pillow cases

I’m loving my screenprinting. Concentrating on pillow cases to start with, I managed to get a proper display and packaging together and took them to the Kirstenbosch Market on Sunday (the first one of spring, yay).

The feedback was excellent, a few sold and I got orders for more in different colours. I’m so encouraged that I even managed to find the time yesterday to update my website. Wonders will never cease.

Next up: the Wildflower Show in beautiful Tulbagh, this coming Saturday. Looking forward to catching up with Tina, Susan and the peacocks, apart from trading at the market itself.

Back soon x
 

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stopping to smell the marigolds

Okay, okay, I’ll admit it – in these last couple of months, I have bitten off far more than I can chew. Every day when I wake up I make new lists, and have become increasingly overwhelmed by the amount of things I have/want/need to do. I still have orders to finish before next week, and four more markets to attend before the 25th. There’s also experimenting to be done with a new cotton manufacturer, experimenting with alpaca, some family business, a product shoot for The Carpenter’s Shop…the list goes on.

But I found time in the last couple days to do two things, and this gives me hope for better time management skills in the future: I planted marigolds in a blue ceramic pot,

(it’s not unusual for me to buy plants and then forget about them, until they’ve fossilised in their original containers),

and I consulted with a Chinese medicine practitioner about my gammy back. Parts of me feel better since I saw him on Thursday and let him stick needles in me, other parts don’t, but I think the pudding-test will be tomorrow, during and after the Kirstenbosch market. If I can barely move by the time we need to pack up, I probably won’t do a follow-up appointment. But if I can make it to the car unaccompanied, I’ll definitely go back. Also, he reckons that my spine issues probably started about four years ago, when I went down the slide in my local park, at Alex’s urging, and forgot to put my legs out when I landed. On my coccyx. Yep, it was bad. And stupid. Sigh.

Most retailers in South Africa will be closed tomorrow in honour of Nelson Mandela (it’s the funeral at Qunu), even the biggies like Woollies and Pick n’Pay, but at the Kirstenbosch Market we will wear black flowers and donate a percentage of sales to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Back soon x

magnificent submit

The whackiness of drivel spam sometimes makes me laugh out loud. This is my favourite so far – “Thanking you for magnificent submit.” You’re welcome, freaky spam bot.

Meet Hattie. She was made for me by Steve, one of the wonderful woodworkers we’ve met through being at Kirstenbosch Market.  She’s as light as a feather and can display 10 hats at a time and, because she’s a table stand, won’t get blown over if there’s wind. Pic out of focus, sorry. My bad. Bad and lazy.

Next up, two wooden boxes that were taking up space without purpose at Rob’s flat: I’m not in the mood for painting right now so I decided to wallpaper them with newsprint. I have to say, I’m not entirely sure that this really is the way to go, but if I don’t try I’ll never know. I’ll do the tops and one bit of the insides and then, if I think it looks stupid, will just have to do something else!

Still working on Tammy’s cushion in aubergine, lilac and willow, but nearly finished. The middle was the flower from the afghan in Issue 3 of Simply Crochet, but I changed things a bit after the row of cream. The purple cotton I’m using isn’t Vinni’s and I’m finding it a bit thinner, so I felt a smaller stitch than a treble was called for. I’m pretty much just making it up as I go along now. I like that about crochet, although it’s not an approach that works with cooking.

Last thing for today, the winner of the Jam Tarts facebook give-away last week for a frog beanie was Mary-Anne from Woolhogs.

She said she was thrilled but felt “undeserving” – not sure why, maybe because we know each other (only through blogging), live in the same city, have the same interests, etc.  I told her she won fair and square.  Life’s random, so things seem  coincidental some times.  That’s how random works.  I wish we could give away a frog beanie to everyone who entered and shared and liked, because you are all lovely people who would all look good in one :-)

Back soon x

Friday update

So, I was right about the size of Jono’s head – the Jayne hat was way too tight, so I knitted him another one and he gave the first one to his eldest son, Max.  (Two Firefly fans in one family, what are the odds!?)

Here I am wearing Jayne hat #2.  

And you don’t have to say it – when it comes to photography, I’m a natural, I know. Thank you.

Then I made more hats.  Autumn, here, remember? I guess they look pretty stupid just lying there like this, but I didn’t want to hit you with two pics of me in a hat in one post.

I made these patterns up. Sort of. The brown and maroon stripey one is a larger variation on the CrossStitch slouch that I’ve made many times before, and I don’t often do stripes but the recipient loved it! She has dreads, and wanted something big enough to accommodate them but not so big around the brim that the whole thing would slip off.  When I’d finished it, it looked humungous so I did a red one. It fits me very nicely, not like the black one below that was made last year, which will possibly be turned into a bag.

  (Oops, sorry, that’s two after all.)

Another hat but this one with little bear ears for a baby. Anne is officially our Chief Baby Beanie Maker but I suddenly got the urge to try one myself.  I’m not big on faces so, hey, could be anything you want – meerkat, squirrel, pug? Heh.

In other news, I’ve been whipping up as many pairs of house slippers as I can for the Kirstenbosch Market on Sunday. We have a new spot there (I did mention that Jam Tarts is now a Permanent Vendor, hey?) and I’ve just taken delivery of five stunning wooden crates made for me by Colin at the Carpenter’s Workshop; these will be used in our new-look display, which we’ve been working hard on. Will post a pic after Sunday. Very excited.

I’ll leave the other makes for my next post, don’t want to overwhelm you and think I never do any ‘real’ work…

Back soon x

here a plant, there a plant

Skimming through the photos I keep in the folder called “Pics for BLOG”, these jumped out at me this morning, creating a fortuitous plant theme.

The one on the wall is a house in Sea Point, near where Alex’s sister lives. From what I could tell, they are two wooden frames with plastic bottles struck horizontally inside, with each plant coming out of the neck. Alex said she thinks she’s seen something similar at Kirstenbosch (National Gardens, here in Cape Town), so I’ll go and check it out one day.

The bright green succulent in a cement pot was on a table at a restaurant in Stellenbosch. The oddly-formed one (there’s almost something obscene about it but I can’t quite put my finger on it)  in a cream crochet ensemble was bought from Succulent Simon at the River Club Market on Sunday, and now lives on my window sill. I gave the angel-wing begonia in wire cup and saucer to Rob a few weeks ago. His plants don’t usually live long, and I have to send over a new one every couple of months.

Finally, the collection of plants in test tubes was the display in an empty shop window next to Art Source in Observatory. I’d gone to pick up glue supplies and this was so arresting. I have no idea what http://www.farmacy.co.za is, nor have I ever looked it up. I’m still not going to, but you can if you want.

To be continued…