My Creative Space : dealing with uninvited guests of the evil variety

A while ago a dark gloom settled over our house, albeit a brief one but for this lone crafter, a tragedy. A tragedy all of you who love fabric will empathise with, on a deep level.

Rats and Mice and fabric do not mix. Yes, rats in the stash.

Not only had rats/ mice got into my fabric stash, they had poo'd wee'd fornicated and birthed. Amongst my fabric. They had treated it like a cheap hotel.  It was not just any fabric, not the pieces from the bargain bin at Spotters, no no no. The maps. Hundreds of dollars worth of fabric potentially ruined.

And so began more swearing than I think Busy has heard in her short life,  shrieking, screaming and general hysteria not only at the poo  but also at finding baby rats squeaking between layers of fabric. Sorry, I hope you aren't eating you lunch.

Thankfully Chef was home to help deal with 1. rat search, recovery and drowning and 2. to apply hugs, tea and sympathy to me. It was a dark day. Not only did I have to throw out a huge amount of fabric they also ruined an almost completed one of these. And it's not like I whip one of those ones up in ten minutes!

All of this fabric was in a cupboard, I still can't work out not only how they got in but how quickly they trashed it!

So since then there has been just a small amount  of paranoia about " the maps". Windows to the sewing room have remained shut, doors remained closed, fabric has been placed inside about 15 plastic bags in a drawer that I check compulsively.

I had in mind a solution but I needed to find it. It had to be metal but not heavy, have wheels and preferably be upright.
And here it is:
My Craft Trolley. I love it. I love that it is red. ( a bonus)

I love that all the made maps fit inside ready for orders.

It even has loads of drawers for stationary on top.

And drawers for works in progress.

Chef is jealous, after all it is suppose to be for tools.

These are my tools.  If you look closely you can see my lady hammer.

For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirstys.

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: All Worldly.

My Creative Space is large. This is new, and huge and looks spectacular.  I hung it up to take photos for Etsy but I love it so much I am keeping this one. I am going to teach Busy a new country every few days. How handy will she be for crosswords?

I can't help looking at New Zealand everytime I look at it. It is just so awful.

 Giant world map wall hangings are here

More Creative Spaces over here. at Kirstys house.

My Creative Space- the secret to a happy marriage

A few weeks ago I started this cross stitch and I showed you a little bit. My friend is getting married on Saturday- cross everything for a lovely day as it is a beach wedding, we all have new frocks  (well Chef isn't wearing a frock, obviously, but the wedding is a bit posh - any excuse for me to buy a new dress) and I made this for them, more a gift for him - just so he remembers the secret to a happy marriage....

 you know, a little reminder, to hang in the bedroom...

For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirstys lovely space.

Also thank you to everyone's kind words about my world map cushion- the cushion was on Bloesom kids last night/ today and it sold with orders for more. YAY!!

My Creative Space: Photography

My Creative Space has been all about taking photos. I really love playing with my camera and I love taking photos of our little family.

We have been on holidays to the beach... I took several hundred photos and we had a really lovely time...just what we needed... I feel like I am getting to know my camera now and plan on  doing a photoshop course at some point this year...

 

 I took some sewing with me and didn't touch it... Busy struggled over if she should take the "mermaid necklace" she found home or put it back in the ocean for the mermaid... it came home.

Zac is still at the beach with Chef who is there with "the boys" for a few more days. Of course we miss Chef deperately (my belly in particular) but it is so quiet here without Zac I am barely coping... his chichichichi around the house at night as his toenails patter on the wooden floor and the big huruuumph sound as he throws himself on the ground and sighs loudly is a constant noise in the background of this house... I miss having him at my feet.

For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirstys new fancy blog.

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: 2010 an overveiw

I looked at all the things I have made over the last year, some of them featured in My Creative Space and really wondered - where did I find the time?  This isn't even everything I made this year,  I reckon I made at least 300 rattles for online and wholesale!  Which I am not saying to boast just saying to see it written down staring at me... which is kind of freaking me out!

Probably the highlight of my year craft- wise was winning the red category of the Feelin stitchy colour competiton with my deer head in red on linen . It meant so much to me to have people say they really loved it, and for a teensy moment I felt like... an artist...

I wanted to thank Kirsty for hosting My Creative Space as I feel like it sometimes kept me moving forward. I have been so inspired by so much not only Kirsty has made but so many others' whose blogs I read. I have seen some amazing stitching and sewing and general crafty ideas- it has been ace. I have been inspired to try things I would not have tried ( like zippers, shirring and French knots) had it not been for seeing you lovelies, my peers doing it and saying it wasn't that hard. So I wanted to say Thank you to you all, for reading, listening, your nice emails of support, your votes when needed, your feedback and kindness, your lovely words and you head nodding. I have appreciated it immensely.

The pic of me in the middle looks like I have buck teeth. weird.

I also wanted to thank the many many bloggy friends who have purchased something from one of my shops or just straight from me, or who have had an idea and asked me to make it for them. It means a lot to me that you would swap your hard earned dollars for something that came out of me head...And to everyone I did swaps with, or who just sent me something to be nice, that was really very lovely and meant so much to me. To everyone who sent me little private emails to confide in me, I felt honoured and humbled that you would trust me with your secrets and I have held them close.  To all those late night emails and silliness and private jokes I have shared with so many of you, it has been ace, and I wanted to say thank you.

See you soon, hopefully my mojo/ sewjo will return soon... and I think, I absolutely must, and will be visiting Melbourne next year. Stay tuned. 

World travel from the comfort of your lounge

So I started with places that mean something to me or that I love, London, Sydney New York, Melbourne...  now I have moved onto continents...

Some I backpacked around at age 19....

                                                   Some I backpacked around age 21....

 

This one I call home... Chef insisted I ensure New Zealand was included...

This one I want to go to... it gave us coffee and chocolate so what's not to love...

This one is on my definitely one day... one day we will go on Safari...and we will go to Morocco..

This one I will probably never go to but it does look so beautiful... 

All available here, some others over here.

They are selling like crazy crazy and someone that is actually in ANTARCTICA now wants one! and New York and South America have been on the front page of Etsy and all been in lots of treasuries- YAAAAAAY!!!

My Creative Space: happiness

My Creative Space is all packed up at the moment.  You see tomorrow my Chef is turning 40. We are having a party on Saturday and Chefs brother Mark, is coming from New Zealand to stay with us. (Busy is confused as she intially thought her swimming teacher, also called Mark , was coming for a sleepover- she was very excited which I was surprised about as I didn't think she would remember Chefs brother.....)
I have been planning and sneaking around for months/weeks organising Chefs present, which of course I cannot tell you about yet but suffice to say there are some big wife points coming my way!!HUGE points!

pic

Also I have finally restocked the fisherman pants on madeit. I had a break from them as I did not love them for a while, but now happy to make them again, so here they are... I only put these up yesterday and three pairs sold immediately.  

 I have a few pairs of each design. Get 'em while they are hot.

Also a big big sloppy kiss to these two lovely ladies for being my first cushion customers yesterday. Really appreciated. And not forgetting a quadruple order from Jo who will soon be launching her on line shop called Little Indigo - which is also my new stockist for chunky chooky rattles. YAAAYYYY!!!!

And thanks to everyone else for your kind words.

Don't forget my giveaway here.

For more Creative Spaces head on over to Kirstys.

My Creative Space: stitchy

I do a school program about once a month which involves 15-16 year olds and some very confronting information about sexual assault and domestic violence. The program is brilliant and I do love this age. They can be so insightful sometimes and I love seeing their cool hairstyles and the way some of them, even at this age, have such an amazing sense of style and innate coolness, some people are just born with.

A few months ago when they were talking about an event in the media and how the public attitude was so different to how it may be now one of the young people said:

It just says it all really doesn't. It says so much about this generation of young people. That we give them access to all this plug in technology yet, we then, as a society,  hassle them for not being able to live without it. accuse them of living life through facebook and other social media. but the rules of what is ok are still unknown...

I think they get a lot of flack, but I think this generation is ace. And I thank the young guy who said this as it has made so many people laugh. If you want to make one- you can.

For more creative spaces click over to Kirstys blog.

and a great big giveaway is happening over here

My Creative Space: ROBOT

A few weeks back Lou forwarded on to me a call for submissions for an upcoming plush event. I decided to get involved and since I last made robots for Vic- our resident robot expert, I thought I would ask her what she liked most about the rattles and use it as the basis for a giant robot plushie.

Of course his name is VICTOR and even though he has wheels he hovers just above the ground....

It is so nice working with felt, it is so forgiving, not shedding or fraying, every cut is neat, the colours are so great, I love it. I could have gone beserk with the dials and buttons....From antenna to wheels he is just over 40cms.
 I  actually have to give him away- that is part of the deal, so somone is going to win him....I will really be sad to see him go. I will let you how to enter to win him when I get more details. What do you think? Make more?
For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirstys and get clicking.

My Creative Space: offensive language may offend

It is with a heavy heart today that I write. A friend has cancer, and I am scared. I am scared for her beautiful sister and her partner both of whom I love so much, I am scared for her beautiful children, I am scared for her loving partner and for her family and friends. She is on the other side of the world and I feel so helpless.

She has such a black sense of humour, and I didn't know what else to do. My first thought being  "make something." I made her this cross stitch and ordered some books about cancer for the children too...  it is so hard to avoid cliches... and I can't write anymore today. Just that she is so funny and the thought of her always makes me laugh.

I am selling the pattern to the above cross stitch  here and donating all the money to the Cancer Council.

More Creative Spaces here, and my apologies to the amazing hostess Kirsty for lowering the mood for a moment. xx

My Creative Space: Perriwinkle Bears

I haven't made any of these Perriwinkle Bears for a while and I couldn't find my original  pattern. So I sketched another pattern cut them all out and sewed all the faces on . I sewed the first one together and it was a  DISASTER. This was the reason for the my creative space tantrum last week . They looked so different to what the lovely woman had ordered- which was 5 like the one on my website/ header that I think the finished one may become either a Toy Drop or a Softie for Mirabel - so not a total waste but still such a waste of time in terms of orders and deadlines etc. So finally success!!!

Here are the ones off to Melbourne.

I am happy with the end result, but not happy with the photos of them all togther, but I wanted to show you never the less. Photo shoot was limited due to the rain... ( which I will stop complaining about because it has actually stopped today!) The one on the top left seemed to have twisted his nose around the wrong way- easily twisted back.

It was nice to make something other than rattles for a change. Now back to orders, 10 rattles and two softies in two weeks........eeeeekkkk...plus I am dying to show you what I have been secretly working on but feel i may never get the chance!!

For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirstys and follow the links to see inside everyones house.

And if you haven't entered my giveaway already and by the way, some of the things you guys are scared of are truely bizarre and in some cases disturbing ( but in a hilarious way!!) then you can do so  here

My Creative Space : Blah!!!

Dead Sewing Machine
Originally uploaded by painter girl

This is what I wanted to do to my sewing machine yesterday.

Ever had one of those days where everything you do turns out badly? I decided I was never sewing again, I was going to throw my machine over a cliff ( felt bad about rubbishing a National Park) burn all my scrap books and never never never make anything or sew anything ever ever ever again. Not blog anymore, erase my whole blog. Full of self doubt- everything I make is crap anyway, it is all too hard, I am not good at anything , everyone is better at sewing than me and more creative than me and I am wasting my time etc etc etc.

After the fifth disaster, they are to painful to list in detail, I realised what was wrong.

You can't make pretty when you feel yukky inside.

I watched my friend bury her father on Tuesday. It was so painful to see her in such pain. To see her being so brave and keeping the family together, supporting her mum. The eulogy she wrote for her father was so beautiful, a mix of funny and kind and heart warming and so beautifully written, I was so proud of her, the way she handled herself. Seeing her fathers school friends crying, it made me cry for them. I glad to be there for her, I know she would do the same.

I thought I could cheer myself up yesterday by spending the day sewing and brainstorming new ideas... but it was not meant to be.

I decided to step away from the machine, go outside, hug the dog and take him into to town for a coffee. I was able to giggle at the designer Hippies that have started arriving in town for the Bellingen Global Carnival with Chef and the owner... but more on that later...

I had a good vent and got a very lovely email from Kate that made me feel better, she was having a crap day too and so was Penny.

I realised that I need to prioritise. I like blogging,  so that will continue, I like making so that to will continue. I will give myself longer deadlines for orders and stop trying to multitask.

I will give myself time and space.

My Creative Space is about space today. Nothingness. Just stopping for a while. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

So that is what I am doing for a while, but don't got to far I have the most exciting giveaway coming up ( hint it is  from Penguin Publishing)

To see what peeps who didn't want to kill there sewing machines yesterday pop over here, thanks Kirsty.

My Creative Space: desk

My Creative Space is pretty unexciting this week as all I have been doing is making rattles as I had a couple of big orders... I did some new styles too, unfortunately no animals with glasses (YET!!!) as so brilliantly suggested  just a couple of monsters,  but one has an underbite and one a fang. You can see on my work desk my lovely nude pincushion doll from Leonie we had a private swap  after the big pincushion swap where I got this lovely mouse from Tracey and so many other goodies. My Creative Space has also been about some shameless self  promotion; I was featured/interviewed today on State of Green blog which I always worry I will sound like a wanker and feel free to tell me if you think I do sound like a wanker in the interview or at anytime....... if you have never seen what I look like you can see for yourself...

So for more creative spaces go on over to Kirstys...

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:

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

our composting toilet

You know when you suddenly "see" for the first time, what you have looked at everyday and it seems to need 'something' ?

That is what it needed- some craftiness....

And you know when you look at something you like- in this case felt balls- and wonder what you can do with them?And then the idea comes to you in a big wave......

You can make one too it is really easy...

All I did was get a metal ring from large craft type shop and bend it into a heart shape....

Then I put the balls on top and sewed them to the heart, a simple loop through one ball around the hoop and then through the next ball- just to keep them in place. Then I got some araldite glue ( USE IT OUTSIDE IN A VERY BREEZY AREA) then I glued them to the heart to stop them swivelling. I know the back is a bit messy and some of you won't cope with that but no one will see the back because it is hanging on the wall!!!! So chill ok?

It will hang over the bed.

For a constant source of inspiration head on over to Kirsty's for more Creative Spaces....

Oh and I got the felt balls from here 

My Creative Space

You know when you decide to do something and think to yourself  "I will just whip that up it will only take half an hour" and then you fumble and fuss (and swear) and it ends up taking AGES. No? Well I do. In fact my general bull- at- a- gate- more- confidence- than- actual- skill -attitude can lead me to far flung places.... so when I had the idea of making a post box for Busy because she  is pretty into the idea of collecting the post which , because our postbox is about 500m from our front door - down very steep muddy dodgy driveway then over bridge, up steep hill, over cattle grid and up steep hill again - we only collect the post when we are driving in and out past it. 

I decided to combine the postbox with the curtains I have been meaning to make to go around her bed - instead of the less than aesthetically pleasing old sheets I have been using, and the child actually requested white curtains ( *gushing* she really did come from my womb!!!)

here are the curtains and here is the postbox...

I planned on back stitching the word mail but decided for a quicker machine embroidery. After reading Ginas' tutorial I had a go , I actually think it looks better in real life than in the dodgy picture taken in fading light yesterday. I urge you to try this thread sketching , I am keen to do some more at some stage.

She loved it and immediately put some treasure* in the postbox.
For more Creative Spaces head over to the house of Kootoyoo, Thanks Kirsty, I love Thursdays.
*random objects that are important to a 3 year old like buttons, hair clips, pieces of paper with small pictures on them, bits of string, broken pieces from toys etc etc etc......

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...