Samples, samples, more samples…

I have FREE promos for you!  This month, I’ve been swapping bits & pieces with some other crafty types, and now have some great little tasters so that you can sample their wares.  How?  Simply place an order of £5 or more (excluding p&p) in the TangleStore, and I will throw in a free (randomly chosen) promo sampler with your order, while stocks last.  Spend over £10 and I’ll include one of each!  I only have a few, though, so it’s first come, first served…

Here’s a preview of the samples I have for you…

Stamps!

Just a reminder that I still have an open call for bird-themed used stamps (& artistamps) for Project Dissimulation.  I’ve received some beautiful stamps already, and am really looking forward to craftifying them!  The first Project zine will be issued in April, to coincide with Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (in the UK; not sure if this is international or not), but I will be continuing to collect stamps & artistamps for the project & will release further mini-zines as material is collected.  Follow the link for full details of the Project & how you can help.

If you’re fond of postage stamps but don’t have any bird stamps for the Project, don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you!  I’ve also recently decided to clear out some of my excess hoard of used Machin stamps – can I tempt you?  I’ve put together some colour themed packs in the TangleStore so that you can creatively upcycle them however you choose, because with the best will in the world, I will never have enough time to use them all myself!  I’ve also put together a couple of packs with a stamp-upcycling mini-zine for inspiration.  This mini-zine was written in 2011 but hasn’t been available for sale before & will only be available now while my stocks of these used stamps remain.  See listings for more pics & info.

Crafty resolutions

Since my Christmas stocking project last week, my fingers have been getting all twitchy to do more crafty/stitchy things.  So I just created this treasury of DIY craft kits over on Etsy, which is full of crafty ideas for inspiration – but also the materials necessary to get started straight away.  As procrastinators will agree, not having the necessary materials to hand is the best excuse not to begin a new project, so these kits leave you with no excuses! 😉

Being totally honest, the packaging often attracts me just as much as the projects themselves, and is often just as original.  The DIY Instant Comfort Boxes by Kim Welling are a case in point; although I also have a huge soft spot for Pupurin’s Little Kitty Kit.  Those with a mildly sick sense of humour (who me?) may enjoy the 1/2 splat kit (must click to discover what this is, although the title is quite accurate!); while any embroiderers looking for a creative challenge should take a look at the wonderful Crafting Shelves kit from This Tiny Existence.  Well, take a look at the whole treasury: there are all kinds of craft kits from all kinds of crafters so hopefully something will inspire you!

My own crafty plans for the new year include a return to weaving, thanks to my lovely hubby buying me ‘The Ultimate Bead Loom’ from Fred Aldous for Christmas.  I’ve already constructed it (yes, I did in fact sit & construct it on Christmas morning), but the next stage is on hold while I figure out whether I’ll be using beads or yarn, and what I actually want to make.  My current impulse is to make a big mess of colour…  But what I love about this loom is the fact that it can just sit on a worksurface in front of me and the weaving area is (sloped) upright so that I don’t have to bend over it as I work.  I love using bead looms for small-scale weaving, but most have a horizontal working surface which my back does not enjoy.  😦  I will let you know how I get on as and when any projects emerge. 🙂

Besides that, I have a freshly acquired small stash of funky fabrics and wool felts that I am itching to play with, and lots of ideas in mind.  I can’t resist all the patterns, and the combinations of colours; and after my stocking project, I really got a feel for having a needle in my hand again.  My mother has claimed the unenviable task of teaching me to use a sewing machine, but this will be another slow-burner due to not living in the same city, not to mention my reluctance mainly concerning the noise of the thing.   I really just prefer having space to hear my own thoughts, but then again, I’m generally very good at tuning out sounds from the real world that attempt to permeate my inner world (how dare they!), so maybe I can tune out the sewing machine, too…  Again, I will keep you posted.

So, how about you?  Any crafty plans and/or resolutions for the new year?
Please share & inspire/motivate the rest of us!

Back on the production line…

As you will no doubt have noticed, after moving house in February, I suffered a small bout of creative ennui which lasted throughout March and early April (hence lack of posts or activity in Etsy store).  So I took a break & read lots of books, instead!  Thankfully, in time for the May update, the creative impulse returned and I have been working on various coming-soon projects over the last few weeks.  

Today, I have had my nose to the grindstone, and finally prepared a decent-sized print run of the long overdue Valley of Dolls zine, complete with DIY Intuition Doll kit.  It is my first real collaborative zine, and is full of creative contributions from my crafty friends – very different to anything I have done before!   Please check out the resurrected listings in the Etsy store for more pics & full list of contents.

Oh, and in my role as emissary between realms, I also added another new item to the Etsy store a few days ago: a booklet of the latest TangleStamps, Dandelion Smile.  This is the first time the Local Post of Tangledom has made its wares available to the outer realms, but will hopefully not be the last.  Please note that while useful for decoration of correspondence and/or as envelope seals, TangleStamps are not valid as postage outside of the Realm of Tangledom.

New things!

Check out the TangleCrafts Etsy Store for newly added items!  

First up is a brand new & revamped version of the Post Post Post Club – not only does it include a brand new issue of the Meta Mail Art Zine (available exclusively to club members), but you will also receive a membership card (entitling you to free gifts with future orders); a postmark address book, with PPP-exclusive mailing labels; plus exclusive mail art postcards to play with.  See the Etsy listings for full details & additional photos.  There are lots of different elements involved with each club package, so I will only be making limited memberships available at a time, so that I can keep on top of putting them all together.

And if you’re up for some mail art but fancy something a little bit different, why not enter into employment with the Local Post of Tangledom, as a Travelling Post Officer?  The Post Officer’s Companion will tell you all you need to know, and comes complete with a sample booklet of TangleStamps, a Travelling Post rubber stamp for cancellations, and a DIY TangleStamp kit for your own unique mulberry paper artistamp creations.

And remember – Christmas is coming!  I can’t make any promises, as we all know that the postal services at this time of year can be unreliable, to say the least, but if you place your order before the end of November, I will do my best to have your order reach you before Christmas.  The earlier you can order the better, though! Don’t forget, you will receive a free mini-zine with any order placed before the end of November!

The Borrowers are back! (& tinier than ever!)

Check out the biggest tiny zine about Borrowers you will ever read. My A5/half-size Borrowers zine has been retired, and replaced by a 34 page accordion folded micro-zine, plus additional 8 page introduction. The text is equally tiny, hence the miniature magnifying glass included, which also fits into the box (while stocks last).  I thought the reduced scale was more appropriate to the subject matter!
Click here for more information & additional photos.

I have also added some special editions of Enchanted Times, with Intuition Doll kits in green or red, instead of the standard black & white.  There’s only one of each left (the blue was snapped up yesterday) so
click here now
for your chance to buy this limited edition version of E.T. #1.
Great colours for Christmas! 😉

Good mail starts here!

Catching up on a month’s worth of blogging in one day, I really need to plug the (not-so-new-any-more) book Good Mail Day by Jenny Hinchcliff & Carolee Gilligan Wheeler.  I’m taking my time working my way through it, because it’s packed with ideas and resources for just about every aspect of mail art you could possibly be interested in.

Chapter 3, ‘The Traveling Mail Art Kit’, really captured my imagination & I started to think straight away what would comprise my own essential mail art kit.   I’d love to share, but I’ve set up a mail art kit swap over at Swap-Bot, and I don’t want to ruin any surprises for my partners, should they happen to stop by here.  But I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks of as their mail art essentials (it’s such a personal thing) – I’ll probably be inspired by your ideas, & then still ruin a surprise, anyway ;-).  And you’ll probably hear more about my own kit as time goes by…

Find out more from the authors through their blog – where you can see all the cool mail art they have been receiving – and also at the Pod Pod Post website (which looks great, but I was disappointed by how few of the shop items are actually available).

Zines, mail art, postal stuff – All This is Mine!

Over the last 6 months or so, I have acquired a few zines about mail art, & my opinion (so far) is that by far the most interesting is All This is Mine.  ATIM is a zine & a website.  The zine covers different subjects, but Issue 12 is all about letter-writing & while it’s not entirely about mail art, it’s still one of the most interesting I have read on the subject.  And it comes with a packet of random postal labels as well, which is very cool.

If the random labels are more interesting to you than a zine about letter-writing, you’re in luck, because the ATIM website also sells absolutely awesome hand-collated themed packs of random stationery.  Whether you see ephemera for artwork or original accessories for your correspondence in these packs, they are absolute essentials for mail lovers and creative letter-writers everywhere.  I want one!

What’s everyone up to?

I’ve had some great updates in the last week! And it’s always cool to see what other people are working on, so if you’ve been inspired to try something by one of my kits or zines, do let me know so that I can share 🙂

First up today is Sharon Schmeidel – back in January, she bought one of my ATC weaving kits and has been weaving away ever since. In her own words, tapestry weaving has become “another passion I should probably have done without”! The scale has increased somewhat since her ATC-sized beginnings – I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this wall-hanging is pretty awesome! Sharon is a member of the Iowa Art Quilters Group, and this piece has been on display in Grenell, Iowa, over the summer, at a show in conjunction with an area weaving conference. Cool!

I was also really happy to see Robin O. Mayberry’s post on her Alchemy Studio blog, about the bookmark she doodle-stitched, after I sent her a copy of my new ‘Contours’ zine, less than a month ago! The zine is all about doodles, and at the very last minute, I decide to include a bookmark as an extra. I didn’t have time to trial the concept first, so I just hoped that it would work – and it looks like it did – hurrah! Huge thanks to Robin for being my guinea pig & actually trying it out :-). If you would like to try it yourself, every bookmark that comes with the Contours zine is hand-doodled, and will be similar but different to Robin’s, so your doodle-stitching is guaranteed to be unique.

And last but not least, I received a great piece of post from Kristina Howells in France. I’ve been taking part in some faux postage projects, lately (although Kristina was very quick off the mark with this one, & I haven’t created, let alone sent my response, yet!). The envelope I received from Kristina had 2 ‘real’ stamps at the top, which had been duly postmarked, but also a faux postage stamp just beneath – and what tickled me was that the faux stamp had also been postmarked! I hadn’t got too far yet with my ideas for the faux postage project, but receiving this really prompted me to give it some thought & I’m itching to get started, now…

Does anyone have any leftover lavender?

The reason I ask is, I’ve just added a new mini zine to my Etsy store that is absolutely packed with project suggestions for your leftovers.  The zine is printed on recycled paper embedded with real lavender flowers, and will show you how to make lavender sugar, tea, incense sticks, infused oils and more!  Cunningly concealed on the inside of the zine, you will also find a cross stitch embroidery pattern and instructions.  You just need to turn the zine inside-out to find it!  And if you don’t have the leftover threads in your stash to stitch the pattern, I have also put together a limited edition kit including 21 different shades of overdyed floss + fabric so you can get started straight away.  Check out listings for both zine and kit for more info.

[Update: June 10th] N.B. The first kit sold straight away, so I have just made up &  added a second.  There won’t be more than 5 kits made, so buy now if you want one!