ISP Problems

I use Telstra BigPond ADSL service to connect to the Internet in my office.  This afternoon, I could not connect to the Internet, why?  Disconnected everything, tried again same problem ... what is wrong?

At my wits end, I decided to logon to my laptop and use the NextG USB Internet modem to see if there were any reported problems with BigPond.  Look what I found!

Some customers in Leeton NSW may have trouble connecting to the Internet or have slow/no data flow. We are working to fix this problem as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience.

How inconvenient, I suppose I am lucky that I have an alternative way of connecting to the Internet and have been able to access it until late this afternoon.  We / I rely so much on being able to connect to the Internet, that when it is not working, it really is a pain.

I have been working on a make-over for a old card table today.  Will show before and after photos, once I can connect via my office desktop. 

Hope you are having a great weekend
Judy

Cute Felt Buttons

These cute felt buttons arrived for the store today.  Beautiful bright colours which can be used alone or with other button styles to create interesting results. Great for embellishing felted items.

Primavera

Navidad

Frio

I really love the Navidad pack.  I can see these being used in my Christmas projects.

See I really am working ....

Judy

I really am still here...

Truly, I have not disappeared off the face of the earth ... a lot of things have been happening in the background.

I have people to thank for gifts (thank you Selina), I will post photos of your generosity soon.
I have finished all the pink ribbon table decorations for our local Breast Cancer fundraising dinner which will be held next weekend (29th & 30th October) I will take photos at the event.

I had a trade table at a Cultural Festival last weekend, and have another one next weekend which is over two days.  Anyone that goes to markets, exhibitions etc know the amount of preparation work that is required.  One of my major problems is that because I sell mainly online, products do not need to be individually priced, as the prices are on the web, however when selling face-to-face my customers need to know the cost of each item when they look at them.  So .... I need to know what products I will take to each exhibition and ensure they are all priced ... yes that is what I am going to be doing this weekend!

I have been promising a pattern for the Snowman Flakes since August (it is coming Stella).  I have set myself a target to have this completed in the next two weeks.

I received a "Gear 2 Go" eBook Reader for my birthday, and after using it for a couple of weeks I am very happy with it.  It does not come with any "bells and whistles" just your basic reading function, which is all I wanted. Most of my books are either in pdf or epub format, and this device has not had any problems with opening or displaying them, however if you read some online forums, other customers are encountering problems with DRM supported files.  For a entry level eBook Reader it is a joy to have, very portable and easy to use.

Photo from Big W website

A Christmas market that I was going to attend next month, with a friend, has been cancelled.  Is this a sign of the times?  People are too busy or not interested?   I think in this case, it was about a change of committee for the group that was organising the event.  They were not willing to take on this event, this year...  oh well...

Until next time, from your "non crafting" blogging friend
Judy

Busy, Busy, Busy

It is a crazy time of year for me.  I have a trade table at numerous quilt exhibitions this month.  This Sunday I will be at the Mary Gilmore Cultural Festival, Ariah Park NSW in the Main Hall.  I will be taking buttons, patterns and sewing notions for sale, so if you are in the area, please drop in and say hi.

Lots of new products are arriving for the online store, as well as restocking Christmas supplies. 
I have added Plaid Mod Podge to my range of products, and you should check out this site (Mod Podge Rocks) to see the amazing things you can achieve with Mod Podge.

Also arriving this week, is a special buy of wooden birdhouses, these will be limited stock and once they are sold, there will be no more. 

New Theodora Cleave buttons are also in transit, so keep an eye out for them in store as well as old favourites being restocked.  Barb Smith is amazing with her hand painted wooden buttons, and I am having a hard time trying to keep up with the orders.  If your favourite button is "out of stock"  check the shipping time information to see if it has been ordered.

As you can imagine, due to these commitments I have not been spending much time in the craft studio, but I hope to get something made to show you soon

Hope you are making better progress on your Christmas sewing than I am?

Judy

Blogger Dilemna

I have a question, should you show your craft on your blog if it is not really "up to standard".  Who is the judge, your readers, or yourself.

I have been wanting to make a mug mat for a little while now, just to see what they are like, and if I would like to make some as gifts.  So today, I just grabbed some scrap fabric, loosely followed a tutorial from another blog  (not sure if I should mention the blog, as I muddled my way through it, using materials I had on hand, not what was recommended) and the results show that I did not plan, prepare, follow instructions, or take care ...

The front.. not straight, feature square not centred, binding not even  (not sure I would do it this way again)

The back - this is OK, what could go wrong with just a piece of fabric?

Maybe I can give it to my 5 year old niece for her tea party, I am sure she will not notice the faults (fingers crossed).

I promise I will have another go, and this time, do it properly.  Do you like seeing other peoples mistakes?  Not sure I like admitting to them.

Take care and enjoy your craft

Judy

Fabric Envelope - Revisited

I was speaking to my elder sister this morning, and she asked me about the "new" fabric envelopes I have been making?  She reminded me of a Christmas gift she had given me quite a few years ago, packaged in a fabric envelope... as soon as she mentioned it I remembered it.  So into my Christmas box, I went to check it out ...

A lovely hand made quilt still in its fabric envelope with my name embroidered on the front.

Inside, the gorgeous quilt, how could I forget this?  So much detail, so much hand work.

She even co-ordinated the inside of the envelope to go with the quilt

What can I say, the memory is fading... but it will be left out now, so that I can get a early start on my Christmas decorating with this being the first one on display.

I suppose I could use the excuse, that I had not actually made one ??? Does that count ??

Judy