My Creative Space

My creative space this week finds me totally rethinking my market stall.
7 years ago no-one was selling pouch style baby slings anywhere much in Aus and baby wearing was just starting to take off. As such my business boomed and I easily replaced my old full time job income plus more with one day at the market 3 out of every 4 weeks and sewing at night and while Sarah was at kinder etc. Today you find slings everywhere and add to this the ecconomic climate of the past couple of years and the fact that there are free patterns for slings all over the internet,  sales have dropped dramatically and it is now my 'supplemental' products that are bringing in the money. I have also lost the desire to keep thinking of new baby products.

Since my upcycled spoons have been so popular I am moving more toward this line of upcycling thinking and are hoping to have completed samples of the new product range in the next couple of days so they can either be approved or rejected by the market committee.

My new mini butane torch arrived today so the small spoon bending can begin. Now all those souvenir teaspoons that people discard will soon have a new lease of life.
So too will this map from a 1996 version of the Brisbane UBD ( this is where we lived way back then)

These maps, but for the Melbourne markets from vintage Melways, as well as nautical charts will be turned into these....

I have several other coasters that are undergoing the waterproofing test, that are of a rounded square shape, which I think I like better, but since they are only tests they have very ugly advertising maps from the font section of the UBD on them and are not photo worthy. - not to mention the wrinkles from learning how to use modge podge. Everyone raves about this stuff but I must admit I am having some serious wrinkle problems. Any tips???
Also on the list of to do's are upcycling tea light candles, recycled sheet music, christmas carols and coffee sacks. ( A lot of these will require the mastering of modge podging) I have a very busy few days ahead but I love the inventing/design stage of new products.



I am also glad that there will be no more birthday cake baking after the efforts of the last couple of weeks have left me considerable heavier than I started out. I wish I didn't like cake so much.
Here are a couple of shots of the finished Thomas Cake for Mia last weekend ( actually a James cake as he is the favourite engine).

I hope your week is as creative as it can be. If so, play along here at Kootoyoo

As a footnote.........I am also committing to attend the Perle8 group next week (Sept 23rd). Now I have said that I will go and everyone has read it I cannot not turn up. ( What do you bet that the group stops during the holidays - hehehe, this would be just my luck)