My Creative Space...

After making some more circles from my granny rug at my girls crafty night, I have been super productive this week!

Sunday night dessert for my visiting Hobart cousin and her friend!  What can I say - this caramel, chocolatey pudding sensation from the front of this months Donna Hay is literally an orgasm in a pot!!!!

My crazy eyed owl softie!  Meant for a gift but I think she might be too freaky looking - I don't think I should be seeking out to scare the birthday girl!  Thoughts?

I followed this pattern if you would like to make your own.

And finally some more cowl making.

Sigh.  Deep breath.

Other creative poppets are right here.

Oscar's First Job Application

My son is 7.  And has just applied for his first job - a much sought after role of chicken carer.  Apparently they get soooo  many applicants not everyone is successful.



If only all job applications were this simple and straightforward.

"Draw or write why you would like to be a chicken carer."

Oscar's answer - because I like to give chicken cuddles.

Gosh, I hope he gets it.

What was your first job?

Mine was a paper round and a job as a kitchen hand - where I got the sack after leaving the very expensive saucepans sitting under the kitchen sink next to some very corrosive cleaner.  No more bottoms on those expensive saucepans.

Fabric Heaven: Patchwork with Gail B

images from here

This morning I walked into fabric heaven.  I'd heard about a patchwork shop on the grapevine.  Tucked away in a tile shop of all places, it is literally a shop within a shop.

If you live in Melbourne, head out to Spotlight in Bayswater but do not go in there!  Keep driving just a wee bit futher till you come upon this...

FABRIC HEAVEN

I ended up meandering around the store with my jaw hanging from my face.  And because I did not go in with a specific project in mind I actually didn't even buy very much - in the end, just a little pack of pre cut squares so I can try my whole fabric/crochet blanket idea.

Trust me, it is soooooo worth it.  And the ladies who work there were super lovely and helpful and did not pay me to say nice things about them or their shop at all.



My cushion swap cover...

Yay!  It finally arrived.  My poor swappee had a little trouble with postage  - popped the wrong country in the address and then when it got returned to her the jolly earthquake in NZ held it up a little longer.

It was definately worth the wait!  Look at those lovely colours!  This is the front and it is like a big flower unfurling from the inside and twirling out.  Currently it is taking up residence in 'the good room' away from small people.

For all those people who have never participated in a swap I can highly recommend it.  This was my first time and I enjoyed the process of creating and sending my own cushion cover and then waiting with baited breath to see what the reciever thougtht of it!  And even though mine took a little longer to arrive there has been lots of communication back and forth so I knew it was coming.

Thanks too Punky & Me for organising it all.

This week I'm grateful for... a weekend with the girls.

(this picture has absolutely nothing to do with my grateful post - I just wanted to brag that I have managed to get my hands on issue 2 of Mollie makes... which in actual fact makes my weekend... so I really am grateful for that afterall!)

I'm choofing off this weekend for a night away with 5 other woman.  We are all travelling to our beach house in my van and calling it a craft weekend. 

I cannot guarantee that we wont also drink alcohol; eat chocolate, chips, lollies and cheese; consume take-away; bitch and gossip; watch movies; walk along the beach; stay up all night; sleep in ...

and be eternally grateful for our lovely husbands who are on daddy duty enabling us to all escape, rest and rejuvenate!

Other grateful people linkyloo up with Maxabella loves...

My creative space... Mollie Makes an iphone cosy.

Do you have your copy of Mollie Makes yet?

Issue 2 has just come out the UK and I am hankering for my local newsagent to get it in for me but he is right grump so I'm not counting on it!

Last months came with a most excellent wee envelope on the cover where you could make your own felt iphone cosy so of course I had to give it a go. My hand sewing leaves a lot to be desired and I must confess I had to sit and watch a blanket stitch tutorial on youtube before I could figure out what I was doing. I did manage to give my birdy a flappy wing which I thought was very clever of me.

Look how much it is enjoying sitting on the new Frankie!

If you head over to the Mollie Makes website you can actually access the templates to make your own cosy.

Other creative people share their work over at

our creative spaces.

Wordless Wednesday... First Haircut

Not Happy, Jan!

Could that bottom lip be any lower.

Wordless Wednesday Linkyloo

This weeks library book stash!

My lastest library book collection.

(Crochet, sewing and babushkas.... what a surprise!)

I am certain I have pledged my love for library books before and I just about tipped myself over the edge yesterday when I found these babies sitting on the shelf waiting for me! 

My favourite so far - the oliver + s little things to sew book!

I think I need to attempt that totally adorable little red riding hood cape for Matilda.

(image)

Then I could just pop into Peter Alexander and purchase one for myself! 

(image)

Because we all know that mummy and me matching clothing is the height of fashion!

Exercise.... you know you dont want to...

I am having a little bet with my husband at the moment, a weightloss one, and I am determined to win!  Apart from the fact that I hate to lose, the reward at the end will be totally worth it.  We are both attempting to lose 10kg in 10 weeks.  If I win, he has to hand over $500 to me.  If he wins, well, he gets a weeks worth of daily loving!  It has been suggested that it looks like I win a prize even if I lose, but I dont have to tell you that as a parent of 3 small people the last thing I want when I fall into bed at night is a roving hand under the covers!

This week I loaded my iphone with the couch to 5k program after reading and hearing some rave reviews about it.  I tried it out yesterday morning and almost died.  I am seriously unfit and could barely manage the intervals of jogging in between the walking without feeling like throwing up and fainting!  Am I supposed to work my way through this till I get to the 'zone'?

Go the F*#k to sleep - read by Samuel L Jackson

Ok, so I have watched and listened to this about 20 times...

and laugh so hard I pee every single time!!!

 

Word of warning - clearly it contains swearing!  But when Samuel L Jackson says it, it sounds so much more refined!

My creative space... Inspiration

Source: google.com.au via Sonia on Pinterest

Source: vanillapixie.blogspot.com via Sonia on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Sonia on Pinterest

Source: lemondedesucrette.wordpress.com via Sonia on Pinterest

Source: tangledhappy.blogspot.com via Sonia on Pinterest

Source: lemondedesucrette.wordpress.com via Sonia on Pinterest

(the one above is my favourite!)

Source: wzppd.blogspot.com via Sonia on Pinterest

I am obsessed, OBSESSED, I tell you with these lovely crochet rugs and cushions with their lovely colourful centres and their clean, crisp white borders!

I took a trek to Spotlight on World Knitting Day last Saturday (hello 25% off!!!), bagged myself some lovely colours and have finally started my own lovely blanket of crochet goodness.  I have been following the Royal Sisters Grandma All Square Tutorial which has lovely pictures to go with it so you know you are doing the right thing and also advocates the join as you go method.  So far I have managed 50 coloured circles ready and waiting their white edges.  I figured I'd just keep going until I either run out wool or get sick of looking at them (which hasn't happened yet)!

(my apologies again for the totally bad use of iphone photos!)

You can follow my Pinterest boards if you click on the linkyloo just over there on the left.

And you can see other creative goodness right this way.

Spreading the word to win!

How cute does this book look?  I'm adding it to my birthday wishlish!

This is what I've been doing with my Queen's Birthday holiday.

Pretty colors, yes?

What have you been up to today?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

OMG! Yes! Yes!

I just totally did a Meg Ryan at the newsagent when I spied this....

Apparently it is on limited release to some newsagents right now!

Have you seen Mollie Makes yet?

My creative space... Testing times.

As soon as Pip popped her Pippy slippers pattern up I was off and printing!  I promise I have followed her pattern but I am having a wee problem.  Something funky went on with the toe and now it appears I may have somehow added some extra stitches cause it is miles too wide and I have a hoofer for a foot (size 9 and wide)!  So, do I keep on hooking and hope that it tightens up when I get to the end or do I give up and start again?

(Btw - I took these of course with my iphone but using this cute app called Pocketbooth!  It is just like one of those photobooths you used to pop into with your boyfriend, make foolish faces and get a little strip of photos of at the end to stick on your fridge until such time as you break up and they end up in a shoe box with your old love letters and a piece of his school jeans that you ripped off on the last day of year 10..... )

ooops.  may have given you an insight into some of my teenage behaviour.

Because I needed to feel like I hadn't lost my crochet mojo, I also tried out The Royal Sister's tissue box cover!

Love it!  Even though people are worried I have turned into a total nanna and are about to stage an intervention, I will totally be doing more of these. 

Other creative spaces can be found over here.

Crochet for Barbie!!!

Oh, the sweet things you find at the local library!  Matilda doesn't even have a Barbie doll yet - but I am totally inspired to go out and get one just so I can frock her up.

Crappy iphone photos are all my doing, totally gorgeous crochet outfits from

"Crochet for Barbie doll. 75 delightful creations to crochet." by Nicky Epstein

Barbie is totally rocking this granny square long line skirt with matching crop.  I think it sets of her tiny waist so perfectly.

A romantic date in the park with Ken on the agenda?  Don't get caught in that fresh breeze without first donning your Granny Stripe Poncho!

A fashionable working woman cannot go past a crochet Chanel suit for all those power meetings.

A weekend of sun, sand and frivolity on the cards?  Don your crochet bikini, grab your crochet tote and surf in style with Ken and his crochet boardies!

A super sweet granny rug with matching cushion is sure to keep you warm and comfy on those cool nights in.

This Carribbean-inspired enemble will have Barbie beach ready in an instant with a sassy sunhat and roomy beach bag.

I just had to share...

I wont be upset if you stop following.  I know the world falls into groups of lovers and haters.  I am sorry.  But I am a lover.

This week I'm grateful for... nights out!

I frocked up and escaped last night with a girlfriend as my date.  The kinder trivia night was calling - generally not something I love as it ends up displaying the vast amount of things I have no knowledge of! 

Give me a bottle of champagne, combined with cheap chardonnay and someone elses savoy biscuits (in a useless attempt to keep me vaguely sober) and apparently I end up standing on a chair singing along to Billy Joels Piano Man.

Cant stay, Australia's Got Talent is calling!

Feeling grateful for something?  Head over to Maxabella Loves.

Animation Friday: My moon head!

Yay for me - I made a cowl!  Generally I dont really love things way up round my neck but these freezing Melbourne mornings have done my head in - and what a large head I appear to have!

I finished up this morning and wore it to school pick-up for show and tell and could have sold it a thousand times over.  I didn't really follow a cowl pattern at all.  Instead I used Lucy's granny stripe tute till I thought it was fat enough and long enough.

And clearly I have also been playing around with Picnik!

Sometimes you can join in and linky loo up animation Fridays with Cintia over at My Poppet.

My creative space... passing the crochet torch!

This week I have totes passed the crocheting bug onto my lovely almost 16 year old niece!  She was super easy to teach - tell her and show her once and she was off!

And as you know, once you get addicted to crocheting, there is no stopping you - even on the morning school run whilst waiting in the car!

(A small sidebar - the first two piccies has her hair in my magnificent braids.  The last one - lovely wavy 'slept in my braids overnight' hair.  Love it!)

I have sent her home now with some badly written instructions of mine and an extensive list of blogs to visit for tips, hints and advice.

Here are just a few:

Meet me at Mikes

Attic 24

Ravelry

Carina's Craftblog

Crochet with Raymond

Crochet Spot
Lion Brand Yarn - Learn to Crochet

Craft Passion

iCrochet

The Royal Sisters

my Pinterest board

Feel free to add any other useful crochet linkyloos in your comments. 

Other creative people visit over here every Thursday.