This is the end....Blogtoberfest day 31.

Beautiful friends, the end....

Image via : here

Ahh nothing like a bit of J.M to help say goodbye, farewell, adios amigos...this is the end.
The end of another great Blogtoberfest.
A month full of blogging, daily adventures in craft, life and love.

It has been lovely to share a little more of me with ye'all and in return to learn a little more about so many of you. I still plan on sitting down with the big list of participants on Tinniegirls blog and making it a point of dropping by every single one. So please keep the list up Ms T, I have some great reading ahead of me.

I have to say, thank you to all the real bloggers I visit every other day. Some blogtober participants, some not...People like Michelle of button tree lane, Thornberry, Cath of Chunky chooky and Cathy of Tinniegirl our hostess with the mostess.

Art Journal page by : Teesha Moore.

By real...I mean, these are woman who talk about heart and soul, share there losses and sorrow, who show themselves in leggings and half made frocks and who are not afraid to just be themselves.

You all remind me that even though we like to share the joy, craft and happiness in our lives, we all relate to each other on a whole different level when we share the other parts of our lives that aren't so candid and glamorous.

You ladies have made me smile, made me cry, inspired me and humbled me.

Through this wonderful journey of Blogtoberfest, each year I grow a little and remember that I am not alone in this big old world.
Most importantly I remember how important it is to keep it real.

Happy end of Blogtoberfest everyone. Didn't it go fast.
Jay xx

Something for everyone...Blogtoberfest day 16

The littlest doesn't quite get, that Sundays are about sleeping in.
So at 7am, after half an hour of harassment I figured we may as well get up for the day.

The sun was shining and we had two hours to kill before hubby had to go to work, so we decided to do a quick dash over to our local trash and treasure market.
Today, we actually found something for everyone.

The littlest always finds some form of plane, train or automobile for under a dollar.

Today it was a ship and car.
Hours of fun.

Little miss found part 9 and 10 of a series of books she is reading...

Hubby found an Astro boy bag...

and I got this awesome tin to collect money for your household bills.

I saw it a local bazaar recently for $45 and loved it, but wasn't willing to pay the $$$.

So when it was offered today for $12 I grabbed it.
Was the dearest item for the day, but I loves it.

Happy Sunday to you all,
Jay xx

I tawt I saw a putty tat! ... Blogtoberfest day 15.

New cat,

Loves the new clock from Savers...

and won't stop pouncing on it.

So instead of having it on the table in the craft room waiting to be painted,
It's hanging on the wall safe and sound, till I have time to give it a face lift.
Teal, I'm thinking.

Happy Saturday.
Jay xx

How does one manage one self...Blogtoberfest day 14.

As a small business owner I have only myself to answer to, so early on I learnt that I had to develop some sort of routine to keep everything in check, otherwise I would get consumed by the daily to do lists well before I even got myself out of bed.

So these days my day begins just as it would if I was working for the man.
I'm up and showered early along with the rest of the family getting ready for school and work. After seeing them off I put on the kettle for my morning cuppa.

Lately chai blends have been my tea of choice, but when that's out,

Earl grey is my morning wake up.

From tea and brekky, I move on to emails, blog, facebook.

A little bit of catching up and keeping in touch.
So important to know what's happening in your world and to be a part of it.

Then it's on to the to do list.
To sort out my week and break it down into what is achievable for the day.
I tend to overestimate what I can achieve in one day, but I don't beat myself up if I didn't get it all done.

A great quote I read once, said
'Don't try and do it all in one day, leave some for tomorrow,
cause then you have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning and get going '
Made sense to me.
So I start my days work finishing off yesterdays list, giving me a sense of accomplishment for finishing something, which then gives me the energy to move on to today's list.

From there it's work till 1 then stop for lunch.

I used to work right through, but that would set me up for rushing through things on an empty stomach, which led to mistakes. I would also muck up my eating for the day as I'd end up eating lunch at 4 then be making dinner for everyone at 5.30 and totally not interested in eating it.

So lunch at one it is. Which come rain hail or shine is my time to sit on the veranda and get me some fresh air. 30 minutes to eat and another check in on the computer before I head back to the studio till 5.

After that, it's time to pack up my mess for the day, close the door on the studio and start dinner.

I don't work weekends and I don't work nights and even though I have a preferred daily routine ... sometimes I just go op shopping instead.

It's been over 3 years since I started this work for myself gig and it really has taken me this long to streamline it.

I first tried being there for family all day, then work from 8-pm to the wee hours...that just led to sleeping in and stuffing up my eating and energy levels for the day.

I tried doing 3 days a week, so I could have kids home 2 days, and that just led to me stealing time at nights and on weekends to craft.

Then I tried admitting to myself, that this is my life, this is something I really enjoy and this should be my job.
So I accepted that, quit my day job and I started to treat it as my 9 to 5 and now... It seems to be working.

It is so important, to not kid yourself with these things.

Image via my pinterset board

If you eat, breathe and sleep a certain something, if you wake up and go to sleep each day thinking about it,

I reckon that's a bloody good sign that you need to start living that life.

Image via Pinterest.

I used to work for the man and I often tell friends, I'd be there all day thinking about what I wanted to make when I got home, then I'd get home and be exhausted having worked for the man and couldn't make anything.

Neither working or crafting got the best of me. They both got half of me. The tired and cranky and preoccupied half of me.

So leaving the rat race was the best decision I ever made.

Image via here.

It wasn't easy and it sure took time to work out my routines.
To balance everything and make sure I was making enough to put food on the table each night.
But therein lies the challenge.

It was never meant to be easy, it was just supposed to feel right. To feel as though I was living an authentic life, listening to my heart and following my dreams. I think when you come from that place of absolute honesty, of responding to such a basic instinct, you can't go wrong.

So there you have it.

That's how I manage myself and my day.
No amazing insights, just hard work, a little bit of structure and being honest with myself.

Jay xx

Wasn't me ... Blogtoberfest day 9.

Today's agenda is a horrid one, ti's my least favorite thing to do...

But how can I craft in a room where every table top is covered,

and how shall we get ready for school tomorrow,
in a room that looks like a bomb has hit it.

Surely wasn't me that did it.

Does that mean I don't have to clean it!

Matter of fact I most definitely gave up on the vicious cycle of attempting to clean whilst holidays were on, round about a week and a half ago!

So today will have to be a day of cleaning and getting ready for school tomorrow, shop girl on Monday, then maybe...just maybe, crafty transmissions will resume on Tuesday.

Hallelujah

Kissing cousins...Blogtoberfest day 8.

Birthday cakes and family...

Mean we get a chance to hang out with the littlest cuz..

Although, blink and you'll miss her.
She sure gives my littlest a run for his money in the speedy stakes.

But once caught, it's the bestest cuggles ever.

Shop girl today...Blogtoberfest day 3.

Today was my turn to play shop girl down at the Grove.

A chance to take the new deer skirt I made for a spin.

With the luxury of working from home most days, I could work in my pyjama's if I choose.
So it is nice to have at least one day a week where I get a chance to wear something I've made for show and tell.

I would usually have new goodies to tag/label and set up in store on my shop days, but I've learnt from previous school holidays that if I work as per usual on my days in between shop shifts, all I do is create grumpy kids and a miserably stressed me.So it's a little break in crafty transmissions whilst I try my best to make the holidays less about me and my work and more about the kids and what we can do together.

So today my focus was on finally taking in my buffet/hutch and setting it up in store. It was one of those oppie finds that was to good to pass up.

I did use it in the house for 6 months before I decided it did really suit a retail space a bit more then my abode. So off we trot to house it at work for a while.

Perfect timing really as everyone is starting to make gifty stuff in preparation for the holiday season and it has lots of room to fill it up with handmade loveliness.

Bit scary really, how close Christmas is... didn't we just finish celebrating new year!
Catch yah tomorrow.
Jay

A Sunday of shopping...Blogtoberfest day 2

We have some rellies down from Adelaide for a bit, so we made a point of enjoying a Sunday of sunshine and shopping.

Started with a trip to Olive Grove to show off my little patch of handmade, then on to the Virtu/TS 14+ factory outlet. Perfectly timed for a sale where we ended up getting 40% the already low prices.

You'd be so proud....or I am at least, that I didn't buy any black. The closest was a printed dress in a mix of green, orange and black.

Slowly but surely I'm getting there with my little mission of taking the black out of my wardrobe.

Next up was a stop by Rose st market.
Lots of lovelies but my pics for the day were some cute little studs,

and a fabric button necklace.

I have been eyeing these off for ages and quite out of character for me, I chose one with pinks in it. I think it was the blend with purple and that splash of a retro fabric in there that drew me in.

T'was a bonus that it matched my outfit today too.

Hope you all had a super Sunday.

Jay xx

Welcome...

Welcome to Blogtoberfest Y'all.

Ti's a month of bloggy overload, where we all try our darnedest to do a blog post a day.

The good the bad the ugly,
the craft, the cooking the lovely.

Ti's not an exclusive club, rather it's more the merrier.

If you wanna join in too, read more about it over at Tinniegirls blog,
the hostess with the mostess.

I look forward to going through the linky loo list each day and finding lots of new blogs to add to my list and I look forward to sharing a little more of my world too over the next month.
More then just my crafty hearty stuff, which is all consuming sometimes.

So cheers to you all on this rather wet first day of October, lets clink our glasses and toast a toast to kick off the beginning of a super month for everyone.

Jay xx

p.s For all my fellow Victorians, don't forget daylight savings starts tonight. Hooray.... I sure have been hanging out for our long summer nights xx

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.