Lazy Hazy Sundays

Image courtesy of Kenart Corp

As you know I've been doing the Sunday market for years, it's gone through fits and stages of being great and then very quiet. A few weeks back the guys from The Blind Pig took over the entertainment at the market, and have labelled it Lazy Hazy Sundays. There have been a mix of live music and Dj's and the combination works really well. I was delighted when I heard that they were taking it over as they run one of my favourite bars in Limerick The Blind Pig and Dr.John's. 

Even though I was 'at work' I had a super chilled out day. While I was setting up I could hear the really relaxing music that was being played for the Yoga and Tai Chi classes(it's only €2 per class, yoga at 11am and Tai Chi at 12pm). I got the most amazing crepe from Bon Appetit; buckwheat crepe with spinach, feta, pesto, olives, sundried tomatoes and bacon, it was heaven on a plate. Then I had a good old natter with some tourists who were passing through who also loved buttons and books! It's quiet enough that I can read my book at the stall guilt free(Wrong About Japan by Peter Carey), but busy enough that I still make money, the perfect balance! I then gave into temptation and had some yummy chocolate from The Limerick Chocolate Shop with a cup of tea from Mari's. 

Image courtesy of Kenart Corp

My friend John Greenwood was DJ-ing on Sunday and he hit the perfect balance of retro laid back jazz with more lively funky tunes. I found myself bopping about a bit while I was reading or chatting. The week previous the weather was so nice a bunch of us stayed for a glass of wine in Mari's after packing up the stall, it's was just so lovely(she also sells amazing cheese plates as pictured above...nom,nom!). There was a moment when I thought to myself with a chuckle 'this is my job', and I had a warm fuzzy feeling at how lucky I am.

Image courtesy of Kenart Corp

Hopefully more people will cotton on to the fact that it's a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon, which in turn would mean that we could get more traders. At the moment it feels like the seeds to something pretty special.

This Sunday there is a record fair which will have over 30 vendors selling vintage vinyl, cds and music paraphernalia. My friends John cowpar and Doc who owned Blackspot Records at various stages are organising the event.  I'm really looking forward to it, I'll just have to restrain myself from spending too much money!

Thanks a million to my college buddy Ken from Kenart Corp for the super images!

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I am a Machine...kinda

It seems I turned into a brooch making machine this week, I went into total over-drive on Wednesday and Thursday and made all of these brooches. It was really nice to sit in my studio and listen to loads of my audiobook, I'm currently on book 9 of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It was also really relaxing to have a set methodical routine, all I had to choose was nice colour combiations, and root through my huge stash for cute buttons...oh what a lovely chore! I think I've changed my mind I might list a few of them in the shop and see if there is any interest. I've never bothered before because there are so many people selling brooches on Etsy there didn't seem to be a point. But there have been lots of lovely comments on facebook/twitter/blog about them so I'll give it a shot next week. Now in preparation for the market on Sunday I've to go into card making over-drive, if only it was Christmas, I have lots of those cards.

New Brooches

In preparation for the Sunday Bedford Row market starting back this week I've gone into brooch making over drive. I'm not sure if I'll make it this week, but definitely from the following Sunday this Christmas I'll be selling there every week from 12-5pm. Part of me excited to go back, and the other part is sad to say goodbye to my Sundays again, it is such a lovely day to have off.

Here is what I made yesterday, I won't be listing them in my Etsy shop, so if you want to pick one up they are 10 euro each at my stall.

Hope to see you there :)

Return to the Sunday Market

It looks like I'll be going back to the Sunday market this week. Not in my usual incarnation as all my clothes are in Kilkenny, but I will be selling my pocket mirrors and handmade felt brooches at my friends stall. I will also have a selection of my buttons and ribbon up until the Christmas season starts and I'll replace them with yummy handmade Christmas decorations. I'm still deciding whether I'll make Christmas cards this year, as last year it took up a huge amount of my time for not much money. I might just make a small selection of xmas themed 1950s pinup collages.
So if any of you are looking for me down at the market head towards the gluten free cake stall. I would also highly recommend her merangue it's to die for!!I won't be at the stall myself as for the next few months I will be surgically attached to my sewing machine, but Orla will be there to answer and questions or queeries.

Bedford Row,Limerick City
Sunday 12-5pm

Market Marketing

I had a great day yesterday at the market yesterday, even though it was very quiet footfall-wise I still did good business. With Elton John playing in Thomond park the previous night it brought in a few new people(and customers) to the city. One of these said customers owns a cafe and craft shop call Kraft Kaffee in Co.Meath, and she took a few of my brooches and mirrors to sell in her shop. It's very handy to sell smaller items to shops as they don't take as much time to make but they can be a good little cash crop, so to speak. There is another possible lead on selling to another shop, but it's all very vague at the moment, so hopefully I'll have more news on that later.

Sodden Feet

It was a complete washout today at the market, actually the word rain doesn't really do justice to the weather we experienced, the worlds population of cats and dogs pouring out of the sky would be a better description. I was completely soaked and exhausted by the time I got home. It was one of those days that all the traders were muttering 'why am I doing things?'.

Anyway...we all all need bad days so that we can savour the good ones,right? At least now I'm sitting at home with the heating on, and my cozy slippers warming my once sodden feet.

Riverfest Photos

At last I have the photos of my stall at Riverfest. I had a double stall this year with my friend Orla Redican. She make the jewellery and crazy cool rainmacs(she also sells yummy baked goods but not on the days I took these pictures). Funny thing to note, see the green curatin...well that's my changing room. My genius boyfriend thought of using a hoola hoop and curtains, it works like a charm and has contributed to lots of sales.

Wet Sunday

I'm just back from a very wet day at the Sunday Market today. Even though customers should have been non-existant due to the weather I did fairly well, selling some nice dresses and t-shirts. I always find it impossible to guage how a day is going to go, I suppose it's quite random. My lesson was learned after last week though, as last Saturday I went for a quiet couple of pints that led to a very fuzzy head last Sunday. So this morning I was bright eyed and bushy talied, you see sometimes I can be quite well behaved. Unfortunately a few sellers didn't turn up today, sorry to anyone who ventured down and found the selection a bit sparse.

All my energies now are geared towards next weeks Riverfest Market, which will be on the Friday till the Monday. I'm planning on doing some of more outlandish pieces, just to stand out from the crowd and get noticed in the large selection of stalls. Sometimes this tactic works really well, during the week I made a silver, lilac, sky blue and mint green dress...I know it sounds hideous but I really like it in a wacky star trek kind of way, and it got lots of good feedback on the stall. It's also more fun making the crazy stuff, it just involves a bit more time staring at a blank wall trying to figure out what to do with a garment.

I'm gonna sit down now, turn on the heating, do some hand sewing and watch Twin Peaks(back when Kyle Mclachlan was very hot, before he did SATC and Desperate Housewives).

Sunday Market returns

Today has been spent reorganising the madness that is my studio. I naively thought I could do this in a few hours, but 6 hours later it still looks like a junk shop. But at least I now know where most of the essentials are. I think I'll spend the rest of the evening pottering around in there trying to find suitable places for all those frustrating odds and ends(even my vast collection of cute boxes can't contain all those things I've horaded over the years). I have one large factor pushing the urgency on this unpacking endeavour.... the Riverside market is starting back this Sunday. With all my break-taking and moving house lately I've been left woefully unprepared. I do have stock, just not enough, and not an even balance of sizes. Ideally I would like to get more mens t-shirts done, a few jackets, and some cute tshirts for girls. So a mad sewing marathon will be starting on Friday morning. I always work best when I'm under pressure, so I'm not overly worried. After two years of selling at markets I've learned that the world will not fall apart if I don't meet my expectations, I'll just be a little disapointed in my self, but I can live with that.

So if you live in Limerick, spread the word, this Sunday we start back, 12pm-5pm on Bedford Row, yummy gourmet foods, hand crafts, and fabulous me.

Ps; the girl in the picture above really looks like me when I was a kid

Merry Market

Me


As you may already know I have a stall at a weekly craft and food market in Limerick city. It's held every Sunday between 12-5pm on Bedford Row and it's been running for over a year. My first hesitant steps were made last Summer when I got a stall selling my handmade cards, and then later I had paintings and illustrations.It was only in February, when we reopened after our extended Christmas break, that I started selling my customised recycled clothes.The clothes have been a great success and people have really come around to the idea that they can recycle and still be wearing funky and unique clothes. Since I started this blog I've been meaning to do a proper write up on the market, and last week I was blessed with the happy coincidence of sunshine and a last minute remembered camera...put the two together and you get bright and enticing pictures.

Vinnie Wall
It's not the biggest markety in the world but Tom, our main man, has ensured that there is a wide variety of quality stalls to choose from. On a leisurely amble down Bedford Row you can find handcrafted jewellery, clothes, gluten free foods, handbags , hand printed t-shirts, beauty skincare products, fresh veg, vegetarian foods, heavenly brownies, fairtrade clothes and products, fresh fruit and veg, beautiful cheese, freshly made crepes, Korean sushi and a whole lot more.
Ginger Girl

There are too many temptations for me every week that I'm there, I try to restrain myself from spending any money I make buying stuff at all the other stalls. In particular I have found Flourish-natural cometics to be really excellent. Basically I'm allergic to pretty much everything in the world, and had resigned myself to a life without moisturiser until I came across Flourish's moisturiser, it's fantastic,there are no nasty chemicals in it,it makes my skin look great, and my face doesn't disintergrate afterwards...a revelation indeed. I also have an addiction to Connie's Forbidden Foods, my sunday brunch involves tasty veggie Samosas, or if I'm feeling adventurous some falafel in a wrap with spicey humous.If I feel like making a complete pig of myself I have a mouth wateringly yummy brownie from Ginger Girl, to go with a much needed warm coffee. Other stalls that have helped in last minute birthday present shopping have been Edele's beautiful handmade silver jewellery, high quaily pieces at a really reasonable price. For the a great present for they 20 or 30-something guy in your life Vinnie Wall has some funky handprinted t-shirts of iconic figures and musicians, I haven't met I guy who doesn't think they're great. Do you know anyone who is a celiac? Well Crunchy Granola has a wide range of delicious gluton free breads,cakes, and savoury products on offer, so tasty that even the gluten tolerant among us would be more than happy to munch away on them. Another stall that I call to on a near weekly basis is the fresh fruit and veg from Paul Bradley, he a a great selection at competitive prices, and don't forget to try the chocolate covered strawberries, they are truely addictive.
So if you're in the area pop down, there is a great atmosphere, some fantastic food and crafts to be had.

New Work and Progress

So I think I have eventually recovered from the picnic. Lots of sleep and a close relationship with my sofa and dvd player helped with that. I made two new jackets this week, one of which I have some poor photos of.
After being away from my studio for so long I wanted to make something pretty intricate. So I spent all of Thursday making this jacket, firsly I attached the letter cubes to the front buttons. They read 'My Funky Recycled Jacket' in four lines,there are two circles of red felt hand sewn onto each sleave. On the back there is a collage of salvaged slogans and patches.This new piece got a really positive reaction on Sunday when I was at the market, it just needs to find the right person to love it,ie someone size 10. After being away from the market for nearly a month it was great to come back to such positivity and enthusiasm for my clothes. So from what I can gather people want more jackets that are a bit out there, so that will be my task for this week. I already started on a new denim one last night,but after 4 hours of hand sewing my fingers gave up.Photos will be coming soon.

Remember the badges that I said I was giving away free at Electric Picnic...well here are some pics. I should thank the boyfriend here for helping me to attach them to the cards the night before the picnic. A big task as we got through about 1,000!! I got a great deal at this shop for the badges, I just handed in my designs, of which there are 50, and she made and sent them to me, and far cheaper than I had priced them in Ireland. If you want some of my pretty badges and you live in Limerick then just pop down to the Sunday Market ,12-5pm on Bedford row, they're free. Or if you live outside Limerick and really want some I could create a listing for you in my shop and I would just charge for postage.
In other Nice Day Designs news the Limerick Leader called over to my apartment this week to take photos of me in my studio, and also of my clothes. An interview will be following sometime this week and they will be printing a feature on me, which is all very exciting and a little embarrassing. The girl who called over to model my clothes was really nice and the photos came out great, so hopefully it will lead to a rise in business.