my (two weeks) in pictures

:: fresh flowers make me happy. they just do

:: mum, grandma and auntie (me) walking the kids to school
:: this little guy fell and broke his arm (photo taken a few days before. I'm not sure if it's the early morning or a possible aversion for cameras but that face while sipping his babycinno speaks volumes, don't you think?)

:: early morning drive to the Handmade Expo markets

:: sniffle supplies

:: duck noodle soup. the search continues

:: making bearded folk men. Will I ever tire of them? I think not

:: my twin sister moved into our lovely house, hooray!

nice crafty places to visit

(make and do; my all time favourite)

Like some sewing or crafty or design ideas? Maybe look at pretty pictures? Need a bit of inspiration? Here are some nice crafty places to visit and stock up.

:: WhipUp (book reviews, tutorials, crafty links, blogging tips)
:: Craftbits (looads of projects, rated by users with a gallery too)
:: The Making Spot (tutorials. Lots and lots of tutorials)
:: Dollar Store Crafts (swell projects to make from dollar store & recycled things)
:: Craftster (so many projects, so very many, and crafting/DIY/eco forums)
:: Craftzine (tutorials, ideas, recipes, DIY, patterns, forums):: Craftsy (tutorials, online classes)


I've left out blogs for now. As you know that may end up a very long list indeed.

Do you have any favourite crafty websites to share?
Please pop a link in the comments!

my creative space- dolls

I've been making some more dolls from calico and vintage fabrics. They are fun to make and to hold, but I'm just.not.sure. about those faces. Do they look too surprised? Just innocent? Do they need a nose?




What do you think?

*update* thanks for your lovely comments! I decided to alter the eyebrows a wee bit, and am much happier. I have named them Agnes, Abigail, Anne and Ada, and they are in my etsy, madeit and bluecaravan stores now x

in the mail

Letter and postcard from old housemates in Germany and France, a Japanese book and cars print fabric, and some salt and pepper shakers from the U.S. for my collection (donkeys! and bears!)



I love my mail man.

stop motion music

Keep watching to the end, it gets better and better. Made me smile and dance a little in my chair.

Ace.



Happy weekend everyone!

::Quotation

"She felt in italics and thought in capitals"



Henry James

riverside markets

I have told you about my sister before. She is ace. Did you know she makes gorgeous bags? You can see them here. She has a blog here. And is on facebook over here. We did the markets on the weekend, right next to the river. It was cold in the shade. Then hot in the sun. Then cold in the shade again. Oh then the sun came out and it was hot. Then.It.Was.Cold. The crowds worked a bit like that too, and came in waves from the restaurants and cruises. We had a nice time, and are getting ready now for the handmade expo. Do come along!

do you have to be superhuman?

(photo by DudleyRedhead)

I feel a bit like this today, just trying to catch up on computer-y stuff. Reading, researching, updating, filing, entering, writing. Marketing, accounts, social media, blogging, research, accidental-looking-at-etsy, reading blogs, guest posting, listing items, following up. Is it all necessary? And how can you tell what is important and what is not? If it makes money? But not all value is about money. If it is focused? But you'd know too the treasures and ideas found accidentally. Do you have to be superhuman to fit it all in?



When people ask what I do, I say I make stuff, but sometimes the computer part can grow and grow into the making stuff time, and days pass where I have ticked boxes but not.made.a.thing. That can't be right.

taa daaa!

Here it is! Hooray!


Oh boy, it took some tea and patience, but I now have a Pepper Stitches website, which is nice. It has lots of info on it, and so I've taken some pages off this blog but you can still see by clicking on the new speech bubbles in the sidebar there. So when people are looking for what I do, they can find it right away; instead of immediately reading about what I had for breakfast or my new favourite song. Which is nice to know, but not-quite-as-professional. So this blog will be for bloggy stuff, and other stuff can go on the website from now on. Yep.

I think I will take a better quality photo for the front page. And change the order of photos in the gallery. And.. but it is good for now. You have to let it be, sometimes, don't you? Or it would never end.

I made it with wix.com, which is free, and easy, and looks ace. My sister made hers there too. (remember to change your bookmarks to pepperstitches.blogspot.com if you'd rather go straight to the bloggy bits)


Now I need to get back to sewing!

upcoming markets! almost-ready website!

You know that thing you do when you suddenly look up and realise you haven't posted on your blog for almost a week? Yeah. Oops. How did that happen?

I've been madly preparing for my first Brisbane markets! I will be with my sister Amanda from Red Pear drinking tea and chatting with all of our lovely wares at the Riverside Markets (Eagle St, Brisbane) this Sunday 19th of June, then next Saturday 25th we will be at the ace Handmade Expo (Brisbane Rd, Ipswich). So we are stitching and emailing and breathing deeply.

Plus I am working on my very own website! It is nice, I think, and will have links to all the important bits, like this blog, and facebook and twitter and flickr and a gallery and online shops and stockists and upcoming market dates and a bit about me too. Phew! If your bookmark says 'pepperstitches.com.au' it will go there; use 'pepperstitches.blogspot.com' if you'd like to come straight here. I hoped to launch it today, but my computer keeps freaking.out. and needs a bit of a rest. I will be nice to it, I need it to be nice to me, too.

So I am busy you see, but will post again soon. With pictures and everything. Hope your week is going ace!

etsy craft party 2011

via bristyle

Last night I went to an etsy craft party, and met lots of lovely and super-creative people. I was too busy having fun and drinking tea to remember to take photos (I had fun and took lots last year). So this banner will have to do. Just imagine photos of lots of people. And lamingtons and cookies in the shape of cats, and biscuits in a little suitcase. Yes.

I met Jess who edits the gorgeous *bespoke* zine and designs jewellery too; Kate from dashrobin designs who is very funny and teaches crochet; Bronwen who is an ecologist by day and makes Whizzbangle resin bangles by night; Dominique from Esbert's Collection who draws and makes (the.cutest.crochet.bears); Lesley from sweet as spice, who is lovely and has the bestest business card ever; Majella had an awesome hat and is a vintage lover/styler/writer; Teneale makes dolls with a wicked personality (I especially love Mr T); and also Vicky from Incube8r, Helen from Bristyle, and Lisa who ran the whole shebang at Salt House. Phew.

I had a lovely time and it was so nice to meet some new crafty friends in my new city. I hope I didn't talk too much. I do that sometimes.

(OH! edit: you can see some photos here)


(ps. Darn blogger keeps refuses to keep me logged in unless I am on my dashboard, so I cannot follow any new blogs. Or edit my pages. Or leave comments properly. Has this happened to anyone else? It is a little bit annoying. Actually quite a bit.)

etsy love- National Red Apple Day

5 little apple cores wooden play food; Red Apple Napkin Holder; Apple Earrings; vintage red apple canister large; Sweet, Red Arthur Apple - Printable PDF paper toy; Apple a Day Brooch; Apple postcard; Long Grove Apple Haus Apple Cookbook 1976; Vintage Apple Wall Clock

Did you know that in Australia it is National Red Apple Day? Well it is. It's part of Bowel Cancer Awareness Week. Eating apples are good for your insides. People are embarassed to talk about Bowel Cancer. It has the word 'bowel' in there. But it is the second largest cause of cancer deaths in Australia. It is important. You can find more information here.

Here are some apple-y things on etsy that I like. Happy Apple Day.

33 ways to stay creative

on today and tomorrow, found by etsy tweet

I have already done 1, 7, 9, 11 and 31 this morning. It's going to be a good day!

new stockist! Mr Sparrow

(Anna and Mr Sparrow in Frankie)

You can now find Pepper Stitches in the gorgeous Mr Sparrow, in Perth, Australia. Now you can find Pepper Stiches in 4 States! How exciting!

If you are over that way, Mr Sparrow stocks oh-so-many-delightful things. Anna, the owner, is delightful too. How do I know? Well she's lovely. And there is an online shop. I have seen it and lusted mightily. I know.

:: Quotation

via

"Man, oh man, you’re my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness, there ain’t nothin’ that I need. Well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ; there ain’t nothin’ please me more than you. Home, let me come Home. Home is wherever I’m with you."

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

(listen to the whole song)

this is me. today.

my week in pictures

*the vintage tupperware tea party was lovely. We ate caramel slice and girl guide cookies and drank tea and chatted.

* accidentally discovered craft markets up the road and picked up a houseplant named Earl

* my niece Elsa. I know I go on about her being the cutest.thing.ever. but just look!

* all bike racks ought to be in interesting shapes. Just saying.

* Juniper sleeping upside down and snoring

* roses make me smile. Celebrating a house full of furniture! Yay!

* then we went shopping and filled up jars with spices and legumes and nuts and seeds, and labelled everything with matching labels. Yes.

Hope your week was lovely x

stitch your way to success

Illustration by Andy Smith, his shop full of rad stuff is here, and he has a blog here.

I like his style.

clever grrantler and brother and sister grrantlers

Yay! The grrantlers are finished!

The grrantler siblings are quiet but playful once you get to know them. They like to whisper scary stories and collect funny shaped rocks.

The clever grrantler is quiet and studious and dislikes poor grammar, but loves to eat toffee, read books with long words and giggle at the rude bits in nature documentaries. With a waistcoat and spectacles, this grrantler is well suited to a bookshelf, library or study, and will make a loyal friend. (do you think he pulls off the waistcoat, Jessica?)

The siblings are off to France! Oui! and the clever grrantler is in my etsy shop and reading a book while he waits to meet his new family.

etsy love- sunshine in winter

Set of 6 Crocheted Snowflakes; Snow in the Woods Fine Art Photograph; Vintage brass fan shape bookends; hand knitted cream aran armchair slip cover; Poppy Tea Towel-Organic Linen; Blue and Brown Plaid Spring Circle Scarf; Light seafoam fingerless mitts/ wrist warmers; Singing Tea Kettle Birdhouse; Lil Rascals Patchwork and Organic Cotton Flannel Baby Blanket; Quilled Snowflake Ornament; Pyrex Butterfly Gold Round Casserole; Mini Wall Hanging Clock - Tea Pot; Teal Window to My Soul

see the full treasury here

Happy first day of Winter! x

:: Quotation

And she was so simply his love, his girl, watching him approach as if she were memorizing him and his walk and those flowers and this moment, and he wanted to ask her what sound a heart made when it broke from pleasure, when just the sight of someone filled you the way food, blood, and air never could, when you felt as if you’d been born for only one moment, and this, for whatever reason, was it.

Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island

friday link love

via

Possibly the cutest kids birthday invitation ever

A lovely list of lists to write. This list of lists made it onto my list.

A great idea for buying and selling fabric scraps

painting monster rocks and hiding them to inspire children's creative writing

Like to create? Join a crafty hottie challenge

Amazing photos looking into the past on everyday streets

Have you seen these 'Like' and 'Dislike' stamps?

Get great deals on etsy loveliness every day


Happy Friday x


(ps. I did a guest interview on The Creative Beast blog today! Yay!)

today

:: Quotation

(via)

I believe in kindness. also in mischief. also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.

mary oliver



(I collect quotes, I love to read them; they make me laugh, expand my thoughts and inspire me. I'd like to share some of my favourites. Post a quote that makes you smile, or cry, or see the world differently, got you through a hard time, or something funny your friend said last week. Pop in your link below. That would be lovely. )

new stockists! Georgie Love, Breathing Colours Gallery, Meet Me at Mikes

You can now find Pepper Stitches at Georgie Love, an online store of handmade pleasures. There are lots of lovely things there, really truly. Be warned, your morning might slip away while you peek at the shelves.

You can also find Pepper Stitches at Breathing Colours Gallery (top photo) @ 446 Darling St, Balmain, Sydney 2041, and some bearded folk men dolls have made their way to the Meet Me At Mikes shop @ 63 Brunswick St, Fitzroy Melbourne 3065.

Meanwhile, it is a misty cool morning, and I'm going to go make some more tea and start sewing some teddy bear super-hero capes. I might listen to the Audreys.

Happy Monday everyone!