Remember last years stolen decorations?
They are officially a tradition now. I've gone nuts with the transparent thread & have been suspending little reminders of 2010 for my lovely mates.
I've gifted a few already & there are a few still to post.
You should totally steal this tradition for yourself...it's a really good goosebumpy one.
The wedding on Saturday was a real group effort.
Friends of the bride & groom shared their talents and helped out with cake decorating, invitations, photography & personalised chocolates as place settings!
I had a hand in the centrepieces for the tables. They looked beautiful and created a lovely romantic ambient glow. These are just perfect if you're planning a DIY wedding because they can be made well ahead of time.
The glasses were picked up for 50 cents a piece at local op shops. We chose to wrap in bamboo which had a lovely sheen & looked very pretty in the daylight.
wrapped tea lightView more presentations from kootoyoo.
Obviously these can be used and reused for different events & as either tealights or vases.
Perfect for your holiday table too.
This time with bamboo & as a neck piece.
I've got a mate who is a lover of green having a birthday this month. I wonder if maybe it's a little big though? Dunno...maybe I need to think about this one a bit more.
Eeeek...look what arrived in the mail today!
When I was in Canberra we went to the Canberra Glassworks. Firstly just to have a look & then we went back the next day to DIY. It was an AMAZING experience.
Obviously there is MUCH hand holding ... it's a dangerous business.
It was just sensational to be part of it all in the Hot Shop.
Look at Nan shaping her paper weight. Pretty cool huh?
Nan gifted me this utterly gorgeous "Turf" paperweight. The collection just got a whole lot posher with the addition my own & the really truly artist one too.
I highly recommend the experience if you happen to be in Canberra.
I wasn't quite ready to pack away the remaining pony fabric.
Words scrawled by me & then embroidered using two strands of floss. Stem & chain stitches...play to your strengths I say.
I've never upholstered anything in my life so it's absolutely the have a crack make it up as you go along type of thing & really more for decoration than feet which is a bit daft...
Made for someone very special who occasionally needs a little reminder. xx
I'm off! For a whole weekend by myself!
Not quite to Paris ... but almost.
I will be staying with a really truly Frenchie & a not Frenchie & a couple of gorgeous halfies too. Yup...I'm off to the house of Rummage.
I was given this spectacular map by my gorgeous mate.
She went to a lot of trouble for me too...even taught herself a bit of stem stitch to over stitch the streets. It's wonderful.
The kid will play netball (& she might enjoy it).
I figured I might as well help the cause & I've made Harriet a coaching aid mobile.
This is exactly the kind of thing you might find on Regretsy or What not to crochet but I'm semi-confident that the netballing freak mother of the child will like it.
feet
& fowler
& friend
(& for fraught too).
I had a LOT of issues with this little footstool. In the end I think I overcame them but not without fairly liberal use of that F word I can tell you.
The fabric was crocheted by me in 8ply on a 3mm hook and then cross stitched using organic cotton.
I had such a great day with Aunty Cookie and the Meet Me at Mikes guys yesterday. Finders Keepers was a fabulous day out. You can read about the day & see fabulous pictures of the stalls & the event over at The Design Files or Mikes.
Shaz gave me this lightly hot water bottle vase & it joins Kate's hand in the bathroom (ring is by Victoria Mason) .... I know you need three to make it a collection so shall buzz off to etsy now.
& a bit on finding & keeping friends too...
I'm endlessly amazed by the number of really truly gorgeous mates I've made because of this bit of online drivel. My goings on are hardly ever poignant, personal or even humourous. But something in the way I've presented myself has led me to a growing number of found & kept friends & for that I will be eternally grateful. xxx
I am the very proud owner of a Victoria Mason Granny Square ring. I love it!
I shall be sporting this little baby at the Finders Keepers on Sunday (& quite likely until my dying day).
Are you going? I'm just a little bit excited about the whole event. I've been lucky enough to get an advance showing of the wares of both Victoria & Shannon. I think it's going to be a ripping weekend.
Vic has a very special Finders only offer which you should absolutely know all about...
Maybe see you Sunday? I'll be helping out Shannon (& chewing the fat with the Mikes crew).
This is a little something I made for a giggle & for you.
I'm hoping that I'll give Pickering (mine's safe for work folks - I promise) a run for his money & grace the back of toilet doors globally...nationally...locally...ok at least at Claire, Christie & Shazza's places because they encouraged me to take on this project in the first place.
I've been tinkering away on this for a couple of months...since you first got a laugh out of my noticing & beret shots. All crafty "disguises" have been fashioned by me, some especially for the project & some were just loitering about the house in various states of completion.
I dragged the little guy in to check out my "folio". He watched in horror as I flicked through the images & then we had this conversation...
Little guy: "Mum, this is terrible. Nobody is going to want this."
Me: "It's free buddy."
Little guy: "Even then Mum. Only your friends will look at it, because they'll feel sorry for you."
I'm confident that anyone who reads here regularly will enjoy the calendar & take it in the spirit in which it's intended. For any new-to-me folk who are saying to themselves "This girl's got a touch of the Warren Beattys about her." - well, there's something in there for you too. x
Get your free 2011 calendar here.
A very happy weekend to you all.
PS: Thanks Jod for the scribd assistance.
Recently The Cookie provided me with an op shopping/thrifting/side-of-the-road type brief.
I take a "if you happen to see" pretty seriously & sourced said item for her. The death of the people mover has impeded me a bit (but only a bit) ... if you're after a baby grand we might be in a bit of trouble.
Unfortunately The Date's much more about the golf clubs than the drill so it'll be up to me to hang it.
It's been an amazing week in my neck of the woods.
Just truly gorgeous things have been happening over the last seven days...
My sister & her family are coming home!!! You can't even imagine how insanely happy this has made me.
An amazing, amazing person sent me THE NECKLACE in the mail! Just a totally inspiring act of generosity.
I've received sweet handwritten notes, posts & lovely, lovely emails from internet mates. You know who you are and I thank you from the very bottom of my heart.
Finally, yesterday for no particular reason Auntie Pat gifted me a box of lambswool/angora Anny Blatt. This is an incredible treat.
All those years ago when I worked at Woolcraft I used to spend far too long "tidying" the Anny Blatt shelves so that I could enjoy the luxury of this yarn. I imagined that one day I'd be able to make something amazing with it.
Totally inspired by Assemblage & Aunty Cookie I've cast on a few stitches.
make me happy.
Totally should have been on the vac but made this instead.
Just completely ridiculous but certainly smile worthy.
Hoping that you had a cracker jack weekend. I finished off a couple of things & started a couple of new things & generally lazed about in very fine company.
We had the very bestest time ever.
Nan didn't put the camera away & I didn't get it out.
Thursday: trip to Kyo/The Mill/How Bazaar was amazing & of course my regular Melbourne haunts seemed somewhat crap in the shadow of the Day 1 shop. I stitched & laughed 'til I cried.
Friday: Nan hatched an exciting quilted garment plan. There was much swearing & carry on about the quality (or lack thereof) of the Janome & many pro Pfaff arguments were put forward. I stitched & laughed 'til I cried.
Saturday: Shopping for craft supplies & a bit of parental running around for me & a lot of time with the Janome for Nan. I stitched & laughed 'til I cried.
Sunday: Camby Market & back home to the trusty Janome for Nan. I stitched & laughed 'til I cried.
I didn't feed her (like at all - - - I was too busy stitching & laughing 'til I cried), but I think there's plenty of nourishment in a Capiroska & I made her plenty of those.
I've been very lucky to meet & make some really truly ace real life mates because of this space. Let me tell you...Rummage is one of the best.
Big giant ups to The Date & to The Frenchie too for making it happen.
Hoping that your weekend was fabulous too. x
The Big Bite is here!
I've been mucking around with spacing of holes & I'm almost ready to make a start. It won't be today though (I'm working). It won't be tomorrow (I've friends for lunch). It won't be Saturday either (I'm ferrying kids around all day). Pity about life getting in the way really.
Hoping that you're finding time in your life for plenty of makings.
Lovely space from last week right here.
Sorry about the Link man having an afternoon snooze last week. Hopefully he's had his coffee this morning.
Don't forget to pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.
I've quite a collection now. They are employed as weights for so many of my makings.
My childhood neighbour's Grandmother collected them. I loved visiting her house in Walmer Street & watching the reflections cast both inside and outside the spheres. There's something quite magical about them.
I hope one day to have a collection just like Gran Stewart's. One that excites and delights my grandchildren (& their friends).
Uber proud of myself for being so prepared.
I've no plans for these little pieces of Liberty goodness. I'm just hoping to not be scrambling to the finish. Lucky for me the finish isn't until the end of October. Plenty of time to think...
Did you guess?
You might remember last year I made the perfect bag for a friend. Well, this is my perfect bag but it's also for a friend. I plan to make myself one over the weekend! I based the bag on one I already owned...a very nasty op shopped piece of rubbish but with great bones.
I love the way the embroidery finished up & I've added the bright red zip to keep things interesting.
Everything came together really well except the flaming zip! That thing drove me nuts. I've got a "can do" attitude & I'm pretty confident with zips but really sewing a zip into a curve (& then trying to top stitch) proved impossible.
I ended up unpicking the top stitching. You know that rule about cooking something new for a dinner party? Well it's the same for gifts for friends, I've discovered. I'm pretty sure that she won't mind though.
Just a peek of the vintage sheet lining.
worn across the body, single strap, slouchy, soft
tick, tick, tick, tick
(with the added bonus of being machine washable)
I hope she likes it too.
I told you it was basic. There's no "look how I've turned this into that" magic. Just a granny square like any other.
But this little granny is destined for greater things. It's in the mail now to someone very clever & creative who is planning to make something absolutely wonderful from it...
I shall keep you in the loop.