Traumatised

well, I had soooo much planned for today. Christmas baking done, house clean, raspberries picked, gifts wrapped.

not a chance.

This morning when i went out to feed all my animals, I found Huey and Duey (two of the baby goslings i wrote about in a previous listing) drown in their little pool. I was gobsmacked at how this happened, as there were sufficient rocks in the base for their little legs to climb out with (small duckings, goslings and chicks can easily drown in water) and sat there in the pouring rain crying, crying and crying.

When something is dead, it really is DEAD isnt it?

Living on a farm, i have learnt to become a bit of a midwife/nurse etc etc. mouth to mouth to baby lambs covered in embriotic fluid (eeek!), feeding a premature cria (baby alpaca) HOURLY night and day with a gastric tube and eye dropper to keep her alive, handfeeding day old budgies round the clock that the mother has abandoned, blow drying wet chickens to warm them up and the list goes on.... but not a chance with these poor little fellows. they were dead.

d.e.a.d.

Which opened a can of worms about death, and i cried some more (for those of you that dont know me personally i have non hodgkins lymphoma and have been given a terminal status) - i think i just started thinking too hard and i just sat there in the pouring rain crying. (No doubt I will have a cold tomorrow! phewee!)

I had become so attached to these three little fellows. I was particularly careful to keep them in our shed area until they were bigger so the crows would not get them, and fed them fresh greens from the garden twice a day along with fresh water.

Yesterday I was umming and arhing whether to let them out into our orchard for some free ranging, and after discussing it with my mother we decided they were still too small and easy prey. Oh! how I wished that I had, and then this would not have happened.

I decided to let mumma, dadda and Lewy out into the orchard - If i cant protect them and keep them safe, isnt it better to let them free range and let nature take its course?

Nothing Beats ...

Summer!

A big bowl of freshly picked raspberries for dinner,

little "J" on school holidays

and the sun shining!

BLISS!

Christmas Shopping MADE EASY!

I have some SUPER SUPER SAVINGS for my blog and facebook followers, to make Christmas shopping easy (and a bit kinder on the budget!) These are offered to you for your continual loyalty of my blog and facebook page and are not open to anyone else:

I hope that my offer gives you super savings just in time for your last minute Christmas purchases. Orders will go out immediately, to make sure they are delivered in time for that special day: -

(*prices do not include postage, but super postage rates are available for these special deals; prices are listed in AUSTRALIAN dollars , payment: direct debit only, paypal available at extra charge)

Please contact me at: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com for orders and further information - HURRY! OFFER ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST! they will not last long at this price!

OFFER ONE:
BERRYLICIOUS BROOCH

SUPER SPECIAL PRICE:
1 brooch for $6.00
2 brooch for $10
and the SUPER SAVER *drum roll please
... 4 brooch for $18.00 *thats a crazy $4.50 each!
choose from these gorgeous designs (while stocks last):



OFFER TWO:
SINGLE HAIR ELASTICS
*Majority of these are made with 28mm buttons
1 for $3 or 4 for $10
Available in these designs (while stocks last)




and last but certainly not least...
OFFER 3
TINNED DELIGHTS
2 delightful hair elastics in a cute little gift tin!
1 for $7.00 each or
2 for $12.00
*This is only a small amount of designs pictured, most designs from my etsy shop are also still available at this special price along with those pictured below.



Hope you find something you like, at this super special price!

Super Supplies Sale ... be quick!

I currently have a very large quantity of supplies that I am wanting to sell as bulk supplies at really very cheap prices - These wont last long, so please submit your enquiry in any of the following to: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com - These prices would be for direct debit payment only (paypal is available but paypal fees will be charged to buyer) - large orders will be rewarded with FREE postage. Hurry! be quick! they wont last long!

• Large quantity of FIMO polyclay flowers and discs (see previous post for photo) in various colours - prices as follows (AUS dollars) 10 for 8.55 (85c each) 25 for $17.50 (70c each) 50 for $30.00 (60c each) or a super saving on 100+ at a very cheap .30c each (thats cheap enough to resell as supplies!)
  
• Metal Hair Clips - available in 2 sizes - I have about 40 of the large and 50 of the small still available (super cheap at .30c each AUS - this is half the actual price that I have paid for them)

• A large quanity of metal self covered buttons in various sizes. large 45mm flat backs suitable for brooch making also available.
• A quanity of glass beads and cute embellishments
• Ribbon viole necklaces in various colours @ $1.50 each (or assorted colours 25+ at $1.00 each)

Please contact me for further details / photos / price negotiation: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com

This little duck

Its starting to feel like spring again at our little farm at the moment. Although I have domestic ducks, I seem to gain extras at this time of year as the wild ducks seem to know that Im a fool for a mother with babies and feed them along with my own! This little mumma has been staying with us for a while, but was delighted to find 6 little babies hot on her trail the other day when I called for the ducks for breakfast.

Most of the ducks wander up to my sheds for meal times, making the journey from my dam down below.. and it is amazing to see the little tiny webbed feet going a million miles an hour to keep up to their protective mumma. They pass throught the orchard and wander up through my green lush grass.

This year I have left the grass a little longer for the mummas to hide in the grass. Last year we had 3 or 4 crows watch their journey and pluck off each baby one at a time. It was terrible, and i used to try with all my heart to shoo them away - they werent even scared of me screaming and shouting at them. Usually 2 or 3 pick on the mumma while the others grab the babies. I lost all my ducklings (about 30 actually!) like this last year, and my baby goslings as well, and although I know this is nature taking its own course I try to shoo the crows away in any way I can.

They also sit in the branches of the trees above the dam and try and swoop on the babies when mumma is unaware. I also lost a mother duck last year - I found her on the dam with all her babies gone and her eyes eaten out. It is horrific.

This year my goose had the sense to set her eggs in my shed in a old tea chest, so after the countdown of the 28 days I locked her in, gave her fresh greens every day and feed, and a big shell childrens pool to swim in. She has produced 3 lovely babies, and a protective man to watch over her little brood!

(If you look hard enough you may see a heart shape between the 2 of their necks! sooo cute!)

Hewey Dewey and Lewie!

I have been often found just sitting and gazing at their little antics. I will leave her in the shed until I feel the babies can stand up to a swooping crow. They are growing daily and I would love to let them out and wander the lush green orchard, but feel they will be gobbled in no time. Last year I had 3 mother geese and the protective boy have 3 little babaies, and woke one morning to the shrill shreiking of the mothers on the side of the dam.

So for now I am feeding them plenty of greens and keeping them safe (yes! i am as protective of the little blighters as their own parents!)

Heres a little glimpse of my oasis:

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Today I took a rare trip to the shops and stumbled across these gorgeous little metal Christmas decorations that I simply could not resist. I have a very rustic home with exposed beams and huge exposed tree trunks for upright posts, so they fit right in to my decor. My only regret is that I did not buy more!

They inspired me to make my version of a artistic Christmas tree from contorted willow that I spray painted silver. I think I may take it to dress up my table on SUNDAY to the WOODBRIDGE COMMUNITY MARKET at Woodbridge Community Hall (11am - 3.30pm) and get my shoppers into the festive spirit. The little silver bells hanging on my tree are also very rustic and lightly sanded to give the country feel, with little cut out stars on them. Little "J" did not like my impression of a Christmas tree at all and asked "mummy when are we putting up the REAL tree, that is just a stick!"

Last year I made this quilted ADVENT CALENDER (pictured in background) from a cute little penquin fabric panel. Each pocket is cut and handsewn, and has a number on them for the advent countdown. Little "J" delights in checking each pocket every morning! (I must admit, he is very good and has not rummaged through each pocket already .. I think he relishes in the surprise each day which is delightful. His restraint gobsmacks me as I am sure if it was me when I was his age I would have most probably itemised every pocket by now!). The edging was stippled by machine on free form... I am not the perfect handstippler, and this was my first attempt. Shortly after making this, I purchased a big machine quilting frame that stipples quilts up to queen size... Hopefully over the summer I will get the opportunity to play around with it.

I am very anxious to use the fabrics the lovely Amy Schimler sent me not too long ago, and hope to quilt a lap quilt with them all.

Woodbridge Community Market

I attended the Woodbridge Market on Sunday.. what a cute little country market it is! It was delightful! Just hoping the weather is a little better on my next attendance!

Will be back there on the 6th December with lots of Berrylicious Goodies and some great Christmas ideas and specials.

Woodbridge Community Hall
11.00am - 3.30pm

Sunday December 6th

Hope to see you there!

Fimo Flowers

I have a very large quantity of lovely FIMO FLOWERS (with bead holes) available for sale if anyone is interested. I would be happy to sell these in small quantities as well as larger quantities to anyone that may be interested. Please send me a email: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com to discuss.

A Very Sad Decision + Special Blog Follower Deal

After alot of hard emotional decision making, I have sadly decided to wind down my etsy shop with Berrylicious Buttons.

This very difficult decision has largely come about due to the decline of my health. For those that do not know me personally, I have terminal cancer and I am finding that the business has become quite difficult to juggle with daily life and my current commitments. I have also encountered a huge amount of plagarism and struggle to deal with this emotionally.

The closure of my shop may take a couple of months, as I still have quite a lot of stock that is made and supplies that need to be used. I will also be attending the Woodbridge Market on the 6th December, and perhaps a few other markets in the new year. I may continue to do a market here and there just to keep my "hand in"... I guess we will just see how things go.




For all my lovely followers that I cherish so much, I would like to offer you a
special deal to thank you for your support and to make some savings on for your Christmas shopping! (I believe in pre christmas sales - not after christmas sales!)

For every order over $50 (excluding shipping) on my etsy shop prior to the 25th December you may select on eof the follow special deals:
1. ONE FREE TINNED DELIGHTS PONY TAIL HAIR SET* (*Design randomly selected) OR
2. 10% off your total order (excluding shipping)

(TO RECEIVE THIS OFFER: Please "Message to Seller" at Checkout "BLOG DEAL" along with which deal you would like to take advantage of. For those wishing to receive the 10% discount offer, please wait for your revised invoice before making payment. I am also happy to send you a revised invoice in Australian Dollars if requested).
HAPPY SHOPPING!

Ohh! I soooo LOVE this!

I soooo wished I could afford it!
I am sooo in love with this little scooter!

New! Wee Little Hair Clips

I have made some new cute little inexpensive hair clips.

Originally I made these with little toddlers in mind, as the clips are smaller than standard clips. I have made a wee little scallop edge envelope and notecard to go with them and they will retail for $2.50 (Australian Dollars).

I quite often put a little note in Little "J"'s lunch box at school (now he is older I am sure it embarrasses him no end!) and think these little mini envelopes and notecards are perfect for that! They are a super cute way of saying "I love you" "You are Special" or maybe a smiley face for littlies that cannot read yet! (lunch boxes? Toothfairy? Santa Notes? mmm .. the list is endless!)

Ohhh! and these are my new crochet "Little Treasure" Clips - These will be all available at The Woodbridge Market this Sunday - for all enquiries (as they are not listed on etsy as yet) please email me at: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com

Spot your Favourite

Here is a small selection of buttons I have been making this morning. Im totally loving Japanese fabrics at the moment. I love the pretty blossom prints, and I adore these little hedgehogs. These are going to be made into TINNED DELIGHTS for the upcoming market at Woodbridge. If you see something you like amoungst these that you would like for Christmas gifts or just a nice treat, please message me!

What a LOVELY surprise!

Today I woke up to a lovely surprise email from missymaomao http://missymaomao.blogspot.com/ ...
Missy awarded me ....

"The Kreativ Blog Award"
(Ohhh! what a lovely surprise .. thank you so much!)

It is kind of an old fashioned chain letter, and although I am one of these people that never look at spam emails or pass on those horrid things that tell you to send them to 7 friends or something dreadful will happen to you (%$#@*&) .... I dont want to be a spoil sport and will carry this lovely award on with all sincerety!



Missymaomao puts it beautufully: "The lovely thing about this award is that it continues to grow and grow like the branches of a tree"

To keep it growing, I have to follow the 7 rules:
1 Copy the pretty picture and post it on your blog
2 Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog
3 Write 7 things about yourself that we dont know
4 Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to
5 Link to those 7 other bloggers
6 Notify your 7 bloggers

mmm. now for the 7 things that you may not know about me .... (*thinking* *thinking* mmmm brain freeeze!)

1) I am a wwoof host for backpackers from all over the world and LOVE it!
2) I am a single mum that has terminal cancer (I was given 12 mths to live and that was 2.5 years ago!)
3) I own a rural property on 6 acres and breed alpacas (if only i had the time to watch the chickens play!)
4) I grow organic fruit and vegetables to supply our local community
5) I own a full size machine quilting frame (double) for quilt stippling but sadly never get the time to use it! 8-(
6) I absolutely loved the Twilight Series (novels by Stephenie Meyer *blush*) and my favourite author is Paullina Simons
7) I became interested in making pretty hair accessories after I lost all my hair from cancer treatments. Loosing my hair was like loosing my identity - and making other people feel pretty and happy was something that soothed my soul. This was one of the reasons I started Berrylicious Buttons .. originally, it was only meant to be a creative outlet for me until people started asking me to sell them some of my button creations!

.. ok.. boring i know, but hey! I hate talking about myself!

HERE ARE MY KREATIV BLOG AWARD WINNERS (in no particular order):

1. DANCE IN MY GARDEN: http://danceinmygarden.blogspot.com/
For being a lovely creative person and great friend

2. RUBY VICTORIA PRINTMAKING & LETTERPRESS: http://rubyvictoria.blogspot.com/
For creating some beautiful simple designs that are stunning

3. INNEREARTHSOAPS: http://innerearthsoaps.blogspot.com/
For the scrumptious soaps that she creates that are so luxurious to use!

4. LITTLE COTTON RABBITS: http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/my_webblog/
For being the first person I admired on etsy, and for the absoultely gorgeous little characters she makes

5. TIMOTHY ADAM DESIGNS: http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/
For creating fantastic orignal works of art, and for being someone that helped me and inspired me sooooo much when I was new to the wonderful world of etsy ... thank you for all the great, valuable information that you were happy to pass on and share! I appreciated your advice so much!

6. NOTIONS: http://notionshandmade.blogspot.com/
For creating beautiful classy vintage and retro inspired boutique quality products (with packaging that is just as gorgeous as the products!)

7. REDFISHCIRCLE: http://redfishcircle.blogspot.com/
For your gorgeous fabrics and lovely cheerful messages that put a smile on my face!

It was very hard to choose who to send the award on to, choosing from so many talented people was very difficult .. so please drop on over and see what these lovely people make and do! (and who they pass it on to!)

Mauricio the Magnificent

ooh! while he was playing monkey games, naughty Stella (his cheeky friend) tied his tail in a knot!

Introducing Mabel Monkey

This is Mabel the Monkey! What a cute little smile!

She has a cute button rosebud tail!

I would like to introduce you to Mabel, she is as cute as a button and the newest kid on the block at Berrylicious Buttons.

Mabel will be available for sale at the Woodbridge Market on the 22nd November along with some of her best buddies. If you are particularly fond of Mabel you may purchase her prior to the market, or I would be happy to make a custom "Mabel" in a colour combination of your choice.

Please email me at: Berryliciousbuttons@gmail.com if you are interested in Mabel or one of her friends!

Cupcakes and Strawberries .. What a SCRUMPTIOUS combination!

Pictured above: "Cupcake and Strawberry" wholesale order that is off to Rita at Gone Rustic in St Marys (Tasmania)

Yum! dont they look good enough to eat! Thank you Rita!

Fun at the Fair

Wow!

I had such a great time at the Twilight Fair this evening! - I now understand why people love doing markets! It was so much fun seeing people I havent caught up with in such a long time and seeing people appreciate and love my products!


I was in the local Primary School Hall, so a little out of the way from the rest of the stalls, but had a great afternoon. My lovely mother in law came along to help out and I was grateful of her help as we were very busy most of the afternoon.




Pictures: My lovely mother in law and my tables full of yummy Delicious Berrylicious goodies




I love seeing people choose which item they love the most and it was certainly interesting to see what people liked the best (sometimes not the things you may think they would like or would normally choose for myself!)


This was my first market, so I learnt so much from this experience - I felt that my display lacked height and order as i needed to squash sooooo much onto two trestle tables. I am a perfectionist when it comes to display so I feel I need to find some suitable boxes or trays to display my items in if I was to do markets again in the future.... Any ideas?

I thought maybe old draws would be great, but i am unsure about this as I wonder if people would naturally flick through things or are they better all laid out so people do not need to touch things to see them? I ended up laying everything out on my tables as things sold, so people dont need to flick through baskets to see my items and found this was a much better way of displaying my items - and feel that I most probably sold more this way as the first couple in a basket may not appeal to someone but the one at the back may do, yet they are less likely to flick through a stack if the first ones did not appeal to the indvidual looking. I would appreciate your comments on this - from the sellers point of view as well as a buyers!

New Fabrics to Play with ...

oooh! and I have some new Kimono Girl fabric, hedgehogs and wee robots that I will also be making some new products with.

I think mostly I will be making cute badges and hair elastics with these!

Featuring Artist: Mary of Perfect Jewelry

What does the mother of an almost 3 year old toddler and a 6 week old infant do while her infant is sleeping and her toddler is at preschool? Most mothers would take the opportunity to do any of the following activities:
1. clean

2. cook

3. take a shower

4. watch t.v.
5. sleep

Well, I am unlike most mothers because I take the opportunity to make jewelry!

Check out my etsy store here: http://www.perfect.etsy.com/

I started making jewelry several years ago. A friend taught me how to make a loop with wire and then off I went. I started spending my life savings on jewelry supplies. When I got married, I felt a little guilty about spending the family money so I started selling to some friends and family and co-workers. To my surprise, everyone seemed to love it and told me that I had an eye for design. With this ego boost, I started making more and more.

After a while, I was started to feel a little guilty about feeding into this consumer culture in America. At the same time, I started to get more involved with Compassion International, a charity organization through which I'd been sponsoring a little girl in the Philippines since I was in college. I decided to give most of my profits away to Compassion and other charity organizations.

What makes me unique as a designer? I am a perfectionist. I pick out the best beads and make the most perfect loops I can. I tuck in all my wires so that they don't scratch you and I also love making custom pieces that fit everyone perfectly. I hate bracelets that are too big or necklaces that catch on your clothes. I love working with semi precious gems like garnet, amethyst, citrine, onyx, and peridot. I also love love love pearls and swarovski crystals. I usually use only sterling silver, gold filled, or vermeil materials because to me, the time I invest in my jewelry is not worth using cheap materials. Most of my jewelry can be described as dainty and cute... although there are a few chunky rings and shoulder duster earrings.

I also love to blog and currently am a contributing blogger on Kimchi Mamas (http://kimchimamas.typepad.com/).

If you'd like to follow me on twitter (where I announce all my new listings on etsy) my username is so_yun.

Here is Mary's profile from her etsy shop: I LOVE making jewelry! I started several years ago and began selling them at local craft fairs. My friends and co-workers seem to love them and I am hoping the rest of the world will too! I named my shop "perfect" because I want to make perfect jewelry. Although it's hard to call a piece of art perfect, I thought this name suited my jewelry because I strive to make them perfect in my eyes and hopefully in the eyes of my customers. Another inspiration for the name of my shop is that the only truly perfect being is God Himself. I believe that God, the original Creator, gave me the ability to create beautiful jewelry and that he made the earth so beautiful for us to enjoy.I donate most of my profits to Compassion International, a non profit organization that helps children living in poverty through one on one sponsorship. I am able to do this because I have a full time "regular" job and jewelry making is a hobby and I don't depend on it to pay the bills.Have you ever discovered a beautiful bracelet only to find out it only comes in the standard 7 inches which is way too big for your tiny wrists? That standard 16 inch necklace just too tight around your neck? Or perhaps a bit too loose? You will never have that kind of problem with my jewelry because every piece can be custom made to fit you perfectly! Just tell me what you want and I will strive to make my creations "perfect" for you.I also make sure to "tuck in" all my wire ends so that it won't snag your clothes or scratch you.Please send me a conversation with any questions. I also have many more pieces on display at my home in the Bay Area