crochet granny square workshop

part of my resolution for this year was to learn new things. I already learnt to knit (although I haven't had a spare moment to do any practice recently, sigh!) and so I signed myself up to learn to crochet granny squares. I already know how to do VERY basic crochet (I can do straight lines but that's about it!) which I taught myself using YouTube videos, however whenever I've tried learning anything any more complicated it's always gone very wrong! there's nothing quite like having a teacher there to ask questions and to show you one on one what you're doing wrong. I did the workshop at Tea and Crafting in Camden - they run a whole range of workshops, and they are so lovely and friendly and patient. I'd definitely recommend signing up to a workshop or two if you're London-based.

so I can now crochet granny squares! I think I might be a bit addicted though - they are really fun to crochet (much more so than the straight lines I'd previously been limited to.) I'd love to make a blanket using them, but I think for now I'm going to aim to make enough to make some granny square bunting, before committing to something as time-consuming as a blanket!

video behind the scenes

you might not know this already, but my mister is a pretty nifty video maker. he has kindly agreed to make me a little video for the Ladybird Likes website, and we spent a whole day last week filming snippets of my day to turn into a very short film. I cannot WAIT to see the finished piece, but for now I thought I'd share with you a few stills from the video...

I know a few people have asked lately about my studio space, so I will be blogging a studio tour very soon, plus a separate post about creating your own creative space no matter how much (or how little) room you may have at home.

things to do: a free download

last week I shared a post about how I stay organised, and on that theme of keeping organised, I wanted to share with you this awesome free 'things to do' printable created by A Pair of Pears. it's perfect for writing your to do list for the week ahead, and I made a DIY version so I can hang it up where it's easy to see! it was really quick and easy, and I had all the supplies on hand. I simply punched two holes in the top of each page, and threaded a piece of ribbon through each hole, tying in a knot. then I inserted a length of wood doweling through the two ribbon loops, and tied the two ends of a length of string to the wood doweling, one at each end. VOILA! 

cacti and succulents

I've been building up a collection of cacti and succulents ever since last summer, when I posted about making some DIY planters for cacti. I realised the other day I hadn't shared any photos of my little plant family since it's grown. obviously that needed rectifying immediately, especially as I picked up some AMAZING planters over the Christmas period. the dolls head planter was a Christmas gift from my sister - she got it from Bella Does Brighton at the Renengade Craft Fair. the ceramic eye planter, and the two ceramic face planters, were both from an artist at the Southbank Festival Market, but I can't for the life of me find her online :(

I know you're not supposed to plant cacti or succulents in pots without drainage holes - well, actually I didn't know that, but soon realised after two of my cacti died (not just because of the lack of drainage holes, it was also partly to do with my boyfriend getting a bit over-zealous with watering them!) however what I do to get around it is I either plant the cacti in a small plastic pot with holes in first, and then plant it in the ceramic planter. alternatively, I put LOTS of gravel at the bottom of the pot first, which means the plant and soil isn't sitting in water constantly.

I'm no plant expert by any stretch of the imagination (my mum had to help me replanting these as I was clueless!) but basically my top tips for looking after cacti are;

- plant them in cacti soil, not in ordinary soil. you can buy cacti soils from the garden centre, but I made up my own using a mix of coarse sand and compost. make sure you use garden grade sand, not building sand, as building sand has a lot of salt in it usually, which will leach into the soil.
- don't overwater your cacti. if the soil is dry, that does not mean they need watering. I water my cacti about once a month in winter, and about once every 10-14 days in hot weather. and when I water them I only give them a small amount at a time.
- keep them somewhere really sunny. even somewhere that's a little bit shady can have an adverse effect on them. they like as much sun as possible, which is why I keep mine on my windowsill and on a shelf directly next to the window.

does anyone else have a collection of plants going on? what do you plant yours in? do you find them easy to look after? looking at my little plant family here makes me feel very proud - I've never been good at keeping plants alive, but I think I may have finally got the hang of it, and I can't wait to get even more in the future!

how I stay organised (part one)

one of the hardest parts of being self-employed, and running a small business all on your own, is definitely staying organised. I'm a pretty anal person at the best of times - I make lists for absolutely everything, I love colour coding, I have an unhealthy collection of stationery. so it seems natural that these traits would get incorporated into my business, and I thought I'd share how I keep on top of things and keep myself organised.

I actually have three diaries altogether! I don't carry them all with me all the time - in fact I normally only ever take one out of the house. but I found that I couldn't keep track of all the different things in just one diary. I have;

- an A4 sized week on two pages diary with vertical columns (mine is a black hardcover one from WHSmith)
- an A5 sized day per page diary (mine is a metallic silver leather soft cover one from Paperchase)
- an A5 sized week on two pages diary (mine is a spiral bound hardcover one with a triangle pattern on from Calendar Club)

first up, the A5 sized week on two pages diary. in this I keep general events - I don't write too much detail in here, usually just events, appointments, meetings, that sort of thing, along with any important deadlines. this is the diary I carry round with me most of the time as it's the smallest and lightest, and it has all the important dates and such in it so I can check it on the go!

next up, the A5 sized day per page diary. I write all the important info, such as birthdays, events, markets, and the sort, at the top next to the date, so I can spot it easily. the rest of the page I use to write my to do lists - I write a full to do list for each day either first thing in the morning, or the evening before, but I will also write things in as and when they come up. so if I am doing a market on a Sunday, I will make sure to write in on the Friday before that I need to pack and organise my bags ready for the market. I always write in pencil in here, so if I don't complete a job on the day it was originally written on, I can rub it out and pencil it in on another day.

I've found having a diary like this means I get less stressed - if I have a really busy week with lots to do, I will sit down and write all the things I need to do on a scrap piece of paper, and then transfer this list into my diary, so I can see which jobs need doing more urgently, or need doing on a certain day.

finally, I use the A4 week on two page diary, which has super handy vertical columns for each day, to keep track of blog posts (what I'm blogging and when), social networking posts, events, deadlines, collection launches, that sort of thing. I write individual things on little pieces of paper, and colour code them using patterned washi tape. this means I can move things around easily as the washi tape unsticks easily, which is particularly handy for blog posts - sometimes I need to move blog posts to a different date for whatever reason, so this means I don't end up with lots of scribbled out bits on every day! it's also handy for planning my year ahead - I can provisionally put in launch dates for new ranges throughout the year, and then easily move them nearer the time if needs be.

I do a rough plan for the month ahead at the start of each new month, and then each Monday morning I take an hour or so to plan my week ahead, dividing up jobs according to how urgent they are, as well as working out any things that need doing for any events coming up (so if I'm launching a new collection I know I need to make an email newsletter, take product photos, work out a promotional offer etc.) it probably sounds like a lot of fuss having three diaries, and writing things down three times, but I have been doing it this way for two years and actually find it easier! it's automatic for me now to write things in all three diaries.

how do you guys stay organised? do you have any top tips for being organised and staying on top of things? obviously my way won't work for everyone as everyone is different and works in different ways, but I hope that it maybe helps some people! I also have a second post coming about how I keep track of ideas, what I want to do and when, keeping on top of social networking, so look out for that!

Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera

I bought my first Fujifilm instax mini camera about six years ago, and at the start of this year it sadly died. it was an instax mini 7s, and I loved it very much. so I decided to take the plunge and buy a new one - this time I got the next version up, the instax mini 8. I bought it on eBay with 5 packs of film (50 photos worth) and a close up lens, and was actually really surprised by how reasonable it was! I've not taken very many photos with it yet, but I've had a bit of an experiment, and it's safe to say that it's even better than my old one! there is an even newer one, the istax mini 25, which has a built in close up lens, but it was about £30 more, and I didn't think it was worth that extra money (because I'm a tightwad like that!) I was slightly tempted by it, but only because they do a limited edition Hello Kitty version....

the picture quality is the most noticeable difference - images are sharper and crisper, and as it has more settings for how bright the flash is, you don't end up with lots of really dark, underexposed photos, like I did with the instax mini 7. also, if you're thinking of buying the instax mini 8, make sure you get a close up lens! they are really cheap (about £5) and it means you can take self portraits (it clips on the lens at the front and has a little mirror so you can make sure you're in shot) and you can also take pictures closer than without as it has a bit of a macro effect to it. it uses the same Fujifilm instax mini film as all the other instax mini cameras, which is really good as I had a stash left over from my last camera, which are credit card sized, with a white border and space to write a note on (kind of like polaroids, but rectangular and smaller!)

so happy I bought this - I was in two minds about it for about a month, as I hate replacing things that break (I sort of hope if I wait long enough it will just magically come back to life or something!) but the new instax mini has definitely been worth the money! do any of you guys have an instax? what do you think of it?

books books books I just can't say no

my name is Zoe, and I have a problem. I cannot stop buying books. there is no more space in my house. I have a huge bookcase downstairs which is crammed full (two rows deep) of books, plus another bookcase in my studio with some of my craft books on. then there are piles of books next to my bed, by my computer, under my desk.... but I can always justify buying books. these are my most recent acquisitions, thanks to an Amazon evoucher courtesy of Redress Law who specialise in Will Disputes

below (from top to bottom) the books are: Fluffy Humpy Poop Puppy - awesome graphics, adverts, illustrations, and generally cute pictures featuring dogs of all shapes and sizes. if you like cute drawings of dogs then this book is for you //  Charley Harper: And Illustrated Life - he is one of my all time favourite illustrators and this book gives an overview of his life's work. I cannot recommend it enough, it is so beautiful! // Studio Ghibli - a buttload of info on Studio Ghibli films, with the focus being on Hayao Miyazaki (my favourite anime director, and the reason I purchased this book!) //  Hello, Cutie - photos and background info on all things cute and kawaii // Ami Ami Dogs - a guide to crocheting amigurumi dogs of all kinds. I will be making EVERYTHING in this book, for reals.

 

all these books are available on Amazon if you want to purchase them - and if anyone else has purchased any good books recently (I particularly love craft books, graphic novels, and books about Japanese culture!) then please do share in the comments as I'm always looking for new recommendations to expand my library!