Calling all ducks...

When the lovely Liz put out the call for crafty peeps to make ducky things for her first Gleaners exhibition, I just couldn't refuse.

Didn't matter that it was my busiest making month of the year, that I was in the middle of an e-course, had an upcoming open studio and high school orientations to attend.

Nah... not too busy, She'll be right.

Well, in retrospect I did possibly over commit, but Somehow... god knows how...I managed to make the time to sit down and design/make some awesomeness for the first ever exhibition to be held at Gleaners.

I can't spoil the opening by showing you my offering, but I can invite you to come see for yourselves the duck extravaganza...

Sydney Rd has much to offer on opening night too...

After the opening of 'Flight of the ducks' why not head down to the late night 'Sisters Market' at Brunswick town hall and then on to Olive Grove studios for our late night shopping....shops open till 9 Yay.
A night positively jam packed with handmade delights.

Might see you there.
Jay xx

Craft Hatch today...

Hopefully the late prediction for storms holds out so you take in a big dose of handmade this weekend.

I'll be down at Craft Hatch, an intimate design market on level one of the city library.

My entire range will not be there, Just focusing on my screen printed men's items and some new art bangles and pendants.

Today you'll also find Sisters Market is on at the St.Kilda town hall and the lovely Made in Thornbury market is on.
So lots of choices and lots of handmade out there waiting to put a few ticks on the Christmas list.

Have a great weekend.
Jay xx

This is the end.......

The end of markets for me.

It's been a blast. Almost 2 years on the scene, but the time has come to say goodbye.
I have loved meeting new friends, discovering great new talent, having many opportunities come my way that I would have never have had happen if it weren't for doing craft markets. But....
I have hated the late nights, the early mornings and the long days.Most of all, I have hated having to depend so much on family and friends to take care of my kids so I could hang all my hopes on a wing and a prayer that I'd be bringing home the bacon.

Fortunately I did, and I'm forever grateful that I had the opportunity to get myself out there and grow as a crafter. My time marketing has been invaluable and if you have the fantastic network of peeps that I have had to make this all possible I highly recommend that everyone starts there career at markets.There is no quicker or more affordable way to evolve in what you do, to ready yourself for the next step.
Lucky for me I have taken the next step and entered the retail world with Finki. I'm lovin it. Every day is a challenge and I'm always thinking of the next ten things I wanna do. It's full on. Which is another reason I have to give up markets.
There is just not enough hours in the day to fulfill all my commitments. I'm usually the queen of over committing. Writing and re writing lists, prioritizing and reprioritizing my life.

But this time, something had to give.So for the last time ever, I have a market stall this Saturday .

Sisters Market
Brunswick town hall
Sydney rd, Brunswick
10 -4pm.

I'd love for you to come along and say hi and goodbye...

I'll have:

All new glass pendants adorned with 100% finki designs...no more scrapbook papers here!Lots of new story book baskets, pen holders and bill books.

Fabulous new colors in birds and bobbies.

A whole new range of tea towel and retro fabric stools.

and lastly but not leastly check out my new threads down at the shop. My first screen printed skirt......

and 'lovely leggings. All in sizes 12 -20.

I won't be bringing the clothes to the market. It's not the best place to be trying on stuff and they have no eftpos, but they'll all be down at the shop 'Olive Grove' 159 Sydney rd, Brunswick. Which is only 2 blocks down the road and does have fitting rooms and eftpos.

Hope you can make it for a sticky beak.
Jay xx

A cushion or four......

On the drawing board this week is a project that has been on the cards for quite some time.....Patchwork cushions.

I've been saving up the offcuts from my souvenir tea towel stools till I had a healthy stash worthy of bundling together for a cushion or four!

I tend to work in color blocks so decided that was the way to go. I ended up with oranges, blues, reds and greens, all my favorites.

I have plenty more to make but I thought 4 was a nice amount to have ready for my stall on Saturday at Sisters Market.

Do pop by if you're in the neighborhood.
Also displaying there crafty delights on Saturday will be:

Polly Pratt
Betty Jo designs
Mecino
Able & Game
Rabbit & the duck
Chuckles designs

and many more..........

Sweeeet Sisters.....

Sisters Market That is!

Why so sweet? Well not because I made a million........wishful thinkin'.
It was sweeee eeet because the things I was selling were the things I loved.

Sure enough I love all my stuff and when I sold my first robot pencil holder I was grinning ear to ear cos' it was my favourite. But you sort of get stuck in a rut of making the things that you know will sell and no longer venture out in to the great unknown with new designs.

This time I did.

I introduced my new souvenir tea towel covered stools, some new recycled art journals and some new pendants in colors that weren't necessarily mainstream fashionable colors, but were all things I loved. I chose them....I made them....just because I liked them. Not because I thought anyone else would like them.

.......and they sold.

You just wanna hug people for lovin' what you love. But you don't want scare them away, so you act all professional and cool like whilst doing an internal happy dance.

Thank you especially to YaYa (Robyn) my market assistant for the day. The funkiest mother in law you'd ever meet and big hug to the bloggy peeps who saw my new stools on here and popped by to get one. I didn't really think about how I would display something big, so they were a wee bit tucked away out of sight. But you found them and loved them. Thank you.

I trialled my new table layout, which had good and bad bits.
Everything fit in much better and there was actually room on the table for air flow....always a good thing. But I sort of built a wall between me and the people, so that was a bad thing.
I spent most of the day standing out front of my stall as I couldn't see from behind it. Back to the drawing board on that one.

I had some lovely neighbors. Miss piggy tales to my right and miss Konstant Kaos across the way.

Got some fab magnets from Myf at 'Fontok', a fantastic new work bag from 'konstant kaos', complete with pockets for my phone and purse and even a little loop inside to hang my finki card holder. I'm lovin' it, and this beautiful nappy change mat for my sis.

We had an amazing response to a new market venture that we were promoting too....more about that soon.

Well, one month till my next market, 'Made in Thornbury'.
So, you know me. I'll be op shopping, continually crafting and working on my next market stall debut. The 'Finki art pendant'. I feel like these are my babies. I've spent so much time thinking about them and finally they are coming to fruition.

I tell you.......the first person to buy one of these, I will most definitely be hugging.

Come one...Come all....

I've been buried in a crafty sea of fabric, foam and tea towels this week, gettin' ready for the Sisters market. A fabulous indoor market held at the Brunswick Town hall on Sydney Rd.

Also on offer will be the amazing crafty offerings of:
Konstant Kaos
Rabbit and the duck
Fontok
Tiges and weince
Lauren williams
Two cheese please
printspace
and much, much, more..........

Market week mayhem....

I'm at it again........
A whirlwind of activity, preparing for this weekends Sisters market at Brunswick town hall.

I just LOVE the finish of my new stools, so I've been working away on getting a few more of those done in time and I've redesigned my little stall space, so I can fit more in.

Keeps it all fresh and exciting when I can re merchandise each time. Part of the fun of doing the markets is the constant challenge to keep it all new and exciting for you and me both.

Take a seat.....

It was only a matter of time before my range expanded to include a product so useful in today's society, that it's need on my market stall could no longer be ignored.
The product of choice was born out of need to find a wonderfully practical use for all my souvenir tea towels.

I was eager to make aprons, handbags, pillows and even baby bootees with them, But they are all being done. More importantly, they are being done by people I've met in my crafty travels that I'd like to call friends. So as much as I wanted to do my own spin on a handbag or bootee, I scrapped the idea and went back to the drawing board.
I continued to add to my collection of tea towels whilst on my travels, knowing that one day soon they'd join the 'Finki' range. Just wasn't sure how!

So with out further ado I introduce to you the 'Finki stool'.

Perfectly bright, bold and beautiful and so very practical......... Very me indeed.

The range of 'Finki stools' (featuring my brand spanking new woven labels) will debut at the next Sisters Market, Sat 1st August.

Saturday's day at the Sister's Market.

Another market over and three weeks to go till the next one at Sonny and Coco. So, plenty of time to get my act together and produce lots more goodies.

I've got a bit of re stocking to do, as I sold all my story book baskets, most of my pen holders and nearly all of my new art journals. But high on the agenda will be some knit rings for Jen, a lovely blogger who always pops by to say hello and brighten my day.
I'll do some basic block colors, but I think I'll do a few with contrast crotchet edges, and maybe some needlework too.

I had the chance to catch up with quite a few bloggy peeps, thank you for taking the time to stop buy and out yourselves. It's so nice to put a faces to all the wonderful, crafty posts I read.

It was a funny market today, lots of early shoppers....lots. Then a dead stop at 2. From then on, I think it was just locals drifting in. None the less it was a profitable day, and aside from making money, I always walk away having met lots of nice people, having had the chance to get to know my fellow stall holders and of course getting immediate feedback on my goodies...the good, bad and ugly. All of it is so valuable.
I am none the wiser as to 'what people want', which really just reinforces the fact that you should just do what you like, rather than guess what people might like. At least that way you can stand there and really love everything you have to offer, knowing it wasn't influenced by fashion or fad, just pure personal inspiration.

Moving along, let me tell you about my shopping adventures at the market. Fortunately my partner in crime came along to help man the stall, so I could duck away for chit chat's and shopping.

My first stop was to say hello to Kylie over at tiges and weince. I had bought a t-shirt transfer from her during the week and loved the end result, so I had to buy more. I got a blue starry giraffe, which I'll stitch on with orange I think for a fun contrast.
I also picked up some of her funky book marks, I'm glad I did cause they were going like hotcakes. If I left it any later I would have missed out.

Next up I grabbed some chai & honey (yumm) lip balm, from back of the moon day spa. I got heaps from her last time I saw her at the sisters, so I knew it was good.
My neighbour again, was the fabulous miss piggy tales. She's always expanding her range with the funkiest Japanese fabrics, so I just had to have one more piece from the range. I got this red and white babushka pony tail holder.
My across the road neighbour, was Bronwyn from retro bub, where I got Finn the cutest little boy tee with a blue retro space ship on front. All her stuff was just so cute, especially for little girls, but I had to stop and remind my self that I was there to make money.....

Well not before a visit over at Lark. I'm sooooo glad they came all the way from Daylesford. I just had to get a donut rattle for one of the babies on the way, and when I saw how super special the price was I also grabbed peas in a pod, and a watermelon.
Later in the day my daughter popped in for a visit with grandma, sporting a badge that said, I love craft........'where'd you get that from I said'. At Lark's stall.
aggghhh, how could I not see it.
Back to the table, and I found a heap of too cute badges that I just needed to have.
Then My lovely boss Sarah, popped by to say hello. I showed her my Lark rattles, thinking she might like them for her niece. She came back and showed me the cutest knitted beanie she found. 'Where's that from' I say.
Lark......oh my god, how could I have missed it.
So i was back there again to add a beanie to my collection for new babies on the way.
I promise I wasn't stalking Alison and Steph!
I'm amazed at my poor skills of scanning a table and actually seeing all the things I might like. I must have done a 'boy look'

Lastly but not leastly, I finally committed to buying something from Shannon at rabbit and the duck. I love her stuff, and I'm always there touching it...poor Shannon, probably thought I was a stalker too. But what I needed was something to use as a new cosmetics purse. Being the difficult customer that I am, I couldn't commit to oneof the patterns that were there could I?
So I'm getting one made in a babushka print, with a zip. I'll be picking it up at the next Sonny and Coco market, so I'll post you a pick, when it's done.

Makin' for the market..........

I've been lost in a sea of fabric,paper and wool this week, gettin' a whole new bunch of goodies ready for the Sisters market this weekend.

New bobby pins, glass and fabric rings, scrabble tile brooches, additions to the glass pendants and a rainbow of scarves to combat the winter blues.

I'll be having a super sale on my old A5 journals too, as I'll be introducing a new range of A5 art journals. Very exciting.

Pop by and say hello, so I can put a face to your fantastic blogs, when I read them.

Hope to see yah there!

What a transformation.....

Just take one bland and boring shirt, one funky retro elephant transfer from tiges & weince, combine the two and you have the easiest, quickest and cutest transformation on your hands.

I had bought Finn a few plain shirts to hopefully do some screen printing on. But I know he'll grow out of them before I invest the time and money into firstly learning how to screen print and secondly buying all the supplies.

So I was tickled pink to find iron on transfers on tiges&weince blog whilst blogging along the other day.

Little ellie was at my door within 2 days, and ready to wear in 10 mins. After ironing him on, I did a zig zag stitch in green around the edges. I didn't have to, the ironing would be suffice, I just wanted to add a finishing touch. I really like this concept and look forward to visiting the gals at the Sisters Market this weekend so I can pick up some more.

Ye'all know I'll be there too, so come along for some fantastic craftiness.

Day two of loot....

More loot,glorious loot to show and tell.

Today's stash is more of my finds at the fabulous Sisters Market in Brunswick. I'm a sucker for anything bright and a little bit different, so when I spotted these fabulous bangles I was straight on over to squeeze my fat wrist in and pray they fit.

I love, love, love bangles, but have a big wrists, which are in perfect proportion to my big everything else, sooo they never fit. I'm sure the poor stall holders see me comin' and think, don't even try girlfriend. But I do, every time! Never give up hope.
I think that surely there are sellers and makers out there just like me, who model they're products on themselves, and if they have big wrists I'm in luck.

Well this time I was in luck. They are papier mache bangles, in fun vibrant shades to liven up all the winter outfits coming out of the wardrobe of late.

Next is this fab brooch by 'kids with crayons', in spotty pinks and reds with an illustration done by one of the sellers kids on it. I have used some of kierah' s pics in my journals, gift cards and jewellery, and just love the way kids pics have such innocence and playfulness about them.

Lastly some more ponytail elastics for Kierah by 'miss piggy tales'. I couldn't go past these echidna's on such a bright blue, and retro looking apples.

Back tomorrow for day 3 of loot with some lovely work by a local photographer.
...............and day 4, I finally get to show you my stash from Thornbury Market on the weekend.

Loot, glorius loot......where to begin?

Well, I have so much catching up to do with y'all after my 2 week hiatus from blog land, that I thought tinniegirls idea of 7 days of loot, glorious loot would be a perfect way of covering all my shopping adventures of late.

But.............where oh where to begin.

I've had two stalls at fabulous local markets where I picked up heaps of glorious handmade goodies. Then there's my usual op shopping adventures, and weekend trash n' treasures.
I think I'll back track to my day at the sisters market on the 20th.
My main aim for the day, aside from hoping to make a few quid, was to buy some birthday presents for my sister in law.

She's effortlessly trendy, and loves all things vintage. So I couldn't go past these goodies.
A library bag featuring a funky Vogue pattern cover of a 50's diva in plaid. The chunky glasses she's wearing sold me on this one. The seller (so sorry I forget to get a business card, so I can't tell you her name) also had the best selection of gift cards with old romance novel art work on them.A little birdie brooch, and some handmade soap smelling ever so sweetly of cinnamon and pudding, was just right to fill the parcel for gift giving. Of course I nabbed a lemon Myrtle soap for me too. Such an invigorating scent. It gets me every time.

I picked up much more at The Sisters Market, but you'll have to pop back tomorrow for day two's report on Loot, glorious loot.

Holidays are over........

Well my extended Easter break has come to an end.
We landed back into Melbourne late last night, and finally hit the hay sometime after midnight.
I loved seeing my family and I loved the warmer weather, but god I loved coming home and sleeping in my own bed...........

No rest for the wicked though!

I'm at the Sisters Market tomorrow, so have had an uber productive day, finalizing things for my stall. There will be lots of new pendants, bobbies and rings and a feast of colorful creations to brighten your day. I'm sure I'll have lots of new purchases to show you when I get home too.
The market is right next to the bus and tram stop at Brunswick town hall, just down from the train too, so no excuses.....come say hello.I have so many ideas for new and exciting stuff.
Stay posted for holiday pics, wedding updates and new stock, now that I'm back into the swing of things.

Market stall number two..........only just!

Well, what a weekend.........
Our second ever market was surprisingly successful.
Considering the treacherous weather conditions we almost cancelled. But I was hardly going to recoup my stall fee's by sitting at home on my butt. It was only fair to other stall holders that we show up and make the venue look full and inviting.

The organisers did stay close all day monitoring morale and customer flow, handing out water, and making the call, when to call it quits and go home. As it was, from 10-12 it was really busy, then nothing.......................
I stepped out onto the main road at 1 to see who was around and Sydney rd was a ghost town.
The immediate change in conditions from inside the air conditioned hall, to the gale forced oven winds outside was stifling. Standing there, I knew this was the hottest, most extreme weather I had experienced in my life.

I remember all to well the ash Wednesday fires. So many years ago. we sat out the front of our house on the porch holding ice buckets in front of the fan, with wet rags on our heads. The sky was a harrowing shade of black and red, and you could smell things burning with every breath.

On Saturday, standing there in 46 degree heat, feeling the oppressive hot wind smother me, I decided it was time to go home. I did the rounds, and bought a few things I had been eyeing off. You know I can't come home without supporting my fellow crafters. My proud purchases....................

We packed up happy that we made enough to cover expenses and then some, but dreaded loading up the car, a waiting sauna, that had been poaching in the sun for four hours. I carried our little fan, noticing the blades were still spinning from the wind pushing it's way through us.

The drive home was easy on the abandoned Rd's. A quick stop at Cole's for drinks, was marred by the fact that they had a power out, and were running on generators that were only keeping the fridges and registers running. So it was a quick in and out, in a dark, stuffy blurr.

When we arrived at Grandpa's to pick up Finn, the sky was blue, with a sweltering sun. A hot haze rising of every surface. It was a quick stay, but by the time we left and hopped back in the car, the sky had transformed itself to a thick red and grey cloud. Ty said it was dust.......but I knew that it was that same sky I saw as a 7 year old, full of peoples dreams and hopes going up in flames. You could sense it in the air.
We turned on the radio, and sure enough, fires were blazing in Whittlesea and Kinglake. Only 30 minutes away. Going home we did everything we could to keep the house cool, and prayed for the cool change. Watching the news with fascination, awe and fear, we listened to the horror stories and the growing death toll.
Only then did I think, that my best friend's property was at the back of Kinglake national park. I guess because her suburb is Arthur's creek, and that it's name hadn't come up on the news I didn't worry, but it was only 2 minutes away. So begun, the barrage of calls, to house, and mobiles to get in touch. Four hours later we still hadn't heard, so fear kicked in, and we just kept texting and waiting.
Finally a call.......that was all we needed.To hear her voice. She was safe. Trapped, but safe.

Surrounded by fires, and road blocks, they can't leave. Police have advised it's safer for them to stay. The fires are contained, but the journey out of town is dangerous, with falling trees, burning houses, smoke, charred cars and bodies littered along the roads.
I can't imagine the horror.
My hearts goes out to everyone who has been affected by the fires, and I hope like me you find it in your heart to contribute to any one of the appeals raising money for those who have lost so much.

To market, to market.....

On the drawing board this week has been the tedious task of labelling, packaging and working on product displays for my market stall this weekend.

I really enjoy the process of creating, but the rest of it........ well it's just so time consuming. I sometimes wish that someone else could step in and take over at the point of finishing a new piece, to follow through with the photo shoot, uploading, packaging and promotion. It's quite a commitment when deciding to sell your craft, as your think tank needs to expand beyond the product to encompass so much more.

This is only my second stall ever, so I'm still very new to the whole self promoting artist thing. The last one we did pre x-mas was such a blur of a day. We had stayed up so late the night before finalising things, even though I promised myself I wouldn't, so we were really tired.

It was almost like graduation....years of hard work all coming to a point where you don that robe step up to the podium, accept the recognition for all your hard work, then venture out into the real world, full of hope, talent and trepidation.
For me, it has been years. Years of procrastination.
I studied visual arts, dressmaking, fashion illustration, and adv dip eng tech. jewellery. Each time the schooling finished, there were always excuses..........ummm my drawings are not quite there yet, my products and ideas aren't original enough, nobody will like it!

15 years later, finally, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just take the plunge and get myself out there. Whats the worst that could happen......everybody hates it. Yeah maybe they will, but staying true to yourself in the face of adversity, is an achievement in it self.

Fortunately, my first market day was a great success. I did want to hide in the corner or be a fly on the wall, but I owned my shyness, and planted my feet firmly behind my little table, committed to being proud of my offerings. Knowing full well that I did my best.
It was such a buzz, and I just wanted to hug my first customer and do the happy dance, but I kept it cool......and waited till I got home to celebrate.

Even if we didn't sell a thing, for me it was such an achievement, to have a beginning middle and end to my little story. I have so many beginnings, so many........for once I just needed to follow through 100%. I created, put a price on it, stood behind it and sold with a smile. What a buzzzzz!

This time, now that I don't feel so sick to the stomach with fear, I look forward to meeting other sellers, and just relaxing a lot more. If your in the neighbourhood, don't be a stranger.

It's a fantastic market offering heaps of handmade goodies.Plenty of bags, jewelery, accessories, clothes, and household items. Located in the funky Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, it's close to trains and trams, making it super easy to get to.Surrounded by lots of great places to shop on Sydney rd, like savers, episode, spotlight and full of funky places to eat. This is a fab place to go for the afternoon. (forecast is hot,hot,hot....so bring bathers, to go swimming at the pools across the road, after shopping)

I know that as time goes on my products will change, and Finki may have a market stall that looks quite different to this Saturdays, but that is part of the story too, the chapter where I define my craft, and find my niche. I thought getting it out there was the end of my story, but seems it's just the beginning.