oooh, *squeal* clever me....

 Ok, so not massively 'clever' but just 'bigger'

I have been making smaller button wreaths for some time, and they have gradually been getting bigger and bigger! This Whopper is 10inches across / 25cm

Any bigger and the weight of it would just drag the shape of the circle downwards.

He is sold *proud*

but i have been making another in these traditional colours - then a big wreath in Aqua and Red Buttons - and also just started a Gingerbread Wreath with multi-colured buttons.

I get addicted to making things like this.

There is no great 'design' to them but the time and labour of love is obviously in the buttons and their colourways and how they sit next to one another.

 I shall be sick of sewing these in 2 weeks time! but for now, it is fun.

They are a real statement piece for a Christmas Home and you know, we love our Christmas Decos.

 And, just so you know, there are a few sheets of white glitter felt in the Fuzzyfish shop.

I have bought a few stacks to make Hallowe'en ghosties with "mwahahahaaaaa"

they are going to look ace when the kiddies start on them!

And these are mini flowers / snowflakes. I ordered the wrong size so there will be a few metres listed in the Etsy BigFish shop and some i will save for my Kids Craft Workshops.

Feeling the Autumn air this week - glorious!

Button Bouquets! Pure JOY!

Maybe these Button Bouquets are not everybody's idea of GORGEOUS!? Maybe you have to be a bit of a button nut to appreciate them? But I have had a commission from a  Hetro-man for these, so not just 'girly' fun.

 Having found myself in a total crafting DESERT of late, these button stems have been the perfect thing to get my head and heart back into 'creating'. I haven't had a thing in me that has wanted to create or think about prettiness at all. I haven't been shopping / scavenging for vintage and i haven't even been sewing. Broken life and broken heart maybe? Tired..... whatever the reasons, i have a mini-mojo returning.

 I swear, if the buttons themselves don't turn me on, my Tungsten Carbide cutters would do it alone. I love a gadget. I love a bit of technology. As MrsB said to me, when she poked into the studio, "How very You Kirsty, to use high tech digital scales for weighing, but have a vintage bowl on top to the hold the buttons"

 Anyway - Button stems are truly addictive and many many people make these sooo beautifully on Etsy. The Americans have this craft 'licked' my friends. They use them in a big explosion as wedding bouquets!! for baby showers and for their interior decor.

I am thinking that these would be STUNNING on the tables at a wedding? You could have them in the centre and tie a placename to individual stems - making it a favour too?

 The more stems you have in a bunch, the better they look.

The possibilities are endless. It is so calming and satisfying and QUICK (You know i have no attention span for a lengthy project) So many variations. The more buttons you have to choose from, the better, which is obviously easier for a crafter like me, hey!?

I have put mine in a big jar of bells because they need to be sat in something that can spread the stems out - otherwise they'll just fall to one side in a heap. OR the other option is to use a very narrow necked jug or vase - remembering that these stems are made using thick gardening / floristry wire so you can bend and manipulate their shapes.

You can add felt bases and leaves. I chose not too as i have been 'off' sewing :( but i think they do look very special. You could use leather or even cardboard as a base - that would look awesome.

Ever lasting Button Bouquets.

I have listed some for sale in my http://www.lovepaperfish/ shop online but really they are more fun to make yourself. If you are going to do these for a huge party or wedding or event you could buy bunches / stems off many different people, for starters and inspiration, then make a load yourself.

Make it cheaper by mixing new and more expensive buttons with a load of vintage / jumble / ebay button finds? Just make sure you have plenty of bigger ones... that is why i bought the Zebedee buttons as they are the perfect base size.

Have fun - whatever you're making x

If i called these Zebra Buttons, does that matter?

 Because i do knooooow that Zebras are striped. But they just say ZEBRA to me.

So i called them Zebra Buttons.

*a bit happy with these*

 And then i listed a mixed bag of the Zebra with the new Mushroom Stripe and i called this bag the

"Zebedee Button Bag" don't ask me the logic behind this. I just get a feel for a button bag and i have to name it so.

Again, i bought lots of these as i have been making Button Bouquets and they are nice n fat n big to have at the bottom of the stack.

 Never seen a Button Bouquet?

Fear not - i'll blog what i have been doing in the next day or so. They are super fun but very addictive!

Customers ask why i sell in my buttons in so many mixed varieties and it is because:

a) they look pretty and inspiring

b) if you buy them in bulk, rather than in ones or pairs, i can give a much better price on them.

c) some people want many buttons the same / identical and some crafters need a real mash up of stuff so i try to get a balance of both.

 Inspired by the sunshine, i decided to make a few flower brooches too, with the felt flowers.

Too, too easy but now i have some brooches to add to my basket for Summer shopping trips.

 AND.... get me, i have been sewing again! I know, it seems like so very long since i did any sewing, but i got the urge and so i went with it. Patchwork Lavender Hearts (as yet un-photo'd)

 In between a few long dog walks, to make the most of this sunshine before the wet weather finds us again.

Aaaaahhh, Pooch... i did, in fact, need that Tennis Ball before you punctured it, you beast.

XXX

Promises, promises...

If you allow me to, and indulge me in, the scattering and smattering of button photographs today...

I will promise to take some lovely photographs of the Craft Fair tomorrow...

Deal?

 I am a super busy Working Mumma - so it pains me as much as it pains you, not to have a blog smothered in Vintage Finds and Fun Days Out. I would like to write about a dreamy sunshine life as much as you might like to read about it. But right now, the sunshine in my life, must come from pretty buttons.

There are many new designs and bags already listed in http://bigfish.etsy.com/ but have yet to reach http://www.lovepaperfish.com/ - (bear with , bear with)

 There is a natural satisfaction gained from 'working'.

I do feel a sense of achievment when i make sales and earn a wage - the bonus here is that i love the goodies that i sell, so it isn't such a 'chore'. We all need monies to live by hey?

But i think this results in so much more pleasure when i do get to spend a day 'away' and indulging in Vintage rummages and coffee shop treats. Maybe that is what i think when i say "promises, promises"? - promises to myself to work hard and remember to play too?

 Selling at Craft Fairs isn't something i have so much time for now-a-days.

It takes a great deal of effort to Prepare - SetUp - Sell - Dismantle the stall.... it can be exhausting!

But i hope tomorrows Fair (see previous post) will be a good one - especially if the sunshine returns.

 Therefore - promises, promises.

If it is Sunshiney and pretty, i will share the fair here on the Blog. And that sounds like fun, right?

Still cueing up some of the blog readers gorgeous Makes! for future viewing xxx

Hope you like the new Button bags and Pretty Colours.

Bows!... i know! love 'em or hate 'em, Kitsch heaven...

I adore these - on every level

Perfect for prettying up a childs cardigan -

awesome use in kitsch and emo-punk jewelery and accessories

they are just a lovely shape and size.

I am about to list them in both the BigFish shop on Etsy and http://www.lovepaperfish.com/

i *think* these will be sold in sets of 8 but they average at around 40p per bow which is actually quite a bargain for these unusual and large buttons.

A pair of each 4 colours = 8 buttons = £3.50 per bag

or 10 of each colour in a bag = 40 buttons = £15.00 which is better value and approx 37p per bow.

 The 3rd of 4 new books in the shop.....

i was not prepared to like this book at all when i picked it up but i was so wrong.

This is inspirational more than instructional. If you work with children / teens / even adult wokshops then this is the best book for you. There are so many cute photographs and ideas to inspire you.

 Awesome sock pigs - i have never wanted to make a sock animal, until i saw these cuties.

These may even work their way into a Summer kids Craft workshop for the holidays...

 Instructions are clear and helpful, but truly... you cannot muck up a sock creature. The more individual they are, the better they look and the more fun you have.

 I have 4 of these still  ThankU MsC - make that 3 now in the shop but once they are gone, they are gone - so if you are keen... this is your moment.

I am elbow high in chocolate cake making today (maFish birthday tomorrow, ssshhhh)

See you later xxx

NeedleBook Party...

In honour of getting a bit of a mention here:

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/11/holiday_gift_guide_sewing.html

I thought i had better support the article and remind everyone of my awesome NeedleBooks!

EDIT - This NeedleBook SOLD already

 I haven't had a chance to make or list any *new* designs for so long, what with moving home, the new studio AND Christmas selling.... you know how it is ladies!?

 But i am super proud to list a lovely few different designs in the http://paperfish.etsy.com/ shop.

Folksy remains a little empty of my handmade lovelies - so sorry UK but you can always email me and shop from the Etsy shop in GBP. It is no hassle for me.

 Loving the above Book "DJ Stitch".. getting 'street' on ya and 'down wiv the kids' it just amuses me.

 And i will never apologise for loving the soft and cutesy designs. They make me happy! So these little Hedghogs get a worthy mention here.

Many designs made from selvedge so they are Unique and one-off designs, expecially for us crafters addicted to sewing.

I could go all commercial on you and say "oh yes, ideal Christmas Gifts" and all that...

But, do you know what? my busiest time for selling these NeedleBooks.... is in January. So we allllll know that these are pretties that we buy for ourselves, hahahaha - the best type of Christmas Shopping in my opinion.

EDIT TO ORIGINAL post....
This is a yummy new NeedleBook in the Etsy PaperFish shop

And this is *new* too - i love making new designs.... (must get on with the Christmas Stock now)

see at you a fair maybe??

Canons Ashby House - National Trust Northants.... Crafty Fair weekend

 All weekend:

Saturday and Sunday 11am - 4pm

Northamptonshire

A large Marquee full of Crafts and Christmas Gifts

I strongly advise you to come in the afternoon - we all have plenty of stock.

The mornings get so busy!

See you There??

Also - if you're local to Milton Keynes >>>>

I'll have all my decorations and loads of Craft Supplies at the MadCap Centre MK

Sunday 28th November

Plus a table where children can sew a quick decoration to take home with them.

And that activity is for FREE!

Room for more Buttons?

 You might be **amazed** to hear that i have managed to find a colour of button that i didn't have in stock. Yes - that is right, there is another colour you may, or may not, need:

Helloooo..... Chocolate Brown!!

 We call him Charlie Brown and this colour is like a deep, high cocoa content chocolate. I want to eat them. I want to eat most of my buttons actually, but these are particularly good for PMS (to imagine eating... not actually eating) Earthy and Autumnal... would i be mad to say 'too much colour' is a bad thing on occasion? and sometimes we want a more muted shade to play with.

For those of you who knit and / or like a more muted tone for your projects - there are a few pairs of larger 5cm buttons in the Etsy shop: http://bigfish.etsy.com/

 And these are a limited edition set of Vintage Plastic buttons - with shank reverse, ideal for jewelery.

A deco or Arts & Craft feel to the design.

And this is the cheeky fella who has been ram-raiding the Peanut stock in our Garden.

Feeling so Autumny now. LittleFish and I met a Badger out when we were Hallowe'en-ing last night. Cool to live in the Country x

Cushion Making....

 I had a lovely crafty day last week, sewing up some cushions. I admit tha,t a few have been sitting in the cushion box for some weeks 'waiting' patiently for their final filling.

 This is a really large cushion made in log-cabin style patchwork and quilting.

It is a comission from a local lady who liked my work but wanted something BIGGER!

I tend to make smaller pieces as they sell better at Craft Fairs and are easier to ship internationally, so it was a real pleasure to go bigger with this cushion.

 I love adding all the details to my pieces. Appliqued trims and patches, the odd button, ribbon tags. I think this is what makes my work 'me' (however often we 'artists/ designers' are replicated.....)

 I must confess at buying these handmade crocheted flowers as an embellishment for my pieces. I have no time or talents for this. I love the detail they add and how a flat faced cushion becomes touchable / tactile. Most senses are stimualated in these designs

Tactile exteriors coupled with the fact that these cushions are packed with:

LAVENDER (for relaxation)

CHAMOMILE (for sweet dreams)

DRIED HOPS (for restful sleep)

 I just feel i can never photograph these to their true potential. Maybe because internet selling relies on just one sense - you can't sniff these or hold them in your hand, like you can at a Craft Fair or in a shop.

 They are primarily made to put on your bed (hence the herbal stuffing)

but they are equally at home on a dining chair or a sofa.

And, of course, choosing between all the delicious fabrics available is probably my favourite task.

Linens and unbleached cottons V bright crisp quilting cottons?

There is room for a little of everything x