A&C Weekly Challenge 2008

[Whizzz]

New Year & a New thread - post what you hope to start/finish this week!

I have bought lots of fabby gemstones & I want to try & make some different types of jewellery, different ways of stringing etc.

DH also bought me some rainbow fluorite & I want to make myself a necklace & bracelet, although am still pondering what style I fancy!

(& my bog is sadly neglected, I must try harder!)

wizzz- have e-mailed you

There is SOOO much going on...I think we all deserve a huge pat on the back...and a glass of wine!! Ooo..bit late now I suppose,,,perhaps some cocoa instead then!!

I am afraid I am guilty for not commenting on the blogs...I do try but simply cannot keep up with it all!

Today I have made a little altered shopping jotter and matching notebook. Very simple to make, just wanted a few things other than cards at the craft market!!

I have a bundle more to alter so I hope to do some more tomorrow!!

Dingle, those notebooks are great.

I have now almost finished my new things, so I should be ble to take pics and get them on my blog tomorrow (when DS is at nursery, so I don't get sticky hands appearing in the pics!)

i know i've been guilty in the past of spending far too much time blogging and not enough time actually 'making'.

need to cut down on computer time if i'm ever going to get anything together to put on etsy

from last weeks list,

cushion cover, design, make and write instructions for a magazine editorial almost finished
finish large owl softie done
valentine swap done
stuff for etsy shop, need to break this down to a smaller list though ongoing

also made a little hedgehog stegosaurus stegahog thingy (needs working on, not quite right yet )

I love the notebook dingle. When is your craft fair?

Cant wait to see your hedgehoggy thing LK

I havent done anything thanks to my abnormaly sized blsiter.
I am getting slightly excited about tomorrow though.
My Nan is sending up a tin full of old buttons My cousins and I used to play with them when we were little. I cant wait to see them again.

awh LK I loved that stegahog! s/he is perfect!

I am doing to much computering and not enough making too. Did do a perfunctory tidy on the "craft room" last night which was a tip after Xmas. Am very excited - our back living room has been donated to me as a "craft room" and I am going to be allowed to set it up as such, rather than as a part of our living room that needs to be ready to be tidied for use at a minutes notice. Hurrah!

I am still trying to finalise details of the craft club I plan to set up for kids, and work out what things I could make to put up on etsy. Would like to get a few things up in time for valentines day but it's looking tight

But I did finish my beret and will blog about that later

dingle - the books are great!
nbg - lucky you - I love old buttons, even nicer when they have a sentimental attachment too

Awwww LK he is gorgeous

I love Floyd the dog too. One of my B&SIL's dogs is called Floyd.
I bet she'd love the soft version too.

oh yes, old buttons, my mum still has her tub, it was a old stork margarine container from the 70's, used to play around with them for hours

Updated my blog with the new things I've been making this week.

Hello all, I've posted this in the main A&C section but wanted to share this with you here in case you missed in in the other place.

Today I've had a meeting with Trading Standards to discuss safety issues when selling my creations and just wondered if anyone else has been down this route ?

I've seen lots of similar things to mine that have no CE marking or testing done so I was questioning whether I'd opened a can of worms and making life difficult (and potentially expensive) for myself by involving TS ?

Well, after the meeting I contacted a testing house and had a long chat with a lovely lady.

The upshot is I won't be making any more Softies to sell as the testing route is just not viable for small 'cottage industries' like me. They certainly don't do small businesses any favours but you can't take risks with toys.

The EN71 regulations are really stringent - lots of different parts involved

• Mechanical/ physical testing £62
• Flammability £45
• Toxicity £29.50
• Dyes test £55 (per bloody fabric)
• Consistency testing
• Environmental £45

Any hand stitching will need to sustain a pull of 20 lbs too.

All this per Design and sometimes you have to double the 'part £' depending on how many fabrics and threads you use , Aghh !!!!!!

I've been sat here feeling really down now and thinking of what my next step is.
I've wanted to make Non-toy related items for a little while but now I've been sort of forced into it.

Maybe I was daft doing things by the book but in this blame & compensation culture we seem to be living in, I thought I was doing the right thing.

TS told me that they pop up all the place checking out goods and it would have been just my luck to get caught at a craft fair or suchlike.

Anyone got any thoughts ? Do you get your stuff tested or not bother ?

I'm off to have a hunk of Green & Blacks now, that'll make me feel better

Sorry about the mammoth post !

GM - All those fab colours have really cheered me up

LK - Love the expression on Mr.Hedgehog

Dingle - The notebooks ... what a good idea. I think they'll be very popular as they are lovely

I'm still 'Green & Blacking', yum ! yum !

Nbg- the fair is on Saturday..I think, still waiting for the organiser the phone back & confirm. It will run monthly so it's a case of seeing how it goes!!

I made another 2 today....LOL..if they don't sell, I will have Mother's Day and teacher's pressies organised early this year!!

TBH I have soo enjoyed making them anywaym,it's amde such a change from my usual "style!"

What is it about crafters and old buttons from their childhood!! I can remember sitting on my nan's floor sorting through tins of wonderful buttons...if only I knew what happened to them!

Tilly- can you get around it all with some sort of disclaimer saying not suitable for .....xxxxxxx?

Dingle - I tried the 'What if I said not suitable for children under 36mths of age ....' route

But the TS and testing people said, if it's deemed a toy it doesn't matter how old the child is up to the age of 14. You can put that disclaimer on but the toy still needs to to tested for durabilty, toxicity, dyes, flammability etc. etc.

It's all very complicated stuff to be honest.

Even down to the buttons ! If you use buttons from various places, each has to be tested (plastic ones with a plastic test).

I tell you, I was sinking fast whilst I was talking to her thinking 'Oh my god, who can afford to do all this ?'
China, that's who !

Tilly

Thats got me really worried now.

I'd be interested in what others do too.

It's only been a week sinmce I last posted but I had to go to page 6 to find it!!

Against what it said this is the outcome -

• Finish DD's bunting - DONE - see my blog)
• Turn some jeans into 70's retro ones - DONE (see link above)
• Alter 2 duvet covers from single to cotbed size - DONE
• Make a reusable shopping bag for a friend - STILL TO DO

Well that's quite satisfying reading!!

Added to it now are:

• 2 x Buggy Blankets
• A cushion cover
• A pair of curtain tiebacks
• Hem a piece of material to make a tablecloth

On the "crafting" side - I aim to start a fleece patchwork blanket for DD - I want to do a proper quilt but I haven't decided upon the colour/design yet

but's thats where the loopholes in the ts system are though, the far east don't always test stuff , the recent toy recall is a good example

and as i said on the other thread, if all the materials, you are using to make with, are shop bought, they will each individually already been through testing for toxicity, flammability etc.

Nbg - I'm really sorry if my post has worried you but if you look here, LucyKate has posted some helpful info.

The lady at the testing place was so helpful, if it helps here's the link to the testing company

Here are some more websites trading standards gave me to check out. I haven't had time yet but they'll probably shed more light on things..

Office of Public Sector Info

Formally DTI Dept for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

h, i was just going to post a link to your other thread tilly, lets keep this one a happy and creative place ,

moans and groans over there

bit of good news though ladies

my blister has gone down

home from stuffing out faces in krispy kreme doughnuts. and shuffling round selfridges awwwing over all the crappy american imported junk food.. ah the smell of home yes I am that sad.. you should have seen me in Boarders wallowing in the imported US books and magazines, and starbucks..... waterstones just isn't the same.

crafts done today.. zip ziltch nada

tommrow is the day.. honest.

Nbg, good news about the blister!
Meridian, I hope you got me a donut and didn't scoff it on the way home . When they first opened in Harrods and were nowhere else one of my friends used to send them to me, is that sad? Probably. I get my friend in the US to send me goldfish crackers all the time too, I am addicted to them. She sends Hersey choc over too, but I'm not as keen on that...give me the goldfish all day every day!

on a lighter, bright note, some lovely crafting ideas here

just thought I'd pop on here to say we have computer / internet probs at mo - so am not ignoring people, just struggling to get connected. Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon........

I love Panduro and Tilda!!!

Did a bit of cheating this week, one of my aims was to make another 10 cards for my stock...have made 7 but some of these had already been started and sat in a box as toppers to be made up..so I had a bit of a head start.

Will have to go in search of my "list" on here and cut, paste and update!!! LOL...that's an effort in itself with all this activity..well done everyone!

and here's a lovely tutorial for a cushion (she has a really cool one for a tooth fairy pillow on her blog too)