I've Been Tagged!!

I am 1 of 8 blogs that have been tagged by the lovely Jean from Jean's Blog.

Now I have to answer these questions and tag another 8 blogs.

All they have to do is

a) Answer the questions

b) Rework the questions + delete one you do not like and put in an alternative

c) Think of a new question

d) Tag 8 people to do the same.


Your current obsession: Sock Dogs, check out my Hotdog and Me shop on Folksy.

Weirdest Obsession: I have to shut all wardrobe doors and draws before going to bed.

What are you Wearing: Black, scruffy, holey trousers and a new brown maternity t-shirt.

What is for Dinner: Not sure yet, depends how hot the day gets as to whether I can be bothered to cook. If I could be bothered it would be Burmese Vegetables…..coconuty yumminess

Favourite Book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Last Thing you Bought: Two maternity tops

What can you hear right now: I can hear the wind rustling the grass, water in the fish tank, birds chirping, my daughter watching telly and my son playing in the garden.

Favourite flavour of Ice Cream: I am very partial to clotted cream flavor from either Kelly’s or Marshfield…in fact Marshfield does one with fudge in as well.

What do you think of the person who tagged you: She makes wonderful jewellery which you can see in her Folksy shop and is very lovely for tagging me J

Where is the world would you go if I gave you a plane ticket: Cuba, I would love to see all the old 50’s cars.

Which language would you learn: French as I have family in Switzerland who I am lazy enough to allow them to speak English to me.

Who do you want to meet right now: Lance Armstrong, I’d invite him for dinner so my partner could chat with him, he’s a cycle freak……my partner that is!

Favourite Colour: Blue, but I like all colours really.

Favourite item of clothing: I am not really into clothing, anything that fits and is comfortable.

What size shoes are you: 5

You have £100 to spare, what will you buy: Probably some books to read and some socks and craft bits…..maybe I should be saying stuff for my kids!

Favourite time of day: Bedtime

Who's style do you most admire: I just found a new blog today called Dottie Angel. I would love to a) be as skinny as she is and b) be able to wear the clothes she does. Totally lovely.

What is your own style: Scruffy, comfortable and lazy.

What are you going to do next: Wash up..yuck phooey.

Favourite Films: The Sure Thing, The Sound of Music, The Matrix

Favourite Fruit: Strawberries and Raspberries

What inspires you: Everything

What Music is your favourite this week: I like most music.

Do you have a dream job: Not to have one……did I mention I was lazy?

What would you change in the world: Respect, acceptance, poverty, hunger, cruelty, most things!!…specifically in this country I would want it to be more kid friendly, like when you go to Restaurants on the continent they welcome children, here we look at them and say they are too noisy. Oh yeah, and make childbirth painless.

Favourite animal: Wolf

Favourite Tool: Washing machine

What would your job have been in Victorian times: Lady of leisure…oh sorry, that would be in my dreams, umm some sort of maid.

You are a SuperHero, what would your SuperPower be: Teleportation, so I could go anywhere in the world and see who I wanted in a blink of an eye.

People I am now tagging:

I can't even sew straight

The Sock Garden

Glue and Glitter

Gugaw

Owl on the Sill

Dark Fairy Treasures

Fen and Ned

Dinky Daisy

Thank You Glitzy Kitty

Last week I received a lovely little package from Glitzy Kitty. It was a prize I had won for naming one of her lovely cats. I knew the prize was the cat but was shocked to discover lots of little packages wrapped up. In them were some beautiful pieces of jewellery. Some earrings, a bracelet, a necklace and 2 rings.

Wow!! How spoilt did I feel....well I will tell you.....very very very spoilt.

So this is a big thank you to Glitzy Kitty and a nudge for you all to pop over to her Folksy Shop or her Etsy Shop.

Meet Jasper, Miss Haversham's Cat

Thank you so much Glitzy Kitty for this more than generous prize. I love it all.

Oddsox Feature

I am have been really looking forward to this feature all week because it's from such a lovely lady that I met over on Folksy. Sharon from Oddsox has kindly agreed to answer my many mnay questions.

1. Where do you get your inspiration?

I’ve always loved crafting. My Mum & Gran did a lot of dressmaking and knitting when me and my sis were little so there were always bits of wool, fabric, buttons, lace and stuff in the house. So I s’pose the interest in materials and making started quite early. I’m inspired by craft, designer toy and sock creature books, craft fairs, art museums, sculpture parks, graffiti, pets, the zoo, pebbles, second hand shops, boot fairs… lots more but out of breath now! Flickr is also a fantastic place to lose a bit of time browsing other peoples work. It’s a place to be visually greedy!

2. Describe your work space?

I have two – the one that looks and feels like a workspace - the attic. And ‘downstairs’! I usually have a ‘project bag’ on the go that gets dragged about from garden to dining room to living room. I usually leave quite a lot of mess around me too.

3. When and Why did you start your crafting business?

By accident really and quite recently. After being given a sock monkey book by my sister a few years back I really wanted to have a go. Me and my partner both made some but I didn’t stop. The house kept filling up! We even took them on holiday to the Lake District one year and did some photography with them! Then I attended a craft fair that my brother-in-law helped organise and promote through his design agency. Lots of people asked if I had an on-line shop or website – which I didn’t so that’s what started it!

4. What is your most favourite item that you sell?

I quite like the DollySox at the moment. I also love the amigurumi stuff but it takes quite a long time to make. The two big pieces I had in the shop have gone so replacements are on my very long to do list!

5. Where else do you sell?
Folksy is the only shop I have, I’ve done one craft fair so far and have sold quite a bit to friends/colleagues and people they’ve recommended me to. I have another fair booked for November.

6. Do you do craft fairs and do you think they are a good place to sell?
My first Craft Fair was in March. I was nervous because I new there were going to be a lot of really good artists attending and I thought I’d be out of my depth! I was completely shocked at the reception my creatures got! I think there were more adults purchasing for themselves and other adults than for children! I sold three quarters of my stock. So do I think they’re a good place to sell – well that one certainly was! It prompted all kinds of other unexpected interest too. An enquiry about placing some items in the local museum exhibition space, a college teacher asking if I’d like to go in and do a sock creature making session with the students – plus I’ve had a number of repeat sales to people who visited the fair – one from a lady opening a ‘real’ shop. I don’t expect I’ll always be that lucky - the venue and publicity makes an enormous difference. This one was in the Town Hall and I was jammy enough to have my Sock Gardeners featured on the front of the posters and programmes – so that helped! They’re ugly little chaps and I took them along – amazing how many people wanted to buy them! But I can’t spare them – they’ve got a Sock Garden to keep tidy!

7. Describe your style in 3 words.
A bit mad!

8. What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished an Amigurumi commission for another Folksy lady. She sent me a pic of the cat colours and helped choose the wool and make decisions about his face. I have a couple of songbird orders to make with special Happy Birthday messages. I always have at least one sock creature in my project bag and I’m working on a stripey amigurumi cat. Oh yeah, and I have a 9-5 day job as a project manager at a design agency too!

9. What is the weirdest thing about you?
I’m sure other people think my obsession with socks is a bit weird – can’t go near shops without seeking out socks – even in the supermarket!

10. What 1 item would you like to buy from another Folksy seller?
Henry the sausage dog! He’s just perfect.

http://www.folksy.com/items/29909-Henry-Plush-Sausage-Dachshund-Dog-Toy

11. Where is your most favourite place?
Quiet Greek islands and home.

12. What is your favourite book?
I enjoy lots of fiction but here are some of my favourite coffee table books…

13. What is your favourite film?
Oh no I can’t say just one! All Tarantino, Withnail & I, Romeo & Juliet, As Good As It Gets, Seven, Leon…

14. What is your favourite song?
Oh no I can’t say just one! I’ll go for everything by Radiohead – including the weird creature drawings that appear on some of their packaging!

15. If you could do anything for the day what would you do?
I’d repeat a day from a Greek holiday. Me and my partner went to a beautiful, quiet pebble beach and spent most of the day making pebble pictures and sculptures. I loved the idea of people just happening across them for the next couple of days until they either got washed away or knocked down!

16. You are a Superhero, what is your power?
I’d be a shapeshifter. I’d quite often be shifting into the shape of a life-size sock creature. What a laugh!

She has a wonderful blog called The Sock Garden, well worth a visit with a cup of tea and some cake.

Thanks so much Shaz for doing this interview for me, especially on such short notice!!