Homespun Ireland

out with the old...in with the new, soon!

2011-10-16T23:23:00.000+01:00

'Half Price Sale Items at Homespun Ireland' by homespunireland

Items half price until 31/10/11

HALF PRICE -- Hexagon Q... homespunirelan... $20.00	HALF PRICE -- Vintage W... homespunirelan... $9.00	HALF PRICE -- Fabric Fl... homespunirelan... $5.00	HALF PRICE -- Crazy Qui... homespunirelan... $20.00
HALF PRICE -- Pin Cushi... homespunirelan... $15.00	HALF PRICE -- Needle Bo... homespunirelan... $7.50	HALF PRICE-- Crazy Quil... homespunirelan... $20.00	HALF PRICE -- Needle Bo... homespunirelan... $7.50
HALF PRICE -- Vintage W... homespunirelan... $9.00	HALF PRICE -- Crazy Qui... homespunirelan... $20.00	HALF PRICE -- Crazy Qui... homespunirelan... $15.00	HALF PRICE -- Mixed Med... homespunirelan... $10.00
HALF PRICE -- Mixed Med... homespunirelan... $10.00	HALF PRICE -- Crazy Qui... homespunirelan... $25.00	HALF PRICE -- Wool Felt... homespunirelan... $6.00	HALF PRICE -- Mixed Med... homespunirelan... $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

hollyhock

2011-10-16T00:43:00.000+01:00

I sowed some hollyhock seeds in the spring, and after no action all summer, they have made a surprise appearance in October. Some cosmos came up, too. What a weird year.

cake and company

2011-10-10T14:37:00.000+01:00

Henry and I spent Sunday berry picking with friends on the road near their farm, before being treated to tea and homemade cream cake. We decided that we'd take our chances despite the grey skies and were surprised when the sun came out and we had to shed our jackets. Lots of jam making today!

back to where you once belonged

2011-10-03T00:14:00.000+01:00

I'm really working hard to get back into my creative groove, feeling really good about my work and staying motivated! And a big part of that for me has always been being active online, instead of passive...I've gotten into bad habits this year of online time wasting--and not the good, tumblr/pinterest kind--which I'm determined to kick. So that means back to blogging and image sharing and interacting with other artists. This is going to be good!

warming up cold light in winter photos

2010-12-08T12:16:00.000Z

I have been struggling to take item photos lately, as the cold winter light robs my items of their true colours. I listed six new items, only to have those photos look terrible in comparison to item photos I took in the summer and autumn light! I was really disappointed, especially as most of the items were made of cozy wool felt and really suffered from the grey light.

However, I found a quick fix for the problem, and I thought I'd share it for other Etsy sellers who might struggle with the same issues. I am using Photoshop Elements 7, but this works in regular Photoshop, too. It can be accomplished in GIMP, as well, doing it step by step.

This is the original photo, I have already corrected the darkness of the photo buy bringing up the brightness and contrast. Slightly over-exposed photos with lots of contrast look really good on Etsy, I find. However, you can see how the cold winter light leaves a grey cast on the photo, the creamy bainin wool looks grey and dingy.

The solution I found is to use one of the actions created for photoshop by The Pioneer Woman, the food and lifestyle blogger who also has a photography section. These actions are amazing! A lot of the arty actions change the colours too much to be suitable for Etsy, but many of the subtle light and sharpness actions are perfect for the job. I used the 'warmer' action on this photo, and the change was amazing! Perfectly rendered warm, creamy wool, just as the item appears in real life.

I was so happy with the result! Looking at my Etsy shop, the new items blended in with the rest of the shop so much better, and I was able to correct all of the photos from six listings in a quarter of an hour. As I mentioned, I use Photoshop Elements, and there are versions for Elements on her blog as well. If you use GIMP or similar, the same effect can be effected by creating a new layer and filling it with a medium caramel colour, and then setting that layer to 'soft light'. You can adjust the transparency of the fill layer to get just the right amount of warmth to your photo.

Here's another example of using the 'warmer' action, side by side so you can see how much of a difference it makes...it is subtle, but really effective:

If you need any help installing the actions, this page is really helpful...it's tricky to install them, so set up a shorcut on your desktop to drop them into once you found the right file. Actions are a lot of fun to use, you can get a lot of the same effects that professional photographers use, and there are many free ones online, and even some for sale that are well worth it.

I hope this was helpful to someone! If anyone has advice for how to overcome this problem in other programs and editors, please leave a comment. I think that good photos on Etsy make us all look more professional, it's the most important part of selling, I work hard at it!

embroidery hoop wall art on Etsy

2010-10-25T12:53:00.001+01:00

Remember I was just saying how many beautiful embroidery hoop creations there are on Etsy, and how I should really post some? Today I got a convo that I was in a treasury that features just that! It's by onecrafteemumma, and it's fantastic!

'embroidery hoop art' by onecrafteemumma

Crazy Quilt Vintage Col... homespunirelan... $20.00	wall art - kite sukanart $25.00	Plaid and Lace Fiber Ar... SewSweetStitch... $32.00	ON SALE romantic natura... TheNakedSquirr... $16.00
White Cascading Flower ... DashingEtc $32.00	Mix of Prints Wall Art ... merriweatherco... $20.00	Skipping Girl Hoop-art GretelGirlDraw... $45.00	Birds Of A Feather Wall... bannerbabe $6.00
Red Poppies Wall Wear neawear $60.00	Hand Embroidery Bird Wa... deerlittlefawn $21.00	Large Wing embroidery h... OneLittleRedFo... $38.00	wall art - birdie got o... PilliPillihand... $34.00
red lollipops - embroid... SarahLaBu $28.00	Embroidery Hoop Wall Ar... ScarlettRose $22.00	Party Bunting Hoop Wall... sweetpeastreat... $12.00	Soaring Balloons Embroi... Violet $17.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

These photos are all clickable, so go ahead and click away to visit the item, or click on the title if you'd like to leave a comment on the treasury page.

a treasury about Henry

2010-10-22T14:01:00.000+01:00

I made a treasury inspired by my little boy, Henry. If he made one, it would be all tractors and fire trucks, but his mama picked out sweet things that make her think of him:)

'Henry' by homespunireland

inspired by my little boy

Vintage Cowboy and Aero... KristinSmitty2 $	Little Johnny, DreamsKi... DreamsKingdom $24.00	Vintage Wooden Button C... OscarANDTheodo... $6.00	BIRGER Toddler Sweater ... heartfeltbaby $75.00
Ship Wooden Toy linenkids $13.00	Alphabet Soup - 8 x 10 ... sugarfresh $20.00	Red Tricycle - Oil pain... pinetreeart $65.00	Old Boy Scout Pendant E... TheLooseKnot $20.00
Folk Art Little BOy Blu... maclancy $24.00	Paper Ephemera Value Pa... AdelaideVintag... $10.00	Delivery Truck nindesign $30.00	Astro Sonic Saucer Box ... johnwgolden $20.00
Organic Hemp Charcoal W... BobkaBaby $32.00	vintage toddler boys tr... 3ringcircus $13.00	Airplane Loopy Trails B... graphicspaces $40.00	Light Black Grey Seersu... babybystevie $20.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

vote for me! on the Etsy Ireland blog poll

2010-10-19T14:42:00.003+01:00

Handmade Spark is putting together a christmas gift guide, and the Crafty Ireland Team is having a poll to decide who will be featured! We each submitted an item in different colour categories and the two top items will be used.

Of course, I entered the most hotly contested colour category, red! Eight items were submitted. I entered my Black Cherry Crazy Quilt Pillow. I have installed the poll in the sidebar to the left, to make it easy for you! Just choose and vote <--------here! Click the radio button next to my item, and scroll down and click 'vote'. Or follow this link to vote at the Polldaddy site.

If you're reading, I hope you will take a minute to vote! There are other colour categories, too, you can see the entries and vote on the Etsy Ireland blog. Support Irish and support handmade this christmas!

jumping through hoops

2010-10-18T22:07:00.001+01:00

I have been absolutely useless at blogging for the past month. Not just here! Any blog I have, a deserted wasteland. Tumbleweeds blowing through. I don't know why, lets just pretend I was on an exotic holiday.

I have gotten my creative juices flowing again. I think halloween is a bit of a disruption for me, because although it's an Irish holiday, it's not really much use to me creatively. It doesn't lend itself to the Homespun treatment, it's so difficult to nail down in my style. But christmas! Let's begin! I am really going to try to pack my shop this year, I already have dozens of items in the wings.

I listed a few crazy quilt collages, put them in embroidery hoops as wall hangings, I really like how they turned out. I enjoy making framed collages, but they are risky to ship with the glass. These will be risky too, at least the delicate wooden hoops. But I like them very much. I feel like you'd need a few hoops to create a nice display, there are dozens of lovely ones on Etsy. Perhaps I will post them next, now that I'm back from my holiday.

These are in my Etsy shop, you can use the little widget on your right to have a look!

new treasury

2010-09-10T23:00:00.000+01:00

'the flower shop' by homespunireland

inspired by my day job as a florist

From the Flower Shop..V... pinkgrapefruit... $6.50	My Florist Color / 6x6 hipstamat $25	Glass Frog, vintage vintagepickins $9	Flower Shop, Kaiserswer... worldsitesphot... $40.00
Pair of Vintage Flower ... ethanollie $22	Vintage McCoy Floraline... TomLaurus $16	LINEN TUNIC SMOCK linenclothing $79	Quilted Soap or Lotion ... MidwestFinds $10
Vintage Glass Flower Fr... thornblossom $12.00	Shabby Chic French Lond... ThePaperPlace $3.25	HAND PAINTED PHILODENDR... bearlyart $16.99	Box of vintage florist ... CathysHomeSewn $50
Delphinium Skin Cream longwinterfarm $8	Handbuilt/Vintage Garde... 3vintagehearts $175	Vintage Adorable Vase F... ByHeart $10	Cherry blossom- handfel... zavesfelt $60

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

autumn in mauve

2010-09-07T22:18:00.000+01:00

'autumn in mauve' by homespunireland

autumn's first touch turns pink softly to mauve, the cool air bronzing the last of summer's blooms

Hydrangea, Blushing - f... Raceytay $27	Mauve and bronze Japane... TheBroochBouti... $14.5	Panorama II-Original Ac... SarahJohnAfana $32	3 - Small - Dusty Pink ... fancygoods $3.5
Pearls, pearls, pearls raffinatadesig... $	Vintage Mauve wool doub... 11eggs $68	Rosa choker. Necklace w... cardinalhouse $15	SALE - Scarf Hand Knit ... WrapArtist $21.5
Mahogany Soul - OOAK in... southwinddesig... $40	Sedum spurium Dragon ... TheSucculentGa... $2.75	Vintage Justin Pinkish ... honeyblossomst... $28	Prairie Neck Cozy fringe $52
Set of Two Vintage Hand... eagerhands $11	Estate Style Vintage Rh... GracefullyVint... $29	Soft Focus - Original F... theeye $18	Tag It with Roses Taravictoria $4.5

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Etsy Ireland ATC Swap

2010-09-03T21:09:00.000+01:00

I'm participating in the Etsy Ireland Team's ATC Swap this year. I haven't swapped any ATCs in a good long while, even though I love making them. These ones were no exception! I sat down and it was the most natural thing in the world to work within the ATC canvas again, 2.5x3.5 inches.

I am trading with two different partners, due to uneven numbers...I am trading with Brigitte who is behind the wooly creations of Purls of Colour on Etsy, and also Linda, who sells her photographs as ClickdecourcyNI on Etsy. Can't wait to see what they create!

I always work in a series of at least two when making ATCs, even though I've been known to make up to a dozen in a series. My ATC series are each one-of-a-kind, but clearly relate to one another. I returned to my familiar themes and media here, unapologetically! I hope they are well received by their new owners:D

To see the rest of the the ATCs from the group, be sure to check back at the Etsy Ireland blog tomorrow for the big reveal! Thanks to Virginie from ViviBijoux for hosting the swap!

inner hippie -- a treasury on Etsy

2010-08-29T18:04:00.002+01:00

inner hippie

Two Salt Glazed Vessels
jackielaurita$40.00 USD

Glass Seed Bead, Copper -
Balanced$60.00 USD

All Hemp Braided Wrap Bra
LaOdViE$4.00 USD

Vintage Wood Bark Bowl
ethanollie$24.00 USD

Abalone Mother of Pearl B
tinahdee$68.00 USD

Large Beach Pottery Kanze
LillaJizo$90.00 USD

Boundless FLEECE hemp/org
louderthanwords$45.00 USD

herbal red chai
twigandleafbotan$10.00 USD

Basket
fibreartist44$48.00 USD

copper, ceramic, recycled
PiaBarileJewelry$42.00 USD

Burrs - Fine Art Photogra
DovieMoon$20.00 USD

Turtle Shell Porcelain Ea
Jabecca$15.00 USD

Songs Of Summer - Origina
TaraMPhotography$18.00 USD

Sea Turtle No. 3- Origina
unitedthread$40.00 USD

Rustic Studio Pottery Pla
TheWhiteMole$75.00 USD

Vintage Natural White Mac
TheWishingWardro$29.00 USD

Generated using Treasure Trove by packagery.com

vintage thimble pincushion pendants

2010-08-15T23:17:00.002+01:00

Today I made these pretty thimble pincushion pendants. So many china thimbles in the world, all completely useless as thimbles...I wracked my brain thinking of something to make out of them. The best part of these is that it is so useful to have a pincushion on a chain! My husband is always finding needles on the floor and announcing 'THERE WAS A NEEDLE ON THE FLOOR' because he is in charge of health and safety when it comes to needles on the floor, only. Nobody has ever stepped on one, but 'SOMEONE COULD STEP ON ONE', so these pendants not only are sweet and pretty, but also will keep your home safe from minor albeit painful foot injuries.

The best part is the tiny little tomato cushions. Aren't they adorable? With the little buttons. My fascination with pincushions is bordering on obsession. And the bizarre thing is that I haven't got a decent pincushion in the house, I use a pin dish. That is why we have so many needles on the floor.

These are on Etsy!

fabric flower brooches

2010-08-02T18:15:00.001+01:00

I was looking to make up something cheap and cheerful to put in my Etsy shop. I have a few very intricate items that were time consuming to make in my shop, that really seem unlikely to sell in this economy...I do enjoy getting the views and the 'hearts' on those items, though, so I pay the 20 cents to keep them listed, a small price to pay for the validation!

But I know from shopping on Etsy myself, that it's nice to be able to buy something small just as a treat, so I came up with these little brooches. They have all of my favourite materials packed into them, thick wool felt and vintage lace and buttons. Fun to make, I hope someone likes them! Or even five people. Or one person who likes them a whole lot and has four friends with birthdays soon.

vintage wool and lace ring pillow

2010-08-02T00:28:00.001+01:00

I had an enjoyable, productive day in the studio...completed another wedding ring pillow! I enjoy making these and wanted to make one in order to create a listing for custom orders on Etsy. The pillows are really easily customisable and can be personalised with the bride and groom's names and the wedding date, as well as incorporating any mementos or bits of textiles that are meaningful to the recipient.

I would love to have some examples of personalised pillows to use in my listings...if any of my readers are interested, I am offering 25% off the price in order to assemble some sample photos, just comment here or email me!

I completed a few other goodies today, just need to finish up some photos to list them during the week, yay!

front page

2010-07-16T22:33:00.000+01:00

Front page of Etsy! Over three hundred item views in an hour, usually that would take a month. Thanks to Rafya, please check out her shop! I featured one of her beautiful necklaces in one of my treasuries recently, she makes unique clay jewellery pieces. Making treasuries creates good Etsy karma!

Frida

2010-07-14T22:32:00.000+01:00

I made this Frida Kahlo matryoshka doll for my friend Claire, who loves Frida. It is so easy to make a recognisable Frida! I had fun making this as it was outside of my usual aesthetic. My favourite parts were doing the hair, for which I plaited some puffy wool and added three little silk roses salvaged from an old valentine's chocolate box (I knew I was saving that for a reason!), and the fabulous vintage trims I used on the body, which are from the voluminous selection over at Manto Fev, that make her look so colourful and Fridaesque!

a quiet kiss

2010-07-05T21:57:00.001+01:00

A treasury I made of beautiful items, quiet and sweet. I especially adore the capelet (a pattern!) and the disc necklace. Click over to Etsy if you'd like to see the items!

lammchen

2010-07-01T21:53:00.001+01:00

A little lamb knit by my wonderful friend Ramona, aka Jademond! Such a sweet thing, love it! She makes the most beautiful things.

A faery find.

2010-06-29T14:38:00.002+01:00

A faery find., originally uploaded by woodlandfaerie.

I ran across this photo on tumblr.com recently, and it stopped me in my tracks. I haven't been that excited by mixed media collage lately, I've mostly been sewing and seeing what others are sewing, and not really looking at collage very much. All of my ephemera is at the studio, and all of my sewing things are at home, so that probably has a lot to do with it...when was the last time I got to go to the studio???

This is just lovely. I love the pressed flower fairy, and how none of it feels contrived to me, just so sweet. I miss you, collage! Don't be a stranger.

a few birds

2010-06-28T22:19:00.001+01:00

I made some little birds last week, just made them up as I went along. I can't just make one of anything, have to make two, or three, or five. Fun little project! Traced the shape on to a piece of card to make a template, and then went crazy making birds!

Find these and more in my Etsy shop.

sew sweet

2010-06-22T11:37:00.000+01:00

Just spent an hour browsing beautiful sewing supplies on Etsy! Everything so gorgeous I could gobble it all up.

I love treasuries...I'm not just looking at pictures, I'm MAKING something! Haha.

Visit the treasury and click on the items here.

shawleens

2010-06-19T23:27:00.002+01:00

I haven't made dollies in years. I used to make them regularly, and sell them on Ebay...I enjoyed making them but they were incredibly time consuming. They had long arms and legs, and I made their bodies myself, stuffing them and painting the muslin and sanding it, and then making their dresses, complete with sleeves and an apron. I adored them, but once I opened the shop, I just didn't have time anymore.

Over the past few months I've had a compulsion to make them again, I still have lots of paperclay and wool for hair, everything I could need. But I still am always caught for time and didn't see how I could make it happen. But I had a brainwave after seeing the proliferation of matryoshka dolls on Etsy...sure, weren't the shawlies I make just Irish babushkas? And couldn't I make dolls like the matryoshkas, and cut out the process of making the long arms and legs, which were half the work?

So I got out some clay and started sculpting, actually intending to make more stylised faces than I used to...but out of the clay peered the little face, and it was the same shawlies back. It was as if they were saying 'hello! there you are!'. The little wrinkled smiling faces were just the same girls as always. So I made their little bodies and their dresses and their aprons, and even though it was easier not making the arms and legs, the process was the same, the same needle-felted hair and wool shawls, and they hold all the same magic for me, the same little people in the room with me. I missed them! I can't wait to see who else turns up.

Both of these dolls, Mrs. Dineen up above, and Mrs. Motherway (named for the corner shop in our village!), are listed on Etsy, if you'd like to see more!

a few flowers

2010-06-17T20:45:00.002+01:00

We did the flowers for a stunning wedding over the weekend, the most creative wedding I've ever done! The bride has the same aesthetic as we do at Bloomsday, so it was a perfect match. Pretty, vintagey, summery...just gorgeous!

We are setting up our new website and blog for the shop at the moment, so I'll share the eye candy here:D

If you like to look at flowers, check out our Flickr!

now for something completely different

2010-06-15T17:16:00.000+01:00

I've been working on something different for the past week or two, some toys to sell in the flower shop. I decided this year to start stocking the shop with antiques and handmade, rather than buying in "antiques" and "handmade" from China. It's a lot more work! But it costs less in the long run, and we have unique items! These are not anything like I would normally make but they fit in around here.

I made ten of these toys, some babushka ladies, bunnies, a bear, a monkey, a puppy looking thing, and a kitty. They were fun to make! I kind of made them up out of my head after looking around at a lot of these kind of plushies online. I am especially proud of my handmade hang tags. I don't know if anyone will buy them but they look adorable in the shop!

tractor, an Etsy treasury

2010-06-13T00:24:00.001+01:00

I just made the most adorable treasury over on Etsy! Henry, as we know, is obsessed with tractors, and so I have them on the brain. I was browsing Etsy's catagories searching for 'tractor'...found so many interesting items! Good fun, I particularly love the farmer painting on an old LP, and the vintage photo of the farm wife with sheep dog.

Click here to visit the treasury page, and please leave a comment there!

Emma Dear on Etsy

2010-06-06T14:42:00.000+01:00

I love wool and lace together, it's a classic Irish combination, the two great Irish textiles (linen, you're a close third). When I see wool and lace together it just speaks out loud to me.

These cushions by Etsy seller Emma Dear speak to me, loud and clear, they say 'hey Jesse I bet you wish we were at your house'. They not only are wool and lace, but they are made with repurposed fabric cut from vintage men's suits. Some of them still have the plackets and the buttons and the labels. The labels. The labels are saying to me 'yeah, we are so charming it's killing you isn't it?'

Emma Dear has hundreds and hundreds of things that keep speaking to me, taunting me. This recession can end any day now, seriously.

some little envies

2010-06-04T14:11:00.001+01:00

When I listed my scapulars on Etsy, I put in the description that it would arrive in a decorative envelope. Of course I didn't make any decorative envelopes, sure I could throw something together on the day, right? Guaranteeing that I would get three orders in one day...oh dear.

I had some of those little church donation envelopes (sorry, church), and I played around with them but because they were already an envelope, I couldn't really embellish it very much. So instead I flattened one out and traced the shape on to some coloured paper, and scored along the folds. The flat envelope could then be embellished and run through the sewing machine for some impromptu mini collages, resulting in sweet little decorative envies! A bit of glue stick and I was away.

The true skill and workmanship is that I made these in the hour running up to a two-year-old's bedtime as he desperately tried to get my attention, the poor pet...my craft room is destroyed with bits of paper from distracting him with paper punches and decorative (thus blunt) scissors. If only I'd had a little girl, I imagine she would quietly play in my ribbons and cloth dollies, but unfortunately until I start making tractors up there I'm going to break his little heart.

Doily Bombing

2010-05-31T11:36:00.003+01:00

All done!!, originally uploaded by woolly fabulous.

I ran across this photo on tumblr.com and was blown away! I've seen plenty of yarn bombing or knit graffiti before, but as a non-knitter it never really spoke to me...but this? Vintage doilies? Simply amazingly beautiful.

Apparently the sore arms (can you imagine?) behind this is Odile from the Etsy shop Wooly Fabulous, a shop I had already hearted for her gorgeous pincushions made with vintage doilies. With my lottery winnings, I will be flying her over to Ireland to doily bomb all my trees!

Little China Pincushions

2010-05-21T22:59:00.003+01:00

This week I made pincushions! I found a little china jar with no lid at the car boot sale in Shanagarry a couple of weeks ago, and it said to me 'pincushion'. It is startling how many things say that to me. So this past weekend at the awesome Carrigtwohill car boot sale, I bought some more bits of china to make into even more pincushions. I even made one with the little shot glass with the milkmaid on it. I literally eyed up everything as a possible pincushion, but I think it's out of my system now.

My favourite is the Carrigaline china dish with the shamrocks on it, as it came out satisfyingly round. I also love the little vase with the strawberries on it. These are all very good pincushions, they sit very still while you do your business of putting pins in them, no trying to get away.

I took my photos in a different spot with a different camera today. My beloved Lumix has memory card issues and really needs to pop up to Dublin to get sorted out, meanwhile I am using Kieran's little pocket cam. I took the photos on a shelf in the flower shop, instead of the window where I usually take them. They came out like a lightbox...I don't like it! I want my overexposed, Etsy-angle photos back!

These will probably not make it up on Etsy until Monday. I suspect I will retake the pictures, I just can't let good enough alone.

Forget-me-not

2010-05-20T00:32:00.001+01:00

Went for a walk through the churchyard at St. Colman's Cathedral here in Cloyne, the forget-me-nots are amazing! It's a real deserted cemetery, all wild and overgrown. The flowers are probably from a pot left on a grave decades ago, self-seeding over and over...all sorts of beautiful flowers everywhere.

Last week we were in the churchyard in Churchtown South, which is completely overgrown with wild garlic! Very beautiful if unusually fragrant. It's a really stunning location, a ruined church set amongst farmer's fields with the sea in the distance. Beautiful spots for a quiet walk.

Cozy Memories on Etsy

2010-05-15T22:46:00.002+01:00

I love this Etsy seller! Sonia, whose shop is called so thoughtfully, Cozy Memories. I first ran across her jam jar covers on Flickr (searching 'linen', I'm obsessed, I swear). Then I found her Etsy shop, and she has just a lovely selection of sweet little items, each exactly the sort of thing that makes my eyes happy. Lots of linen and lace with a charming French domesticity that is always so effortless.

The best, though, is her blog, gorgeous and colourful and lively. I have a little dream that we will retire to France someday...not so crazy, as it's only a boat ride away and we escaped the mortgage trap here in Ireland. I love Ireland but I would love to have a little more sunshine, a little bit nicer food, and maybe some of that charming, lazy, effortless domesticity. Sonia's blog, Cozy Homemaking, feeds that fantasy for me...and when I started clicking on her friends blogs (many of whom I recognise already from their beautiful art and photos!), it all just left me wistful and convinced that my little dream is one I should nurture and prod at as much as possible.

If you are feeling cozy and French now, spend an hour reading through her blog and blogroll! Such a treat.

Another year crossing that bridge...

2010-05-10T23:20:00.001+01:00

On May 6, 2008, I was very very pregnant, and tired of waiting for my son to make his debut. So my husband and I went for a long walk in Glenbower Wood, in Killeagh here in East Cork. We walked along the river up and down the hill to get that baby on the move. It worked, and by midnight I was in labour, and Henry was born the next day.

We have decided to bring Henry for that same walk every year to mark his birthday. Happy 2nd Birthday Henry! You are the most beautiful thing I have ever made.

Bloomsday Flowers

2010-05-06T23:03:00.001+01:00

So far I've only really blogged about my textile work and Etsy, but I am actually a three dimensional human being! And I have a day job, I own a flower shop in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, called Bloomsday Flowers. I own the shop with my friend Noelle, and we will have been open for four years in June. I love my shop and I love being a florist, it's a great job. I also love owning my own business, so that when we have a slow afternoon--and there are plenty of those these days unfortunately--I don't have to pretend to be busy, I can use that time to sew or blog or other things that make me happy. My shop is bright and beautiful and I love to spend time there!

I was uploading some photos of last weeks weddings to our flickr account, and I played with one of the images in Photoshop, thought I would share it. If you'd like to see the flowers in all their blooming colour, visit Bloomsday's flickr account!

Irish Linen Tea Towels

2010-05-03T23:33:00.002+01:00

Irish Wiskey Front, originally uploaded by creativebabiesetsy.

I ran across this photo a few months ago, and ever since then, I've been ruminating about what I could make out of those Irish linen tea towels. I don't have any, aside from a couple that I actually use as tea towels, but I never pass up an opportunity to start searching through eBay listings to start a new collection of something, which I may or may not eventually make into something else. I've seen plenty of tea towels at car boot sales, but now I'm pretty much guaranteed to never see another one.

I looked at the slipper-maker's Etsy shop, and she has other cute and clever items made from Irish linen tea towels, but my favourite is the whiskey slippers. I wish I'd thought of that.

Namolio on Etsy

2010-05-01T22:47:00.001+01:00

Isn't this beautiful? It's by Namolio on Etsy. Her shop is stuffed full of so many beautiful things, all linen, cloth and thread.

I think I am about to go through a linen period, I just need to find an Irish linen hook up. I can get it in the little needlecraft shop I go to, but I want big, ugly swaths of it, straight from the mill. Preferably some forgotten hoard of hand-dyed vintage linen, ha ha.

Namolio has buttons and bias binding, too, I love it.

Look at this photo on her Facebook page! I about died. So amazingly gorgeous.

I need this recession to be over, all these pretties are haunting me!

Vote for Me!

2010-04-30T22:17:00.003+01:00

My Mother's Day Vintage Wool Pillow has been chosen as one of the items in the latest Voter feature on Etsy!

If you're not familiar with Voter, it's a chance to browse some themed items selected by Etsy and pick your favourite. There's no prize, just a bit of fun. But it's great exposure to be picked, I am delighted!

I hope you'll head over and pick a favourite! It doesn't have to be mine, but that would be nice:D

Click here to vote!

Designed by Jane on Etsy

2010-04-28T16:58:00.002+01:00

I love this artist...the designs in her felt brooches are so simple but so effective. The colours are so rich and well matched, and the textures and symmetry just make these so appealing to me. Buttons and felt! Love it.

I like using wool felt, I like it for making pincushions and pillows, and I like how it looks with the edges pinked. These fabulous brooches have inspired me to try appliquing felt on to some of my crazy quilts, I often use felt as patches but it hadn't occurred to me to make shapes, flowers, etc. Something to experiment with!

Designed by Jane has loads more designs in her Etsy shop, including some cuffs and bags and crocheted pieces. Yummy eye candy, well worth a look!

Farmer Henry

2010-04-27T10:53:00.001+01:00

My husband, son and I live in a little estate in a small village in Co. Cork. Our house backs on to a farmer's field, and if my son Henry stands in his crib and looks out the window, he sometimes will catch the farmer tending the crop in his tractor. This has triggered a tractor *obession* with Henry, the first word out of his mouth when he wakes is tractor (quite literally).

"What's that? A tactow! What's that? Wheew? What's that? TACTOW!!!"

Yesterday I went to collect my car from my mechanic, who is also a farmer (Ireland for you), and he let Henry 'drive' one of his tractors! Well, we've now created a Tractor Bore. We will never hear the end of it.

"Where is the tactow? Where did it dow?"

Deep, deep joy.

New Treasuries

2010-04-26T10:18:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow, Etsy will be running Treasuries from the trial Treasury East on the front page all day! So I took the time to make up a couple of Treasuries because you never know.

I have been choosing one of my own items as a starting point, and then hunting for items with similar colours to create a theme. I set myself a challenge of trying to include supplies and vintage items, not just handmade...the supplies often end up being the most effective!

The new Treasury East ranks the lists by the number of views and clicks they receive. So if you visit the Treasuries, always be sure to click all the items on your favourites!

Visit my treasuries....Night Garden and Black Cherry.

Pickle-making Sunday

2010-04-25T19:51:00.001+01:00

I made pickles today! Three litre jars of bread-and-butter pickles. Lidl had pickling cucumbers for sale so I brought home half a dozen.

Last time I visited my Aunt Sandie, she gave me some vintage canning books. She does tons of canning, and makes the best bread-and-butter pickles ever! The jars here are the French type canning jar, with the steel hasp and rubber gasket, and old canning books have instructions for using them.

The recipe I used called for brown sugar instead of white, and also cinnamon and ginger, so the pickles have a dark sweet syrup. They are really strong and aromatic. Such a treat to have bread-and-butter pickles in Ireland! And three big quart jars, I'm rich!

Buying Handmade

2010-04-23T16:05:00.001+01:00

I had money in my Paypal, so I thought I'd treat myself to a new handbag. A 12%-off-all-bags sale on DaWanda--Europe's answer to Etsy--sealed the deal! I've been pining for a bag from Etsy seller Bayan Hippo for ages, and lo and behold, she has a DaWanda shop, too! So I got this beautiful colourful new bag just in time for summer.

It is just exquisitely made, with roomy pockets inside and a clip to hold my keys (find? my keys?? crazy.) And she adds such lovely generous details, for instance the bag is shipped inside another colourful fabric drawtring bag! Mine is a fruity pink print. And she pins a few little charms and beads inside, including a lucky 'evil eye' bead, as she is in Turkey. I just love little details like that!

Catholic Crafts

2010-04-23T00:54:00.001+01:00

My grandmother was in the Workers of Mary when I was a girl. One of the things they would do is get together and make rosaries and scapulars to sell. Those ladies were all so crafty, they made everything, it was a virtue. So when they got together to do their Mary work, it's not surprising that they decided to make Catholic crafts.

I have a big box of vintage French prayer cards that I won on Ebay years ago, literally hundreds of them. They are amazing, the illustrations and printing are exquisite. Some of them are even hand painted, presumably by French nuns. Those French nuns could have taught the Workers of Mary a thing or two about Catholic crafts.

So when I got a notion to make Communion rosettes, I hunted through the box and picked out some of the Communion souvenir ones to use. Also in the box was a scapular, still in the packaging, that I must have bought at some point. It just appealed to me, a little felty thing on a string. I adore felty things and holy pictures and string, and soon I was making scapulars. I thought for a minute that it might be a completely mental thing to make, but then I remembered the Workers of Mary, my Grandma and her old lady buddies all sitting around nattering while making rosaries and scapulars, and then it seemed kind of nice.

My fascination with Catholic accoutrements has little or nothing to do with the Church, it's just about my Grandma and making pretty things. Everything is about making pretty things.

Learn more about my Communion rosettes and scapulars in my Etsy shop.

Some Crazy Quilt Pillows

2010-04-20T10:39:00.001+01:00

Little crazy quilts are my favourite things to make right now. The process is so cathartic. I love sitting at my sewing table and going through all of my fabrics and lace and trims and ribbons and arranging and rearranging, not even thinking too hard about it, just waiting until I feel all "oh, whooo!" and knowing that's how I want it.

And then I pack my quilt into my little sewing case, and keep it with me all week, sneaking a bit of embroidery every chance I get. With little two year old hands grabbing all the time..."No, Henry, that is mama's!" over and over and over. And then eventually I reach a point were I can't think of anything else to embroider, all done.

I made four little quilts in this last batch, always make at least two of something for some reason, or three or four. I made them into little pillows so that they seem useful. These four have nothing to do with each other, all different colours, but all pretty much the same for me, in the process.

All of these are in my Etsy shop, as always:)

Treasury East

2010-04-18T22:55:00.000+01:00

Etsy is having a trial with 'Treasury East', which opens up the Treasuries to everyone.

If you're not familiar with Etsy's Treasury, it's kind of a like the lists you can create on Amazon, collections of items grouped together by a colour or theme or whatever reason. The items on the front page of Etsy are often treasuries created by Etsy buyers and sellers.

Previously, in order to publish a Treasury, you had to watch the old ones expire until the perfect moment where you have about ten seconds to snag one. I've never had the patience to try, to be quite honest. But since Treasury East is as easy as copying and pasting, I thought I'd have a go.

I ended up putting together a spooky selection, inspired by those fascinating tooth earrings...muahahahaha.

Click here for a look!

first

2010-04-15T23:04:00.000+01:00

I have a habit of buying journals and sketchbooks, and then just keeping them forever blank because I'm afraid to write on the first page.

It's just terrible.