creative space sort of organised....

My new space is pretty much organised. I still have some work to do but I can sit down to work now. I have most supplies pushed to the back of my big work table......

bookshelf is full of books, journals and tins, I still have big tubs full of fabric but have reduced the number of tubs. I have put quite a bit of fabric and yarn in the suitcases. I have another large one but it just looked too many so that will stay under the bed.

sewing machine on her table but I will put her away when I need this table for messy mixed media stuff hence the plastic......

and look what I discovered in the large brown case under the bed. I forgot I had it so it was a lovely surprise. Two Laura Ashley curtains I bought for a song ages ago to cut up and two pink chenille bedspreads.

a couple of small cases........full of course, with paints and stuff

I have a new cupboard too...which is going to be great to hide stuff away...

see what I mean

the bottom shelf has fans stored for the summer but the rest is my sewing stuff and the middle shelf is all my 'alteration pile'!!!! I have made a start on this during the week. I have hemmed two pairs of school pants and three pairs of new track pants.

I always feel I can't get on with the fun kinda sewing with a pile like this!

All I want to do is make myself a bag, just a simple, sturdy tote out of some of my vintage furnishing fabric so I am going to ignore this pile until I have a bag!!

If you are wondering how my crocheting is going, all those granny squares...........well my knitting is coming along fast! I should have a finished shawl next post!

thanks to Kirsty for hosting, pop over to check out some fab creative spaces

lovin' it

A whole week since I last posted, where did that week go I wonder???

I am loving this vintage suitcase I found at the op shop last week. I have a few big ones and a little one so this is the Goldilocks one, in between and just right! I will finally use the others, and this one to store fabric and yarn in and put them in my work space and not under the bed.

I am loving the huge chocolate cake Isobel made yesterday! Not much of it left today

and thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts about Pay It Forward. Just for those who aren't sure what it is I'll explain it next post and also my thoughts about it too. For now I need a pot of tea and a Nana nap :)
back soon

quandaries and op shops part 2.......

here are some more goodies from my trip to the op shop the other week. Above is actually a doona cover (duvet). At first I thought it was a curtain but no, it's a doona cover and has the same fabric on both sides. cute as..... Below is another doona cover and I was sooo excited when I saw this because last year on two different trips to the Salvos I found sheets to this set. Each sheet is a different colourway, one cream and one lemon. What are the chances of that. It's so cute I couldn't resist it.

this little gem was waiting to be picked up too. This edition was printed in 1983 and has been revised several times since 1963. I would of loved the first edition, the drawings would of been way cooler but I bought this anyway to cut up for mixed media work. It seems to be a sewing text book for high school

my other quandary is the Pay It Forward concept. I would love to know what your thoughts are about it, have you done it? did it work well? was it trouble free? Was it with bloggers you knew well or knew a little? Would you do it again???

The main thing I wonder is this......If you put up a PIF post and the 3 people who jump in are bloggers you have never heard from EVER, and they suddenly delurk or just appear, is that how it works? does that matter? Would you rather of at least heard from the PIFees at least once maybe? and what if since putting their hand up for you to make the 3 of them something say....6 months ago or so and you have never heard from them since, do you go ahead with it?

Can't wait to hear what you think :0

my creative space thursday already

My creative space this week has been portable. Mum is out of hospital now and staying at my sister's for a little while. She will be going home on the weekend and she has nurses visiting twice a day for the next quite a few weeks.
One of my visits to my sister's place to see mum I took my crochet hook! She felt up to showing me again the basic stitches and I was going quite well. (I have tried this quite a few times over the years and never stuck with it).
I came home and got back on YouTube determined to do a granny square. After a lot of attempts, constantly pausing the film and a lot of yelling...I gave up yet again.
I wanted to stab my eye with the crochet hook but I didn't, I just threw it down in a tantrum.
The best news is, on Sunday going through my new Mother's Day Book I found Pip's project! GRANNY SQUARES!! and I couldn't believe how simple the instructions seem. I haven't had another go yet, but I will, from the book. I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile........I have been knitting


I started this some time ago and got it out and have been bombing along and loving it. It is a wrap, which is a fancy way to say a very wide scarf!! But at least it's not a scarf! The yarn is a mohair acrylic mix and so soft. It is doubled over in this photo and I have about another 80cm to knit.

aren't these colours glorious!!!

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts about Twitter. It seems it is a great thing to have if you are selling your wares or if you have friends and family interstate. I personally won't be signing up. I have to keep my time for blogs,emails and Flickr..... oh and GoodReads......and Etsy......and Ebay.....MadeIt.

Jump over to Kirsty's for more fab Creative Spaces

mikes on mother's day

I had been wanting this book for a while now. Quietly asking the book fairies each night if they could deliver it to me. I couldn't just go and buy it without a reason ie birthday etc. Well the fairies must of heard me because I got it for Mother's Day! yay!

I have seen it around blogs for a few weeks now and have been so impressed by the look of it, thinking it looks wonderful. Well now I have it in my hands I can say it far exceeds my expectations. It is beautiful in its vintagey loveliness. The projects are fab and the photos are divine. If you don't have it already....you really should.

If, like me you can't afford to just buy it, you must put it on your birthday list!

and before I even share my photos of the other op shop treasures I haven't shared yet, I found these pillowcases yesterday. I was just dropping off bags of stuff and went in for a quick squizz, as you do. Well there they were, a pair, never used and gorgeous. I wish you could put your hand through the screen and feel them. They are SO thick. It's that texture thing again, I am a sucker for it!!

quandaries and op shops

I am going to sit down tomorrow with copious amounts of tea and catch up with blogs. I have hardly looked at any for a week or more now. I haven't even got around all the Creative Spacers. I try each week but there are so many and it's hard sometimes. I also have been wanting to update my bloggy list for months. I made a start on that the other day. I have met some lovely new to me bloggers lately, it's such a sweet part of blogging.

I recently had a wonderful trip to the op shop!! I haven't been for quite a while in an attempt to not buy things I don't really need. I always try to stick to this rule, but if I'm honest with myself, nothing I buy at the op shop is something I desperately need. But on this trip I could think of a need for everything I bought! So I am happy.

I will share a few photos today and more later.

Above is furnishing weight fabric. I do love it. There is about 1 1/2 square metres there.

Below are 2 place mats. The reason I couldn't resist them was the quality of the linen. It is so thick and the texture looks gorgeous.

of course I needed a macro of the texture, isn't it wonderful!

The quandary I have is a cyber type one. I thought maybe I would seek your thoughts and opinions.
I have resisted Twitter for quite some time but it seems to be everywhere now. I don't really know much about it and wondered do I need it? Would I use it? Do I have time for it when sometimes my blog and Flickr are neglected because just being on the computer to do emails is enough some days.

Do you have Twitter? What do you think? How is it used? Is it a great thing to use or is it just another cyber obligation? Please let me know what you think and what your experiences are with Twitter. I did hear on Radio National recently that Twitter currently has 6 million members and that will double in 12 months!!!!!

I did have Facebook for a short time so I could see my sister-in-law's overseas photos and also friends in W.A. But everytime I signed in there was soooo much crap waiting for me, join this, join that, do this quiz etc etc etc I felt overwhelmed and deleted my page. Maybe I just get cyber grumpy!!

I have waffled on enough so I will post about my other quandary soonish :)

my creative mess

I didn't set up my studio space last Friday. Life and stuff got in the way. It was yesterday we put all my things in the space and this is what it looks like!!

I now have to find the energy to sort it all out. I don't have that energy today and don't think it will be any day soon. I know the mood will one day take me suddenly and I will get stuck in (I hope)

Pop over to Kirsty's for tidy creative spaces!!!