Flower Power

I think it has taken me a couple of days to unwind from the craft fair - even although it was quite relaxing once I got there, it's always a bit of work actually to arrive with stock in tow!

On Sunday, to unwind!, I decided to make one of my little 'tweedie' bears which I have been making for some time for my own website and for selling locally. When I started my 'embroidery' crash-course, I had it in mind that I would like to customize my little bears with some fun embroidery.

At the end of a busy day yesterday, I decided to pick up the little 'blank' bear and go mad with some embroidery - I really enjoyed using different colours and stitches. Perhaps not to everyone's taste, but I had fun making him and have a few more ideas jotted down for embellished teddy bears. I added this one to my Etsy 'plush' shop, which is very much becoming my 'creative space' where I will be listing one-off designs and generally fun stuff!

For some time I've had it in mind to make a lavender bag or pouch or something similar as a gift idea for an older person perhaps. I decided to have a go yesterday and came up with this little pouch:

Very Scottish! It just seemed to turn out that way, and after looking at the tweed I'd chosen, I realized the colours tied in really well with the wild heather which is in bloom just over the road from my home at the moment. Hey, you just couldn't buy that kind of marketing, could you! Call me an opportunist but I can't help living in the middle of nowhere beside wild expanses of open moorland! (there has to be some advantages to my 'sometimes bleak' geographical position!)

I ended up packaging the little pouch up in the same way I package my 'tiny-tweedies', on a hessian bag (which I purchase from a small local company, I'm pleased to say) and wrapped in cellophane. I had the brainwave of including an extra little refill of dried lavender - I had purchased these little bags for something completely different but they just seemed to fit the bill perfectly for this gift idea. I'm quite pleased with it as an end product - they may well end up on my own website, but I can always add one to Etsy if anyone wants one there! A nice Christmas gift idea, I think. Sorry, I did NOT really mention Christmas, did I???

You can see, my embroidery is coming into force here! The lovely Gretchen has been a huge inspiration too me as far as embroidery is concerned and she has a fab tutorial for a drawstring bag at the moment (I cheated a little with mine - it's called the magic of Harris Tweed, hehe!).

Cheerio an Drasda!