Magnets at last

A new arrangement with my employers at Strika means that I now spend Wednesday mornings in my studio. It's fantastic to have 5 hours straight studio time: I get to see my studio mates for a change, and the time has been very productively spent too.

Look! I've finally got around to cutting some new magnets. They're in my Etsy shop today.

Nesty In Etsy, amen.

No, the title of this post is not an indication that I'm feeling broody (whatever that means - always makes me think of a fat old hen), and it's not my school motto either.

It is, however, a combination alert to the fact that that these little nest-building bird magnets are now for sale, and a short prayer that sales in my Etsy shop will pick up the pace a little.

Magnets on Etsy again

Four new little magnets in my Etsy shop today.

Look closely, and you can see me and Jesse in the polaroid shot, nervously preparing to pose for the House and Leisure magazine shoot last year.



Oh, and a newsflash for crafty Capetonian readers:

There's a Kraft group meeting at my studio at 77 Hout Street (opposite CD Fox) at 2pm on Saturday 9 June. All welcome! Email me at the address you can see on my businesscard on the right if you want to come along.

Vines, and a la HFHA

This is a new magnet called Vines, and it's in my Etsy shop today.

And now, the rest of this post will be presented in the style of one of my favourite blogs - the ever-lovely Hoping for Happy Accidents:

You have to check out this.

And here is a mine of fascinating things (via artthrob).

I was totally blown away by this work.

Sprouts and Trees on Etsy. And potplants.

New in my Etsy shop today - more fridge magnets!

I've had the brainwave of photgraphing these magnets in action - both to demonstrate to potential buyers their strength (strong!) and size (nice size!), and also to show Paul attempting to blend in with the decor...

Yes, he's the one right next to the potplant. No, between the potplant and the TV. Almost missed him, right?

Round-Cheeked Bird on Etsy

I put this little magnet into my Etsy shop this morning. Check out how it likes to live dangerously, holding the youthful Nanook up above its beak like that! Crazy!

New on Etsy - Bird Tree

Sheesh, all I seem to do is post about what I've put up on Etsy these days. I resolve to become a little less of an advertorial and a little more interesting very soon. Actually, immediately.

Just after this pic of the Bird Tree magnet that's in my shop now, I'll tell you something interesting about fridges that's got nothing to do with magnets.

It's not only interesting, it's witty, surprising, lo-tech, and all round hilarious too.

Take a look at this to see performance artist, filmmaker, musician and writer Miranda July use the top of her fridge to promote her new book (found through Maile's blog and also on Happy Mundane).

New in my shop today

This Singing Bird makes its appearance in my shop today! It's an A4-sized magnet cut from cork paper and magnetic sheeting.

Nearly there

I made this magnet frame as a baby shower gift for my brother and sister-in-law.

For the purposes of this shot, it's holding a pic of our kitties, but it won't be long before it'll be holding up a succession of super-cute pics of a wee, toothless niece.

New Etsy listing

I call this magnet Spindley, because it's so long and delicate. It's for sale in my Etsy shop today.

Suddenly, sales!

Whee! Four sales in a day! I reckon my Etsy shop can truly be said to be up and running now. Thanks to all visitors and especially to people who have bought my things. It's really awfully exciting.

Thanks, also, to Holly at Decor8 for posting about my magnets. One of the sales came straight from one of her readers. And while I'm saying thanks, more must go to Dear Ada , Bloesem Grijs , Jesse ... hells bells, the whole dang lot of you. Thanks.

Campana Frame

Well, after all my sales, I've got big holes in my stock , so here's a new magnet I listed today.

I called this one Campana Frame because it reminds me of the Campana Brothers' Favela chair.




Anyway, as discerning viewers, I'm sure you realise that the important part about this pic is the photo of our skinny little kitty being held in place on my fridge. Isn't she lovely? No longer so skinny, but as dear as ever.

New etsy listings

NOTE: I'm currently experiencing temporary difficulties with accepting payments. Nobody's bought anything yet, but please don't until my shop says you can! Sorry 'bout this.

I'm listing up a storm in my etsy shop at the moment!

Here's a sweet birdie magnet...

... and some more baby shirts.

Happy weekend, everyone! And thanks so much for all the kind comments and encouragement.

Tree row

Here's a row of magnet trees that I made on Friday.

I've got this one on my fridge at the moment. It's for sale in my Etsy shop, but I like it so much, I'm half-hoping nobody will buy it, actually.

Modular tree and Chris Ware

Another new fridge magnet.

The outline is an idea I got from Jesse's silhouetted trees, which she made as a tribute to Chris Ware (see snippet below).

In case you haven't encountered this storytelling genius before, you simply have to see Chris Ware's work, here too. He's truly astonishing.

Green bird, resting

A new fridge magnet. It's a little like the green bird of bliss that I made a while ago.


Tech: Green linen-texture paper stuck to adhesive-backed magnetic sheeting, cut with my NT cutter.

Tumbling magnet

I made this fridge magnet by sticking cork paper onto magnetic sheet, then cutting with my NT cutter.

A Day day

Thanks to whoever it was who recommended Robin and Lucienne Day: Pioneers of Modern Design on their blog. Last week, my copy arrived in the post at last (Read about the Days' work here.).



What an inspiration! My early year torpor has dropped away and I am impatient to get cracking on making things again!


With the Days on the brain and a bit of time on my hands, I decided to cut a new magnet. After sketching out an idea, I started cutting, already impatient to finish, convinced that my homage to Lucienne Day's fabric designs was going to be quite lovely.

I eventually finished it, and...

...well, it's certainly not lovely. I don't think I'd show it to Mrs Day if she asked. Made with bronze-coloured paper pasted to magnetic sheet, cut with my NT cutter.

To be fair, it's not totally hideous, just pretty wierd. It reminds me of the kind of 60's metalwork often to be found taking up an entire wall of a suburban theatre.

Ah well, John Denver tells it like it is: "Some Days are diamonds, some days are stones".

Silver birds

As a big "boo sucks" in the face of our loony neighbour and illustration deadlines and other stresses of city life, I've made some soaring, striving silver birds for my fridge door.


This is textured silver paper stuck to adhesive magnetic sheet, cut with an NT cutter.

Green bird of bliss

For my birthday, my brother and sister-in-law gave me a voucher for a massage at the Thai spa up the road from me. I redeemed the voucher on Tuesday, and afterwards went to my studio and cut a magnet that seemed to express my post-massage bliss. Ahh...