Itsy, Bitsy, Teenie, Weenie, Yellow Polka-dot Bikini...

What is it about polka dots that's made them so everlastingly popular? They've been around since at least the 1950s (I vaguely remember the above song, which Google tells me was recorded by Brian Hyland in 1960). Polka dots appear to be as popular today, if not more so. Even my blog background is dotty!

As you can see from the pics on the right, I've made items recently to reflect our love affair with the perennial polka dot. I also began a thread on the Folksy forum yesterday, titled Show me your POLKA DOTS! So why not have a peek at the wonderful items the talented makers there have to offer? You won't be disappointed. :-)

My wrist key fobs featured

My Citrus wrist key fob is featured today on Do You Etsy. The zingy citrus colours still make my mouth water! And my Daisy fob was featured last Folksy Friday on The Little Bead Box blog. I adore this Kaffe Fasset fabric with its jewel-like colours. Must see if I can get some more!

The idea for these was born when I found myself juggling kids and shopping, and struggling to find my keys in my bag or pockets. After dropping said keys (invariably in a puddle...!) for the umpteenth time, I decided it was time for action. So I designed and made myself one, using gorgeous fabrics. When complete strangers began asking where they could get one too, I realised I wasn't the only one with this problem, and BaggieAggietoo, my second Folksy shop, was born.

As can be seen, these are not made with webbing and hardware clamps, and therefore dashed off in a few minutes, production-line style. My washable and durable fobs are made with multiple layers of designer fabrics, often vintage, and two layers of interfacing. Some will also feature unusual braids and other trimmings. Matching or contrasting covered buttons feature, and the quality nickel-plated steel hardware has been sourced for its discreet simplicity. Time and care is lavished on each and every one. I also offer a custom service for anyone who requires an alternative colour or fabric combination, at no extra cost.

The shop is very new, and other accessories will be added gradually. Do stop by if you have spare moment as I'd love to know what you think. :-)

Keywords - learning curve or glitch...?

I googled 'handmade shoulder bags' this morning, and was happy to see, on Page 2, a Folksy link containing eleven pages of said items. However, I was not so happy to find that my shoulder bags weren't on any of these eleven Folksy pages - despite the fact that all three words were in my keyword lists.

So I did some investigation and experimentation and eventually found where the problem lay - I'd separated each keyword with a comma as instructed while listing, ie. handmade,shoulder,bag. Big mistake, as it seems that certain words, like 'handmade', can stand alone, but 'bag' and 'shoulder' can't - the two words must be separated by a space, ie. turned into a keyphrase. Now I've done that, my shoulder bags appear on those eleven Folksy pages. (Oh, and I've added the single word 'bag' as well as 'shoulder bag' - just to make sure I've covered all angles!)

This seems utterly bizarre to me. Is it a Folksy glitch, or just another example of my ongoing struggle with all things webby...?!?