overwhelmed but fighting back

overwhelmed but fighting back
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

i just can't shake the feeling of being overwhelmed by life and everything right now.

the wee guy has been ill off and on all week so sleep has been not that great. i'm busy with ebb and flo, christmas gift-getting, last shipping dates for the UK and general household maintenance. my hair is a mess, my skin is a mess, my clothes are a mess ..... all i really want to do is yell "stop" and let myself catch up.

i'm finding this very stop/start life as the mum of a busy pre-schooler very draining right now. there seems to be no time to settle down at anything as things can change at a moment's notice. i never know if i will have 2 minutes, 20 minutes or 2 hours for getting something done and frequently i have no time to myself during the day, without being interrupted by "mummy, come now, come and play with me!".

maybe he knows that school is just around the corner and that life will change, no more 'mummy and me' for days on end.

i love being a mum and this time i have at home with the wee guy is so precious but it's driving me nuts and exhausting me at the same time. i feel so selfish about the way i feel yet i know i need to carve out some quiet time/solo time/ me time too.

no one said it would be easy and easy it ain't!

i think the T shirt says it all
24.7.365=mom
from the amazing http://www.ninaandtom.com (go check them out pronto!)


... and then someone compliments me on my earrings (which i made myself!!) and nature throws me a most awesome sunset to cheer me up!

winter wonderland canada treasury

Etsy is many things to many people all over the globe and right now there's a huge wave of confused discontent scooting around following the sun.

But enough of the latest kick in the teeth - some of my ebb jewelry has been included in this wonderful wintry treasury from willowcatstudios, home of the stubby tote series and purveyor of the I Know You Do Not Want To Go Home For The Holidays greetings card!

When I next have a day/lifetime to spare I'll try hanging out in the treasury conjuring up some Etsy community spirit and make a list with all the great Etsians who have included some of my carp in their lists.

... but since I don't have much time at all I think poster sketch tool will have to suffice!

flickr bollocks

flickr bollocks
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

I was looking for another pic in my flickr stream, which I thought an appropriate social comment on the latest Etsy fuck up (or do a forum search for 'gift guide' for some entertaining reading to get you thru the night) to blog with, and thought I had tagged it "bollocks"

Flickr has a search function which works well. This evening the result was nada due to my inappropriate non-use of tags, but the flickr sense of humour and the suggestions to search for (haven't seen 'nads' in such a long time!!) were ample reward for having to manually scroll thru my pics in search of this

Thank you flickr for making my evening!

... oh and jolly well done Etsy admin for managing to swamp a lot more sellers with general depression - sleep well and sweet dreams!

somebody loves me!

Wow! ebb and flo on Etsy got to 500 hearts today - I'm gobsmacked.
A big thank you to all my hearts and customers, and a big flying internet hug to nonnie60 who became number 500. Please check out her shop for some beautiful stained glass creations and jewelry. Remember to check her avatar and then her profile for the story behind it.

500 hearts - swoon

(now come shop ebbandflo for christmas - i'm starting the gift listings this week)

Happy selling dance!

Wahooo! Woke up to this message from Mintd this morning - I've sold my first items from the site! Now dancing the happy dance! (and off to make some earwires).

Big thank yous to my buyer! I'm a mintd virgin no longer.

shouting out for an etsy seller

citrine briolettes and freshwater pearls on handforged and hammered goldfill hoops
Originally uploaded by msbellee

This was in my "latest" from my flickr contacts .... and I just had to blog about it this morning.

These adorable "citrine briolettes and freshwater pearls on handforged and hammered goldfill hoops, AAA briolettes; 7/8 inch diameter hoops" are from one of my favourite Etsy jewelry artisist ms belle , who recently made her first (??? only her first) appearance on the Etsy front page (at last!).

I just adore the combination of the hammered gold with the citrine here, and of course the wire wrapping is incredible.

Of course, I'm feeling slightly smug because I know that a certain pair of sterling and citrine earrings will be in my stocking for Christmas (thanks husband mine!)

crafting 365 / d52 - burning the midnight oil

crafting 365 / d52
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

.... well, working in the evening strictly speaking!

Here I'm piercing and sawing another batch of copper discs for pendants. They are stamped and then have a shape cut out, similar to some I've already finished for my goddaughter and her sister.

If I get the sawing and sharp stuff done tonight it means that I have a fresh batch of portable crafting projects ready for tomorrow. Filing, smoothing and polishing up these discs is all quite possible on the move and doesn't require a lot of heavy equipment.

But sometimes the only time I have to prepare these projects-to-go is the evening. It's a hrad life being a full time mum and crafter ..

;)

PS: portable crafting projects on the go right now include;
- 4 pierced copper discs to file, sand and polish
- another pair of crochet wrist colour-change warmers
- an upcycled jeans bag with owl embroidery
- a copper wire crochet collar
- wire crochet christmas stars
- some secret knitting!

shop Canada, eh!

shop Canada, eh!
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

absolutely gorgeous treasury from willowcatstudio featuring some simply amazing canadian etsy sellers, and my 'purity' wire crochet bracelet.

It is a beautifully constructed treasury, using a simple snow white theme and the effect is stunning. Check it out here for the next two days.

... and don't forget to click thru to willowcatstudio's shop for some equally amazing work. The stubby totes are a favourite of mine!

Shop early, shop Canadian and buy handmade for Christmas!

upcycling ...

spore side
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

So I applied for Trunkt with this little beauty .... and got rejected! Not that surprising since the jewelry/accessories category is really oversubscribed (tell me another one). I'm trying not to be too despondent about it, would have been nice but maybe another time perhaps?

... and last night was even better! "Your dinner is in the oven" took on a whole new resonance. We ate out!

"Spore" is now listed for sale - I've kicked off my Dawanda shop once more with the mouldy one and a few friends.So if you like weird pieces of felty art for your lapel you now know where to indulge.

spore : - almost good enough to eat, spore bodies wave from a landscape of decay, just like on that piece of bread you lost then found again behind the sofa

wool, wire, copper, picasso jasper, freshwater pearls, glass and amethyst

flotsam brooches are mixed media pieces using recycled/upcycled materials from my handcrafting exploits, outside sources and found objects.
they are based around recycled wire mesh discs (waste from manufacturing) and those annoying end pieces of wire on a spool which somehow aren't quite enough to use in a bigger project.
for each brooch a "project soup" of fibre, beads, objects and wire is assembled - then from the first stitch to the last wrap the assemblage is a completely random pattern of embroidery, darning, wiring, crochet and crimping.
add a pin on the back and it's ready to wear!

crafting365 /d48 - me and him

crafting365 /d48 - me and him
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama

OK so what does a big bunch of leaves and sycamore keys collected out on a walk to the post office have to do with crafting365?

Whoa! and hold on there a moment! What exactly is crafting365?

Crafting365 is a flickr group, started by the amazing bugsandfishes aka Lupin, which documents crafting projects 365 days a year. So far it's got over 340 members who post a picture a day showing what they're currently working on . While a lot of the photos do show completed projects, a refreshing number also show works on the go .... and not just traditional crafts. So far I've spotted cupcakes, piles of materials in prep, studio shots (plus beverages), toffee apples, pumpkins and knitting in mid-knit. I have contributed mainly pics of earwires on the go (cos I make a lot and they fill my craftable minutes) plus crochet, more crochet and some art clay silver.

So my day 48 work-on-the-go picture is this one. But why is a pile of leaves and sycamore keys my contribution? Well, the leaves are part of a leaf picture, which is my wee guy's contribution to our daily crafting activities (spot the glue smudge).

... and the sycamore keys? Well I have plans for them which involve art clay silver ..... need I say anymore?