Craft Schmaft

So much to do, so little time

Claire — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:07:43 +0000

Off to Bali tomorrow morning. Horribly behind on blogging. Kinda behind on softie crafting. Very behind on all forms of house work. Still more packing to do. All I have to show for myself is this mobile for tiny bubba Lachlan. Obsessed with blue, green and Tula Pink at the moment. Hope his mum likes it. Promise to write more when I’m back from holidays.

This little initial was inspired by Megan, who told me at Finders Keepers about embroidering baby names onto the clouds. Such a beautiful idea, thanks Megan! I went with cross stitch backed with white felt.

Be back soon – taking the gnomes with me… I will finish those bloody things on this holiday if it kills me!!!

xoxo

Claire

Sock Owl Workshop

Claire — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:18:39 +0000

Sew It Together is just around the corner…hooray! SIT is a meet up of craft bloggers that happens every year. It’s an explosion of fabric, yarn, gossip, goodies and swaps that I wouldn’t miss for the world.

This year it’s in Canberra on the 9th of June and I’m hosting a sock owl workshop there. I love a stitch-along and the owls can all be done by hand so they’re the perfect group activity.

If you’re coming along to SIT I’d love you to join us! It’s a two hour workshop and includes all the materials, instructions and a copy of the pattern to take home too. More details and sign-up available in the Craft Schmaft store.

Aside from that I just can’t wait to catch up with everyone – it can be a little isolating running a solo business but I have to say markets and meet-ups like SIT keep me sane. Are you coming along?

P.S.I have to write a little disclaimer – I’m flying in from my sisters wedding in Bali the night before, if I’m looking a little spray tanned for a Canberra winter please don’t think I’m a freak!

Thank you schmankyou giveaway

Claire — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:38:13 +0000

Three years since my first market and three goodies to give away at Mathildas Sydney , Fox Studios this Saturday to say thanks to my blog and facebook followers.

First fan to find my stand will receive a brand new baby zilla kit.
Second fan will receive their choice of baby owl kit.
Third fan their choice of pattern.
And for everyone else who follows the blog a little sock, fabric and felt to make a baby owl.

So all you have to do is come over and say hello, let me know that you’re a fan and the prizes are all yours. It’s a thank you, schmankyou for all your support over the past 3 years.

Hello Baby Zilla!

Claire — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:13:13 +0000

He’s been 6 months in the making but the Baby ‘Zilla has hatched and is ready to demolish a kiddie city near you. While I risk winning ‘Bad mummy of the year” I have to tell you that this softie is based on my youngest son. Practically born a toddler at 11 pounds, when Franklin learned to walk he delightfully destroyed everything in his path. No lego city or toy car were a match for Frankie on the move. And so the idea of the baby Godzilla was born.

Now he’s a fully fledged pattern and I’m a very proud mama – he sold out completely at his Finders Keepers Melbourne debut. Hooray for kiddie inspiration.

You can get a PDF pattern for The Baby Zilla Pattern in the Craft Schmaft store. He needs just one adult sock, some felt and stuffing.

Meet me at Mathildas

Claire — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:04:11 +0000

With a moment to catch breath after the Finders Keepers extravaganza I was thinking back to when I started out with Craft Schmaft. It was 2009 and I had been bitten by the craft and blogging bug for over two years. Wanting to find an alternative to the crazy kinda hours those mad advertising folk keep I signed myself up for Bizness Babes, only the most amazing small business course on the planet (in my humble opinion). Fresh out of school and raring to go I bravely applied for Mathildas market to see if anyone had even a remote interest in my patterns and kits.

Well thank god they did. That day a little dream came true.

May marks 3 years of my crafty business. Its survived babies, a day job and the roller coaster that is creative mojo. This year it’s taking flight again and I love it more than ever.

So I think its quite fitting that I mark this anniversary with another stand at Mathildas in Sydney. Meet me there (just mention the blog or FB), I’ll have a little something for every one of you to say thanks for your support these past 3 years. Right, that’s enough soppiness for one day, back to stitching.

Sunday craftiness

Claire — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:16:03 +0000

On Sunday we had our first Craft Room Sunday session for the year. Our new venue, an the cutest old primary school house, set the scene for much stiching, gossip and merriment. For me crafting is food for the soul and crafting away while chatting to wonderful friends just takes it to a whole new level. That, and the fact that I was sporting quite the hangover from my sister’s hens night and didn’t have to run after kids, made for the best Sunday I’ve had in a long time. The only thing I wish was that I’d taken my good camera. I love my iphone but it doesn’t really to craft close ups justice. Here’s some craft evidence anyway…

Ingrid busy binding her beautiful quilt.

Amy’s selection of beautiful solids ready to be cut. The colours of these were so unusual and just stunning. I’m not normally a mustard yellow kind of a girl but I tell you that lovely lady has such an eye for colour!

Sophie was sewing up a storm with this gorgeous pattern for her girls

And I managed to cut out balloons for my unborn nephew.

And sneak in some gnome stitching… so close to finishing!

Finders Keepers Melbourne Wrap Up

Claire — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:23:11 +0000

Wow… what a crazy few weeks. Getting ready for a market is much like a big pitch in advertising. You work like mad, plot, scheme, create and you never really know if it’s all going to pay off. It was with huge butterflies in the old tummy that I packed as much as I could possibly squeeze into the old suitcases. This was my first market in almost two years and I had visions of tumbleweed blowing through the stall. Me sitting folornly behind softies just hoping someone would glance at them. You may have caught all the shenanigans on instagram (@craftschmaft) but in case you didn’t here’s how it rolled.

Mad stitching for weeks…

New packaging all designed and delivered just in time…

Some serious squishy suitcases….

A very Autumnal melbourne…

Crazy, fantastic, amazing market filled with very talented designers and let me tell you there were crowds!

The brand new baby Zilla pattern got a huge response (he’s on his way to the Craft Schmaft Store this week too):

And one very happy and grateful me…

I couldn’t have done it without the help of wonderful friends like Belinda, my sister Elly and amazing (and very patient in the midst of a craft crisis) Mr Schmaft not to mention wonderful parents who entertained the munchkins while I sewed like a mad woman. Thank you! Phew… now to unpack!

Air balloon mobile pattern now in the store

Claire — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:42:23 +0000

After much stitching, deliberation, sewing, photographing, testing and zooszzshing (technical term) the Hot Air Ballon plush sewing pattern is done and up for sale in the Craft Schmaft store.

This has been such a team effort and I don’t mean a team of people standing around me I mean you. Yep, this pattern is the product of inspiration from all you bloggers, testing by wonderful blog and facebook followers (Marina, Susan, Cass, Jessica, Catherine, Leah, Christine, Kyra, Emily, Bianca, Leonie and Jane), cover advice by facebook fans and encouragement from just about everywhere. You all truly do rock. Thank you so much.

The PDF pattern is in the store and the printed version will be making it’s debut at Finders Keepers melbourne.

Up, up and away…

Finders Keepers Melbourne

Claire — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:12:12 +0000

There has been frantic stitching, jumping up and down and general over excitement. I was offered a stand at Finders Keepers Melbourne (April 20/21) last week and have been grinning, and quietly panicking ever since. There are new kits to be packed, Balloon Mobile patterns to be printed and lots and lots of new softies to be made. Oh dear god… so much to do but, as one very cool poster I came across said… less bitchin’ more stitchin’!

Here’s the stichin’

Olive’s balloon mobile

Claire — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 10:34:46 +0000

I went to Canberra Friday night to see my beautiful niece and deliver her very own hot air balloon mobile. I may have gotten over excited to be travelling without children and overdone it slightly on the red wine on the train to Bungendore but THAT is another story.