Weirdest Christmas wreath

Weirdest Christmas wreath, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Can you work out which shop window this is in?

Pillowcase

Pillowcase, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Just another for some very very lucky person for Christmas - I'm on a roll - nobody stop me!

Oakshotts Improv

Oakshots Improv, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Progress so far - didn't like the mishmash of randomness - do like the more structured placement - not too structured - blended merging of deep sky to blue sky to sunset oranges and reds to earthy browns to greens of grassland and cool rivers.

Still have some interesting things to do with it - got to be a bit secret squirrel on this one though!

some things ticked off

It's amazing what clearing your sewing table does for your psyche!

Some annoying little things that keep hanging around like a buzzy mozzie - Look at me, fix me, finish ME!

Okay!! Sheeesh! I can now that I have some semblance of a working table.

The ollllld pair of flanny pjs that were so torn and shredded - now a summer pair of pj shorts!

The self-made printed linen piece now hemmed into a tea-towel!

A very quick and quite nice if I do say so myself pillowcase - made using this great tute for a 15 min pillowcase with French seams - oolala

this will be a Chrissy present for some very lucky person in my family - I have ideas for more super lucky people to receive my heart's labour of love (cough, splutter, grin)

Must only use super soft fabric like Art Gallery and possibly some double gauze Heather Ross I have - oh definitely some old but treasured silky smooth HR poplin

Treasured cheeks need to rest on treasured fabric!

Bright Shiny

, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Love the glint on my beautiful copper cutters- I made the ginger cookies really really tasty - I love Christmas food smells - dried fruit and cinnamon and fresh pine trees - oh that's not food, but I enjoyed the smell of the fresh Christmas trees for sale outside the scout hall I was boxing in this morning - nice change to whiffy boxers! People, not undies!

Playing with colours

Oct 28 2012 (23) Oakshotts, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

I have been doing a little bit of sewing, just a little....

these are the Oakshotts - I'm thinking..trees, wavy seaweeds....something organic, earthy, tangible, eclectic - my first truly improv project............I like it!!

Somaly Mam quilt

I feel rather honoured that I have in my house the quilt made through Amitie's fundraiser for 

Somaly Mam Foundation.

This foundation's cause - to abolish human trafficing, in particular Cambodia's children sold for sexual slavery - it sickens me even to write that line - spoke deeply to me - it still does and hope for a very long time to come.

 Somaly Mam - a survivor and fantastic example of strength and hope against such evil, needs support financially for the foundation.

Too easy, I thought.

Emailed the silent auction's organiser to place a bid for me on the night (couldn't get there cos of work) - a pay packet's worth is nothing compared to what they need.

Very very happy I won!

A young girl's face is what it is all about - a cherished life, a loved life, a life of hope and happiness.

This is what this quilt means to me.

Thank you Amitie for organising this to be made, thank you to all the people who put a little bit of love and hope into their star(s) and for all those who played a part in putting it together, quilting it, binding and getting to the organisers.

Thank you to Melinda Gillon (Reynolds) from Project Futures who has been lovely in contacting me and sending me the quilt.

Thank you to Somaly Mam and all her difficult work

It is a very uncomfortable topic to think of, let alone talk about or act on, but donating money to help people is just too easy, just too easy!!

Think about giving up a pay packet for one donation;

can you do it ?

The help it could give is a million times the value.

So good to get away

A little group from Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild ran away from life for a Saturday and headed down to the Mornington Peninsula

to 

Treehouse Textiles

a crafty haven plonked down in the middle of the bush!

It was just so lovely, so lovely

So lovely!!!  Head here for some gorgeous photos of all the peeps who came  - I had a super special day with friends - how good is it to come together to enjoy your craft and enjoy others' craft too?

Terribly remiss of me to not have posted about my other Retreat loooong weekend away at Woodend Retreat, with a great bunch of crafty gals who I mainly know through SIT over the years.

8 of us was a perfect number for this place - we ate and sewed and chewed and drank and sewed and knitted and sewed and watched and laughed and sewed...until the wee hours of the night!!!

I had a really lovely weekend with this lot!

Judy, Barbara, Wendy, Esther holding Lauren, Anna, Cas, Kylie

Really looking forward to the next one planned for June next year

 

Just a little bias

My DD1 has turned the momentous 15!  such gorgeousness cannot be described!

super super smart,

super super talented dancer - ballet, contemporary, jazz

16 pirourettes is no big deal

stunning poise and posture, flexiblity and grace

not a red head but 'Titian Gold' as explained by a hair colour expert

a collected girl with a very bright future ahead of her

extraordinary maths brain

dedicated, focussed, determined

can be sharp and silent

shyly loving

great hugger

One beautiful young lady who I am so proud to call my daughter

XXOO

Silk and Smiles

I promised a friend a happy post next - this makes me smile - hubbie and I are dressed up as Thai people - we had such a giggle!!!

After exploring the beautiful Queen Sirikit of Thailand Textile Museum (no photos allowed, but the silk was magnificant!) we were ushered into a maze of corridors that we weren't quite sure about - smiles all around said it was fine - Fine? It was Fun! Some lovely young women welcomed us into the Thai way of textiles and then proceeded to dress us up!!!

I remember having a laugh as the young lady was changing my top into this beautiful Thai silk folded wrap around - it had to be off the shoulder and my bra strap was showing - that can't be right I said - what do Thai women do about that? - we don't have enough up top to worry about said she with a grin!  We laughed and laughed.

Hubbie and I felt like schoolkids pretending to be grownups in another world.

Sawatdi!

It makes me sad

What is it with Sponsored Blog Posts that have nothing to do with the blog's usual crafty, cooking, family stuff?

I can't read them - I have to remove them from my reading list - as I said to one blog, who I have read for years, if I want to read/watch ads, I would turn on the TV.  I have already removed 2 blogs who I often enjoyed reading their witty prose and creativeness because they would rather advertise in pretence of a blog post about themselves.

I'm sorry Bloggy People who are changing their blog this way - I know it is their blog and they can do with it as they see fit.

I guess to me, it is a decline in why I started reading blogs in the first place - it sure wasn't to be advertised to.  I want to read blogs about people's crafts, their everyday lives, what makes them tick, what delights them today.  Don't you think we have enough ads in our lives?  Blogging for me gets me away from the bombardment we have these days - is this sanctuary being eroded?

It does make me sad, and just a little mad too.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Last Day Skirt

People may think just because it is the end of October, when a certain (weird and really unnecessarily commercial IMHO) occasion that I show my mug on my blog.

Yes - it is true - I am showing you a scary thing, no, its not my pair of lily white legs, but one more skirt I have just made!!!  In one day!!!

Simplicity 2226

Michael Miller fabric - giraffes with the cutest expressions

Pleats, no gathering - ooh ahh

Smaller size than my last one

I got the zip in really well...STILL don't know how I did it...it just happens

Yes, it is too young for me, but so what...I'm living a little.

As much fun as Blogtober is and reading everyones contributions, I am glad it is over.

This ol' Slow Blogger can re-emerge.....slowly ;)

ps - I just counted up my October posts - 13!  Unlucky for some???  That's okay - I did my best - this month has been a hard one personally, so I will try and beat my record next year!

DUDQS3

I received a most wonderful package today and had to tell you about it!

Belinda of  Flickr name:  Beeware70 and Tuffin Tales

has come up trumps with a most wonderful doll quilt for moi!

AMHs Feather pattern made with fantastic colours and prints, on a Seeds Catalogue fabric, handquilted in golden perle

Boy oh Boy oh Boy

This is going straight to the pool room folks!

Some really lovely extras which were not expected but very well received:

A great book, perfect for my new teen - more on that later, and some very rare out of print, cannot find anywhere kind of stuff - Bohemian by AMH

A better close up shot of the beautiful fabric and quilting

Thank you Belinda

You did good!

When it is in the 'pool room' I will show you more, just cos I want to.

My 13 year old!

My 13 year old!, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

My baby has turned 13 - she is growing up to be a gorgeous young lady 

She makes us laugh with witty one-liners 

She frustrates us with Always finding something else to do,other than unpack the dishwasher 

Her love of Dr Who is outstanding and if you get her started on the the intricate plots of the show, you'll be mesmerised

She is a fantastic gift giver and puts a lot of thought and love into her present giving...and her party throwing - she will plan parties months ahead of time. 

She is super smart and not a bad little violin player, when she practices.

She loves to practice her tap dances on our bare wood floors and is a natural at it.

She is loving and kind and a beautiful girl. What more could we want??

(Black Forest Choc Ripple Cake - oh so good!)

Cake cave

, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Why does this happen when party guests are coming over? I have chopped the lid off and reduced the sides. So Now it is a flat disc of choc fudgey cake. Won't stop it going down the cake hole though

Better!

Better!, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

aaaahhhh - so much better - now just a hell of a lot of cleaning to do - v.v.v.v.v. dirty!

Don't let the bathwater overflow upstairs, otherwise you will end up doing A Lot of Dirt Cleaning, after the ceiling is torn down!

My kitchen

, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

Anyone want to come over for a cup of tea and a sandwich? It is a good excuse for going out for lunch.....and maybe dinner?

Some Thai shots

Trying hard to keep up with Blogtoberfest; not getting there each day, but I guess the spirit of it is to just to some blogging as much as is poss, so that's what's happening in this part of the woods....:)

Some random photos from trip to Bangkok:

A wonderfully retro foyer of a Thai movie cinema - the cinema was enormous, with rocker chairs - make sure you stand up for the King when his special film is shown every time!

Just some pictures of the Wet Markets - the first one is either frogs or bugs, you choose!

 Pink eggs are specially picked - I ate part of one - very very eggy strong - little bit shuddering.

Thai temple decoration

Wet tourist after deluge

Reclining Buddha

Just one of the quirky and kinda endearing statues

Spunky man sipping the local beer