applehead

Japanese mail....

A wonderful surprise parcel from Alex in Japan....Pocky, two Japanese craft books and the wool ( and pattern) to make this beret which I once admired on her blog! Lucky me ( I really must finish the baby's blanket before I  indulge in crocheting myself the beret...)

And for those of you who have asked, a look at the 34 and a half weeks in progress project....not the best shots but it's a lot harder than I thought taking pictures of your own belly! ( The haircut only happened last night- usually I cut off all my hair at about week 16- I just got so bored with pulling it back .Time for a change!)

All goes well although I have reached the stage where Charlotte stopped growing. So it's weekly foetal heart rate monitoring and regular scans for me to keep an eye on things. So really , it could be anytime from now on depending on the scan results.
Oh well, my bag is packed even if the blanket is only halfway there....by all accounts she is going to be on the small size so maybe half a blanket will do!

all the way from Dundee, UK...

Just yesterday I was over here looking at the beautiful felt blankets that Di makes;

Today I found a package in my mailbox with this in it....a special gift to celebrate her blog's one year anniversary. I was the first person ever to leave a comment on her blog - how lucky was that!

The girls loved the hidden bear-

I was especially taken with the thought and generosity that went into the unexpected gift- thank you so much, Di!
Another present in the mail- this time one from me to myself!
( How thoughtful am I?)

Only had a chance for a quick peek so far but I know I am going to love it- just the cover alone is brilliant!

cloth paper scissors....

The first issue  of cloth. paper .scissors for 2008 is on sale....and look! the smallpeople made the cover!
It was so thrilling to receive my copy in the mail- actually the generous people at Interweave Press sent me a few copies,so I have one to give away. Let me know if you are interested via the comments and I'll do the random draw thing mid next week.
I am busy cutting and pasting as I work on my new idea for a series of collages ...oh, and I finished my 'block' for the Paper quilt. Just need to let it dry before I can scan and post it.
Off to see 'Hi-5 circus' with the girls today...a belated Christmas gift for them!   

alas poor Yorrick.....

Ann Demeulemeester skull necklaces

I've always had a bit of a fascination with bones and skulls...lucky for me then that skulls are to be found everywhere at the moment. These two beauties were found at Assin on my recent trip to Melbourne. I'm thinking of adding a few jet beads onto the cotton tape just because I happen to like black jet beads.

Skulls don't appeal to everyone - and I'm fairly certain the woman sitting next to me on the plane home did not find them as beautiful as I did.....I wonder what she would have made of this jewelery exhibition by Julia deVille. I loved it, especially the silver rook skull and the jet skull fob. I can only imagine her face if I had turned up for the flight, wearing this brooch.....

bird brooch by Julia deVille

wanted: one empty bookshelf

and a wall to put it against!
I am completely hopeless when it comes to books. Especially Japanese craft books.
Enough said. Here they are.

Simple stitch..ISBN4-277-31131-8
Filled with very inspiring simply stitched projects.

Paris Aprons....ISBN4-579-10972-4.
If you love aprons then this book is for you. Some great new takes on the basic and not so basic apron. Really wonderful photography as well.

I want this spotty one...

Can't read Japanese so I can't tell you the name of this one- ISBN 978-4-579-11127-5- this one is full of ideas for embellishing and transforming clothes and fabric surfaces using embroidery, applique, buttons.....

.

One day I'm going to open a bookshop and fill it full of craft book goodness.....heaven!

Hang on, all these craft books but is there any crafting going on????
Well, I am currently halfway through version two of Rose's pink hat - Charlie wasn't too happy to see it on her big sister's head so I have promised to make her one as well.
I have shifted focus from smallpeople back to small trees....this is looking like it could be interesting...
I am busy putting together the second pack of postcards featuring Violet, Beth, Alice, Charlotte and Yolande....they will be up in the shop soon. I still can't believe that the first set is almost sold out!

And I just finished a new collage for small magazine - it will be in the next issue in the 'small paper doll' section. Even though I would love to show it to you now, I guess I'd better wait until the issue is released...

my new favourite flower....

see the pretty blanket

look at the beautiful parcel

...watch me rush to the counter to buy the book all because of this one small flower.....

ISBN4-579-11113-3

There were another two pages showing this little beauty in all its glory but I was too busy crocheting flowers to scan any more.....

First up, in a hand dyed fuzzy yellow handspun mix of merino and angora ( no, I didn't spin this!).
These are quite big...about 16cm across due to the choice of wool -I just loved the vibrant colour!

I then made a version using some organic cotton...this time I altered the pattern slightly to make it bigger and added a border of double crochets...I think it will make a quite a lovely face washer. It was much too late when I finished it to take a photo, so that will have to wait until tomorrow....

Next up I am going to make some much smaller ones using this linen thread which you can buy here with tons of other goodies ( you have been warned!)...just have to remember where I put it.....

I should be able to make this flower in my sleep soon....

Oh, in case you were wondering, there were actually a lot of other noteworthy patterns in this book.....just let me work through my obsession with this flower first....

just a peek

I have almost finished my pages for the calendar swap hosted by simple me..here's a small glimpse...

Don't want to give too much away but it involves vintage sheet music, lots of paint and some old letters from the late 1800's and early 1900's . I bought a box of them at an auction a while back, intending to put them in the paper packs....of course , that was my intention....
Needless to say that box of old letters is still safely perched on my bookshelf - it is only now that I have been able to find just the right project to use them in.
Just a few final touches ( ahhh, the actual month that I'm doing would probably help) and then its on to my pages for the calendar swap that I'm hosting......I have the special dates page and I'm pretty sure I know what I am going to do.
Although that does depend on which way the wind is blowing on the day , of course......

Now , books...I have a lot of them. Some of them I use a lot and would never dream of parting with. Others,like these above,I enjoyed looking at but never really used them after that. Now what to do with them? I was going to put them on Ebay but decided to see if anyone out there is interested in them. All of them are in excellent  condition ( I must confess that Alterknits, Great Knitted gifts, Sarah Dallas Knitting , Stitch and bitch and the Motif book are basically as new...looked at then put onto the shelf until now...).

What do you think- should I put a price on them or offer them for swaps?  Or should I just stick them on Ebay? All I know is that it is time for them to go! Have a look at them here and email if you have any thoughts.( I forgot to take a seperate photo of "Stitch and Bitch" but it is up for offer too!)
( PS keep in mind that postage in Australia is not really an issue - between $4 and $9  - however for all of the international readers, it would probably work out cheaper to buy them off Amazon! If you are still interested let me know...)

update...1000 knitting motifs,Alterknits,Great Knitted Gifts and Simple Knits are gone!And I'm going to learn how to spin wool! What a great swap!

I went to post a letter.....

and came back with some wonderful old fabric and a piece of leafy goodness...the nearest postbox happens to be right outside a small second hand/vintage shop so I either need to find a different place to post my letters or remember to leave my wallet at home! Although the woman in the shop is most obliging about putting things aside for me....

The top piece is French vintage ticking which I probably paid too much for but had to have.The very bottom fabric is a huge piece of vintage linen or perhaps linen/cotton....it has the most incredible soft and worn in handle to it. And I know exactly what I'm going to do with it...

I will make a bag inspired by these pretties from this book .......the fabric had a loose weave that will make it perfect for adding a crochet trim.
And I am determined to actually make this bag as opposed to just thinking about it!
I went to put some fabric away last night and open up the cupboard- full.
Next stop, one of the big pull out baskets on the shelving in the living area - full. As were the other three baskets and wooden chest I put fabric in. That isn't even taking into account the stash in the roof space. So I have decided that in a week or too I have to do a big, big sort out. A SERIOUS ONE where I actually reduce the amount of fabric that I have. I'm a little scared by that one!

This pretty dish is not just an impulse buy - it has a purpose! I am currently working on my pages for the calendar swaps ( did I mention that I am actually involved in another one as well ?) I have decided on the theme for one calendar but couldn't quite decided on the second theme. And then I found it! I think that the line work and blocks of colour will work very nicely on what I  have planned......

There is a lot of creating going on around here at the moment..I am working on quite a few swaps, putting together a zillion paper packs ( or so it seems) and Rose is learning to French knit ( yours is here Melissa, just waiting for me to organise our little swap!) Loads of fun especially when the knitted tube finally emerges from the end of the little doll knitter.I remember making great lengths of it when I was a girl although I used a wooden cotton reel with nails in it - I made a few small mats, a hat for a doll and just played with the rest of it!
A good way to use up odds and ends and balls of wool.....and I have a lot of those as well. Best not to go there until I tackle the fabric.

Note of warning to all visitors to my house:Take care when opening any cupboard,drawer,storage space as there is a very likely danger of you being swamped by a falling pile of fabric....

things to do or pretend...

This "list of things to do or pretend" is from an old Progressive Phonic primer I found tucked under a pile of books at the local op shop. The book isn't dated but I'm guessing from the style of illustration that it from the 40's or 50's. Here's the list...

1. Clap softly
2.Sing sweetly
3.Speak clearly
4.Run swiftly
5.Breathe deeply
6.Eat slowly
7.Knit loosely
8.Write neatly
9.March smartly
10.Dance lightly
11.Walk briskly

If I didn't know better I'd swear that this list was written with me in mind...the only thing that I would add is
12. Go to bed early.....
and after a month of successive late nights , that's on my to do list for the week!

I have been working on an embroidery design from this book, "Broderies d'ici et d'ailleurs (ISBN 2-263-03704-7)  that I bought online at alapage.com. I do not speak French nor read it so it was an interesting experience filling out the details form!  I really only bought it because I loved the cover image of Babushka dolls ,which I haven't tried yet as I was distracted by the Koi fish pattern.

I'm going to make it into a bag of some sort once I've finished stitching- I was thinking maybe a semi circle shape perhaps? Probably should finish it first!

By the way, pop over to the Morphe II toyshop and have a look - its really exciting to finally see them all together.

Here are a few other bits and pieces I've been playing with...

3 very small cats( in a very poorly lit photo)

and remember "blue"?
.. ..I had a lot of trouble deciding what I wanted to do with him at this point...

I finally just added a face and  lots of hair - left him nice,simple and squeezable.

in search of the sun.....

By the time you read this, I will (hopefully) be sitting on a sunny beach somewhere up past Byron Bay. The Horton clan have headed off in search of the sun and to explore a part of the beautiful North Coast that we haven't yet seen. I can't wait - I have a lovely trashy novel, my drawing things and my unfinished toys for Morphe II. Luckily there is no room to take my sewing machine or I most likely would have tried to pack that too. Not that it really matters, as after my slight panic and meltdown earlier in the week, I seem to have found a new source of creative energy. Or my old one has come back! Either way, I have progressed in leaps and bounds and am on the home stretch. Just some hand finishing and embroidery  to do and they'll be bound for Adelaide.
In the meantime I have a few more Japanese craft books to show........

ISBN 4-529-04229-4 This book is full of patchworked and appliqued goodies - bags, potholders, pouches and a knacky sewing kit, just to mention a few!
The way in which colour and pattern are combined are quite inspiring - much bolder and riotous than I tend towards but I think it's good to take a look at things from a different viewpoint once in a while.

Some cute pouches ( or "porches" as they have been called in the book)!

ISBN 4-277-43066-X  hemp no kagibari ami KOMONO
I only had to look at the cover to know that I would enjoy this one.
Lots of crochet inspiration- hats, jewelery, bags and even a drink bottle cover ( could you really be bothered?) There are some really odd little cacti in pots that would make a fun present....

and some beautifully simple hemp baskets...

I would like to make one of these with a pincushion insert.
When I get back from the beach , that is!

Talk to you all in 10 days.....sun & surf here I come! ( hmmm, not too keen on getting into the bikini though!)