*first GIVE AWAY*

Yay,

So excited to see my Little Red Riding Hood in the local paper as number 2 on Bendigo's Local xmas wish list - that I wanted to celebrate
So I am having my first GIVE AWAY!

Help me reach 120 to 'like' my  facebook page and WIN a little Red Riding Hood.

I will post it to you where ever you live too.
Winner will be randomly selected by computer program from ALL my likers when I reach 120!!

Red Riding hood has lost her way!

The wolf has eaten granny and now she is wandering the forest in search of the woodsman - stunned and shocked!

Red riding hood has a beautiful velvet cloak with removable hood. She wears black leather boots and carries a picnic basket .

Made from quality socks, faux velvet, faux leather and cotton and lace, stuffed with Pure New Zealand wool.

She measures 28cm x 17cm wide.

[Remember, these items are all handstitched collectables. Although they are sewn very tightly they are not made for active play. ]

Free to good home

Not many things in life are free. And certainly not the things that are on my xmas list.

But recently I have found that getting the free things can come at a cost - if you can swing them at all. In fact, they can be the HARDEST thing to get at sometimes.

Let me take you on a tour *cue squiggly lines and theruman music*
It all started a couple of weeks ago...

Starting a business requires a few things.
First: a product.
Second: all the other horrible admin crap that takes up every waking moment of your life until you can no longer look at your computer screen without wanting to rip your (or someone else's) eyeballs out.
Third: patience.

Example 1; 
Product: I filled an order for a beautiful shop Milt and Joe in my home town.
Admin: I began the process of registering my business name so I could get an ABN and invoice for goods. This is the admin part that makes you deal with the tax department and state government and requires you learn some ridiculous jargon and acronyms that have no bearing on what you need to do at all. It also jammed up for an entire day and almost made husband never want to talk to me again. Perhaps that was my fault - but I am blaming the government.
Patience: I had to wait two days before someone could get back to me and sort the whole thing out.

So you see the things that should be easy are not. Other free things I would like but find increasingly hard to swing are:
*   An entire day at home without having to sew
*   To eat a packet of salt and vinegar chips, or fish and chips, or any potato cooked in oil product without feeling the need to walk the circumference of the earth afterwards to burn it off
*   Good hair day on a day where it counts
*   Patience
*   Ability to see into the future
*   A magic elf to do all the work for me as I sleep
See, not too much to ask, but incredibly hard to get.

This entire process was compounded by another free conundrum:
Example 2:
Product: Free Golden retriever to good home
Admin: Rang husband. Tried nonchalant behaviour, begging, pleading, pouting, appealing to his squishy side and listing attributes of a dog I had never met, including it's penchant for wanting endless cuddles and it's ability to obey his every command. Answer no. Outcome - never allowed to read livestock section of paper again.
Patience: Bide my time...yes...bide my time...*maniacal hand rubbing*

So free does not necessarily mean easy. Free to me now just means a lot of effort. Free makes my hair stand on end and question what the catch is. Free means "not costing money - but perhaps a crap load of time, patience, begging, crying in frustration and eventually throwing a tantrum".

This is what I have learned. So take heed reader next time you see "free to good home", check what it will cost you first!

Actual free goodie!

Clotted cream or Angel's wing?

Love crisp, clean lines? How about sharp fonts and squared off edges? Dettol handwash in your purse?
Then I bet you painted your house in 'eggshell' and agonised over the difference between 'Dove white' and 'Abominable Snowman'?

I am boycotting whites.
More importantly (or to the point), I am boycotting the trend of photographing and displaying all handmade items on a crisp white background with professional lighting. It's everywhere you look, and if you don't conform then you miss out on precious advertising and online space.
I understand the need to have products speak for themselves, and to display them in neutral tones to give the buyer a better understanding of the product. But surely that gives us more of a playing field than white on white with white lighting?!

The whole point of buying, making and enjoying handmade items is the fact that they are NOT massed produced, NOT all the same and do generally do NOT get purchased by people who enjoy homes painted throughout entirely in tones of a snowfield in a blizzard.

The whole handmade movement to me represents quality, quirky, squishy, delicious products that come straight from someone with creative talent's mind. 

This also extends to seeing the product in the way the creator best sees fit to sell it. Sometimes that may be on a rustic log with a big blue sky in the background (extending the idea that it is natural, organic and fresh). Other times it might be sitting on a lush green lawn, interacting with a mushroom (telling me it is fun and warm and hardy). If it is clothing - I want to see it ON!

As long as the images are high quality, because in this day and age it is easy to get hold of a 10 megapixel camera, then why not allow the creativity to extend to the merchandising? I want to buy a feeling, the whole package, allow the maker to show me the world the product belongs in.

But then, I have always loved the darker things in life. Forest moss, toadstool red, studded leather, golden light streaming through a sash window, dappled shadows, autumn leaves...

Perhaps that wouldn't appeal to everyone, but let's just say I prefer rich, dark chocolate to plain milk.

What is your preferred way to see handmade goods advertised?

Just the meaning of life...no biggie

I've been reading about quantum physics again.

Couple this with the ABC news post that the planet has reached 7 billion people and it really makes you wonder - what is the point of it all?

Also, what drives people to create? Why the driving need to make more? We are constantly making more people, so in turn we need more clothes, more food, more housing more ... stuff.
When you start to read and watch and think about the big picture (as we do now in the 'global community' we live in) it makes you start to spread out, think about the big problems and it can really weigh you down.

I've been giving this a lot of thought lately and I think I have found a solution.

Yes, I have solved the world's problems.

Well, actually, it's a boring old adage that has just become like so much background noise "think globally, act locally". This always conveyed to me that if I thought really hard about the rain forests when I took my little green bag to the supermarket that it somehow saved a green tree frog somewhere in Brazil.
But no. I think I get it. I think we are TOO global. We have forgotten about our own little nucleus. Our own little havens. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you don't see any change. It's a little like losing weight - if you don't see the pounds sloughing off after resisting one chocolate bar then what's the point?

The point is making small changes in your own life can have a wide spreading effect. I'm talking less environmental, more focus on the mental.

Taking stock of what's important to you can lead to some pretty big changes. If you are a creative person, try putting that high on your priorities, you never know where it will lead you. 

If family time is what floats your boat, then more of that. If sitting on green grass sipping iced tea for 3 hours a day makes you feel fulfilled, make it a must do. It's when we feel like our needs are being met that we can have the mental energy to do everything else. In fact, everything else feels like a breeze.

We can't affect everything, but we can change our own little cluster of life. And change begets change, and if you believe in string theory - everything's connected, so nothing happens without consequence (*note- do not reference my string theory quote - loosely transcribed by my brain from a book I do not understand in the least).

So I'm taking my own advice, I'm taking a leap and going to make being creative a priority. I will only be going out to work for a couple days a week and spending more time and energy making the Forest Flaw a really happening concern.
This should make a big impact on my little nucleus - I will be happier, more fulfilled and hopefully more relaxed. That is until Husband comes home tonight and I inform him of my new and improved 'act locally' plan. That's when it could have the potential to become global...

a-tishoo a tissue

So among the spoiled wastes of tissues I lay, sprawled in a sea of crumpled white paper like virgin roses shrouding me in my coffin. A cough, a splutter, I am gone now...alas... *puts palm to forehead in dramatic style*

I hate being sick.

So, burning the candle at both ends, as it turns out, is not as economical as it seems. I am sick. And as I am sick, I have decided to be completely self indulgent and wallow in my martyrdom for a moment.
For the last 8 weeks or so, I have been working 12 hour days. I have not had weekends off, or even the occasional day at my leisure.
Sure, I only go out to work for the 'man' for 2 1/2 days a week (thank you lovely 'man' for paying me :) ), but every other spare minute, I am at home sewing, cutting patterns, taking care of admin or cleaning the house (haha, that last one was a lie).
As it is almost Halloween, here is my horror story: you can be extra terrified by knowing that it is TRUE! mwuhaha...

I felt it creeping up my back like the hand of doom last week.
Hunched over a patch of candy apple felt with needle in hand, a sharp twinge in my spine was the first signal that the pox was upon me. Complaining to my husband that my back was aching with unusual intensity, I was rebuffed with taunts of 'stop being an old lady'. I went back to my sewing, trying to be as youthful as possible, seeing that this was the only advice given to ward off a sore back.
However, the next day dawned with an evil portent in the sky. The thunder clouds roiled and broiled on the distant horizon as I felt a tickle in my throat. I again complained to my husband, with which I was rebuffed once more with 'did you brush your teeth last night?' I had to admit he was right. But still, something was wrong, more than just furry teeth could attest to.

It wasn't until later that day, my back sore and my throat raspy, that I walked in on a horrific sight. Husband was reaching to the very top of the pantry. I quickly ducked behind the fridge where I wouldn't be seen. He rummaged around for a while, pulling out ear medication and laxatives (don't know whose those are?) until I saw it. The bright orange wrapper gave his game away and I leapt out to confront him in his nefarious deed.
"Haha!" I said "sore throat husband?!"
I had caught him. It was always the way.

Where I might bring home flowers or homeless kittens, Husband brought home colds and flu's. 

The Vicks vapo-drop, butter menthol flavoured wrapper fell to the floor. It was all over, the truth was out. I was sick and the harbinger of illness had bought it upon me.
Cue thunder and lightning.

Hope you are all doing better than me. I will retire now to my bed and sup upon warm tea. *uhuhm-uhuhm*  no no, I'll be fine, really.

A stitch too far

How do you know where the line is?

You know, that invisible line we all subconsciously draw in the sand when we head down a particular path.
I envy those who are single minded, solidly focused on the end goal like a horse with blinkers on. But, as they say, it is about the journey, not the destination.

If you are of a creative bent like me, you will feel an affinity with the point I am ambling towards here.
Simply put: I get distracted. I stop to smell the roses, notice a bumble bee, follow it to the next garden, find a picnic, have a bite to eat, lie down for a nap, wake up and forget where I was heading in the first place. It's a little bit like fridge-itis (fridge-itis: where you are standing in front of an open fridge with no idea how you got there or what you wanted in the first place).

I started the forest flaw with the idea of making all the foresty woodland creatures I could stitch, but it has since evolved to incorporate camels, robots and even recently pelicans! But I love it. I love that people can see what I'm doing and find other potentials for it. I love that I can be sent down rabbit holes that I never would have ventured in to and come out with more ideas than I went in with. It's all part of that journey I guess. You are not always in the drivers seat, and it is the same with business, craft, art or anything you put out into the world where others can see.

Others have the power shape your world as much as you do.

Kapow. Self help moment but it's true. This is why I have learnt that I need to make a map of where I want to go. A loose map, like one of those pirate maps with dotted lines that snake all over the page.  But written on it are directions like:

• keep left of those who will distract you. 
• Dodge the ones who want you to succeed on their terms. 
• Turn down at the offers that might seem good at the time but will ultimately make you feel like you sold your soul. 

All the while leaving huge gaps for the things I can not foresee but adhere to my general life plan - even if it might take me longer to get to end point. So that's what I will be thinking about this week. My end point. Is it when I have quit my job to sew full time? Is it when I have sold a certain amount of creatures? Or have regular orders for stores - or even just being able to play in my own garden and sew occasionally? I don't know yet, but I will start making my own pirate map. Even if only for the opportunity to wear a patch over my eye for a week or so.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to business registers and tax invoices and...eh...

It's funny to look back now and imagine the ideas I had of nurturing this craft, my notions of tenderly encouraging it along to one day grow up to be a fully fledged hobby.
Not to complain, but I just wasn't ready for the things that crop up along the way.What started as a happily lumbering, moss covered stone, has since been picked up and hurtled into the near future and now it is my job to run after behind it, arms flailing - paperwork and calculators falling from pockets.

I have learnt that with every silver lining, comes a cloud that needs to be tended to rather swiftly.

Being wonderfully inundated with orders and watching my items sell is seriously satisfying and heartwarming stuff. But with each sale comes a quarry of questions and conundrums.
First off: design the product.
If it is a custom order, then I need to conceptualize the shape and materials used.
Second: time frame. Does this need to have precedence over other creations? Do I need to stay up a few nights to complete this? Will the cranky tired factor vs the getting things done value equal out?
Thirdly: pricing. I have read so much material on this and taken equal amounts of advice. But ultimately it is my call, and I must do disgusting maths (eh) to work out how much I will be making an hour on a project and if it is going to be comparable to a real job (eh) or if I will be making someone's day and eating green potatoes and home made baked beans for the week.

All well and good. We're coasting along now and have some sort of formula to work these things out. But wait, another amazing opportunity arises - time to get the umbrella out.
A large order for a shop "send me the invoice". Brilliant, I am doing my happy dance and feel all smug and cushy inside.
However, firstly: I need to work out rate of cost. How do I do this? how do I work out what will be worth my time and materials vs marking down for an amazing opportunity?
Secondly: I need an ABN to create a tax invoice properly. How do I create a tax invoice? What about Me? What happened to my TAB- no time for that now*

Ok, working all these things out, I am approached by a couple of retail /gallery owners who sell based on commission.
Woot! Happy joy joy, get out the bucket though - because now the roof is leaking.
Firstly: How much commission?! is it worth having my items in your space for exposure vs what you will be taking from all my hard work?
Secondly: exclusivity. Now the tricky problem of who has what in which shop and where? Also Who Hung Woo Where What Why When? Keep it together, more problems that need addressing yet.
Thirdly: Wholesaling. Do I still offer these items online? I must make sure that I am not undercutting these people by having customers come to me and bypassing the shops all together.

So I have learnt that I must be aware that for every positive there seems to be a tangled knot that needs working out.

I know that people have been doing this for centuries, but I can understand why for many people it is just so much easier to put on a uniform, clock on to work, catch those chickens, crunch those numbers, sell those ice-creams and come home and do it all over again again again...

Eh. Think I'll just get out my calculator thanks.

*wild Simpson's reference.

Claw foot or Monkey hand?

I don't have kids.
I have an ageing cat who brings me mice, and a neurotic German Shepherd who is terrified of everything and a husband who is mostly at work when I am at home. I only work at a 'real job' 2-3 days a week, a sweet little garden to play in on my own, and yet I still have no time and feel mostly harassed by life.

Most of the time not dedicated to the above I am sewing. Or admin-ing. Or some similar 'Forest Flaw' based activity. But I wonder lately if my state of hurried-ness and harangue-ment stems from just two simple things:

A) I do not have a bath.

This may seem like I am oversimplifying things here - I am not dear reader!
If you take note of people who do have said item in household (and get to use it) you will note their general calm demeanor. They are capable of taking greater stress because they can simply soak their worries away! Bye bye back ache, see-ya strain, ta taa tension. Down the drain with you. I am exceedingly jealous of those who get to go to bed without a monkey claw for a hand and a hunched back to make Quasimodo look like he was just bending over to look for his lost contact.

B) Procrastination

I am reigning queen supreme.
Never has the house been so clean, the garden so tidy, the cat so thoroughly brushed as when something is about due and the clock is ticking away.
(n.b. house is not clean atm - I am procrastinating doing that also)
I am not the sort of person who gets up in the morning, eats, cheerily showers, dresses and is ready to take on the world - aka any women's cereal advert.
I am the type of person who:

•  gets up after accidentally turning alarm off instead of snoozing it. 
• fumbles into kitchen with eyes shut to make coffee
• sits with coffee for leisurely 20 minutes until it is cold
• races to get dressed, fed, hair and makeup done in remaining 10 minutes and runs out the door forgetting lunch and with skirt tucked into pants.

So I must learn to organise myself better. Take the right amount of time to complete tasks. Check the mirror   for clothing catastrophes and begin a practical regime of living. 

I'll do it later.

Meanwhile, I'll dream about a bath, while I sit here with my coffee...let my mind go for a little nap. 

Then I'll cook tea, sew my orders, feed the pets, water the garden and pick up husband in the remaining 10 minutes of my night.

This one's for you S.M - the leisurely lady of the hour long bath.

A Template for life

A template for life. Sounds religious doesn't it? Or like something you would find in a 'women's temperance' pamphlet.

It's just that I've been creating them lately. (Not women's temperance pamphlets)
As I've been sewing each creature again, I have been taking the time to translate the shapes onto a piece of thin card. Time consuming, but at least next time I sew the same shape, all the bits that are relevant will be easily and quickly referenced. So instead of assessing each cut by eye and feel, my previous actions can be re-lived, re-cut and reproduced.

This, however has become a new obsession of late. It's got me thinking why we don't prescribe to this way of thinking for all things?
It would be helpful to every element of my life, from the smallest incidences to the big things. For instance: why is it that I always bang my knee on the bedpost near the door? If I mentally make a template of the path I should take, use that every time I walk through in the room, then voila! No more banged knee!
When placing full carton of milk in the fridge door - push extra hard. Do this every time and no longer will I walk past half an hour later and notice the two inch gap where all the cold and light are spilling out onto the kitchen floor.


But mainly it's the big things that I've been thinking about. For instance, why can't I make a template for dealing with heartache? Cut one giant piece of me into the shape that can handle rejection. take when needed.
Or make a template for dealing with difficult people: cut one shape for poise, one shape for patience and the tricky shape of standing up for myself and finish with dignity.

So, how many times do we need to do the same thing over and over again before we make a mental template? Presumably it happens, or we would never progress: I would still be trying to make a trampoline out of leaves on the front lawn. Or trying to make a cake out of desiccated coconut, or going out with the same egotistical selfish loser again and again until I made a template of how to avoid it (ok, that one I did take a few bashes at).

Taking the time and extra care on these templates has also made me produce more quality work. If it is going to be used over and over, then it had better be the best version of that that I can do. It all comes down to planning in the end. I thought I was terrible at that, but it turns out it's something I can do - and do well. And slowing down to put some thought into what I'm doing, because it is what I will be doing again and again and again -
If I'm lucky ;)

Technology Apocalypse

What kind of hero takes on hyperlinks and htmls? Who in their right mind succeeds with spreadsheets?

What does application virtualisation mean?! 

No, I am not 80 years old.

In fact, I grew up with computers. We had a commodore 64. On it, you could play hangman and spend a whole day inputting binary 01011110010101 to make a coloured block (representing a hot air balloon) sail gracefully across the pixelated screen. It was a far cry from the video machines that thrillingly allowed a stick hit a ball from one side of the screen to another. For one thing, it had a keyboard.

I was up with the Amiga. I could draw pumpkins and print out reels and reels of perforated paper to create banners I didn't need. "WELCOME HOME FROM WORK DAD" with accompanying pictures would take about 20 pages.
"HOW ABOUT A CUP OF TEA WITH A BISCUIT _ I'VE GOT CHOCOLATE" would take probably about 35 pages. And about 35 minutes to print.

When we got our first IBM, I could play games that used text, scrolling screen and colour. Breakthrough! I could print out reams of paper at about one third of the speed (and about equal usefulness).

I kept up with technology. I worked in admin, I can word process, de-frag my computer, download (legally...) upload, learn any computer program. But DAMNED if I can drive Facebook!

I boycotted facebook since it first appeared.
I said "ugh, who wants to be on that?" I also said "you will never find me on that ego-centric, networking, meat market web site."

You can find me at http://www.facebook.com/TheForestFlaw  

Since beginning the Forest Flaw I have been 'Facebooking' because it is the MOST valuable networking tool I can find. Everybody who wants to know what I'm up to can get instant feeds. Even my blog feeds into my page (eventually, but another story).
However, as au fait as I am with the computer world, I can not get my head around invites. Or personal pages vs business pages, events, notes, links, wallpapers, info and rss feeds. Status, photos, links videos and questions.

So if you follow me on facebook, I apologise. You may get things three times, you may see things you shouldn't and you will probably get things you may not understand.

I think it's Facebook revenge, had I joined from the start, I would probably be the Emperor of Faceook by now. That's how it works right?