a peanut piggy pair

To celebrate her first bloggy birthday, Stitchy Britt is giving away these adorable peanut-shaped squishy pigs. All handmade, including that little scarf and crocheted basket. Adorable. Pop over there and oink her- post a comment or visit her facebook page, and help celebrate her blog birthday! Yay!

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Be quick, entries close Saturday night! (Her blog is swell too- less peanut-shaped, but just swell.)

my creative space- Penny!

Results are in from the name poll to name my new sewing machine, 56% voted for the name Penny, so Penny she is! (Alice came second at 35%, and Jane last). Thanks everyone who voted!

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Other things I've been doing in my creative space
- sorting fabric by colour and size into lovely new plastic tubs and stacking them up high

- freaking out when the now-named Penny flashed and blew smoke (she's better now. phew)

- madly calling repair centres

- staring out the window instead of sewing. watching dog walkers and cranky birds.

- being unsure of what to do first. watching movies instead

- writing lists. crossing out lists. merging lists and then rewriting lists neater

- spending time shopping instead of sewing. finding old patterns and materials and possibilities

- spilling tea on everything and swearing

- cutting out sweaters for cushions

- planning a giant giraffe. Giant. Giraffe. you heard me.

- feeling a little bad for not sewing much. going to the pub instead

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VERY productive, as you can tell.. (*cough*) But now that Penny is named, we can chat and sew all week long. Uh-huh.

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more creative spaces here

what the fortune teller told me

by pop-awesome artist Esther Aart

Yesterday on the way to meet a friend for lunch, I passed an old lady in the tunnel walkway who read palms, and on impulse I sat down and proffered my open hands. All I told her was my birthday, these are some of the things she told me (for future reference!)

- You can create anything you want, the tiniest things, and you can teach anything. You are very good at creating
- I can see 1 child for you, and 3 grandchildren
- You will live until you are 88, but because you will live so long, you need to mediate regularly to clear your mind or you will look very old much sooner
- You will die in your sleep
- You are vulnerable to being duped, You must check people, as there are those who would be out to trick your mind and your heart. Always check people. Promise me this.
- 2010 is a very good year, so is 2012 (and some more she said but I forget!)
- Never travel by plane during the month of march, or you will lose all your money or passport
- You are a moonchild, your best hour is 6am. Anything you really want to do you should do or start at that time
- November 2, 2010, you will never have to worry about money again, you will have enough for everything I will need.
- December 31st, 2010, you will be with or meet the love of your life, you will be happy together for a long long time
- February 2012 (or 2011? I don’t remember!) You will have the highest career you have ever dreamt of
-I see here you will have two accidents in the next 33 years, one will be in a taxi and you will hurt my toe and have to have your toenail removed, and break a finger. The taxi company will give you $300,000 compensation for my toenail.
- Also you will have two operations in the next 33 years, one for your nostrils and one for your ears, I don't see any major operations or illness
- You move a lot, and should live near the ocean or lake or river. Never move to the cold, it is not good for you and will give you asthma and make me sick. You should never spend weeks in the cold, or move to someplace like the blue mountains. Remember this, you will never forget my ugly face *laughs* However, you will never drown or die in water, I promise you.
- Always wear pearls, and not any other precious stones
- You have a lot going on in your head, and must concentrate on one thing at a time, and not get too caught up in your brain and worries. Remember to meditate.
- Stay away from junk food or you may die from heart trouble, and also don’t eat fruit from a tree, or you will go blind within 33 years. Please please for me do this. What is good for you is pineapple juice, blueberries and raspberries. If you have any health problems, eat these.
- You are a 90% perfect human being, which is rare. You have good health, good mind, good spirit. I see many people who are not good beings, you are good.

fake science

via

Hide and Seek Market

My stall last weekend at the Hide and Seek market, and the market mascot that I made! My mum and a friend were there to help out, and we have never seen quite-so-many pregnant women in one place. I suppose if you’re starting to get clucky, making baby and kids toys and being surrounded by babies and pregnant women may not help. Hrrmm. I think I need to visit my niece and get my fix vicariously.

I bought a beautiful ring, and a doll (see more here), and a dozen cupcakes with flavours like Caramello, black forest, lemon curd and almond and berry. Yummo. (I'm eating one in the photo there.. That's what that bemused look is.)

You can see more about the markets here.

flea market finds

Oops a little (quite a lot, actually) late but better late than never! Here are some vintage-y things I have found this week and last week in my op-shop explorations. I am starting to visit op-shops quite a lot (even more than before!) in my quest for recycled fabrics (some nice op-shops even let me trawl through their gonna-throw-out pile for goodies! Which is what I prefer, I’d rather use stuff that would otherwise be landfill than stuff that is just second-hand. I want to eventually be using only recycled materials, but I digress). During these missions I -of course- end up looking at everything else in the store, and finding cute little vintage-y things like this that I just have to get.

So I’m going to start a section in my etsy store for ‘vintage-y goodness’. This means that I can still search for vintage goodness, and I still get to collect them, but they can be in constant rotation and be released back into the wild! Remember the gold deer? And those salt and pepper shakers? They’ll be in there too. Open soon!

yay team Adam!

picture via another masterchef tragic, pottymouthmama

Go Adam! (He's just so zen, and lovely and thinks well of everyone, and looks like a cute otter when he's worried, and can cook amazingly). I'm buying your book, and cooking (attempting) everything in it! I am happier about someone I've never met winning a reality cooking show than I ever thought I would be!

Hooray!

moustache party

I made these moustaches (inspiration here) this week for a party at my house. Or just friends over. Or just to make me giggle. Then, I was looking around blog world and I saw..

:: Pin the Mustache on 70s Burt Reynolds FREE PRINTABLE Poster :: FREE PRINTABLE Mustache Nickname Party Banner :: Inspiration for Mustache Cupcakes :: Mustache Cookie Cutter & Lolly Mold at Bake It Pretty :: FREE PRINTABLE Cupcake Toppers :: FREE PRINTABLE Printable Disguise Kit :: FREE PRINTABLE Template for Felt Mustaches :: FREE PRINTABLE Mustache Template :: How To Make a Mustache Cake ::

This post by Amanda on Kind Over Matter? (If you don't know it, it's a swell kind blog. Go see.) Resources for your very own moustache party! I'm reblogging it 'cause it's making me want to have a moustache party. Immediately. How fun would that be? Really.

What is it with moustaches lately? Ooh la la.

DIY photography light box

After all my light-for-photography woes, the Boy built me a light box! He used this tutorial.
Gathering materials; cardboard box, poster board (or in my case, the back of an Ikea Billy bookcase), scissors, tape, measuring tape, baking paper.




Cutting windows in the sides, which were then covered in baking paper, and the poster board cut to size and slid in.

Taa daaa! We lined up lamps to shine in and took some test shots. I need to change the wattage of my bulbs to a) be brighter and b) all have the same brightness, but overall it's a definite improvement, and sure beats waiting for the sun!

I'm looking forward to posting my Flea Market Finds with the help of my handy-dandy new lightbox tomorrow. Yay!

in stores now!

Pepper Stitches can now be found in some ace stores in Sydney, which is very very exciting! I've added a 'stockists' tab on the top there!

My Messy Room is a darling store in Summer Hill, full of gorgeous kids toys, books and decor. If you can't make it (or just like a good-old browse), the good news is that most of the gorgeousness is available online (including my cloud mobile! Eeek!). Stav is the owner (and super-ace she is, too) you can get to know her and more about My Messy Room on her blog, My Messy Room Journal.

Pulp Life is lifestyle store offshoot if the amazing Pulp Creative. It's a beautiful store full of beautiful things, just look! And my antler boys are now among them! The store is like a lovely loungeroom, or you can buy selected products online too. Plus it's next to the beach. I feel a business trip coming up.

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A big thank you to Bec, Stav, Nicky and Tracey for liking my stuff and having faith that other people will like it too! Next stop, Pepper Stitches WORLD DOMINATION (in a friendly, cuddly sort of way of course. With tea.)

magazine love

I DO like a good magazine. So pretty. So interesting. So informative. Not the ones that you get at the Doctors office, or supermarket queue. Not the ones that make me worry about my figure or the shade of my eyeshadow or trap me with tantalising bits about so-and-so's love triangle or baby adoption. But the ones that make me smiley, uplifted, inspired and a bit-more-knowledgeable about interesting-y things. Here are some I like very much.

Amelia's Magazine

(art, fashion, music, earth)

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Frankie

(fashion, art/craft, music, creative people)

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Antler Magazine

(art, design, literature and culture)

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Peppermint

(indie art and design)

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Condiment

(food, creativity and community)
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A cloth-covered button

(fashion, art, writing, design culture)

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dumbo feather pass it on

(creative interviews & autobiographies)

. Postmodern Ink

(tattoos, art, culture, lifestyle)

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MixTape

(art/craft, eco-awareness and pop culture kitsch)

. Slow

(for those who think life's too fast)
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Cosmos

(the science of everything)

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Organic Gardener Magazine

(um, organic gardening.)
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And on my list of magazines I will probably never read..

Government News, Planet Muscle, Great Walks, British Chess Magazine, Playstation Official Magazine, Your Trading Edge, Helicopter News, The Classic Motorcycle, The Death Mook (although this one looks fascinating), Practical Fishkeeping, Poker Player, OK! Magazine

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But I will browse and think about them- isn't it fascinating the number of interests in the world? People are interested in all kinds of things, and I find that interesting, don't you?

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Do you have any favourite magazines?

my creative space- name my sewing machine!

I feel a bit like I've fallen off the face of the blogging-world, but I am still here! You see last week my new sewing machine spluttered, coughed, and died. Died I tell you! Needless to say there was a fair bit of swearing going on 'round these parts, as I juggled warranty cards and sewing machine repair centres, hire prices and wondered how on earth I was going to make do. (If you ever need to hire a sewing machine in Sydney, I recommend this place). Enter stage right my Mum. She decided to chip in and then holy dooley look what arrived on Monday!

An industrial sewing machine! Isn't she lovely? Thanks Mum! She is quiet and friendly and not-as-intimidating as I feared. Lucky for me she has a speed dial, so I can work my way up to the racing-car speeds she is capable of. She cuts thread automatically, and has a knee lever for lifting up her foot, and keeps her need down for turning corners, and has a very nice faux-wood table. I like her very very much. (It is a little scary though, it suddenly feels much more serious with a machine like this behind me! Not a hobby anymore!)

Of course any self-respecting machinery needs a name, so I can talk to her nicely, but I need you help. Do you think: Jane, Penny or Alice? Please vote in the poll on the side bar there! I'll let you know the name with the most votes next week, and that is what she shall be called!

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Of course to accommodate her wonderfulness, I had to rearrange my studio, again.

(Digital prints arrived today from snapfish, sign up and you get your first 50 (!) prints free, and they're like 15c after that. Bargain)

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(On the way home from celebratory baklava I came across these ikea baskets perfect for storing fabric waiting to be stitched, and that wooden shelf perfect for holding giant threads! Awesome! I love free curbside stuff!)
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(I now have 3 domestic sewing machines, and none of them work properly, but can be coaxed to do a few stitches here and there. Little Miss I'm-4-weeks-old-and-I'll-break is in the repair shop.)

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(yes that's a bike wheel under the table. I don't know, it just looked like it might be useful for something.)

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(My main desk with my leather jacket 'cause I'm tough. And tapestry roses cushion that I found at Salvos. See the box sticking in to the bottom left of the corner? Six now has her own fur-lined drawer, which keeps her happy and off my work surface, which makes me happy.)

My loft bed is in there too, but it's messy and heaped with cushion inserts and curtain fabric and underneath tubs are overflowing with fabric piles and scraps. Not-so-pretty. It makes me dream of ikea storage solutions. Looking at these photos makes me wonder if I've got a little-too-much stuff on my walls too.

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Thanks for making it all the way to the end of this extra-long post! And don't forget to vote for your favourite sewing machine name on the side bar there!

blog love of the week- man bloggers

This week I pass on my hurrah's to the man bloggers all over the wide web. (does anyone say that anymore? world wide web?)

Lots of my bloggy friends are lovely gals, but I do very much like lots of guy blogs too, there just doesn't seem to be as many. These ones are some of my favourites.

Mr London Street is funny. Very funny. Get a cuppa and settle in for a good read and a laugh; if dry, occasionally acerbic wit is your cup of tea. I read lots of lovely sweet blogs (which I adore) but it's nice to get a unexpected kick in the pants with a hilarious and not-quite-politically correct metaphor every now and then. Plus every weekend he does a 100 word post on a topic submitted by a reader, which makes for fascinating, succinct and curious stories. I like.

...my life, nothing more, nothing less... Rolley grows heirloom veges, knits like a demon, grows his own coffee, has 3 beautiful kidlets (I love this photo) and loves a good rum. He blogs about all of these things as well as some philosophical wonderings and music love. Also camping and rafting and bushwalking too. I think he's damn ace. He's also an old friend of mine, which makes him even more ace!

Dude Craft If you don't know this dude, you are seriously missing out on some cool shit. Seriously, Go.Look.Right.Now. Stuff that makes you turn your head sideways and gasp.

Don't delay.

Leos Lego Lab Okay, so Leo is 5 years old, but he will be a man, so that sorta counts, right? As you can guess from the title, his blog about his love for lego and his awesome lego creations, but also other things like his drawings and sewing projects and cool things he sees. I enjoy his 5 year old voice and it makes me want to keep lego in my lounge room.


Draw Dimension Ari is ten. His blog is about things he draws and things he is interested in. I like it too (and he's even closer to manhood than Leo up there, so he totally qualifies for a post about man-bloggers) I especially like this drawing. He's also seen every now and again on his mum's blog.

Monsterosity This Aussie dude makes killer toys (I sure like this one) and lives in Tokyo. 'Nuff said.
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So thanks dudes. You rock my blog world.

.Who are your favourite man bloggers?

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(edit)

Ohmygoodness I can't believe I forgot Made By Joel. Joel makes awesome stuff for his twin kidlets, usually from simple things in every house. I would link to my favourite but I love THEM ALL. Awesome. I secretly want him to be my dad. or at least an uncle or something. Or maybe we could hang out. Thanks so much Camille for reminding me!