my creative space . . . 'craft retreat'

Greetings all,

I strongly believe the nicest community in blogland is we crafty folks.  Sure there are those protective of their images, patterns, products, & others who complain about people stealing their ideas . . . yet for most of us, we blog to share.  Even better, lots of us attend all manner of blog based events focused on craft, like Sew It Together.  It's positively the most pleasant way to meet fellow crafty bloggers, sitting at classes & around tables with our needles & fabrics, crochet & knitting, chattering away.  Shock horror, the average age is below 40!!

When SIT was in Canberra a weekend ago, i sat next to Julie from Relish, a fellow Canberra girl whom i'd met briefly at handmade markets - too busy to chat - so this was my chance to talk her ear off.  I couldn't help but covet this pretty hexagon pencil case which she received in a swap (craft swaps are amazing, they even involve a dance!!) 

 At the bigger craft retreats/ events, there are sponsored goodie bags & lucky door prizes.  Last year at SIT i was one of the last pulled out of the hat, yet thrilled to pick up a prize from pin-up-girl Gillian of Silly Gilly - vintage sewing goodies - this year i hit the jackpot & scored a 'Wendy' Polly Pratt dress ($176) which basically voided the cost of the craft weekend, as i was going to purchase a dress anyway.  

If you love a beautifully made dress in stunning fabrics, check out Anna's Polly Pratt blog & sale, with dresses at $100, starts Friday night: ends Sunday 8p.m.!!  Thank you Anna, love you & the generous pretty fabric donation to Aussie Hero Quilts for our girlie soldiers serving overseas.    

The Saturday night of SIT included more pop up shopping stalls (including a $2FQ clearance sale from me, that was like Boxing Day sales, thank you ladies!!) & i picked up fabrics from other stalls, sharing the love, along with more of Claire's Craft Schmaft patterns.  FYI Claire is looking for pattern testers right now!!

 The Sunday of the SIT weekend was a paint & stencil class.  I was so impressed with what Sheridan of Sew It Together had learned from Lotta Jansdotter herself, i quickly ordered the same Lotta hard plastic stencils on line & they have already arrived!! 

 I had a little stitching planned for today, however, i just did a big slip over at the shops this morning (while holding my husband's hand, i slid down his side, he let me go) in new ankle boots from the Trenery sale, damn new leather soles & jarred my tennis elbow.  He just stood there looking at me on the floor, trying to work out what happened . . . especially confused as i was laughing.  So it's an icepack, Mollie & Frankie for me instead.  

 So do consider joining in a blog event that suits your interests, you're guaranteed to meet lovely like minded folks & enjoy.  For more creative spaces, check out Village Voices My Creative Space today, love Posie

my creative space . . . 'first sewing project post surgery'

Greetings all,

A special extra welcome to my latest followers, hello!!  If you didn't know, i used to be a very busy handmade designer, in business full time for over a decade - until earlier this year - after 8 years of suffering carpal tunnel syndrome - i had surgery on both wrists.  Relief was immediate, however, swelling & stiffness is slowly repairing.  Anyway . . . hand sewing was my passion, it was how i fell in love with stitching when i was 5 years old . . . i didn't start using a sewing machine until i was 23 & pregnant with my first baby.  I have missed hand stitching, greatly, so when my gal pal Claire from Craft Schmaft offered a Sock Owl sewing class at Sew It Together on the weekend, i am pretty sure i was the first to sign up.  

Meet Lucy.

 I normally obsess over unfinished edges & whispy threads, but i think they add to her soft character.

Beautiful Claire allowed us to choose sock & fabric sets for the class, i made this for my son.

 I completed her wings on the afternoon school run today, where she sat waiting for her new keeper patiently, pondering the world.  How lovely are Winter days in Canberra??

 This boy gasped with glee (he LOVES handmade softies, they are all named & live in families on his bed, not all 8 year old boys are maniacs) & then proceeded to act like a maniac for the photo.

 Here is our sweet Claire, i adore catching up with her & talking raising boys.

 I wonder if she'll come up with a sock duck pattern one day??  I have muses.

So please enjoy my new found inspiration & ability to stitch again, i thank Claire.  For more crafty goodness, check out My Creative Space in Village Voices.  Love Posie 
PS last chance to enter & win a copy of the Best Ever Birthday story cook book here!!

social commentary Sunday . . . 'what does your husband get up to when you go away??'

Greetings all,

I just spent a great weekend with the Sew It Together girls, who came from all over Australia to my current home town of Canberra (last year Sydney, year before Melbourne, next year??)  There was a lot of talk on what our husbands were getting up to while we were crafting ourselves silly.  Many men were taking the children to the grandparents or McDonalds.  Granted i was coming home to my husband late at night, he does a great job in my absence - especially cooking for the family.  

 On my way home from dropping a bunch of ladies at the airport, after the final craft session of Sew It Together, i rang my husband & said i had a headache, felt tired & hungry . . . a little pathetic, exhausted from too much shopping, classes, chatter & craft, woe is me.  I came home to 4 happy children, washing done & put away + my husband putting a batch of Women's Weekly 1960's scones in the oven.  While i laid on the lounge with an icepack pressed into my head, i rested to the sound of the mixmaster whipping cream.  Life is tough.

 My husband finds cooking relaxing & thought a strong Thai green chicken curry might help my headache . . . presented with perfect mounds of rice.  This photo doesn't do it justice although he was very happy for me to photograph & blog about his heroic rice moulding efforts.  We don't dull the spicy flavour for the children either, they just drink more milk & water while they chow down. 

 Just as i thought the cooking & baking was finished, handsome soldier fancied 'a snack with flavour' which included icecream . . . so grabbed My Grandma's Kitchen for a Margaret Fulton Saucy Chocolate Pudding recipe . . . as i type, it's bubbling away in the oven.   

Special mention to our Hamburg hen who laid that whopping egg this afternoon.

This isn't novelty helping out around the house because he's lived interstate/ overseas for 2.5 years or the children are older/ more capable, he just does these things to help & it would have been the same 5 years ago with younger children too.  I know i got lucky - he was raised by very dominant women.  No take away for our children, not when they have this amazing cook of a father.  Funnily enough, drill-sergeant-dad gets the children to complete more chores than i do too.  I half expected to find them standing by their beds for inspection when i got home.  I have to stop thinking it-would-be-quicker-to-just-do-this-myself when children drag their feet, it is so fantastic to share the responsibilities of parenting - with someone so capable.  Oh & have a fabulous weekend off too - i truly feel spoilt!!  

When was the last time your husband was home alone to make all the parenting decisions, meals & housework??  For so many of us mothers, this is not a-weekend-away-on-a-whim, it takes months of planning, penny pinching, preparing, convincing & instructions.  Last time i did anything like this was Sew It Together last year, before that . . . um . . . cannot even remember.  Shall post more about my purchases, classes, creativity & lucky door prize shortly, love Posie

my creative space . . .'Sew It Together' craft weekend

Greetings all,

Yay, Sew It Together is on this weekend - i have to say, there is no blogging community like the crafty one & we have some of the best get togethers EVER!!  I've just finished the fabric packs for the goodie bags for Sheridan - our leader - who cruises in to Canberra tomorrow, then i'm off for an airport run to collect half a dozen of the first interstate arrivals.  I can imagine that many crafters in my car will be louder than my children!!  

There's a lot of talk about how the husbands will cope for the weekend while we craft care free, well i know my husband will be fine (he's such a natural parent) & this year it's local . . . tonight he made chocolate caramel slice.  Our daughter made a batch in high school cooking class today, however, was reluctant to share, so i boldly announced i had the ingredients, we'd have a cook off (when i say 'we' i meant 'my husband'.)

 While i'm still not sewing since hand surgery - partly unmotivated, mainly busy with other things around the house - i decided to change all the linen on our high schooler's bed, including a new wool doona too.  Her room (half of my studio) is really cold at night, she's loving her new bedlinen, including owl flannel sheets & when i find a European pillow insert - a lovely Euro pillow too.  It was a surprise while she was at volleyball the other night, she loves me.  You really can buy a teenagers love!!  It's all from Bed Bath & Table, around 30-40% off.

 I love these colourful wall paper suitcases from Lark, i did buy them for my studio, however,  they look so pretty here & i love that this child is still into colour.  The whole room is very Dutch inspired, i was always a big fan of Room Seven (daughter of the Oilily family.)

 In our spare time, we've been cleaning out the garage (no royal 'we' here, i'm doing the heavy lifting.)  I normally do this myself but i need my husband's tough love approach to tossing things out, especially as i no longer do markets, i don't need the props!!  Seriously, we have boxes which have remained unopened for 4 interstate moves, so we cracked them open & shredded the tax returns from the last millennium.  So happy to find all the school photos from NSW & NT.  We also tossed the last of our garden chairs, purchased in 1998!!  Already 2 trailer loads have gone to the tip, i'm on an organisational high. 

 Our ducklings are one week old, could they be cuter??  The children gave them a bath - adorable - they loved it (FYI ducks are so messy, they fill their bills up with drinking water & spray it all over their cage, they love to be wet, so you have to put their food up high & dry) & we loved watching their dry-dance.  As always, the runt/ little one/ last born/ had to be helped from shell is thriving, i think we have a gift with special needs farm animals.  Bless our hens too, still laying eggs in the -5C nights, some during the day too, nice surprise when i clean out the coop after the school run.

 Our 4 children sat in a circle watching these sweethearts dry themselves.  They don't have much oil or any feathers yet so we let them do their own thing.  Then added their friendly chick gang to the mix on the lounge room floor (that is 4 Hamburgs & 2 Pekin bantams) who are growing very fast & feathery.  The children sit them on their desks while they do homework - these chicks & ducks are amazing spellers & mathematicians!!

Let's just say - making up creative excuses on what i have to keep in the garage, baking new recipes, a craft weekend & raising these ducklings indoors, while they soak everything, is keeping my creative brain active.  To all of the cool ladies attending Sew It Together this weekend . . . welcome to Canberra!!  For more creativity, check out Village Voices My Creative Space.  Love Posie

my creative space 'Sew It Together Sydney' & that IKEA slumber party!!

Greetings all,

On the run, totally.  Have booked the bus to Sydney, looked up the train timetable for the airport, mapped how to get to the car hire place & ordered a ticket for plane ride home to Canberra.  Now madly printing off maps to new-must-visit-craft-stores after i visit my parents in St Ives & swap their birthday gifts for the overseas purchases they brought for my children.  So that's 400km by lunchtime & more happy bulk in my luggage.

After school pick up today & ZumbAtomic (Zumba for children) i can clean the house, make dinner, prepare to not be home for 36 hours leaving handsome soldier with the children in Canberra . . . & consider packing for my trip.  Neatly stacked up i have 15 pre-ordered & autographed copies of Handmade Living (thanks ladies, still not too late to order or pick up on the day) but . . . i have to plan my 3 hours of bus craft, what Sew It Together craft i was intending on doing (besides chatting non stop all day & selling books), toiletries & jammies for the IKEA sleep over girlie slumber party in the bedding department on Friday night . . . OMG, what to wear to these events, in front of the television cameras??

Trying to do things in order of priorities, like organise next week's P&C Athletics Carnival BBQ, pack all the gifts i need for Sydney deliveries, remember the maps i've so carefully printed off . . . argh, my bag will be so heavy, so much for my normal super light luggage efforts!!  This is also a major factor in hiring a car & not dealing with cabs or public transport.

 Please note the darkness in this kitchen-counter-image, yes of course, trying to get bed sheets & towels dry so my husband can just focus on being super-awesome-father . . . why a hex'd week of rain, doom & gloom on my washing before i attempt to leave the house??  WHY??!!

 I don't have to wait much longer . . . it's my first SIT & in my childhood home town of Sydney!!  So glad i know my way around the Eastern Suburbs, North Shore & Balmain to Sydney Uni area where i'm zipping about tomorrow, i ordered the smallest car possible for city parking convenience & a bit of a snub to my regular 8 seater 4WD which screams mother-of-many!!  Having a little holiday from my car too.

So long, farewell, i'll be back soon with a whole TONNE of giggles to share.  Happy creative space day for those who actually created something other than panic, love Posie
PS my big 300th post $200 giveaway . . . last few days, good luck!!
EDIT running along like a mad woman, almost forgot to go & collect my husband from the airport!!  At least we have Sunday together, this was always a him-babysitting-the-children weekend.

my creative space 'spotty inspiration'

Greetings all,

Is it just me or is this year speeding up & are Thursdays coming around more quickly??  Feeling about 80% capacity right now, i'm hoping Zumba can knock out the kinks this morning.  I miss my husband, a lot, weekends are especially empty without him, so very much looking forward to his next trip home (in 8 days!!)
That means i have to jam a whole lot of sewing into the next week, devote a day to cleaning, gardening, mowing & sorting the garage so i can pretend we're always this organised without a man around.  I have more quilts on my mind & was super thrilled to see these Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Dot fabrics reprinted & reintroduced to my stash!!

 These prints scream "patchwork me".

 Oh then Anna Maria Horner made a veleteen collection, yes please, patchwork me into a Winter quilt now!!

 But it's always the spots-pin-polka-dots which steal my heart.

 I feel like having a bit of a "Devil Wears Prada" moment (remember the scene about the two blue, i mean cerulean belts which to the untrained eye were thought to be the same, gasp??)  I could easily go into a monologue about how incredibly different these amazing shades of creamy yellow spots, dots & honeycomb prints are & how they coordinate to make dramatic effects against other fabrics in a patchwork combination . . . without drawing a breath or blinking, Meryl Streep style. 

 Now for something completely different but still creative - i headed to school early yesterday with a headache & intentions of heading my son off at his classroom door to divert him straight to the car & NOT the playground . . . on the wall i found this drawing with a story about the book 'The Wrong Stone' (no, i've never heard of it either).  His story went like this, remember he's 7 years old & in year 2 . . . "My favourite part of the story was the start.  And the end."  Have to say, exactly like his 3 sisters, he had the most detailed drawing of his class & spent as little time & imagination as possible on the writing - but his punctuation was excellent.   

 Finally, if you're heading to Sew It Together in Sydney weekend after next, you'll find some screen printed love from Posie in your 'show bag'.  UPDATE: Sheridan has just received them - among other amazing sponsor prizes!!

For your regular Thursday dose of Creative Space invading, check out Kootoyoo & see who is playing along with Kirsty this week.  Up for a $200 pink giveaway, follow this blog & comment at this post.  Good luck!!  Love Posie
PS Thanks for the Eat Pray Love comments, either crafty blogging mummies are very content & grounded, or we're all missing the point of the book/ movie/ casting/ story/ action/ constant seeking of approval & path she took.  I'll watch it again, i just love Italy & listening to the language.  I can cook Italian & shock horror, i eat it too.