Friday is my day: Littleclouds

Long flight ahead. Today we will fly to Hong Kong and meet Alison from Littleclouds.etsy.com
She designs the most cute and funny things made of fabric and paper.
Have a fun Friday!

Wrist pin cushion with watch face screen print

littleclouds

Hello from Hong Kong and welcome to a typical Friday Littleclouds style.
I wake up around 9am and the first thing I do is cuddle Kira (a Chihuahua I’m temporary looking after for a month).
After changing out of my sleep clothes and brushing my teeth etc I turn my Mac on and put the kettle on for a cup of tea, the first cup of tea is always the best!
Typically for breakfast, I’ll either have Cheerios or raisin toast (2 slices!)

This mug is from my 1st job at Costa Coffee when I was 16 and I took it with me in my suitcase when I came to Hong Kong just over a year ago.
Because we are only here temporarily, we try to buy as little as possible and we only have 3 mugs in the house so this mug is ultra-ultra precious!

Whilst tucking in, I’ll check my emails, Facebook, craftcult and read some of my favourite blogs and make my ‘to-do’ list for the day, usually consisting of things I need to make for orders and stockists, test samples as well as things I need to buy later (food shopping, supplies, errands etc).
I take Kira out for walkies. She loves grass and I love her face when she is panting, so happy looking ! (cute video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/littleclouds/4928230817 )

Around 10am I’ll head to my studio to start a-making. Today I’ve got a few custom orders to make so I screen print a bunch of stuff, including this shiny gold PVC I’ve been itching to test out…finally! Even though it is OTT and tacky I kind of love how bling it is!
After cleaning up my silk screens (and the bathtub!) I wait for the pieces of fabric to dry so I go to cuddle and play with Kira (she is quite a baby and loves hugs!)
11am
Whilst I’m waiting I might as well grab an early lunch! I’m not usually this healthy, I go through phrases but today this is literally all I had in my fridge, cheese, turkey slices and reduced salad pack. Time for another tea.
12pm
I sew and sew and sew until my back hurts and my eyes feel fuzzy, I finish my custom orders and make some samples for new ideas from the prints…bling bling!
3pm
I need some more supplies so go to catch a bus to go to Shum Shui Po, a district where it is completely chock-a-block full of supplies, anything you want you can probably get here in some hidden dusty corner, it is really a crafters paradise!
5pm
I go to meet my significant other and we watch ‘Inception’ at the cinema and have dinner somewhere local afterwards.
Afterwards we get some frozen yogurt to share, this stuff is so SO GOOD! I could eat it all day! And I think it healthy, healthier than ice cream anyway!

We get the bus home and get off early so we can go take a long walk on the beach as the sun sets, where I live is so beautiful, I’m so lucky to see these sights so frequently that I have to pinch myself. I’m not a sun worshiper or anything but I do love to see the sights of sea, mountains and low hanging clouds and everyone is always so happy at the seaside and that sort of happiness is infectious, these dogs were play fighting on the beach, so lovely to watch.
10pm
We take Kira out for a walk, she is so tiny compared to other dogs!
I package some orders whilst watching TV and do some sofa-sewing, I potter around and do some chores before bedtime around 1.30am YAWN!
Thanks for reading !

Friday is my day: Lazy Giraffe

Hi again! I hope you are now relaxed and full of sunshine and ready to travel again!
This Friday we will head to UK and meet Deepa from lazygiraffe.etsy.com
She creates jewellery from vintage beads, pearls and modern glass and she just recently discovered metalsmithing too.
Enjoy your day!

Dusk Earrings - mixed metals and swarovski pearls

lazygiraffe

"Hello! My name is Deepa, I live in Cambridge, UK with my husband, a big fluffy cat, a teeny kitten and two squeaky guinea pigs. I work in an office during the day and I make jewellery with every bit of spare time I can squeeze. I also love cooking!

This is my Friday:

7.45am
Waking up, I am not a morning person, normally I dash around to leave for work at 8.30. Hair straighteners and make up help me look human!

8.20am
Ready to go. I take my jewellery parcels with me and drop them off for posting. Today I am wearing glittery black shoes, maybe it will help brighten up the day!

8.30am
In the office. My first cup of tea of the day helps me wake up and get going. Lots of paperwork to sift through today.

1.00pm
Lunchtime, I have been prepared today and made myself a nice lunch. A brown rice spicy salad with little soya beans, homemade coleslaw and a baby avocado on the side. Yum!

1.30pm
Lunchtime walk, sometimes I pop outside for a bit of fresh air. I am very lucky to work in the countryside and there are plenty of places to walk.

3.00pm
Afternoon tea time! Tea for everyone in the office, and someone bought in some chocolate biscuits - hurray!

5.30pm
Back at home. Catching up with my shop orders, tweets, emails and listing new jewellery. I made some blueberry cake in the week which is perfect with a cup of tea at the end of the day. Having said that, my day is only just beginning - gardening and jewellery making to do next!

6.00pm
The garden. I like this time of year because I get to spend a bit of time in the garden after work, we grow some vegetables (lots of courgettes this year) and we have fruit trees in the garden. Jess the cat keeps me company.

6.30pm
Kitten!
We just got a kitten and she is so lively! She loves playing in her little cat tunnel, we play mouse for a little while.

6.45pm
Packing up jewellery orders. First I get to any orders than need sending out, I make and pack them up. I have been making some earring cards for my boxes and I love the bright summery ribbon to tie them up.

7.15pm
New things! Today I am making lots of little loops out of silver, gold and copper. They are little egg shape teadrops which I will turn into earrings, they have been soldered and shaped and are now ready to be cleaned up and ready to photograph.

8pm
Dinner. I picked up these really cute little squashes at the local market, they made a scrumptious pasta dish with some parma ham. Quick and easy too!

9.30pm
Annnnnddd relax. End of the day, relaxing with a bit of knitting in front of the television before bedtime.