applehead

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!   

and then there were three....

My two girls backstage at their ballet concert yesterday....one sailor and a little green caterpillar.All of a sudden Charlie seems all grown up.....
Just to let those of you who commented on this post 'just add sunlight'  know- the stamps packs are going into the mail tomorrow. For some reason a whole lot of emails bounced back so if you did comment and didn't hear from me please email me your address...I have an envelope with your name on it! ( Melissa ( tiny happy) and Julie no need as I have your addresses already).

Oh and yesterday's cryptic post...just add it to the title of today's post. Perhaps that will make it clearer. I actually thought I was being quite obvious, myself......

failed no-fail meringues

I was so taken with Miss Marzie's beautiful pink meringues that I decided to whip up a batch myself.....after all the recipe said that they were easy to make...and I love a no fail recipe.
Yes, well.....

Instead of a plate of heavenly pink piles of goodness,I ended up with a plate of cute pink buttons.
I don't think it helped that I was cooking dinner for the girls while talking on the phone and mixing the meringues.
And I don't think that the fact that I forgot to add the 4 tablespoons of boiling water until halfway through whipping them up ,helped either.
Oh, and I was a little impatient with the whipping up bit and decided it look stiff and glossy enough. When I heaped the little mounds on the tray and then watched them flatten into pink puddles , I decided to scrape it all back into the bowl and keep on beating the mixture. Probably didn't help much either.It did in fact get stiffer and glossier but still refused to sit in little mounds.
I baked them anyway and really, they  tasted great!
Next time, I need to concentrate!
At least Miss Marzie can feel safe about her Queen of the Meringues title.

Did anyone pick up the hidden random fact about myself in yesterdays 'tagged" post? I have a pack of postcards for the first person who can work it out. I will give you the answer tomorrow if nobody beats me to it!

well that was quick...2 minutes after this post to be exact!

How about that,Bianca must be a U2 fan as well...a pack of postcards is on its way to you!

one red pear...

and it's mine!

When I saw this gorgeous pear over at the scent of water, I fell in love with it. Lucky for me then that Megan decided to open her Etsy shop and there it was! Not for long though....

And if like me you love the scent of rosemary go and take a look at what Megan's up to in her bathroom (no nudity,I promise!).

On our walk to school , we pass an old overgrown garden with a large rosemary bush spilling across the path. It gives off the most heady scent as it is crushed by passing feet. We often pick a sprig to  tuck into Rose's schoolbag as she likes to smell it during the day. On our way home, Charlie and I break off another few stems and add them to some lavender for a lovely fragrant , if somewhat spiky posy. Lavender is another of my favourite flowers .My wedding bouquet was simply an enormous bunch of lavender surrounded by double jonquils- pale mauve and soft yellow with a heavenly perfume.

If you're in the mood for a little competition head over to see Tash at poppyseeds and throw your hat into the ring- I love that tin and as soon as I can think up something witty and clever to say I'll be in the running for that very covetable tin....

caped crusader.....

I am so making myself one of these for winter...

....and best of all the pattern in free! Go take a look at Fitzpatterns here...
Now, I'm dreaming of a red cape but do you think it's a bit too Little Red Riding hood?
Whatever fabric I choose, it will have to have a satin lining!

A  little doodle I've been working on lately for the ATC doodle swap. Once you've got your finished doodle, you cut it up into ATC sized pieces and send it off. How easy is that!

Note: an ATC is an Artist trading card - the dimensions are 2.5"x3.5", or 64x89mm.Click here to access a page that gives you a run down on exactly what an ATC is. If anyone wants to give the ATC format a try, let me know and we'll organise a swap. Its a great format size to work with - and  easy on the postage. I love it when one of these little cards turns up in my mail!

For a bit of beauty in your day, go visit the scent of water....photos and poetry, what a combination!

crash and burn...

first up winners! Sorry , its taken me a little while to get back to you but I had a small encounter with a roof rafter... so without further ado
"just because # 2" goes to Bianca over at sadieandlance
and
"just because # 3 is on its way to Robyn at Knit me something good
Thanks again to everyone who left comments and songs...it was fun reading them and now I have a whole new world of music to explore.

Crash and burn indeed......I have been running around for the past few months on high speed, simply because I have given up work and therefore, need to compensate by achieving, achieving ,achieving in other areas. I have become the "can do " girl and it was only a matter of time.
Well,on Sunday, I climbed into the roof storage to get some wool down from my stash (yes, it has overflowed from my office into the roof!) and because I was in such a rush ( no good reason ) I turned suddenly and a rafter jumped straight out of nowhere - I swear it wasn't there before, officer - and hit me in the head. Luckily not quite hard enough to knock me out and consequently down the steps, but hard enough to bring on those lovely little stars.....
Did the first aid thing with pressure and ice pack but still had a lovely egg and a  killer headache for two days as a reminder to slow down NOW.
So I have returned to knitting - knitting is my equivalent of creative yoga. Possibly because I am a tortoise knitter - slow and steady - but I find it more challenging and it requires ( for me) a greater level of concentration and calm than does sewing or crocheting. I am quite speedy at the other two and sometimes, it is more about the outcome than the actual process. I find knitting to be more about the "journey" - how's that for zen?
I have also decided to make this week another "finish it off week" - with all of this frenzy to create, create, I tend to lose steam towards the tail end of some projects. Every now and then, I really need to just go back and tie up the loose ends , so to speak! Here are a few of those loose ends....

This is Ginger- she need pants! I'm really happy with how she is coming along - I wanted to see if I could do a sketch and then make a doll that looked like it. I am just way too lazy tonight to scan the sketch but she's a pretty close match!

This is Maggie, named after my one-of -a -kind-( in the best way of course)  mother in law !
Maggie saw the bird, as it was being made and suggested that it might look lovely on her spare bed! After all, some of those ties came from her cupboard (along with a truckload of other crafting goodies)!
I can feel more of these tie and suit coat birds coming on! A whole flock of them perhaps ( but not this week).

This is "blue" . I haven't decided whare to go with him yet but I want to keep it really simple and minimal. Perhaps just eyes and hair and the suggestion on arms. Lovely just to hug and sqeeze without to much stuff to get in the way.

And just one more little request, this time to all of those in Melbourne ( or anyone who has a good shopping knowledge of Melbourne). I am headed down to Melbourne, this Friday morning  until Sunday afternoon all by myself - how indulgent is that ( and how lovely of Damian and Georgie, our girl wonder to allow me by helping out with the girls). I can't wait - I'm just going to wander and explore at my own pace and stop when I want to stop and go when I want to go. And I will not be carrying the equivalent of three days emergency rations just in case ( really, I do overdo it sometimes!)

So where should I go?
I need suggestions for..
a wool shop
vintage/retro shops
cool funky happening shops ( because i am sooo cool and funky)
a good Japanese restaurant

Is Chapel st still worth the visit?
Is Charmaine's ice creamery still on Brunswick St ? Do they still have chilli- chocolate icecream on the menu?
Do I really need a woolly hat?

Really any suggestions welcome...I'm just a bit looking forward to it, just a little bit.....

But I can't knit on the plane........

just because....I went to the craft fair today....

Look at what I found today at the Sydney Craft and Quilt fair....the most amazing pin made out of vintage buckles and a bird button. This one just called to me, even though I rarely wear green ( I'm convinced I look jaundiced in green) and there was an equally wonderful red and white bird pin, which is more the type of colours I tend to go towards. However, after asking the opinion of about a dozen lovely ladies, who all said go the red, the stall owner ( who also said red) told me to go with the one that "sang to me" . Green it was and isn't it just lovely..... I saw so many wantable things and I thought i was doing very well until I came across the Ecoyarns  stand. The most wonderful 100% organic cotton, naturally pigmented and fair trade all the way from Peru. They had knitted it up into  simple moss stitch face cloths - simple and divine.  Despite my embargo on new wool purchases ....Oops, I've done it again ( thanks Britney) and now all I have to do is knit them up.....
Two other highlights of the day- I came across  Prints Charming  who handprint a range of absolutely inspired  designs on cotton. Not only is the fabric charming (the colour palette is a dream) but the women who own and run the business are warm and welcoming and passionate and proud about their products. Visit the website and enjoy!

My other moment involved the discovery of a new ( at least to me ) craft...Russian punchneedle embroidery. Like I need to take up another craft but I just couldn't walk away without tucking the "show special" into my bag.
Stay tuned - I have lots of ideas for how I can use this and I'm going to start mastering the technique as soon as I've finished with "just because" package number 2...

Today's package includes the following goodies for your crafting pleasure: some more of the wallpaper that was mentioned in yesterday's post , a piece of vintage barkcloth from my hoard of treasures, beautiful buttons , some Jo Sharp DK wool (I am going to throw in two balls of each colour as penance for giving in to the wool buying demon today) , a postcard from my much admired Yoshitomo Nara and a selection of other fabrics.  I forgot to put the trims in but there definitely will be some.There is also the secret not quite ready for public display small project in the works that will be in there too, along with the compulsory chocolate. The rules are the same as for yesterday - leave me a comment. This time I would love to know the most tragic love song you enjoy/hate/ feel compelled to listen to. I have so many its hard to choose just one but try Laura Branigan's "Best was yet to come" for a start. Lots of whoa,yeah kinda wailing and sob story lyrics. Air Supply's "Making love outta nothing at all" was a close second......"the beating of my heart is a drum, and it's lost, and its looking for a rhythm like you..." Beautiful stuff guys, makes my heart ache.....literally - and yet I can't seem to turn the damn stuff off!

Drum roll please for yesterdays winner.........Mummy jo come on down. I was really pleased when Charlotte pulled her number out of the bag as Jo regularly leaves comments for me and I always enjoy a visit to her site. Go take a look at the lovely "red" picture she has posted - happy happy red indeed.
Thank you to everyone else who left a comment and a song - I will post a complete list when I get a moment. Try again today or tomorrow....roll up, roll up all welcome to try ( even if I sent you anything before you will still be in that draw , so Nichola,quick,name that tragic love song !)

just because...it's Friday

here it is ...the first "just because" package ...some vintage wallpaper (more on that later) , a lovely piece of sheet music just perfect for collage or postcards, two small pieces of  vintage barkcloth (a small purse, needle case, part of a softie or just to keep because the colours are beautiful), a mix of print fabric , the first postcard that I've ever removed from my Yoshitomo Nara postcard book (that was hard) , some buttons and some trim! Of course there is some chocolate but I didn't want to distract from the rest of the booty on offer!  I'll probably put a bit more collage paper in and there's a little something that wasn't quite ready that will be in there too!

All you have to do is leave me a comment before I post the next "just because" parcel tomorrow sometime, and I will put you in the draw. And if you like a song for my new playlist ( see my previous post).
If your name comes out of the hat , its all yours for the grand sum of one hand made postcard for my wall. Easy. This is just like being a fairygodmother but without the tutu, wings and sparkle!! Bring on the pumpkins! And remember there is another one tomorrow and then again on Sunday (and you can be in all three draws if you want). I think Sundays will be themed around " crafting for a new arrival" as I have somehow amassed an awful lot of crafty stuff geared towards this end. Stay tuned...I'll post the winners names, once the gods of luck have cast their votes.....

Look at that wallpaper...how lucky am I ? I have been quietly coveting some after seeing some wonderful pieces over at Aunty cookie  and then this morning I happen across these three at the little vintage furniture place down the road.
It was just what I needed to get me going on my drawing for  Illustration Friday . I know , I know, its already Friday, but let me tell you: I have really struggled with this weeks theme "Jungle". I had almost given up on it , until this wallpaper happened. Here it is...my take on  "jungle"

more stuff to give away coming soon....

I really enjoyed giving away those magazines so much - its that warm,fuzzy group hug kinda feeling just from posting out a few envelopes! Priceless.
I have come across a few blogs who do the lovely give- away-stuff-and- spread -the love -around thing every week ! I of course am not that organised but as I am in the process of reorganising and sorting all my stuff  out ( and I have a lot of stuff) it is a good time to do it.
So, on Friday  I am going to give away something else..no details yet but I can say that there will most likely be some fabric, buttons...oh and chocolate, must include chocolate . Good chocolate I might add. My favourite.
And then I will do it again on Saturday (after a visit to the craft fair fun fun fun)
and for good measure again on Sunday. I will choose all different times to give people a fair chance.
All it will take is a comment and  a handmade -by- you postcard for my office wall,which since I officially gave up work is no longer my office but a place that I keep all my stuff and some of the soon to be someone else's stuff.
While I'm in the giving away mood , does anyone besides me read or wish to read "Runner's World". For some strange reason that I just don't get, nobody that I know is interested in reading them. I mean its full of fun stuff on running, eating and running, fast running, slow running and heaps on running shoes( ye ha) . I get a new one every month and after I finish reading it they get stored on my shelf as I am convinced that someone else out there must enjoy running! Any takers?
(Silence)
(more silence)

Here is a picture of Rose and I dressed up to go out for her first real run. She had been asking for ages so when I said "yes' she insisted that we wear matching outfits. ( I was sure that people would think that it was my doing)
She was so excited when we arrived at the beach front that she leapt out of the car and took off at a super speedy pace.
Then over she went and managed to graze both hands and cut her knee. Poor girly.
Cruel mama ( who is a firm believer in the fall off horse/get straight back on horse school of thinking) put lots of magic spit on it, gave her a big hug and made her get up and keep running! What a little trouper, my Rosie poppet is!  We ran almost 2km with only two stops on the see saw and climbing frame along the way.
She hasn't asked to run again with me yet , though.....

So any takers for the running mags??!!!!!!