Adding up and Counting Down!

Adding up : Hearts for Haiti has currently raised an astonishing $16,491.12 for Doctors Without Borders efforts in Haiti.

Counting Down : It's just 10 short days until I leave Australia on a brand new adventure!!!

Needless to say, it's been a busy week working on the Hearts for Haiti shop, trying to pack, catch up with friends and sort out those last minute things before I leave. I've been struggling to decide which craft supplies to take with me so i am taking lots of small samples so I have a good base to work with. I'm not joking when I say that my bag has more craft supplies than clothes at the moment!

Hearts for Haiti now has a blog up and running. Pop on over and read about the wonderful Angie of Times and Chimes experiences volunteering in the shop. :)

Hearts For Haiti...

Hi Everyone! Just popping in to say hi. I'm helping out with the wonderful etsy shop, Hearts For Haiti, which has been set up and run by Etsy sellers. The shop is run on donations from Etsians with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders to support their efforts in Haiti.

I'm working on the back end of things, replying to enquiries, sorting donation emails etc. The response has been completely overwhelming. The generosity of the Etsy community has been immense.

Please take a moment to visit the shop and if you are a seller on Etsy, perhaps consider donating an item... it's for a great cause.

Thanks and apologies if I am not around blogland for the next week or so while i'm helping out. :)

Make Your Own Awesome Business Cards!

Ever thought of making your own business cards? I like them because they are unique and cost effective. They are great for craft shows or markets when you are handing out lots of cards and for me have been a great talking point. Following is a tutorial i made up for some i made recently.


1. You will need...

*Large sheet of heavyweight card.
*A piece of thin fabric of similar size to the card.
*A cutting mat or old card/newspapers.
*Metal ruler.
*Craft knife.
*Paint brush (the wider the better!)
*Polymer Varnish (Available from any art store. You have a choice of Matte, Gloss or Satin which has just a slight sheen)
*Your business stamp or even a nice pen if you want to hand write your details.


2. Spread the fabric flat on top of the card.


3. Drizzle some of the varnish over the fabric.


4. Brush the varnish over the fabric.

*Start in one corner and push out any air bubbles with the brush. Add more varnish as you go, if needed. The varnish will seep through and stick the fabric to the card.

5. Have a cup of tea while you wait for the varnish to dry. :)

6. Turn the card over and mark out your cutting lines for the width of your cards.

*I use a pencil and mark at increments along the edges of the card so i can align my ruler with them.


7. Cut your card into strips.


8. Cut the strips down to a desired length.

*I find it much easier to work from the card side. It is much easier to cut through the fabric this way.

9. Stamp or write on your cards.



This batch made almost 300 cards! Not including the stamp (or crafty tools that i already had) and considering I only used 1/3 of the bottle of varnish, they work out at less than 5 cents each. Not bad for a unique, memorable business card!

If you have any questions (or something doesn't make sense) just leave me a note. :)

Guerrilla Knitting!

I saw this a few months but only had a dodgy disposable camera on me which i have only just had developed. This fabulous guerrilla knitting was in Fitzroy Gardens on the main street of Kings Cross in Sydney. The 'Guerrillas' really went all out using a crane to reach higher branches. I'd seen photos of this kind of thing in various parts of the world but this was my first real life taste and i loved it! You can see more (better) pics over here of pom pom trees as well as knitting covered seats and sculptures. Well worth a look. :)

Sale Time!

I'm having a massive sale in my etsy shop for the next few weeks before i leave. I'm hoping to find new homes for as much of my current stock as possible as i won't be taking much of it with me. I will of course be reopening my shop with lots of fabulous new stock once i get settled and find a sewing machine over in Spain. Pop on over and grab yourself a bargain! :)

Snow on The Other Side...

I just want to share these photos my Mum sent me (yes Mum I am still awake) of the park downstairs from their apartment in Moscow. Being in hot, humid Sydney, it's hard to imagine how cold it is on the other side of the world right now! I'm only a fan of cold and snow in VERY small doses so for the moment i'm quite glad to be where i am. :)

And to the New Year...

Well, happy new year everyone! Personally, i feel like my new year is starting in February when i leave Sydney. My brain is a little overloaded with getting through all the things i need to do before i leave to be reflecting and making resolutions (which i never keep anyway.) Though, after spending the last few weeks clearing out all the junk in my house, there is one thing i promise to keep at the forefront of my mind this year (and hopefully on into the future.) That is, to think more about my impact on the environment - to live more simply and to need less 'things'. I have given away and thrown out SO much stuff over the past month that i never really used and probably never needed in the first place.

So my focus is on Feb 3rd when i set out on my new adventure, just like the folk in the photo above. I found this pic in an old photo album that had been given to a charity store... it's wonderful. These people travelled the world and the photos are fantastic. I'll try to scan some more in before i leave.

Anyway, i wish you all the very best for 2010! I hope to see and share lots of crafty goodness with you all!