Hello again…don’t the weeks come round quickly! It’s been very busy on Planet Penny over the last few days as we’re in the process of turning a storage area into an office, so having moved everything out for Tim to work on it my studio is CHAOS! It’ll be so good when it’s finished, I might be able to find things more easily (pause for hollow laughter!) but the main perk will be having the printer/scanner in the same room that I’m working in, instead of several rooms and a fight of stairs away. I suppose the exercise is good for me, but it makes things take twice as long! In the meantime I’ve been needlefelting and playing with Ocean Blue dye, and little flowery buttons…
Remember the little robins of last week? I had a cunning plan for their use, and it worked out very well. I found some pretty natural and red woven ribbon, just enough to make five of these…
…and put them on the Planet Penny Facebook page to see what the reaction would be. Despite several of you telling me off for mentioning the dreaded ‘C’ word (!!) I sold three before I even put them on Etsy, where there is now just one left! Don’t despair however, there will be more, but they’ll be just a little different. I don’t do mass production I’m afraid!
I have also completed a variation on the the Love Birds as I couldn’t source the straw wreath straight away, the latest ones have natural colour lambswool hearts…
…and three of these have made it as far as the Etsy shop!
And my other creative project the week has involved a spot of dyeing! I have such problems finding clothes I like, that fit, that are long enough, and I rarely find all that and in a colour I like. So when I found a tunic top in Cotton Trader’s sale which ticked all the boxes bar the colour one I snapped it up and went off to the local supermarket for a packet of dye…
Take one shirt like this…
…in a cotton linen mix, and add a packet of this…
and a few pretty buttons..and you end up with this…
I’ve ordered two more!
(This might amuse you: Having decided to change the basic white buttons to something more original I carefully sorted an interesting selection of colours snipped off the white ones and replaced them with the pretty flower ones – I hate sewing on buttons, don’t you? I had just finished ironing it and had hung it on a hanger to admire when my beloved OH came in. “Yes,” he said, “That looks really good. Now all you have to do is change the buttons…”
I say nothing!)
There was lots of interest last week about Higgins’ ‘Thundershirt’. He’s actually wearing it at the moment as a storm has just passed by and it does seem to calm him down a lot. He usually goes and sits on the back doormat and trembles but this time I wrapped him in the shirt and popped him into bed where he snuggled down and look reasonable relaxed. It was only a small storm so more testing will need to be done, but so far the signs are good.
I must finish this and go and administer tea to the worker in my little ‘soon-to-be’ office, it’s not the weather to be sawing wood! I’ll leave you with the usual link to ‘Handmade Monday’ over on Handmade Harbour.
Have a lovely week and I’ll be back soon…x
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What a lovely creative week. the shirt is fabulous and a very summery blue. I love your robins on the wreaths – Christmas is marching towards us very quickly. Hope you have a good week.
That blue is lovely, and I think the buttons are great!
It’s a great reminder that you can alter/adapt the clothes that are on offer in the shops
Oh, the birds in wreaths are just so gorgeous! They will fly away quickly, no doubt. Love the husband comment – just typical!
Oh my goodness! I LOVE those birdies! Fantastic hair on the little blue one. Made me giggle.
Nothing wrong with not doing mass production!Great shade of blue for the shirt.
Much as I don’t like the C’ word – I do think the Robins are adorable!
Oh, how tweet those lil birds are…I mean sweet! 🙂
I’m very jealous of your new working space. You need to post pictures when it’s done so we can all have a nosey!
Love your birds they look so cute and I can think of a few family members who would be very interested in them! X
I love all your birds. I am not surprised they have been snatched up. I am always in awe of anyone who changes clothes. In theory I could but in practice I am not imaginative enough. Love the comment – just the sort of thing my husband would say. Very impressed that you managed to keep quiet!
Husbands just don’t get it sometimes do they? Such a good idea for the shirt and has inspired me! Thanks! 🙂
Hehe, I have one of those shirts, but in plain old white because I’m not as imaginative as you! Lovely Penny 😀
What cute little birdies, no wonder they sold pretty quick! I love what you have done to the white shirt, the colour blue is so pretty and with the embellishments makes it something extra special.
I saw your lovely robins on your facebook page- not surprised they got snapped up!
Loved Tim’s comment about the buttons ha ha. Got to love them! Andy would say the exact same believe me. I do love your dye Penny and that shirt looks so gorgeous and so YOU, beautiful indeed.
Your robins are perfect and I can well see why they flew out of your shop and yes I say to not mass producing. You would get bored not doubt and we would miss seeing all your fabulous new ideas. happy week ahead and I hope we get a sneak peek into your new space, lucky you! Enjoy xox love and hugs to Higgins too x
both your robins and love birds look simply gorgeous, its lovely that you make variations on the designs, i think that getting something unique is one of the great joys of buying handmade 🙂
isnt’t it funny how nobody can bare Christmas being mentioned so early in the year, yet we’re all happy to snap up some festive prettiness if it crosses our path, whatever the time of year!
i’m glad that Higgins’s shirt seems to be helping him, it is so horrible to see one’s pets suffer isn’t it… my doggy got a shock off an electric fence this week and i still feel haunted by the yelps he let out! x
Love what you’ve done with the blouse. It must be a blue thing ‘cos i also have a soft spot for the bluebird with the quiff!
Husbands know nothing!!! Those buttons ‘make’ it and the blue is just gorgeous.
the tunic is really colourful and beautiful!!!
The robins are so c……., sorry, nice!!! ;oD
xoxo Alessandra
Lovely shade of blue! Much better than the plain white in my opinion : ) I’ve been thinking about doing some experimental dying myself. Its funny how the little details make a difference!
love the robins very Christmas looking.
Oh how cute is that! The little robins looked already adorable just sitting on your hand, but in this wreath with ribbon and the sweet little heart above… wooow, that’s a doozie!!
I’m so glad you’re having good luck with the thundershirt! I have heard more good than not about it. 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE the birds. I’m going to go look on FB and see if I can share them so my friends can see them. They are so sweet.
I loved the robins last time I saw them and I love them even more now!They look fabulous!
The shirt turned out beautiful! So colorful! LOL about the buttons!
Also loved the red little birds, no doubt they sold out fast, they’re lovely!
Oh, these men. What a thing to say about your lovely buttons! They’re perfect with that gorgeous deep saturated blue.
The robins are so cute – especially in threes. I like the different-coloured beaks.
I seem to have missed your Thundershirt post (Blogger is really messing up my reading list lately) so am off now to read it. Glad to know the shirt seems to be helping Higgins.
Hi Penny!! Hope you are well,
I organised my blog page but still havent reached lift off!! Anyway, I saw your robins and they are great!! So cute! Ive now got so many ideas that Im struggling to focus on one thing, but itll get there, Im sure!
xx
oh my goodness! how cute these birdies are! great idea about placing the robing in the wreath 🙂
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