front page of smidge

Introducing smidge, a beautifully presented new indie design and crafts blog!

.... and today my flotsam brooches are on the front page as an eco-indie find. Thanks Kat!

These cute little brooches started from my inability to throw out scraps of wire crochet left over from other jewelry projects, along with some industrial cast offs gleaned from Urban Supply and a few repurposed found objects. As with all things flotsam, they combine metal with fibre and felting/fulling. I don't have any more of the metal mesh discs (so the initial run of seven is indeed a limited edition!)

The two brooches featured, "spore" and "in the garden" are available from my Dawanda shop. "Spore" was inspired by finding a discarded sandwich (!) and "in the garden" by some gorgeous vintage flower cabachons. They both feature ends of spinning wool roving snippets from Yummy Yarn who sells grab bags of fibre for felters, crafters and other interested bods.

One of my favourite flotsam brooches is "skookumchuk", inspired by a visit to the famous whirlpools on the Sunshine Coast. The wire crochet left overs and embroidery are patterned in swirls with all sorts of treasures left by the tides nestled among them.

Finally, now that I've run out of the mesh discs, meet Dill Pickle Wannabe, based on a square scrap of wire crochet with roving embroidery and a few spore buds.

his!

his!, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

A jumble of handformed, hammered copper links joined into a gent's bracelet.

I'm really pleased with the way this one has turned out. Everything, even the jumprings, were made by me.

... so tempted to keep this one for myself!

... and there's one for her in the works too

what i'm doing with my balls currently part 2

what i'm doing with my balls currently part 2, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

This is my reward for being a good girl and getting the tax program loaded onto my hard drive!

My little wire balls (!) have been winking at me from the shelf while I worked on othr projects and dealt with the mundane.

At last with some free time (I am soooo delusional) I got to grips with them, adding some huge facetted acrylic beads and beautiful lavender glass pearls. The silver beads are crimp covers and the whole thing is strung on two strands of Beadalon. I'm not very good at stringing but I am liking the effect so far.

Right now it's at choker length - do I finish it now or add a couple more units to make a more dramatic piece?

I'll be working on my copper balls once I locate some copper stringing wire ....... stay tuned!

a new batch of portable crafting projects

a new batch of portable crafting projects, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

sunday morning is also a good time to prepare a new batch of portable crafting projects (as well as a good time for pretzels at breakfast!)

each project is eventually bagged in a small ziplock with the relevant tools, ready for grabbing on the way out to whatever activity is planned for the wee guy.

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

On the beach @ Roberts Creek for a walk after lunch

spring is sprung on the front page

Woot!

My floral spring hoop earrings were on the Etsy front page this week courtesy of a beautiful fresh treasury from twolefthands, whose shop specialises in adorable home decor and gifts, and also the Mossies.












Once again, thank you to two very good online friends, Stephanie (awesome jewelry to beautify yourself with) and Tanis (artist and fibre muse), for alerting me to my front page fame. I completely missed it, so thanks girls!

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Portable crafting while waiting for lunch out with the
boys (hat in progress ).

bright spring mix of constellation cuffs

bright spring mix of constellation cuffs, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

By the time you read this, these little beauties will be on their way to Main Street in Vancouver.

Happy Spring, Happy Easter!

constellations wire crochet cuffs in silver artistic wire with modern and vintage glass, acrylic charms, jade, amazonite and crystal

wire beads

wire beads, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

These little beauties will have to wait!

I've already got some 'must be done' projects in my in tray so I'm being a good girl by doing them first. I really want to get a batch of wire crochet and chainmaille goodies in to Devil May Wear in time for Easter so those take priority. I'd like to have matching earrings ready for the cuffs and bracelets by the time I deliver them.

.... but I just couldn't resist having a play around at making these gorgeous little wire spheres. I have some huge faceted acrylic beads to team them with to make a real outsize statement piece - I can see it in my mind but it's not yet here in the physical world.

Patience!

(and I'm probably going to be selling more of these in my supplies shop )

new spring lines in production

new spring lines in production, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Spring is in the air, there's only an inch of new snow on the deck and I'm ramping up production on the spring lines for delivery to Devil May Wear (hopefully in time for an Easter spending spree).

I've got some great new bead mixes for Spring, bright and vibrant to shake away the winter blahs, just right for adding to some wire crochet cuffs. This one is one of my beaujangle cuffs, using some awesome glass hoops in with acrylic flower charms and vintage glass. There's also some bright and funky new spring chainmaille on the drawing board and hopefully some equally eye-catching earrings to match up.

Time to get colourful again!

Etsymom auction

EtsyMoms...Please vote for your favorite Item here.

Basket is live in HappyHouseQuilts Shop at MommyAuctions.com

Etsymom Spring Charity Auction half of the sale proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House. Please go bid for a good cause! Etsymoms entered their best and favorite for spring, and you have a chance to win it all! The Auction will take place on Mommyauctions.com in HappyHouseQuilts Shop

The basket includes the following items, click the shop name for more detailed information.
Rosie's Cozies has a cute toddler tote, cute bunny on the front
Happy House Quilts presents Threadabilities Craft kit, design and make your own spring flower clip!
Buttercup Corner has another craft kit, felt an egg and a chick to go inside! It's absolutely darling, and a perfect activity for the family.
Andrea Baker provides a fun library tote, with fun spring critters in pastels
Aebaby makes these *adorable* tag toys. This is a minky rabbit with colored ears. Really cute!
GreenBeanBoutique makes little fruit babies in various colors
Caelista sent this adorable fried egg catnip toy. Something for everyone in the family!
Peek-A-Boo Studios made little Suzy Zoo spring hair clips. Custom designed just for Etsymom!
NightOwlStudios contributed these adorable spring hair clips. Made from imported fabric, these are way cute! Love the hedge hog.
WylesStyle made this super cute egg pouch. Perfect for a teen's Easter, you know how hard they can be to buy for!
BeadedSocks makes cute doll diapers and... beaded socks! The doll diapers are a favorite among the toddlers, and they hold up to rough toddler play much better than disposable dipes.
Sassy Stitches made this totally cool clutch! Fun 3D flower on the front. Perfect for mom for Easter!
Mommy3Jesse put together this beautiful diaper cake! How fun would this be at a baby shower? A useful gift that is guaranteed *not* to be returned to the store for sure!
AllGrownUp2 made this sweet spring charm bracelet. Bunnies, eggs, and chicks!
Minefull made this cute pendant featuring a cute little chick! Nice and simple, classy moms would love to wear this this spring.
Thumbelina Creations made an amazing pendant with lampwork beads, buttons, and wrapped wire. Be sure to check this out in more detail (click her name) to see it 'up close'.
Mellberry4 made this beautiful pendant, reflecting Easter.

Please visit the EtsyMom.com for more information and thank you for looking at our Etsymom Auction!

hold the front page!

OMG!

OMFG!!

My night sky constellations cuff was on the front page of Etsy, courtesy of this amazing treasury from BenandHenry.

Black is always classy and this theme list is stunning. Equally stunning (and classy) is benandhenry's (named after her two cavalier king charles spaniels, and not her husband!) shop. Check out my new faves, these awesome kyanite waterfall earrings - you will not be disappointed.

Thanks are also due to terrain (celebrate spring with this amazing super-opera length lepidolite and aquamarine necklace) and soap (choose OCV, Dragon's Blood and Blue here), who emailed me to let me know I was on the front page. Preschool, skating and mundane household stuff had taken the place of Etsy-watching that day so without them I would be none the wiser, except that the cuff got over 500 views!

.... and my new chunky glass earrings were in this little gem of a treasury from mitsel8, who makes the most vibrant art treasure boxes inspired by her own daughter's artwork.

The treasury is a lovely collection of blue and green, very lush and eye catching.

Thank you

officially .....

officially ....., originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I'm not promising, but hopefully this will be the last fling of the pity party for my ear.

To recap, in late January a nasty little virus went for a rampage thru my inner ear, knocking out my balance, hearing and skin sensation. Although balance has compensated and there are no longer any sensation deficits, I can hear virtually nothing intelligible thru my right ear.

Well, that's not completely true. My everday life is accompanied by 'raging mountain torrent' or 'badly tuned radio' or 'fuzzy TV station' when it's not being punctauted by the whistles, clicks and pings of tinnitus.

Today was my second visit to the ear doctor. He confirmed my worst fears - the hearing loss is severe and permanent. Moreover, I am not a good candidate for a hearing aid as the loss is so severe. I am officially deaf in my right ear.

From now on I have to get used to a world in mono, never being alone and silent thanks to the tinnitus, difficulties following a conversation and being unable to listen to my Wee Guy if he walks on my right side.

Right now there is a full scale pity party in progress. Why me?

Feel free to leave motivational comments, virtual hugs or to tell me to get my ass back in gear and stop moping!

Thanks in anticipation.

, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Portable crafting @ the icerink!

portable crafting for today

portable crafting for today, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Yesterday I was very organised and set up a whole stash of portable crafting projects to 'take along' as needed. They're all laid out in my cutlery draw in tray!

This week is the first time in a long while that I've felt inspired to get creative. My few custom projects have been fun to work on, with someone else providing the creative impetus, but now I feel really capable of working on some of my own thoughts and 'flying'.

Today I got a couple of wire crochet cuffs done, and have finished an "Is It Spring Yet?" opera length necklace. I also completed a pearl purse charm which came to life while working on a custom collection of other charms. I'm in a much more positive mood about life despite the continued deafness/tinnitus which makes the day-to-day such a bind currently.

PS: I bought the new Amy Winehouse CD "Back to Black" - it's excellent though I think it must be even more stunning in stereo.

lazy sunday morning/afternoon

Clock's went forward for us in this part of the world. Mercifully The Wee Guy slept in so we didn't lose out too much. After a slap-up, yummy waffle breakfast courtesy of Mr. Ebb we hit the road in search of the latest Bobs and Lolo concert.

A quick glance thru the local papers some weeks ago had revealed they would be in Tri Cities for a few shows a family fair this weekend. The Wee Guy is a huge fan of the singers (yes, we have all their CDs, and the new DVD for grooving to) and usually goes very quiet/shy when he sees them. He's sort of 'known' Lolo since he was a bump and probably first heard them singing when in utero too. So to meet up in the flesh is still a cool experience for him (will remind him of this when he's all emo and grunge at 15!)



Anyone who's been living under a rock in Lower Mainland check out the You Tube video for details - take it from me, this is great children's entertainment. It keeps my little guy entertained as he sings the songs while running round at other activities.

... and for mums too, these are great CDs. Apart from the automatic babysitter-iness of them, the songs are pretty groovy to listen along to (a big plus when faced with endless icky, schmaltzy nursery rhyme style CDs to choose from - bleh).

I've even been caught singing along at the concerts.

come into my garden ....

on the left: "tapestry" available from ebbandflo



For the first time in an absolute age I decided to take a wander thru Etsy's treasury. This is a member-curated area where Etsians can compile their own wish lists or themed posters in the hope of getting some exposure on the famed Front Page.

It is absolutely taboo in certain circles to include an item of your own, although the TOU do allow inclusion of one (but it's generally regarded as naff since the idea is to promote others).





Amazingly one of my new items, the Into The Garden flotsam wire crochet cuff was included in this gorgeous themed wishlist by Misslo, along with some beautiful items from some really talented artists.

Don't forget to visit Misslo's store for some incredibly stunning (but as she says, functional) ceramic ware. You won't be disappointed.

Anyone who can receive inspiration from Fiesta Ware is worth visiting (and I'm totally assuming that this fiesta ware is the disposable plate stuff unless I've made a huge cultural boob).

... but back to my Garden cuff (since I'm all about self promotion too).


This is one of my range of flotsam wire crochet cuffs. Flotsam? - because they rather graciously look like they've been tossed around in the oceans for a while and have gathered a huge amount of detritus on their journey.

The idea combines fibre with metal, with a small nod to felting and beadwork. I loved the idea of bringing it all together in something wearable.

Garden is one of my favourites, combining gloroius pale green hand dyed alpaca (which I had to buy when I first saw it for sale) with synthetic yarns, plus glass charms on top of tinned copper wire crochet. I have my own version of the garden cuff and wear it lots.

win a pair of earrings for your spring wardrobe

small hoops earwires in sterling and brass wire, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

This is partly self-advertising and partly a shout-out to a very cool inspired jewelry designer.

TheresaJ is running a competition on her blog to win a pair of her gorgeous spring-inspired earrings. There are some beautiful floral pieces available so I urge you to click on over to her blog and read all about it. Do it quickly though as the contest ends this Sunday!

...... and the self advertising? She's made all the pairs using some of my handcrafted earwires.

Thanks Theresa.

reflection

reflection, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Yesterday we all went out for a gentle hike around the dykes at Pitt Lake. Pitt Lake, one of the largest tidal freshwater lakes in the world, is only 30 minutes away from where we live but we've never visited.

Mr. ebb wanted to check out the canoe rentals, the wee guy wanted to run around and I wanted to see how far I could walk without collapsing. On the way there we drove thru cranberry country and on the way back we stopped off at Hopcott's Meats for some awesome local supplies.

The canoes were rentable (but it was a bit cold), lots of running around was done and I managed my gentle hike.

The weather was odd - sunny but with oppressive dark clouds, and the odd splash of rain. For a brief 5 minutes we were rewarded with a double rainbow over the lake.