Monday 30 November 2009

Meerkat Thanksgiving!



Oh I was so touched to read about Etta's New Jersey family Thanksgiving - bet you will be too!

Read the story here and of course follow the meerkats on their facebook page.

Trouble is, the photos made me VERY hungry!

Etta was staying with Jessica of CrazyDaisiesDesigns, her shop is full of beautifully sewn quilted lovelies!

Saturday 28 November 2009

Meerkat Treasure is in Israel

Treasure can't seem to leave Israel, there is so much to learn! Metal-smithing with Arosha, a trip to the Sea of Galilee and now a family Shabat celebration with Inbal.

I won't spoil your fun - go straight to Inbal's blog!

Friday 27 November 2009

Muppets or Wayne's World?

Which version do you prefer?



It's the Waynes's World version for me - reminds me of watching the film with my kids, all "head banging" on the sofa together!

Thursday 26 November 2009

$2 earrings - really?

May I introduce my friend @5erg?

I suspect she's badly in need of some marketing advice as she has recently opened a new shop called 2 dollar earrings.

Can you guess what she sells?



Can you guess how much they are?



Can you spot the catch? NO, you can't, can you - because there isn't one.

I have already bought my first pair - indeed, they took me on a trip to London to meet @raisinlike

This pair!

I really like this pair too



- I already bought a matching bracelet from 5erg's other shop a while back, and these will go so beautifully.



Because 5erg is my friend, it maybe wouldn't be fair for me to say QUICK! Go take advantage of her outrageously cheap prices before she comes to her senses! 2 Dollar Earrings!

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Where are those meerkats?




Etta is about to experience thanksgiving in New Jersey - check out CrazyDaisiesDesigns blog

and Treasure is in Israel - on a trip to the Sea of Galilee!

follow the meerkats on facebook!

Monday 23 November 2009

it's in the bag!

I entered a giveaway on HautTotes facebook - Melissa of HautTotes.etsy.com invited participants to choose a bag for a friend, and say why. I entered twice!

One entry was for my daughter Sarah and the second entry was for Lenny, my son's girlfriend...and we were so thrilled to hear that Lenny's name had been picked!



Lenny chose this gorgeous cowgirl bag, she said "The fabric is lovely, cowgirls and pinups is a winning combo in my eyes! Fun and just the right amount of rockabilly, yay!" (Looks like the meerkat likes it too!)

I couldn't leave my poor daughter bagless - so she's getting her choice too.



The bags are beautifully made, really strongly constructed, nice and roomy, and so so pretty. I didn't know there were so many fabulous fabrics out there!

Check them out in HautTotes and if you're like me, keep a close eye on Melissa's facebook page and Twitter

It's London, baby!

While my meerkat was on its way to meet Arosha in Israel, my friend Sharona was flying in the opposite direction to meet me! Well, not *just* to meet me, there was shopping involved - read more in Sharona's blog.

Most importantly - would meerkat and flutterbutt get along ok?



So well colour-coordinated, aren't we?



There were cakes - oh my, the cakes were GOOD!



and there was a bar...



and we can now conclusively say YES, flutterbutts and meerkats can be best of friends!

It was so nice to meet my virtual friend - next year in Jerusalem?

Check out Sharona's blog about this same day!

Sunday 22 November 2009

I won a prize!

I've been meaning to show you my prize for a while, but life (and those blessed meerkats) keep getting in the way.

I entered a giveaway on Veryan's blog Beadypool and had to make a decision...necklace or bracelet and earrings? Teal or purple?

I'm not good at decisions, but finally decided on the braclet/earring combo and asked Veryan to choose the colour for me.



My prize came beautifully packaged as you can see, and inside was ...



not just a bracelet and earring set in fabulous petrol-purple but an extra pair of earrings in the teal, which I am giving to my daughter. The purple is stunning, my photo doesn't do them justice. The colours change as they catch the light - so I spend my time waggling my wrist around!

If you also find Veryan's work irresistable, why not check out her shop, Beadypool?

Friday 20 November 2009

Meerkat World Tour Update!


Little Etta has arrived in North Carolina!

Read all about the latest adventure in MidnightCoiler's blog and don't forget to become a fan of the Meerkats Facebook page.

Tuesday 17 November 2009

World Tour Meerkat meets Arosha!

Little Treasure in his journey to manhood

Time has come for little Treasure to leave his home-land, his safe haven under mom's guidance and support, and start his journey of self-exploration and growth on his way to become a self-assured and independent man.

And what better place to start than in Arosha's studio and home on the beautiful Carmel mountain in Haifa, Israel?

The guys introduced each other, and Treasure immediately adapted to the warm November sun, and together with Arosha spent his first afternoon lazing around, tanning and watching the view – While Arosha is gazing at the beach, little Treasure is trying to figure out what is going on



Things became even more intimate as Treasure wanted to get a better view of the passer-bys… (should we mention the girls in bikinis?)



After a Falafel lunch break (Treasure found the balls to be a little too big for his size, and didn't care much for all the tahini that kept dripping), they went on to the main purpose of the visit - which was to teach Treasure a craft that he could develop into a profession.

Arosha was trying to explain his metal-working techniques:



But Treasure lost his patience too soon, and started playing around with AroshaTwists plastic cuff bracelets:




After an evening at the pub (pictures have been censored due to the misbehavior of both guys after their third beer), Arosha and Treasure bid farewell, and promised to meet again in a few years.

With much sadness, Treasure packed his stuff (which now includes an acorn from his previous visit and a plastic black and gold brooch which Arosha has given him with love), and left for his next visit on his world tour.



We'll miss you, little guy! Arrivederci!

I'm sure that's whetted your appetite for Arosha's work:
Arosha.etsy.com
AroshaTwists.etsy.com
Sleeks.etsy.com
Arosha on twitter
and his spanking new Facebook fanpage

and of course, last but not least, the world tour facebook page.

Famous in Canada?


Read about me in the Toronto Star!

I was sent this link by Nina of UberCherry and am thrilled to see the inhabitants of Toronto are able to appreciate the awesomeness of a Meerkat Christmas ;-)

Meerkats available here and Greeting cards here

Ubercherry.etsy appears to be having a rest right now, but why not check back soon?
Ubercherry blog

Sunday 15 November 2009

the beautiful game?



as my family will attest, I'm not known for my love of the so-called beautiful game (that's football in the UK, soccer to our friends over the pond)

But...

What's not to love?



Your very own footy-playing meerkat!

This chap plays for Arsenal, but (as always!) I'm open to challenges!

Wednesday 11 November 2009

Clearance Sale!

Etteam are holding monthly critiques and I was lucky enough to be given the treatment a few weeks ago.

My friends gave me lots of constructive criticism alongside positive feedback, and after giving it all some thought I've decided to make some changes.



The *BIG* change is in emphasis: I'm going to spend much more time developing my meerkats - and to do this, I'm having a clearance sale to make room in my shops.

Flower fairy

You will find lots of bargains in Niftyknits.etsy and you will also find some items being reduced over at Niftyknits.folksy


hair accessories
Grab them while they're there!

Monday 9 November 2009

This is… Laura



of Lamaworks

Favourite colour? That depends on the day ... lately I'm a purple girl.

Favourite smell? Oooh I have a Ginos East pizza in the oven right this minute, so pizza it is!

Favourite place? My parents house. They live in a cozy log cabin on a beautiful lake in the middle of northern Wisconsin. It is so peaceful up there. I could spend hours on the dock with a book listening to the waves roll by.



Favourite sound? My 3 year old niece when she says, "Hi Auntie Wauda!"

Favourite way to spend your time? Anything crafty! I have a need to always be working on something. Sitting still just isn't an option, so I'm always working on something.



Favourite item in your shop of all time? I really love the bright colors and different textures in the Wild Raspberry thank you cards set.



I think a close second are any of the triangle patchwork scarves. I love how all the colors blend together.



Favourite shop that isn’t yours? (Apart from Niftyknits, obviously!) Ooh, I really want a bag from ShibaNgDesigns!!

Why? They are so unique! I love how she uses random embellishments, but ties it all in together with her stitching.



What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learnt so far that you’d like to pass on to our readers?
Keep pushing forward! Things start slow in the beginning, but if you keep making things and keep advertising, and networking and promoting, and blogging and .... it all really pays off! The more you get out there, the more people see you and want something from your shop!



If I can I'd also like to plug a good cause ... I donate 10% of all of my sales to the American Cancer Society through the Carry On Campaign. It's a cause I really believe in and one of my goals in life is to make a difference. You can find out more about me and my progress with Carry On on my blog:

www.lamaworks.blogspot.com

or on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/lamaworks

Don't forget to check out Laura's shop: Lamaworks

and follow Laura on Twitter

Sunday 8 November 2009

What's your workspace like?

A little while ago my friend Cherie blogged about her workspace.

She challenged me to share a pic of my own workspace - it's not *quite* in the same league, but one of the joys of knitting is that I can do it anywhere!



What's your workspace like?

Friday 6 November 2009

Thursday 5 November 2009

Magic Meerkat!

Obviously I'm missing the World Tour Meerkats already but my Magician friend Marc tried his hardest to cheer me up:





Love my balloon meerkat!

And this...is my version of Marc!

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Press Photoshoot!

Well - the meerkats were incredibly excited. We had a phone call this morning from the local paper. Could they come along and interview us on video for their website? Could they come and take photos for the paper?

We took a moment to consider...YES!!!!!