a whole lot of lazy...

I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. Lack of posts, very few blog visits, unanswered emails, no top ten last week!

To be honest, I’m a bit fatigued. Lots on my plate and too much on my mind. So I downed tools this weekend and did very little except read in bed, do the most basic chores like washing and tidying up the kitchen, watched tv and crocheted. And fed the vampire slayer of course...unfortunately she's hard to ignore. But I did manage to ignore my computer screen for a very large chunk of time!

first in my 'classic of the month' reads

It’s done me the world of good, but I’m going to toddle off to the doctor this week and get a check-up. And the only reason I’m telling you that is because if I write it here I might actually do it J 

a new ripple for a baby boy

There WILL be a top ten this week, if nothing else! So you have a good one (week that is) and I’ll try to do the same J

here

....oh, and yeah! The blog is two today...thank you for being such wonderful company xox

my creative space...a bit more crochet

Morning all....just a quick one today.  Once upon a very long time ago, in a crocheting world far, far away, I started a ripple blanket for the first born. I am pleased to tell you that it was delivered at Christmas time, and here it is living in its new home...just between you, me and the gatepost, I quite like it!

I missed the whole rippling thing, so I started on a cushion. And here it is, still incomplete, but resting nicely in my new/old indian parat from Lived In Coogee. Vanessa was brilliant. I saw on Facebook that she had some new parats in stock but they weren't in the online store, so she took some photos of what she had, emailed me and hey presto a few days later it was here! So happy with it.

To see a multitude of creative types, head this way...and I'll see you next week. Thanks heaps for this one. I might do some more crochet...or perhaps I'll just read a book  J

mopping up...tears and a bit of silliness

All I've been able to do over the last three days is sit glued to the tv watching the flood coverage...weeping along with a mountain of Queenslanders, who are indeed a mob to be proud of...

...and knitting dishcloths! 

I kid you not. Don't laugh...they're very absorbent. Perhaps I should send them to Queensland :) And no, I don't knit them with calligraphy brushes!

There's going to be an awful lot of Chux needed to mop up this lot isn't there?

Wish I was closer so that I could help in some practical, hands on way. 
I have lived in Brisbane three times in my life due to Army postings and it's the city where my kids were born, so I have a very soft spot for it.

Just quietly, I'm a bit chuffed with the dishcloth pattern. I dreamed it up all by myself after much trial and error. There was a lovely black one too but I gave it to Richard.

There are many photos of the floods in The Australian newspaper's galleries page. The photos of Grantham are particularly heartbreaking. It's never too late to donate to the Premier's Fund...click here...the clean up bill will be just that...billions. And all extremities crossed for Goondiwindi which is holding its collective breath at the moment.

p.s. I used to knit them like this...double cotton so they are very thick...but perhaps too thick to dry out quickly enough for dishwashing and mopping up......they'll probably end up joined together as a rug for the vampire slayer!

things that should be getting done that aren't...and a peek of the white living room

I have, had ok still do have great plans for my long holiday break. There is so much I want to do around the house...but I am laid low with the stupid flu or cold, or whatever it is. It's made me completely lethargic, is driving me nuts and all I feel capable of doing is watching bad TV and knitting dishcloths! At least I'm not out shopping!

Case in point...this is the bottom part of my bedroom. It had a really, really ugly built in desk that I ripped out almost a year ago now. I have had the plastering done, but that's where its all stopped. This needs to must be painted white to match the top half...I think it's the window trim that's stopping me!

On the plus side, I did score that fabulous granny blanket you see on the chair crocheted by my great grandma quite a long time ago, and this beautiful hand embroidered and crocheted tablecloth done by her as well. I pinched it when I cleaned out mum's linen cupboard when I visited at Christmas. Bounty from doing a good deed :)

And even though my house is not at its best right now (a bit like me) I thought you might like a peek of the newly painted living room and the chandeliers that have finally made it to the ceiling and not the floor where they were stored! 

I'll do proper photos later...styled 'n all like I know you like them...that is, photos without the TV remote perched on the arm of my sofa and the cushions in the right place! And I might do a before and after...I think you'll see quite a difference. Oh yeah, and I also have big plans for painting a few canvases as well...when I'm well :)
OK, back off to the cricket now (that's how you know I'm sick...I'm watching the cricket...the men in white coats will be arriving soon I'm sure!)

diy clay gift tags...

Given that my living room is getting painted next week...and a host of electrical stuff will be going on as well...I'm not able to decorate the house for Christmas. Which is quite infuriating seeing this is the first year I've had a blog! So a wreath on the door and a garland or two will probably be the extent of yuletide decorating shenanigans at the tranquil townhouse. Never mind...my substitute for Christmas decorating has been to make these...

The 'peace' will be part of a garland, but I also thought it would be nice to make my own gift tags for Christmas presents...so I did that too. Here they are waiting to dry...takes 24 hours or so according to the packet :)

Inspired by this magazine article (in December Home Beautiful)...

...Nellie's clay tag tutorial... and Ness's examples...I thought, why not give it a go! So I did. Here's the bits and pieces...sorry, not a very glamorous shot of all the makings...but I was well and truly over it by the time I took that pic :)

The neutral colour DAS clay was much easier to use than the red...and I also used this Fimo light...which is certainly much lighter (but I forgot to take a photo)...it was pretty good to use as well.

I just rolled the clay out with a rolling pin, cut out shapes with cookie cutters or in the case of the rectangular ones, a pizza cutter to cut the shape, and then used a variety of stamps and inks to press on to the shape. Make a hole with a bamboo skewer and it's done. Easy! I bought the clay from Eckersley's Art and Craft, some of the stamps from there as well, or from Lincraft...and the pen (see below) from Riot Art. I'm sure Spotlight would have all or most of this as well but I couldn't be bothered schlepping over to Queanbeyan!

Apparently once they're dry you can smooth the rough edges with some steel wool, but an emery board would probably be good...and easier. I'll have to do that tonight once the tags are dry.

The lovely girl at Riot Art assured me that this pen will write on the clay once it's dry. My intention is to do the whole to/from/with love etc thing on the back of each tag.  Because you never know...some of my family and friends might get a whole lot of presents from other clay tag making people, not just from me! Hard to believe I know :)

p.s. I'll be having a Christmas giveaway on Monday...might fling a few of these in :)

my creative space...softies for mirabel

It's been a looooong time since I've made a toy!

I started this a few weeks ago thinking I'd whip it up in no time...but the embroidery took a little longer than I expected (why are all of my projects like this I wonder ??)

Instead of a button on his bottom I made a little pom pom! Please note that I made this from a kit I found at Spotlight. I'm not that clever!

Anyway, finished now and in the post today for the Softies for Mirabel appeal. Look at all the toys in the window at Meet me at Mikes...awesome

Go here to find out more...it's not to late to get a toy in...and when you've done that head over to Kootoyoo for a bunch of creatives...and someone please make it stop raining!! So over it.

my weekend ~ peaceful pottering

Hello lovely tranquil people...I do hope you had a terrific weekend.

Due to a great deal of this...

There was a lot of pottering about...literally...

lettuce, cherry tomatoes and lemon basil (I know, I hadn't heard of that one either!

And Sarah, I promise to get the slayer a proper tag one day :)

I started to make a softie from a kit I bought at Spotlight...for the Softies for Mirabel Project 2010 (I do hope a kit is acceptable!). These are for kids orphaned or abandoned due to their parents' drug addiction...a really good cause. Softies need to get to Melbourne by 7 December if you'd like to make one...check out the link for all the details.

I've almost finished another pincushion...this one's hot pink...

and with the left over bits of the stuff you do the tapestry on (what is that called?), I made a couple of bookmarks...

and I tackled the huge pile of unread magazines that I have lying around...these are but a sample!

...which leads me to the subject of that ghastly wall colour that I've allowed you a glimpse of...which I am pleased to say will be no more by 17 December. Tiny came through with a reasonable quote and his team arrive on the 13th for a week. Yes, there will be before and afters!

And here are some scanned photos from one of the magazines that I managed to demolish...a fabulous Adelaide home in Belle magazine...love it to bits.

So I guess you could say I spent quite a bit of time sitting on my butt this weekend!! But (ha!) I was also a very lucky blogger and won a gorgeous book on Simone's blog yesterday...this one...

It will be very happy here I'm sure, especially when my walls are painted white :) Thank you so much Simone...go and say hi if you haven't already...Honey and Fizz is a blog full of gorgeousness.

A very warm hello and welcome to new readers. I really do hope you enjoy your visits. And lastly, but certainly not least...thank you so much for all your lovely comments about my post on Rose. She truly was special.

my creative space...what I like to call a farmers' market tote

My friend Chris and I have been doing a little collaborating...a bit of plotting, planning and putting together. We've sourced some very large Brazilian coffee sacks, and along with a cunning plan...we have made the first of what we hope will be lots of these...

I like to think of them being flung over your shoulder and waltzed off to the local farmers' market...we have one just down the lane and over the road on a Sunday...

I guess you could use them for other things as well...a beach bag maybe, or for collecting firewood, but the vision was for veggies of all kinds nestling contentedly in the calico lining. Dead set romantic notion don't you think! Ignore the vampire slayer hogging the camera.

It's a bit hard to get a good photo with the plastic outer...designed to stop the jute coming off all over your good market clobber...

...or mad cats wanting to sit on it! 

No vampire slayers over at Kootoyoo.