Happy Holidays peeps!

what the title says!

seeya all in 2010 xox

Tea bag coasters - screen printed cork

So its midnight and I should be packing for tomorrow but I just finished cutting these out and think they are too cool to wait a week !

I've for a very long time wanted to do this design idea but never found time, pretty happy with how they turned out, might do ones with different types of tea, not sure but English Breakfast is my favourite. I can't even think of other types of tea :S

Right shower then packing !

DIY screenprinted labels

So I was going to get some bigger woven labels but kept putting it off because I am me, then I thought to screen print some labels & viola ! Does anyone know what the first 2 are called? is it twill or tape!?

here it is sewn up, looks pretty handmade but meh my stuff is handmade so it is what it is I guess.

And here is my Rex cushion / plushie, he doesn't properly stand up right on his own, you have to balance him juuuust in the right spot but I'm happy with the results.

New Stocklist - LoSo

Isn't this doggy ridiculously cute? Her name was cookie too which was appropriate for her as she was so sweet haha! (Okay I know its a lame joke but it had to be said)

Her owner also happens to own the shop LoSo (pictured behind) which is on Lamma Island and is now stocking some of my stuff so to all the Hong Kongers out there who happen to find themselves on Lamma, you should check it out, its a cute shop with a nice garden bit too and you might meet cookie !

2 things

Firstly, Kelly from TheLostEarring is hosting a giveaway for me here to win the above airplane postie cards so go enter peeps!

Secondly I just looked at the calender and suddenly realised Christmas is 4 days away....thats insane !

Normally around this time of year I'd be at my parents, snuggled in my winter bear gear (snow boots, big binman-parka, PJs, hot tea) making decorations with my little sisters (last year we made a gigantic paper chain!) and basically stuffing my face so much I wouldn't have to eat all of January and maybe a bit of February.

This year I thought was going to suck and maybe I would have a little cry over the lack of tree, baubles, nice food and presents but my boyfriend is taking me away as my gift this year!

I'm so chuffed because we're going to Kuala Lumpar & Singapore, both countries I've never been to before, the catch is we are flying Christmas Eve at night time so we will be entering Christmas day in the air & that we're only away for a week but I'm just happy we are going away at all, hurrah for amazing boyfriends !

Hopefully we will find somewhere to have a nice traditional roast too!

Stuff I've been doing

So not having a job is pretty useful in doing random things that you've always wanted to do but you never had time or the energy too. ( I love it when I randomly rhyme, makes me feel like a poet / rapping gangster )

Project #1

A purse frame from a old purse that had fallen apart has been waiting to be experimented with for ages (like since the UK!) finally got made into something!

I used scrap fabrics, cotton canvas that had been badly printed on to experiment with and I actually quite like it like this because these type of purses are usually very prim and feminine so the mixture of rough fabric in this neat setting is like ying & yang. This is the tutorial I used to help me make it.

Project #2

I've always wanted to make a nice and neat fabric bow (to clip onto clothes, hair clip, bags etc) its so quick and easy !

Its basically just a strip of fabric sewn into a tube (turned inside out) then the ends got sewn together in a loop and you fold it a few times on top of each other to give it more oomph ( I also ironed on some stabliser to make it neater) then you put a strip in the middle bunching it up.

Project #3

I didn't have much canvas left but I was too excited to wait so only one of the below print exists right now, plan to make it into a big plushie / small pillow for the sofa.

Maybe I am biased because of who it is but I love it :D the only thing I would change is make the tongue bigger (more true to life) it is also my first attempt at a 3 colour screen print so seeing as this was the first print I'm pretty chuffed at my DIY home printing skillz.

I also printed it on 3 bits of kitchen paper for fun, I can't really keep it but can't bring myself to throw it away :(

Also have another screen ready to print which I'm happy about, I've really got my exposure times timed perfectly now, so much so that I'm confident enough to offer it as a service, you can go here for more info.)

In the making

Spent today sorting out a screen to do these 2 colour screen prints onto some thrifted fabric (backed with stabiliser so its nice and flat)

Hopefully this will look as good as I imagine in a frame as a piece of art.

Bearded man

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A old silk screen finally printed from & this is the result, I didn't mean for it to be irreversible, that was accidental but pretty happy about that, my sewing is really picking up, I'd like to think its because I'm just skilled like that but I think its because my new sewing machine is just sexy.

Can't wait to become super duper at all this (the screen printing, sewing, ironing, cutting etc) because I want to start using fancier fabrics!

Also if ANYONE can guess who the bearded man is based on will get a prize. I'm serious! I'm pretty sure its unguessable though! And no it ain't Santa.

NES pouch

I screen printed these aaagges ago, actually over 6 months ago & I thought they were a bit crap basically but I thought seeing as they're printed, might as well make them into stuff for sewing practice etc but now I'm pretty pleased with them !

On another note, I also sold out of my Ping Pong stan today wahay! so he won't be available for another month or 2 boooo!

Today I went to the post office....

.......and posted all this, I've never posted so much before and it seems like I wasn't the only one who was doing a mega post, every time I go there, there is always a few people with little mini trolleys or huge laundry bags taking forever because they're sending 50 parcels!

Tensions were so high today that a lady started having a go at me because I tutted at her, she seriously wanted to 'have it all out' or something, right there in a packed post office.

I couldn't hide my annoyance at her blocking me in with her fat trolley, I mean OKAY its easier for me to walk around you I get it but COME ON have some decency to at least look slightly apologetic instead of dead and cold inside!

So I just ignored her and that hopefully will be as near as I ever get to a fight in Hong Kong.

something I've been working on today

Basic Lines and colours treasury

Thanks to SchickiMickis for including me in her treasury !

little finds - hijirik

photo & item by Hijirik.

I just love this so much, someone please buy it for me for Christmas? pllleaaase ?

Gift Guide - For him

Whoop whoop whoop ! Ping Pong Stan is in the gift guides 'Him' AND 'Gag gifts' section on Etsy.

some photos from Thailand

loads more on my flickr if anyone would want to take a peek.

Taadaaaar !

Item number 1 is a wrist pin cushion with a watch face screen printed on so it looks like your wearing a watch aha!

This is a prototype because it is made with scrap fabric as the back (I might keep it this way being eco and all) but not sure yet, I want to wear it out (minus pins!) because I love it, is that weird to like LOVE your own stuff?

Ps: check out mah flowery table, its my newish screen printing fold up table, its incredibly kitsch & fun !

sneak peaks

In the words of Rolf Harris 'Can you guess what it is yet?'