On Etsy's Front Page twice in one evening!

I think that a double Front Page in one evening is a record!  The first one happened while we were at the Royal Exchange Theatre watching the world premier of an excellent play called Mogadishu and the second (which led to three sales and used my title) while I was fast asleep!

Tickled Pink by Eyeful

I Can Feel Your Smile by Rush Creek Mosaics

Manchester Mini Zine/Book/Album

I've made a mini zine called Manchester Scenes and it's sixteen full colour pages with one through the viewfinder image on each.  Pretty much all of the photographs were shot in the Northern Quarter in Manchester with one from the beautifully restored Victoria Baths and one on a grotty industrial estate near Piccadilly.  I'm pleased with it and it's now in my Etsy shop.

Manchester Scenes by Sarah Franklin

Spinning.

We visited Tate Liverpool on a freezing cold, damp and slightly misty round the top of buildings day.  Liverpool somehow suits this terrible weather and I was very pleased to spot this nice combination of old and new.  The mist shrouded tower in the background is the St John's Beacon/Radio City Tower which used to have a revolving restaurant at the top like the (former) Post Office Tower in London.  In front you can see the scarily spinning torture machine at the new and epic Liverpool One shopping centre. 

Spinning by Eyeshoot

Happy Birthday Jadey!

The first Birthday Banner of 2011, and it's nice one too!

Tick Tock.....

I've made a time themed Treasury as part of the UK Etsy Team's chain game.  I was featured by Penny Farthing Designs in her lovely collection, so I'm returning the favour.

Tick Tock by Eyeshoot

Stripes and Stripes

Here's my latest Treasury, and it's all stripes.  I tried to make it all from the UK, but there weren't enough items I liked to fill all the spaces, so I've gone global instead!  If you like it, please follow the link and click on the items to see all of the details.

It's all Stripes by Eyeshoot

Stacked Fag Packets

I don't know why this caught my eye but there is a pleasing something about the shapes and the fabulous colour of the wall.

A handful of Treasuries.

 Here's a selection of the latest Treasuries which feature my work, there are loads from UK makers at the moment which are promoting the Silly Sale currently underway in many UK shops.  I'm offering discounts ranging from 10% off my digital collage sheets and cards through to 25% off my prints and print sets.

I'm starting a newsletter and I need some people to send it to, so if you fancy getting my news directly into your inbox (offers and discounts included!) just click here to sign up.

 Lines, Triangles and Squares by Red Tile Studio

For You, My Love by Around the Island

Lemon and Lime by  Bella Bobbin

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Bella Rennie

Photography at it's Finest by Naomi's Handiwork

A new print.

Pink & White

by Eyeshoot

It's Marmalade Season!

 Marmalade - Spread it Thick!

By Eyeshoot!

This Treasury is in part to promote the UK Silly Sale which starts on Friday 14th until the 21st and partly to spread the love of Marmalade.

Each year in January my mind turns to my annual marmalade making session where I stock up for the year of toast eating at home and gifts for friends. I've spotted some lovely looking Sevilles in my local green grocers and shall be stocking up today. I'm going to make a smallish batch with the whole fruit method which I've never done before but have been recommended to it by a friend and it certainly sounds a bit more efficient than my usual tried and tested recipe. Watch this space for updates from the jam kitchen!
 

Happy Birthday Certificate

I've been playing around with this idea for a while and have finally got my act together to actually produce something for my shop. 

It's a Happy Birthday Certificate card where the appropriate names will be added in to make a unique card.  It started life as an emailable birthday card which Peter and I would send when we had not been organized enough to post a card to someone and often printed out as an A3 poster to hand deliver as well and always with very good responses.

I can't quite work out how to market the poster version, which would be on A4 paper so that's why I started to make the card. 

Here it is and I'd love to know what you think.

Happy Birthday Certificate Card - by Eyeshoot

I've joined in with the British Etsy Sellers Team's Treasury Chain game and here's my offering.

The idea of the game is that if you are featured in a Treasury, all you need to do is make a Treasury featuring the person who featured you.  That's me.  Are you following?!  So in theory, if everyone you feature makes a Treasury featuring you, word domination will surly follow!

Thank you to all of the UK sellers who have featured me in the last couple of days, I'll try to get round to using your work very soon.

Eat Your Greens!

Lovely Treasuries on Etsy featuring my work!

There seems to have been a mass explosion of Treasuries on Etsy with my stuff in this week and I thought that it was time to show a few of them here.


There's another UK Silly Sale coming up from January 14th which has prompted a few of them.  I shall be taking part and will announce my offers tomorrow when I've made up my mind!

Ethereal Romance by Heavenly Handbag

Spread the love by Reborn As Art

Love You More Than Cheese by Quercus Silver

My first sourdough of the year.

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will have come across my sporadic flirtation with sourdough baking.  There have been varying degrees of success which generally resulted in my giving up the experiments.  But I'm at it again!  A friend of mine who has been happily and successfully baking sourdough for a while now very kindly gave me a tub of his starter which I put to use last night.  He also gave me his personalised, tried and tested recipe which I followed to the letter.  It's a no knead method in which the bread is baked in a pre-heated metal pot and is considerably less hassle than getting the kneading correct.  It takes ages, mind you, but it's sitting and waiting rather than actually doing anything. 


The results were very good, if possibly a little damp, but that may be because I couldn't resist digging in as soon as I could. I'll get a better idea tomorrow when it's cold. I used a temperature probe for the first time ever and waiting until 96 degrees Centigrade before taking the bread out of the oven, so perhaps I just need to wait for it to be a couple of degrees hotter.  I've done a little research and apparently the optimum is 96-98. I must remember to buy some non-stick baking parchment as the stuff I used stuck to it rather dramatically as you can see in the pictures!

I'll have another go in a few days making sure that the starter is in tip top condition by giving it a good feed up in the preceding days.