Pricing is always a tricky subject

After much thinking and re-thinking and checking and re-checking.... I will have to put my prices up in the New Year.  The cost of my materials has increased, which obviously affects the price....but, also, I spend ages and ages patiently snipping the curves and corners of each softie so that you receive as beautiful cushion as is humanly possible.  Don't you think that it is time to reflect how long it takes me to make each cushion a little bit better?

So, if you are looking to purchase a softie at my current prices, please do so before the end of the year.  From 1 January my prices will be changing.

New Fabrics

If you hadn't already noticed, there is a bunch of new fabric in my shops....

Printed on to 55% linen / 45% cotton fabric in 'natural' and a few printed on to 'linen', which is a very attractive off-white.

The pink petals are printed on to a gorgeously soft and smooth natural linen.

You can find them here and here.

If they were yours, what would you make with them?

Colouring in Softie Special Offer

Need help with stocking fillers for little and not-so-little kidlettes....or us not-so-old people too?.....find the special offer here!

The special offer will end on Sunday 2 December.

Zippy Bags for Grown Ups

In between all my Christmas present crafting, I have made these two little lovelies....

Well....actually there is also a third one....but she is alllllll mine!  I am going to use her for crafty storage while we are on holiday.

You could also stash your current crochet or sewing project or sketchbook and pencils or snacks or general nicknack's or knitting or toys or.....what am I missing??  There must be something else?

Anyhow, you get the idea, super useful in two super useful sizes and unique and pretty - all in one perfect little package.

I will try and sneak a few photo's of my Christmas-y gift projects tomorrow, while little eye's are otherwise diverted....a doll minus legs, an elf minus a couple of eyes and a backpack that is not yet a backpack...oh, and a cat that is cunningly disguised as a roll of felt!  There are a few other bits and pieces in the works, but you will have to wait until after Christmas to see those.

If you fancy nabbing yourself one of these pretty pouches, they can be found here.

Pretty Petal Bucket Tote

Can you see me boogy-ing behind my computer?  I really am doing a little jig...surely you can see??

Seriously, looky what I am so pleased about....

Remember my yabbering about fabric way back here....yipes!  2 months ago!  I hope that you didn't go blue in the face waiting for me.  It is so frustrating how long it sometimes takes me to do things.  There are so many ideas bouncing around between my ears.  Makes it hard sometimes to concentrate on just one thing at a time.  Never mind all the other things that keep me busy.

I have a few of these in stock, once they are gone, I will be making them to order - which I will endeavour to have in the post within 2 weeks.  I also have a plan for at least one other colour way - maybe a teal-ish sort of colour...the petals could also be leaves, don't you agree?

If you need to get your mitts on one of these lovely bucket totes...looky no further than here.

....I think that I need to make myself one - specifically for keeping my crochet together next to the couch...plenty of generous hooky storage!

Robert Robert is here!

Finally!  Robert is in my shop and on Etsy!  That took forever...!

Rose Petals and a Movie

I took the day off work today.

Flower Daddy has been so busy paving at the weekends that I have had zero to none in the 'me-time' department.

Me-time keeps me sane.  It stops my brain from becoming overwhelmed.  It helps curb my grumps.  Me-time can mean pretty much anything...whatever is causing my brain space to overflow.  Lately it is fabric designing, printing, ink colour choosing and sewing.

When the girls are around, I just can not design or print.  Designing, for me, requires some quiet brain space.  Ava and Chloe are noisey, chatty and demanding.  I love them and their noise to bits - but Oh Man, I need regular doses of quiet time.  Printing involves paint.  Paint + two little monsters with verrrry enquiring minds and who like to be involved in and touch everything = equals beeeg mess.

So, today, I had planned on mixing some new colours and printing my new petals design.  I also wanted to print my new poppies and dandelion designs - which I still haven't found time to do {hanging my head in shame} and I had also hoped to sew.  Mixing - check!  Printing petals - check!

I am a bit frustrated that the rest didn't happen.  But, Flower Daddy was lurking around and suggested going to the movies.  We haven't been to the movies since I was pregnant with Chloe - who is just about 18mths old..!  I said no thanks, but then felt guilty.  We don't get much time to ourselves.

Anyhooo, we watched Taken 2.  It was good and nice, just us two.

Oh!  And if you neeeeed to get your mitts on some of this gorgeous linen with rose coloured petals scattered all over....looky no further than here!  I am head over heels in love with this new design.  You can expect some sewn rose petaled goodness to be coming soon!!

Perfect Poppies

I have just uploaded some new pieces of fabric to my shop - my new poppy design in linen and cotton.

Let me know what you think of them, I hope that you love these cheerful flowers as much as I do!  

It's Up - It's Up - It's UP!!

I said that I was excited about my new shop....well, as of a short while ago...IT'S ONLINE!!!!  I am doing little back flips about how lovely it looks.

Flower Daddy has done an awesome job in making it look so beautiful and clean and simple.  Jiggling things here and there to make it look that much better, without me even asking.

Make my day and go have a little look see and let me know what you think.  Puleeeeese?

Onwards and Upwards

We have been beavering away in the evenings (we, as in Flower Daddy - aka my html guru and I) creating a new Two Little Flowers shop.

My current shop is a clunky Wordpress shop.  It is a bit of a pain to manage...so a new shop is coming sooooon!  I am very excited.

I have been burning the midnight oil stocking the shelves.  We have been checking that links work and that correct information is in place.  I have been bending Flower Daddies ear about moving, removing and creating links.

Did I already say that I am very excited about the new shop?  For me it is much easier to manage stock and general graphics.  But, for you, as a shopper, I think that it is a much more comfortable place to visit.  Images are also easier to look at and flick through.  So far the shop is really smooth to move through, which is great...no annoying waiting for images to load...

It gets better...the new shop helps host an affiliates program!  You could earn 5% commission on sales that you send to the shop.  How exciting is that?!

I still have more shelves to stock, but, that can wait until tonight.  Right now, I have a new print to go play with while I wait for emulsion to dry on 2 other screens; so best I be off to make the most of my last child-free day this week.  Every minute counts!

Screen Printing Love

What is it about screen printing that is just so darn addictive?  The more paint I mix and slop around, the more I want to do it again.  I want to print and print and print until I get the technique just right and am rewarded with a perfect print.  Then I want to mix a different colour and start it all over again....

The whole process can be really rewarding or really, REALLY frustrating.

Either way - it is a-d-d-i-c-t-i-v-e!

So, I was allowed an hour or so at the weekend to get messy.  And whipped out a few green apples and green robots.  I mixed the green myself - the on screen colours don't do the colour a great deal of justice.  It isn't an emerald green, definitely not an olive green or even a granny smith kind of green - it is a lovely vibrant, summery, sunshiney green.

The colour is probably somewhere between the Pantone Summer Green and Bright Green.  It is g-g-g-gorgeous...if I do say so myself.

Anyhooo, if you are looking to invite a bit of summery green into your life...look no further than here!

On a really exciting note, I have a few days of leave to look foward to at the end of August.  Leave where I will be all to myself!  The girls will be at nursery, Flower Daddy at work (for most of the days) and me at home.  At home!  Designing!  Mixing ink!  Printing!  Exposing screens!  Sewing!  Time - all - to - myself.  Time to do with as I please!

Can you feel my excitement????!

New Fabric - Apples and Robots

After my printing frenzy last weekend, I have finally put these two fabric designs in my Etsy shop!  Yay!  The fabric is the most gorgeous green linen.  The apple fabric photo's really do not do the fabric colour any justice.  I just do not know why it was so hard to capture the real greeny colour.

Anyhooo...pop into my Etsy shop and have a browse...lots of happy goodness in there for the taking (or buying if we're getting pernickety).

Please Say Hello to Snappy, Stanley and Molly

Here we have Snappy the cheeky crocodile.  He thinks he is a bit of a clown with his sneaky water squirting flower!

Stanley the pocket rocket sausage dog with enough attitude for two great danes.

And last, but definitely not least, Molly our lovable geeky artist.

Alrighty then...they are finally in my shops...and they are all looking for new friends to love them and cuddle them and breathe new life into them!  You can find them in any of your preferred places :: my shop ¦ Etsy ¦ Folksy

As always, I love to receive photo's of these dolls all coloured in by your little artist...so, please do send them to me.

I really do need to create a Flickr group for these....!!

New Product New Product New Pr-o-o-o-duct!

Ok, ok, ok!  I am just a little excited to have these in my shop now.  I first mentioned them w-a-a-a-y back in September last year.  I just can not believe that almost 7 months have gone by since then.

I finally conquered my fear of my mammoth sized screen week ago, and today, I squeezed in time to print a bunch of these quirky-fun tea towels.  

The design is my own, created especially for you or your little people to colour {or, you could just enjoy it as it is}.  You could use it in your own kitchen, or save it for a special Granny.  There is also plenty of space above the print for a memorable message to be written to your favourite person.

We have coloured the tea towels with crayons as well as Crayola fabric markers.  I must say that the crayons were a lot more fun, and most definitely easier for little hands to use.  We taped the tea towel to the table and coloured away, then I wrote Ava's name and the date on the side...and posted it off our Grannies, with strict instructions that this work of art was to be Used and not just sit in a drawer!  

I kept the marked coloured one for me....

So, hop on over to 1 of my shops and grab yourself some colouring fun!  

Trainee Photographer

To distract Ava while taking photo's for my 2 new Spring Dresses today, I gave her my phone.  She is an expert photographer on that thing.  She probably knows how to use the ruddy thing better than me!  She even knows how to use pinchy fingers to zoom - she isn't even 3 yet...

This is my new photography spot, until I find somewhere else with better natural lighting...or spring/summer arrives with lovely sunshiny days - whichever happens first.  It is our Granny Room (others would call it a spare room), which is now also my Sewing Room.  My sewing space used to be in a corner in our lounge...which drove the daddy of the flowers rather nuts - me and my Mess.

This wall is a kind of greyish-blueish-greenish sort of colour.  Pretty.  But looks a bit bleugh in the pics as it isn't white.  It is the same wall that I have used behind my colouring in softies.

Anyhooo - the 1st of the two Spring Dresses are up on Etsy as well as my webshop.  More will hopefully follow next week.  And even more hopefully, they will have some pretty Patty Young knit fabrics included in them....I ordered some last week :).  My hands are ITCHING for them to arrive!!

Enjoy!

Pretty New Things in the Shop

Colourful new bits and bobs have been added to my shops....valentine kits, mug cosies, soft and cuddly nappy covers...

As always, custom requests are warmly welcomed!

Enjoy!