Merry Christmas from Handmade Markets!

To all of our fantastic Customers, Likers, and Sellers,

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a 

Happy and Safe Christmas and New Year!

Thank you to everyone for all of your support and hard work,

all of us at Handmade Markets are looking forward 

to an even bigger and better year for us all in 2014!

Where has December gone?

..... And where did 2013 go for that matter? It has been the speediest year I can remember!

Are you ready for Christmas? There's always so much to do in the lead up!

Do you need some last minute handmade goodness?
Or some stocking stuffers?

We have both! :)

We have 2 albums live at the moment!

First we have the latest $1 Auction which ends tonight at 9pm AEDST!

Here are a couple of pics of the goodies available in there :

There is still time to get your bids in so follow the picture links or go directly to the album HERE!

~*~

And we also have some fabulous items still in our very last Market Night Album for the year!

They are in the Last Minute Gift album HERE!
And here are some pics to titillate you!

 

Heaps of fabulous Handmade goodness, isn't there! :)




We love to get feedback and comments from you guys! So why don't you leave us a comment with some items you'd like to see from our fabulous handmaidens in 2014?

Wow! Christmas Is Just Around The Corner - Still Need Gift Ideas?

Hi Everyone!

We have another fabulous $1 Auction ending tonight!

It ends at 9pm AEDST and there are still heaps of bargains to be had :)

Here is a link to the album

And here are a couple of pics to show what we have on 

offer from our fantastic 100% Aussie Handmade sellers! 

Some great Christmas gift ideas in there!

If you see something you like but need a different

size or fabric, please don't hesitate to PM or email them, most would be

happy to fill a custom order for you!

We will also be launching our last Market Night for 2013 tomorrow,

 so check back for links and teasers tomorrow :)

Confession time

So it's time to come clean, and admit the truth.

I love to sew -but sometimes it drives me crazy!

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2802/4465738342_c35de2cd10.jpg

So this is the scenario - hoping you all  know the feeling:

You've bought the pattern/s.

You've managed to score some free time to sew.

You've decided on the fabric.

You've poured the coffee.

You're ready!

So...there you are with a couple of hours free to sew.  You've decided on the pattern (which in itself took longer than you planned to actually decided what to make!) You've traced the pattern, cut the fabric and you're now sitting behind the machine ready. Then you realise the bobbin is almost empty so you refill it. 

 NOW - You're ready.

You start to sew! Things are going well, progress is being made and then the machine gets stuck - WHAT!!! WHY!! NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!!! So you  re-thread. Take the bobbin out and put it back it back in and start again - all good.

Your project is taking shape! Wait! What's this...oh crap! You've sewn two bits together upside down (or pattern the wrong way around...or inside out etc etc).

Okay - breathe!

Grab your seam ripper and carefully rip all those wrong stitches out - of course removing all those annoying little bits of thread as you go. 

http://tinyurl.com/kdhdp8o

Right...done...now put the pieces together properly this time (not sure what happened you were sure you were paying attention!). Not to worry - it's all coming together now.

Wait - what's that noise? sounds like lots of little horses running through the house - oh it's the kids! They're home!! WHAT! Surely it hasn't been...oh it has - 2 hours are up! But you're so close to finishing!

It's alright - you can do this.  Food and toys for the kids organised - you only need another 15mins (you hope!). Hang on what time is it? Nearly time to prepare dinner...nah it's okay you'll have scrambled eggs tonight - that will buy you another 15mins of sewing time. 

So - again - the gentle whirr of the machine begins 

*WHISTLE* 

what was that? Oh a message  - I'll check it later

♪whirr of machine♪..."I wonder who it's from" - "I'll have a quick look"

http://tinyurl.com/mwfd79m

15mins later, after a facebook conversation

♪Whirr of machine♪

AND DONE!!!!!

Thankfully you chose a dress today (and not a soft toy or similar ... that would need stuffing and hand sewing to finish).

You hang it proudly on the back of the door and plan to try it on your princess tomorrow when she's not tired and grumpy (in part from mummy not playing with her and sewing instead!).

Time to head off to dinner - "relaxed" from sewing!

http://tinyurl.com/oa3tw9d

--------------

While you're cooking dinner your mind wanders to the next problem...that drawer full of patterns that seems to be reproducing under it's own power.  It's not getting any smaller and there are no more hours in the day.  Will you ever get through the patterns...can you possibly make it all?? 

..... there's always "tomorrow"!

Dont you love it when "Anything Goes" ?

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We have a brand new Handmade Market Night which kicked off last night and as the title suggests - 

Anything Goes! :)

You could discover all manner of Handmade goodies in this Market!

Christmas ideas, Gift ideas, Something for the home even.

1 thing is guaranteed - they are all 100% Aussie Handmade. 

We all know Handmade = made with love.

And a lot of the time they are also one-offs!

Here is a link to the album! 

And here are a couple of pictures to tease you with what's on offer :

See something you like? Head on over and check it out then because it's only just opened and the one you like might still be available!

Remember, if you see something you like but need it in a different size or fabric, or it's sold - ASK the seller, most have custom spots and could make you one to order!

What's new with the Handmade Markets? Lots!

Hi Everyone!!

We are busy busy at the moment :)

We have a $1 Auction ending tonight and there are still many, MANY 100% Aussie handmade bargains to be had! And what could be better than a Handmade Christmas gift?!

Check out the album here! And here are some pics to show you what's on offer :

See anything you like? Well, head on over and place your bids, it ends tonight at 9pm AEDST!

And there are still so many bargains to be had!!!

Nothing Over $10 Market!!

Hi Everyone! 

We have a new Market kicking off tonight - the Nothing Over $10 Market!

The album is linked Here for your convenience :)

It starts at 9pm AEDST and as the title suggests nothing will be over $10! Bargains! Most of these items would make wonderful Stocking fillers and what better gift than a handmade gift?

Here are some sneak peeks at what will be on offer :

We also have another $1 Auction kicking off tomorrow 29th November at 9pm AEDST, so don't forget to head on over then as well! :)

Happy Monday! Our $1 Auction is Ending

Hi Everyone!

We have our latest $1 Auction ending this evening at 9pm AEDST!

So there's still time for you to get your bids in and grab a wonderful Handmade item. You can find a link to the album here!

 Here are some pictures of the items on offer :

See anything that tickles your fancy? :)

Follow the link, place your bids!

Did you know that many of our wonderful vendors also offer custom spots?? 

If you see something you like but need it in a different size or fabric for instance, 

contact the lovely creator and ask for a custom spot! :)

We also have an "Adult gift Ideas" Market kicking off tomorrow, Tuesday 26th ...

So check back for a sneak peak tomorrow ;)

Enjoy your Monday and don't forget - Tonight 9pm AEDST our $1 Auction ends, so be there or be square!

Christmas Gift Ideas!

Christmas is so close I can smell the eggnog!

There are only 36 sleeps to go!

 Yep - 36!

But! Fear not, we have some fantastic Christmas gift ideas in tonight's 

"Handmade Markets Christmas Gift Ideas" market which kicks off

at 9pm AEDST! Be there or be square! ;)

Here are a couple of collages to whet your taste buds :

And here is the direct link to the album!

Did you know that most of our sellers offer Custom spots?

If you miss out on an item or see something you would love, 

but need a different fabric or size, 

leave a comment, send them an email, or PM them or their shop!

A lot of our businesses will still have custom spots leading up to 

Christmas and what better gift to give than a little slice of Handmade heaven? 

Why not leave us a comment and let us know what you would love 

to give or receive for Christmas this year? :)

What's Happening at Handmade Markets?

Hi Everyone!

We have another busy week at Handmade Markets! 

We started a new $1 Auction Friday evening and it is still open!! 

It doesn't close until tomorrow - Monday night, 18th November at 9pm AEDST, 

so there is still time to get your bids in and maybe win on one 

of the gorgeous handmade items pictured below.

Here is the link to the album!

They are made by fantastic 100% Aussie owned businesses

We also have a fabulous Handmade Market Night "Christmas Gift Ideas" on Tuesday so keep an eye out for some sneak peeks closer to kick off :)

Sewing Room Vortex

Today's bright idea....

Image source: http://tinyurl.com/par8cg6

Sew....today I was trying out a couple of new patterns and about 1/4 of the way through the project I realised I needed some fur. Easy right?   All I had to do was head over to the 'fabric storing area' (wardrobe) and get said fur.  Nope not that easy! 4 hours in I hadn't found it but I had found some gorgeous teapot fabric, some black 'sexy' lace, brilliant wooden buttons and some new wool fabric I had forgotten all about!

Now I am sure that I am not alone in the search of craft items.  I am positive that other sewers out there dread having to actually find things in their sewing rooms...you know you have the item (you have the receipts to prove it!) but you can't actually put your hand on it. The thing is if you're asked you can't actually find it straight away - it's more of a 'go make a coffee and I'll let you know how I'm going' sort of request. Now don't get me wrong my sewing room doesn't exactly look like this:

Image source: http://tinyurl.com/p83n5rd

However in fairness it doesn't look like this either:

Image source:http://tinyurl.com/pjfg2fc

It's more like a happy medium between the two - everything is neat but not 100% ordered. I know what I've got...but sometimes have to go searching for it. I do admit it doesn't help that I share my sewing room with my doll collection...but that's another blog entry!  So anyway... the fur! I had pulled out most of my fabric (and then actually taken the time to refold and stack neatly - rediscovering gorgeous prints along the way!), searched through the 'embellishment' shelf, button drawer etc etc...however no fur.

So....absolutely needing the fur to finish the project I decided a quick fabric shop trip was in order. Packed the kids into the car and headed off. Had the fun 'stop running round the fabric store' conversation with the kids (mine aren't the only one's to do that right:?)  Got the fur...repacked the kids...came home, only to discover I had locked myself out!  Called hubby who was going to be at least an hour (brilliant!).  

When I finally got back to my sewing room this evening I laid the fur out and was about to start cutting when hubby comes in and looking at the fur innocently says 'how did you get that down without the ladder?'. I'm about to reply 'what are you talking about?'....when I remembered that I had moved a bunch of fabric into my own wardrobe's top shelf  (I might have needed the room) - including the fur!!!  So I walk through - look up and yep...there's the fur...and some pretty silk cashmere...oohhhh  wool suiting...and lace!!

Image source: http://tinyurl.com/px9mkgc

 - sorry I'd finish the blog post but I have to go roll in some fabric for a while!

And we must have one "For the Girls" too!

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of!

Hi Everyone!

As the title suggests, our Handmade Market Night this week is all about the girls! :)

We have some gorgeous items up for grabs! Here is a link to the album.

And here are a couple of sneak peek pics for you to drool over: 

 

The Market Night kicks off tonight at 9pm AEDST! So be there or be square :)