Dria's Delights

Goodbye Craft Blog, Hello Liquorice

2010-05-31T20:15:00.003+01:00

I'm sad to say that I will no longer be posting at this blog. It's getting really hard for me to maintain two blogs, and I think in part that's because I get overwhelmed with having to update two blogs. I feel bad if I post at one and not the other.

I will still be crafting, and I will still be showing off the things I make, just at my Real Life Blog. Considering I'm thinking of giving up trying to sell my crafts, and will just stick to making them for fun, or as presents (for the time being anyway), it seems silly to separate the two of them. I hope you'll all visit me at Love, Life and Liqorice, and will enjoy my posts there, just as much as the ones here!

The Etsy and Folksy shops will stay open for now, although keep watching the other blog for special offers and giveaways for when I get sick of trying to sell them!

This hasn't been an easy choice to make, and this hasn't been an easy blog post to write, but I hope everyone will support the decision for now. And, please, do keep reading the other blog. It's much more interesting!

Bank Holiday Discount

2010-05-02T08:42:00.004+01:00

I know it's a little bit late to be posting about it, but I've decided to give a 20% discount in my Etsy Shop this weekend. Any purchases made up until Midnight on Monday will have 20% of the purchase price refunded back to them, within 48 hours of payment being recieved! This doesn't include postage!

So take a look, and buy something that takes your fancy! I'm offering this on all items!

New Listings

2010-04-18T10:44:00.005+01:00

I have finally got around to listing some sock creatures over at both my Etsy Shop and my Folksy Shop. There are some new creatures, as well as some you may have seen before, along with some pairs of socks.

As a sneek peek, here's some pictures of my newest creations:

I've also made this funky little creature:

But she's not for sale - she's going to be a birthday present for the boyfriend's niece. She watched me making her and fell in love with her, and as her birthday's next week it just felt really mean not to give it to her!

Today I'm planning on sewing up another monkey, and if there's time, I might sew some new socks, so keep an eye out for more listings soon!

Some Crafty Stuff

2010-03-27T11:30:00.006Z

I've been up to a little bit recently, in the craft world, and I have some pictures to show now. They are bad, for which I apologise - they were taken with my phone because I've misplaced my camera again! But hopefully they'll give you some idea of what I've been up to!

First up, a new monkey:

He's the first one I've made in a while actually, and I think he's a little on the skinny, gangly side. He is for sale though. He's £12, and I can list him in either my Etsy, or Folksy shop if anyone wants him. And because I love you all so much, if you post here, or email me that you want him, I won't charge you for postage!

Next up - a sock I'm working on - it's a mothers day present for my step mother (I haven't even started the ones for my mum yet! Thank the gods I still have a week before I go to Bristol!):

I've also made another pom-pom hat, which I still need to list in the shops. Again, if you want it, I can list if just for you, and won't charge Postage. The hat is £8!

And finally, some pincushions. I've never made pincushions before, and as I'm still getting used to my new sewing machine, I thought it might give me some practice sewing in nice straight lines. I still need to work on that! These are also my first attempt at patchworking too, and I know, it's really wonky and still needs work. But on the whole, I think I'm pretty happy with them all!

Kind Of Slow

2010-02-08T20:22:00.003Z

As the title says, I'm kind of slow on the crafting front at the moment. I've made a pair of socks, and I'm about halfway through another hat, but other than that, I've not really got a lot done.

I'm really quite keen to get my sewing machine out now, but I still have nowhere to put it, which is really quite irritating.

And unless putting Lego together counts as crafting, I've actually really not got anything left to say. :(

More interesting posts to follow. Promise.

Oh, one more thing, my business cards arrived. If anyone wants one, or wants to do anything with one, let me know! Comments are the preffered method, if you leave an email address!

Hats!

2010-01-30T21:36:00.004Z

As I mentioned over on my other blog, I've been making a new style of hat, that seems to be going down well. So well in fact, that I've been commisioned to make two more!

One I've already done, and it's gone off to it's new owner (who loved it, and wore it round the office all day!) and the other is half done, but is awaiting the arrival of some new wool!

Here is the hat that started it all:

I really must apologise for the picture. It is a)dark, and b) of me, in my pyjamas, wearing the hat! I hope it still shows how cool it is. Basically, it's a beanie type thing, with a pom-pom either side. I think it kinda looks like ears!

Here is the first one I made on commission, for a work colleague:

The other one I've been asked to make is for another colleague's little boy. It's in the same grey wool as mine, only with blue pom-poms instead of pink! I'm hoping this will lead to more commission type stuff, although it's definately got me thinking that people do want my stuff, it's just a case of getting myself known out there!

Snow Crafting...

2010-01-09T13:17:00.002Z

Yes, that's a bad pun. Due to the snow (and we have a lot of it here!), I've mostly been too tired to do any crafting when I've got home from work. Trekking to and from work in snow up to my ankles is not something I particularly do again, but as we're apparently getting a blizzard tomorrow, I think I'll have to!

So, no pictures at the moment - I can only say that I have been knitting socks, and pictures will follow at some point!

Also, I'm taking part in the Etsy Baby Shower. Not because I'm having a baby, but because I want to get some socks out there in the world, and what better way than by giving them to gorgeous little newborns and their mums?!

New Year, New Shop Looks!

2010-01-02T16:50:00.005Z

Hello, hello! Happy New Year to everyone!

As I posted previously, one of my New Years Resolutions was to blog more, which for this blog actually means having to craft more! Well, so far, 2010 has been a very productive year craft wise! I have finished one pair of grown-up socks, and knitted three more baby pairs of socks!

Grown Up Socks:

Baby Socks:

Also, as it's the new year, I thought I'd have a bit of a re-vamp with my shops. In both my Etsy and Folksy shops, I now have a new banner, and have listed all of these items in both shops. Links are in the sidebar if you want to check them out!

I'm also having a bit of a think about what to sell in them. Obviously, socks are now my main focus, but I'm wondering if I should just sell knitted socks, or sock creatures (mainly monkeys and bunnies) as well? At the moment I'm thinking of still selling creatures, and maybe offering make your own type kits, where I'd cut out all the pieces for a monkey, package it up with the stuffing, and let people sew them together. Although this is still just an idea and one that needs to be tested at the moment (anyone want to volunteer for the job!?)

So, opinions are always valued, comment and let me know what you think! And in the meantime, enjoy 2010!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-29T19:08:00.003Z

My attempts at blogging here this year have been woefully poor. I may have made this same resolution regarding my Other Blog (where I talk about real world, rather than crafty me, and generally rant, moan and discuss what happens in my head!) but one of my New Year's resolutions is to blog here, and there, at least once a week.

I'm hoping that this will inspire me to a) craft more, b) actually write about things without bottling them up more, and c) entertain / annoy / amuse / insert word here people who bother to read these things!

So, keep watching, and poke me (metaphorically preferably) when I don't make posts.

ETA: I've added a new layout. Isn't it pretty?!

Armwarmers!

2009-11-22T21:20:00.003Z

Over at the Craftzine blog, there's a Loom Along happening! As one of the few people I know whoknits with a loom, rather than needles, I was pretty excited.

Sadly, it's based on the armwarmers a character in Twilight / New Moon wears. And I'm pretty sure everyone who knows me knows that I hate Twilight with a passion. As soon as anyone mentions it I all but foam at the mouth!

Still, a Loom Along is a Loom Along, and I've wanted to make Armwarmers for ages, and hadn't had much luck with finding a pattern. And I wasn't the only one with the same opinion. Over at the Flickr Group that relates to the Loom Along, a lot of people said much the same thing!

Anyways...without further ado...here are said armwarmers:

And here's one on my wrist:

I am totally on a stripes kick right now, and these remind me of being a kid, and reading the Beano. They are totally the same shade as everything Dennis The Menace and Minnie The Minx wear. They are officially known as my Minnie The Minx armwarmers! I can see myself making a lot more of these, and if there's any interest, I might make some for sale!

I've now moved onto knitting a shrug type thing, which if it works, will be an xmas present for my Auntie. It's an experiment really, as this is the first time I'm making something from a pattern that exists solely in my head. It'll be good if it works though!

And finally (this has been going on for a while it seems...), The Sock Swap, has been postposted. I only had two people email me about it, so I'll try again in the new year, when people are likely to have more time and aren't worrying about making things for xmas!

Phew...I'm going to shut up now!

Sock Swap

2009-10-09T20:37:00.006+01:00

As avid readers (ha, like I have any of them!) will know, I make things from socks. Mostly monkeys, but also bunnies, cats, monsters and just about anything my imagination can come up with!

I've also just learned to knit socks, and armed with this knowledge, I've decided to host my very first swap, based around, you guessed it, socks!

So...here's the brief:

Socks! Simple as that! Whether it's something made from socks, or a pair of handmade socks, or even a pair of socks that you've embroidered or made pretty in some other way, socks is where to start!

Then add something crafty for your partner - fabric, buttons, stickers, (maybe even more socks!) and something tasty to nibble on (chocolate, biscuits, sweets...)! And there we have it, a sock swap parcel!

Overall you should aim to spend around £10 ($15) on your parcel, although obviously, it's up to you how much you do!

This is open internationally, as I don't think it'll be too expensive to post everything!

And now, the important bit - if you're interested, email me: driahades@gmail.com with 'SOCK SWAP', in the title! Then let me know your name (real and online!), address, and favourite colours, themes, items, and anything you're allergic to!

Sign up will end on Friday 30th October, and a rough date for sending parcels out would be around the end of November.

Simple as that! Enjoy!

Socks!

2009-09-06T21:43:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I made a post here...what with the new job I haven't really had too much time for crafting.

I made 2 sock monkeys for a friend, who was overjoyed with them, and has ordered 4 more for xmas, which makes me very happy. I've also got the pattern for the frock coat my dad wants me to make him, but it looks REALLY complicated, so I keep putting off actually doing anything with it. It's a much more complicated pattern than I've ever used, and it's been so long since I've done anything with a pattern I'm not even sure I remember how! Hints, tips and lots of fingers crossed for luck when I start it would be gratefully accepted!

In other news, I knitted some socks! For a year now I've been playing around with my knitting looms, and I haven't mananged to make anything except hats and scarves (things that are basically just round!). Looking at something completely different online, I found a link to a great loom knitting resource site, and from there, I managed to find a pattern for socks!

And here they are:

On the bed:

and on my feet:

They're obviously not the prettiest socks ever, but they're warm, and comfy and I totally love them. I am going to go wool shopping at some point in the week for pretty wool to make many more pairs from!

And The Winner Is...

2009-08-15T09:25:00.005+01:00

Okay...so I didn't have a hat to put the names into...but I had a box, which worked well enough:

And the lucky winner of the monkey cards is:

So congratulations Livvie - I'll be contacting you to get the address to send them to!

In other crafty news, I've nearly finished the 3rd panel on the Looney Toons cross-stitch - I just have the back stitch to do. So the next picture will hopefully be of a fully completed cross stitch!

Oh, and my new job seems pretty cool too!

New Job!

2009-08-12T13:56:00.004+01:00

Once again, I am an employed person! As of tomorrow, I will have a job once more!

Okay, so it's call centre work, I vowed I would never do it again, but at the moment, I don't think I can afford to be fussy, and work is work!

So, all in all I'm pretty excited, and looking forward to having money again.

One of the first things I want to buy when I have money, is I think, this cute little purse, because mine is falling apart:

It's made by alliebeans and is available here

Envelopes

2009-08-11T15:14:00.006+01:00

Two blog posts in as many days....the world must be coming to an end!

Having a stack of fashion magazines lying around the place, with nothing to do with them except throw them in the recyling, I decided to recycle them in a different fashion.

I decided to make envelopes from them!

They're glued, and then sewn, more for sturdinesses sake than anything else, and I think they're pretty cute! I'm building up quite a collection, and am sending a few off to my best friend!

Other than that, I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I'd like to sell them, but I don't know if there would be copyright isses or anything - a quick look at Etsy shows me that a lot of people seem to make recycled envelopes, so I'm kinda in a quandary. And then there's the fact that I really don't think they're sturdy enough to go through the post, which begs the question of 'What do you actually use them for'?

Oh well, I'm sure I'll work answers out soon enough!

50's B Movie Swap!

2009-08-10T14:16:00.010+01:00

Today I got my parcel from Kim who was my parter for the 50's B Movie swap! She sent me some utterly amazing things and I cannot thank her enough.

Here are pictures of what I got (they're taken on my phone, because I've misplaced my camera, so please excuse the rubbish quality of them!)

The handmade item was this gorgeous little plushie creature (who I am still trying to think of a name for!):

Next were these sweets (which I may have om nom nommed already!):

Then I had 3 crafty items - some yarn, some stickers and some pom-poms!:

There was also a very cool Horror magazine:

And finally, and most awesomely in my mind, a double feature DVD featuring one of my favourite actors - Vincent Price, and set in my favourite scary movie setting, old mental hospitals!:

I very stupidly forgot to take proper pictures of what I sent Kim, but I have some pictures I took just to show for friends!

I sent this cute Vampire Monkey:

Some stickers, much like the ones Kim sent me, some flying saucer sweets, and some "fizzy fang" sweets, and finally, some fabric which I thought was so amazing I wanted to keep it!

It was a great swap, and Meri was awesome for organising it! She's currently hosting a 1980's Fantasy Movie Swap, which I'm thinking of taking part in, if I can work out what to make before the sign-up deadline!

Wow, long post!

A Giveaway!

2009-07-31T16:03:00.002+01:00

Well, it seems, once again, that I have not been keeping this poor, neglected place updated. So, in order to give it some new life, I've decided to have a little giveaway!

Since my original idea of embroidering my sock monkey design onto card, I've since been embroidering them onto actual cards, and so, have decided to giveaway a set of 5 lovely cards, to a) make sure I check on my blog, and b) advertise the fact that said monkey cards are now available for sale in my Etsy shop!

These cards are blank inside, for your own message (although I think they'd make awesome invitation cards, or thank you cards...or even 'I just wanted to say hi' note cards!) and they are stamped on the back with the initials DHD (for DriaHades Designs).

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, saying what colours you think the embroidered monkeys would look good in! This will close on Friday August 14th, so you have 2 whole weeks to enter! After that, the names will go in a hat, and I'll get my lovely boyfriend to pick one out!

So...enjoy!

Embroidered Monkeys

2009-07-17T18:47:00.005+01:00

I've been playing around with the idea of embroidering sock monkeys on to things for a while, since I first doodled one, and then the idea suddenly hit me the other day to embroider them onto card. I plan to use them for thankyou notes, monkey birth certificates and perhaps gift cards, but I think they probably need a little more tweaking!

And this is a monkey I finished last night, who has been named Splodge.

I'm also taking part in two mini-swap type things with some friends, which should keep me busy and hopefully creative. I'm having a plushie swap with one friend, and with the other we've decided to swap something crafty with a broad heading of 'it has to be stripy'! So that should hopefully inspire me somewhat!

Of Ugly Sock Rabbits and Gingerbread Cakes

2009-07-14T07:51:00.008+01:00

Yesterday I finished what I think is the ugliest sock rabbit I have ever made. I'm not entirely sure what went wrong with it, but it just doesn't look right to me. I have named it Wonky...because, well, that's how it looks to me. The boyfriend however, thinks it is lovely, despite it's wonkiness, and has decided to keep it. So we have yet another creature that lives in the bedroom with us.

And here he is - in all his wonky glory:

I also made gingerbread cakes at the weekend. I started out with the intention of making gingerbread men, but on inspection of my baking supplies I realised I had no plain flour. So instead, I cobbled together a cake mix from the gingerbread ingredients.

They actually came out really, really well - they're slightly crunchy on the outside, and really soft, fluffy and moist on the inside. The recipe went something like this:

300g Self Raising Flour
300g Butter
300g Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp Ground cloves
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
Milk

I didn't measure the milk - just poured it until the mixture got to the consistency I wanted! I am from the 'Add ingredients until it looks and tastes right school of baking.

I put them in the oven at about 180 degrees for 12 minutes (ish) and they were perfect! It makes about 20 cakes - by the time I came to take a picture it would appear that the boyfriend and the landlord had got to them!

The recipe is probably not exactly how I made them, so if anyone does make them, I apologise in advance for them not coming out well! Next time I invent a recipe I shall be sure to write it down as I go!

Sewing Machine Fun

2009-07-12T15:38:00.001+01:00

I am very bad at remembering to update this. I blame my lack of actually doing anything remotely crafty for a little while.

Anyways, due to the wonders of Freecycle, I am now the proud owner of a (vintage) sewing machine. It's from 1971 and is built into it's own little cupboard:

(please, ignore the horrible state of our spare bedroom where the machine currently resides!)

I haven't used a sewing machine since I was a kid, and this one is vastly fancier than the one I used then. Apparently, it can do about 10 types of stitches, buttonholes and who knows what else?! But, seeing as I've had enough trouble making it just sew in a straight line, I think I'll leave the fancy features until I'm a little more au fait with it.

Still, I have managed to make something with it. I have a made a cover for my hot water bottle (which is, at certain times of the month my very best friend!). I had this really gorgeous Matryoshka Doll fabric FQ lying around, and wanted to use it for something, and this seemed like the project for it - it means I can spend much time looking at it now!

And here it is (complete with hot water bottle inside):

It is hardly the best thing anyone will ever make, but on the whole I'm pretty darn proud of it (and myself!), and am now looking forward to making lots of pretty things with the machine! Eventually, I plan to quilt (and have what I think will be a gorgeous quilt already planned out in my head, involving Alexander Henry tattoo fabric, skull and crossbones fabric and black velvet and lace!), and I shall keep you all updated on my sewing machine adventures!

Uninspired

2009-06-18T09:29:00.000+01:00

So, once again I am feeling pretty darn uninspired. I have loads of projects I could be getting on with, but don't want to do anything at all. I don't know what's wrong with me. It seems like as soon as I'm unemployed, I jut have no ooomph.

2 FQs of really cute fabric arrived the other day, and I have no idea what to make with them, I have 2 unifinished cross stitches (although admittedly, one is nearer to being finished than it was before), a swap item I need to get in gear and finish, and some embroidered pants I really need to do something with.

Any idea how I can get some inspiration / ooomph back?!

And just because I can, and I think it's pretty - here is a corset ring by ccj2 available at etsy:

Big Catch Up!

2009-06-12T17:08:00.000+01:00

I have the internet back at home! Hooray! And that means a big catch up post of everything I've made while the internet has been down!

First up: Cross Stitch.

I made a post a while back about the two big cross stitches I was working on. Without internet to distract me in the evenings, I've got some more of the Looney Tunes one done:

Next up: Embroidery

I had an idea a while ago about embroidering things on the back of underwear. And now I've done some:

I'd like some opinions on these - not so much the designs, as I was just playing around, but ideas, thoughts, constructive criticisms - I'm pondering whether to sell them, but don't know whether they would sell.

And then we have sock creatures:

I made 2 monkeys and a bunny that were sent off around the world this week, which I stupidly forgot to take pictures of first. One was a monkey for my step-sister's birthday, made from socks with pink and sparkly hearts on them, and the other was a monkey made of fluffy socks for my friends in Finland. The bunny went to Finland too - he was made from black socks with purple red polkadots!

I did make another bunny though, which my boyfriend has now claimed as the girlfriend for his other bunny. He has named her Violet, and here he is holding her:

And finally...(getting there, I promise!) Today is my lovely boyfriend 34th birthday. And so we went to Legoland! We both love Lego! Whilst there, we bought:

The Kraken Attackin' Lego Pirates set (put together by me!):

Lego Minifig shaped cookie cutters (for when I make Gingerbread!):

And a really cool Lego bag (I have a major thing for handbags of all shapes and sizes!)

The boyfriend also bought a mini Lego Bulldozer, but I haven't taken a picture of it!

Oh, and before I forget - my monkey swap present arrived too. It's a gorgeous little monkey from Mel over at Felt Me Up. He also came with a really cute banana:

And I'm now taking part in Meri's 50's B Movie swap!

Woooow, that was a long post!

Still No Internet...

2009-06-09T18:04:00.000+01:00

So...our phone was turned back on yesterday, but apparently it's going to take another 7-10 days to get our internet back up. I am so not happy. I am seriously an internet addict. I need my internet fix. I think I'm starting to get withdrawl shakes when I look at the computer at home! It looks so sad with no one using it!!

Anyways, the upside of this is that I'm getting a hell of a lot of crafting done. Lots of sock creatures have been made (including one which the boyfriend has decided he loves so much I cannot sell), lots of cross-stitching is being done, and the embroidered pants idea I had is working amazingly. Also, the boyfriend has introduced me to Bones, which is an amazing tv series, which I actually have time to watch, and pay attention to when I'm not online!!

Sadly, because of my lack of internets at home, I have no pictures. My blog is going to look entirely boring if I carry on posting without pictures of things. :(

So, lots to report, but not a lot to show off sadly. Keep turned in though, hopefully I'll have lots of pretties to show off soon.

Grumpy Dria

2009-06-05T18:07:00.000+01:00

Yup, I'm a grumpy bunny.

We have no internet at home at the moment, and I now have no job, so until it's reconnected at home, sadly, I'm without blogging. On the plus side, not having the net to distract me means I'm actually getting a lot of crafting done. I've finished a panel in a cross-stitch and made one and a half monkeys and a bunny. Not bad going in 2 days!

There will be pictures as soon as I get the net back at home, which hopefully won't be too much longer. The phone bill has now been paid (after we poked the landlord with sharp sticks!!), and we're just waiting on BT to actually reconnect the line!

On the plus side, there is a hedgehog living in our garden. I LOVE hedgehogs. They are my favourite animals in the world. So this makes me a very happy bunny. And I saw him out in the front garden at half past five this evening. I hope he's okay and isn't getting run over! Still cross about the internet and the job. Trying to be positive and proactive though! Not sure how long it'll last. You know me!!!

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000+01:00

I normally reserve this blog for craft related things, but seeing as I haven't updated my other one since January, and this one feels much more like my 'normal' blog these days, I thought I'd post something here.

Today is my first anniversary with the Boyfriend. A year ago today he asked me to be his girlfriend, after a weekend of wooing me with trips to the pictures and the zoo! And that was after a year of us emailling back and forth, so we took our time!

It hasn't always been easy, and we've had a few bumps, but on the whole, I'm happier than I think I've ever been, and despite the fact I'm now 140 miles away from everything I know and love, I don't regret moving here for a second!

So, Happy Anniversary Pete. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

First Embroidery Attempt

2009-05-25T21:05:00.000+01:00

Embroidery is something I've wanted to have a go at since I was a little girl. I've been cross stitching since I was about 8 years old and I guess I've wanted to embroider since then too. I always thought it was so delicate and pretty.

After some pointers from the lovely people over at Crafter...oo, I looked at some links, and did a few practice stitches:

And once I thought I'd got the hang of it, I decided that I was going to actually try and make something pretty! I had an old t-shirt lying around; one which I loved the pattern on and so was loathe to throw away (it didn't fit!!), and so I decided to attempt to embroider around the pattern:

Here's a close up of the Dragon's head:

And of the flower:

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, and I think it's a pretty good first attempt. There are a few bits that I'm not too happy about, and would change if I had the chance, but I guess it's all a learning curve!

Monkey Madness!

2009-05-23T12:54:00.000+01:00

I'm on a bit of a monkey making spree at the moment, after having spent lots of time making rabbits and monsters, I've gone back to monkeys.

At the moment I'm making a monkey for the Monkey Swap, so no pictures of that yet! I'm also making a dark striped monkey, and I bought some more fluffy socks this morning which I plan to turn into monkeys, as I think they look really quite cute made from fluffy socks.

In other news, I've set up a Coriandr Shop, which hasn't much stuff in yet, but hopefully will do soon.

Also, the Pirate sock creatures I've made are up for sale in my Etsy shop. I also have some better pictures of them too:

Things I Covet...

2009-05-21T09:37:00.000+01:00

As I am seriously lacking anything of my own to put here right now (working stupid hours is seriously cutting down my crafting time - I don't like crafting in the morning!!), I thought I'd make a post of pretty things from Etsy that I covet!

Anyone who really knows me knows that there are three things I love above most others - Wenches (and wenching!), Pirates, and Corsets! So guess what...that's what this post is going to contain!

First up is this amazingly pretty lunch bag from Proletariat Bags

As someone who takes lunch to work every day, in a very boring lunchbox, this would seriously make my lunch much more fun!

Next up, we have these really cute cards by RatherCrafty

I write a lot, to my dad and my best friend, and pretty stationery, with a pirate twist would probably make them smile just as much as me!

I just realised I lied...or rather omitted. There's something else I love more than lots of other things. Or someone...Lord Byron! Yes, it's cliched for a goth girl to love the Mad, Bad Lord, but I do, so ner!

And so, I want this:

It's a Byron necklace by FunckLoveDesigns

Right...next blog post will be something I've made...promise!

Pirate Socks

2009-05-13T16:06:00.001+01:00

I love Pirates. I love anything to do with Pirates. And so, when I found socks with skulls and crossbones on, I knew I had to make Pirate sock creatures. I've made two so far - a monkey, and a rabbit.

Before I post any more, please excuse the pictures. The weather here's awful, so I've had to take the pictures indoors. The light's really bad. Hopefully I'll get better pictures soon!

Here we have Captain Blacktail, the most evil Pirate Rabbit known upon the seven seas:

And here, his friend and ally Captain Bananas, who is an equally scurvy dog (or monkey, as the case may be...):

And here's one of them together:

I Am Bad...

2009-05-08T21:15:00.000+01:00

At blogging it seems.

I seem to have lost a bit of my mojo at the moment - I'm trying to think of ways to revive it at the moment. I am still making things, but I'm not enthused by them really. I'm hoping it'll come back!

I haven't got any (decent) pictures of anything new, but I have added an Etsy Mini feature to the left, as you may have seen.

And here is a (bad) picture of the last sock monkey I've made. It's made of fluffy socks! I don't recommend making creatures from fluffy socks - the bedroom is covered in fluff that's fallen off the socks!

New Job!

2009-04-20T18:59:00.000+01:00

I started a new job today! The first day went pretty well, and although I'm very tired I'm also glad that I managed to work for a full day! Having not worked for 3 months it's a big achievement to me!!

Sadly, I think this will mean I won't have as much time to craft - although for the first few weeks I'll only be working part time, as there's so many of us that they need to train!

So, I'm off tomorrow, and plan to use it photographing and listing sock creatures (as there is now an army of them in the bedroom!).

I've made a new Monster since I posted last, and I've 3/4 made a new Bunny, but I haven't had a chance to photograph them, so no pictures yet I'm afraid. Hopefully I'll manage to get pics tomorrow and there'll be a big update then!

So, just a quick update from me, before I go and shower and collapse! I'm hoping I won't fall asleep before Ashes to Ashes start!!

And Normal Service Is Resumed

2009-04-19T19:02:00.001+01:00

After being horribly unispired for a couple of days, and feeling generally like everything I make is worthless, I'm actually feeling better and doing some knitting today. I think a couple of days of not doing anything crafty at all has put things into perspective and made me realise how much I do actually enjoy doing it, regardless of whether or not things I make are selling.

Despite this fact, I still had a facebook message from my step-mother, asking for a sock creature, free, as no one in my family seems to factor in that I have to pay for supplies and suchlike (even a few quid to cover the cost of the socks would be nice!) and I'm considering making her one, in the hope that she'll show it to people and it might generate some interest.

I'm also having a think about how I could make my sock creatures unique, and at the moment I'm considering maybe giving them knitted accessories of some kind. It's still a bit of a work in progress / idea at the moment though, so it could all change yet!

I haven't really been up to much crafty, but I do have a finished Sock Rabbit to show off:

Lack Of Confidence

2009-04-17T11:58:00.000+01:00

I don't know what's wrong with me today. I seem to have seriously lost my crafting mojo. It's taken me the best part of an hour and a half to make arms for the Sock Rabbit I'm making. Normally it takes half an hour, tops!

Partly, I think I feel unappreciated. Everyone in my family seems to love the stuff I make, whether it's knitted or a sock creature, or whatever. They all want some of it. My mother, step-mother and step-aunt all want sock creatures, and my aunt wants a corsage brooch. Which is all well and good, but they seem to expect me to do it for free. Never mind that I have to pay for wool and buttons and socks and stuffing and needles and thread and lord knows what else, they all seem to assume that I'll make things for them for free. The closest I've got to payment for making things for people is being given the socks and buttons I needed to make sock monkeys for my boyfriend's neice and nephew.

The other part of it is I think, lack of sales. I spend time making all the things I make, and so far I've only sold one thing. Okay, so it probably doesn't help that I have the attention span of a gnat, and like to change what I make on a daily basis, and probably have no one else to blame for myself, it doesn't help me feel good about myself and the things I make.

This has turned into a bit of a pointless rant really, but I think I needed to get it all off my chest. Ho hum. Back to the Bunny creation!

Sock Creature Round Up

2009-04-15T19:42:00.001+01:00

I've been making a lot of sock creatures recently and only a few of them have had pictures taken and posted here. I have now taken pictures of all of the ones I have made, and those that haven't already been posted will be now!

First up, Monkeys:

This is a monkey made for my boyfriend's Niece - she/he/it doesn't have a name yet:

This is Spot:

This is Stripe:

This is Bruce (note the bats comic-fans!!):

And this is another un-named monkey, made for my mother:

And now, Bunnies:

This is Lilah

Springy:

And my absolute favourite-est sock creation ever - Captain Blacktail, the bunny pirate:

And then this, is a monster. He doesn't have a name really. I like to make Rawr-y noises at him though:

Some of these will be appearing in my etsy shop over the next few days! Keep an eye out for them!

Sock Bunny

2009-04-13T10:47:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted for a little while, mostly because I'm busy writing a Sock Monkey tutorial, which is taking much longer than I anticipated. Hopefully it'll be done in the next couple of days though! In the meantime however, I had an idea about making different animals out of socks, and it being Easter and all, the first idea that sprang into my head was to make a rabbit.

And here he is:

I don't think he's too bad for a first attempt at something, and I'll be making at least one friend for him at some point, so expect lots of pictures of more bunnies, and more monkeys too at some point. My bedroom currently looks like a stuffed monkey sanctuary!

More Monkeys

2009-04-03T12:01:00.001+01:00

I made more monkeys...I couldn't help myself!

Here we have:

Chester -

Dotty -

and Gordon -

And here's one of them all (which is a bit dark - the sun wasn't out!) -

They're about the only crafty thing I've done of late. I seem to be in a bit of a slump really. I think being frustrated and a tad depressed about not being in work is starting to affect my motivation to do anything, so mostly, I don't feel creative.

Going to attempt to do some more cross-stitch today I think; it might help to get me out of my slump, but I'm not holding my breath really.

Anyone have any suggestions for how to get some creativity back?

Oh, and the monkies are for sale in both my Etsy and Folksy shops, links to which can be found to the left!

Sock Monkey

2009-03-31T10:30:00.000+01:00

I've wanted to have a go at making Sock Monkeys for a while, and so yesterday I went and bought socks, and stuffing! I don't have a sewing machine, so I sewed him by hand, and my sewing skills really are rusty - but hopefully with practice I'll get good again!

Anyways:

His name is Sausage (as named by my friend Claire!) and while he's far from the most perfect Sock Monkey you'll ever see, I love him. I think he's too cute for words. And the checks, I think, really work!

So stay tuned - friends for Sausage will be following soon!

Knitted Hairbands

2009-03-23T12:45:00.000Z

The sun came out enough this morning for me to get pictures of my newest creation - knitted hairbands. While I don't think they look great on me (mainly due to my lack of a fringe) I think they would look really good on other people!

I've made three so far:

And here they are on (a model head):

I was also playing around with some ribbon and my flower loom recently and I made this:

Essentially the same as my wool flowers, only chunkier. At the moment I'm still in two minds as to whether I prefer them made of ribbon, or made of wool. I think I'll need to get some more ribbon and have a play around. I still need to attach a brooch back to this one, and I think the way I'll have to do it is to sew some felt to the back - the ribbon is too bunched up for a brooch back to sit on it very well.

Off to list them all for sale at various places now!

Pretty Presentation (number one)

2009-03-22T18:24:00.000Z

As it often takes me a while to make things, and then get the time to photograph them, I thought I would blog once a week just about something I think is pretty. If it's for sale, links will be provided!!

This week I'm going for this:

This ring, by BD Designs is inscribed with the opening verse of Lord Byron's poem, She Walks in Beauty. It's one of my favourite poems, by my favourite poet, and if I had the money, I would have bought it a long, long time ago!

The listing itself can be found here.

And that's that! I have promised myself to take pictures of my newest creations tomorrow, so hopefully more posts will be appearing soon!

Icy Wool

2009-03-04T16:59:00.000Z

I ordered some wool a while ago, which arrived yesterday. And so I promptly set about making some pretty things from it.

I first made a button flower - although the wool is so thick I don't think it really works:

And then secondly, a finger knitted pom-pom scarf, which I really love.

Works In Progress (Cross Stitch)

2009-03-02T12:58:00.000Z

I am a big fan of cross stitch. I've been doing it since I was about 8, so about 13 years now. However, I get bored very quickly (I have a very short attention span) so I want to do different designs all the time! So, it ends up that I have two on the go at the moment - neither of which is anywhere near done!

I have a Mickey Mouse Sampler:

Which has now been the drawer so long it's incredibly crumpled and will need to be ironed (yawn!), although getting it out now to look at it has inspired me to do some more on it.

And then I have a Looney Tunes panel one:

This is the most recent one I've been working on. But the massive blocks of the same colour started to really irritate me!

I honestly don't know if either of them will ever get finished! I'd like to think they would though. Although not finishing things for years seems to run in my family - it took my grandmother nearly 30 years to finish a tapestry!

First Post!

2009-02-28T14:37:00.000Z

So, I've started a new craft blog. The last one failed miserably, but I thought I'd try again, since I've started really crafting again.

So, here are my most recent creations:

First up - button flowers:

These are wool, made on a flower loom - with a button sewn in the middle! Simple, but pretty, I think. They have brooch backs sewn onto them too, so they can be worn on clothes or handbags or whatever!

This is a super skinny, super long scarf, with pom-poms at the end. Just because I thought it would look cute!

This cute little guy is what happens when I'm bored and find some felt. It's an apple (clearly!). Another brooch!

And finally:

A finger knitted scarf with some button flowers woven in. Very pretty I think (although I may be biased!).

And as this is my first post - and I'm all excited - I'm going to have a little giveaway! Anyone who posts a comment will go into a draw to win a button flower brooch - this one to be exact:

Leave an email address with your comment and I'll pull one name out of a hat on Sunday March 15th. I'll then email the winner for their address!