Giving away some tweets

I have been making some new Christmassy items, and I just realized it's been ages since I had a giveaway in here, so it's definitely time!

I have been running a little card-factory, and cut and taped and drawn quite a few Christmas cards. The designs were based on last years's stockings, and they have my "signature" birdies in each of them, some Merry Christmas-bunting, some "Is it for me?" gift-card-checking and some rather festive candles. I have three sets you can decide, a yellow-set, a gray-set and the red-set (click images to enlarge and see closer):

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post you're now reading, and mention there a set you liked best! I will (randomly) pick up the three winners in one weeks time, November 7th 2012, and ship the cards on the following day so they'll definitely arrive in time before holiday-mailing. Each set contains three cards (blank inside) and three matching creamy-white envelopes. Please note, that there are three sets to be won BUT yo can choose any color, and if the winners choose same color, I will make an another set! So the cards will be similar than seen here (design, colors) but maybe not the exactly same ones. Cute still, I promise!

Wishing you all happy card-choosing and lovely Tuesday!

Yours,

Mia

P.S This giveaway is open to all of you, all over the world!

Happy birdday

It's time to let the first little birdies to fly into my shop! They'll officially open this Holiday season 2012!

 ...some come in more traditional Christmas colors...

 ...and the others are just pretty!

 

Happy birdday everyone!

Yours,
Mia

Step by step

I apologize to all of you, who now have an earworm from 1990 and New Kids on the Block from that title, but "phase one" or "baby steps" were tried and rejected. So step by step it is, and Christmas crafts I'm talking about.

I started holiday season with the bag above, and after that everything went crazy-busy (with anything but C) for a week or two, and since then I have been searching my Christmas-mojo. Anyone else struggling with seasonal products? I LOVE Christmas, it's not that, it's just the idea of getting something pretty ready in such a short time...

My secret holiday-plan included some new Christmas Stockings (here are the last year's models), some pretty tree ornaments/gift decorations (see the little birdies in these pictures on this post), and also some felted bags and pouches. And oh yes, despite the not-so-optimistic-tone here, I have managed to get quite a bit done, and plan to have them in my shop by end of this month.

The days are getting really short here, we have minus-degrees on nights (and some days) and in Lapland it's been snowing already. If this sort of weather doesn't get me in into a real Christmas-mood I do not know what does... And it's truly needed as there will be a lot more of birdie-sewing, some stocking-cutting and reasonable amount of knitting and felting - a true elfing* around the clock next a few weeks. How is everyone else doing?

Lovely Thursday!

Yours,

Mia

* an elf -> elfing (aka santa'slittlehelpering)

Always look on the bright side of life

After yesterday's moaning session (which helped, thankyouverymuch) I just had to come back this soon to show you something little more positive. And what could be more so than a cute little cat in a little kitty-box? I know, this seems to be turning into a feline-blog but what can one do? I love cats. Anyhow I had a little kitty-pin in my etsy-shop, and it was purchased by sweet someone, who has visited me there earlier also. And you, who have purchased little something from my shop more than once know, that I just need to put something extra into the parcel just to say thank you. 

This kitty-pin was not that big, so I was thinking of something, that would fit into a smaller bubble wrap envelope. I went through my endless reasonably sized stash of everything-you-might-need-one-day, and spotted a little tin. I actually think have more of these tucked somewhere (used to have some mints inside), but this time I luckily needed just one. And some cardboard, paper, double-sided tape and scissors...

... hello little kitty!

...meooowwww...

All handmade by me, with ♥

 

Sending you all a big smile!

Yours,

Mia

Thoughts

I have been thinking this handmade-business a lot lately. It's been a hard yet very educational summer and autumn, and when I am tired or stressed, I start thinking (read: worrying) and guessing why? who? when? and back to why? and when I spend too much time wondering things on my own, even the smallest of things start to look massive. And bad. 

What I have been wondering a lot, is how to get more balance between work and life, the common problem with people who work from home and on their own, I suppose. It's hard to say no to requests (money is always needed) even you know it'll get too busy if you said yes. The other thing I have been wondering is the hard game of pricing. Huh, that's a tough one. You know what you would like to get out of your work, and at the same time, you know that it just gets the price too high. Tricky. But I read somewhere (I just cannot remember where but THANK YOU! whoever you were), that you shouldn't price the items on the level you (or your friends or your family) could afford, but on the level where you are satisfied, and you also earn some money. So wise! Even I am just a poor crafter, it doesn't mean that there wouldn't be people out there who are happy to spend some money on handmade-stuff they might not be able to make themselves (or just LOVE). So I just need to proudly ask enough (read:more)!

And still one more thing that I have been thinking lately: the craft shows. Mostly happy occasions, yes, and I am a bit disappointed, that this year will be yet an another one I'll be sitting out. My stuff (these cozies in this post included) were displayed a little craft-exhibition in Japan earlier in this autumn. Some were sold there, others were not, and the remaining stuff will be sold in a shop there. These were part of the busy-summer that I still feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes (and C-busy-times are just around the corner, blimey), and this was one of the big reasons the national (hah, I'm all international this year!) craft events didn't happen.

I had great plans last year around this time to get organized in January already, and be ready in time for those big fancy Christmas-fairs I visited (as guest) last year. Boo-ho, it just didn't happen. I know sweet Nova is preparing for one, and I think Sini has been busy too with her lovely felts - how do you guys do it?  I mean among the all other things? Please share, everyone who has been there, done that - both happy and not-so-happy stories of craft shows welcome!

Oh man, that's a lot of moaning blabbering, thank you so much for listening! I feel much happier now. It's not raining today either (hooray), so I think I'm going for a little walk, the colors of the nature are breath-taking. Wishing you a ...

Lovely Wednesday!

Yours,
Mia

EDIT. It seems that I can't leave comments at the moment on all the blogs I would like to, I apologize to Beth and Teje at least, I tried several times but no success. I will try later again, but in the meanwhile: your posts have been read&enjoyed even my comments will not be there!

Oh October

It's been a rainy and gray weekend here (again), and to get anything photographed you just need to take a deep breath and run outside. The main thing is to be quick, and both you and the things pictured stay relatively dry. I finally got my autumn-things finished, they were made during several weeks one seam here, an another button there among the other things I have in my to-do list, and here they are:

I found this wonderful orange-yellow-red-wool where colors just slide beautifully and first I made a a little bag of it. There's a little birdie wondering how he could get that wonderfully fat pumpkin home...

... and a little cozy with similar theme. A little yellow birdie and even bigger pumpkin to tackle...

...And still one more to followed, a pouch with some colorful leaves and yet an another little birdie. Colorful inside and out...

 

It seems that more gray and wet it gets outside, more colors and brightness I keep adding to my handmades. That's the way to handle October, I presume?

Lovely Sunday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia