my week in pictures

- cinnamon popcorn

- visit to the beach

- sewing bearded dolls and listening to the rain

- a visit to 'the clog barn'. Lots of clogs, and delicious pancakes

- also has a model village and little moving train. Cute!

- the neighbours goat had a kid. Also Cute!

- birthday campfire with friends

Feels funny posting about such trivial things with such a disaster so near. But this was my week.

Oh Japan. I don't know what to say.

Jill Greenberg Photography via

Oh Japan. I don't know what to say. I am so stricken for all of you, the disaster, the fear, the sadness, the loss. I watched the news and found the concept of such a devestating disaster more than I can comprehend or react to in any way other than a stricken sense of empathy and sadness. Perhaps when it has sunken in, when we can try to understand, when recovery is underway, when I know what I can do to help, I will find words. For what it's worth, we are hurting for you, and we will pull together.

oh yay it's my birthday

via

and happy birthday to my sister,

you are my favourite-ist twin in the whole world xx

my creative space- today I am

- cutting out telephone animals from lovely vintage fabrics

- drinking cups of tea from a green mug

- being a little tired; would a nap would leave me refreshed or a-bit-cranky?

- wishing it would cool down again, with or without a bit of rain

- wondering when my housemates will arrive home today after their NZ trip

- thinking about my birthday tommorow and being 28 years old

- dreaming of a tattoo for a birthday present

- reading lots of lovely blogs and chatting to a new friend online

- planning what I will make next, probably a grizzly bear wearing jeans

- listening to jose gonzalez, bon iver and chopin

see more creative spaces here

(and have a lovely day x)

superhero bears

Continuing with the superhero theme lately, I've made some superhero bears; just like the dress-up bears but with embroidered glasses and features, and a superhero cape with felt intial.

Superhero bears like to fit heroic deeds in between soft cuddles. They also like reading cereal boxes, watching birds fly (for tips) and drinking lemonade. Made out of reclaimed blankets, this bear is soft and cuddly. He has embroidered glasses and features, and his cape is made from a repurposed collared shirt with easy velcro fasteners to take the cape on and off as needed for superhero duties. The initial on his cape could stand for anything you like. Superhero bears are very good friends and wonderful playmates. They are good at keeping secrets and giving hugs, and will make a loyal friend.

Superhero bears in my etsy, madeit and blue caravan shops.

The girl with three names

via

As many of you know, my name is not actually Pepper; Pepper is the blog name I adopted when I started a few years ago, when I was so shy it took me months to tell even my family that I had started my own blog. A pseudonym seemed safer when I started to share my life this way. I have adopted it online, my old work called me Pepper, some people prefer to call me Pepper for non-confusion, and I like it very much.

My actual name is Sharon, but only since I was 2 years old. I found out recently that my mother didn’t choose this name for me, or ever really wanted to change it. It feels like 'Sharon' has never quite fit me, like a dress that is a touch too tight in the armpits and leaves you fidgeting. You get used to it, but it's never really comfortable. Over Christmas it seemed to fit me better, for a little while, while my little nieces and nephews were calling me ‘Aunty Sharon’ this and ‘Aunty Sharon’ that, but now it's shrunk back to it's original size. My birth name was Juanita (which I discovered on my birth certificate at age 18) which is lovely. Still, it's not.quite.right.

So somehow I have three names. One was my name, but now isn’t. One is my name but wasn’t. And one has never really been my name, but feels like it is.

I’m moving cities now, with an opportunity for a fresh start. I am a grown up (most of the time) and perhaps I can be called whatever I please? Shall I stick with the name that doesn’t quite fit, change to the pseudonym that does, or change to the one my mother gave me?

Or chuck it all in and call myself Princess Magnificent of the Ancient Order of Marshmallows?

bearded folk men dolls

Bearded folk men like drinking tea on steps, patting dogs and playing guitar in folk bands. They are ready to make friends and will make loyal and trustworthy companions.

They are also available as a custom item, if you’d like your favourite colour. Or if you have a bearded friend you’d like to immortalise in cute bearded doll fashion.

Bearded folk man dolls in my bluecaravan, etsy and madeit shops now.

the girl who loves to levitate

Speaking of superpowers, this girl likes to take photos of herself jumping in the air, and manages to look like she's like she's naturally levitating all over the city in an explicably graceful kind of way. Lovely.

Natsumi Hayashi is a sweet-looking Japanese girl who, one day, decided to take self-portraits..of herself levitating. She can be spotted in and around Tokyo, equipped with her SLR and her self-timer. When she feels the moment strike, she presses the shutter button down and then, quite literally, "jumps" into place.

What I love most about her shots is that they don't feel forced. Natsumi has a way of making us feel as though she naturally levitates throughout life.

"We are all surrounded by social stress as we are bound by the forces of earth's gravity," Natsumi says when asked why she took on the series. "So, I hope that people feel something like an instant release from their stressful days by seeing my levitation photos."

quotes by Alice via mymodernmet

(edit) click here for Natsumi's blog, with daily photos!

the ability to turn loud sounds into cake

Ability to turn loud sounds into cake

Ability to inflict papercuts with mind

Ability to blink music

Ability to pee rainbows

I have been watching some of the TV series 'heroes', and so have been thinking about which super powers I would prefer (morphing or invisibility) and considering other people's preferred super powers (changing time and space, flying) and dreaming about super heroes too.

When I came across this daily super power blog chronicling new (and unusual) super powers, it made me smile. These are my favourite!

See more here.

time measured in tea

via

Do you ever look back on a day, a week, a month, even a year, and wonder what you’ve done? How did I fill that time? It feels like I have not gotten anything done, though I must have.

I have done stuff, but what did I do?



All I know for sure that I have drank enough tea to circumnavigate the earth.

etsy love- birthday barbeque

Life's a Picnic - Oilcloth Pennant Garland, Bicycle Etched Pint Glass, Mason Jar Lanterns, Better Homes & Gardens Barbecue Cookbook 1959, Picnic Chair, Tissue Pom Kit, Lettuce Celebrate Letterpress Birthday Card, Fake Cupcake BIrthday Party Decor Package, Vintage Kay Guitar, beer bottle drinking glass tumblers

.

.

It's my birthday in one week. In a week! I am excited. If I was having a birthday barbeque, I would like these things. Very much.

"it's so fluffy I'm gonna die"

You may know that I have an impressive collection of animation movies. I love them. My latest addition is “despicable me". Have you seen it? Gru is awesome, his accent rocks too and the minions are adorable.

So when I saw these arigumi minons, I just about fell off my chair. Cute, no?

For the free pattern, visit WolfDreamer.

Via Radlinc Crafts

(ps. the title of this post is my favourite line in the movie, said by a little girl when she sees a giant stuffed unicorn)

bed styles

via unruly things

.

.

When I was a kid, I sometimes slept with my head under the covers all night, hidden away in a cave of my making. Sometimes I slept with my feet at the headboard, and some nights I took my blanket and slept underneath. I slept with a cat beside me or on top of me, a teddy bear under my head, a favourite book digging into my side.

.

Last year I was a bit fastidious and made my bed each morning, nice and straight, with my crochet blanket smoothed out on top and pillows all in a row. It made me feel calm and ready.

.

This morning, as I clamboured out of bed, I looked back and reviewed my new (lack of) style. I have a big bed, all to myself, so I have noone else to please, or make room for. I have blankets arranged in a nest-like shape around in the centre, ready to be pulled on or off according to the night; half read books line the outside edges, toppling off every now and then. Hair pins and several pairs of pajamas lay scrunched up underneath pillows of various sizes and shapes, some on the bed, some wedged behind it. Glasses and mugs within reach, the lamp glowing softly, a little space amongst the books where Six sleeps each night. I haven't made my bed for a week, but just pull out a random pajama top, climb into the nest and pick up the nearest book.

by Kieran Rynhart
.

.

It made me think of how we sleep, the kind of beds we choose, the space we make and how we spend so much of our time in them. Sleeping on our sides or stretched out, hugging or with plenty of space. Do you make your bed every morning? leave it ruffled and ready? Do you have a particular side?

today will be awesome

via

giveaway winner!

via

And the winner of the folk man doll (I used the very schmancy method of writing all the names on little bits of paper, and drawing them out of a teapot)

.

is emma from lovelybutton! Her son looks like the folk man doll (without the beard part), and her daughter is named Pepper! How funny is that?

.

Congrats Emma! Please email me your address and he'll be on his way to you in a jiffy!

.

.

.

I will miss him, I must make more. I think I am having a beard phase. We've seen the antler and scarf phase, now it's time for beards.

hooray! autumn!

cinnamon bun fragrance, real pressed oak leaves table numbers, meryl streep umbrella

Today is the first day of autumn. Autumn is my favourite season. Hooray!

(Today was actually over 40 degrees, unbearably stifling and bright. But let's not focus on that, mmm? Not long now until thunderstorms, scarves, quilts and mugs of hot chocolate.)

my life has turned into a story about chickens

(Fe and my first chicken, taken in our old house in Sydney a few years ago)

I went to feed the chickens yesterday. Easy. This is how it’s done.



Notice some chickens are in the garden. Say 'chicken!' to Stella (cattle dog), she chases them over the fence, except the dumb one that runs in circles. Quickly chase and grab Pearl (terrier) a placid idiot but known chicken killer. Put Pearl inside. Catch chicken. Put chicken over fence, unchain Grippy (staffy) who's using the kennel as a bum scratcher and whining he's missing out on fun.



Pearl is barking her head off inside, Stella goes nuts that Grippy is freed. Throw your hands up in the air, walk down the path and through the gate. Be accosted by 30 chickens who see the crap bucket in your hand. Wade through the chickens, trying not to kick any. Get to the shed, throw some feed onto the ground for the duck, then into the coop.



Watch the chickens run into the fence before finding the door. Notice the duck sneaking inside. Swear. Chase the remaining chickens inside. Lock the door, go in the big door, try to catch the duck. Crawl on your hands and knees chasing the duck who is quacking madly at you. Open the door, get the duck through. Stand up. Shut the door.



Try to count the chickens. Give up. Walk back to the house, check the vege patch for chicken damage. Swear again. Replant torn seedlings, replace mulch, water everything. Realise you’ve forgotten to collect the eggs. Go back to the chicken coop. Open hen box and see a clucky chicken. At great risk to your fingers, plunge your hand under the chicken and retrieve eggs. Don’t drop them.



Get back to the house. Wash hands. Breathe deeply. Write a ridiculously long account of the whole experience of feeding the chickens. Realise that you are maybe a little starved for human contact while your housemates are away and you're staying in the country alone.



Hope that you don’t seem incredibly strange. A little, ok, but not incredibly.