Polka!!

It's that time again, my Wednesday featured seller and this week is the turn of Polka over on Folksy. I am a sucker for buttons and bright colours and she's uses both in abundance.

1. Where do you get your inspiration? Mainly its from the HUGE!! collection of fabric I have gained and hoarded. I chop alot of my childrens clothes especially Maisy's and I just love a good rummage round the charity shops. I also LOVE buttons and will sometimes buy something in a charity shop just to chop the buttons off. As for the designs on my brooches and bags they simply evolve as I go along usually based on the colours.


2. Describe your workspace? Ha Ha that's a really easy one!, I completely take over the dining room table, sometimes it spreads to the lounge and my supplies have taken over the garage ( very bad hoarding habit!)

3. When and Why did you start your crafting business? I have always done sewing, making my sindy doll clothes!. Luckily I hope it progressed and improved from there, I started by making collage pictures from fabric, buttons and stitching. I started out by doing stalls at local events including Lichfield festival and Melbourne open arts events. I stared on folksy because I wanted to see if my work would sell to a wider audience and all my friends kept pushing me to do it!

4. What is your most favourite item that you sell? This is quite hard! I really love the tweed bag in my shop with green crochet flowers and buttons, mind you I also love the bird brooches as well.



5.Where else do you sell? Only on folksy at the moment but also registered with Misi, would also like to open a shop on Etsy need to make more stock!

6. Do you do craft fairs and do you think they are a good place to sell? I'm planning to just do some of the school summer fairs round my area. There is a big Christmas craft fair at Kedleston Hall, Derby that I have applied for and also one in Leicester that a fellow folkster ( lisa from noodlebubble) has organised. I think doing a craft fair is abit hit and miss depending on the fairs promotion, also some are very pricey so its quite daunting if you don't sell anything. However I do love the buzz of face to face selling and positive feedback is great.


7. Describe your style in 3 words? ahhhhh!! clashing, funky and busy!

8. What are you working on at the moment? Just finished a really sweet handbag, soon to be listed, its pink and orange floral with garish orange floral flap, this has a pink polka dot flower with a gorgeous cerise button and turquoise gingham handles. Sounds really garish but it looks nice trust me!



9. What is the weirdest thing about you? I've got eyes in the back of my head!! well I say it to my children enough so it could be true.

10. What one item would I buy from another folksy seller? I love the pendants from seaurchin especially this one, mind you my favourite list is very long! http://www.folksy.com/items/27412-Porcelain-Pendant-with-Glass-Bubble-Moon

11. Where is your most favourite place? Definately St Ives in Cornwall I just adore it there I love the arty community and the relaxed atmosphere also Porthcurno Beach at the Minnack Theatre again in Cornwall, one day if I win a cool million I can move down there!


12. What is your favourite book? No favourite books really more into mags!! sorry not very grown up I'm afraid.

13. What is your favourite film? Goodfellas and any other gangsta blood fest!! Casino, The Godfather and I love horrors.

14. What is your favourite song? "oh my god"by the Kaiser Chiefs in fact pretty much anything by them, I love them!! went to see them at the nia and it was fantastic.

15. If you could do anything for the day what would it be? Rally driving!! I love driving fast round lanes and that would be the perfect way to do it, would also like to go shopping with an endless budget, I love buying clothes and shoes.

16. What would your superhero power be? To be invisible, so I could see my children at school to see what they get upto.

I just wanted to say a big thanks to Polka for taking the time to answer these questions.

A Big Welcome To Our Newest Family Member

Please meet Abbey Pelton the newest member of our family. She has joined us all the way from Long Island, NY!!!


She has come to us courtesy of the Temporal Millionaire or better still The Travel Kitty Project. Hop over to her Etsy shop to see some more Travel Kitties or go and have a look at her Travel Kitty Blog where she plots on a map all her kitties exploits around the world. Lots of adoptive families have posted in photos of their kitties in interesting places and on their holidays.

I bought Quincy Klugman back in November for my sister as a birthday present and loved the idea and the kitties so much I had to go back (regularly) to see what other kitties she had, and then Abbey came up and I just fell in love with her blueness and had to have her join my family.

This is Quincy Klugman

Rag Cat

Today 2 of my friends asked if my children would like to go and play with their children, which was lovely for them and meant that I had an afternoon to myself. So, instead of doing housework I chose to have a go at making a doll. I have never done this before and am not very good at sewing.....this is a new skill I am trying to master. So without much ado, please meet my new creation, I haven't named him yet.

You'll have to excuse my really skinny legs!!

And how on earth do you sewing around a bend or a circle? I need to practice alot!

My Newish Project

This is not the most flattering photo in the world but I thought I would give you all a sneak peak at my newish project.


I am 25 weeks!!! How large am I? I still have 15 weeks of growing. I wonder if it's all the chocolate and very naughty coca cola I have been consuming. Must control urges.

It being half term I have to amuse the other 2 children in my life and today in our local town there is an "Art Buffet" mmmmm food I initially thought, how wrong I could be. The art buffet is some huge tables stuffed full of paper, card, paints, glue, glitter, crayons, pastels, fabric, everything and anything and the kids get to create whatever the wonderful imaginations can come up with. And best of all....it's free!! So if ever you are around Sherborne, Dorset during the school holidays look out for it, they love it.

Featured Seller - Aleximo Croissant

My first featured artist, I hope I do them justice.

I met Alex over on the Folksy Forums when I posted a thread asking for people to be featured on my blog. The response was overwhelming so I am going to make this a weekly thing....time permitting and as long as those pesky kids stay in school!!

I love Aleximo Croissant's shop, it's so fun, funky and vibrant. I sent her some questions which she has answered beautifully even though some of them are a tad on the stupid side.

1. Where do you get your inspiration?

A very wide variety of places, as with a lot of designers most of my ideas happen at night, so I find it imperative to keep a sketchbook by my bed at all times. I love walking around the grounds of Lyme Park, and the gardens at Tatton Park, I often go sketching there. Japanese culture has also inspired a lot of my work, I love anything to do with Studio Ghiblli and gashapon toys. All my pieces start off as sketchbook work, but it may take years before the initial sketch becomes a product or design.

2. Describe your work space?

I currently work in my bedroom, and in the garden when it’s not raining! I have a big desk in front of a south facing window over my garden. It’s a wonderful view with very good light, and I can see all the wildlife and trees, which helps to inspire my work too.

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

I’ve always made things, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a birthday card as prefer to make a personalised card for the recipient. I decided to start an online shop whilst I was still at uni to sell all the things I made but didn’t have room for. Sometimes whilst doing my degree I got an idea block, so I always had a side project to be working on. I also pushed myself to learn new skills at uni, and taught myself how to knit for a toy creation brief we did. Often the things I made were given away as gifts, and the positive feedback I received encouraged me to start my business.

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

I’m quite partial to my cupcake badges and candy knitted rabbit, I’m hoping to create a cupcake themed blank greetings card soon!

5. Where else do you sell?

I also sell on Etsy as well as Folksy, here; http://aleximo.etsy.com But I’m considering Misi and Coriandr too.

6. Do you do craft fairs and do you think they are a good place to sell?

I’ve only done one craft fair so far that a friend organised, it was a good day, but a bit hit-and-miss overall. I would love to do one of the Handm@de craft fairs, if I could get down to Cambridge. But I have two more coming up for July and November.

7. Describes your style in 3 words.

Eclectic, Random, Anglomania

8. What is the weirdest thing about you?

Even though I’m an avid reader and massive bibliophile, most of my books look like they’ve never been read. I can’t bear to break the spines, and so have perfected a style of reading that keeps the spine and cover intact!

9. What 1 item would you like to buy from another Folksy seller?

I’ve liked this Sakura Knot Pendant from Mettle Design Studio for a while: http://www.folksy.com/items/33741-Sakura-Knot-Pendant?shop=yes

10. Where is your most favourite place?

Windy Top at Lyme Park and DisneyWorld in Florida, I turn into a four year old whenever I go, it’s like you’re living in a bubble. Which can be very welcome sometimes!

11. What is your favourite book?

‘The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters’ by G.W.Dahlquist, this book blew my mind when I first read it, and still does. It has a feel of Conan-Doyle about it, and kept me thoroughly engaged right up to the end, which is impressive for a book 2 inches thick!

12. What is your favourite film?

That’s a toughie, it’s a toss up between ‘My Neighbour Totoro’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ and ‘Labyrinth’.

13. What is your favourite song?

‘The Spark that Starts the Storm‘ by David Bentley, this song is by one of my flat mates from uni, it reminds me of my first year at uni and bbq’s at Storthes. You can listen to David’s music here: http://www.myspace.com/thisisdavidbentley

14. If you were an alien what would your name be?

Xlek Kavlar

15. If you could do anything for the day what would you do?

Work at Pixar, though I’d rather it be much more than a day!

16. You are a Superhero, what is power?

To Fly, but I’d have to have wings.

I would like to say a really big thank you to Alex for being my very first featured seller....and my human guinea pig. I hope you like the feature.

Drum Roll Please.....

My very first competition has ended and it was most enjoyable. The competition was to come up with my 2nd ever competition to run next month. Simples.

And the winner is............Jaime and Pete from Jamball

And this is the winning entry, so look out for next months competition

"Howsabout this..... As the lovely name to your shop is "Here pretty kitty" have everyone make/design or simply draw a cat of their choice BUT the end piece MUST involve buttons in one way or another. Get people to post their results on your site and then get every applicant to vote on another persons piece at the end of the month. That way you get a true representation of what the followers of your Blog like and everyone gets involved. Lot's of different craft styles and media's will make your blog grow really quickly and it'll make it a surprise even for you log on and see something different everyday."

And here's Jamball's prize. I hope you like it.

These will be winging their way to you.

Competition Date

I have decided to end the competition a little early. The new end date is 24th May with the winner being announced on the 25th May.

I should have thought the original date was too far in the future, will make a note for my future competitions of which there will be one next month using the winning idea!!