my creative space ... needs a name ... and that's where you come in!

Ok I am just popping my head up briefly from my digs in sunny (not) but beautiful Stuttgart to let you all know that the crochet hook I mentioned I might try to bring with me here made it through all the relevant checkpoints and is by my side as I type!

I am not going to go into any more details now because I am planning to do a bit of a trip synopsis of the 'ol crochet hook upon my return ... and that's where you come in!

I'm after a name or title for the adventures of my hook and I as we make our way through Germany and the UK. And seen as how I am up to about post 99 I'm also thinking a giveaway could be in order upon my return. Not sure what that might involve at this moment but it's bound to contain lots of little goodies from my trip.

So if you can conjure up a name/title which you think might describe the adventures of this girl and her crochet hook before you actually get to see the adventures (it's tricky but you guys are crafty, I know) then hit me with your best shot and you'll be in with a chance at winning ... something.

Trip on over to Kirsty's for some no doubt warmer and less hotel orientated creative spaces.

Edited to add: Sorry, I should have added that there is NO RUSH! I won't be writing of our adventures until my return (in a week or so).

shocking

... is how I would describe day seven of solo parenting. Oh and I think there was some thingo down in Melbourne today involving a horse named Shocking as well.

Not that I'm a betting person but if Luca's tips were anything to go by he seemed to think the race would be won by the only female jockey (sporting slightly large boots), with an elderly woman riding a cow coming a close second.



Also utterly shocking (and I mean S-H-O-C-K-I-N-G) was the heat in Sydney today. I have it on good authority* that the mercury reached 39.2 degrees C (102.6 F)! I know I said somewhere a while back that I was really going to try and embrace summer this time around but it's really hard to embrace anything other than a glass of ice water in this heat.

And actually it's not even summer yet! Yeesh!

Having said that I did embrace - from afar - a moment of summer-ness in the backyard this afternoon



A spot of nudie strawberry eating in the wading pool.

Oh and I have also just now, at 7:30 pm, embraced the still warm washing from the line. Which I hung out at 4pm.

Shocking I tell you.

* the ABC weather man and he seems a trustworthy bloke

my place and yours :: blog HQ

Playing along with Pip again this week. This week's theme queen was Tania from Ninon .



So here it is.

My blog HQ is wherever I can find a clear surface to put the lappy ... usually that is actually my lap but sometimes I manage to steal away a few moments in the kitchen - when small people think I am doing something else - to check in on my favourites.

The laptop is great - you can check in anywhere without having to worry about having a designated spot for all the computer paraphernalia. BUT ... the drawback is it is just how easy and available it is to dip in and out of. And so I find myself dipping in and out all day. And that's probably not such a good thing.

Anyhow a few items to mention that happened to be in my bloggy HQ today and found their way in to the photograph - some new Moleskin journals I bought today for a little project I have in mind, my favourite teapot filled with my current favourite tea (T2's Brisbane Breakfast), a few of the kids art supplies and a couple of overripe banana's I keep trying to press on the kids.

Ok and admittedly I did nudge the book into the shot. It's Cautionary Tales for Boys and Girls  and we just found it this morning. Have you seen it? It's hilariously funny and features some excellent renditions of softies as the characters of the tales. Cautionary and artistic. Excellent.

Head on over to Pip's place to check out some more Blog HQ's.

my creative space ... is leaving on a jet plane*

(image via)

Well I did intend on writing a post last night about how incredibly hard it is to do a long stretch of solo parenting, and how much I totally take my hat off to people who do it full time, BUT I was so damn tired last night because of the solo parenting that I just couldn't put anything in to words. 

So instead here I find myself only blogging when there is another meme to join in on.

BUT I do have a pressing question which you, the crafty community via Kirsty's place, might have an answer to ...

What on earth kind of craft can you do on a plane these days?

Knitting? Probably not. Those knitting needles have quite pointy tips.  Hand quilting or embroidery? A no-brainer for the "NO" category really considering how sharp those needles are (and whilst comforting, probably not really practical to cart a massive quilt around). 

And so I wondered about crochet? Does that little bent end turn it from being a scary weapon with which one would be capable of hijacking a plane (?) into a harmless crafty tool with which one can wile away the hours on a long haul flight? 

Yes folks, I believe I am ready to branch out to the world of crochet having been completely inspired by the likes of Melanie, Tania, Tam, Kate and .... I could go on and on. So I splashed out and bought a hook at the recent Spotlight sale and figured - if it's ok with Qantas - I might just indulge in a spot of crochet whilst being held captive in an economy seat for over 20 hours**.  

I'd be very interested (like, very interested) to hear any stories or suggestions you may have for in flight craftiness! 

Hey we could create a new mile high club for crafters - or not ;)

Fly on over to Kirsty's place for some more creative spaces ... that are more than likely on land.

* at the end of the week and a half of solo parenting I will be joining the Mr, *gulp* sans children,  in Germany and then the UK ... actually probably just London.

** admittedly, the idea of sitting on my backside with nothing else to do but read, watch movies, nap and (hopefully), craft for over 20 hours is the part of the trip I am looking forward to the most.

sunday stash #7 - but it didn't stay stashed for long

Yay! Tam is back and so is Sunday Stash. I know, I know I could have kept up with the stash posts (and I certainly appreciated those who did!), but I'm a bit of a rules girl and it felt a bit like having a party while your Mum and Dad were out doing it without Tam. 

So double excitement folks: these two little beauties were peeking up through the irky perky stuff in the ONE DOLLAR basket at my local quilting shop! Score! 

I didn't realise until I got home that it belongs to the same line but whose? Any ideas? Apparently they were samples from a rep so alas, the pieces were not as big as I would have liked.

Of course once a certain someone spotted it she declared she just really needed a bag. And since I am struggling with a quilt at the moment I jumped at the chance to whip something up that had me looking at some different fabric for a change. 

Some handles made from a bit of Snippets by American Jane for Moda and we had ourselves a bag. 

So here's one bit of stash that I guess can't technically be called stash at all really ... 

So for real stash on a Sunday pop on over to Tam's place. 

Have just found out that the fabric is Alexander Henry (of course it is - 'cause I loved it immediately). Found some in a different colour way here.

my place and yours :: bedside

I seem to only be posting when there's a meme on don't I? It's just that there are so many good ones and I'm like a kid when it comes to these things: I don't wanna miss out on the fun! Also the theme queen for this week's my place and yours is one of my favouritest bloggers, pottymouthmama.

So the theme is bedside this week and so I bring to you a picture of my bedside as it was yesterday (there might be a few more hair elastics and perhaps a snotty tissue or two there now).

A few pictures, a clock radio, lots of dust and a stack of books. I waver between feeling comforted by the pile of books (including the ones on the floor), and all the promise they hold, to feeling more stressed out then when I was at Uni, wondering when the hell I will ever get to read them all and how much money did I spend on this stack anyway?! 

So c'mon. I showed you mine now you show me yours. Just duck on over to Pip's place. 

my creative space - hits and misses and the wash up

Um, you know that feeling just prior to a small person's birthday when you feel you just have to make something for them? Forget that twenty-odd people will be turning up on your doorstep in twelve hours and you still need to make a birthday cake shaped like a rocket ship (damn you Women's Weekly Kids' Party Cakes and your impossible standards!). But these days a birthday just isn't a birthday without a bit of crafty stress thrown in there somewhere.

So friends I present to you the hits and misses of the recent birthday crafting ...

HIT:

A bit of birthday bunting. Upon reflection and with  bit more time I would have gone the extra mile and encased the tops of the flags into some bias binding but hey, the birthday boy didn't seem to mind!

MISS:

A felt birthday crown that ended up looking more like Wonder Woman's tiara thingy. Not that there is anything wrong with Wonder Woman. She's awesome, but the birthday fella isn't exactly in his satin tights fighting for your rights ... yet. Also as a time saver (and because Amanda said it was ok), I used craft glue to stick on the star and that just wasn't pretty. Lesson learned and that's always a good thing right? Right!

All in all the party was a hit. The cake did look like a rocket of sorts, the bunting created a birthday-ish feel and the crown stayed firmly in the sewing room never to see the light of day. 

And the wash up part?

... was made that much more enjoyable with a beautiful hand knitted cloth sent to me, "just 'cos" from the lovely Nikki ... and some bubbles. 

For more creative spaces click on over to Kirsty's.