I'll Show you mine Wednesday - Crafty Market

So, the Market has been and gone... how did it go? Well, for my first ever market experience it was FUN! I met some new people (more about that later) I made a little bit of cash (covered all the costs and had enough left over to be considered profitable), listened to some lovely music and ate some GREAT food! So all up it was ACE!

The atmosphere was great, lots of chatting and laughter. Everyone was set up by around 12 so it was a leisurely start to a Sunday morning, no rushing around and the crack of dawn to get set up! Plus the building was warm and toasty when we arrived, much to my relief! (I had imagined the co-op building to be a huge open area with no heating ! There were about 4 different bands/performers on throughout the day plus a special treat towards the end when 4 belly dancers entertained us by balancing swords on their heads!!

So once everything was set up there was time to take it all in and have a look around! I was really pleased to see lots of young talent and a really wide selection of different items! There were clothes, bags, hats, original artwork, jewelery, toys, homewears..... all sorts of stuff!!!

We both took some time to browse around and check out what was on offer, Barry was particularly taken with:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CuteButGeeky

he really liked her things and browsed for quite a while!

There were plenty of offerings from our lovely Etsy team, I was lucky enough to be on the table next to Edana from:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SailmakersDaughter

and we chatted for for a while which was really nice! Her little sister was also performing with her friend, so we listened to some of their original tunes!

I also met Sheena from http://www.etsy.com/shop/sheenapower she's just starting out so check out her shop and show our support!

Later on who should come bouncing over but the lovely Tanya Mac!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TanyaMac

who had a great selection of her gorgeous brooches and headbands and all sorts!!! I was interested to hear that she recycles scraps of fabric from another of our Etsy pals.... so I have struck a bargain with her to do the same, after all we should help each other out when we can!!

I also saw some lovely hair clips from

http://www.etsy.com/shop/thebluesylph

Possibly the only bad thing about the market was the fact that I was positioned right next to a HUGE display of amazing looking cupcakes!!!! which were very tempting indeed!

We certainly ate our fill while we were there! I had a plate of "Sunshine" which was a selection of fantastic Greek dips, bread, beans and cous cous and Barry had a Pizza which must have been good as a) he didn't offer me any and b) dissapeared in seconds!! Astonishingly he still had room for a lovely Chocolate brownie... I had some lemon slice and a cup of tea and felt very drowsy and satisfied!

What a fun way to spend half a Sunday!!

My sewing Nook-and some tips for yours by TwoBoos

Hi! I’m Hayley, half of TwoBoos. We moved to

Ireland about 10 months ago and part of that move was obviously setting up a new “nook” for my crafting! Back in Sydney I had a VERY small

area in a house that we shared with two other people.

I tried to think of the area as an opportunity to test me and make the most of the space, rather than the tiny hobbit hole under the stairs that it was!

I found a tall narrow bookcase in the junk room that tucked into the corner nicely and I got a VIKA AMON table from IKEAwhich slotted under the stairs. I used one end for my sewing machine and the other for cutting and laying things out.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that no matter what space you have it’s possible to make the most of it with some clever storage and the right furniture!

Look at this great example that I found:

It’s a tiny little corner but they have fitted so much in!

Everything has a home but it doesn’t look to regimented or sterile!

I love that they are surrounded by colour!

Find a way of organising your area so it suits YOU and only YOU. You work there so make it personal!

When I came to Ireland we were lucky enough to have a spare bedroom, we decided that it needed to be a guest room, office, sewing room AND storage room… it’s not huge so we had to split it!

Whatever size space you have, think about:

What do I have?

What do I need?

What do I use?

I started by looking at what I had to begin with, a heap of fabric, my machine, findings, patterns etc…. and thought about what I’d need to store them. I hate rummaging for fabric in boxes so I chose to hang the fabric that I used the most on the rail, small pieces were folded into the SKUBB hanging shelves.

The fabric that I hardly ever use is under the bed in a big flat storage box so it doesn’t get too creased. Remnants and left overs are in the tub under my hanging rail.

All the little bits and pieces like buttons and zips I keep in a big chocolate tin (mainly because I like the idea that old ladies do that so it must be good). I also bought the HELMER drawer unit so I could sort my stuff easily rather than having it sloshing around in huge drawers. I have a draw for paper, one for cables and computer stuff, one for postage packets, one for sweets and chocolate (essential), one for brochures and books and the top one is just for junk. I use my laptop and sewing machine the most I make sure they both have a permanent space. (if I’m sewing something large my laptop sits in front of my printer).

So, stuff I have is stored in a place which suits it, stuff I need is easy to access and stuff I use is out and ready to go.

It’s also really important to remember that your space is for YOU! Don’t worry if it looks cluttered or messy, if that is what you like! Always surround yourself with inspiration and ideas, I have a collage above my desk that is constantly changing! If I see something I like I just stick it on there! Then if I run out of ideas I can sit and look at it, that usually gets my brain in gear!

There are some great storage ideas out there and I like to look at this great site called Apartment Therapy, here are a couple of their articles that I found inspiring!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/flickr-finds/flickr-finds-sewing-room-brings-thoughts-of-spring-079101

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/workspace/diy-tour-marthas-crafts-room-076244

IKEA also has some fantastic solutions for sewing or craft rooms! (not to mention a FANTASTIC range of fabrics to help you spruce up your studio!!!)... You may even see both the Boos there!