27 April 2012

Favourite Things Friday

This weeks favourite things friday is a bit of an obsession at the moment.

It is crochet.

As a girl I remember doing lots of granny squares, they always turned out a bit wavy, I think my Nan and I learnt together.  Mum could never crochet she was left handed and could never get the nack (she knitted right handed and it always had such perfect tension it looked like it was done by machine).  I can't knit any more it really hurts my hands, but I have jumped back into crochet with a gusto.

I have never read patterns before but I now have started too, with a little bit of help from Lorraine (Hetties Patch).  My confidence is growing and now I am searching for what to do next.  I have been searching Bendigo Woollen Mills Shop for more colours.  I have a big list that I am going to buy once the flowers are all done. I did get this lovely yellow cotton to go with the flowers and I have started the task of joining them together, I will have to let you know how the joining goes.  I am using one of the tutorials on Attic24's blog which seems quite helpful.

Pinterest has been quite helpful for finding patterns that I just have to had.  It took me a few hours to track down a Japanese Book that I just had to have.  Now I have to decide which project I will work on next, a hexagon rug, or a ripple rug.  Decisions.

Head on over to Mrs P to check out other favourite things.



24 April 2012

15 Minute Challenge

 I remembered on the weekend that I didn't list as to do last week a Mixed Media roll that I made for my friend Kay for her birthday and of course I didn't take any photo's which was very short sighted of me.   I used lovely textured Japanese fabric, and lined and made the pockets with plastic.  I thought it would be good for  Kay to store her paint brushes and other bits and pieces that we are collecting with our Mixed Media kits and it wouldn't matter if they were still wet or had a bit of paint left on them..  I think that I probably should make a couple of them for my etsy shop, but I am sort of in the middle of a few projects at the moment and I need to concentrate on a couple of other things right now.

As you can see the pile of crochet flowers is growing.  I have ordered the cotton that I will use to join the flowers (don't know exactly how I will be doing this was thinking of doing a border for each one.  I want to make 4 of each colour before I start joining them together, I am about half way there.

This lovely pile of fabric is for a project for QFD, I have been waiting all day for a guy to come and service my heater, he finally decided to get here at 2pm for a morning appointment, at least I got my ironing done and most of one project cut out.

The week went like this:
Wednesday - nothing (dinner with the girls)
Thursday - stitching Lynette Anderson button club
Friday - crochet/stitching button club
Saturday - tiny hexies, crochet, stitching
Sunday - Nothing Football has taken over most of my life
Monday - hexies, crochet
Tuesday - Bit more design work and started cutting out new project.

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

20 April 2012

Favourite Things Friday

My favourite thing this week is the end of the school holidays.  Don't get me wrong it has been great to have a break from routine, the weather has been absolutely fabulous here in Adelaide and the kids have been on the whole well behaved and not too much at each other's throats.

But having said that I am ready to go back to routine, ready to have some quiet time during the day, ready for the kids to go to bed at a reasonable time, ready to not be a mum taxi, and keeping them entertained what seem like 24/7.

This week I took 4 kids to the pictures without too much hassle (I nearly fell asleep during the film but they enjoyed it).   The kids then played all afternoon no arguments just lots of giggles and laughs.  Wednesday Dad was home with them and I worked, water slides on the front lawn for most of the day and by the time I got home they were down the beach building sandcastles.

Thursday saw us head to the Dentist to get Maestro a new mouth guard for footy.  We then came home did some tie dyeing.  Here are the results, Maestro wants his to be purple and green so we have some more dye dipping to do, squid want hers orange, which should be easier to accomplish.

Today we went bowling.  Got to say I was off my game this time.  The last time we bowled I was the champion, but i don't know what was wrong this time.  Maestro whipped all of our butts today.

We then went cloths shopping for the kids, Maestro has obviously been sleeping in fertiliser again and all is shirts are too small.  They've gone down to the beach now and i am having a quiet moment to myself.

Sound like they have just arrived home so I had better get of the pc.

Head on over to Mrs P for more FTF.

18 April 2012

15 Minute Challenge


Another week of school holidays is nearly over and it has just been little bits of stitching this week.

Wednesday:  7 birdies all finished ready to head off to Sarah's, they are on display today at the Country Bumpkin Stitcher's Village Fair.  To bad I have to work today otherwise I might have had a little outing.
Thursday: Crochet did a bit of shopping and bought these 1/2" hexagon papers.
Friday: picked up a couple of liberty prints, template for cutting 1/2" hexies and started chopping up the fabric.
Saturday: crochet and hexagons
Sunday: crochet and hexagons (Watched Jane Austen while I sewed)
Monday: crochet and hexagons
Tuesday: crochet

The hexagons are going to cover the yucky green of this clover utility pouch.  I need to make one for the front and one for the back.  The 1/2" hexagons are quite easy to sew and come together quicker than you think.

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

16 April 2012

Mixed Media Monday

Bit late for Mixed Media Monday, but I just didn't feel like doing anything yesterday, just needed a bit of a down day yesterday, I think I am fighting off a bit of a bug.  I sat and watched a Jane Austen film and sewed 1/2" hexagon's instead.  Will show you them for the 15 minute challenge.

Last week I signed up for a couple of lettering courses.  One commenced in February and all the lessons are up ready to go. This one just started last week and I am still struggling to get one of the pens that we need next week, but I think I have sourced it interstate so will order one soon.  I decided this evening to do some more of the first lesson (there are 15 in all and the first 4 are up on the web ... yes I am already behind but there is no time limit on the lessons so no stress).   There is a Facebook group and some of the work already posted is way beyond what I can do so I don't think I will be posting for a while.  Lots and Lots of Practice is what is needed.  But the lessons are pretty easy and there is lots of help from the teacher when you need it.

Catch you next week and we will see if I have got much further in the course, one more week of school holidays so I am not holding out much hope.

12 April 2012

It must be Thursday

First week of the school holidays is nearly over.  I had plans to do some tie dyeing with the kids, but one is MIA over at Nana's so that was not going to happen.

7 little birdies are all finished and I needed to drop them of at Sarah's so I talked Squid into coming along with the bribe of morning tea at Brighton, and maybe a bit of a shopping trip to Harbor Town.

I am doing a couple of online Lettering Courses and I am on the hunt for supplies, one in particular is proving to be a little difficult to find, going to have to start making phone calls I think.  Found a couple of items at Art to Art, but the elusive Parallel Pen was not to be found.  Squid purchased some items for craft and I decided to wait until I needed the pens before I rush in and buy them.

A flying visit (Squid was starving apparently) to Sarah's to drop of the brood and then we headed to Jetty Road for cake and a sandwich.  We dropped into Patchwork by Sea, they stock the full range of Cosmo Thread as well as the one on the spool.

There happened to be gelati stall, so Squid had to have one of those as well and we sat by the beach and ate it.    I had to take a picture of her in the air.  Thats the bowl of gelati in her hand by this stage a bit of a slushy mess and I thing a fair bit of it landed in the sand.  We then walked along the Jetty, Squid likes this jetty because there are no holes in it, it is all cement.  I'm afraid it doesn't have the same character as the old Grange Jetty, but at least it looks well maintained.

We headed home and then down to our beach to take the dog for a walk.  We are now filling in time before we need to leave to take Maestro to footy practice.

10 April 2012

15 Minute Challenge

I have been working on my little flock most of the week.  With a bit of stitchery thrown in and Mixed Media.

The week went like this

Wednesday : finished cutting out birdies
Thursday: stitchery (Button Club)
Friday: crochet, started stitching birdies, stitchery
Saturday : birdies
Sunday: birdies
Monday: birdies
Tuesday: birdies, crochet

I'll leave you with a picture of the 2 finished birdies, the rest are minus eyes and dots, so they are not far off.   (sorry about the quality it was a bit dark).

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


09 April 2012

Mixed Media Monday

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter.  We headed to the pictures this morning and saw Mirror Mirror.  We all enjoyed it, it was not saccharine sweet and had a bit of an edge to it, and Julia Roberts was a great Wicked Queen.

I have managed to do some sewing, and some mixed media this weekend as well as spend plenty of time with family, eating too much chocolate and generally relaxing.

I picked up my Mixed Media kit for the month on Thursday just in time for the long weekend and I finished Project 1 from the tutorial yesterday.  Lots of different techniques in this one.  I decided I didn't care for one of the products, which is good because I was toying with the idea of buying a whole set of them so we will scratch that idea.

I joined a couple of online courses one of which starts at midnight (US time) and I have just checked and it is up ready to go so I might have to have a bit of a look this afternoon and maybe a bit of a play, I joined late so I haven't had time to collect all the requirements, might have to raid the kids stash of texta's for now.

Catch you next week.


06 April 2012

Favourite Things Friday

My favourite thing this week is a week where everything falls into place and ends with a 6 day break from work in which I don't have to get up early to take the kids to school.

Quilting/Designing Mojo has been a bit down recently , but this week I found out that my BOM has done well and that the initial number of patterns/kits have been all sold (big relief I would have hated Sarah to have to hold on to patterns that didn't sell).  Quilters Harvest have finished piecing their version of my quilt and it is currently being quilted and they are taking names for the BOM.



I also picked up some fabric for some secret squirrel stuff for later in the year.  Tuesday, played with EQ in the afternoon and have the blocks settled on just have to do some drawing for the stitcheries.  Tomorrow I am shopping for threads.  Sarah also asked me to try making some birdies for a display for Country Bumpkins Beating Around the Bush Stitching Convention Stitchers Village Fair.  So I think design/mojo block might be over.
birdie production line




2 weeks ago Maestro said to us that he wanted to play winter tennis, but he still wanted to play footy.  He had his name down for school footy which is played at the same time, so could we get him into a club which is played on Sunday (the season starts next week).   A club we had tried earlier in the year was full but we happened to find out another local club was still asking for members, of course by the time we applied his year was full but we were told to come to training and they would see if they could jiggle things around.  Wednesday night found out that Maestro got into the club.  Thursday we confirmed he could play winter tennis.  There goes any free weekends.

Thursday I had 3 appointments plus get Maesto to footy practice, I also hadn't done any shopping for the weekend including the all important bunny run.  I was also hoping for a postal delivery but as wasn't going to be home and this delivery is never left I knew that it was a long shot that I was going to get it before the weekend.

My appointment's all finished with time to spare, so I shopped between nail appointment and going to the podiatrist BONUS.

My heel pain has improved so much I didn't need to get fitted for orthotics, so she removed all the calluses from my feet.   My feet are now soft as a babies, in fact  the bottoms of my feet are quite beautiful now if I do say so myself ..... wonder if she will let me book in to have it done once every couple of months.  When she pulled out the scalpel I was a bit concerned that it was going to hurt, it didn't one little bit.

I got home to find postie had left a note to pick up the parcel after 5pm (right in the middle of footy practice).  I had 10 minutes to spare before picking up the kids from school so headed to the post office at 2pm, even if it was just to ask if they would be open on Saturday and the parcel was there.  Love a day when all the ducks aline in a neat little row.  I have my mixed media kit ready to have a play.

Apart from the fact I booked into the wrong online class, and now have booked into 2 online classes at the same time which might be a little bit of a stretch, but one is a finish at your own pace.  Yesterday would have just been perfect.

Today being Good Friday we traditionally had lunch at my MIL.  I bought Maestro a piece of red salmon as he doesn't really like other fish.  My MIL is of the opinion that fish has to be cooked within an inch of its life, I told her to leave the salmon to me, which she pretty much did, but I know she was nervous when I announced that it was cooked when I did.

Now I have a date with this little guy... in fact he's already gone this post has taken longer than I anticipated, and I feel a bit sick, but the week has been pretty perfect all round.  Amazing what a change in attitude will do for your.

Head on over to Mrs P to see what everyone else's FTF is.






04 April 2012

15 Minute Challenge

I know I have done something everyday I just need a minute to work it all out.  I really should be writing it down then I wouldn't forget.

Wednesday - Button Club Stitchery
Thursday - Its Only Words Quilting
Friday - un crochet half my crochet patches and started re crochet them
Saturday - Its Only Words Quilting
Sunday - Crochet
Monday - Crochet
Tuesday - working on a Ric Rac Project for Sarah at QFD have a few to make over the next few days.

Head on over to Kate to see who else met the challenge.

02 April 2012

Mixed Media Monday

There hasn't been much been going on in the Mixed Media department this week so I will leave you with some inspirational blogs to check out.

The Altered Page  currently featuring Mixed Media Artists over 31 days.  Lots of talented people here show casing there art.

Design Memory Craft - Faber Castell blog with lots of how to videos.

The art of Sarah Donnell - a talented local artist

Cynthia Frenette - Found this lady through Cloth Paper Scissors she is one of there Designers of the year. Great stuff, she has a spoon flower shop, etsy shop and she will be releasing a range of fabric soon.

Joanne Sharpe - I think I am going to do her online Lettering workshop.

That's it for this week.  My lap top is playing up, better back it all up tonight.