'Afternoon Tea' Beads - Back by Demand!

Here they are! The new collection of 'Afternoon Tea' Beads!

After receiving several requests for more of these colourful, delightful beads, I have created six new designs for you, in bright colours. They are listed at $35 with free shipping. I have three necklaces in stock for each of the six designs, so it is a matter of first in, first served!

Spoil yourself with some Summery accessories, or cross some names off your Christmas list. Each strand is gift wrapped in spotty paper goodness and tied with the sweetest string, making these beads a complete gift for friends, family and teachers.

So pop over to the shop now to make your choices and snap these up!

Eight Good Things

1. Making custom orders for birthday gifts

2. An up to date 'Project Life' album - I love seeing our weeks come together like this

3. Cheeky workshop assistants

4. Brown paper packages tied up with string - la da de da dah

5. Tea and knitting - always always a good thing

6. My gorgeous print by the talented Kylie Hunt of Paravent - and her equally beautiful packaging

7. Learning new skills and making the first part of my table displays for Finders Keepers - my first ever attempt at wood work and I loved it

8. Gathering and foraging in the side streets and on the footpaths on our daily wanderings

What are your Eight Good Things today, or this past week?

Leave a comment or make a post and let me know! It's a lovely way to take a step back from a busy day and notice the little things - the little moments you might otherwise over look, and savor them.

Made By Hand

Custom order

It is the season to be crafty! And I am feeling particularly inspired after reading the lovely comments on the Handmade Christmas Giveaway post. I love hearing about the handmade touches you add to make your Christmas special. I'm also delighted to read about the thoughts and love that go in to your gifts and decorations. 

This past week there has been a start on the Christmas crafting, a finished custom ordered pendant, a new collection of beads in the shop, and work on a few pairs of earrings, which I hope to share with you soon. My advent calender supplies arrived in the post, (hooray!) so I believe that will be our next project. Though I am looking forward to a bit of card making, wrapping paper decorating and a touch of Christmas baking too. 

Only a couple more days until we put up the tree. Our tradition is to wait until the 1st of December. How I looked forward to that job as a child! The excitement has returned now, as a parent. Cohen usually starts out with much excitement and hangs several ornaments, before sitting back and supervising the rest of the proceedings. But secretly, I don't mind. I love decorating the tree.

Have you been crafting or making this week?

Will you have a Christmas tree?

When do you put it up?

Finders Keepers? I'm in!

Guess what? I'm going to be at the Finders Keepers market in Brisbane! My first ever market! I received an email to say there was a debut spot open for me. Hooray!

I'm excited and nervous! Excited at the prospect of meeting lots of lovely people at the market and having a stall alongside such amazing creatives as I know will be there. And nervous too, at the prospect of getting everything done in time and selling my wares on the day.

There is much to do to prepare. I've made several (hundred) lists. I've been ordering packing, working on earrings and trying to calculate how much stock I will need - but I really haven't got the foggiest.

I do know that I have new pieces in the works especially for the market, and promotions planned for the weekend. I also know it is going to be a fantastic market if the last one is anything to go by, and I can't wait!

So Brisbane-ites, write it in your diaries, keep the 16th or 17th of November free and make sure you come and say hello! I'll be on the verandah and my darling twin sister, Fiona, will be helping out at my table.

Made By Hand - Link Up

'Made By Hand' is a weekly creative show and tell, with an aim to foster community, conversation and inspiration.

My aim is to craft a life of homemade, home grown happiness. 

So, what are you creating right now? Join in by leaving a link below.

This week's making has been all about beads and mock up market tables. The beads were to fill the large vintage style mixing bowl on my market table. Customers at the market will be able to run their hands through the lovely handmade beads and design their own necklaces with them. I'm really excited about this, I love seeing what people choose. They will be given a hand stamped calico bag with a length of thread in it, then it is up to the them which of the rainbow of colours and the variety of shapes and designs they will chose. Should be fun.

I have also been working on mocking up my market table, as I sent off my application for the November Brisbane Finders Keepers Market! I needed to include a photograph, so I sent off the photo at the top of this post. I will be keeping everything crossed for the next few weeks, until I find out if I am in or not. As for my table, it was harder to put together than I had imagined. I have used vintage items from around the house as my props. My Grandmother's suit case and wool storer stand - which I have re-purposed in to a bead display. An antique Selfridges mannequin, vintage Singer sewing machine drawers, tea cups, a milk jug and some of my tools - to reinforce the fact that I have made each piece. I'm hoping the display expresses my love of craft, handmade and vintage, and how they inform and inspire my work.

So lovely crafters, what have you been making this week?

Instagram Snippets

1. On one of the worst days I have had recently, where nothing would go right and I could not seem to get myself out of the terrible mood I'd fallen in to, yellow roses, children's naps and cups of tea did the trick.

2. Making beads for the market - so fun and relaxing too.

3. A canvas painted for me by my dear boy. Self portrait, while walking a dog on a path next to grass, with sky, clouds and sun. Heart melts.

4. Blocks of colour and possibility.

5. Tea pot pendants and brooches in progress.

6. Hokey Pokey biscuits with honey instead of golden syrup - because we had run out. Both children approved, as did I.

7. Dinner from the garden - a simple veggie stir fry - quick, delicious and healthy.

8. Wise words from the Brisbane Writers Festival - If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

9. Strawberries from the garden - we are averaging a punnet every day or two. Sometimes they only make it as far as the outside tap, where little hands rinse them and eat them. The rest of the time they find their way on to our breakfast.

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PS. Don't forget to enter the beautiful crochet heart bunting giveaway here. You have until Friday to enter. :)

Made By Hand

 

1. The beginning of a pendant or brooch (or maybe both!), this crochet flower will be cast in sterling silver

2. Stamping bags with 'Christina Lowry Designs'

3. Making beads while the children nap

4. A new project in the works

5. A custom order

Day to day creativity, squeezed in around two small children and a cold. This is how I work. A little here, a little there. A load of laundry and a tray of handmade beads during nap time. Stamping and packaging orders next to Lego play. Crochet while lunch cooks. Knitting on the couch at night. Over a week these creative moments add up. Sometimes there are more. Sometimes less. At times it's frustrating. More often it's satisfying. Right now I wouldn't have it any other way. This is how I work, so I can be a stay at home Mama, and still express myself creatively.

What have you been making?
How do you work?

Are you missing 'My Creative Space' too? The inspiration, communication and community?
Join in! Post your own 'Made By Hand' and leave your link in the comments.
I'm tentatively putting it out there. If you are interested in joining in, let me know.
Perhaps next week I can add a link up list if enough people are interested?

Shop Update

Flamingo Party

Grello

Picking Flowers

Pretty In Pink

Gallery Opening II

 

I've updated the shop today with a new collection of handmade beads. I'm especially loving the spotty ones. There will definitely be more spotty ones!

 

$26 each with free postage.

In the shop now.

New In the Shop

Now you can design your own sweet and colourful necklace for $26! Simply choose five handmade sculpey bead colours, decide on black or brown braided cotton, and leave your instructions at the checkout. These fun necklaces are perfect for popping out for afternoon tea. They simply slip over your head for a splash of colour and handmade goodness.

Pop over to the shop for more details and to order. Or take a look at my Facebook albums for some colour combination inspiration.

Handmade by Christina Lowry.

*Free National and International Shipping.*

Lately

Left to right:

1. A 'new' vintage toy for Emerson

2. Knitting inspiration at an antique store

3. 50 cent thrifted goodness

4. Heart says yes, budget says no

5. You can pick the craft bloggers child - Mama knitted cardigan, vintage shoes, dress and toy

6. An excuse to play with alphabet stamps

7. Kind hearted. Imaginative. Arguementative.

8. Origrami mail - Hooray for Instagram postcards!

9. Cheeky. Affectionate. Fearless.

Shop update - 'Afternoon Tea' beads

'Paddington'

'Long Tall Sally'

'Birthday Party'

'Seaglass'

I'm pleased to announce that I have updated my bigcartel shop with new Afternoon Tea beads. Handmade by me from non-toxic Sculpey, and perfectly perfect for adding fun and colour to any outfit. 

I'm also taking custom orders. 

Please pop over to the shop for a browse.

And stay tuned, as I will be releasing bracelets soon.

Instagram Snippets

1. A whole shop of vintage buttons at Paddington Antiques on Latrobe Terrace, Brisbane

2. Checking out pressed aluminium at Restoration Station for a renovation project

3. Everything looks better en mass

4. He drives, I knit

5. An oregano flower and a blown light bulb, resulting in candle lit dinners

6. Another batch of home made laundry liquid

7. Beads for a wholesale order

8. Baby snuggles

9. Dairy free short bread

+

1. Making beads for orders

2. A blanket for a baby

3. A clean house for the New Year

4. Home wares shopping and a new rug for Emerson

Both my babes are sleeping and suffering from a tummy bug. As I care for them I am reminded of similar days from my childhood. I feel I am walking in my Mothers footsteps. Her careful ways imprinted on me. Little sips of water. Cold washers. Lemonade ice blocks. Gentle back rubs. We've postponed our camping adventure, but things may still be quiet around her for a few days.

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In the meantime, I've updated my shop design. Feel free to pop over and have a look and let me know what you think.

Free Express Post Offer

Last minute shopping? From now until Christmas I am offering free express postage within Australia with the purchase of two or more items.

Enter EXPRESS at the checkout and receive your order the next business day (it may take two days if you live outside Express Post network.) All sales are gift wrapped.

Thanks for your support!

Shop Update

A rainbow of handmade beads

'Rainbow Bright'

'Carnival'

There are bold brights and blushing pastels in today's shop update. Bright pinks, kermit greens and fruity oranges. Champagne taupes, fairy floss lilacs and powdery blues. There are black, chocolate brown and turquoise coloured braided cottons. And there is the option to design your own necklace too.

Are you a pastel or a rainbow loving person? Or a bit of both?

You can find them all here.

Instagram snippets

1. The latest addition to the garden and high on my list of favourite flowers.

2. A few more rows here and there.

3. Sandles for Summer.

4. Patting cats is serious business for Emerson.

5. Store brought and homegrown. I'm calling my eggplant a dwarf variety. It was fresh and tasty though!

6. The dinning room/ crafting table.

7. Making beads - four new designs in the shop today.

8. Potato stamping Christmas wrapping paper with Cohen.

9. Admiring the blocks of sculpey colour.

Shop Update!

I have been happily and busily at work in the creation of these handmade beads. As a result there are several new colourful necklaces in the shop today. They make a fun addition to an outfit or a lovely gift. They also work beautifully as a feeding/teething necklace for little ones, as they are non-toxic, colourful, smooth and can handle the attention.

You can find them all here.

'Afternoon Tea' Beads

I could not wait to start stringing the beads I made. I wore mine all day yesterday and Emerson has been enthralled by them. Now if she is feeling fidgety while feeding she can play with the beads instead of pinching me. A definite win!

Thanks for your lovely comments about them too. I have put some in the shop if anyone is interested in a set for themselves or as a gift. I can also custom make them for you with your chosen colours and shapes.

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Ornament swappers! I emailed the last of the partner details last night. So if you haven't received an email from me and you think you should have, please email me and let me know.

Don't forget to keep your partner's details a secret until you send them your ornament, then you can reveal your identity (name, blog, email, whatever suits you) in a card or note with your decoration. I would love it if you sent me a photo of your finished ornament/s too, so I can make a mosaic of everyone's handiwork.

I have created a flickr account, so you can add images of your works in progress, inspiration mosaics and your finished pieces. It's here.

Quiltova has created a mosaic of decorations she likes to make the guess work easier for her partner.