Bag's blog

A little family time

2009-06-25T19:35:00.002+01:00

My mum and I took the children to Wells, Norfolk for a mini holiday. Much needed mummy time for the older two - they love their new sister but I think the demands a baby can make are beginning to hit them. So, we've been climbing, jumping, swinging and shouting in the woods and we also had a little craft and puzzle session. Baby has been marvellously cooperative, smiling for everyone and happily sleeping away the evening in her moses basket (leaving mum and nan free to yawn their way through a couple of games of Scrabble!).

Just photos of my lovelies

2009-06-22T18:58:00.001+01:00

Aaaargh!

2009-06-06T20:36:00.002+01:00

I am soooooo ticked off! I have sold a few of my maternity clothes on eBay, just the barely worn ones in good condition. I have a no questions asked refund policy. And yet I have negative feedback from a buyer who didn't contact me to say 'I don't like my top, give me my money back'. It makes me so angry. I was just beginning to make new party bags to sell on eBay and I really value my reputation as an honest seller. Grrrrrrr!

Saturday

2009-06-06T15:46:00.002+01:00

At 7.30 this morning, I was cuddled up in bed with baby snuggling on one arm, my boy laying on top of me and my eldest girl hugging me on one side and her dad on the other. We watched the wind ruffling the leaves in the tree outside the window and talked about our plans for the day. Absolutely the best start to a Saturday morning.

We live in a large cul de sac with a park in the middle (how lucky are we?!) so we played in the park this afternoon.

We played football, jumped through the hoola hoop and pretended to be monsters (tickle monsters, obviously).

Not so funny faces

2009-06-05T19:25:00.002+01:00

He might be smiling here, but this young man threw the mother of all tantrums this morning.

It started because we had run out of brown (bran) flakes. That was at a quarter to seven. He finally ran out of steam at half past nine. We had tried ignoring it, cuddling him (how do you cuddle a bundle of kicks?), talking calmly, saying 'that's enough', leaving him on his own... I had to eat a big chunk of chocolate by the time it was all over!

We eventually made it to toddler group for a messy play session and after he'd painted quietly for a bit, he came over and we had a proper hug together, then he sat on my lap and ate his sandwiches. I love my boy, but some days are tough.

Beach babes and funny faces

2009-06-04T20:39:00.002+01:00

My little lovey usually won't sleep unless she's cuddled up to someone, preferably mummy (although we did fool her by wrapping her in a sheet that smelt of me, but I digress) but here she is on the beach, snoozing away. Worn out from all that sea air.

And here's my best boy, in the middle of a funny face session. This was his interpretation of cross.

Five go to the seaside!

2009-06-03T09:44:00.002+01:00

We're back from our lovely holiday in Wells, Norfolk. We had a couple of lovely days on the beach (we splurged on a gorgeous beach hut so we could have cuppas and sausage sandwiches whenever we liked!).

The beach is amazing, with sand dunes and the lovely pinewoods all around the edge. And lots of waves to jump.

You just have to watch out for strange creatures living in sand holes...

Criminal cuddling

2009-05-18T13:17:00.002+01:00

I'll have to write this quickly, because the baby police will be here any minute to arrest me. My crimes? There are so many... my charge sheet will probably list the following: cuddling baby too often for too long; not putting the baby down when she's asleep; picking the baby up whenever she cries; picking the baby up when she's not crying; letting the baby get used to being carried when I'm doing housework - I could go on.

Why must I not let her 'get used' to being cuddled lots? I didn't have her to spend all my time 'teaching' her to be by herself, preferably quietly. I had her to spend all my time cuddling her. And I will carry on cuddling her, no matter how many well-intentioned people advise against it. My baby needs love and I need to give it to her!

A little shopping

2009-05-16T14:07:00.003+01:00

I am just about to buy this gorgeous brooch from Big Blue Bed over at Folksy... just right for brightening up my very basic wardrobe for the summer.

Sleep deprivation

2009-05-15T21:08:00.001+01:00

I didn't think I was that tired, or feeling the effects of nursing a month old baby around the clock too badly, until I bought the same turquoise vest top twice!

Today I am eating...

2009-05-14T13:39:00.003+01:00

Chilli with bread and butter, yummy. And (rather too much) accidental tiffin. What is accidental tiffin? I made a recipe for something called sunshine bars, a delicious kind of rice crispie bar that also has oats and coconut and is (meant to be) held together with a treacly, buttery, sugary syrup. I made it with a supermarket treacle, not Tate & Lyle, and it didn't set. Was still quite yummy in a spoonable way! Anyway, I rescued it with half a packet of smashed up dark chocolate digestives and lots of melted milk chocolate. Even more delicious and incredibly moreish.

Bedtime

2009-05-13T19:33:00.005+01:00

Every night at bedtime, baby has a cuddle with her brother and sister while I sing a lullaby to them. It's brilliant seeing her turn and relax into their bodies and sometimes even close her eyes and go to sleep.

She puts up with quite a lot of kissing, especially from big brother!

I hope they carry on loving each other like this as they grow up.

Baby's first quilts

2009-05-12T13:27:00.003+01:00

My aunt has made baby's first quilts. She made a cot quilt, and then I cheekily asked if she had enough fabric left to make a smaller one for the stroller because it's so lovely. It's not that I don't like pink, because I love colours (like these reds and greens) that are less obviously girly.

The quilt is a simple pattern with appliqued hearts and blanket stitch quilting.

My mum and I love to make quilts, too. For a while it was a bit of a family obsession (with quilts being given away to anyone who would accept them, we made so many!) but recently mum has been knitting instead and I seem to fall asleep every time I get a spare minute.

Blogs I love #1

2009-05-11T13:55:00.005+01:00

Having decided that I am officially on maternity leave from my bag making, I thought I might do a little dressmaking this summer instead - I can't remember when I last made a girly frock for The Girl Wonder or a flirty skirt for myself. To get myself in the mood and find some inspiration, I googled 'blog dressmaking' and found this quirky gem: A dress a day. I love the pattern stories but, even without the humour, I could spend hours just looking at the old patterns, like this one. The secret lives of dresses are fun, too.

Bargain hunting

2009-05-10T18:20:00.002+01:00

Iwas so sick when I was pregnant that I am now a size smaller than I was before - so I need new clothes. Not much in the kitty, so I've been bargain hunting on eBay. I'm trying to bag some things from Monsoon and Fat Face, fingers crossed I get lucky. Here's my first bargain.

Warning - seriously cute photos...

2009-05-09T19:57:00.003+01:00

So here she is, my latest (and last!) bundle of joy, with her adoring big sister and brother.

She's here!

2009-05-05T20:25:00.003+01:00

My little bundle of joy finally arrived at Easter, all 9 pounds 6 ounces of her! (Apologies to those of you who understand kilograms - I'm afraid I still work imperial, whether it's babies or baking.) My 6 year old girl and 3 old boy have been kissing their new sister constantly since we arrived home, which is probably why she has her first cold at just over three weeks old, poor thing.

Labour and delivery were straightforward and fast and because I was so sick through the pregnancy, I am now a size smaller than I was - bonus!

Photos will be uploaded soon, I promise.

Distraction

2009-04-02T07:39:00.002+01:00

Spending time looking at post-pregnancy clothes online - oh how I look forward to wearing something more me again. I will be checking out abibansaldesign on Etsy/Folksy as soon as her new collection is ready. I coveted her linen tops before I got pregnant and now I have the image in my mind as a reward when all the babymaking is over.

I'm booked in to be induced next Friday, so the end is in sight...

Not quite labouring

2009-04-01T18:23:00.002+01:00

So, I've been having uncomfortable contractions for about 3 weeks now, but since Tuesday they've been keeping me awake at night and making me catch my breath... good news, you'd think. Nope. A visit to the labour ward revealed I'm 1-2cms dilated and not in what they call 'established' labour. Back home to wait for an indefinite period of time, with conflicting advice about whether to walk, rest or what. Babies!

Pregnant pause

2009-03-12T18:39:00.002Z

How long since I last blogged?????! Disgraceful, my only excuse is a not so straightforward pregnancy. Baby is fine but has blighted me with everything from extreme sickness (at 8 months I'm still taking anti-vomit pills) to excessive amniotic fluid (makes you look even huger!). I can't wait to have it so that I can drink tea again and put my socks on without the help of my little girl.

As I just seem to be waiting now (waiting and knitting - this child will struggle to wear the enormous number of cardigans piled up for it), I am going to try very hard to blog a bit more. The sewing machine is too uncomfortable to sit out, so I'm starting my maternity leave. I shall eat up some of my time reading all those other great crafty blogs out there, so get blogging - entertain me in limbo state!

Vicky x

Meeting Father Christmas

2008-12-02T12:32:00.004Z

Yesterday we went to Lapland UK, a very exciting place where you can travel down secret elven paths and magically arrive in Lapland. Working in the rocking horse factory, decorating gingerbread with Mother Christmas, ice skating, storytelling, visiting the reindeer and, of course, an audience with the great man himself. (The best Father Christmas I've ever met!)

Herbert and The Girl Wonder has a fantastic time, as did Mum, Dad and Nanny. Fake snow, enchanted forests, Saamis and elves... everything you could wish for. We even got a good Santa picture, which I always thought was impossible!

We may have to visit again next year...

I've been blogged!

2008-11-27T09:42:00.002Z

Thank you very much to Kerry of Pennydog Accessories (http://pennydogaccessories.etsy.com) for featuring me on her blog. You can read all about it here http://pennydog.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/spotlight-on-old-bag-crafts/ .

Party in the snow

2008-11-24T14:37:00.002Z

Yesterday we were invited to a birthday party at the local farm park. It snowed and for a few short hours, the children had an absolute ball. By the time we left in the afternoon, the snow was melting and there was no trace at all by this morning. I think it was one of the best birthday parties - for children and adults alike! - and it was so nice that it snowed on the one day when all the little friends were together somewhere that they could make the most of it.

Box Street

2008-11-21T12:13:00.004Z

Thanks to a small (okay, large!) online shopping spree, I got two very big boxes delivered to my door. I've stashed the presents they contained, but perhaps I should just send them back? The boxes seem to be all my children need. They have been boats, sofas (yes really), cars and houses. The cardboard tubes are masts, obviously.

Winter trees

2008-11-18T16:33:00.004Z

I love the way the trees look in winter, especially at dusk. I don't like to be cold, but I do love snuggling up under a blanket on the sofa to keep warm, cradling a big mug of hot chocolate. And with the chance of snow at the weekend... must mean winter is really here.

Pregnant hair

2008-11-14T21:05:00.004Z

Nineteen weeks pregnant now, the bump is rounding out nicely and baby somersaults when supplied with chocolate. My hair, however, what can I say? I am having a bad hair week. According to my husband this has happened twice before (I have two children) at approximately the same gestational point... he firmly believes that, when pregnant, I experience a period of hair insanity. During this period, I spend untold £££££s on hair magazines, drool in hairdressers' windows and moan about my own cursed locks. He wants me to promise not to cut it. He says I will regret it, probably immediately afterwards. He's probably right but oh, the temptation.

Perhaps I should just splurge on some hair stuff? Sorry, gotta go now. Folksy and Etsy are calling me!

Saturday sewing

2008-11-08T14:09:00.003Z

Monday to Friday, my sewing is party bags, gift bags and more party bags. If I sew at the weekend, I like to do something different... I experiment, play, fiddle around. Today's playing was very successful and I proudly present the first of my new line in fabric coasters (queue drumroll). Available on Folksy.com, the fabulous home of UK designers and crafters.

Tag - I'm it!

2008-10-24T20:09:00.005+01:00

A week or two ago, I was tagged - twice! - in the blogtag game. Every blogger I know of has already been tagged now, so I am ducking out of tagging anyone else, but I will still carry out my obligation to reveal 7 random things about myself...

1. I am older than my husband but look younger.
2. I am addicted to cooking programmes, cookery books and kitchen stuff.
3. I have flown on Concorde (for free!).
4. My first car was a Morris Minor (and I loved it so much)
5. I hate following recipes, patterns and other instructions.
6. I can't whistle.
7. I had a poem published when I was 16.

My two taggers were cloudhoppingdesigns.blogspot.com and bigbluebed.blogspot.com.

Party time

2008-10-24T09:49:00.004+01:00

This week I've been making party bags like they were going out of fashion. I didn't work at all in September, so this month has been catch up. I completed all my orders and finally got on to the party bags (which I sell mostly on eBay). Something for everyone, I hope. Now I need to get started on Christmas!

Herbert Buggles aka Mr Bump

2008-10-20T20:33:00.002+01:00

My poor little Herbert! He fell off the back of a ride on toddler toy, straight on to the garden path - ouch! I had no idea that head wounds bleed so much (even little ones like his 1cm cut), but both he and I looked like we'd spent the day in a slaughter house by the time he'd been cleaned up and glued back together. A parental rite of passage, I'm told, but I could have done without it. Herbert, however, is very proud of his bumped head and tells everyone he can about it. The most important part of the story is how the hospital has a fire engine (toy) and a machine that gives you Maltesers.

It's been how long?????

2008-10-20T16:05:00.002+01:00

I can't believe it's been just about 2 months since I last blogged! I do have some good excuses, though... extreme morning sickness (resulting in a couple of days in hospital) and just as I was getting back to normal, my computer broke down. However, I am back now (with crossed fingers touching wood).

Watch this space for the story of Herbert Buggles' latest adventure. His new nickname is Mr Bump...

2008-08-19T20:39:00.003+01:00

Where did the holidays go? Back in July, six weeks seemed like a long time. Here we are, over halfway through August and the days have just rushed by. Well they have for me, at least. My small boy has taken to asking his sister if she's going back to school now, so I think time ticks more slowly for him!

We decided to divide and conquer for the last two days. Mr Old Bag had a couple of interviews in the London area, so he took The Girl Wonder down to his parents in Watford overnight and my little man and me stayed home. We've missed the other half of our family, but we've had a lovely snuggly cuddly couple of days. He is such a cuddly boy - he especially enjoyed snuggling up under the blankets in my bed after he woke up this morning, so much so that he dropped off again and we both got another half hour.

Now we need to plan a reverse operation, girly time for me and The Girl and boy fun for the other two. (And possibly even some Mr and Mrs time, if we can rope in an obliging grandparent...)

My new bag

2008-08-13T10:22:00.003+01:00

Sewing for myself

2008-08-12T17:42:00.004+01:00

I had some spotted and striped fabrics tucked away, ready to become 'my bag' at some undetermined future date. Then I stumbled on a gorgeous heavyweight fabric I had stashed and my new handbag is all cut up, ready to sew. I am going to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC on Saturday so I am planning to have it ready to fill with a big pile of spends for all the lovely fabric that will be on sale.

Black and white

2008-08-10T21:09:00.004+01:00

I finally gave in to my urge to make some black and white gift bags. I splurged at the fabric shop (thank you very much to the lovely people at Top Stitch Fabrics in Wisbech*) and spent a lovely afternoon playing with all the lovely black and white prints. I also got a really cute little stamp to make the smart gift tags.

* What a small world it is - the owner of the shop is married to a man who is in the same class as my mum in primary school (60 miles away from where he lives now).

A proper school girl now

2008-07-29T08:41:00.006+01:00

It doesn't seem possible. My little girl has finished her first year at school. When she goes back in September she will be in Year 1 - proper school, no longer reception class. She still loves school as much as she did the first day and is very excited about getting a new teacher. Me? I am proud of my independent, enthusiastic, smart little 'big' girl and I grab the cuddles when I can :D

Beach bums

2008-07-28T08:36:00.002+01:00

That's what we've been for the last five days. The Girl Wonder finished school for the summer last Tuesday and on Wednesday we headed for the beach. How lucky were we with the weather? We spent the whole time on the beach (Wells, Norfolk) and had the best time splashing, digging, running, paddling, giggling, eating sand-sandwiches... the perfect escape.

Presenting...

2008-07-19T22:15:00.004+01:00

... Herbert Buggles and The Girl Wonder, for one day only, in the incredible, the marvellous, the fantastic... SHOW! They practised (upstairs, theoretically in secret, but we could most definitely hear them), they discussed, they practised some more. Then they instructed us that it was time and we obediently sat on the sofa to watch THE SHOW. Herbert stuck mostly with his tambo-drum, but The Girl Wonder went through most of the instruments in the basket. They both played with enormous enthusiasm. A good time was had by all!

Rainbow

2008-07-18T16:52:00.003+01:00

My little girl is just finishing up her reception year at school and today the class teddy bear, Weatherby, invited the whole class to a party. The invitation included a cuddly friend each, too. They were instructed to bring party clothes in a bag and The Girl Wonder was up at 5.30 this morning getting ready! She chose her favourite party dress of all time, a dress I made for her to her specification... the rainbow dress. It's made from a pile of fat quarters, some apricot net and chiffon and a string of silk flowers. It's a little short now (made last year), but she so loves it that I think I might have to convert into a tunic to wear over her jeans. By the way, I should tell you that she wore the dress with the blue and green monster socks, exactly as seen in the photo!

Little jar of home

2008-07-17T17:53:00.004+01:00

I took this photograph today for my Day2Day post. This is my little jar of home. I lived in San Francisco for a few years and, although it was a marvellous adventure, there were things I missed. No, I don't mean Marmite and decent teabags, my mum snuck them over in her suitcase several times a year, along with Sudocrem, vast quantities of Cadbury's and Oxo (yes, really, Oxo!). I missed people and I missed places. For my birthday, my niece and nephew (who were about 6 and 8 at the time) walked along my favourite beach in Norfolk, a place I where I have spent a lot of time, collecting pebbles. They put them in the jar and sent them over with my mum. I cried then and the memory of it still makes me cry now.

My little jar of home lives on my kitchen windowsill and I see it often during my day. Now, having lived with it in San Francisco, it also reminds of the beach there. For a small jar, it holds a lot of memories.

New fabric

2008-07-16T18:11:00.005+01:00

It may be sad, but the arrival of new fabric always has me in raptures! Today I received a package (bought only yesterday!) from The Happy Crafter (http://thehappycrafter.etsy.com/) containing some absolutely gorgeous pieces of fabric and I was so excited that I have already made this neat little business card holder. I am watching her shop in anticipation of her next listing.

I also made this little wedding bag today and, because of the focus on quality of photos that being part of the Day2Day challenge has given me, I worked really hard on the listing pictures and I am just a teeny bit proud of this one. Thank you Abi (http://abibansaldesign.etsy.com/) for giving us Day2Day.

Noooooooooooooooooo

2008-07-15T18:39:00.001+01:00

I have run out of Marmite.

Anatomy of a mummy

2008-07-15T08:08:00.003+01:00

So this morning I was sitting on the edge of the bed getting dressed, as you do. My little boy, aged two and a half, came in for a cuddle. Then he touched my belly button and asked me where my penis was. I told him mummy's don't have penises. Then he placed a little hand on each of my bra-clad breasts, pulled his t-shirt up and asked "Why I not have boobs?" I think I might be raising a boob man!

A busy day

2008-07-13T10:04:00.005+01:00

I spent most of Saturday making party bags (gorgeous girly ones in pretty florals). I made some of my mini gift bags too and then I packed some orders ready for Monday's post. I think that's one of my favourite bits - I like wrapping in tissue paper, adding thank you notes and little doodads. Even if what you buy isn't for you, it's still nice to get prettily presented parcels in the post.

Bee won my gift bag giveaway (see comments under the giveaway post) and I packed her prize up ready to post too. Hope she likes it!

My first week of day2days

2008-07-11T14:00:00.003+01:00

I joined the Day2Day - Take 5 Ordinary Beauty group on Flickr this week (find it here http://www.flickr.com/groups/799185@N21/pool/) and it's been an interesting experience. I have found myself working much harder at photos for my listings and I am paying more attention to light, shadow and arrangement. I'm looking forward to next week and I'm hoping that I will improve my photography through this experience.

Little things I make

2008-07-09T11:08:00.005+01:00

I have just listed these little gift bags on Folksy. They are one of my favourite things to make. I enjoy mixing and matching the fabrics and gift tags and it's fun to imagine what gifts will be given in them. They are the perfect size for soaps, jewellery, posh chocolates....

A little competition for you - leave a comment with a link to the perfect item to give in one of these little bags (from Etsy or Folksy). The person who picks the item I like most wins a set of three bags! Yes, you can suggest your own items. I will pick one on Friday evening (9 July). Have fun, Vicky x

Folksy

2008-07-08T23:31:00.002+01:00

New shop, new shop! Folksy is a new site for UK sellers of handmade things and I have signed up, along with lots of other UK sellers. It's in test phase at the moment, but it looks great and the admin behind it seem to be on the ball. Fingers crossed for a great site, great sales and happy customers. Check out my new shop at http://folksy.com/shops/oldbagcrafts.

Day2Day 1/5 Her Hand

2008-07-07T08:35:00.004+01:00

The day2day theme may be ordinary beauty but I find my daughter's hand extra-ordinarily beautiful and endlessly fascinating.

It's Monday morning

2008-07-07T08:02:00.004+01:00

So good morning, here we are in another week. What are you up to this week? I'm home today with the smalls. The Girl Wonder would usually be at school, but she has a tummy ache and a bit of a rash (probably heat). She had a temperature yesterday so we decided she should stay home today. I have to be Mrs Mummy and play home school because she absolutely loves going to school and is not impressed with a day off! Herbert Buggles is a bit quiet too and, unusually for him, has only eaten half a breakfast instead of his usual three. We had a busy weekend with the carnival, so I think a quiet day at home will do us all good.

Changing the subject entirely, I can't decide if Christmas in July on Etsy is worth the work or not. I managed to get these teenytiny bags made and listed. I'll have to see what else I can do - at least I'll be more prepared for Christmas itself!

Have a good week! oldbag x

Carnival

2008-07-06T12:49:00.007+01:00

Yesterday was the village carnival and we had the best day! We joined in on the Under Fives float (which won best in junior section and best overall!) with Herbert Buggles as Tigger and The Girl Wonder as a Disney princess. The carnival theme was adverts and our float was the Disneyland Paris advert. For a small village, we have a mighty fine carnival, one of the largest in Cambridgeshire. Lots of fabulous floats from the village groups and associations. The entertainment was good too, with a marching band, majorettes and a group of modern morris dancers (I think that's what they were!) who looked incredible and had me rolling on the floor when they explained that a particular dance was called The Last Hot Dog Stand in Yaxley! Their costumes have me desperate to make something in black and white.

Don't work in property

2008-07-03T16:02:00.002+01:00

Looks like hubby is being made redundant, not a good week in the Old Bag household. He is a chartered surveyor and it is not a good industry to be in right now. So, much counting of blessings (as well as pennies!) and an awful lot of hugging - strange how I want my children as close to me as possible.

I am touting my wares around as many places as I can think of, both online and B&M. Feel free to comment with advice about marketing/outlets etc, I'll take any help offered.

And now I'm going to make a cake with too much cream and an excess of icing to cheer us all up.

Busy day

2008-07-01T20:53:00.002+01:00

Children, laundry, washing dishes (broken dishwasher!), making grocery bags, school run twice... no time to blog!

The smell of fresh baked bread

2008-06-29T15:37:00.003+01:00

is filling my house! Before Etsy, I used to bake bread when we needed it but these days I don't get the time. So Sunday is baking day - today I made 6 loaves of bread (3 wholemeal, 1 rye, 1 buckwheat and 1 white) and added a cake since the oven was on anyway. The kitchen smells delicious and this evening I can stuff the freezer with bread for the week.

I read somewhere that baking bread is an exact science, that everything needs to be weighed and measured and temperature controlled and blahblahblah. I am an inexact cook. I hardly ever follow recipes and cook by instinct and I rebel against such strict instructions! I measure with American cups, much quicker and more relaxed, and even then it's very roughly gauged. And I get great results. I use my old Kenwood Chef with a dough hook (it's older than me, being a wedding present to my parents), whatever tin I have to hand and all kinds of flours and I thoroughly enjoy myself. And the children love watching the yeast bubble up. And it tastes soooooo good!

Weekend garden feature!

2008-06-28T18:12:00.008+01:00

How proud we are of our little bit of veggie garden! We're still getting the garden itself round but we started a few things in pots and grow bags. The Girl Wonder is very proud of her beans and the courgettes are growing fast.

Saturday sales

2008-06-28T09:11:00.002+01:00

I woke up to two sales this morning, a very good way to start Saturday! What I'm really pleased about is selling party bags, or favor bags I should say, as they're off to Virginia, on Etsy. I would love to sell on Etsy and feel like I'm getting there now. Happy Saturday! Time for me to tickle the children :D

Friday, hooray!

2008-06-27T07:54:00.002+01:00

Friday is here at last and I have two aims today. Firstly, and most importantly, Friday is fun day, so Herbert Buggles and I are going to play in the park and then we might make some cakes. Secondly, I try to come up with new ways to promote my online shops on a Friday - think I might need a bit more caffeine for that!

I sell in two places, Etsy and eBay. So far, I've had more sales on eBay, but only my party bags do well there. Selling handmade on the flea market that is eBay is tough going. The fees are huge, too. Part of me wonders whether to put all my focus into Etsy and see where it takes me.... Ah well, lots of thinking to do today. Have a good Friday :)

I finished it!

2008-06-26T19:25:00.006+01:00

And aren't I proud of myself? My mum does most of the knitting for LovelyGranny, but I have to get my sticky little fingers into everything crafty and couldn't just sit by and let her have all the knitting fun, so I decided to make a little bolero myself. I should state for the record that I can knit and follow patterns etc, but I am inexperienced. So I picked some cotton and linen mix yarn that looked absolutely gorgeous (should have realised when mum kept quiet in the face of my enthusiasm that something was up). It's been an absolute s*d to knit! It's textured and, for me at least, very difficult to work with. But I've done it! I covered the buttons myself, too and only broke one needle (yes really!) sewing it together. Very pleased with myself, but must confess that my current knitting project is a straightforward double knit shrug in smooth acrylic for The Girl Wonder.

Look what I bought!

2008-06-26T09:52:00.000+01:00

I got these brilliant weaving sticks from Shunklies (http://shunklies.etsy.com/) as a birthday present for my daughter's friend, but I've decided to keep them for myself instead! I picked up some rainbow coloured double knit I've got (I'm knitting a shrug for The Girl Wonder) and started weaving - it's easy and fun and it looks great. The woven bit is soft, almost padded, ideal for bag handles, although I think this might turn into a headband to match the shrug. We'll see.

Secret swap ooooooh!

2008-06-25T17:53:00.000+01:00

I was lucky enough to be part of the Etsy UK Team secret swap and was pleased to hear today that my gift had been received and was liked. I was also chuffed to bits with my present from littleblackduck (you can find her fabulous shop on Etsy at http://littleblackduck.etsy.com/). Not only did she send me the loveliest cosmetic bag (featuring orange, one of my favourite colours!) - she included a gorgeous little girl cosmetic bag for The Girl Wonder and a fabulous suede pouch stuffed with chunky pencils for Herbert Buggles. It's like Christmas in here! TGW and HB have used all the tissue wrapping and the new pencils to make hero capes and have asked when the next swap will be.

I'm still selling!!!!!

2008-06-25T17:42:00.000+01:00

One of the internet sites that I sell on has just 'ceased to trade'. Up until a week ago, as far as I know, they were still signing up new members (and taking their membership fees!) and now tell us we can't get any money back. Pants. The company is Tuggle. Was Tuggle. I am seeking legal advice about membership fees. What strikes me 24 hours after receiving notification from them is that their message, sent by email to all on their mailing list including sellers and buyers, does not state that individual sellers are trading, albeit elsewhere! I am waiting for a response from them about that. Thankfully, I have my own website (http://oldbagcrafts.com) that points out where I sell - oldbagcrafts can now be found on Etsy (http://oldbagcrafts.etsy.com) and eBay (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/oldbagcrafts).

I will get this blogging thing right!

2008-06-25T14:13:00.000+01:00

Here I am, back where I started! I blogged here for a while and then I got my own website - oldbagcrafts.com - from MrSite. It seemed logical to blog there. Logical, but not aesthetically pleasing! All text, no pics, very boring. So here I am, back on Blogger.

Bear with me whilst I get my layout sorted and keep your fingers crossed that I can make all the technology do what I want it to do!

oldbag x