I've dreamed, I've worried, I've prepared, I've imagined, I've cleaned and now I've packed.

Tomorrow we leave for a month overseas, and I am going to have a rad time. Rad, I tell you. It feels funny to be stepping away from work and sewing and everything. I will be taking a little holiday from blogging too, but please stick with me. I will be back soon, all fresh and inspired and crafty and writing lots of interesting things. With photos of legoland.

See you soon
Pepper x

48hr 'Going on Holiday' Sale! and Giveaway Winner!

Before I close my shops, I thought I'd have a bit of a yay! going on holiday sale! For 48 hrs (until 10pm Wednesday 21st July EST) everything in my online stores is available with a 40% discount! That's, like, heaps!


For purchases in my etsy store, use coupon code YAYSALE2011 For purchases in my madeit or bluecaravan stores, mark payment as 'bank deposit' and I will send you a paypal invoice for the discounted amount. Be sure to check out each store for different colours and fabrics and cute options!


And an extra Yay! The winner of the Kids Crafternoon Book is Angela! Please email me your address, and I'll have the book sent to you lickety-split.

my week in pictures

(yes blogger, please do turn random photos sideways. that's much more interesting.)


:: grrantlers for a new stockist. these ones look like really old ladies, I think.
:: making instruments for something really exciting. Yes.
:: patchwork tablecloths at the local quilt show on the weekend
:: I now have a collection of spoons. Because I needed another collection. (see the one with the wren? that's my favourite.)
:: cupcakes at a friends daughters birthday party
:: I bought a polaroid camera. it was cheap-as-chips, so I had to, really.
:: I made a passport cover, and a travel paint set from a vintage first aid kit, and a travel journal

I have been finishing orders, making piles of things to pack (5 sleeps to go!), breathing deeply, and not blogging much. Not blogging much gives me a bit of the guilts. Do you get that too?

101 things to do in 1001 days

I have started a new list. You know I like lists. Time has a way of flying by when you're not paying attention, don't you find? This list is a list of things to do within 1001 days. They are things I've always wanted to do, or to try, or to do again. I've popped the list on a page in the tabs up there, and I'll cross them out as I go. My list is also here, where you can make your own list, or browse other peoples lists.


Do you have a to-do list for life? A bucket list? New Years Resolution list? A before-I'm-this-age-list?

(Meanwhile I am loving these listography books)

'Holy Dooley I'm In a Book' Giveaway!

A while back, I made some cushions for a book project and yesterday in the mail came the book! (Reason #128 I love my mailman)

Compiled by Kathreen from Whipup, Kids Crafternoon: Sewing is full of simple sewing projects for kids from crafters around the world; and there is my pocket cushion project, on page 94! Sewing is the first of four great titles in Kathreen's Kids' Crafternoon series. Papercraft, Felting and Beading are due for release in November 2011. Yay!

I have a copy of Kids Crafternoon: Sewing to give away (thanks to the lovely folk at Hardie Grant).

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post by 10pm Tuesday 12th July.

Yay Again!

:: Quotation: How To Be Alone

Not quite a quotation, a poem, but just beautiful.
Watch it. Do.


"If you are, at first, lonely, be patient."

what I did yesterday

Made a little guitar for a custom order. Not finished yet, I will add the strings and a little guitar strap too.

etsy & poppytalk love- camping

Compass Necklace; I'd rather be camping Papercut Postcard; Vintage Camping book, English, 1963; Everything........ (vintage shirt); Backyard Camping - An Original Vintage Photograph; Free Papercraft printable July 2011 Calendar via poppytalk; Felt Camp Fire; Antique Oil Lantern; a cute boy I found here. I would very much like to take him camping; 1950's antique thermos; Houndstooth baby bindana; 1oo% Authentic Bigfoot Hair; Vintage Canvas Backpack; Camp Journal via poppytalk.


Gee I like camping. I haven't been camping in years, I don't think. I would like to go in Spring, I think. I might plan it now, and then it might happen.

Where is nice to go camping in Queensland?



see the full (etsy only) treasury here

my (two weeks) in pictures

:: fresh flowers make me happy. they just do

:: mum, grandma and auntie (me) walking the kids to school
:: this little guy fell and broke his arm (photo taken a few days before. I'm not sure if it's the early morning or a possible aversion for cameras but that face while sipping his babycinno speaks volumes, don't you think?)

:: early morning drive to the Handmade Expo markets

:: sniffle supplies

:: duck noodle soup. the search continues

:: making bearded folk men. Will I ever tire of them? I think not

:: my twin sister moved into our lovely house, hooray!

nice crafty places to visit

(make and do; my all time favourite)

Like some sewing or crafty or design ideas? Maybe look at pretty pictures? Need a bit of inspiration? Here are some nice crafty places to visit and stock up.

:: WhipUp (book reviews, tutorials, crafty links, blogging tips)
:: Craftbits (looads of projects, rated by users with a gallery too)
:: The Making Spot (tutorials. Lots and lots of tutorials)
:: Dollar Store Crafts (swell projects to make from dollar store & recycled things)
:: Craftster (so many projects, so very many, and crafting/DIY/eco forums)
:: Craftzine (tutorials, ideas, recipes, DIY, patterns, forums):: Craftsy (tutorials, online classes)


I've left out blogs for now. As you know that may end up a very long list indeed.

Do you have any favourite crafty websites to share?
Please pop a link in the comments!

my creative space- dolls

I've been making some more dolls from calico and vintage fabrics. They are fun to make and to hold, but I'm just.not.sure. about those faces. Do they look too surprised? Just innocent? Do they need a nose?




What do you think?

*update* thanks for your lovely comments! I decided to alter the eyebrows a wee bit, and am much happier. I have named them Agnes, Abigail, Anne and Ada, and they are in my etsy, madeit and bluecaravan stores now x

every day events into every day posters

Loving this growing collection of everyday posters, promoting every day events with posters to give them a sense of importance they ordinarily would not have. You can submit your own, if you're feeling inspired. Or just be lazy like me and check out everyone else's mundane-ness turned event posters.

My poster today would be 'sneezing so much your eyes water', brought to you by 'the common cold', supported by copious amounts of tea, vicks vapour rub and tissues. Showing at 12 noon in my dressing gown. By the makers of 'that sneeze that sits in your nose and makes you pull a funny face' and 'my nose is red and very unattractive'.

Every Day Posters Every Day.

in the mail

Letter and postcard from old housemates in Germany and France, a Japanese book and cars print fabric, and some salt and pepper shakers from the U.S. for my collection (donkeys! and bears!)



I love my mail man.

blog love- eye snacks

Oh I do love the very pretty embroidery, art and photography from Dutch based artist Ingrid. Her blog is lovely, her portfolio is beautiful, she is down-to-earth and creative, and you can also buy some of her work as postcards to send to your friends (or keep for yourself)! What more can you ask for? Oh, that she also has an online vintage shop full of treasures? (I like these) Sure, she has that too!


Thanks Ingrid, you rock my blog world.
(and Limuna you are super-cute)

stop motion music

Keep watching to the end, it gets better and better. Made me smile and dance a little in my chair.

Ace.



Happy weekend everyone!

50% Danish, 100% excited

by Paul Samples

I like being half Danish. I like boiled eggs in my tomato soup. Danish architecture and design give me a vague sense of (probably misplaced) pride. I am happy to be connected to the 'happiest country' in the world. I like bicycles, icecream, cottages, liquorice, vikings, fairy tales and plastic building blocks; all areas in which the Danish excel.

In one month, four peasly little weeks, I will be joining my family (7 + 1 bub) as we travel across the world and meet up with more, far-flung family. I am excited, and nervous, and happy and worried all at the same time. I have never been so far away!


things I want to do in Denmark

:: fill a travel journal, a camera and my suitcase
:: go to the original lego land
:: ride a bike. everywhere. look as chic as these people while doing so.
:: smile at all the tall men. ALL of the TALL men.
:: visit the little mermaid statue
:: see Iron and Wine play. buy a tour t-shirt.
:: send a ridiculous number of postcards
:: look at castles. Maybe Princess Mary's too.
:: soaking up the eco/sustainable/vintage/chic culture. they have lots.
:: eat a lot of Danish liquorice
:: See some deer and other animals-I-have-never-seen
:: go to a Viking Museum

that's all I have so far.
Have you been? Do you have any suggestions?

reading right now

:: The Scheme for Full Employment, Magnus Mills
:: Corduroy Mansions, Alexander McCall Smith
:: Jane Austen's Guide to Dating, Lauren Henderson
:: The Case for Books, Robert Darnton
:: Somthing to Tell You, Hanif Kurieshi
:: How to Start a Homebased Craft Business
:: Handmade Nation, Levine and Heimerl


What are you reading?

::Quotation

"She felt in italics and thought in capitals"



Henry James

riverside markets

I have told you about my sister before. She is ace. Did you know she makes gorgeous bags? You can see them here. She has a blog here. And is on facebook over here. We did the markets on the weekend, right next to the river. It was cold in the shade. Then hot in the sun. Then cold in the shade again. Oh then the sun came out and it was hot. Then.It.Was.Cold. The crowds worked a bit like that too, and came in waves from the restaurants and cruises. We had a nice time, and are getting ready now for the handmade expo. Do come along!

do you have to be superhuman?

(photo by DudleyRedhead)

I feel a bit like this today, just trying to catch up on computer-y stuff. Reading, researching, updating, filing, entering, writing. Marketing, accounts, social media, blogging, research, accidental-looking-at-etsy, reading blogs, guest posting, listing items, following up. Is it all necessary? And how can you tell what is important and what is not? If it makes money? But not all value is about money. If it is focused? But you'd know too the treasures and ideas found accidentally. Do you have to be superhuman to fit it all in?



When people ask what I do, I say I make stuff, but sometimes the computer part can grow and grow into the making stuff time, and days pass where I have ticked boxes but not.made.a.thing. That can't be right.

taa daaa!

Here it is! Hooray!


Oh boy, it took some tea and patience, but I now have a Pepper Stitches website, which is nice. It has lots of info on it, and so I've taken some pages off this blog but you can still see by clicking on the new speech bubbles in the sidebar there. So when people are looking for what I do, they can find it right away; instead of immediately reading about what I had for breakfast or my new favourite song. Which is nice to know, but not-quite-as-professional. So this blog will be for bloggy stuff, and other stuff can go on the website from now on. Yep.

I think I will take a better quality photo for the front page. And change the order of photos in the gallery. And.. but it is good for now. You have to let it be, sometimes, don't you? Or it would never end.

I made it with wix.com, which is free, and easy, and looks ace. My sister made hers there too. (remember to change your bookmarks to pepperstitches.blogspot.com if you'd rather go straight to the bloggy bits)


Now I need to get back to sewing!

upcoming markets! almost-ready website!

You know that thing you do when you suddenly look up and realise you haven't posted on your blog for almost a week? Yeah. Oops. How did that happen?

I've been madly preparing for my first Brisbane markets! I will be with my sister Amanda from Red Pear drinking tea and chatting with all of our lovely wares at the Riverside Markets (Eagle St, Brisbane) this Sunday 19th of June, then next Saturday 25th we will be at the ace Handmade Expo (Brisbane Rd, Ipswich). So we are stitching and emailing and breathing deeply.

Plus I am working on my very own website! It is nice, I think, and will have links to all the important bits, like this blog, and facebook and twitter and flickr and a gallery and online shops and stockists and upcoming market dates and a bit about me too. Phew! If your bookmark says 'pepperstitches.com.au' it will go there; use 'pepperstitches.blogspot.com' if you'd like to come straight here. I hoped to launch it today, but my computer keeps freaking.out. and needs a bit of a rest. I will be nice to it, I need it to be nice to me, too.

So I am busy you see, but will post again soon. With pictures and everything. Hope your week is going ace!