Some random lovliness......

I love when i find little treasures that I can treat myself to, without the feelings of guilt for having spent too much on myself instead of the bills. Double that excitement when I know it's hand made.

Lovebird earrings by: Red poppy accessories.

My birdie love knows no boundaries, I just can't get enough of bird accessories and art. These little gems will be perfect for the days that i can't be bothered color co-coordinating a pair of my usual button earrings.

and finally some new scents....
Moroccan fig perfume oil by: Flourish bath and body.

I'm not usually a perfume girl. But i do love my essential oils. When my favourite body shop fragrance 'amorito' ran out recently, I headed off to get some more only to be told they don't make it anymore.......aghhhh....devastation.
Shopping for your signature scent is just as bad as shopping for bathers. You can try so many and go home empty handed cause nothing flattered you the way it should.
Through the random laws of the universe I came across Flourish bath and body on Etsy, and thought it was too much of a co inky dink that I should discover oils when I was browsing jewellery.....that i just had to buy them.
Bit of a risk buying fragrance online, but the seller had such wonderful descriptions .....like
"Picture a fig tree in the middle of an exotic courtyard garden. The fruit is hanging low on the branches, ripe, permeating the air with scent. Flowers bloom all around, and the warm breeze carries a faint scent of smoke and exotic spices from the nearby market".

Sounded perfect. How could I refuse.

I got Morrocan fig, Applewood and Black tea & mint. Yummmmm!

They arrived yesterday and i absolutely love them all.

Thank you oh random universe of coincidence for pointing me in there direction.

Pay your bills....

I am sooo bad at keeping track of my spending.
Occasionally I write the weeks budget on a scrap of paper, only to go desperately searching for 'that paper with the numbers all over it' later, so I can remember what I had to pay whom.

So it got me thinking that I needed a little book, separate from my art journals and note books, that was just dedicated to paying boring old bills. After a few dodgy prototypes, I've settled on this design.

The new Finki 'bill book'. A 20 week bill ledger.

I'll be making them in a few funky colors, and giving them different titles....depending on where your money goes. For me it's "but honey, I did budget for that fabric......."
I could quite as easily say, "but honey, I did budget for that .... bag ..... makeup ..... shoes ..... clothes ... etc .. etc .....

Without a doubt, my new little 'bill book' is gunna solve all my financial woes.Well maybe not!
But hopefully I'll avoid a few of those lovely texts, saying ma'am have your overlooked paying your TRU energy bill!

The new range of 'bill books' will be released at Northside Makers Market, Oct 10th.

Who won!

A belated post to congratulate Kelly from John's daughter.

Kelly is the winner of the Finki notepad set we had up for grabs, in our 'Tuesday Tales' giveaway over at Pepperberry and Co.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to have a read and leave lovely comments.

I'm fast approaching my 100th post and will definitely have my own special giveaway for you all then. Happy blogging.

A little bit of something new......

Finally my new Art pendants have hit the shop.....

I posted not long ago about my prototypes, that were sawed out of some tragic colors I had lying around. It was just to test the shape, the process of applying the images, the glue bond and most importantly this visual effect of the size and shapes that I designed.
I'm wrapped with how they turned out and have a new oval shape on the drawing board in preparation for release at the upcoming Northside Makers market.

Having decided on two shapes I love as my background, I can now move my focus to producing some new art work to adorn them. The fun begins.....

Where the wild things are........

Last week we trawled across the op shopping country side to find a nice big fleecy blanket.
Something cream, beige, white or grey.
Who would have thought it could be so hard. I was sure I'd seen heaps of them when i didn't need one.......so where were they now!
grrrrrr....
Our mission was to make a costume for the book parade. Kizzy wanted to go as Max from where the wild things are.
I had that book when i was younger, it's so nice to see it making a resurgence for today's kids to enjoy too.
Have you seen the trailer for the movie coming out soon.......Looks AMAZING!

So with no luck at the oppies, we begrudgingly headed off to spottie.
Fortune smiled upon us as in the form of a winter sale on polar fleece. YAY!
Got it for $2.50 a meter and at 1.5 mtr wide we only needed 2 metres to make Max's jammie jumpsuit complete with hood and claws.

And...and....and, a nice long peice of bushy fake fur was in the remnants bin, perfect for a tail.
All up we paid $6, which actually ended up cheaper than some of the blankets I've seen at Savers anyway.

A quick cut and sew on the macine, and Max was finished. No pattern or measuring tape......sorry sis........just traced around a top and pants. Worked a treat.

We even had fluff left over so little man could be a wild thing too.

Bring your talent this way..........

Stall applications are now open for Northside Makers Market.

It's going to be huge.


We've been talking with muso's and foodies and crafters alike, to make sure we get the right mix of people to create something really new and exciting in the Northern suburbs.

So if you've been thinking about it.........

wait no more.

because now is the time.

Melbourne wants to see what you've got!

Visit Northside Makers today, to download you application form.

What a day.......

Saturday was the 'Made in Thornbury' market. The best thing about having markets is all the shopping I get to do and all the people I get to meet.

This Saturday was no exception.

The hall was alive with the chitter chatter of stallholders catching up, customers dropping in to say hi and the acoustic sounds of the trio 'unsung' filling the air.

It's always such a nice market to be a part of. I sometimes forget I'm there to try and make money.

My stall was looking fabulous even if I do say so myself.
You know I always struggle to fit in my rather eclectic and expansive range without looking overcrowded and messy. So I was happy that it came together so well. I moved my shelving arrangement all down to one end which gave me a nice big gap to stand and serve. (Something I forget to leave last time).


It was the first foray into the real world for my new Finki art pendants. True to my word I hugged the first customer who bought one. Thank you for loving them too....

I made a whole new batch of stools, introduced a new range of bracelets, and moved things around so I could feature my new art pendants on my big display racks. I would have been happy to sell just one, but quite a few found new homes, so I was ecstatic.

It's always such a punt laying your heart on the line and putting something a little different out there, but if you never try, you never know!

I was all set for fathers day pressies for hubby and father in law, but could not resist adding these 'konstant Kaos' goodies to the parcel.

The funkiest man pouches you'll ever see. They have swivel clips, and loops to hang off your pants and ended up being the perfect size for keys, cards and mobile phone. Two happy dads indeed.

I also picked up these new additions to my ever growing brooch range.

Owl and bird were from my stall neighbour miss ruby, and the crotchet delight was from miss curlypops.

I got some kitschy Australiana fabric squares from two bits patches,

and a funky ATC that I'd seen on Mrs.Beckinsales blog and just had to buy.

I picked up some of the coolest stationary from 'pivx' a new kid on the block, with some mighty fine products. I got a card holder, shopping list and gift card.

and lastly but certainly not leastly..... The wonderfully talented Tinniegirl brought me this fabulous piece of art work that I won on her blog.

What a day!

The only thing missing were some of M.E's scrumptious offerings. I'll have to make up for it by having double next time.

Happy fathers day........

How the sentiment of fathers day has changed over the years....

From the time when us 6 kids banged and clashed our way through the preparation of a secret breakfast in bed. Co-coordinating such fine dining as cornflakes and milk, a side of Vegemite toast, with a glass of orange juice to wash it all down.

Funny how mum could do it every day of the year for the lot of us, but this one day when there was a collective effort of 6 working for one, it was the biggest achievement. Dad had too eat the whole lot while we watched, as proof he liked the fruits of our labor. Then followed a trail of lavender hankie pouches or socks with initials bought at the school fair, handmade clay mugs and sculptures from art class. Most definitely the sort of presents that could only be loved by your dad.

As I got older, fathers day became an afternoon lunch thing, squeezed into a busy social calender, then older again, it brought about a whole new bunch of handmade splendour from grandchildren and special dinners where you talked about the old days and got the goss on what your siblings were up to.

I miss the old days.

My dad passed away in 2005. My first fathers day without him was really hard. We made the trip over to the cemetery to lay some flowers and say hi and I was amazed, and saddened all at once by the hundreds of other families there too.

It's a strange thing that we feel so alone in our grief as though we are the only ones hurting for love lost. Seeing all those people reminded me that I'm not the only person that sheds a tear for a fathers who's gone.

I'm one of many who shares a touch of sadness on fathers day, but also celebrates the new father in my life. The father to my children. Through him, we get to revisit the whispers in the kitchen as we prepare pancakes and enjoy a whole new generation of clay pinch pots for years to come.

Some things change.....some stay the same.Happy fathers day dad.

A tale or two.......

The lovely Sandra at Pepperberry and Co has lent her bloggy skills to writing an awesome interview about little ol' me. Even though she's still abroad on her holidays, she has continued to entertain us with her crafty finds, her creative insights and now a weekly feature called Tuesday Tales.

So for a little insight into what makes me tick and how it all began, be sure to see this weeks Tuesday tale over at Pepperberry and Co.

There might even be a little giveaway involved.

It's gunna be a great weekend.....

My favourite market is coming up this weekend.

It's funny to think it's the smallest one I attend and I don't make a million, but I always look forward to it. The 'Made in Thornbury', market has such a community vibe about it. We all support each other, the locals come and bring the kids, people stay for a chat and lots of fantastic local craft is always on offer.

This weekend I'll also bring along membership forms and stall applications for Northside Makers, so pop on by to pick one up.

See yah there!