NEW to Etsy!

Hello everyone,

I sure hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that you are enjoying your well deserved breaks. I am thinking of starting a small project where I draw what gifts I received (this shall all be shared on my new personal blog I recently started, Pokket!)

I have found a lot of spare time these past months due to starting a very fun and rewarding casual job, which means I am listing lots of new goodies on Etsy and Madeit! Markets will be starting back up in February so I figure I have a whole month of online work to do.

Just listed are four of my latest fridge magnet creations! These have been illustrated by myself, and professionally printed on quality matte archival paper, cut out by hand and TaDa! Made into super-fun magnets that can hold up pesky bills and shopping receipts (if that's what you use your fridge for!)

Find me on Etsy

PomPom Garland

I made a pompom garland today. It took a whole 10 minutes to create and brightens up our hallway nicely, don't you think?

I'll create a super quick tutorial this week, so you can make one too!

Christmas Catch Ups

Yesterday my darling friend Tegan came over for Christmas cheer, coffee and cake (however the cake didn't quite make it into the oven in time so we had crackers and dip instead!)

I wanted to share with you one of the greatest presents I have ever received, because it is just so darn cute! Everyone, meet Suki, my new doll friend from Dumpling Dynasty!

She is an easy-sew kit that I would recommend you buy for any young girl (or young girl at heart!) who has an interest in dolls, crafts, sewing or just plain cute things! It all came packaged in the cutest tin, too. I'm almost too tempted to have the kitty image tattooed on me.

Created by British illustrator, Fiona Hewitt, the Dumpling Dynasty range was inspired by years spent living in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, endlessly trawling flea markets and junk shops.



Click here to be taken to the Dumpling Dynasty range at Lark Handmade.
If you would like to purchase the Kimono Doll Kit I received, head over here.

Pannikin's Caravan!

Surprise! You can now find a select range of Pannikin goodies on ethical design website Blue Caravan!

Their website introduces itself as:

"Bluecaravan supports and promotes direct trade. We support ethical production both locally and overseas. We love fairtrade and sweat-free certification. We believe that objects ‘warmed’ by designers, artists and artisans have a quality like no other… and that ‘ethical’ is no longer a choice separated from style and design.

Bluecaravan is a venue for buyers and sellers of all things independently designed and ethically made. It’s about lovely, interesting and edgy products - beautifully finished, made with heart, and bought directly from the designer/maker."

Click here to be taken to the shop!

Mini Suitcase Rummage

Thanks to fellow Suitcase Rummager Steph aka Pear from Pear and the Awkward Orchestra, I was invited to have a mini stall at their Old Museum gig on Thursday 9th December along with ten or so others. Please give them a listen, the songs are so beautiful.

It was a lovely night, and Suitcase Rummage organisers Daniele and Isabel did a wonderful job lighing our wares using battery-operated tealight candles and strings of pretty fairy lights.
To say thank-you I gave Steph, who is absolutely wonderful and sweet (with a voice to match!), one of my cross-stitch pear badges only to be met with the offer of a swap for one her darling pear-themed creations that were for sale during the evening. I hear she will be opening an Etsy store soon, so stay tuned.

My neighbours were Tell Tale Zine, a monthly publication by Sarah Hazlehurst and Kirstie Sequitin.

Felt Up

Felt. An almost unlimited supply in every colour of the rainbow (well, almost) has been tucked away in my craft stash since I put a hiatus on creating my Owl , Moody Cloud and Sweet Tooth brooches in early 2010. Now it has been rediscovered and the results? Well, you'll have to decide for yourself! Felt Cat Brooch - $20 - Etsy

Felt House Brooch - $20 - Etsy

Each brooch has been lovingly hand-stitched and has a latch-type brooch pin sewn on the back for added security!

Keep a lookout for new designs: origami cranes, paper planes, owls, foxes and so much more.

Homeward Bound - My First Etsy Treasury!

Sometimes I love nothing more than taking a stroll around the neighbourhood and looking at all the different houses. In my part of town, there are buildings from way back when, post-war houses and sweet cottages full of charm and quaint little gardens.

This treasury is for all the homebodies out there. Click here to be taken to the webpage.

November's BrisStyle Twilight Market

The BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market, which was held on the 26th November, was a great lot of fun! I shared my co-op table with the ever so helpful and friendly Rebecca from Edward & Lily.

Here are some quick snaps from that afternoon. I've become a little attached to the Hipstamatic app for iPhone, as I don't have to to take a huge amount of photos for a decent shot. Plus it automatically takes square photographs, which is something I am rather fond of.

Finders Keepers Wrap Up

Yes, it's long overdue, but here it is! My first Finders Keepers experience. Putting the final touches on my stall (the biggest I have ever had!) A big thanks goes to Tess for lending me her gorgeous floral tablecloths, and to Sue (Tom's mum) for giving me her brand-spanking new wooden dish rack for my postcard display.

Helper #1: Tom (my beloved!)
Carrier of heavy bags and boxes, director of taxi drivers and Sunday's super salesman.

Helper #2: Gina (my mum!)
Tidier of displays, a bringer of lunch and Saturday's super saleswoman.

I almost completely sold out of my plastic illustrated brooches on the first day of the markets!
At the moment I am trialling different ways to futher impove these brooches and come up with new designs, so you might not see them for some time. Hooray for cross-stitch! These are so much fun to make, and with a growing number of designs you can collect them! Designs so far include (but are not limited to): acorns, anchors, bunnies, coffee, cats, diamonds, hearts, moustaches, icecream, bows, alphabet, pears, spools of thread, pine trees...

In the lead up to Finders Keepers, I made 500 badges. Some were illustrated, some used my own photographs, some were made of origami paper and some were covered with fabric. Making badges is so satisfying for me. The instant gratification of pressing a few layers together to create a wearable object is rather magical. I think it's the kid within me.

By Sunday's end I completely sold out of my Vintage Valentine fridge magnets. I know Teneale from Wicked Child Designs snapped one up for herself!

Speaking of magnets, I have new designs to show you! These shadow magnets are quite sizeable, perfect for holding those hard-to-stick-down notices or even two smaller memos. I've illustrated five different silhouettes, which include a little girl, lamb, piglet, bunny and squirrel (my favourite!) These will be available in my Etsy and MadeIt stores very soon!
Did you know that I now have seven different tote bag designs? I almost can't believe it! So hands up if you like Mushrooms, Pigeons, Crafting, Dinosaurs, Silly Kids, Dala Horses, and Fancy Cats! My latest designs will be listed in my online stores this week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Gasp! What's this?! New products, yay!
My 'Word Up' Scrabble tile necklaces are an idea I have been sitting on for years, but have only just recently had the time and correct supplies to execute it. These necklaces are chunky, bold and fun. Each piece is coated in a clear, glossy resin and connected with a nickel-coloured chain and clasp. These particular necklaces are covered with varying fabrics on the reverse, however the next 'batch' will have something very different and slick. I can't wait to show you all!
As usual, I had my animal menagerie with me in the form of pendant necklaces galore! So many found new homes over the weekend, I hope you are all enjoying them!
There are now six postcard designs for you all to choose from and at $2 a pop they make great gifts and stocking stuffers. New designs include:

The Joy In Discovery
Owl Always Be Here For You
EnidWhat did you find at Finders Keepers?

I didn't have much time to leave my stall and wander around, but I think that's probably for the best, as the array of art, design and craft on offer would have sent me to heaven, and my wallet to the grave.

Some favourite stalls include:

Lauren Carney Art
Penelope and Pip
Frankie Magazine
Cat Rabbit
Delilah Devine
Paper Boat Press
Tree Party Design
REread Design
Miss Dish
Courtney Brims
Red Revival
Ra Ra Superstar
Leeloo

October Giveaway Winner

Morning lovelies!

Remember the October giveaway? (Three 'Spell It Out' Scrabble badges)

Well, when I was back using the free library internet service I used a random number generator to select the winner from 10 eligible entries. This wound up being the lovely Morgan from my own town of Brisbane! Congratulations!

Here is her winning comment below:

Catch Up, Ketchup!

What a busy two months it has been here at Pannikin headquarters!

My sincerest apologies for being away from blog-land yet again. I have a good reason though - I have been without the internet the whole time! I'm sure you all understand the drama of moving house (or in our case, wanting to move but ending up renewing the lease due to the fickle rental market!)
The bestest part is...I have a new craft room! (Or nook, I should say) Oh boy, it is so fun to play in there. I'll pop some photos on the blog because I'm a wee bit proud of it, to be honest. Teehee.

Anyway, I thought it would be best to explain my absence with a quick post and then on to the fun things! *cough* Finders Keepers *cough*

Finders Keepers HERE I COME!

So I may be a little behind in letting blog-land in on my latest news these days but I think I should mention that I have been accepted as a stall holder for Brisbane's Finders Keepers Market in November! Powpow!

I've actually taken a nice solid week off work to prepare for the market so expect to see a flurry of posts documenting my prep. For example, I have been drawing cameras and spectacles all morning to create new badges, postcards and fridge magnets. As you can see, I have fallen a little bit in love with the Hipstamatic app for iPhone, as it makes any quick snaps I take for documenting purposes look half-way decent!

Other illustrations in the works include perfume atomisers for the ladies and smoking pipes for the lads. I'm aiming to draw an array of vintage/retro items that take my fancy, so here's hoping you all like typewriters!

New Tote Bag Design Available!

I have some wonderful news this morning folks...my new Dala Horse tote bag is here!

They are now available in both my Etsy and MadeIt shop and each Dala Horse Tote Bag comes with a free matching Dala Horse Badge! How very fun indeed.

Mmm! Minnette!

So it's been a while since I have blogged about my finds while trawling the interwebs, but I have found something so utterly delicious I simply HAD to share with you!

The yummy resin wearables from Minnette by clever Adelaide jeweller, Minnette Michael caught my eye while scanning MadeIt for some sweet treats and boy do they look tasty. No really, look at them!

The Strawberry Cream resin pendant necklace was the first piece to catch my eye but wait, there are even Black Liquorice Cats and Pineapple brooches on her website too!

Just be careful though, they may induce some kind of small lolly binge by the time that afternoon slump rolls around!

Free Gift With Purchase!

Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month! It's already October, can you believe it!?

The best part about a new month is new online purchase gifts!
If you kind folk spend over $15 in my Etsy store (not including postage) before October 31st 2010 you will receive a complimentary Dala Horse Badge with my thanks.

*Badge colour will be either red, blue or yellow as shown above. They are randomly selected*

Hello! It's the October Giveaway!

Dearest lads and lasses, today I have a new giveaway up for grabs during the month of October. This time 'round, the little gift will be not one, not two but three 'Spell It Out' Scrabble badges! See the photo below for your prize... Entering is super simple! All you need to do to WIN these little beauties is name a different way of saying 'hello' and pop your answer in the comments section below. You have until October 31st to enter!

The tricky part is, you can't list the same word as anyone else! If you do, your comment will not be counted in the draw, only the first comment with that word will be counted.

(Tip: you can use slang or a different language to get around this but make sure you tell me which country it's from! Eg: "Bonjour" - France/French or "G'Day" - Australian slang)

Terms and Conditions:

*You must be an Australian resident with an Australian postal address.
*You must be listed as a Pannikin blog follower.
*You must leave a comment to this post only.
*One comment per person.
*Prize winner will be drawn on November 1st 2010
*Winner will be selected at random by using an online random number generator. Counting will start at the top comment and work down the list until the randomly generated number has been reached.
*Winner will be announced on a blog post on November 1st 2010, and will be contacted for their postal address. Postal address must be supplied promtly via email to: pannikin.accessories@gmail.com
*Failure to send postal address details within a week of name being drawn will result in a re-draw.

September Giveaway Winner Announced!!!

Congratulations to:

Laura Mitchell!

Laura, thanks very much for your comment left on the original September giveaway post!
Using an online random number generator, you have been selected as the winner of two cross-stitch badges, shown below.

Thanks also to everyone who entered the giveaway and who left such lovely comments on my blog, they really make my day special! Stay tuned for the October giveaway!

Enoggera Terrace Bazaar!

I didn't mention it on this blog because it was all rather last minute, but Pannikin took part as a stall holder last night (third time running) at the Enoggera Terrace Bazaar put on by Cheap Frills, a group composed of three really awesome girls: Aimee, Jessica and Sarah McVeigh.

The night runs from 6pm - 9pm and is all about finding those stand-out vintage numbers you simply just have to have. The range of vintage and retro clothing and accessores never disappoint, as they have all been selected by seasoned opshoppers, thifters and garage-sailers from all over Australia (and sometimes from across the other side of the world!)

Now seeing as you have collected your booty of clothing, shoes and bags, why stop there? Handmade jewellery and accessory stalls provide you with that quirky, arty touch to add to your ensemble.

If you exhausted all your moolah on clothes but still have a few pretty pennies left over you could still pick yourself up a nice set of vintage-inspired postcards, magnets and bags from A Beautiful Calamity. My friend/housemate Tess runs this label and I was lucky enough to be able to share a stall with her on the night. (Very handy when you can take turns minding the stall while the other shops their little heart out!) Did you come along to the Bazaar? What did you find?

I picked up this hideous (read: marvellous) green/brown highwaisted pencil skirt which makes me think of my absolute favourite film, Ghost World. The only other item I bought was a gorgeous cream frock with red buttons, a small red diamond print and pleats galore. It was made in West Germany and makes me want to go eat burgers (the vegetarian kind!) and shakes (on soy milk - lest I get tummy aches!)