Shrinking Balls... and other Ball News....

 I know, I know - another 'post' i am bombarding you with shop nonsense.

But the felt balls are shrinking / have shrunk!

Listen though - these are cute, right? Teeny Tiny Felt balls... approx 1cm

*WANT TO MAKE A BRACELET NOW*

 At this moment i am only selling them in a bag of 100 - with 10 each of 10 colours.

Super super happy to see these. LUFF-LY

i will get around to breaking them into 10s of each colour... soon (ish)

 Even bigger news than that tho...

my 'rescued' dog played with a toy (a ball) for the first time since i got him!

We had a little play and he chewed it without looking at it like it might chew him back....

 That IS my dog in the background, and not a cheap inadequate draught excluder.

Oh he is such a lovely boy.

I used to coo over my Baby Girl like this but now school have stolen her and i think that is terribly unfair.

A great deal of Balls today.

Colour Therapy....

 Time to share this weeks news in our weekly Colour Therapy session.

This is my regular group meeting to stop me going insane. There are a few other members who pop in and out, as and when they need to (you know who you are) but mainly, this is pure self indulgence.

In todays news: I waved a rather sad goodbye to my Caribou Collection. I made Santa's Reindeer last year - a set of 9 - in the secret knowledge nobody would be mad enough to buy them but i loved the project. Alas and huzzah! in simultaneous unison, they sold. Good Luck in your new home boys xxx

 New colour collections of mixed Felt Balls. The same colours as i sell but just re-mixed to inspire projects. It is an aim of mine with selling supplies - in my business manifesto "To inspire & provide"

So, the above is "Tomte Mix" (Scandinavian Elven folk colour mix)

 And these are what i call my "Gingerbread Mix" with browns, red, orange and pink - my favourite storytime colours for Christmas. I am making garlands from this mix with fabric scraps and pom-poms.

 Chaos as always.... the shop stock is mostly moved to the new Studio (which is now a heaving mess) so i have got all my own 'at home' supplies stashed messily in vintage suitcases and boxes. I cannot find a thing. I am looking forward to New Year as i LOVE tidiness and effeciency. The thought of tidying all my stash is fantastic and life can run better in this fashion.

 MiniBabushka's selling well in the online shop - again, these colours.... this riot of 'bright' is so uplifting on these colder, greyer, wetter days.

And - a pair of Lime & Blue handled scissors.

It is the small things in life (hey MrsB?) that make everything big seem posible and a little less daunting.

Whack a smile on your face people xxx



Felt Balls - Sharing the stories...

I don't know how Other online shops feel about 'product photography' but for me it is a process of sheer frustration and total joy!

Joy that it is "another job ticked off the list"

Joy that the process can be fun and creative.

Frustration at creating just 'that look' you want...

Craft products, handmade and supplies to sell on, are a constant joy to me. I only make, buy and sell items that make me happy and INSPIRE me. What an immense amount of hard work it would be if i didn't love what i sell?

All photography, Art, Craft - it's all about telling a story and even simple Felt Balls or Buttons have a story to tell. As i am the photographer, i suppose it is only my own story i can convey in a picture.

How can i best suggest the warm, tactile pleasure of handling these fuzzy spheres - how they roll around in your fingers?

The colours and what they remind me of (usually food related, tut tut) but sometimes i think i can even smell the story - These pink balls like pefect mouth sized portions of Strawberry Ice-Cream, and in turn, a memory a Summers Day and my daughter with a sticky ice-cream mouth.

Large green peas and a hazy flash of childhood as i remember picking fresh peas from the garden with my dad... wow, he was so young back then and i thought he ruled the world! (he is still King of mine)

Lilac... it isn't a colour i like. I don't wear it or use it often...ever...? But i had been picking Blackberries the afternoon before this shoot, so maybe these are the two reasons i felt this photo needed a Blackberry Pom-Pom to the side.

Red. Red. Red is the colour! My favourite colour.... i even added more red in this pictures background. And, like the silly sausage I am, i love the fact that the background red basket holds masses of balls of wool. It fits with the wool felt beads. You don't know that as a viewer - but i know that. Somehow that knowledge makes this image complete.

A real photographer wouldn't get caught up in their own stories though. I think a great photographer leaves doors open in their images, for you to see your own stories.

I expect, if you are shopping on the internet, the images that catch your eye are the ones that tell a story you recognise...

My Chum Sally said "it's too early for Christmas"...

What is she like.....?

The FATTIES are here.... *new felt balls*

I know, i know.... i AM up to my eyeballs still in paint and packing boxes and i cannot find anything and i am stressed and i have run out of savings to buy furniture -  -  - my friends, it's allllll good.

I have FAT BALLS!

The very most totally grrrrrr thing about moving house though, is i have no time (or place) right now, to play with my new supplies. I have so many fabulous ideas for my *new* fat friends. I am itching to play with them. 2cm across and such amazing colourways.

New stock - packs available in the http:// BigFish.etsy.com shop and in the new UK shop LovePaperFish.com as soon as it is open (mid Sept at the latest ready for Xmas)

THIS IS THE AUTUMN PACK  x40balls

WINTER  x40 balls

SPRING  x30 balls

SUMMER  x40 balls

and these POMPOM BALLS - just soooo cute.

I literally have a basket full of them that i keep running my fingers through - i want to M A K E stuff!

Want to Play?

My Crafty Friend...

To call her 'Crafty' is maybe an injustice. I am a Crafter - she is a very creative person with a Degree in Textiles and a vast experience / knowledge in sewing stuffs. I believe there is a difference there!
Anyway, the SmallFish and I were round at her home for a 'Play Date' last week. I wish i had the nerve to photograph her whole house as it was really inspiring. But i managed to take a few photos whilst she popped out to see the EggMan...

This is a huge gorgeous buttony mirror - it must have taken an AGE to finish! and her small 2 yr old keeps trying to pick the buttons off, which must be very satisfying for him but terribly annoying for her....

I might well have a try at this myself. I am going to keep an eye open at the Local Tip and Car Boots for a good sized mirror. I like the choice of colours as i would have been inclined to make mine much brighter but i think i like the subtle colours here better.

A giant floor cushion in Laura Ashley fabrics and others. Huge semi-circle tabs hanging down the edge sem. I love these tabs and i am even more determined now to finish my Smallfish's quilt.

And this COOL light pull in the bathroom. Gorgeous enough to wear. These were my last Big Felt Balls that my Crafty Friend purchased and i am waiting excitiedly for the new shipment so i can have a play with bright balls and buttons.

Contrary to what some people might think - i don't live in my own 'self-obsessed bubble' where I AM the first and last word in Crafts. On the contrary. I see inspirational people and projects all around me. I feel envious and inspired and intrigued at other peoples talents and feel i am not alone in my obsession with all things crafty.
Dear chum: Thankyou for trusting me enough to lend me your Selvedge Magazines. You know i will treat them as carefully as my dog  xxx