Christmas in August

Way back in June, the Artisan Crafts Club over on deviantArt kicked off the ‘Christmas in August’ Event. Deviants who participated were given the name of another deviant to make a box and gift for. Kind of like a big artisan secret santa :D We knew who we made something for but we didn’t know who would be making something in return.


My deviant was ZyPressQ. I knew she liked making plushies so i put together a little treasure chest of supplies to make a couple. The chest was a paper mache box bought from a craft store and I ‘prettied’ it up by covering it in wood paper, gold pen and lined the inside too.

I have to admit i was worried when i didn’t receive a box in August, but my ‘gifter’ dropped me a note to let me know all is well and i was excited all over again :D


I received it yesterday....


OMG!!


I cannot tell you how happy i was when i opened it all up :D First of all i squeed with delight at the box itself.

I LOVE anything anyone makes of my character Maroon <3 And well i think what was inside the box (after i took it all out of the package and put it in there XD) will speak for itself :) Thank you Sally!!!!

Roxy Wrap FO

Wow. I never thought i would finish this.

Whats more is that i LIKE it. I have really surprised myself :o I think i will be wearing this during Autumn/Winter.


Originally when i started it i liked it.... then i read some things around the internet about how most people dislike fancy yarns, and found blogs about “What not to Knit/Crochet” and it had me quaking in my boots!


But i persevered. I finished it. Mostly because i wanted to start on my new cotton cardigan and this had been laying around for well over 6 months.


But really. It fits. Its comfortable. Its warm - not hot. And I will wear it.

...Unlike my poor first project... *sigh* I LOVE that bolero. But its 100% wool. Too hot, not practical, a little on the small side... but never mind. It was my first clothing project and all in all that was a success too.

mirrored from tomatotea.net

WIPs and FOs

Busy busy.

Heres a little look at what i’ve been up to :)

mirrored from tomatotea.net

YouTube Crafty Treat

Its probably been seen by many before but I just had to share.


Some may say ‘Whats the point in that?”


I say, its a very creative mind at work. Think of the presentational opportunities for chefs (with hygienic gloves or something of course ;))!!

mirrored from tomatotea.net

Alive and Kicking

A kick up the bum is in order i believe.

Consider it done.

Also.

tomatotea.net

Tell me what you think. I'll be mirroring posts from that blog over here too, just in case... something goes wrong.... cause its bound to really, isnt it?

Uhh, it might take some time to load. Or not. I dont really know. Which is quite helpful, dont you think? I think if you just navigate away from a page that seems to be taking forever and go back to it, it'll load. Or you may not have any trouble at all.

One can dream, anyway :)

Thank you, Nina :)

Best surprise ever.

Big hugs for you!

Also... i may be getting back into sculpey :o I haven't touched my stash of the stuff for a long time now. But as i'm gearing towards supplies, i think i will make some charms. I have looked into buying some plastic/acrylic etc ones... but to be honest im not sure of the quality. Like the paint is all over the place and although they are cute, i just don think its good enough. So. Wish me luck.

...Still no joy for the screen printing either. The sun doesn't want to come out when i'm available to do it!! Doh.

Available on: Etsy // DaWanda // PinkDoodle

Damn you, UK Weather!

It hasn't rained properly for about 6 weeks.

Today, the day i would have liked to have exposed my screen for printing and it is absolutely tipping it down.

Sod's law or what?

And to top it all off, i have a cold or chest infection or something.

It's July for goodness sake. I feel like absolute sh..

:(

Last Thursday continued...

I never got round to explaining the unpleasantness last Thursday (26th June).

After a great day out at Weymouth, i came back to find the post. I had been expecting a package and was a little disappointed it hadn't arrived but thought it would arrive the next day. Next thing i know, my Mum was watering the front garden and found some rubbish. She was about to throw it away when she saw my name and our address on there. It was the remains of a package - the contents had been half-inched :/

I cannot tell you how angry I am.

The postman is an idiot. Our regular one was on holiday - he would have done the right thing and taken it back to the sorting office. But no. On that particular day when i was expecting a £22 package, the new guy leaves it outside in plain view for someone to steal. Laziness. Pure and simple. I'll be writing a letter of complaint... not that anything will come of it. That postman needs to be physically told NOT to leave parcels outside someones house. Geez, he could have used his noggin and left it with one of the neighbors. Thats safer than leaving it outside.

Anyway. Unfortunatly the company have run out of stock of that item, are filling a compensation claim and giving me a refund. Its sad really as its not their fault at all. But this is sods law. I found somewhere else that stocks the stuff... its a little bit more expensive but never mind. The next two days im staying put - im not letting some idiots (most likely kids) nick something that:

a) Doesnt belong to them
and b) Something which they will not have known what it was for. Seriously - who steals photo emulsion... apart from a screen printer of course :p

Ah well. The main point is, im getting a refund :)

Available on: Etsy // DaWanda // PinkDoodle

Available on: Etsy // DaWanda // PinkDoodle

New Supplies

Well, after yesterdays events (i'll explain tomorrow :/) it was a nice surprise to recieve some more supplies today. I've posted the first lot of buttons on Etsy already and will be adding them for the next couple of days at around 17:00 BST (UK).

I set up shop over on DaWanda today :) Its a very nice place and i really dont know why i didnt sign up sooner.

The trip over to Weymouth yesterday was fantastic.

It was so nice to get away from home even if it was only for half a day. My mum and I took the train and on the hour long journey watched the world go by. And well, i couldnt not take my knitting with me XD

But seriously. It was a perfect summers day, exactly what i expect from our British summer - blue skies with a few stray clouds to add interest. I love clouds <3

We explored a lot this time round. We usually stay near the town and sea front. But we went up by Nothe (?) Gardens and found a nice little walk around there :)
Ahhh. Till next time, Weymouth.

I have fallen in love with a few of the patterns in Rowans 'Big It Up' Pattern book.

Alas, the yarn is priced at £7.25 a ball :/ Its a pitty the store i work at doesn't carry all the colours as i could save a hefty 25%. Even so, the projects would still cost around £50

Maybe i should start playing the lottery :3

In other news...

Projects are ticking along behind the scenes. Now that the cameras battery can charge ( i think i broke the charger... >.>; ) i will be taking some pictures shortly.

In the meantime, i'm off to Weymouth tomorrow. It will be nice to get away from here, even if its only for the day. I love beaches. Doesn't matter where, i love them. I feel at home. And boy, does that sound corny :3

deviantArt Silent Auction & Contest for the AC Gallery

devaintArt News Link

I've decided to participate in this silent auction. I think i'm right when i say 1 in 3 of of are directly effected by breast cancer (either by having it ourselves or knowing some one who has had it). So for this great cause i'm going to make something for the auction. My initial thought was either a pink purse or pink bag (pink being the colour for Breast Cancer Awareness)... or perhaps both as a set :)

Donations are accepted until the 20th July, so theres some time for us all to donate something! :)

New Buttons For Sale :D

I can't find any fabrics I'd like to sell...

...So i'll make my own :)

Yup. I'm gonna screen print my own fabrics. Or at least for the moment i will be exploring this. I'll be buying a kit tomorrow from work (discount for experiments = DANGEROUS XD), I've ordered two, 2 meter lengths of fabric to print on and i have some designs floating around in my head :)

I think i'll print on some of my parcel roll too, as well as some left over wall paper we have... could make for nice wrapping paper :O

Wish me luck and stay tuned.

... and i wish my new button stock would arrive soon :( Need to list some new supplies to keep the interest going.

New Items

Available on etsy :)

HOT CAKES

Woah! Those buttons are selling like hot cakes on Etsy! I won't have any left if it keeps going like this! I will need to find a new supplier if i run out :/ But i have different stock on the way. I have a feeling this was a good investment... or at least, I hope it was.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade tomatotea.etsy.com

I also posted unwanted items on eBay too. I never dreamt of selling so much on there O_O; same with these buttons i suppose.

Perhaps supplying buttons will be my new calling...

Guess the next few months will tell me.

Supplies For Sale!

The buttons came and are now up for sale on my Etsy :) Click the pictures for individual listings.

More will be added over the next few days.




I will also be adding a few listings to eBay as well, as it is 5p listing day tomorrow :o

Wish me luck.

Bags of Fun

Busy at last :)

Rouge Bleu is already avaliable over on Etsy and Coccinelle Verte will be available for sale on Monday (2008/06/09)

I loved making these and already have a stash of yarn and fabrics to make more :)

I'm also in the process of designing crocheted purses :D The yarn used would be regualr DK or aran weight and they would be lined as the bags have ^_^

I also invested in some buttons to sell on Etsy. I'm a little nervous about selling them as i worked out my profit margin would be small but they are lovely and i will be using a couple for my own projects too :)

Still looking for more work. Ugh. 12 hours just isn't enough... not that i would want to work full time in retail, but beggars can't be choosers :/

Bad Blogger

Time to step it up a gear. I am terrible at the moment. I think the lack of posts is to do with my lack of creativity.

However.

There has been a spark at last!

This is all down to Yayster over on deviantArt. She came up with the most brilliant idea of the Twelve Months Of Deviousness and Mays project involved a secret santa type of thing :)
Anyway, it helped me to look outside of my boundaries and create something a little different.

More sparks:

These are my current sneak peeks at some works in progress. I'm thinking of making a 'Sneek Peek WIP' post every week, to help drive me to post at least once a week :)

Oh yeah. I finally have some sort of job! Its only 12 hours at an arts and crafts store at minimum wage, but thats fine by me for now :)
...Still looking for full time work though.
Also looking at some local short courses to do over the summer. This will hopefully build up a nice portfolio.

Enough babbling.

New Home Of Tomatotea's Blog

The trial for Tomatotea.co.uk is going to run out soon. I haven't been updating it as much as i should have. So, instead of paying for another year or two I have decided to make Blogger my new blog of choice.

No portfolio. No point.

Then again, theres still deviantArt. I hear they're making a 'portfolio' option for subscribers so that could be an option.

Anyway, i WILL update more often ;)

*Posts from Tomtotea.co.uk archived*

Happy April Fools

I hope no one has been caught out today ;)

It may be April Fools day but no more fooling around.

April will be a better month of blogging than March. That is a promise to myself.

I am now a part of the Ravelry community. Anyone wanting to sign up really should. I think it only took a week for me to get an account. They're not being an exclusive community, they're just taking their time to let things grow as Ravelry is still fairly new :) But wow. If you are a knitter or crocheter (or both ;) ) sign up now. It helps you keep track of your finished projects, WIP's, your stash, things you would like to make (no more bookmarking thousands of patterns and not getting back to them :) )

In other news, I am now co-admin to the most excellent Artisan Crafts Club on deviantArt. I'm the one who posts the new submissions. It may not sound a lot, but it sure means a lot to me. Its a nice little 'job' and I love it. I get to see all the new submissions first! Hehe. Its wonderful to see so many people create things, and it really spurs me one to keep up what I do. If you're part of dA and a knitter etc then you should join. Its a lovely community. Go take a lookie :)

Chinchilla Hood with Round Ears
Originally uploaded by tomatotea

There seems to be a fair amount of interest in the Furry Hoods. So, I decided to write up a pattern for them. Its available at:
Etsy
Pinkdoodle
BigCartel

Socks.

They are coming along nicely. As stupid as its sounds, as soon as this sock is done (yes, just the one), its being photographed and going straight in the washing machine. REALLY need to test this yarn. Oh, the pattern for the socks is over here.

And as far as I know thats all I have to update on. Now, to enjoy this spring sunshine ... :)

New Item Added Today and Happy Easter :)

First up:

Seafoam has been added to my Etsy shop today. Its slightly chunkier than what is already on offer, but is still classed as aran/worsted weight.

In other news, i'm slowly working on some projects. Hand dying has kind of taken over, but i cant help it. Its definitely a labour of love.
As you can see two projects have been scrapped in the sidebar.
The Crochet Me shrug was scrapped, as I figured i could knit or crochet my own design and not have to buy expensive yarn to make it ( heck, i could use my own hand dyed yarn if i wanted).

And the Sirdar cardigan has been 'secretly' scrapped. I love Click and cabling is fun but i dont think i picked the right shade for the cardigan...its too dark to show off the cabling and seems a waste. Thats my own fault and i now have 10 balls of Click to play with... luckily Click is such a standard DK weight that im sure i can find something.... I need to find something! Just a standard knit cardi would be good.

The Roxy wrap needs attention. And photographs. The sleeves are done, and half a front XD. I think i will make this top priority .... right after a couple of things...

I have half a Bigga shoulder bag done. I think i will get the other half done tonight. Bigga is fantastic. It knits up so incredibly quickly. I think i did the first half in a matter of 2 or 3 hours!

Lastly.
I have hand dyed some sock yarn for myself.

This is more of a test than anything else. I want to know how colourfast my dye method is and whether or not the 75% Pure New Wool, 25% Polyamide blend will survive a 30 degree gentle wash cycle in the old washing machine.... i will be absolutely GUTTED if they felt but it is something that must be found out.

Still here

Blast it. I haven't updated here in a while, I've been meaning to but never got round to it. I think its because i was so worked up about a job interview that i fudged.

A proper update will be posted tomorrow. This is kind of a 'I'm still alive' post ;)

But in other news, veronica1566 of Etsy has featured Grapevine in her Etsy Treasury. Be sure to check out her selection :D

Dying, Baking and Tagged

Busy busy again.

I've dyed some more yarn today, expect to see photos of those soon :) In the meantime, heres yesterdays fun:

Grapevine will be available on Etsy 2008/03/08

And todays fun, aside from dying yarn, involved baking:

The kitchen smells wonderful at the moment!

In other news I have been tagged by fellow UK Etsy-ian spiralsun65!

The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So, 7 facts:

1. For about a year, i tried on and off to learn knitting. In the end, it was a pair of 20mm needles that saved the day and of course, my mum ;)
2. I love polaroids
3. I believe college was the best time of my life
4. I bite my nails constantly
5. I can roll my tongue and also touch the tip of my nose with it. How i found that out is beyond me >.>;
6. I drink too much tea
7. I prefer to get up early as i find i feel more motivated to accomplish things

I tag...

alexandrahull
charlotte-narunsky
huntersdesigns
pouchbags
machi54
tiinateaspoon
aishawood

Hope you guys havent been tagged with this meme before!

Hand Dyed Yarns

....are so much fun to make.
I love the process.

Tropical will be available on Etsy 2008/03/06

Globe is now available on Etsy

I think i'll be taking pictures of my yarn dying process tomorrow :3