Scarflettes in Store.

Hello, hello! Sorry for my slackness in blogging... I've been busy organising years of accumulated 'junk' to sell on ebay or give to charity. It seems like an endless task! The more i sort through, the more that seems to appear! I've got about 8 weeks before i go overseas but i know that with Christmas, New Years and a visit to see my family interstate, those 8 weeks are going to FLY!

I have had time however to make some more neckwarmers and these cute little scarflettes. I've added most of them to my etsy shop already. I'm not a huge fan of cold weather but i'm sort of looking forward to a bit of European winter just so i can actually have a chance to wear some of the winter products that i make! :)

Drumroll Please..........

Winners of my 'Quit My Job and Moving to Spain' giveaway have been drawn! Rest assured that the draw was well supervised by Head Supervisor 'Cosmo'.

So the winners are:

Blues and Greens - Lemon Shortbread

Browns - Mara of Piquant Jewellery

Reds, Oranges and Blues - Secret Cake

I want to say a big thanks to everyone who entered and for all of your kind words and support. I enjoyed reading about where you would all like to live and i hope you will follow me on my own travels. :)

My Place and Yours - My Collection(s)

The fantastic theme for Pips meme this week is 'My Collection'. Well i have a few collections going on! I'm already sharing pics of my button collection week by week so i thought i'd show some of my fabric collection (no, this is not even all of it and i am so glad my parents have offered to look after it for me when i go overseas!) and also a pic of my vintage glass collection... i don't smoke yet have collected several ashtrays. I love that chunky, heavy glass! :)

Once Upon ...

Apologies for not being around much over the last week or so. My laptop is about to die so i have been using it conservatively. I have *YAY* ordered a new baby netbook which will be arriving soon.

Anyway, tonight i am off to the Leeloo birthday party/Once Upon exhibition. Can't wait to see all the Fairy Tale inspired artworks. If you are in Sydney why not pop on in tonight for the opening? It starts at 6pm at aMBUSH Gallery 4A James Street, Waterloo.

The Button Diaries - Week 2

Pink through to burgundy for your viewing pleasure! :)

Spiro Bangles

I've been making these bangles for a while but have only just made them available in my shop. Created from tiny handcut felt circles these bangles are bold yet lightweight. They are currently available as 'design your own' but i am working on some ready to ship this week. :)

Scultures by the Sea - Photos

Sculptures by the Sea is an annual exhibition held on the beautiful Bondi to Tamarama walk in Sydney. I really enjoyed taking these photos! To view larger versions of these images please visit my flickr. For more info on the exhibition and artists clickvisit here. :)

Toy Society - First Toy Drop!!!

Update: Little Orange Owl has been found! Yay! Read the lovely message from the finder here.

I'm so excited about my first toy drop for the Toy Society! I discovered this fabulous project through Vic over at her wonderful blog, Punky & Me.

From www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com:

"Toy Society spreads the love throughout the streets of the world. Nothing to it really just a bunch of handmade toys looking for a nice home. What started as a small street art project in Australia is slowly spreading around the world."

Basically, you make a toy and leave it to be found by a stranger, hopefully brightening their day! There is a simple procedure to follow and all the info can be found over on the Toy Society blog.

I left this little guy on a swing in the park at Tamarama Beach in Sydney. Sculptures by the Sea is on at the moment and i thought that was quite fitting. I left him somewhere where he has hopefully been found quickly as it was a bit overcast and i was worried it may rain! I hope he has found a good new home. :)

P.s. I got some great pics of the sculptures... on their way in the next couple of days.

The Button Diaries - Week 1

Largest and smallest in my collection.
The thing i have come to love about the big wide land of the internet and in particular the land of blogging is that you meet people with common interests who you would probably never meet otherwise. I've noticed recently that many people out there share my love of vintage buttons. This makes me happy as i sometimes wondered if my Mum and i were the only weird button sorters out there... I used to get teased sometimes because I'd rather stay home and sort through a new tin of buttons than go to the pub with my friends!

Tell me a story? - I'm sure you have many...
I've been sorting through my button collection for the last couple of days and I've been considering why i am so fascinated by them. I think for me it is that each has it's own little story to tell. They've lived a life before they make it to my button box and i love imagining what that life may have been.

I'm going to run a series of blog features about buttons. I'll include lots of pics of my own but I'd love for you all to submit photos or links to your own collections or to anything button related that button lovers may find interesting! Leave a link in the comment section or email links and images to me at andria@shagpile.com.au. :)

Yummy Beads or Getting Crafty With Presentation!

So I've been busy this weekend starting the massive task of sorting through 15+ years worth of collected beads and buttons. I made a small dent by creating some lots to sell as a 'destash'. I've never sold items like this before so i came up against the task of presentation. It seems to be popular to show beads beside a coin which drives me crazy! I wanted to use some sort of scale to show the large size of the lot at a quick glance. I was struggling with this all day yesterday but i woke this morning with the thought pictured above. I think it works and also adds some fun!

What do you think? What other creative ways have you seen beads or buttons presented to show scale? I'm curious... :)