What to do...

When I was in Winchester recently I mentioned that I visited a craft shop. I purchased these little fabric roses. Sorry about the poor picture, I tried so many times to get this to come out better. The craft shop had a load of these roses in various different colours and I went totally mad for the red ones. But... now I don't know what to do with them! I think they would look good running along the bottom of a simple dress. I could possibly sew them onto a headdress but I wouldn't know how to arrange them best. If I was really clever I could find a way to fix them in my hair. I am not sure how many roses are included in the pack because I really don't have the time to sit there counting them.

I have a little craft box where I keep my finds. Usually they sit in my craft box for ages until I have a rummage and discover them again. One of my favourite things to do is to go in random shops and seeing what little bits I can discover. Sometimes I find things in places you would never expect them to appear.

Charity shops can be good. Sometimes you will find little items to place around the house. You have to look through a lot of trash (sometimes I wonder how people can leave the house wearing florescent yellow and orange cardigans) but I think that is part of the fun. Think about it- if you see a lacy top could you rip it up and use the lace on one of your projects? Could you use that crochet doily? When you visit these places you should try and get yourself in the lolita frame of mind. Don't automatically dismiss something because you think it may take a lot of work. Store it aside somewhere and maybe in a few years your craft skills may have improved or you may have a flash of inspiration.

Craft shops can be hard to come by these days. Usually if you live near a craft shop it is a big chain like Hobbycraft and they seem to stock the same old things. This is why I love independent retailers. Usually the best craft shops are those hidden away somewhere on a back street. I like visiting towns that have history and tourist potential because these places are more likely to have the best craft shops.

Ebay can also be a good place. I randomly typed in strawberries one day and I now own some strawberry mini cat bells which I am thinking of making into a bracelet and attaching one to a head bow too. They are so cute. I can't wait to use them! Sometimes I also type in "cute" on ebay and narrow it down to the craft and then the fabric sections. I have found some fabrics that have been imported from Japan on there. You could make some good lolita items with this stuff. Ebay sellers are usually really helpful so if you purchase more than one of a fabric lot, they will usually sell it to you as one single long bit of fabric instead of cutting it up.

I am still clueless about the fabric roses. Here is hoping an idea suddenly flashes into my head!