Meet the Maker.........Alison from "Alison Gibbs Creations"

I am so excited to introduce you to Alison and her wonderful creative pieces!  Sit down and put your feet up for a while, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and escape into another handmade adventure!

Name:  Alison Gibbs

Business Name:  Alison Gibbs Creations

Website:   www.alisongibbs.com

                 http://alisongibbs.blogspot.com.au/

Online storefronts:   Website shop

Facebook:

Twitter:  

Questions:

1.  So, tell us about yourself........

I live in Mt Martha.  I am a wife, mother to four and grandma to seven.

2.  Why handmade?

I grew up with a very creative mother, who could put her hand to anything - sewing, knitting, crocheting, oil painting and always paying attention to the finest of details.  Handmade creations are so satisfying to make and receive.  You put your heart and soul into what you create.  One thing I love about handmade pieces is that no two pieces are the same.

3.  What influenced you to start your business?

I couldn't find the jewellery I wanted to wear so decided to make my own.  My jewellery is made using vintage elements - cottons, ribbons, buttons, laces, beads and some costume jewellery for decorative accents.  My friends liked what I made and suggested trying to sell some.

4.  What type of products do you sell?

I create various things - necklaces, bracelets, hand-dyed lace cuffs, heart plaques, bunting and gift tags.

5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?

Oh wow - what are my inspirations??  When creating my jewellery, I love to lay out all the elements (lace, ribbons, trims, buttons, beads, etc) in different colour ways.  Then its a bit like....ah ha....this goes with this, this goes with that.  Its whatever takes me at that moment.

6.  Where do you sell your products?

I have a website www.alisongibbs.com  Some of my jewellery is also available at Open Drawer, 1158 Toorak Rd, Camberwell.  Appointments can be made to view my work. 

7.  How much time do you spend making your products each week?

Hard to judge how much time I spend creating as I currently babysit grandchildren four days a week, so free time is scarce.  Due to these time constraints, I probably only spend about 12 hours a week creating.

8.  Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?

I am lucky enough to have a studio - a room all to myself.  To dream, be inspired and create my pieces.  It is also somewhere to display my various pieces for people (by appointment) to come for a look.  

9.  Are you self taught or have you had a good teacher?

Definitely self taught.  I think I have my mothers 'can do' attitude.  I have a great group of friends who are very creative in so many aspects.  I tend to first off create for myself, then if I really like it, I will set about making a couple of similar pieces to sell.  If its not something I like myself, then I think probably no one else will either.

Rainy days......

Hello!  Yay!  Rain at last......I love a good rainy day, don't you?
I can almost hear my garden sighing with joy at getting a good soaking.....with more to come this afternoon apparently?  Oh I have my fingers crossed for a good storm and downpour for sure!

So here I am at home on this rainy day.  What am I doing?  Not a lot!  I haven't moved off my bed all day, my cats have taken up a permanent sleeping vigil next to me on the bed and the Mac has become my best friend today.......a day of surfing the Net for me.  I have taken a sick day.....thanks to some dodgy pizza we ate last night.  Ugh!!  Last night after picking up my son, I treated him to dinner at the beach and we had pizza.  This is not a regular occurrence in our house, we generally make our own wood fired pizzas and I wish I had done this last night......but as we were out and about, I got takeaway.  It was a good idea at the time and it was lovely sitting down the beach watching the huge stormfront move across the bay.  Not so nice later on I might add, when my stomach was doing acrobatics!  Today the dodgy pizza has manifested itself into a very annoying headache that is is resistant to Advil and my stomach is still doing backflips and forward rolls......bring on the Vegemite toast lunch.  This is what I resort to when not feeling great......and have done ever since I was little.  Mum used to make Vegemite dry biscuits or toast when we were not well and to this day, it is my "mucky tummy" food.  (Heading to the kitchen to prepare some as soon as this post is finished)

Apart from contemplating Vegemite toast snacks, I am busy looking up crocheting tutorials, as I have been wanting to learn for AGES!!  I picked up some crochet hooks at an op-shop last week and I have some knitting cotton floating around somewhere.....now I have to get started!!  The trouble is, I don't have the energy to pick up the hook and try to nut it all out!!  So today, I am content to watch a gazillion crochet videos, in the hope that some of it sinks in.

It always amazes me how (along with what I originally searched for in Google) I quickly get swept off to what seems like hundreds of craft inspired blogs and websites.  I mean really, what chance have I got??  It is like an addiction, I simply HAVE to look at them!  And don't get me started on Pinterest.......a whole week could be lost on there alone!  Now, where was I?  Oh yes, crochet!

What are you doing on your rainy day??

See you soon,

Jodie
MPH xx

Same shop, new name.....supporting local handmade

This morning I stopped by this jazzy, revamped shopfront in Dromana.......MP Kids!!!!  I have to say, it looks fantastic.......fresh, bright, eye-catching and as always, full to the brim of exciting gifts.  When I go into Helen's shop, the amount of stock always amazes me and Helen knows every bit of it.....I mean wow, that is quite a feat.......there is a lot!!  In saying that, I love to see what is new and the shop beckons you to browse, how could you not be enticed?  Even better, we always have a great chat and a laugh!  If you are in the market for a brilliant children's gift.....you will find it here!!

Helen is a great supporter of local handmade and I love how she doesn't exploit local makers.....and is happy to stock Peninsula-made products.  Selling wholesale, for a home based business, can be a nightmare.......retailers always want a LOW price, leaving the makers scratching their heads.  Sometimes it is truly disheartening.......I mean really, we are not sweat shops turning out thousands of items at miniscule prices.  These items are exactly what they say.......HANDmade with detail, care and pride.  I am pleased to say this is not the case at MP Kids.......xx

Please pop down to Helen's shop, say hello and get ready to be amazed by the array of cute clothing, gifts, toys, homewares.......and of course, local handmade items!!!  By supporting smaller retail shops, it helps local shop owners and the unique Peninsula home based business too!

Enjoy your day, whatever you may be up to!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPHxx

Meet the Maker..........Jacinta from "Roxyoxy Creations"

I hope you are all having a lovely evening......it has been a hugely busy day, hence the late posting of this week's Meet the Maker.....I hope you like it!!  May I present the very creative Jacinta, from Roxyoxy Creations!!!

Name:  Jacinta Oxford

Business Name:  Roxyoxy Creations

Website:  www.roxyoxy.com.au

Online storefronts:  www.roxyoxy.com.au

Facebook:  roxyoxy creations

Twitter:  n/a

Questions:

1.  So, tell us about yourself.......
I am a mother to 2 gorgeous kids, Ryan - 9 and Ajarnae - 7 and wife to an amazingly supportive hubby, who just adores me sooo happy creating my artwork.  I have had a HUGE career change since having kids, as pre-children I was an extremely busy DIETITIAN, running 5 private practises on the Mornington Peninsula and lecturing at TAFE and Cerberus too.  When I fell pregnant with my first child, I sold my practises as I knew I wanted to a MUM, first and foremost.  I have always been creative but since having  kids, this was exemplified with spending a lot of time with kids doing fun paper based activities.  I started playing around with simple wall art for my own kids rooms.  Friends saw my work and wanted me to create pieces for their children's bedrooms.  I just loved it.

2.  Why handmade?
Its such a wonderful thing to buy something someone has loving spent time creating for you.  I just love the originality, detail and effort that goes into handmade products.  Just inspiring!!

3.  What influenced you to start your business?
After making some artwork for girlfriends' children, they really encouraged me to branch out and start making art for others.  At the time, my kids were at school so I had a little more time during the day to think about maybe turning my art into a small business.  Hence Roxyoxy Creations started.

4.  What type of products do you sell?
I only sell beautiful, original 3D children's art which I design myself, make templates of every little piece, before meticulously hand cutting all the paper to create my design.  I mount and then frame them myself. All of my work has the feeling it is 3D, as I mount the paper with foam padding behind it.  I never make two pieces the same and can custom make artwork to suit individual colour preferences if required.

5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?
I draw inspiration from EVERYWHERE!  Children's illustrations, websites, t-shirt designs and "definitely" from my own children.  I am drawn to "old fashioned play" and the simple things that make kids happy.  Blowing bubbles, imaginary play, tea parties, cubbies, skipping, tree houses, beach, flying kites, etc etc.  In my own family, I am very much an advocate of encouraging "creative play" that doesn't involve technology!  My artwork is evolving all the time, as I get more confident, my skills develop, trends change and what people are asking for.  I have a head full of new ideas but TIME is the issue - there is simply not enough hours in the day.

6.  Where do you sell your products?
At this stage I am keeping my business small and selling at local markets (Red Hill) and occasional city markets (Mathildas and Boutique Markets).  I have a website set up so work can be viewed then ordered via my website.

7.  How much time do you spend making your products each week?
This varies from week to week, as my children's demands change.  I also do all the administration for my hubby's building business and exercise (running/cycling) is an extremely important part of my day.  On average I would spend 3-5 hours most days on my craft.

8.  Do you have a dedicated draft area or studio in your home?
At the moment I work from my home study - but my darling hubby says there are plans for a new studio in the near future!!  Wow, that's exciting!!!

9.  Are you self taught or have you had a good teacher?
I am completely self taught.  I have always collected and been fascinated with PAPER.  Ask my hubby!!  I say I am a PAPER ADDICT - I am like a kid in a candy store when I enter a paper shop - JUST LOVE IT!!  Since having the kids I just love everything about children's design, fashion, room decor, etc.  So being able to marry my two passions has been AMAZING!!  I just hope people love my work just as much as I adore making it for them!!!

New local market......to be or not to be???

I would love some feedback and comments today.......either via Facebook or reply on the blog or email.  Several ladies I know who have handmade businesses, ask me about starting a new "Makers" market here on the Peninsula.

What I would love to know from you all is, do we need another market down here??  We have quite a few...yes.....but do we have a 100% locally made market?  I think not.  Most of the local markets attract makers from far and wide......plus many from the Peninsula too.  I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to have purely Peninsula products, all in one place, showcased to the public.  I mean really, I know when I go on holiday, I am lured like a magnet to any local markets......women love to shop!!  Even when I am home, I still love markets!

So my question is.......How viable is setting up a "only locally handmade/homegrown market??  And where would we hold it?  And how often?  Once a month is probably overkill, but what about a quarterly market, or biannual market?  This would make it a bit more select, something more of an event!

And how do we go about setting up this market?  I don't know anything about this type of thing.......it could be really complicated.......  So, if it were to go ahead, I think a team of people could be the answer.  How do we fund the setting up costs?

So many questions!!  I know I am thinking out loud here and would really love your ideas......and quite possibly your help if it looks like a go!

Get your thinking caps on......

Cheers,

Jodie
MPHxx

Miles of smiles for local lasses......

It is days like today when my job here at MPH just makes me smile.  This evening I was driving out to St Andrew's Beach, to drop off some products of mine to a lady I had spoken with on the phone.  After I had arrived at her house, I was lucky enough to be shown around her studio.......which was exuding the most divine aroma of essential oils.  This lady is Judy from Gunbower Creek Olives & Olive Products and she is just so lovely and very, very clever.  She makes all her skin care products in her backyard studio, from organic and natural ingredients.  They are most beautifully packaged and presented.

To say the least, I was thoroughly impressed!  Judy was kind enough to give me some lovely foot balm to try....

Even more exciting.......Judy will be commencing soap making classes in the future.  I am signing up for sure!!  I only use handmade soap at home and have always wanted to make my own......Yippee!  I left Judy's house filled with such inspiration and thrilled that I had found yet another wonderful local business.   I am discovering so many new products that are Peninsula made......we are very fortunate in our little piece of the world to have such a vast array of talented makers.  Stay tuned to read about Judy in a Meet the Maker post soon.

Last week I also met another lovely local lady, Karina Reyne from The Noble Box.  Like Judy, Karina gave me a warm welcome into her home.  The Noble Box is an online gift box store, specialising in eco-friendly, organic, handmade, fair-trade products which look wonderful too.  I love how Karina promotes and supports these types of products.....they are worlds apart from sweat-shop produced, cheap imported goods.  The gift boxes can be ready made selections, or you can choose the "create your own" option.  There are a wide range of products to choose from: children's gifts, stationery, skincare, clothing......just to name a few.  A great option to give a gorgeous gift, which doesn't contribute to destroying our gorgeous planet.

If you are lucky enough to be visiting the Sustainable Living Festival's  The Green Market  at Federation Square this weekend, then keep an eye out for Karina and Judy at their combined stall.  They are promoting locally produced Peninsula products, so pop by and take a look.  The market is running from Friday Feb 17 at 12pm to Sunday Feb 19 at 5pm.  I am hoping to sneak up there on Sunday.....fingers crossed!!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Meet the Maker..........Jo from "Old Flowers 4 Me"

Hello and good morning.......
Today we have a peek into the world of Jo Anderson and her business, Old Flowers 4 Me, situated at Fairy Cake Pond.  Jo and her creations are quirky, vintage, unique and full of whimsy.......lets have a look..........

Name:  Jo Anderson
Business Name:  Old Flowers 4 Me

Website:  oldflowers4me.blogspot.com

Online storefronts:  N/A

Facebook:  Fairy Cake Pond

Twitter:  N/A

Questions:

1.  So, tell us about yourself.......
I feel like I am about to giggle.......I'm Jo Anderson, I am wife, lover and friend to Mr Australia and we have four naughty divine children, Jessica Opal (26), Jordie (24), Jeremiah (18) and young Angus (14) and a boy cat named Mr Bella Donna.  I live at a place called Fairy Cake Pond....you may smile but it is true.  I love to recycle, op shop and I have a veggie garden too.  Big shopping centres do my head in.  I'm just a girl, who loves singing and skipping....... I had no idea how to use a computer until a few years ago.  Jessie Opal said to me, "Mum, I am going to set up a blog for you".  She set it up alright and then left me to it, so that was the start of Old Flowers 4 Me.

2.  Why handmade?
I have always handmade things for birthdays or Christmas, presents for my family or best friends.

3.  What influenced you to start your business?
My jewellery started with me not being able to find any......so I just started making my doll necklaces.  I love them and I get stopped most days and people ask about them.

4.  What type of products do you sell?
I don't know if I like the word "product".....I keep thinking about that.  I make things that make people smile, that make people happy.  I make fairy tales under glass-made out of unwanted things....like little old dolls and tea sets, cup cakes, birds, things of beauty, to me anyway.  I make food covers as well, very over the top like, lots of colour!

5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?
My inspirations.....it is like holding a bag of 100's and 1000's!  I have so many things and people that inspire me....old travel dolls, tea sets, child-like things, my taxidermy rabbits, velvet ribbons, old wedding dresses, butterflies, flowers.. oh yes fresh flowers, cake shops, op shops, book shops, even fruit shops!  Over the years I have met so many divine people, some artists, Mirka Mora, William White, David Bromley, Victoria Spring, Jan Fryer.  I would love to sip tea and eat cake with many more.

6.  Where do you sell your products?
Once a year, I have a stall at Christmas at the Studio and I sometimes sell things in the new shop in Blairgowrie - White Nest.  I have sold my things in Antipodes in Sorrento as well.....or by appointment here at Fairy Cake Pond.

7.  Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?
A studio at home, yes the whole house is my studio, room upon room!  The whole house is over full with inspiration, which makes it a great studio!  Fresh flowers, to the rugs on the floors, the cast iron bed painted in the colour of deep lilac, to the lead light window of a fairy.

8.  Are you self taught, or have you had a good teacher?
I have never been to art school.  My best friends and I talk about making things all the time.  Books and magazines are great for ideas.

Happy Valentines Day

Hello to everyone,
Just a quick post wishing you all a Happy Valentines Day!!
I hope whatever you are doing will be special!
Stay tuned tomorrow for our new Meet the Maker.....

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

All you need is love.......

That day is just around the corner......yes, Valentine's Day!  Whether you celebrate it or not, it is nice to know that for some, it is a special day.  It always brings back memories of a young me........at high school, hoping for a romantic anonymous card, slipped into my locker or letterbox.  Alas, the locker Valentines card never materialised......but I do remember getting a card in my letterbox once.....many years after the nervous high school time......not from some mysterious stranger, but from my boyfriend at the time.  Very sweet!

These days, when I mention Valentines Day, my partner looks at me in horror and mumbles some unintelligible comment and then strides off, as fast as his legs will carry him.  The actual day comes and goes in my household, like any other day.  If he happens to be down on the Peninsula, I could perhaps hope for a nice dinner?  But usually he is up in the city and gets off the hook nicely!  Don't get me wrong, my "has an answer for everything" other half, can be quite romantic and even chivalrous, but only when he plans to, not because of a day on the calendar.  So I patiently wait........for his next plan, lol.

Now, if you are one of those hopeless romantics or you just want some love trinkets to display around your house......I have the handmade solution for you!!

Valentines Love Message Hearts tutorial:


From the very talented Kim Archer at Etzcetera Magazine.  She has created these very cute hearts, with embroidered messages on them.  Link for tutorial:  Valentines Love Message Hearts

Valentines Love Blocks Tutorial:

And if you have a hubby or partner who can whip you up some timber blocks ready to decorate (or you can get timber cut to size at your local supplier, such as Bunnings).  I found this groovy Valentine Love Blocks tutorial from the talented family over at Six Sisters Stuff. These blocks are so easy to make and the huge choice of beautiful scrapbooking papers to use is amazing.   I can see some made in neutral colours, looking right at home in my front lounge room!  In case you are wondering where you can get Mod Podge, I happened to spot some the other day in Spotlight, or most craft stores would stock it.
Link for tutorial:  Valentines Love Blocks

Weekend markets:
Don't forget to pop into some local markets this weekend if you have the time.......
Saturday:  Rosebud Primary School market
Sunday:  Mornington Racecourse market

Have a brilliant weekend.....and don't forget your umbrella, some rain has been forecast!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Handmade in the laundry!

I don't know about you, but I can walk down the laundry powder aisle in my local supermarket and just get bogged down with the endless variety of products.  I mean really, how many types of washing powder do we need?  And don't get me started on the prices! Personally, I try to buy the most eco-friendly and natural product I can find, hopefully at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately, the powders that claim to be (and hopefully are) eco-friendly are generally the higher priced products.  So, what to do?  Well, I am glad you asked......

Make your own!!  Yes, you can.  Plus, it works........yippee!  OK lets go......
I have made both dry and liquid laundry detergents and I like both.  Obviously the powder form is a lot easier to store, just pop it into a nice jar or container in your laundry and that's that.  The liquid form requires storage in plastic containers, that you can shake from time to time.  Recycled 2 litre plastic bottles are ideal for this and you can store them in your laundry cupboard.

Ok, how do you do this and where do the ingredients come from?
First of all, the ingredients are available at your local supermarket.   If you want to make the mixture smell deliciously nice, add some pure essential oils from your own stash or head down to the health food store to stock up.   I love lavender and bergamot.......sounds like a weird combination but it smells divine!  I also use water soluable lavender in my rinse cycle of my front loader.......it beats using store bought softener with artificial fragrance.

Liquid Laundry Detergent recipe:
1 cup of soap (Lux flakes)
1/2 cup of washing soda (powder, not the crystal form!)  see pic below

1/2 cup of Borax (usually found in the cleaning aisle of supermarket)

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, mix all the dry ingredients into 1 1/2 litres of water.
Heat the mixture gently and stir until ingredients are completely dissolved.
Remove from heat.
In a large container (I used a 9 litre bucket), add 8 litres of cold water.
Then add the soapy liquid from the saucepan to the cold water and mix.
(I use a plastic paint stirrer from Bunnings or you can use a large spoon)
The mixture will gradually thicken when it cools and turn into a liquid gel.
Keep stirring for a while after it thickens for a better consistency.
Before you bottle it, add some essential oils for fragrance if you like.
The mixture will thicken more, so don't make the mistake I did and buy a container with a tap!
Use bottles with a good size opening and you will need to give the mixture a good shake from time to time.

Use 1/4 cup to each load of washing.

COST:  Approximately $2.00 AUD for 10 litres!  And it lasts for ages!


Laundry Powder recipe:
4 cups of grated laundry soap or flakes
2 cups of borax
2 cups of washing soda powder

Mix these all together and put into a container.
Use 2 tablespoons per wash.
Suitable for front and top loaders.

I usually sprinkle some essential oil in too and give it a good mix around in the powder.

This recipe is not as economical as the liquid form, but at least the ingredients are known, unlike commercial brands which are full of fillers and other nasties!

I hope you give one of these a try.....
My tip:  If you hate supermarket shopping, go for the liquid version.  It lasts such a long time!!

Inspired love.....

After a hectic few days....here I am, ready to share some news!  First of all, sorry for lack of posting yesterday.....I had to head off to the city (hate, hate, hate) to see my doctor.  My doctor was running an hour late and after nearly nodding off in the waiting room I came very close to dropping my Kindle on the carpet (due to nodding off.....) Then getting stuck in the Nepean Highway traffic jam nightmare, I finally made it home about 6pm, exhausted!  The thought of tapping out an inspiring post on the blog was far from my mind, so I sneaked off to bed at 9pm (an early night for me!)

Before I snuck off for the night, I was delighted to find a new issue of Tickle the Imagination out now!!  Yay!  This issue is all about weddings, love and Valentines day!  With sneak peeks at real weddings.  Perfect if you are planning your nuptials.......or just want to sigh about all the love and inspiration!

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Handmade last night.......

I had a few ladies over last night for a class, learning some more about the Bigshot machine.  What is this you may ask?  It is a die cutting and embossing machine, that is the back bone of my stash of paper crafting equipment.  I love this thing!!  It is nicknamed my "Biggie" and it churns out some gorgeous paper effects and shapes.

So, what can you make with it??  The list is endless......obviously you can emboss patterns into paper and it also cuts out shapes using die cuts (templates that cut shapes).  Boxes, envelopes, shapes, letters, numbers, it has die cuts for many different uses available.  And gorgeous embossing effects too.  The materials to use with the die cuts are amazing......over 50 different types.  Metal, fabric, paper, cork, felt, card.....so many!!!

What did we make last night?  I showed the ladies some different uses for the assorted Bigshot dies and embossing folders.......something other than card making and scrapbooking applications.  OK, we did make one card, but slightly different than a regular greeting card.

First of all, we used the Bigshot to emboss some flower shapes I had pre cut, using metal flashing.  You can see them in the picture below.  I then drilled holes in the flowers, ready for the girls to attach the string too, to make a wall mobile.

The girls had emailed me a favourite saying, which I then printed out, omitting some words.  We then used the Bigshot to cut out letters in patterned paper and adhered them onto the poster, in the spaces left blank.  See sample below:

 

And for the last project, we made a gift voucher card........so much nicer than those daggy ones from Coles Myer or such.  This is a greeting card and card holder all in one.......

The ladies all had a good time.....and I am loving the new craft class space I have and feeling rather spoilt to have it.

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Meet the Maker.........Donna from "Little Boubba"

Many thanks to Donna for providing this lovely insight into her day to day life and business...

Name:  Donna McCall
Business name:  Little Boubba

Website:  Little Boubba blog

Online storefronts:  www.madeit.com.au/Littleboubba
                               www.etsy.com/shop/Littleboubba

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/littleboubba

Twitter:

Questions.

1.  So, tell us about yourself........
I am a SAHM to 3 gorgeous children, Bayleigh 9, Sienna 7 and Tanner 2, who keep me very busy with all their parties, after school activities and interests.  We moved to the Mornington Peninsula 18 months ago and although it took a little while to get used to, I can't imagine ever going back.  As a family we do a lot of water sports, so we spend a lot of time on the Murray River on down at the beaches.

2.  Why handmade?
Why not?  I love beautiful material and trims.  I am the sort of person that looks at most things and thinks "I can make that!".

3.  What influenced you to start your business?
My influence came one day when I was looking for a bib to put on Tanner, who was then about 9 months old and I couldn't find one anywhere, so I decided to get the machine out and whip up a few.  A few friends saw them and suggested I start to sell them online, so I took their advice and it has grown from there.

4.  What type of products do you sell?
My product range is growing all the time because I love trying new things.  At the moment I make and sell fabric covered Notebooks and Diaries, Bibs, Ribbon lankies, Ruffled nappy covers, Sienna tops and dresses.  I have just ventured into the land of dolls, which I am really, really enjoying but have a long way until they are as gorgeous as many of the other sellers.

5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?
My inspiration comes from boredom, if that makes sense?  I love to be making and I love to challenge myself, so that inspires me to give new things a go.  My children also give me a lot of inspiration, as most of my fabrics and products are aimed at that end of the market.

6.  Where do you sell your products?
I sell mostly on Facebook.  I have had some success on both Etsy and Madeit, but have had trouble keeping the stores stocked, as I was making a lot of customer orders which I have now stopped.  So I hope to be able to get back into selling on the handmade sites again.  I have done a couple of markets but they are very hit and miss.  I really think you need to be a regular to really have success.

7.  How much time do you spend making your products each week?
How long do I spend making my items....well how long is a piece of string literally?  Some weeks it is as little as 20 hours, but much more often it is 40-plus hours.  I always feel like I should be creating and staying on top with all the new fabrics.  I buy a LOT of fabric, so as soon as it all arrives, I have to be creating with it immediately!

8.  Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?
My craft dedicated area is a running joke in my house, my husband has 3 double garages and a dedicated office and I have literally a corner in our kids lounge that is my whole sewing desk.  I cut on the kitchen bench and all my fabrics are in various cupboards around the house.  We have been discussing putting a studio on to the house this year.

9.  Are you self taught, or have you had a good teacher?
All of my sewing is self taught.  I did textiles at school and surprisingly, it was NOT my favourite subject.  I have always sewn and have had a machine since my 18th birthday.  I have since upgraded that machine and really think I need to take a couple of classes, to teach me how to use this fancy new one :).