My Story

Isn't it crazy how many of us end up returning to what we REALLY love. I love teaching, and I love young kids, but I was always seeking ways to inject creative pursuits into every part of my teaching. Whether it be teaching Visual Arts a few periods a week, and begging teachers to let me do their classroom displays, or making every visual aid/flashcard a work of art, I would find a way to be creative. When I was a child, my dad would almost do anything to prevent me from beading or painting or drawing or taking photos. But it was what I really wanted to do...it's only now that I am having the chance to really pursue these activities.

My love of cardmaking started when I was young. A local newsagent agreed to sell some of my painted cards! I would take any free photography course that came up but, unfortunately, was not allowed to pursue it as a school subject :( In my late teens and early 20's, I sold a number of handmade goods in a craft shop in Marrickville, such as recycled paper, decorative picture frames, and handmade cards. Sadly, I couldn't keep up with making these things as teaching gradually took up more of my time. In my late 20's, I discovered scrapbooking. It was the hobby I had always been looking for. All my creative interests could be displayed on a 12" x 12" scrapbook page--photography, drawing, painting, cutting, designing, stamping, etc. I really haven't completed that many pages in six years, especially now as 'Green Gifts' is taking over a bit, but I certainly have a lot more time in my future than I anticipated when I was a full-time teacher. It's very freeing and liberating! Check out some of my scrapbook pages below:

Cute Little Notecards!

It's been a while since I've sat down and made a whole batch of notecards. I've had an increasing amount of people requesting them since my last batch ran out, so I've spent the last couple of days in a super creative frame-of-mind. At 10.5 x 7.5 cm each, they're relatively small designs, but lots of fun to create. I price them between $0.50 and $2.00. I have been extremely fortunate, in that my sister sourced the matching envelopes very cheaply for me (she's a great bargain hunter!) Out of the 50 notecards I plan to make before my next market, ten designs are pictured below. Please let me know what you think!

Knitting Addiction...not!

A few days ago, I had the urge to buy some wool and knitting needles! I haven't knit in over 20 years. It was a frustrating childhood experience because I think my mum gave me the thinnest needles she had to keep me occupied. However, it must have turned me off knitting for good as I don't recall completing a single project! So, I went to the other extreme and bought the largest needles I could find and three cheap balls of acrylic wool. Although I knew I was using the wrong needles for the type of wool I bought, I wanted to get a feel for how long it actually takes to make a reasonably long scarf. (N.B. It takes a while from go to woe if you haven't done it in a long time, even with huge needles!)

The colours looked awesome on the actual ball of wool (above) but, when knitted up, I wasn't at all thrilled with the pattern created on the scarves themselves. Luckily, these scarves are just for practice--I don't think anyone would actually wear them in public!

The crocheted beanie below was made by my talented sister. She attempted to teach me how to crochet one night in Canberra but ran out of patience (instead, I walked away with this cute beanie!). She only gave me 10 mins to catch on, so I didn't even get past learning how to do the centre piece! When I think about the 100's of hours I spent tutoring her when she lived with me during her HSC...*sigh*. She'd like me to sell them at my markets but, unfortunately, there are already ample knitters and crocheters at the markets I'm attending at present, so I am actually not permitted to add any of these items to my stall. Same goes for my mother-in-law's booties, which she used to sell in a craft shop at Marrickville before it closed down (that's where I first started selling my handmade goods 18 years ago!)

In my front yard in the Blue Mountains
 

Below is one of the finished scarves. Knitters the world over would groan at my lack of imagination and skill. But, afterall, I have just been trying out a few different stitches to get the hang of it again. Overall, I'm pretty inspired to buy some smaller needles and some lovely wool to try out a few more projects. Hopefully, I will have improved considerably by next winter! It would be wonderful to be able to knit quality items to give away or sell at suitable markets.

That's Life!

During some web browsing today, I came across a site that epitomises everything I wanted to do with Green Gifts when I first registered the name in 2003. This lady, too, began her concept in 2003. I admire how much she has achieved between then and now. (I have been too absorbed by a time-consuming and creativity-quashing job, rather than doing what I really love--creating!). Check out Heide's website Earth Greetings. Her greeting card designs are just gorgeous, but I am most enthralled by her story as she has sought to create 'Earth-friendly' paper products.

Online Ordering

I thought I would post a few more of my most popular photgraphic cards. As yet, I do not have an online shop but I received an email yesterday from a customer wanting to purchase some more of these. If you would like to purchase anything you have seen at my market stall or here in this blog, please contact me. I accept bank deposit or PayPal (the same options offered on the 'online markets' madeit and Etsy).

So Cute!

Isn't this cute? I just couldn't resist ordering 2o of these notecards to sell at my Mountain's markets. It's my design but not my artwork. It's a stock artwork that is offered by one of the printing companies I use and, as there was a great special on, I am able to sell them for the amazing price$1.50 each! There are quaint cottages like this in Blackheath and Mt Victoria--the type you pay a pretty penny for to stay at for the weekend! Ahh, to dream about a view like this...

New Photographic Cards

Today, some of my new photographic cards arrived back from the printers. I was really happy with the clarity and effectiveness of each design. As I'm just starting out, I tend to be responding to customer demand and what sells. But, over time, I would really like to reproduce my collage designs as commercial cards on 100% recycled cardstock. Collaged notebooks/journals could also be professionally printed in this way. Handmade cards are still really my passion, but it would be great to reproduce some of the more intricate ones as greeting cards in short runs.