Herbert and Friends - Handmade Softies by Torunn

I'll start off by saying I'm not getting married, I'm making wedding crafty things with some good friends of mine that are getting married this Saturday. Yesterday we made a bunch of moustaches on chopsticks that will be available to experiment with at the reception. It was pretty funny to play around with different looks, but I don't think I'll be getting a moustache any time soon, mind you I think it really suits Lucy (bottom left)! 

The other wedding related craftiness we pursued was making buttonholes for the groom and other significant men. These are made of, as you can probably see, buttons and also watch parts and held together with wire. The wedding is somewhat steam-punk themed, hence the watch parts and metallic look with splashes of colour. I think they're going to look great! I'll be sure to take some photos to show you the buttonholes in action on the day.

Monthly masterpiece is on its way, a little delayed but will definitely be ready before we leave for Sweden on Sunday!

I received a very exciting email over the weekend, it was an acceptance email into the next Plush You! Seattle exhibition!!! It's in October so I have a bit of time to think, design, sew and come up with something truly amazing! Unfortunately I won't be able to go over for the show but that's the problem with living on a large remote island, the rest of the world is far, far away.

The second bit of news is that Oscar is going to a new home, he's moving to Florida! Some of you may not know Oscar, here are some photos below. He was among the first of my critters to be made and definitely a favourite. So much so that he doesn't come to market and almost joined my permanent collection but he kept a presence on Etsy just in case the perfect new owner came along. I have a feeling that Oscar is going to a very good home. It's sad to see him go but I hope he brings lots of happiness to his new home!

I have just finished a little Etsy update. I've added these three anteaters and three turtles. I'll add some foxes, alpacas and wombats as soon as I can! Now I have to get started on my business homework. Have a great weekend!!!

Just when you think life is going to slow down a little and give you some breathing space it picks right back up again! I have just three weeks left until I leave for Sweden and in the meantime I'm doing a full-time small business management course so I can learn all about my little business and the most efficient way to run it. I just completed day 1 which wasn't too bad at all. Business management isn't exactly my idea of fun but it's something I need to learn, if I get really good and quick at those less exiting things there's more time for sewing, designing and drawing! It was a little unexpected to start the course before I leave but I figured I may as well dive into it now and get some of it done. 

Over the weekend I finally managed to do the blog rounds after being fairly absent from the blog world for close to a month. It was great to see what people have been up to, what they've been making etc. In the process of doing this I came across an illustrator called Ghost Patrol. I've seen his work around the place but it wasn't until I had a good look at his website and the hundreds of illustrations that I realised just how much I really like them! Some of them are quite dark, contrasting with his style of drawing which I find intriguing.  Here are a few samples of his work but I recommend a browse on his website!

It's been a super fun, exciting and exhausting couple of days at the Finders Keepers market! It was awesome to be able to share it all with Kate from Eight Sparrows! After doing so many markets solo it's really nice to share a stall, it makes it all so much easier especially since Kate is the more organised one out of the two of us! She's also an expert merchandiser and has beautiful props which made our stall look fabulous if I may say so. Thanks Kate!!! Below are some photos of our stall. Because we were in room one there was no natural light coming through and with the black curtain behind us it gives the photos a bit of a theatrical look which I really like. 

It was great to see so many of my little creatures find new homes with lovely people and there were heaps of friends and familiar faces that came by which is always a pleasure. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the market so enjoyable!

A great thing about sharing a stall is that you can take a bit of time to check out the rest of the market. There was a great variety of high quality products, I always love the illustration stalls and printed fabric/tea towel-like things. The stand-out illustrators for me were flossy-p and benconservato, for printed fabrics/home-things it would be me and amber and The Near Future where I bought a mother's day present! I'm generally not big on clothes shopping but there was one stall Kindling that had some super-cute clothes where I almost bought a dress but unfortunately they had sold out of my size.

This was the last market for a while because next month I'm off to Europe for a holiday! I should be back at the Eveleigh Artisan's market in July. My Etsy store will be updated in the next couple of weeks and until then if you would like to buy something that isn't in my shop feel free to send me an email!

Time has flown by and suddenly I only have one day to finish prep for the big market!!! Today I'm working on brooches and owls if I find the time, then I'm off to see Ross Noble tonight for some well earned laughs. It'll be just what I need to get over the stress! Tomorrow before set up I have about 50 stories to write so I need to be feeling calm and creative. 

In case you haven't read my last posts and haven't seen the flashing sign to the right, Finders Keepers is on tomorrow (Friday) 6pm - 10pm and Saturday 10am - 6pm at the Carriage Works, 245 Wilson Street
Eveleigh, corner of Codrington Street. It's a short walk from Redfern station. Hope to see you there!!! By the way we'll be in room 1.