blog love- Print and Prints

Houses and Birds

Batman and Robin

Identical Twins

Judy from Prints and Prints is an illustrator from Barcelona, and has oh-so-pretty pictures. I like. She is a brand-new blogger, but I can just tell it's going to be good.

Check out her blog here.

Go Judy!

my week in pictures- stuff on walls

Surry Hills

Surry Hills


Enmore


Darlinghurst

Rozelle

Surry Hills

Antler Girl in Plushie Palooza today!

Oooh! Antler Girl is on Kid Independent today as part of their Plushie Palooza!

Go over there and leave a comment to vote for her. Go on. Only if you like. Pretty please. But no pressure.

Do't forget to enter the giant awesome plushie giveaway too! You could win antler girl and 29 other plushies! Ace!

PepperStitches Pocket Cushions Project in Kids Crafternoon

I have been invited to participate by the lovely Kathreen from Whip Up in a sewing book for kids called 'Kids Crafternoon'. How exciting! Hooray! These are the samples of my sewing project in the book, a 'Pocket Cushion' that reuses pockets from old clothes and are perfect for hiding secret treasures in. The book is due for publishing in July next year, I'll be showing you then anyway!
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I am very excited, yes?

the experience of being alive

via

"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life... I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive."

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Joseph Campbell

books I am reading

I am always reading several books at once, the one I pick up depending on my mood and how long I have time to read and where I am. Does anyone else do that? I thought I'd share what I'm reading right now.

Farewell My Lovely, Raymond Chandler

An old-school detective story, with a main character who drinks whisky and calls women 'dames'. I love these reprinted penguins too.

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler
Do you know Anne Tyler? Oh you should, she is oh-so-good. This one has themes of family and what it means and the entire dysfunctional-ness of it all, and how everyone is just trying to do their best, but it doesn't always work. Oh I don't do it justice at all. Read it.

The Dream Life of Sukhonav- Olga Grushin

Oh awesome. I haven't even finished it and I already want to read it again. A beautifully written novel about a guy who abandoned his life as an artist to fit in with communist Russia and is now an important minister, but of course it comes back to bite him in the bum. (This is not how it is written on the back cover, mind).

An Illustrated Life
A peek in artists, illustrators and designers everyday sketchbooks. Lots of cool pictures and bits from each contributor on what their sketchbooks means to them, how they use it etc. Very inspiring.


Cartoon Modern
A book on the cartoonists and animation houses of the 50's and how they influenced modern design. More cool pictures including cartoon advertisements and interesting subject matter.

Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, Linda Berdoll

A sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Interesting, well written in perfect prose, and oh-my giggling unexpected rude bits! Oh Mr Darcy! If you like Pride and Prejudice (and Oh I DO) then do read a bit of this. Try not to read it in public if you have a tendency to blush.

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what are you reading right now?

my creative space- pattern rage

I

I found a pattern for dolls clothes at my local op-shop for one dollar. I couldn't resist and have sewn two little dresses and a pair of overalls, but not before throwing a bit of a tantrum and making several parts up as a went along.

The overalls were okay, but attaching the collar to the dress? Oh My!

The pattern says; with right sides up, pin collar sections to neck edge, matching notches, placing circles at centre seams.. Baste. Stitch.

Okay so far so good, done that.

Then it goes on; Turn collar seam allowance toward bodice (um..what the?)

On outside, stitch on bodice close to neck seam thru (sic) the seam allowance. Okay WHAT THE HEL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

The picture gives no clue. I have no idea. I ended up ripping seam and starting again, this time putting wrong side up, so I could flip the collar and sew again on the right side. But it is slightly messy and obviously-not-quite-right.

Does anyone know what I'm missing? And do you get pattern rage too? I'd love to hear about it, it would make me less likely to shred the offending section into little-eeny-tiny pieces..

oops, but I love you

To my wonderful big sis,

Sorry I forgot your birthday. Well you see I did remember but then forgot, forgot, then I remembered, then I forgot that I had remembered and remembered again too late.

I hope you had a great day and the year to come is filled with the particular kind of awesome you wish for most in the world. You inspire me and I love you heaps.

As this counts as a birthday wish, it must still count as your birthday, therefore you must go now and eat cake. I insist.

love, me

xx

(if you haven't met my sister yet, go check out her blog, and introduce yourself. She's lovely.)

plushie palooza @ Kid Independent

I'm very excited to be a part of Plushie Palooza at KidIndependent, a blog of lovely handmade indie loveliness for kids and mums. Plushie Palooza is a month full of handmade plushies so cute you’ll want to squeeze them till their stuffing pops out; a toy festival and swag bonanza celebrating the handmade toy.

Every day an ace plush will be featured on the blog, until 30 November, 2010. You can vote on your favourites by adding a comment to the corresponding post. There will be a few spot prizes along the way, so be sure to drop by daily. At the end of the festival, the plushie with the most votes will win the Golden Plushie award!

My antler girl will be featured on November 16th, feel free to drop by and vote for me! Hooray!

And OHMYGOODNESS you can win ALL thirty of the featured plushies! (enter the prize draw here ) what an awesome giant bag of awsomeness! What would you do with 30 plushies? And just before Christmas! (if you can bear to give them away. No pun intended)

Good luck!

(text excerpts and banner image via KIDIndependent)

some photos and a lot of juice

So when I arrived in Orange, Mum had set up the converted bus into my very own personal health retreat. Spoiled, non? These are just some of the veges that Mum juiced over the 4 days. A lot of juice. And herbal tea, and garlic and ginger too.

Beeswax candles for my detox spa baths, skin brushing and saunas.

I went for a bush walk on the 2nd day to see the waterfall, and ended up completely lost. Utterly. My sense of direction took a nap but eventually I found a road, followed it, and had explain a bit red-faced to a local to get the directions back again. While I was wandering aimlessly, I did see a kangaroo, a wallaby, a giant goanna and about a gazillion gum trees that all looked the same (I blame them).


It snowed! Truely! One morning I woke up early to minus 5 degrees, and snowing! I was mega excited as I haven't actually seen snow before, so I rugged up and walked around and caught some snowflakes on my tongue. Exciting. (and yes I look a bit ridonkulous, I am wearing every shirt and jumper and coat I had)

After the snow came the rain. Lots of it. The photo above was on my first walk to the waterfall, at the point I crossed the river to get to the other side. The one below was on the last day, when the river was swollen with rain and roaring down the valley. No crossing that day.

Mum climbed further up and turned to take this photo of me looking contemplative. I refused to watch her climb, it makes me incredibly nervous to see someone climb up steep things.

I came back rested and feeling so much better. Thanks Mum!

You can see more about what amazing stuff Mum does in her Natural Health Clinic by following this link, I highly recommend!

returning to normal programming

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Oh My, my wee bit turned into a wee while, while I was not looking. Funny that while lots of bloggers were particpating in blogtoberfest and blogging every day, I did the opposite and dissappeared for the better part of the month.


Thanks for your lovely comments, I do feel Oh So Much Better. Nothing like drinking a lot of juice and being looked after by your mum to make it all right with the world. I have returned refreshened (not word, but it ought to be) and ready to roll on and return to normal programming. Unfortunately I'm in the midst of technical probs so stay tuned to this station.



I missed you.