happy

I am pretty happy with my new pastel pens.......I have not seen pastel ones before so I was a little bit excited when hubby brought them home for me. They will sit nicely along side my Sharpies.........

four little sweethearts....

it's been a while since I shared some rattie love so here are our little sweethearts......

" do my whiskers look fat in this igloo...... "

daydreaming.......

" I can stand on my sister if I want to......."

" what do you think they keep in that cupboard.........yoghurt treats maybe???? "

cushion #2

Another cushion made with a vintage tablecloth. This tablecloth is my absolute favourite and was very hard to cut, but I'm glad I did because now it is used everyday. This cushion is bigger than the last. It's 61cm and soft and squishy. I cut it off centre because the best parts are the corners and I didn't want to centre it and cut them off.

There wasn't enough to make the back so I used a totally different, non-contrasting fabric. I have two thinish strips of the tablecloth left which I can use in something else. yay

I am loving this cushion caper.....

secret business

this piece of loveliness arrived in the mail.......I can't show it to you though because when it is cut up and sewn they will be xmas presents.........

in progress....

measuring, cutting, back pain from leaning over table but at least four projects are cut out and ready to start...... I find cutting out the worst part, then it's another day I will sit down and enjoy sewing...

journals

My journals give me solace. I go through stages though where I use them no stop (even when I can't sleep) and other times I just pick them up now and then, maybe once a week. I am using them a lot lately as well as working on other pieces. This piece is in a new A3 journal I have just started.

I love sewing and knitting and that wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I finish something, but my art journals seem to give me more. What gives you solace?

tactile

looking. sorting. folding. playing.
happy colours. tactile. ideas brewing.

creative space ~ paper and bits

I have felt too hot and bothered to play with fabric these last few days so it has been all about paper and mixed media bits........some are in the early stages of playing around with ideas.......
some are still progressing............

some are finished... like this one of Frida........

and Alice.......

pop over to Kirsty's to see who else is in their creative space this week....

world sweet world

I gave up buying magazines quite some time ago. The last one I got was the last of a birthday present subscription to Inside Out mag which sadly ended a few months ago.......

I have kept a huge collection of glossy craft mags to refer to for inspiration and another stack of mags I keep to cut up for collage and journals.

One magazine I HAVE TO treat myself to is Mixtapezine. I can't express the joy on the day that arrives. I make a big pot of tea and can't put Mixtape down.

I have however, recently discovered this little gem. World Sweet World. Another fabulous indie magazine only this one is from New Zealand.

I bought just one to check it out and I am smitten. If I do get just one xmas present this year (hubby and I always say we won't buy each other anything, then we do at the 11th hour) I am hoping for a sub to this mag.

To receive Mixtapezine and World Sweet World would keep me happy in magazines for a very long time to come.

If you haven't already, check it out.......

retail therapy...

I have been quite strong over the last few months at the oppy. Just choosing things I think I can really use and if there are a few things I would really like, I try to put something back. Because apart from ending up with too much stuff, the cost does add up quickly if you enjoy going on a regular basis. But for me, and I daresay a lot of you guys, retail therapy in an op shop is just that ...."therapy". The browsing, the find, the missed heartbeat. I look upon it as a little bit of sanity and joy for me.

If my health is worse at a particular time, I will still try and get out to the op shop that week as it really does make me feel better.

I found these Arcopal pieces the other day. I knew the platter would be loved and useful but the little cups are espresso size and I don't drink espresso. What to do....

I grappled with this thought for a while......and decided they still would be "useful" even if not for espresso. Any drink really, even though it would be a small drink......They just HAD to come home with me too....

more curtains.....

Between xmas and new year last year I decided that I was going to try and go the WHOLE year without buying any new fabric. I felt I had so much to use up and should do so. I also decided buying fabric at the op shop was perfectly OK whether it be in the form of tablecloths etc or if I was lucky enough, off the bolt.
This actually became quite easy after a while. I still had trips to Spotlight to buy threads etc and just didn't look at the fabric at all. However, in needing to make new curtains for both the girl's rooms this became a challenge. I decided the curtains would be cotton dressmaking fabric and so proceeded to show them the stash......
The eldest chose white bleached calico in between hot pink crushed velvet ones which were already in the cupboard from years ago when she was little. One room sorted.
Youngest didn't really like what was in the stash that was plentiful enough for curtains. So reluctantly we headed off to Spotlight.
There were two conditions, 1. it had to be cotton so I could use it at a later date when she wanted a change and 2. it had to be on sale!
Fabric chosen...flannelette skulls! and after hemming all edges I have put them up with these rings. We had a supply but had to buy more. I think they work really well and am quite happy to use them.
But off course with the summer sun now blazing in for the first half of the day the curtains are not thick enough. Another trip to Spotlight to buy copious amounts of unbleached calico. I LOVED doing this as I have such a love for calico. I have hemmed all the calico and will just sew it along the top of the curtains.
So now they are double thickness, very frugally made, look good AND I know the day will come when I can reuse the fabric and it won't be wasted. Hey I could even sew the skulls together and make a sheet!

tablecloth cushion....

I am getting into the spirit of reusing my vintage linens now. It just took one tablecloth to be a curtain and I am on a roll. I have been wanting to make cushions for a while and the last of the crappy store bought ones just died (broken zip) so I made a start.
First one is a tablecloth too. It is a very simple construction. Just cut your square to the size of your zip which will be the size of your insert ie 40cm plus a cm on all sides for seam allowance. The square that will house the zip add 2 more cm to allow for turning in on each side of the zip then cut it through into two pieces to put in the zip.
Once your zip is sewn in put both squares right side together then sew around the square. I go around twice for extra strength.

and your are done... more to come

more sweet mail.....

I have received even more sweet mail recently and this was just because...not because I won a giveaway. Simone, a bloggy friend who is so kind and thoughtful not to mention very talented (check out her beautiful quilts and stitcheries) sent me these postcards all the way from The Netherlands just because she thought of me when she saw them! How lovely is that.
I DO love them. The 7up ones are repros of ads from the late 1940s, I just adore the style. The other one is a print from 1994 and soooo appeals to my love of fairy tales and toadstools.
Thank you so much Simone, this blogging caper does continue to blow me away, such generous souls out there xxx

creative space doodling......

I have been having a lot of troubling sleeping lately. A new medication I am on for a month is even making this worse. If I do doze off easily I seem to wake around 3am every night. I have taken to grabbing my journal and doing some drawing, or doodling really.
I feel the need to draw but being half asleep don't want to start anything major so have started out just purely doing lines and dots and swirls and wanting to add loads of colour. This one ended up with a fairy popping up too.
The reason I am sharing this is that it is sooooo freeing to do this. Starting off with no plan at all no expectation and just going with it. Mistakes don't happen as there are no mistakes. I ended up adding paper elements to this as well which was fun.
I need to keep this going all the time and I tend to loose it. Sometimes I start a piece and somehow think if it doesn't work it is the end of the world which of course is total crap.
When I was studying art, the compulsory drawing class scared me for about 18 months because I didn't/don't think of myself as a "drawer". Other students would come in and start straight away and I would procrastinate for ages.
My teacher slowly got through to me to just dive in and start. I can always change, rub out, draw over or start again.
I think this even applies to my sewing too. I just need to apply it to trying to crochet and I'll be happy.
So if you feel stuck in a creative rut, try doodling, it really is fun.
A fave book of mine on this subject is by Traci Bautista. Her style is pure fun and girly. Lots of doodling and a real inspiration. A book I couldn't be without....

pop over to Kirsty's to check out other Creative Spaces..

sweet mail

Some more sweet mail has come my way this week in the form of two more Blogtoberfest giveaways I won. I was fortunate enough to have won three all up

I won a Button Brooch kit from Fi thank you Fi it is so generous of you to be giving away your patterns and this one is as sweet as.......

and look at this lovely bunch I won from Katia a sweet owl pincushion! he is the cutest poppet ever I just love the way Katia has made him, and some lovely trim and a beautiful square of fabric which I will incorporate into a tote or a cushion.

thanks so much girls, it has been lovely receiving such treats in the mail......

baking

It was such a humid weekend and a long weekend at that so yesterday with it not quite so hot, Bel and I did a spot of cupcaking.
The plan for today is to get back into some curtain making (boring curtains not quick and easy vintage tablecloth type of curtains) to get it out of the way so I can do some fun and quick sewing!

For any of you that may be interested, the toadie curtain in my last post was just sewn along the top creating a tube for the rod. I turned the fabric about 3 times to add thickness. This method works well as this curtain will not be needed to be opened or closed, it will just stay that way.

toadies are up

I have made the curtain using the lovely vintage tablecloth and it feels good to have done it. I am happy with the curtain and feel liberated to have actually used a linen I thought I should keep....
after all that's why I buy them......that's the theory anyway