A giveaway to mark the end.....

Blogtoberfest day 31:

Blogtoberfest how I loved thee and hate see you go, but I shall basque in the spare moments of each day where I might contemplate the washing, ironing or cooking once more instead of my commitment to finding something vaguely more interesting then the contents of my bag to blog about... LOL

Without further ado, to mark the end of Blogtoberfest I'm having my first ever giveaway.

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me which prize you choose.
Up for grabs is:

Exhibit A:
Little birdy hand screen printed scoop neck tee in marle red,

or Exhibit B:
Little birdy hand screen printed v-neck tee in black.

I've been trialling base tee's from various 'sweat shop free' suppliers, to produce a range of screen printed ladies tee's. My main aim is to find a flattering tee that comes in a great range of colors and fits up to a size 20........ so far no luck. Most only go to a 14-16 which they call an XL.

So, for the time being I'll still keep sewing my own tee's till a magical sewing fairy appears at my door!


Back to the giveaway.....these are both 'sweat shop free' organic cotton tees by Certton in a size XL which is a ladies fitted size 14-16.

Proudly screen printed with my latest design 'little birdy'.

Just leave a comment to tell me which you'd like and in I'll pull names out of a hat on Wednesday to announce the winner.
Jay xx

'What's in the bag'

Blogtoberfest Day 30:

Well Blogtoberfest is almost in the bag....
So what better time to show you 'whats in the bag'.


The bag idea came to me last week, when we were shopping at Abbotsford convent makers market.
We were choosing a few prints by a photographer when he said " I think my girlfriend has that exact same bag"
I got me thinking, well Mr photographer, you are creative, you girlfriend is probably creative or a lover of creative people... so it's possible we have similar crafty and uber creative haunts in the north, that we both frequent.
Chances are we even have some of the same things in the bag too.

I love the crafty things that fill my bag and travel with me daily and I bet you do to.
So without further ado, here's whats in the bag:

1: Tape coin purse by: Polka dot rabbit
2: Horsey bag by: B.Sirius
3:Card holder by me: Finki
4:Sunglasses holder by: Curlypops
5:Makeup holder from : Brunswick bound
6:Tinted lip gloss by: Flourish
7:Art journal by me: Finki
8:Keyring by: Lark

Join in too and bring the craftiness out of your bag.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

A little birdy told me....

Blogtoberfest Day 29:

A little birdy told me......

That there would be a 'Finki' give away coming up real soon!

Stay tuned.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

All the colors of the rainbow.....

Blogtoberfest day 28:

Being the sort of person who can not make decisions easily I went whole hog and ordered all the colors of the rainbow for my new tie range.


There have been a few technical difficulties to overcome in the process of screen printing the ties so they look ab fab 100% saleable, but I'm almost 100% ready to start the range.

Of course I have not yet culled my colors.
It's come down to a bright range for the young and trendies and a classic range for the more stylishly conservative types.


Ends up a total of 15 colors.....aughhhh!

The idea was to screen print a big batch of samples to see how they came up, then choose the best ones....alas they are all divine. I really want to cull it back to ten adorable must have colors so I'll just need to sleep on it for one more night.

Darling Grandpa....(well that's what the kids call him, to me he's 'the father in law').....was the first victim to test run the samples and he sure does look mighty fine!

Mr Finny was next up,

Although it does sorta drag on the floor.....probably an obvious set back when your only 3 foot tall!

So off to bed I go, to think on it for another night before releasing the final range.

Exciting stuff!

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Black tie.....

Blogtoberfest day 27:

I have been test printing some ties today and have quite fallen in love with the humble piece of silk worn around our gentleman's neck. Such a vibrant splash of color and art it can be....



Can't wait to show you some of the other colors I've done tomorrow. Looking very fine indeed.....

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

New batch.....

Blogtoberfest day 26:

Finally finished the new batch of kids shirts for the shop. The colors and prints have come out lookin' soooo good.

I definitely enjoy printing much more than sewing at the moment, but it's that horrible catch twenty two of needing to sew so that there is something to print.

Where oh where is the magical sewing fairy when you need her.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Where am I supposed to sit !

Blogtoberfest day 25:

At some stage a year or so ago, I knew that Finki was well and truly taking over the house and needed it's own space, so we created a dedicated study for all things crafty.
This temporarily satisfied the needs of a crafter, till my adventures grew and started to take over the kitchen once more.

We then leaped on the opportunity of a studio space becoming available at work.

So having half at work and the rest in the study here, has kept it relatively tidy at home...till now.

I have fallen in love with screen printing and just want to slap a little painted birdy or ray gun on everything.

So two rooms my dears....is not enough.


The kitchen and lounge have become my drying racks for lots of new screen printed goodies.



Whats a girl to do!

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

For the boys...

Blogtoberfest Day 24:

My last few weeks have been somewhat occupied planning a range of goodies for the boys and men...for Xmas.

Lots of things to come, but for starters I finalized artwork and got some screens ready for printing up tee's.

I had intended this batch of artwork for men's tee's, But Mr.finny had blank tee's in the wardrobe that I could practice on.


I quite liked how they look on the boys tee's too and Mr.Finny has been getting lots of comments when he wears his.
He tells people 'mummy painted my t-shirt'

My number 1 fan....you gotta love a 2 year olds take on things. So simple and true.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Walking to work.....

Blogtoberfest day 23:

Mr Finki has been getting the camera out at every chance available to keep up his challenge of posting a pic daily for the new blog, which has got me into walking around with my eyes wide open too....

So funny how we can be in auto pilot a lot of the time missing the little things we pass on our way around town. I made a point of strolling to work the other day instead of power walking so I could see the sights.

Spotted lots of street art...................

and admired the many amazing old buildings of Brunswick...............

So we'll start having little excursions I think. Making a special time once a fortnight to walk around with our eyes up and our cameras out.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Not so schmucky....

Blogtoberfest day 22:

We don't often get a chance to got to the movies Mr.Finki and I.

Something to do with full on jobs and young children I guess.

When we do make it along we are the naff couple that have to read the little sheet near the window with blurbs about the movies that are 'now showing'.

As so far and few in between are our visits to the cinema, that the adds we saw for 'coming soon' pics were for pics that are now all on D.V.D

Though I do digress.

I'm writing to tell a tale of pleasant surprise of the enjoyment of last weeks flick pic 'Dinner for schmucks'


I did look at the poster and think it was bound to have a few odd laughs but be mostly bad, Surprisingly it had lots of laugh out loud moments and a few sweeter points too.

Steve Carell is always a laugh and the movie was star studded with lots of quirky comedians in smaller roles...like Jamaine off flight of the Concords and David Walliams off Little Britain.

In the end....t'was very funny and not so schmucky after all.

for more blogs joining in on Blogtoberfest visit here.......

Lost a week....

Blogtoberfest day 21:

Whoopsie...seemed to have lost a few days out of my blogtoberfest blogging.

Sorta happens like that sometimes.

You're skipping along handling it all, then time just slips away...

Rest assured though, fun times are being had and new things are on the horizon.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Wordless Wednesdays....

Blogtoberfest day 20:


See other great blogs joining in on wordless Wednesday over here......

and check out all the other Blogtoberfestians over here.....

A collective spring....

Blogtoberfest day 19:

The shop is looking so bright and cheery at the moment....

I only work one day in every 9, so each time I go back it's like walking into a whole new space.


I sometimes wander how I'm gunna get all the things I want done finished in time to greet each season.


Then I remember that I am not alone. I work in a fabulous co-op with 9 other uber creative gals. So, even if we all only get a third done of what we actually wanted to....nine times a third equals more than enough to entirely change the look of our big ol' space.

Hooray for spring and hooray for creative collectives. Makes a job, a joy.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Very soon.....

Blogtoberfest day 18:

Look at the latest addition to my studio....


A lovely, chunky, oily set of rollers.....

I'm gearing up for a whole new range of soldered sterling silver jewelery......

Very soon!

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinniegirls.

Jay xx

Flea market finds.....

Blogtoberfest day 17:

We headed off for a drive to the country yesterday, just as a little break from hustle n' bustle and found us some lovely finds.

At the Daylesford bazaar we picked up....

This gorgeous print that I spied on Larks blog during the week. (I was amazed and quite excited that it was still there)

A lovely blue jug to put my incense in,

Some red bull salt n' pepper shakers,

and Mr. Finki found the most amazing camera's to add to the collection.

To see more fabulous Flea market finds be sure to pop over here.......
and for more blogs joining in on Blogtoberfest visit here.......

Tops....

Blogtoberfest day 16:

After losing a few days of my life whilst I tried and tried and tried again to make a new pattern for a summer top......


I finally got to prototype number three and was happy.

After what seemed an eternity of preparation in finalizing and then grading the pattern, I could finally wash and cut out all my pattern pieces ready for screen printing.

I've ended up with a funky halter neck top, that the more risque could wear alone, bearing a beautiful back...but for the rest of us, it's designed as a layering piece.
In summer you could wear it over a singlet or boob tube and in winter over you fave long sleeve body tee.

I've made up 4 colorways with different prints on them and 3 of the designs were delivered to the shop on Friday.

Here's a quick snap of the purple ones on display with my new skirts using the fabulous 'Crush' fabric I showed you last week.

It's not the greatest pic, but you can sorta see the look I'm going for.
I promise to take a better pic on the mannequin, next time I'm In store.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head on over to Tinnies with a cuppa Joe.

Jay xx

Sweet smellin' me....

Blogtoberfest day 15:

Mmmm mmm, can you smell the pumpkin pie or lychee delight from your place. Cause it sure is sweeet!
Not my cooking...no, no, no.
Tis' my new delivery of sweet scents from abroad.

Ever since my days as a teenager, of going to the body shop with my girlfriends and lathering ourselves in scrumptious fuzzy peach, dewberry or vanilla oils, I have had a soft spot for scented oils.

I'm not so much in to designer perfumes, haven't grown up and graduated into such sophistication yet. Still happy with fragrant delights that remind of a fresh baked pie or the breathtaking aromas of a Saturday morning farmers market. Melons, lime, coriander Yumm!!

I'm always excited to discover new sellers on Etsy, my fave place to shop for handmade and just can't go past a shop that boasts oils, lip gloss and body butters in a zillion tasty flavours/scents to try.

My most recent find was a little shop called 'Epically Epic soap co.' They were featured in a treasury on the front page, showcasing there spiced pumpkin solid lotion.
Intrigued was I...

So I clicked on over to visit and found soooo much scrumdiddlyumptios ( yes that's a word) stuff.

I was quick smart to place an order and just HAD to share my delight in my newly unwrapped parcel.


O.M.G.....they are all divine and so cheap, But my absolute favourites are the Nag Champa solid lotion.....can you believe it YES you're favourite incense in a lotion!


Close second is the oatmeal milk and honey lotion and the manila mango..

Then there's the lip glosses.... Orange clove is to die for and the spiced pumpkin, chai tea and turkish coffee. Such an amazing list of fragrances and flavours to choose from.

She has even listed all the choices that are vegan and done little tins and specials on multi buys so you can try a little of everything.

I heart Etsy for making places like this available to everyone and I most definitely heart 'Epically epic soap co' my newest place to shop for fragrant delights.

Be sure to see what all the other blogtoberfestians are up to today, over here.....

My creative space...

Blogtoberfest day 14:

Today my creative space although bustling and chaotic will not be the feature.
I'd like to instead, introduce you to the creative space of my other half.

We all know him as Mr.Finki of course. But he is a creative being in his own rights and has just started his own blog to prove it.

Focus and shoot...Daily snapshots of my life behind the lens.

Its all fresh and exciting and only has a few posts, but sometimes you just gotta jump in and find your feet along the way, otherwise you just never get started.

Having always had a camera in the cupboard for happy snaps he's always longed to do more creative things and learn the special features...like we all do I guess. But we clamber along, only taking it out for birthdays and Christmas. So sad really.

But now, he's made a commitment to take a photo daily, in a bid to learn more, capture more and just enjoy the process.

I sometimes think, that when we set ourselves these daily tasks it challenges us to think outside of the box and keep things interesting. So it's all good.

I smile a little on the inside to know he has finally started doing something he loves and something he has talked about doing for ages. His blog is not fancy ......and he doesn't say much, but that will come with time....

So if you're in the bloggie neighbourhood, do drop by and lend your expertise. Whether it be photography advice or a bloggie hug xx

See more great blogs joining in on 'my creative space' over here.....

and visit all the other blogtoberfestians over here.....

Jay xx

Self portrait....

Blogtoberfest day 13:

Today the hostess with the mostest has offered the theme of self portrait for us all to embrace.

I agree it would be nice to see the faces of all the blogtoberfest participants.

Alas....my web cam is pretty sucky, so I may have gone a bit silly with photoshop trying to make my portrait a little more interesting.


For the photoshop gals out there wanting to play too... all I did was change my colors to teal and white first, then selected my silhouette with the polygon lasso tool....then under the filter tab in the category of sketch, I selected halftone paper as my filter this gave me the teal and white version of me. Lastly I cut and paste some flowers and layered them over top.

But for the naturalists out there...

Here is the real pic.

Hair not done, no makeup and poor quality web cam.
See...that's why I needed photoshops help.

To see more blogtoberfestians joining in on the portrait fun visit Tinniegirl.....

Taking my train for a ride on Wordless wednesday....

Blogtoberfest day 12:


See more fabulous blogs joining in on Wordless Wednesday over here.....

Terrible two's....

Blogtoberfest Day 11:

We have without a doubt reached the terrible two's.

Well....terrible seems such a strong word. maybe the tornado two's or the antz in pantz two's.
Cause lordy knows, if I leave him to his own devices for too long the house looks like a tornado has ripped through it, and if I'd like to go sit for a while and enjoy some chai under the shade of a tree....


He's bound to be either climbing that tree....

or finding the nearest animals mouth to put his fingers in...aughhh!



When does the serenity return!

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head over here.

On the drawing board...

Blogtoberfest day 10:

On the drawing board today is another batch of dragonfly skirts.

I've not yet had the chance to photograph it on a body for you, they are cotton Lycra with a fold over top. Very comfy and swishy all at once.

Mine sure has been getting some wear and heading in to summer I 'll be doing these with an exciting new bunch of artwork too.


So far I've made up teal, fuchsia and black down at the shop, all with the chasing butterflies screen printed across the bottom.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head over here.

Flea market finds....

Blogtoberfest day 9:


Yesterday we headed off to a street garage sale. I Love it when the community bands together to offer the garage sale of the century, having 20 0r more houses take part.

We found lots of toys for little man but my favorite find was this little toy piano.

I love anything that looks a little weathered.

Especially chunky, solid wood pieces.

For more great flea market finds be sure to pop over here...

and for more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head over here.

Home is where the craft is.....

Blogtoberfest day 8:

I Headed off to see the fab little exhibition 'home is where the craft is' last week.


So nice to see a few local crafty celebrities turning there hand to art pieces for the home.


and little man made sure he found all the interesting....non exhibit items to show me....


I quite enjoyed the pop up market out back to0 and made sure I didn't come home empty handed.

Cactus in retro tea cup handmade by the lovely Polka dot rabbit, also nabbed a few vintage table cloths for future projects too.

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head over here.

Finders keepers....

Blogtoberfest day 7:

Headed off to the first Finders Keepers market yesterday, down at docklands.

Got me some pretty brooches and hair clips,

By Tree party designs.....

And a few magnets and erasers from little Jane st.

I could have bought so much more as the array of stallholders was top notch. Just beautiful stuff.

But like a few murmurs I've heard around blog land, I agree that it was a bit overwhelming.
So big, so many stalls and so much high quality craft that the mind does boggle.

They did have a nice little bar and band up front, so I could have chilled for a bit and headed back for a second round, but I had the children in tow and only managed one quick whizz around.

I tried to say hello to all my fave sellers, but there were customers galore that flocked to certain stores, making it hard to shop.... let alone stop and chat.

I do see this as the beginning of summer markets though and know that we all have a few months of fantastic shopping opportunities coming up.

Hooray for handmade!

For more great Blogtoberfest reading, be sure to head over here.