As my daughter said to me "ha. you're 36 now"... step by step guide to birthday-ness...

1. make a few calls. send a few emails. get the birthday ball rolling.

2. get waxed. get a haircut. get a babysitter. get your bags packed.

3. book an awesome hotel (good girl Pip)

4. obligatory 'me n my sister in cafe' shot (i could fill a book with our cafe shots)

5. what you see here is a 'baby YO' hand pose. It's a long story...

anyway, chillax in a most bodacious city.

6. gather friends around you. (i am skipping the photos that say: 7. drink wine. 8. drink cocktails. 9. EAT so much good food. 9. talk so much that you looooose your voice - yes, really. 10. run around a hotel lobby in various states of shoe and non shoes)

11. gifts!

12. more gifts?

13. family (now my birthday & life is complete)

14. you don't think i'd fail to list cake, did you?...

CAKE! and plenty of it.

15. another gift... ummmm, 'coz i'm worth it'?

16. he deserves an embarrasing shot of himself on the cyberlink because he is a bad boy.

(brotherfish in old plastic highlights cap that the kids had out as part of their superhero costumes)

17. did i say 'the kids' superhero costumes'?...

make that, the kids and grandma.

18. be home. recover. catch up on work. recover.

shake a little bit during the alcohol withdrawal period.

recover.

happy birthday me.

Creative Flow... or lack thereof....

I am lolling.

Lolling is something i do - when i am creatively fatigued (and physically exhausted)

Lolling is an Art form in itself. You have to thrroooow yourself into full lolling - you can't just half lol, or half-heartedly lol.

Honestly, i could write a book on this subject. And really, Lolling / 'To Loll' is just about rolling and sitting and lying all over the floor. With no real purpose or activity. I do photograph myself alot when i am lolling though. I allow myself that activity as there is a looseness of the mind that i enjoy playing with on the camera.

There is a relaxing and grounding, meditative state to my lolling. Just thinking and just being.

In my old house, i used Lol in the bathroom. In my parents house they have a 'sun lounge' (sounds terribly extravagant, a separate lounging area for sun dwelling) but it was a good lolling room as it had plenty of floor space and sunshine. I am having flashbacks to childhood tantrums - you know, when the floor is the only place for a child to go.... wherever they are! supermarket, pub, park, kitchen.... the floor is, of course, a grounding place.

And perhaps it is no surprise, that a person who is active, hectic, creative, silly, theatrical, obsessive (yes, all those apply to me) finds the need to be grounded. The need to find a floor space and get a good Lol going on. Like a cat. Or a fat lazy dog.

I was going to write a post about Creative Flow - hence the title - and, to help me out of this relaxed state, i was going to list all the things i am going to do to get my creativity flowing again. But guess what? that involves a creative energy! and i am totally lacking in the ability to even make a list.

Times are bad. Creative energy has hit an all time low.

I have so much to do - so many deadlines.

I have also been walking and going to the gym every day for the past few weeks. So, this new routine might be taking it's physical toll on me. Typical Kirsty / Piscean? finding it hard to get a good balance in life without tipping the scales / upsetting the flow....

So... please comment. feel free to leave ME a list of things that help get YOU creative and motivated.

Naturally i find new supplies a joy, or i wouldn't do the job i do, hey. But my ONE idea to kickstart the list is to get my sewing machine serviced and cleaned. Madness - how is that creative? It isn't.... but if i'm not using it, i may aswell get it ready for the big sewing marathon that will, no doubt, come-a-knocking at my fingertips in the post-LOL days.

Creative Flow - or lack thereof.

Feel free to discuss...

Bloomsbury Tape...

bloomsbury tape... a photo by lusummers on Flickr.

Oh look at this.... how stunning? my heart skiippped a beat when i saw what the clever Mrs Lucie Summers had designed here.
A 1 inch / 2.5cm decorative tape in her own blk and white design called Bloomsbury.
This roll is a whopping 65m long approx. so plenty to play with.
You know what is coming next...

Now avaialble in www.LovePaperFish.com !!! the listing is in the HARDWARE section (awaiting it's photo)
And i am badgering this super lady to bring us more in more designs and colourways. Watch this space.... xxx

Who's going to pay attention to your dreams?

Who's going to tell you when,
It's too late?

Who's going to pick you up
When you fall?

You can't go on
Thinking, nothing's wrong.

Who's going to drive you home tonight?

(I love 80's pop music)

Cath Kidston Fabric Pack...

 Hello Colour / Cath / Sewing / Fabric faaaannnnnssss.

 This mixed pack of 5 fabrics are available to buy in the LovePaperFish shop.

I thought i had too much fabric and too little time so i have made these packs up.

I am saving some pieces however, as i have 'Grand Plans' to make myself a big big quilt (yes i know i already have many quilts)

 Each sheet is a heart size approx. 21" by 14" which is ermmm maybe 53cm x 35cm?

 This pack is ideal for making smaller homeware pieces as it is the thicker double weave cotton duck fabric. You could make bunting, patchwork, purses, cushion covers, covered notebooks, placemats.... and yummy stuff like that.

 There are 4 florals and then this yummy minty green spot which i just adore and goes with all the florals really nicely. But that is one of the reasons i love CathK designs, i think they all look gorgeous mixed up together.

p.s 2 packs of 10 2cm yummy, pearly, blush pink buttons will go into BigFish.

I fished these out whilst going through the Blush Pink jar and *loved* them so.

More new buttons and fabrics will follow shortly....

Trade Show *News*...

 Well, i had a great day at the Craft Trade Show last week.

It was great to sit and chat to my Button Ladies. It was splendid to listen to that man from Italy... i cannot remember what he was selling now but i'll never forget that voice hahaha.

Naturally, i could have spent a fortune BUT i must draw the line / bag the button somewhere.

Slowly the new products will start to filter into the shops.

 The delightful Button bag above is called the "Mary Jane Button Bag" and has 40 buttons in. 10 each of the spots and stripes in *NEW* colours: red and aqua. 2cm wide so a sweet and handy size.

 These are BIGS! and measure 4cm / 1.5inch. Whoppers! and what great colours? I loved the Red, Aqua and Raspberry the best so i am now stocking these in Etsy & http://www.lovepaperfish.com/ more colours may follow...

 I thought i was going to like the spots best... but i don't! i find myself draaaawn to that giant candy stripe. *must find suitable project for these* but i do have a coat that would wear these beauties very well. I might stop stocking all other craft items and stick with buttons? there are sooo many to choose from. Pur delight.

 Also: LovePaperFish is carrying these super sweet POLKA PAIRS - for those of you who just don't craft 'that much' and only want 2 of each colour - but trust me, i started selling them like this and nearly every customer came back for a big bag.

Also very cute gifts for party favours at a Teen craft party.

This blog might be slowly inundated with new shop products. Forgive me? i have to tell you about them... they might be the very thing you've been waiting for?

Organic Cotton Stripe Ribbon... and work avoidance...

 Just the word ORGANIC makes me go all weak.

I swear, chocolate tastes better with the word 'organic' on the packet.

Bread has no fat or calories if it is 'organic bread'

I am a gooood person if i use organic cottons...

 Aaaah, the lies i tell myself.

The fact that these new cotton tapes are 'organic' is really just a PLUS, incase there are crafters who need / like to use very earth-friendly products or they are sewing with babies and children in mind.

I bought some because they are very pretty and have a vintage look and feel to them.

 http://www.lovepaperfish.com/ is selling them as a mixed bag of 3metres - 1 in each colour: sage green, periwinkle blue and a strawberry pink. yum-yum.

I have been keen to get a bit of sewing done, just so i can use them. I try to NEVER sell a craft product that i haven't used myself. I think then iam a more trustworthy retailer? you know, i know, what i sell is good etc....

 I made a bit fat quilted Lavender Heart and you can too, if you want.

I had scraps left over from a cushion. 2inch wide strips of cotton fabric.

You can sew them together to make up a block of fabric.

I then quilted this (actually the wadding is also Organic and made with Bamboo - it is gorgeous to work with ) i just did any random quilt pattern all over the top.

 My piece was big enough to slice in half - so i did - 'just like that' - no planning or thinking. Let's just freestyle this whole thing.

I cut out a paper heart as a template and cut around it on both pieces of quilted blocks.

 Go back to PHOTO.1. and you can see i added a few embellishments on top - scraps i had from previous failed projects plus 2 small strips of the organic cotton tape. Very nice.

I placed this finished heart block FACE DOWN on top of a very loose weave fabric.

Sewing machine around the edge and leave a 2inch gap.

Turn it inside out - so correct sides now facing out.

 I stuffed these big hearts mainly with lavender - and yes! it was organic lavender.

but i popped a little stuffing in also, to help keep it's shape.

Sew it up at the gap by hand.

I also used the Cotton Tape as the final hanging ribbon and fastened it in place with a big button.

Happy Lavender Heart Gift! with lots of organic elements.

And this sobering picture is really what i should ahve been doing today, rather than quilting Lavender Hearts....

 Do think again before you assume that selling crafty supplies is all fun and games.... those packets need a great deal doing to them before they can be ready for sale.

(I am waving happily to *my best girl J* as she knows SHE is helping me out with this large task)

ToodlePip Craft fans!

I am off to do some Half-Term stuff and pop into the Post Office en-route.

MAKE STUFF! it is good for your soul xxx