My Creative Space: chickens are clever.

I have always been impressed by the way chooks make the yolks so perfectly round. Every. Single. Time.  

I have wanted to do another little embroidery in a small hoop for ages but have felt quite uninspired. But the other day, when I was cooking an egg, I was watching it and was inspired to stitch one. It has been too long since I picked up the hoop and I was reminded how much I love it. How much I missed it.

Just a little something for the kitchen. To make you smile. Did it make you smile?

I have plans for two more.... can you guess what?

For more creative spaces pop over to Kirstys house.

My Creative Space- stitchin'

Are you happy? I am. I hope you are too. I am making a present for someone, it is going to say a little bit more, I will show you when it is finish, but I like it already. 

I am pooped after yesterdays shenanigans. There was waterslides, swimming in friends pools .... it was a happy day. Busy had a great day, thanks to all your well wishes,  and is already saying "I am nearly 5"!!

For more Creative Spaces pop over to the most fabulous Kirsty at Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space: More red stitching

Red. As a wise woman commented when you are onto a good thing.... so after  last weeks wonkiness and Kirsty's wise words to Wonk it up - I was thrilled to remember I had this fabric that already has lines on it. I considered doing it another colour but why fight my love of red stitching? I love this verse and first saw it in an art gallery gift shop in Christchurch  as a painting , I quickly jotted in down in my notebook knowing one day I would find a way to use it...  It is written by Bruce Williamson.

 Nice sentiment don't you think?
For more Creative Spaces join in here:

More birthday stitchin'.... in red

It was my friends birthday today and we lunched together- just the ladies ....I embroidered this tea towel for her as she loves cooking and eating, (I excel at the latter and don't do so well with the former). On completion I realised it was probably more decorative than functional ...as I don't really know how it would go in the wash... but it does look nice on our stove so I may have to make another.... the red stitching continues... maybe one day I will stitch something in another colour...but red is just so good.

My Creative Space: de- clutter

This is Busy's room. This section of it drives me insane. This is all of  her "treasure." I strongly resist the urge to call it rubbish because not all of it is, as you can see... Often the "treasure"  finds its way next to our bed on the side table. Little bits of " treasure" are deposited around the house on a regular basis and then kind of hidden by me just in case she asks about them and if a few days go by and she has not asked about it - I bin it. Heaven help us if we even suggest throwing anything out. The little bower bird is a hoarder- just like her dear old Dad. It may surprise many of you to know I am a chucker.*  So this hoarding causes me a lot of emotional pain.

Being solution focused I decided to make her a bag to keep everything in... well rather embroider on a bag that was part of my Feeling Stitchy prize ... hopefully she will like the idea of keeping all her "treasure"  in the bag... problem was after almost tearing the house apart to find my erasable marker - to no avail - but really not wanting to crochet the blanket anymore and really wanting to do something stitchy I decided to do it without the marker- for maximus wonkiness - just stitched straight onto the fabric! So here is the reason WHY you shouldn't do this

However embracing the OFMK (Only for my kid)  principal I soldiered on and decided to finish it and as I was packing everything away I found the bloody erasable marker.....

* not always throw in the bin, often give away or give to second hand shop...

For some non wonky Creative Spaces pop over to Kirsty's  and tell me - are you a hoarder  a chucker- I bet a lot of you are hoarders out there!! Am I alone ?

AND today is the last day to enter my birthday piggy giveaway...

My Creative Space

*Drumroll* preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesenting: The one, the only Mr Magillacutty!Thank you to all you for your kind words last week- it really motivated me to finish him.

                                         I can't help feeling like he needs a wife..........................

On another note, would love for you to vote in my poll- see over there on the right, and leave a comment here if you would like to have your two cents worth...
For many more Creative Spaces, go to Kirstys place and start clicking...

My Creative Space: the french knot

The French Knot has been one of those embroidery stitches I have always been scared to commit too as  whenever I do one right it seems to be an unrepeatable fluke. A week or so ago I saw this on Feeling Stitchy and was inspired to overcome another sewing fear and concquer the French Knot.  So the other day when mum was hear I gathered my stitching books and set to work. There was a lot of frustration as mum also tried to teach me her way of doing it which seemed to be the opposite of the books and then by george I got it!  My plan was when I had learnt how to do it I was going to do a huge stack of them so it would be permanently etched on my brain, so I started doing a circle of them, once around the circle and getting a bit bored with the idea of a circle of french knots I looked at it again.... and, well, it was obvious really:

I am just doing his jumper in another new- to- me- stitch too split stitch, I will show you when I have finished him... I am rather fond of him so far his name is Mr Magillacutty.

For more stitchy-ness, creativeness  and what- (k)not head on over to Kirsty's.

My Creative Space

Well, there was some crying and swearing and general carry on over here yesterday not only after the $132 average softie discovery  ( scroll day for tantrum in full flight) but when  I attempted to master the zipper.

How hard could it be?.............. well maybe if I had of read some of the millions of tutorials available.......................maybe if I had of eaten breakfast, hence, not being hangry ( hungry and angry) when it was attempted........................maybe I should have not used fabric I had painstakenly embroidered as this only amplified the anxiety...maybe I should have actually looked at a pillow with a zipper and seen how simply it can be done.......maybe if I was the type of person to follow instructions...maybe if I didn't always think " I will be able to work it out as I go...make it up along the way etc ..."....maybe if I didn't approach things with a bull at a gate attitude...just maybe I could have saved myself a lot of pain... but then, I wouldn't be me....but I learnt - eventually - all the things not to do when sewing a zipper and now feel the next one will be fabulously neat. So here it is:

 Thanks to this lovely fabric Cathy gave me that matches perfectly.

Here is the back taken from a huge distance to keep me from being completely embarrassed about the disgraceful state of it and mortified that people reading this may have considered actually buying something
 sewn from me.... but it does open and close- which really is the whole point.

For a gazillion more Creative Spaces- pop over to Kirstys.

Finished: my lifes' work...

Not really, but it felt like it ....late last night while anyone sensible was tucked up in bed and Chef was working and Busy was sleeping, I was stitching away-desperate to finish my embroidery... I have a some kind of weird pain in my arm and hand today I am referring to as RSS- Repetitive Stitch Syndrome....muscle fatigue from such stitchin exertion! It has taken weeks I reckon, I briefly stopped to do this, then started again ....Cindy kindly suggested I enter it in the Feeling Stitchy colour competition but the compeition is fierce AND I have chosen the most popular colour...but what the heck why not, I have now offically entered!  Thanks to everyones kind words on Thursday that really encouraged me to finish...So here it is:

and don't forget my giveaway

Now ...........what next?

Late night stitchin'

I was up late finishing this for a friends birthday today... its another one of pepperstitches great patterns...

I hope she likes it.... 

My Creative Space

This week I continue to rejoice in my extra 14 hours a week.

I have  taken up hookin' as the weather has cooled slightly. This is for a 10 month old boy I refer to as Chunkles.

Then of course once Busy realised it wasn't for her she wanted one- "in pink,with stripes"

She is captivated by Jibba Jabba at time of photo taking...

And finally, last weeks little girl needed her " friend"  to be finished so she wouldn't feel so lonely...

I think her smile has got a little bigger...

Pop on over to Kootoyoo to see what everyone else is doing...

Please wear something with a bit of lycra in the waist region:

 Tonight we are having some friends over for a 8 course degustation at our place. Chef has been preparing since Monday night and working at the busiest time of the year ( - our little town is packed with visitors which means good news for me as they are buying my rattles like nobodies business - I cannot make them quick enough which is very exciting!!!) Chef and The Apprentice- who has just returned from travelling around the world- even caught the mud crabs for the crab bisque on tonights menus. Food porn photos very soon.

I just had to post this photo of Busy who was pretty excited about the crabs - please ignore mess in background...

More embroidery- I think it will be this years present- last year everyone got plastic lined shoe bags. Fancy being born on New years Day? Poor thing everyone always forgets- so I have made a special someone this for her brithday... I hope she likes it.

 Have a great New Years Eve!! xxx

Birthday gifts

I am meeting a friend for her birthday today for lunch and I made her this. Her favourite colours are purple and green.

I do love to do embroidery and I am new to it and yes, it is a bit wonky- but thats how I like things to be.