Hearts collective

I'm on new webstore called Hearts Collective. It's similar to Etsy and our local one Felt, except that it focuses on eco friendliness as well.
I mainly operate from my Etsy shop, since for some reason I have never been successful with Felt and I find Etsy more user friendly. Listing an item on Etsy can be done in a matter of very few minutes nowadays, all in one page, which makes it so much easier and nicer.

Since I have been sloooowly putting out new creations I thought this might be the chance to give Hearts Collective a go and create a new shop there.

So far I have listed two items, there will be more coming soon, it's just a matter of (a lot of) time!
These two new items are made to order only, as I have very little of each fabric and would rather make them to a specific size rather than have them sitting in the shop. I am in love with both of them, I kept the pants pictured for Miro but the top was made for a friend's baby. I might have to make one for Miro as well, he just looks so gorgeous in it.

My creative space

I've been lazy about sewing lately, or rather, I have been more interested in reading. I started reading "Monkey grip" by Helen Garner, and I can't put it down. I love reading a good book, and I'm always too impatient to know what happens next.
I did make a softie a couple of weeks ago. I was trying out a pattern for a giraffe softie for Sharon at Pepper stitches. I never get round to making softies, so it was nice to try out something different from clothes making. The giraffe came out great, it was my first time using teddy bear joints and I struggled to find some here (small town!) so I ended up buying some online. When they turned up they wren't the best fit but I managed to get by. The giraffe was an immediate success with Tahi who took it to playcentre that day, then kept taking it with him everywhere he went.

If you're into softie making check out Sharon's shop. My favorite are the antler boy and girl!

More creative spaces here!

back in the making

Haven't even started on the Xmas presents though, how terrible. I'm almost tempted to slowly get into it then use them for next year. At least I might be in time!
I have just finished a custom order (probably my last one) and the clothes were so cute I decided to make some for our little flea too. The baby bug is getting to me, I have been browsing Etsy and Felt for baby items, stay posted to see what I find!
Here's a little photo gallery of my latest creations:

upcycled organic fair trade cotton (from KowTow) short sleeve top

Merino sleeping gown

Long sleeve merino top

mini art journal challenge: week 12

This week's prompt: "I believe".
So, being an optimistic (most of the time anyway!), I like to believe in a lot of things.
I remember when I was a kid, I wanted a cat so badly, for six months (maybe more) that is all I'd wish for. I'd even made one of those special wish bracelets and wore it so when it would wear out I could wish for a cat (it took ages, at some stage I was ready to give it a hand by filing it a bit). Well, it happened. We were traveling in Guadeloupe, in the French West indies, and in the street waiting for a bus, there was this cute friendly tortoise kitten . My brother and I started playing with it and patting it. The owner turned up and told us if we wanted to we could keep it. I was over the moon! We took it back to France, hidden in a bag on the plane (at the time it was an easy thing to do). Unfortunately it disappeared  a few months later, probably snatched by someone since it was so friendly and cute.
Yes, that's how much I like to believe.
My greatest belief though would have to be "the little things": thoughts, attention, goals... I don't like to be told when to tell someone I love them (like mother's day, valentine's days, father's day), the only one i stick to is birthdays, and even then, I'm useless at remembering them. For me, you show love whenever you feel like, and I tend to buy something as a present for someone if I see something that reminds me of them, not just a few weeks before xmas (which is great to avoid xmas rush). I chose to stay at home with my son because I believe what is important is our little routine everyday, my presence, a little walk on the beach, a little story when we wake up, a little kiss whenever I feel like it. And I have a strong belief that anyone can help shape a better planet, little by little. By watching what we buy, having a compost in the garden, recycling what we can (Fresh cream bottles with a few holes at the bottom make great bubbles in the bath water!), even just thinking about what we can do to reduce our impact. When I decided to start pioupioukids, I wanted to follow the same philosophy and produce as little waste as I can, be conscious about where I buy my supplies. So far I'm more than happy with what I've managed, even if I'll never make millions. But I am so much happier doing this than earning big bucks in the film industry. It is possible, it is worth doing a little something, it makes a difference.

Background is a picture taken from a magazine (water drops), letters cut out from a picture of a poster, the colorful flower is taken from Tahi's wall decoration!

Finding help online

How do you feel about marketing yourself to the World Wide Web? Lost? Confused? Clueless?
Since I opened my Etsy shop over a year ago and then started this blog a year later, I have spent hours surfing the net, checking out websites, shop and blog. And to think that I might only have seen a tiny fraction of what is available on this network! It reminds me that this is probably the case when it comes to my Etsy shop and this blog too.
So how do you get more exposure? Reach the people you will love what you do?
Well, I have no magic answer but finding blogs such as Scoutie Girl are a real godsend for grommets like me. It is a blog about all things handmade, what the author likes but also how creative people can use the technology available to them to promote what they do, or in the case of this post, what impact the internet has on creativity. The blog's author,
tara, has written a few guest posts recently that I'd definitely recommend: read the one in the DailyWorth (another great one to bookmark), the one on Problogger or her interview on CarmenTorbus.
Tara has also put together a digital zine titled "The kick the door down project", entirely downloadable for FREE and  "compiling the stories of creators who have broken through obstacles – mental, physical, and situational – to live the lives they’ve dreamed of. some are living those dreams and others are still on their journey. we can learn from them all."
If you'd like to find out more about it, read the full post here and download the file!

Mini art journal challenge: week 3

I've been thinking about this prompt for a week: "I am". I felt stuck at first. how can I put my(whole)self on a playing card? I was going to choose "soul", but in the end opted for a simpler concept that resumes me pretty well at the moment: "mother"!

I started by pating the background red, then put some white and yellow paint on a piece of cotton fabric and pressed it on the card. I'd bought some beautiful handcut paper craft from China some 10 years ago and selected one that had a tiger and her cub then stuck it on the card. That paper is so fine, I nearly tore it by applying the glue (I only had a glue stick, so I'd grab a little of it with my finger tip then paste it onto the papercut). The words were all taken from a newspaper article about mothers' reaction at a Sydney newspaper article that stated that modern day women had it easier bringing up kids than did their mums and mums' mums. What a load of crap is how I'd sum it up. I can't believe families and raising children comes behind earning money to pay our taxes and mortgages. Maybe a debate for a future post...
The statement is repeated twice, perhaps because being a mother didn't come naturally to me. During Tahi's first year I was very torn between looking after him and going back to work. It was hard. I wanted to do the best I could for him, which meant staying home and being full time mum, breastfeeding (which I still am!), practicing EC. And I slowly realized that also meant I had to reassess my values and how I defined myself. Suddenly there was not much time for me, or even us (as partners/lovers), it was all about a baby whose basic needs had to be met, 24/7. I've felt frustrated at times, stuck, angry, sad. But I've also felt a growing respect, love and understanding. I am also very proud. Of who our little boy is growing to be. Of choosing to do the hard yeards, staying home with Tahi and bringing him up. It's all pretty much about him. Hopefully it'll pay off!
I am slowly finding a balance. A year ago I opened a shop on Etsy, selling kids' clothing made from recycled material. In the end, this change of life has been good for me too. I can be creative, put my energy (whenever there is some left!) into something I really believe in. I also have time to put in our garden. I've slowed down, revalued what was important.

Tahi and have been having some very chilled out days, just taking a stroll to the beach, walking into town. Today I took out his nice oil pastels he got for christmas. Judging by the picture you'd think he's been very busy coloring some beautiful drawings. But no, Tahi is really into chopping things with scissors, so he did just that with his crayons. I've stopped him from doing that in the past, but I decided to let him do it this time. It's hard, I hate waste and this really felt like wasted goods, but they're his and if that's the way he likes to experiment with them, maybe I should let him do it... He had fun anyway and was pretty happy with himself!

(And I managed to recover all the little bits and put them back into the box before he threw them over the railing!)