TomatoTea Website

Just a quick post to let you know the site (TomatoTea.net) will be down for the day. I've had to do some juggling with accounts through Mr Site and I am as yet unable to connect through FTP. Hopefully this is just some database issue that just needs 'refreshing' so I can access it later.

Hopefully it should be back up tomorrow morning, 12pm at the latest!

End of the Line: Part 2

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all the sellers on the Coriandr Express! You have all done a fantastic job and I would like to think I have made a few new friends on this journey! Here are the second half of the sellers on the Express:

Snapdragon Beads
Alices' beadwork amazes me. The colour combinations she chooses are wonderful and i love how she utilises each circle of beads in to different types of jewellery.





FruteJuce
Alison has an array of crafty skills which are present in her shop! My favourites however are the free motion machine embroidered baby and kids clothes.





CeeGeeJewellery
The jewellery at CeeGee is beautiful and made using only the highest quality findings and beads. Mostly one off designs, you can be sure of finding something unique!





Lej Jewellery
Not only does Joanne make lovely, affordable jewellery, she also makes handmade gifts such as bookmarks, sun catchers and cuff links.





Lottie Lodge
We should all take a page out of Lotties' book! Her stationery sets are made from out of date and otherwise useless annuals, exam papers and books. Recycling and reusing is the main theme in Lotties' shop but you will also find hand knitting and crochet too!





Tiny Pretty Things
Molly is one heck of and illustrator and artist! She makes beautiful one of a kind mini works of art on packaging card, making them eco friendly too!





Sweet Treat
Debbie specialises in making new pieces of jewellery from vintage beads and components. Old becomes new in this shop!





Heart and Soil Baskets
This is the shop that made me join Coriandr! Hen has an amazing talent and skill which is unfortunately becoming sparse here in the UK. I'm saving up for a Bread Basket to display my yarns in!





Ruby Spirit Designs
I've said it before and i'll say it again, I have no idea what it is about this shop, but it draws you in to have a closer look at all the awesome jewellery which are one of a kind.
10% off all items until the end of July!!





TomatoTea
And then there's me. You know what I do: hand knit, crochet, dye and spin yarn :)
10% off all yarn until the end of July!!

End of the Line: Part 1

What a super 10 weeks it has been! The Coriandr Express riders are now promoting the last VIP (No prizes for guessing who that is ;)) and so I thought I would use my days to promote them back. Here are the first 10 from the Express:

Dig The Earth
Kev's shop is chock full of lovely, bold and colourful cards, each printed locally on recycled card and packed in biodegradable packaging too. Don't forget to check out his hand drawn mirrors!





Blue Fish Handmade
Izabela's shop is full of her own crocheted designs. They are so delicate and beautiful. Just what every lady needs!





Handmaid
Julie prints her own fabric and uses her own designs to make them into beautiful accessories.





Kitty Ballistic
I adore Helen's felt creations. Not only do they look amazing but she brings each one to life in her descriptions. Helen also makes wonderful jewellery!





Pirate Pixie Crew
Arrrgh me hearties! Buy a hat from Lynne and sign yourself up to join the Pirate Pixie Crew! Each of Lynne's accessories are either Crocheted or Knit by hand and are available for kids and adults alike!





Creativesque
Stacey-Ann makes super jazzy stationery ranging from gift tags to mini envelopes and also creates mini works of art using watercolours!





Nic's Knots
Nic's shop is a haven for those who can never have too many bags. From diddy bags for the kids, to knitting project bags and pouches, there's lots of choice and if you fancy something in a different fabric, Nic will happily accept custom orders!





Mrs Toad Designs
Catherine is a master at making pretty little brooches out of felt. She also designs and makes beaded jewellery!





Chaotic Fusions
Debbie makes the most amazing dichroic glass pendants. She makes them all in her own studio with her trusty kiln.





Myfuroshiki
Mich and Olivas' shop brings you Furoshiki, the eco friendly way to wrap your gifts! No scissors, no tape just folding and knotting! These fabric squares can also be made in to an array of different bags!

July Giveaway: Follow Up

I have another exciting giveaway project to show everyone! July's winner, Kelly knit up this super cute Gnomey Hat, from Hello Yarn.




What would you do with next months yarn if you won? :D

Coriandr Express: Ruby Spirit Designs

This is the penultimate VIP on the Coriandr Express! Can you believe it? Todays VIP is that of Ruby Spirit Designs. Vintage beads and components become newly loved modern pieces of jewellery!

There's something about Tracy's shop that just draws you in. Be it the fantastic photography, the colours, the components or the complete items themselves, you really can't help but look a little closer...

My favourite items in the shop are these pins. As shown, they come in an array of different colours and, as with all items in Tracy's shop, are one of a kind. These will brighten up any outfit, bag, scarf or hat.

This delicate bracelet would be a great addition to a summer outfit. The turquoise and scarlet colours work so well together, emphasising and bouncing off of each other. This is a clasp-less bracelet, which is genius as some can be darn fiddly.

This bracelet is AMAZING. The colours are simply beautiful and the title, "Summer Pudding" is very fitting! Look at all the beads and charms! Its jam packed with loveliness and you can be sure of owning a unique piece, as Tracy makes each one slightly different so they all have their own appeal.

To find out more about Ruby Spirit Designs, take a look at the Coriandr Express Blog for an interview with the lady herself! You can also check out Tracy's blog and twitter for instant updates!

Coriandr Express: Sweet Treat

Its another small trip back in time to see the start of this weeks Coriandr Express VIP, Sweet Treat!

Sweet Treat is a Coriandr Shop owned by Debbie who loves to create jewellery using the vintage beads and findings she collects as well as using new components too. With this in mind you can be sure that using vintage beads makes each piece from Debbie unique and one of a kind. Debbie has a blog and a twitter account, so you can keep right up to date with whats happening with Sweet Treat!

Here are my favourite picks from her Coriandr shop:

Coriandr Express: Tiny Pretty Things

Today, we'll be going back in time to last weeks Coriandr Express VIP, Tiny Pretty Things.

As the shop name suggests, this shop is full of tiny pretty works of art by Molly McCausland. Her illustrations have so much character packed into a tiny space.


The mini works of art in particular are eco friendly, as they are drawn on to recycled and reclaimed packaging card. This card gives them a wonderful texture and the coloured pencils Molly uses stand out well against the grey card.


There are a couple of gouache paintings that are in this shop too. I really like the paired sets. "From The Sky" and "From The Sea" fill my imagination with stories about the two octopi, their possible creation and how they rule the sea and the sky. I am seriously tempted to by the set for my Nephew and new Niece for their room.


The other pair of paintings also takes me back to my childhood roots. These are super bright and colourful and the birdies are happily singing their songs.

Molly has a blog whcih she updates from time to time with new illustrations which really inspire the imagination! She also has a DeviantArt page with a gallery full of her illustrations and art!

Coriandr Express: Heart and Soil Baskets

Yikes, i've been on a bit of a hiatus from the online world and missed out on blogging two riders on the Coriandr Express! Massive apologies to the sellers. Instead of back tracking, i'm starting with our current VIP, Heart and Soil, however blog posts about Tiny Pretty Things and Sweet Treat will be posted in the next few days!

This has to be one of the most unique shops on Coriandr. The craftmanship (or should that be craftladyship?) of these baskets is truly breathtaking.


Each basket is made by hand by Hen using Somerset Willow. This is one of my favourites as it would be wonderful to display hand spun and hand dyed yarns in - especially at shows and craft fairs. Definitely on my list of wants!


The texture on this one is beautiful. It would be hard to resit going foraging with this on your arm! This would suit my Mum as she is always uses a far to small bowl to pick her herbs and salad from her garden.


We all talk about reusing carrier bags for our shopping and such. Why not be unique and show your support for basketry by using this handsome example for your groceries!

To find out more on Hen and her uber basketry skills, read the interview on the Coriandr Express Blog. You can also check out Hens' blog and twitter for WIPs and instant updates!

And The Winner Of The July Giveaway Is...

...the author of comment number 7, Kelly! I'll be contacting you shortly to obtain your address.

Theres still 10 more skeins up for grabs! Come back at the beginning of August for the next giveaway!

Apologies for my lack of blogging and general presence online. Things should be running more smoothly soon!

Coriandr Express: lottielodge

Today we are exploring the shop of Lottie Lodge! Knitting and recycling ahoy!


I adore this shop. I am constantly going back and looking at my 3 favourite items. Lottie is very much into recycling and reusing, and boy does she do it well! I think we all need to take a leaf out of Lotties' book :)


Having received some business cards in a swap with Lottie in one of her upcycled envelopes, I immediately fell in love! Currently in my favourites, I am soon hoping to treat myself to some of her upcycled stationery, particularly the 'Dictionary' set as it features some cool vintage images!


Lottie is a wizz at tablet weaving! Look at this beautiful band! As stated in her listing, this would be great as a bag strap or, if you purchased a smaller length a beautiful bookmark. Lottie has recently made a green band and this can be seen on her blog.


So this last favourite is not strictly an item, but it is a knitting pattern i'm very much interested in! Think of all the cool characters you could knit with a base like this! Fantastic :D

Find out more about Lottie over on the Coriandr Express Blog. Keep up to date with her and her projects on her blog and get instant updates on Twitter!

Coriandr Express: Lej Jewellery

Its been a jewellery filled week on the Coriandr Express!


Jo's shop on coriandr is filled with lovely bracelets, necklaces and earrings. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is all she makes however. Card making and cross stitch are also on her list of skills and projects involving these can been seen on her blog.

Here are 3 of my favorites from Jo's shop, click on any of the pictures for more information on them:


This shell bracelet reminds me of caramel! The natural colours are lovely


"This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home". Hehe, these are adorable!


Finally, this necklace would be great for a steampunk lover.

Keep up to date with Jo instantly through Twitter and don't forget to check out her blog for WIP's and updates!

July Giveaway

Its a new month, so its time for another yarn giveaway! Lynne of PiratePixieCrew won the first month, and made this awesome hat to auction off for charity! Keep an eye on the Autonomous Artisans Blog for updates regarding the auction.


This months yarn is in contrast to this crazy hot weather we're having (down here in Dorset, at least!). Blues and purples are the theme this month - what will you make? :D


This particular skein is 1 of 2 I called "Ocean Purple"... no cool story behind this name, its just random! There's over 72 meters of this 50% wool, 50% nylon blend which will knit up nicely on 4.5mm to 5.5 mm needles or alternatively a 5-6mm hook!

All you need to do is comment on this post for a chance to win :) On the 8th July, i'll use the random number generator on Random.org to pick a comment and the author of the comment will win! Huzzah! :D And please, only comment once!

Coriandr Express: CeeGee Jewellery

Delicate jewellery is where the train has stopped today.


CeeGee Jewellery uses only the highest quality beads, gemstones and findings so you can be assured of a beautiful item that will last. Most of CeeGee's designs are made in limited numbers and there are also some one of a kind pieces to choose from as well.


Each design is so simple, yet elegant. This is my favourite bracelet from the Coriandr shop. These beads are so beautiful, they remind me of shells and creatures beneath the sea. The silver is so delicate next to the beads, a great contrast.


Wouldn't these stunning earrings make the most wonderful Silver Wedding Anniversary present?


I couldn't resist featuring this awesomely cute necklace. This sweet cupcake pendant includes the silver chain, so the recipient can wear it right away!

To celebrate being a VIP on the Coriandr Express, CeeGee Jewellery is offering a very special 10% off of all the items in her Coriandr shop! This offer ends on July 6th, so be sure not to miss out on this opportunity.

Keep up to date with this seller through her blog or opt for quick instant updates through Twitter. If you're on Facebook, why not become a fan?