic yarn (Grousemoor Crepe DK by Cygnet, colour "Evergreen"), and trimmed with a contrastic light green acrylic, this hat and glittens set will certainly turn heads wherever you go!

The glittens have defined fingerless sections, and handy buttons at the back to hold down the mitten section when you need the use of your fingers. How versatile!

It's recommended that this set is gently washed at no more than 30 degrees C. Machine washing is possible, but not advised; please be aware that acrylic can stretch when machine washed at too high a heat setting. Do not tumble dry!

Very chic!

All proceeds from the sale of this item go towards sending my daughter to the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree, to be held next year, in Skåne, Sweden.

These area available to buy in my Folksy shop at:
http://www.folksy.com/items/1178837-Beanie-Hat-and-Glittens-Set?shop=yes

Alternatively, you can buy them in my Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64756879/beanie-hat-and-glittens-set

Snow 18/12/2010

2010-12-18T13:59:00.001Z

Snow 18/12/2010
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Snow snow snowity snow! It blizzarded so hard this morning I could barely focus the camera!

This is one of my poor mistreated lavender plants - bent already from the snow we had 2 weeks ago...now fairly flattened!

Magazine Swap

2010-11-10T17:09:00.000Z

Absolutely AAAAAAAAAGES ago I signed up for a magazine swap featured on this lovely blog - I had a great swap-partner, Michela, who lives in Italy. I sent her a copy of Country Homes and Interiors, and she sent me these...ooh they're lovely!

One is about the homes of the rich and famous of Italy (Dimore di Charme) and the other - Cucina Moderna, is well, as the name says, "Modern Cuisine"! Both are absolutely gorgeous - just look!

Check that out!

Now, my Italian isn't that crash hot, but it's not too tricky to work out this is a recipe involving pork.

I'm happy enough just looking at the pictures - it's all beautifully done - and my daughter and I had great fun working out what things say - she is learning Latin, French and Spanish at school, so trying to decipher Italian wasn't too much of a stretch for her!

If that wasn't enough loveliness, I received the following gorgeous Christmassy mags this week, also from Michela! Aren't they divine?

I'm seriously considering having Christmas, Italian-style this year!

Beanie Hat and Fingerless Gloves Set

2010-09-28T19:39:00.002+01:00

mulberry_hat_and_gloves
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

I'm particularly fond of this one - the yarn is SO SO SOFT...it's gorgeous - the photos don't really do it justice, the colour is SO vibrant! I am seriously considering making myself a set - for purely advertising purposes of course!

You can find this gorgeous set in my Folksy shop here!

Alternatively, if you're in an Etsy frame of mind, you can buy it in my Etsy shop here!

I'd probably encourage you to buy it from Etsy - but mostly because I need my first (elusive!) sale over there!

Here's some other pics of the hat/gloves set:

Lush, huh!

A New Way to Blog!

2010-09-09T11:51:00.002+01:00

Crocheted Fingerless Gloves/Wristwarmers in Cotton
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

You may have noticed the past couple of days I've blogged using pics I've uploaded to my Flickr account! I promise I'll get back to "normal" blogging soon, but hey, it's a feature that's being offered, so I figured I might as well use it! You can blog about your latest Folksy listings from your shop with very little effort, and if you have Google Analytics set up, then you can see the results of what you've done. It's an experiment anyway...I've definitely been having more views, but it's not yet translated into more sales...like I said, yet!

So, what methods of promotion have you recently discovered? How are they working for you?

(By the way, if you would like to buy the gloves featured in this post, they're available in my Folksy shop. All sales from my shop go towards sending my daughter next year to the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree, in Sweden)

Crocheted Fingerless Gloves/Wristwarmers in Cotton

2010-09-08T17:04:00.003+01:00

Crocheted Fingerless Gloves/Wristwarmers in Cotton
Originally uploaded by Lemonade and Lamingtons

Winter's approaching! So's Christmas! Why wait for the rush when you can get in and do all your shopping for it now!

Absolutely DIVINE fingerless gloves/wristwarmers, crocheted in a ribbed pattern from baby blue cotton, edged in the palest ice blue...also cotton. Each features the loveliest heart-shaped button - fashionably shabby chic!!

Turn heads this winter!

All proceeds from the sale of this item go towards sending my daughter to the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree, to be held next year, in Skåne, Sweden.

For sale in my Folksy Shop!

Contemporary Arts and Crafts Fair, Upminster

2010-09-05T17:12:00.001+01:00

Yesterday my daughter and I went to Upminster for the Contemporary Arts and Crafts Fair. It was a bit of an adventure for us; this was the first time I'd been "out of my comfort zone" of South East London for a fair, and also, the longest trip I'd made (to date) in our new Zoe Zafira (stop laughing!!).

We left home at 8.30, figuring that as we didn't quite know where we were going, and had to be there by 10, that should leave us enough time to get there. It was definitely enough - and plenty more - we made it to Upminster by 9.30, and that was with half an hour being lost...we weren't really - but the directions I had obtained from t'interwebs weren't the clearest! We stopped into a Premier Inn to ask for directions, and a very helpful man, whose day job was as a lorry driver (a man who KNOWS the roads) said we were indeed going the right way, so back we went!

After a yummy breakfast, we made our way to St Laurence's Church, and then started setting up. The fair started at 11, so we were pretty much ready by 10.30. Nervous, we started selling...

This is my daughter Eilis. We're raising money to send her to Sweden next year for the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree. Check out the sign! We got lots of comments about that!

We were positioned right at the front of the centre aisle, and as the door to the hall was directly next to us, and that went straight onto Upminster High Street, we therefore had massive amounts of footfall, and ergo, loads of sales! Eilis was brilliant - everytime I wandered off she made a sale...or two. From the photo you can just about make out the bright yellow fingerless gloves. They're gone! So are several mug cosies, quite a few sets of coasters, heaps of crayon rolls, a few badges and brooches, and a crocheted (t-shirt yarn) eco-shopper. Yay!

This is Jane - the lady in the denim jacket that is. She makes the most amazing patchwork items, and exhibits in the south of Essex, and lives just down the road from St Laurence's. This was at the beginning of the fair - she'd done HEAPS more on that patchwork by the end of the day. She told me she sold a bit, so that was nice!

I met up with some Folksy folk at the fair! The first one was Sheila, sitting at the next table, who has a shop called Green Frog Cards. She made quite a few sales yesterday, and I told her I'd promote her shop when I had the opportunity, because her cards are lovely. Go have a look - and make her day by buying something from her!

The next people I met were Sue and Layla from Sorcery & Sparkle...

They very kindly let me take their photo:


Layla is on the left, Sue is on the right. I asked which one was which (ie. who was Sorcery and who was Sparkle - I think Layla's Sparkle, and Sue's Sorcery...or do I have that the wrong way around??)

I didn't get the chance to see how they went but I know that they made at least one sale, because I bought a mobile phone charm for Eilis. She loves it, by the way!

Another stall I mustn't forget to mention: Ann Chandler Originals. Ann sells the most beautiful bags, made from vintage fabrics, and specialises in bags made from antique kimono cloth. I've told her to sign up for Folksy...she has a shop at MISI at present, but she doesn't seem to have anything in there - naughty Ann! I bought a gorgeous Laura Ashley fabric tote from her, and I think it's the loveliest thing I've ever seen!

We had a lovely time, and made it home within half an hour, which was pretty spectacular considering I took the wrong turn coming off the Dartford Crossing (my standard behaviour) and was halfway to Canterbury before I could turn around! If anyone is in South East London and is a bit cautious about crossing to the other side of the River for a craft fair, might I suggest you be very brave and go? It's definitely worth it!

Baby Blanket

2010-08-25T08:02:00.002+01:00

I've been very busily filling custom orders the past few days, and here's a completed one I'm absolutely ecstatic about in terms of how it's turned out...took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but I did it while I was watching telly in the evenings, so I didn't notice quite so much how long!

What do you think? I love the colours, and I sat and looked at the edge for ages!

Hawaii 5-0

2010-08-21T23:28:00.001+01:00

I've been away...

2010-08-14T07:58:00.001+01:00


Tough view to wake up to every morning!

Particularly tough when this is why you're seeing it! Never fear though - he quickly went from this...


To this...


...to eating Currywurst at Munich Airport!

My two eldest children went to Austria with the District Scouts. We've been waiting for this trip for over two years, and finally the day arrived, they'd been packed for days (then unpacked because they had to label everything...), we went to meet the coach, and they were off. Youngest son cried for over 2 hours after they left (even sobbing in his sleep...poor mite!). That was the 30th of July. They arrived safely on 31st July, so I thought all was well, and would continue along such lines.

NOT SO!!

August 1 is my son's birthday. He turned 10. The Scouts sang happy birthday to him (as well as to the others who were celebrating their birthdays during the time away), and in the afternoon they all participated in the "Tyrolean Olympics". His team won! All very exciting...

About 4pm our time, I received the phone call that all parents dread. "Are you sitting down?" First thoughts were that my son had been killed. Why didn't I think it was my daughter - no idea - maybe because she's older, or maybe she's more sensible, not sure. Anyway, they said he wasn't dead, but had met with an accident in the pool, more details would follow, and he'd been choppered to hospital, and was currently unconscious. Would I like to come out to Germany (because that's where the hospital was) and stay with him? WELL YES....!

Next morning I was winging my way to Munich, then driven 2 hours north to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is where the hospital was...

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is an interesting place when you're not spending all your time at the hospital. Right next door to the hospital was this:

Which, in the olden days, was used for this:

All the Winter Olympics started and finished at the Skistadion at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Strangely, not after the 1936 Games...they gave the 1940 ones to someone else...I think it might have had something to do with this man...

1936 Winter Olympic Games, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Nothing like that going on when I was there though.

Anyway, my son is fit and healthy again, lots of thanks to the staff at the Klinikum, and lots of thanks to the wonderful Greater London South East Scouts, who worked like a well-oiled machine...also thanks to One Assist insurers, without whom I'd be in a lot of financial strife right now!

While I was away, I managed to break out of the hospital (I was staying there for the second half of my trip) to do a bit of shopping in Partenkirchen. I bought some yarn...of course...but this was different, this was made from "100% polyamide" (aka NYLON), and gives a shiny finish...I'll show you what I mean...of course I made some mug cosies...

See what I mean? The bottom one is currently listed in my Folksy shop if you're interested! I'll be listing the other one later on today...

It's good to be back home...

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-07-29T21:50:00.001+01:00

I know, I'm sure I've said that before...but I really have been! It's school hols now, we're a week in already, which is astounding - why doesn't term time go quite so quickly?

I've been busy with lots of things, a lot of them school related, but quite happily, a LOT have also been sales related, which is rather exciting in my book. Shall I show you what I mean?

In my Folksy shop, Lemonade and Lamingtons, I've been selling up a storm:

Turquoise Crocheted Cloche Hat with Detachable Bow


Chunky Turquoise Crocheted 100% Wool Mug Cosy


Crocheted 100% Wool Mug Cosy in Coral Pink

Crocheted Fingerless Gloves in 100% Wool

**SUPER** Chunky Crocheted 100% Wool Mug Cosy

iPhone or Digital Camera Cover, Crocheted in 100% Wool

Kind of cheating with this last one - I sold one independently of Folksy, but I've listed the same article for sale...

I've also been working hard on the custom order for 10 mug cosies - they've been sent off, and are now for sale at Country Touches! Would you like a pic of the finished product before I sent them off? You would? Well, here they are!

What do you think??

I have a few things on the go at the moment...I'm so glad it's school hols - it means I've the time to get things made and then get out to the post office - for instance, I came home this morning from a trip to the post office after posting out yesterday's custom order, the iPhone cosy. I checked my e-mail to discover I'd sold a super chunky mug cosy...so back to the post office! It all counts as fun for the two youngest of my children, as they really enjoy Mummy time, and especially so if it involves a bus! My two oldest children are less excited about it, in fact, one could say they're a bit non-plussed. Oh well! They're off on an adventure the next 10 days with the District Scouts - I'll give you some more details once they've come back!

Anyway, that's me for tonight, I've more packing to do for the big kids (as if I could trust them to do it by themselves!) and then I have a bit of work to do on my current project...secrets secrets! Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow for Folksy Friday...hopefully...

Turquoise!

2010-07-18T10:06:00.001+01:00

What's your favourite colour? Mine's turquoise (duh - that's why it's the title of this post...). Anyway, I've always loved it (although for some reason when asked I write purple...why??), and I've been told it's the colour of my eyes...I think they're a little bit paler than that though.

Regular readers of this blog will know I've been crocheting up a storm making mug cosies this past week - feels like I've been doing them forever, but it's really only been since last Sunday - anyway, it struck me today that I'd not done any in turquoise yet - why not, I'm not sure...so I've rectified that - here's my latest effort:

What do you think? I love it, but then again, I'm biased...You can find this lovely mug cosy in my Folksy Shop, here.

A Weekend of Disguises!

2010-07-17T14:50:00.001+01:00

My youngest had a party at nursery yesterday, and came home looking like this:

Thing is, he's very, very shy, and so didn't really relish all the extra attention he garnered when he went with me to pick up his brothers from school yesterday afternoon! Hey - he's the one who put himself up for face paint!

Second in our weekend of disguises - my daughter has to dress "70s" style for her school's Commem. Day on Monday. After explaining to her (and showing her pics of Marc Bolan) what she was looking for, she went to our local fancy dress shop, and bought this:

Hey man! Far out! Sure, it's probably early 70s, but still 70s nonetheless...her best friend is dressing as David Bowie - I need pics!

Busy busy busy!

2010-07-16T16:22:00.001+01:00

I'm sorry, I've not done Folksy Friday last week, and I'm not likely to do it today. I've not done a post about the other July Jesters for a while either - it's the end of the school year, and I have four children who are tearing me in 4 (at least) different directions! Today, for instance, I had intended to sit down and do a great FF post, because my Little Old Man job that I normally do on Friday mornings was postponed for this week; but then I went to preschool to drop off No. 4 for their party day, and discovered that parents were expected to hang around. I'd hoped to get some laundry and dishes done as well, but hey...

It's been a fruitful day in terms of promotion however. Overnight I received an order for 4 badges, from a lady who's going to use them as "swaps" at the 100 Years of Guiding celebrations later this month. I have as yet no idea how she came up with my shop, but my badges are on Flickr, with a link back to Folksy, so perhaps she found them that way. I've asked her to let me know, because I think it's interesting to see where my sales are coming from.

Leading on from that, I had to visit the uniform shop today at school, and fell into conversation with the lady who runs the shop - it occurred to me that she's a Brown Owl, so I asked her if she was going to the same celebrations. "Yes", she said, "I am". I then told her that I sell handmade things online, and about my lady who ordered the badges - "BADGES!" she says, "Very interesting!" "I'll give you my card" say I. So I did. Not sure if anything will come of it, but hey...

On my way home from the preschool party, I was chatting with one of the other Mums. We'd previously spoken about my handmade things, and she was very interested, so I wasn't surprised when today she asked if I sold them online, and did I have a Facebook page which showed my items. "Why yes", said I. We exchanged names, and I've put in a friend request. I told her about my Folksy page, and it turns out she's been chatting with *her* friends about my things, sight unseen, and discussing the merits of handmade in terms of presents for friends and family...my initial understated self-promotion has become grapevine stuff. I didn't have my card with me, but I'll see her on Monday and give it to her then.

Later on the bus, coming home from the school run, an acquaintance started a conversation with me about how she's mentioned to her husband that she'd not bought anything from me at the school Summer Fair, and that he'd been angry with her! I told her it was no problem, but I used the opportunity nonetheless to give her my card - and she said she'll have a look. No harm in it, my name and reputation are spread yet further, with very little effort from me.

It's interesting, isn't it? On the one hand you can feel like all the effort you're making promoting yourself is useless, particularly when it's on the internet and you don't see any direct results; but then little things like this occur and you realise it's actually worth it after all!

Yummy!

2010-07-15T11:31:00.001+01:00

I'm still crocheting up a storm, and so today I thought I'd try a different colour - this one's in a gorgeous mustard - it's still the chunky sort of 100% wool I've been using, but it has the most delicious flecks of blue and red and white and so forth speckled through it. There's no other word for it except delcious. Okay, perhaps yummy. Or scrummy. It's fairly fab in any respect!

I have a bunch of mug cosies for sale in my Folksy Shop at the moment - I reckon they'd make excellent teacher gifts for the end of the year, what do you reckon? I've ~~told~~ surveyed the young fry in my house and they seem to think it's a good idea. No flowers for the male teachers of course!

Anyway, here's some pics of my mustardy one, because my blog wouldn't be the same if I didn't put some piccies in!

As usual, let me know what you think!

On a Roll!

2010-07-13T12:29:00.001+01:00

Still going strong with my mug cosies, today's listing is a **SUPER** chunky one, still in 100% wool, but this time it's in natural, more earthy tones.

I think it's lovely, don't you?

Burnt Orange

2010-07-13T09:14:00.001+01:00

Formerly known as "Rusty Orange"!

You can find this latest lovely here!

Cosies...

2010-07-12T12:53:00.002+01:00

Well, buoyed up by my success in selling two mug cosies yesterday, plus the custom order from Country Touches, I thought I'd list another! I came home from posting my first lovelies and set to. This time it's crimson. What do you think?

Crochet

2010-07-11T13:45:00.004+01:00

I love crochet - I mean really love it! I find that I can whip things up really quickly, and people like what I make...but lately it's taken a little bit of a back seat to my other pursuits, like jewellery making, and sewing. Yesterday though, I thought I'd list (in my Folksy Shop) some mobile phone cosies I'd made, just to see how they're received: they've had 70 views so far; that's not bad going for just under 24 hours I reckon. I also figured it made my "front page" look a bit different to how it's looked lately, a bit less jewellery-heavy.

So...today, I logged into the Folksy Forums, and chanced upon a posting by a lady asking if anyone could make mug cosies...I considered this for about 5 seconds, then sent her a message saying I'd never made one before, but I've been crocheting for 30+ years and so I'd give it a go and let her know (with pictures) what it turned out like. Soooo...I gave it a go...and I liked it so much, I decided to list it in my Folksy Shop.

What I generally do once I've listed an item is go and talk about it on the Folksy Forums, then submit it to Craft Juice, make a comment on Twitter, then upload the pictures to my Flickr account. Oh, I post it to my Facebook Personal Page and my Facebook Fan Pages as well. I also send a link to Folksy's Facebook Page, and if it's relevant, to my daughter's Jamboree Fundraising Facebook Page. All the while I'm doing this, I keep an eye on my "Manage Your Items" section in the sidebar on my Folksy page. It was straight after uploading to Flickr that I checked on my "Manage Your Items" and noticed something odd...no mug cosy! What's going on? There were the phone cosies, but no mug cosy...why wasn't it showing up??

Well...a little further investigation and I discovered it was still there...in my SOLD items! Hurrah!!! The Amazing Mish73 (you can find her on Twitter too - as craftylearner) had bought my little cosy...my little bitty prototype cosy...now, if that's not kudos, I don't know what is.

You know what I did next? Well, after thanking her profusely, and telling all and sundry that my mug cosy had sold (after 26 minutes of being listed!!! I'd been telling people it was 38 minutes, but I've just checked to make sure - I thought 38 was unbelieveable enough!), I went and sat and made another one...and listed it...and so here it is:

If you're interested, this mug cosy, the twin of the first, can be found here.

Papier-Mâché

2010-07-10T09:22:00.000+01:00

In response to Rosielee's blog yesterday about papier-mâché, I commented that my kids and I had made a whole bunch of bowls and other stuff from it a couple of years back, using a mix of boiled up loo paper, plus PVA glue and water (mixed 1-1). She asked me if I could take some photos of them, so I've done it this morning...and here they are! Now, the kids and I did this as a project together 2 summers ago, so they've done really well, but again, they're the work of children, so we didn't do any sanding or levelling or making "nice" - we just got on with it!

Anyway, as you can see, we were a bit ambitious with some of our work, and the clock and flower are probably more mine than the kids' efforts...I'm particularly pleased with the flower, because it "lives" on a hook directly above the stove - so it's been exposed to steam for 2 years now, and not fallen apart!

Photo Fun!

2010-07-08T22:54:00.000+01:00

I've had a lovely evening! My friend Val (aka Crafts Outrageous at Folksy) came over and brought some of her creations with her, because I felt the photos needed a bit of work in her shop...65 photos later...we've listed one "new" item, and she has the task ahead of her of uploading her new pics.

Here's the one we listed - I'm very pleased with how it turned out:

This is Talula, she's made from polymer clay...but don't tell her that! Isn't she lovely!

Blog Feature!

2010-07-07T17:26:00.001+01:00

I've had the extreme privilege of being featured today in this gorgeous blog by Top Floor Treasures! She asked ages ago on the Folksy Forums if anyone was interested in being interested in being interviewed for her blog; I replied, gave her my answers, and forgot all about it. Today she e-mailed to say that she was sorry, but she'd had a wedding and a honeymoon since I sent my answers (any excuse!!), but if I was still interested, could I have a look over my answers and see if there were any changes I needed to make. Goodness me, I needed to make changes! So, I made my changes, resubmitted it to her, and lo! Blog Fame! Have a look and let me know what you think!

July Jesters - 4-6 July!

2010-07-06T20:32:00.001+01:00

Just a quickie folks, once again I've left it late to blog about my awesome July Jesters - please forgive me! Anyway, I'm going to give you three of my picks per day, so that's a total of 9 to cover 4-6 July...it's a hard task I've set myself, that's for sure!

1. Strawberry Card, by TopCat's Corner
2. Black & white polymer clay bracelet
3. Six Baby Blue Leafy Buttons, by Carols Crafts
4. Damask Trio Dolphins, by ialbert
5. Batik flower cushion (small), by cheerymishmash
6. Pearl & Peridot Cluster, by silvessence
7. 'Vintage Gold Cross' Necklace & Earring Set, by Kokokelli
8. Vampire Pendant, by LondonFogg
9. Pink-gold ball bracelet, by Iyobo Design

I've listed a few things myself - not strictly one per day, more like 2 every other day, so here's a mini-treasury of my listings!

Right then! See you on the 9th, if not before!

July Jesters on Folksy! (1-3 July)

2010-07-03T20:20:00.004+01:00

Every month at Folksy, since at least April (or was it March? I don't know!) we've had a group of people who pledge to try and list at least one item daily. Sometimes we manage it, other times we don't - no pressure! Listing daily though fills up our shops, and gives us a presence on the Folksy Home Page, which means we're more visible than if our shop was just sitting there with nothing fresh happening to it. We also try to blog daily (if we have a blog), and "big up" other participants as much as we can, whether it be via Facebook, Twitter, Craft Juice...or whatever, wherever. It's lovely to have a group with similar aims, and we all get on rather well - lovely stuff! Anyway, this month, we're the July Jesters!

Here's my contribution for days 1-3 of July. I had intended to do this every day, but best-laid plans and all that, goodness, I've not finished my summary for June yet! I can't promise I'll do this every day, but I'll give it a jolly good try!

Okay - here's a small selection from July 1:

1. Thai Hill Tribe .98 Silver Centrepiece - FAIRTRADE, by The Little Bead Box
2. Smoky Crystal and Pearl Bracelet , by Maxine Veronica
3. Sea Sediment Jasper Gemstone Pendant set with Sterling Silver Bail., by NOfkantsCurios
4. Cup Cake Birthday Cards, by Mel's Handmade Cards

Goodness, there were 9 pages to choose from...now, onto July 2!

1. Hair Corsage 001, by MadamCC
2. Ivory and Pale Pink Velvet Blossom Veiled Small Fascinator, by Imogen’s Imagination
3. Milky Jasper Spring has sprung Necklace, by BedazzlEm by Emma
4. Sweet Little Kimono Silk Geisha Necklace, by Strawberry Anarchy

Okay! Onwards and upwards! Day 3!

1. Silver Feather Tassel Necklace, by Just K Jewellery
2. Green flower bag charm, by Fairly Girly
3. Fruity buttons, by Cwtch
4. Kitchen Quips Apron Real Men, by HWR Designs

Phew! That was exhausting! Now...I've not managed to feature very many, but I'm hoping to showcase every member of the Jesters at least once. As you can probably imagine, it's a group which is going from strength to strength!

Oh - and what about me? Well, I've listed four things, yes four! It's a guilt thing on my part, because I was slack (well, hot!) on the 1st, and didn't list anything, so I've over-compensated! So here's mine...

A Transporty Kind of Folksy Friday!

2010-07-02T10:00:00.003+01:00

I've recently discovered the joys of the 7-Day Travel Pass uploaded to my Oyster Card - prior to that I was only using it in a pay-as-you-go fashion, thinking that £20 for five days' travel doing the school run wasn't bad going, as it was capped at a maximum of £4 a day, and I found a small thrill in getting that "free" ride at the end of the day, or at the very least, the one that only cost 40p. I'd been told that the 7-Day Travel Pass was only £16.60, but I thought, "Oh well, I won't use it every day, I have my car"...until my car broke down!

On Wednesday my youngest son and I decided to spend the day riding buses. He's four: things with wheels fascinate him, and since our car has been out of action, we've been doing the school run by bus; the weather's been perfect for it! We live in South-East London, so our public transport system is pretty darn good, you can fairly well get off one bus and find that the one you need to get onto is straight after it - I love it!

Wednesday he didn't have nursery, as they were going on a trip, but the time we had to be at preschool and the time they returned meant that I could do neither school run, morning or afternoon, so I decided we'd have a day to ourselves instead. It was jolly good fun! Instead of getting off where we normally do after dropping off the boys at school, we kept on the bus all the way to the end, which suited my son right down to the ground, particularly as the end of the line was at a train station; kind of killed two birds with one stone - he had a big bus trip to a place he'd not visited before, *and* he had the chance to see some trains! After getting our fill of trains (about 4 of them) we crossed over the bridge to the other side of the station, where we wandered about the shops. They weren't open, as it hadn't even gone 9am yet, so we saw a bus going to Bromley, and decided to catch that. It was a double-decker, which was an additional thrill, because, although we often catch double-deckers (no, not that sort!), they're usually school buses, so we stay downstairs. We sat right up the front, and pretended to drive...as you do!

Reaching Bromley, we went to the Glades Shopping Centre, had a mid-morning snack, and then walked out to see...the 126! We hopped on, and went to Eltham Shops, making the essential stops one must make in Eltham, the 99p Store and Lidl. If my family finds I've been to Eltham and not gone to Lidl (the Gebirgsjager pork sausage twinpack is a big favourite in our place), I'm in serious trouble! Having completed our necessary shopping, we crossed the road to find the 124 waiting for us, and went home. All in all, we spent 4 hours on and off the buses, which would have cost us £8 if we'd bought each ticket on the bus, but because I had my weekly pass, it cost me nothing! Hurrah!

This brings me to today's Folksy Friday. In honour of Transport for London, and in particular their brilliant buses, I've selected items from Folksy Folk featuring London Buses. Five today, as I've already typed quite a bit!

1. Lambswool Red London Bus Cushion, by Sally Nencini
2. Coat Peg - Red Bus, by Great Green Ltd
3. Handmade London Bus Card, by Seaview Cards
4. Retro London Red Doubledecker Bus Metal Keyring, by *Jo-Bangles Jingles and Jangles*
5. London Bus Brooch, by SewRealicoul™

So there you go, five London buses - maybe I'll see you on one, some day!

June Loons - A Selection - Part 2!

2010-07-01T12:59:00.002+01:00

Here we go, June 6-10:

The first one...Made With Love X!

June 7, we have lej jewellery!!

No. 8 - Northfield Primitives!

Introducing for June the 9th - Blue Button!

And last, but certainly not least, for this section, we have, representing June 10, Lonely Hearts!

And again, I feel the need to say PHEW! I'll be back later with some more...this is a bigger challenge than I realised!

June Loons - A Selection

2010-07-01T10:12:00.003+01:00

Okay, as promised! I'm back from dropping my youngest off at preschool, plus I popped in an unscheduled bit of bathroom cleaning and shower (less of that thanks!! ed.), but I'm here now!

For a month with only 30 days in it, there were a *lot* of gorgeous pieces listed in Folksy shops! I'm only going to concentrate on those who participated in the daily listing club, this month called "The June Loons". I was going to say that we aren't really loons, but then again, perhaps we are, you'd really have to be mad to list quite so much as we have!

I've just popped back from making myself a cuppa, so I thought, because so much has been listed by so many people, I'll feature one item from each person per day...hopefully we won't run out of listers!

So...to get the ball rolling, I'm showing June 1, by NOfkantsCurios:

June 2, and it's Maxine Veronica!

June 3 (if you're still with me!) and it's Dropscone!

June 4...Squintessential!!

Okay, I'll take a break after this listing, and come back with some more later on...but for the 5th of June, we have...Polka Dots and Posies!

See you for part two...

Days 21-30 June

2010-07-01T06:27:00.002+01:00

Okay! If you're still with me, we're coming to the end! On the 19th of June I had a stall at my boys' primary school Grand Summer Fair. It was the one event of the year I knew I was guaranteed to do well, but leading up to it everything appeared to conspire against me! First off, my daughter, who is going to the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree in Sweden next year, and for whom I've been furiously raising money to send her there, had an activity day relating to said event, scheduled for that day. Fine, I thought, her father can take her there, and still be back in time to take me and all my stuff to the fair!

Not so! He'd been working out of town, and although his contract had finished earlier in the month, they still wanted him to work *that* weekend...I was a bit furious, to say the least! This meant I had to take all three boys with me, whereas I had hoped to be able to leave them at home with their Dad.

And as if that wasn't enough, our car, which we'd been nursing along since August last year, decided that enough was enough, and gave up the ghost. On the 17th. Yes, 2 days before the fair!

Fortunately, I wasn't going to be knocked down quite so easily as all that! I had a bit of a whinge about it on the Folksy Forums, and with their encouragement I decided to go for it. Because Hubby had said he was going to be away for the weekend, I put out a speculative e-mail asking if anyone was able to give our Daughter a lift to the Activity Day. Done! The Mum of the other member of Daughter's Patrol who's also going to Jamboree said she'd give her a lift there and back. Woo hoo! Next, although I was supposed to provide my own table, I asked the Parents Association at the school if they could find one for me, due to extenuating circs. Not a problem, and a bonus was that a friend, who just so happened to be co-chair of that group, said she'd pick up my stock and take it there for me. Hurrah!

Not only that, but she later ran into a mutual friend of ours, who said she'd come and help me out at my stall with the selling, and a bit of kid-wrangling into the bargain...wow!

Came the day, Daughter was dropped off at her lift's house, Hubby was seen off on his journey, and the boys and I went to the Fair. A few more hiccups, such as our gazebo not lasting beyond set-up, having been wrecked by a particularly nasty gust of wind, ripping off two of the legs and therefore rendering it completely useless, and the fact that it rained 4 times during the Fair, but otherwise all went well - the boys behaved admirably, doing their own thing and managing to spend £20 between them in the first hour (!) and coming back for more; and my friend and I managed to make £102.35 on the day, with a further £8 coming later on. Not a bad result at all, if I may say so myself! Daughter was very pleased, I was very pleased...it was a good day.

Anyway, on with the show - here's days 21-30 of June:

So that's it from me for June - later on today (when I have a bit of spare time) I'll post a selection of the "June Loons" listings...I can't wait!

Days 11-20 June

2010-07-01T06:12:00.003+01:00

Okay, so you're back! I'm continuing on with the same theme, so here's days 11-20!

As you can see, I didn't list quite so much as the first 10 days, but there's still a fair amount...I did delist some items as well, because on the 19th of June I had a stall at my boys' school's Summer Fair...but more on that later!

A June Summary - The First 10 Days...

2010-07-01T05:45:00.004+01:00

Goodness me, today is the first of July...so what happened to June?

I thought I might take this opportunity and show you what I've made and listed in my Folksy shop, Lemonade and Lamingtons...I had originally intended to post pics of all of my listings in one go, but it seems I went a bit listing-happy in June, and so I'm going to post them in three separate groups. Here is Days 1-10 June. Are you ready? Well let's go!

Phew!!

Winston

2010-06-29T17:14:00.007+01:00

I just thought I'd post a picture of Winston, a little doggy my g-g-aunt made for me when I was a little girl.

I've been reminded of him lately when I've seen the things made by Sarah at northfieldprimitves. What do you think?

Of course, Sarah's Fox Terrier (now sold, by the way!) is larger, but they have a lot of similarities, both being stuffed dogs, the same colouring, um...hand made...

Winston's 30 years old - so he's an antique, and very much loved dog (my children have played very hard with him!), and Sarah's dog is new, but he's still a very loveable looking pup, I'm sure you'll agree!

June Loons for 29th June!

2010-06-29T11:11:00.005+01:00

Okay, I haven't yet blogged every day like I said I would - I hope you'll forgive me...it's just that the weather's been so hot!! Today's a bit more forgiving (so far) - we've had a heavy shower this morning, so the earth's a little bit cooler, but it's looking like warming up again, so I thought I'd best get my act together and do some blogging...

I've mentioned before that I'm part of a group on Folksy, which makes a point of listing at least one item per day, the idea being that the more often you list, the likelier you are to be noticed on the Folksy Home Page, and as a consequence of that, get more sales. It's still slowly slowly for me, but I'm partly to blame, because we're also supposed to promote our listings, and I've not been quite so diligent in that area. I'm working on it!

Anyway, lots of the participants post a daily blog about the listings, and so here's mine for today! If you're interested in any of the items, be sure to click on the link, which will take you to the item as it is listed in their shop:

I've featured - Maxine Veronica, northfieldprimitives, imogensimagination and lizdyson.

I might have to come back and post some more, there's so many lovely items today - I'll post mine now, and I'll see you later on this afternoon/evening...

Here's mine for today:

Glorious Day!

2010-06-26T16:13:00.005+01:00

What a lovely day! Hubby and I had to take a trip to the bank this morning, and it struck me that everyone seemed to have discovered their summer clothing all of a sudden - I've not noticed it before; it's been hot and heat-wavey sunny all week, but today is the day I first noticed the shorts...on just about everyone...!

I love the English summer! An Australian summer is just relentlessly hot and humid; here it seems there's some sort of relief - every couple of days there's a break in the heat and we have the chance to cool down a bit. The wildlife, too, for some reason, seems much more *summery*. True, there's not the deafening racket of cicadas, and although I admit I miss that occasionally, I'm far gladder for the "flee flee flee" cries of swifts overhead, chasing insects. Yes, the dawn chorus *could* happen a little later in the morning, but the payoff is in the long long evenings, which seem to go on forever.

Folksy forummers would know that I participate in the monthly listing groups: this month we're the "June Loons". I thought, using my new-found blogger powers, I'd try hard to post something from the group every day, or at least, every other day. I can't yet for the life of me work out how to consistently post comments and make them "stick" (blogger *still* doesn't like me, even though I now have a blog with them...), so if you comment on my blog, I'll refer to you on here - at this point I should say, thanks MaryElliott for commenting yesterday - yes, I've made it to Blogger!

Anyway, on with the show:

Daisy Daisy - Floral Thanks So Much Card by CraftyMushroom

Little flower and sterling silver earrings by Damselfy Gemma

Valentine Blush! Little Red Agate Gemstone Keyring / Handbag charm by NOfkantsCurios

Anyway, that's it for today - hopefully I'll blog again tomorrow - in the meantime, could anyone give me some hints as to how to link the pics in their original URLs to their URLs?

Hello, and Welcome to my blog!

2010-06-25T10:04:00.000+01:00

I'm hoping that some of you have followed me over from my old blog...if so, thank you! If not, and you're entirely new to following me, then welcome!

I'm Lisa, I'm married to a lovely man, who shall be referred to either as Hubby or A; we have 4 kids, who I might refer to, but they'll have aliases as well, such as Daughter, No. 1 Son, No. 2 Son and No. 3 Son (in fact, exactly like those). We're expat Australians living the dream here in South-East London, apart from No. 3 Son, who's English! I should say he's living the dream here too...I'm a full-time Mum, but I'm ekeing away a small (very very small) living as an "arts and crafts professional" - well at least, that's what it says on my LinkedIn profile! I make stuff, and occasionally I teach about what I make. Very occasionally! I also sell stuff, either online or in real life. I've just had a very successful day at my boys' primary school's Summer Fair - I'm raising money for my Daughter, as she's going to Sweden next year, as part of the Greater London South East Contingent to the 22nd World Scouting Jamboree. We're well chuffed about that, and hoping that the rest of us will be able to make it to Sweden for a bit of a holiday at the same time she's over there. We'll see!

I've been blogging for a while now at *another blogsite* and I thought it was time that I moved over to Blogger, as it seems everyone and their dog is blogging from here, and it appears to have more features than where I was before. Again, we'll see!

Anyway, this is a trial run. I have a regular feature called "Folksy Friday" - next week (2 July) shall be my first from here, but if you want to see my feature for today, you can find it here.

Okay, well I'll end this first entry here, and hopefully I'll be able to blog a bit more regularly. If not, then I'll definitely catch you on Fridays!

Lemonade and Lamingtons

Rainbow Scarf

Raspberry, Lemon & Teal Crocheted Headband

Mustard Crocheted Cushion Cover

Raspberry & Lemon Crocheted Brooch

Crocheted Cushion Cover

Raspberry & Lemon Brooch

Spring Has Sprung!

Rainbow Scarf

How To Crochet a Flower

Spring at Well Hall Pleasaunce

Is it just me?

Randomness!

Mothering Sunday

What's Mothering Sunday All About?

History

Did You Know?

A few of my favourite photos

October Morning, Whitstable

Stylish Blogger Award

A New Venture

Looky Looky!!

Thames Barrier Photographic ACEO Ltd Ed Print

ACEO Hay Castle

Clun Castle ACEO

Bodiam Castle ACEO

ACEO Lindisfarne Castle

ACEO Doodle

ACEO Horse (after Stubbs)

Beanie Hat and Glittens Set

Snow 18/12/2010

Magazine Swap

Beanie Hat and Fingerless Gloves Set

A New Way to Blog!

Crocheted Fingerless Gloves/Wristwarmers in Cotton

Contemporary Arts and Crafts Fair, Upminster

Baby Blanket

Hawaii 5-0

I've been away...

Busy Busy Busy!

Turquoise!

A Weekend of Disguises!

Busy busy busy!

Yummy!

On a Roll!

Burnt Orange

Cosies...

Crochet

Papier-Mâché

Photo Fun!

Blog Feature!

July Jesters - 4-6 July!

July Jesters on Folksy! (1-3 July)

A Transporty Kind of Folksy Friday!

June Loons - A Selection - Part 2!

June Loons - A Selection

Days 21-30 June

Days 11-20 June

A June Summary - The First 10 Days...

Winston

June Loons for 29th June!

Glorious Day!

Hello, and Welcome to my blog!