15 minute challenge

I have to say that the weekend was pretty busy, but I did manage to do some stitching or other things all but one day this week.  The run down goes like this.

Wednesday - Button club embroidery
Thursday - Button club embroidery
Friday - Button club embroidery
Saturday - nothing
Sunday - Button club embroidery + machine quilting Its Only Words
Monday - Button club embroidery
Tuesday - Cut out an Amy Butler Pouf pattern. Will try to get to Button Club Embroidery but I am pretty beat today (2 1/2 hours of ironing and running my son around to a couple of training sessions for his various sports)

Head on over to Kate's to see who else met this weeks challenge.

Mixed Media Monday

It was a good job that I had this Project up my sleeve as this weekend has been quit filled with non crafty business.  First it was a promised trip to Bowerbird Bazaar with Squid.  Then Maestro (my son) had his teams Tennis Grand Final. They weren't expected to win as the opposition where quite a bit older than most of he players in his team.  He is the oldest at 11 but the others range in age from 7 to 9.  All the boys in the other team were 11+ oldest being 15, but as they are all in their first year of tennis they were in the same division.  Both teams won 3 sets each so it came down to the number of winning games and our boys came out ahead.

Maestro came out with 3 trophies at the end of the day because he had come runner up in the district tournament for his division, won the club tournament for his division and got a Most improved trophy from the club.  I think there might be another trophy for being grand finalists either way we need a new shelf to store them all.

Yesterday it was Open Day at one of the local high schools and as it was the one we are zoned to we thought it a good idea to go.  I am pleased to say that Maestro was happy with the school and I was pretty impressed also.

Back to mixed media.  Here is the final project for the Kit of the Month.  Was a bit over enthusiastic with the yellow paint in the sky.  I am thinking of doing an online lettering class next month, will have to see how the next week pans out before I head down that path though, life is beginning to get really busy.

Inspiration

I have been having a bit of design block lately, well not exactly design block but more of can't be bothered type of block, what is the point kind of block.  My mixed media is keeping the creativity bubbling along but my stitching has taking a back step.

Usually when I need more inspiration the credit card takes a bit of punishment, because I love books and they are the best inspiration I find.   It must be working because  I have a couple of idea's for quilts in my head, nothing big just small project that I hope that will be achievable in the next little while so I get my mojo back.

On the weekend I purchased an old book for the bargain price of 10c to become and art journal and start some of the exercises in the "The Art Journal Workshop".    There are a couple of exercised that I really want to do soon.  One is called Purge and reading through it  I realised I do have some baggage that I need to purge.  Though I have to admit that all the thinking about doing the exercise has lessened the urgent need to do it right now.  I am probably over the things that were eating at me a couple of weeks ago but it will be good to articulate the feelings in the written word and then finish the exercise.

"Creative Doodling and Beyond" only arrived on Tuesday and I haven't really had a chance to read through but a quick flip through has promised lots of doodling inspiration and from that hopefully lots of stitching inspiration.

I love the Apronology publication, I don't know why I just do.  There are usually no actual patterns, just basic instructions or tips to create the aprons which are usually types of wearable art.  I think my love for this magazine probably stems from my Nan who always wore her apron which was neck to knee, button at the back affair to keep her clothes clean while she did the housework, cooked and whatever.  Probably should have learned from that when I look at the washing at the end of the week and I have various recipes splash across the front of whatever I have worn.

The last book purchase is Lynette Anderson's new one.  The clincher for the purchase of this book is that her first button club quilt is in it.  I missed the boat on that one, but have collected her next 2 and I have even started the latest one.  I saw the first button club done in brighter fabrics and I really liked it but by that time it was too late to get the buttons or the patterns but now the buttons have been released as a set, however buying them all at once is a bit of OMG moment so  but I think I will make do without the buttons and just do the stitcheries and make the little quilt.    There is also a bag and a purse that may get done pretty quickly because they are just super cute and I need to do something quick.

The final piece of inspiration is my new bundle of Jane Sassaman Fabric I did have an idea for a quilt for but I have just got phone call to say that a Amy Butler pattern I was after is in so it might end up being something else.  Watch this space.

15 Minute Challenge

I know that there isn't a linky party this week with Kate on Spring Break but I thought I have got into this habit of taking note of what I have achieved through the weeks of February that I might as well continue on.

It wasn't a perfect score this week, but when I think back over the week I have done plenty of creative stuff if it hasn't been all sewing.

Wednesday - Prepared the missing letters from the Its only words wall hanging cut them out and fixed them in place.
Thursday - spray basted wadding to the quilt top ready to raw edge applique the words down.  More crochet
Friday - started stitching the words
Saturday - more stitching words/Cross Stitch
Sunday - Finished the words and basted the quilt ready to quilt plus Mixed Media Projects
Monday - NOTHING - Dog obedience and after being pretty much perfect all week, Coco decided to totally ignore me the whole lesson and do whatever she wanted.  I was so shattered I really couldn't sew when I got home.  2 more weeks and I don't think we will be heading for a pass this term.  We are having a break over Winter (I don't fancy going to class between 8 - 9 in the freezing cold when I could be snuggled up next to the heater stitching).  Hubby isn't happy but he's not the one standing out in the cold freezing his bits off.
Tuesday - Did some shopping today, picked up Lynette Anderson's Button club, Sue Daly's Antique Sampler and Lynette's new book.  Might start something new tonight, just have to pick something.

Mixed Media Monday

Here is this weeks project.  I did the background and the outline to the flower last week.  The flower is outlined in a thick line of gesso which needed a while to dry so to be safe I left it a week, I knew if I waited for it to dry last week and started working on it again I would jump straight in before it did dry.

Also made a mistake with the number 3, did it back to front the first time, but it was pretty easy to cover over and do again, great thing about mixed media there are no real mistakes that you can't change and learn from.

I headed to the local library on the weekend they have a second hand book stall permanently open and I picked up 5 old hard back novels for $4 which I am hoping to turn in to art journals over the next few weeks. The cover of the first one is proving to be a bit problematic.  Might take a few layers before I am happy with it.  But then it is all about the journey and experimentation.

What a lucky person am I

Robyn from Country Hart has asked me to participate in the POM (project of the month) again this year.  The theme is Secret Stitchers Business, I am right near the end so I have a few months to mull it over.

The line up is:


Helen Stubbings of Hugs and Kisses, Natalie Bird of  The Birdhouse, Gail Pan, Natalie Ross, Lynette Anderson, Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly, Liz Stanway of Teddlywinks, Amanda Bergamin of Seabreeze Quilts, Leanne Knell of Petals and Patches, Melissa Grant of One Day in May  

Lots of big names there, can't wait to see what every one comes up with should be a lot of fun.  

Favourite Thing Friday

I have started reading a book on art journaling, and how to get things started and what sort of things to write etc and the writer says that it may be an emotional journey and basically if you find somewhere down the track that you need "professional" help then get it.  That made me laugh, maybe I should open that particular can of worms.  Regardless in the quiet this morning before the kids, dog and husband have got up I have been thinking about stuff.  

It started with this photo, which is my Favourite Thing Friday.  When my Pop moved into assisted living, we had to go through his house and get rid of all the furniture and stuff that he didn't want.  It amazed me that he didn't want to take anything with him any memories or stuff, he just wanted to get rid of it all.  We made him take a bookshelf for a few photo's.  But it was almost as if he decided that part of his life was gone and he didn't want any memories of it.  So I packed up all the photo's we found and took them home.  Of course I went through and scanned most of them on my computer.  

This one here would have to be my favourite, I can't really pin point why.  Maybe because I can imagine Pop taking it with his Brownie Box Camera (which I still have).  Its kind of a little off skew, just like him and it show my Mum when she was probably the same age as squid.  My Mum had polio when she was young and I wondered whether this was a pre or post polio outing. I think this was probably post because I get the impression that she was quite a bit younger when she as Drs told them that she should take up calisthenics to recover and I have pictures of her in costume when she was much younger than this.  

I then wondered why my grandparents only had one child, then I remembered our difficulties in having children which are now a dim dark memory.  We did not have to go to IVF but I did have to be on fertility treatment etc which would not have been available in those days.

I think this picture is destined for a Mixed Media Piece somewhere down the track or at least a page in my journal when I start following the exercises in the book.  

When DH got up to see what I was doing without the usual tap tap of the computer I told him I was thinking and his reply to that was "F(*&^$ don't do that" and left the room.  He came back about 5 minutes later and said "Have you stopped thinking now?"  

Head on over to Mrs P for more FTF.  

15 Minute Challenge

This week started well but it fell in a heap on the weekend due to dreaded sinus infection, happily 2nd to last resort has worked again and I have avoided a trip to the Dr.  Might revisit 2nd to last resort just to make sure it doesn't come back but I much prefer this than going on antibiotics because they just upset my whole system.

Ok on with this weeks round up.

Wednesday - Hexies, Crochet circle

Thursday - Placed words for latest appliqué project - still missing a couple of letters but will get on to that this week.

Friday - Crochet (I know it isn't sewing but I was on a roll)

Saturday - Crochet

Sunday - nothing

Monday - Crochet

Tuesday - Crochet

Only 2 days of sewing but even though crochet isn't sewing it is craft of some type so I am kind of counting it.

Now that I can look down again the plan for this week is to finish this project and maybe some more hexies or just more crochet circles, all I have to do is work out how to join them together.

Head on over to Kate's to see how everyone got on this week.

Not Mixed Media Monday

Ok so the second week was not so much of a success.  Well it was but I have been a bit under the weather the last 2 3 days with a sinus infection, which brought on a migraine  but now I just have that wonderful pain round one eye ball that hurts when you bend down and try to do anything that isn't completely upright.  So I am 24 hours late.  This morning I have tried sinus irrigation which I only bring out at last resort before heading to the Dr for antibiotics (so it is second last resort).

Even though I was unwell we still managed to slot in a trip to the City yesterday as Adelaide has come into the 21st century and allowed trading (only in the city) on Public Holidays.  The politicians are still arguing about it,  (in the Mall yesterday) but the people obviously want it the shops didn't open till 11am but I still got the last free park in the city at 10.15.  Because the Fringe is on and all the other Mad March stuff there was plenty of entertainment to be had.  Lots of music and performers a great atmosphere (if you look very closely in the picture there is a women on zebra legs walking around).

The weather was glorious yesterday, we stayed in the city for a couple of hours then came home and headed to the beach there was a slight breeze to take the heat out of the sun and it was a lovely afternoon.

Back to Mixed Media, I did start the first project from this months kit.  At first mine wasn't looking too much like the sample,  I put it down to the lack of photo's in the first part of the instructions due to technical glitch.   But in the end I wasn't too upset with the outcome, the one thing with Mixed Media is that you seem to be able to cover up your mistakes with additional layers.  I decided to let Squid have a go and she was impatient when you had to wait for the paint dry so it ended up being a bit of a trying experience for both of us.  Hers is still a work in progress but we had an hour or so of sort of fun.

Favourite Things Friday

If you have been reading my blog recently you will know that I am on a Mixed Media bender at the moment.  Yesterday I received March's kit and I have prepared the watercolour paper ready to go so hopefully I will get a chance to have a bit of a play day over the long weekend.

My favourite thing Friday this weeks is craft magazines and in particular these two.  Up until a couple of years ago I collected Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Art's Magazine.  I got a bit peeved with them because for a while they were just so full of Ads that I just couldn't justify the expense.

So then I started collecting Somerset Studio Magazines, at first they were quite hard to get in Adelaide (Borders was the only place to sell them and at a OMG price).  I really didn't want to subscribe because it was a big expense all at once and sometimes delivery here is a bit slow a remember a mag going to  to Grange in South Africa and took 6 months to get to me by which time the supplier had kindly sent me another one but still it was a long wait.

Now Blue Bazaar have a subscription service for a few of the Stampington Magazines (Somerset Studio's publisher) which means you only have to pay for the magazine when they arrive at the store.    Now that I am getting a monthly kit I can combine postage which is even better.

Now to my iPad. I have subscribed to the digital versions of Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Art's Magazine, yesterday I downloaded all of the 2011 Cloth Paper Scissors Magazines for less than $20.  I'll wait until the release the Quilting Arts equivalent but I am so in heaven with all the creative eye candy that I have to pour over, the only problem is that I have seen a heap of new must have tools/paints/pens and mediums that I just have to have.

Head on over to Mrs P for some more FTF, and I'm off for a cup of tea and a read.

What I have been working in lately

A couple of letters missing and the main word completely left out but it's nearly there

The 15 Minute Challenge

This week I have been keeping up my end and managing to do a little bit each day.

Wednesday - Hexies
Thursday - Hexies
Friday - Cross Stitch
Saturday - Hexies
Sunday - Hexies
Monday - Hexies
Tuesday - Hexies and some crochet

The Hexies are part of the This Goes with That BOM.  I am getting fabric and papers from Hetties and just Fabric from Quilt Fabric Delights and am mixing the two together.  I decided it was time to start joining the hexagons together because as I was joining them with triangles surely 20 hexagons was enough for a small quilt..... NO.  Looks like I need about 100 for a 1m x 1m quilt so I will be stitching for quite some time, it will also mean that I will be putting in quite a few plain hexagons instead of the 4 of 5 that I initially had planned.  Think this will be one of those long term projects lol.  So hexagons will come up regularly over the next few months, not that I am going to be able to do them solidly for too long.

I haven't crocheted since I was kid and I never have followed a pattern, I went to She Sews Sunday the other week at Hetties and the project was a crochet project, I bought a book that caught my eye and it is full of motifs.  I liked this one and set out making it.  I sat down this evening and finished it.  The problem is that english/american patterns call the stitches different things, once Lorraine had explained what the difference was I was fine.  It had a picot stitch which I had never done before but there are plenty of video's on You Tube that show you want to do so mastered that and away I went.  Don't ask me what I am going to do with it because I haven't a clue, maybe I'll get some more wool and make a rug or something.


Head on over to Kate's to see who has met the challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday

I haven't been entirely happy with my efforts on the blogging front this year.  So I have decided to introduce a semi weekly subject to spur my creative and blogging efforts along.  The semi because I don't think I will always manage a post on a Monday but I will try.  

I am waiting impatiently for the March Mixed Media Kit and it is probably winging its way to my house and hopefully by the end of the week it will be in my hot little hands.  There will also be a Stampington Magazine and a couple of extra goodies that I decided to add to the parcel.  

As promised the kit is different to the first kit so that I will be able try out another range of products.  The instructions for the projects are easy to follow and give you plenty of scope to try your own thing.  

I was pretty happy with my efforts with the February Kit which are still available as an individual kit from Blue Bazaar if you would like to give it a go.  I notice that they are still allowing sign ups for the monthly subscription as well.  

 I completed all 3 projects, but didn't do anything extra.  I hope that will change over the coming months, my main stumbling block with Mixed Media is coming up with ideas of what to do .  

Favourite Things Friday

For a long time I have collected Blackbird Designs Quilting books, I think I have just about all of them, there would be a few leaflets that I have missed and maybe one or 2 of the books but I have the majority of them.  Tulip Farm which was a 4 part booklet series has forever been elusive, I remember finding leaflet 3 a couple of years ago but didn't see the sense in just buying that, that would be worse than not having it at all.

On a whim this Christmas I decided to take cross stitch, something that I had never done before.  I had always admired Blackbird Designs Cross Stitch patterns but as it was something that I never had done I was safe from those leaflets and books.  That was until they had a large cross stitch pattern in their latest book and I had to do it because I really needed a change from everything I did last year.  You can see the resulting cushion here if you missed it this week.  

Now I am hooked, already of have quite a collection of patterns.  I am now working on Christmas Garden which is another large project (probably bigger than the first one). Here is the start.   I think this will probably take me most of the year to finish because I am sure other things will come up that I will have to drop it for.  

The next in line will be the Loose Feathers Wall hanging, I am sure once those are finished I will have more things in the pipeline and a few more patterns collected.  

The Stitcher's Journey Book has lots of small projects so I think I few of those will be done in between.  

What I love about cross stitch is the fact that you don't have to mark the fabric to begin just count and away you go.  

So Cross Stitch is my FTF for this week.  Head on over to Mrs P to see what everyone's favorites.   Hopefully I have got it right this week and I won't be playing on my own lol.  

Setting Changes - Sorry

Can't stand googles new verification thingy my 40+ year old eyes just can't cope with those jumbled up letters so I have turned it off on my blog.  The problem was yesterday I managed to get fairly well spammed so much so my ISP sent me a note and directed me to their appropriate use of the network page, so they must have filtered out a fair few before they actually got to me.

The upshot is you will have to have a google account to comment because that is the only way to stop all the Mr/Ms Anonymousers who aren't playing nice.  If you blog and you want to turn it off as well but don't know how head on over to ChookyBlue she has explained it all for you.