Inspiration

Whilst surfing the internet, I often find posts which inspire me to create. In the past, Ive just added these to my favorites and thought, when I get time I'll go back and pick a project to start. Well I never really went back.
So now that I know how to post pictures with a link in my side bar (thanks Michelle) I've started a "to do list", to constantly remind me of the the gorgeous projects I'd like to take on. I think they also look pretty and I get to share the links with everyone else. Theres still a lot more to go on when I get a chance.
So go on....check it out.
Cheers
Libby

UFO's be gone!

I made a massive dint in my UFO pile this weekend. Its taken a while, but thanks to Mum and Dad baby sitting (at club Colac - all weekend!), I managed to finish these projects ...

Included is my SIL's birthday present (in the big box), my PIF gifts (from way back in March!) and Michelle's winning's from my give away last week (not made, but lovingly wrapped with the other gifts). Obviously I dont want to show any of these until they're received, but I promise I will post when I think they've landed at their new homes.

The one thing I can show you is a little gift I made from this book I recently ranted on about. Its the silver one up there on top and is for a new friend who's just recently had a baby boy.

His name is Hector the Giraffe. The pattern is super easy to follow. He has a cute little tail on the back as well.

This weeks this is theme is ...the space in which I create. I recently revamped my creative space and posted about it here. I'm still loving it but I've found that no matter how much room you have, its never quite enough! Thanks Michelle for a great theme this week. Check out Angela's blog to see the space in which everyone else creates!

Have a great week everyone!

Embroidery and a winner!

On a more peaceful note, I gave Zoe a little embroidery lesson last weekend. To my suprise she actually loved it and found it "really relaxing Mum".

Now for the giveaway, there were 16 entries in all. Three were not valid as they're outside Oz (but thankyou Melanie, Lois and Maureen for your kind, supportive comments). Duplicates were removed and the random number generator picked.....

No. 7.... Lenni & Rose

Send me your snail mail details and I'll get the package off to you. Thanks to everyone for your lovely thoughts. The calibre of people out there in blogland never ceases to amaze me.

Happy Weekend Everyone.

Winter...

Thanks to all of you for your lovely comments on my last post.
Have a great week...

A new beginning....warning: this is a long post with no eye candy!

Ive been avoiding blogging about this for a few weeks now but the time has come to share the new road our family is about to embark on. You see, Im about to go back to full time work while DH is taking off 12 months without pay to do the Mr. Mom thing. There...its out there....that wasnt so hard was it?

Before children (BC), I was definitely the more career driven of the two of us while DH was more artistically inclined. We kind of made a pact that when we had kids, I'd go back to work and he would be the at home carer. Well 6 years down the track, weve been really lucky to be able to both work part time, whilst bringing up the kids. I imagined that we'd continue down this track until the youngest was at school (2010). That being said, Ive been really unsatisfied in the part-time rolls Ive had for a while. Couple this with a brilliant job opportunity and what can I say....I had to give it a shot (albeit 18 months early). So in a few weeks time, I'll be starting the full - time, senior roll Ive always wanted (or at least I think thats what Ive wanted). I eluded to this life-changing decision a few posts back now.

I know that I'll miss seeing the girls wake up in the morning, and in a strange kind of way, I'll miss taking/picking them up from school/kinder. I'll also miss just being there for them when only mum will do (not that thats often at my place - both my kids are "daddy's girls"). On a more selfish note - I'll miss my exercise routine (that Ive just got into the habit of - note to self -make it a priority to create a new one!), and I'll also miss that extra time I have at the moment to take in a little craft. I'm sure my blogging might take a back burner too, but I will endeavour to post at least once a week.

So what am I gaining from all this? Well some job satisfaction might be nice. Also I like to think Im providing myself as a reasonable roll model for the girls, "yes darling's you can (almost) have everything". Im also trying the BC dream on for size to see if it fits, once and for all. Im possibly providing opportunities for DH to expand his creative endeavours (once the youngest is at school) and of course the financial remuneration wont be bad either. One thing I know for sure - I definitely wont miss being on the kinder committee! So there you go. In a few weeks, you might see a distinct lack of posts, or a change in the nature of posts (or both). But at least you'll know what Im up to.

On a lighter note, I was going to add some pics to this post but our computer has packed up again so Im posting on the lap top (hence the lack of this is....posts). Then I saw this here and here and thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately (after two hours trying) the mosaic maker has let me down yet again. I have no trouble creating the mosaic but I cant get it to post. Ah well... there are obviously limits to my technological capabilities after all!

Other things that are happening around here:

* my little one has pneumonia - after 3 weeks of varying diagnosis she has started on antibiotics and is finally on the mend.

* Ive almost finished my SIL's 50th birthday present. I love it and dont want to give it to her. Pics to follow soon.

* I cant believe I have a long weekend stretched in front of me without a single engagement (ooh apart from a scheduled shopping trip with dear friend at DFO tommorow for a couple of hours).

* Im still off the fags, just

* Im loving "Eat, Pray, Love" and going to bed early every night just to get in a few more pages.

Now suffice to say if youve made it to here you deserve something a treat. So I have a little give away in store. You'll probably enjoy this particularly if your into scrapbooking or ATC's. I dont have a pic but think of it as a suprise treat. All you need to do is leave a comment and I'll randomly select one person next Friday night. Australian bloggers only please (this is a biggish item and as such international postage is prohibitive).

Happy Queens Birthday Weekend everyone!

Meet the new crew....

I was at the library the other day and was thrilled to come across this book.

So far Ive tried my hand at these....

I thought I might start making some gifts for some of my friends who are expecting. Ive become quite partial to the red one though! I think the green one will be going to my god son as part of a christening gift ( I hope its not too girly for a boy?)

Added 1st June - I decided it was too girly - forgive me Mez if you're reading this - as I know you will!

Its a fantastic book and the directions are very easy. Both my girls have chosen there favorite softies to be made at some stage. Zoe the Kangaroo (probably the most complex - of course) and Meggie Moo the donkey.....say no more!

Now speaking of the girls toys, remember these and how I said the girls wanted to paint the faces themselves? I had a feeling this was not going to bode well.! Zoe was so keen to turn hers into Courtney from "so you think you can dance - Australia" Little did she know how difficult it would be to paint so when she tried to paint streaks into the dolls felted blonde hair - it was a disaster. Zoe cracked it, Mummy cracked it and the doll was ruined. 8 hours later after a much needed rest, I got the mummy guilts and was off to make a mend. I re-sewed the head and re-stuffed her (Courtney not Zoe!). I then shopped around from some courtney hair. This is the result thus far......

Now my only problem is I have no idea how to attach the hair. Its just sitting ontop of her head at the moment. Its really strange stuff this dolls hair and Im not sure whether to glue it or sew it. If anyone has any experience with such, I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great weekend all!

This is how I recycle & something Ive got but havent used!

This weeks belated "this is" excuse is that I had my SIL's significant (read 50th) birthday. It was a weekend long celebration of family, joy, love & happiness. So my apologies for my tardiness in posting late once again!

This is how I recycle....

Yep, its Meggy Moo's finally finished quilt. I used the left overs from this project as well as this project to get this job done. (Thank to all who offered me advice on the binding!). I also love to collect fabric scraps from friends and family and turn them into also sorts of things. These were all made from scraps from other projects.
I also get involved in all the normal recycling of rubbish & vegetable matter for the garden compost.

This is something I've got but havent used.... This was a toughy. Do I post about all the unused fabric I have, or the scrapbooking paper I have, or the multidtude of rubber stamps I have???????? Aagggghhhh its a little scary when your realize the extent of what you purchase but dont consume. Anyway this is what Ive got but haven't used. I bought this around 6 months ago, and Im likely to get to it in the next month (fingers crossed).

Ok now Im feeling ridiculously guilty Im off.

Will try to post again before this weeks out....I promise!

This is.....a late mothers day post

Happy Mothers Day to everyone out there.

Our mothers day consisted of getting up very early (with kids and DH in tow) to participate in this. Then we went on to Geelong to meet my folks for breakfast and to share the mothers day love.

This is my mum. She's great & has always done silly things like this with my daughters. Funnily enough the best piece of advice she has given me might have been given to me on Sunday. Without going into too much detail it was about not losing sight of the person you are just because you are a mother. It is possible to follow your pre-children dreams post children (challenging.....but possible). Ive since made a fairly significant life changing decision since that conversation so thanks for your advice mum, it really helped.

That evening we went on to my dear MIL's for dinner. It was as gorgeous as always.
Thanks to all who gave advice about Meg's quilt. It is just about finished and I should be able to post the finish product this weekend.

Happy Days!

This is...& Quilting help please

This weeks theme from Hip Hop & Banana Bread is:

this is the pair of shoes that I would sleep in if I could..

Im not really a shoe diva however there is something about the chunky, industrial look of the shoes handmade by Melbourne Shoe Designer Johanna Preston (and hubby Peter Zly). Check out their other stuff here. For summer shoes, I also love these. To see the shoes everyone else wants to sleep in, check out Angela's blog.

Thats about all I can manage this week. I've come down with the dreaded lurgy (on Friday Afternoon - how unfair is that!)

Ciao for now

Ok Im back & in need of some advice...

Ive be pottering away at Megs quilt at times today.

I'm almost up to doing the edging. Problem is Ive never done binding before. Basically I just want to fold the backing over the wadding & sew it down with mitred corners. I cant find any tutorials on this technique. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

Libby.

Softies for Mirabel

The girls and I made a few Black Apple dolls over the weekend.

The blonde one is Zoes, the brunette Meg's and the red head is going to the Softies for Mirabel cause. The girls are keen to paint the faces on themselves. Mmmm what can I say.....

For those of you who missed Emily on Martha, you can find the tutorial here.

The dolls are very easy to make and Emily is happy for them to be used for the Mirabel cause.

Happy Sewing

This is....

...my favorite book


It was impossible to choose just one fiction piece, so I went with this non-fiction beauty. My mother passed it down to me. Im thinking its probably vintage 50's but not 100% sure. I love the pics and the accompanying "advice"....


"Beauty Outdoors - Through Woman's World you will learn how to extract every ounce of enjoyment from your days outdoors and still remain safely your glamorous self "


"Etiquette - It's so easy to get a bad reputation. We may not deliberately do the wrong thing but sometimes circumstances catch up with us and before we know it we are labelled with....She should know better"


"Home Decorating - Home decoration today is a very vital and practical science. An understanding of it is a must, so do rever to this section when the need arises!"

And finally my personal favorite...

"Domestic Bliss - Being a successful wife and mother is a most desireable achievement but it is also a full time profession for which, unfortunately there is little, if any, formal training....Consistently bad or unispired cooking, a neglected appearance, a disorganized and chaotic home, an unbalanced budget, a constant feeling of pressure caused by the absence of a proper household routine, and generally an inability to cope with the many demands life places on a woman, make it an impossibility to achieve domestic bliss...There is no magic formula for domestic bliss, but Woman's World will take you a long way along the road to enjoying fully this pearl of great price."

Thanks Dee for a great theme this week. Check out Angela's blog to see everyone elses favorit book.
Happy Week - Everyone

Just stuff....

My labels arrived today...
I think I'm happy with them. I ummed and ahhhed for ages about color, font, title etc.
Anyway this is they...



Also, Cam suggested a great idea for storage in my new sewing desk.
Shoe box lids, to fit in the slide out tray. Well I didnt have any shoe lids spare but found these gorgeous cardboard boxes for around $3 each at Big W.




Anyway I doctored the first one up a bit cause I thought the lid was not overly practical.



I've got fabric scraps in the second one & nothing in the third as yet. I think I'll leave the other two with lids for now and see how mad it drives me. Thats a sneak peak of Megs quilt in progress in the bottom right hand corner.

We're off on a family trip to Barongarook this afternoon. Enjoy the long weekend everyone.
Cheers

PS For all those who one my PIF contest....you are not forgotten. I'm just having trouble sourcing a particular item I need. Thankgoodness I still have around 300 days to track it down!

This is....

.....my latest discovery

Brown Owls. I suppose I cant really claim it as my discovery as there are lots of lovely crafty types who have discovered it also.

Anyway I'm there again tonight to learn how to crochet.

To see what everyone else has discovered, check out Angela's blog.

Have a good one!

Zoe's Quilt and My Dinner Party Guests

I've finally finished Zoe's ragged quilt over the weekend.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Not bad for my first quiliting attempt.

Im also taking part in three buttons "this is" meme.

This weeks theme was "This is my perfect dinner party." I asked Hubby to choose his three. They are:

Scientist - Stephen Hawking

Actor - Dustin Hoffman

Musician - Joni Mitchell

And mine...

Author Liz Gilbert - (whose book "Eat, Pray, Love" I'm reading at the moment and would highly recommend).

Federal Health Minister - Nicola Roxon (I loved how she gave Tony Abbott a serve during the election campaign last year!)

And of course the obligatory eye candy....

George Clooney.

Night y'all

Catching up on this is....

This is the contents of my handbag....

Ok so I love lippy. Grandma's pocket money (for the girls) are in the envelopes. My 2008 diary from Kikki K (love it, love it, love it).

The rest, very boring and self explantory except possibly the little bottle of Rescue Remedy

My gorgeous MIL put me on to it a few weeks ago when I was feeling positively bitchy!

Anyway its great, it works and I love it.

Secondly, this is my jewellery / knick knack box.

And the contents....

I think there is some sort of theme going on here?????

Have a great weekend everyone!

Im back...

Hey there. Well the computer fix only took a couple of days but hubby and I have been very busy creating.....

....My new room

Let me show you round

Craft storage....

I think Ive posted this before but, there are often new additions. The big white bins and draws are both from Ikea and are fantastic. I can see myself traipsing all the way back to Richmond to pick up more. Im still grieving the loss of their Moorabin store - can you tell?

Custom made computer desk...

I tell you Im in love with this new machine. Its actually got 2 USB ports in the front and wireless technology. Who would of thought????? He's very clever that husband of mine. I think the new desk fits perfectly in the new space and has allowed me to use the old computer table for .......

My sewing/craft desk

Dont you just love how the sewing machine slots in to the tower space? Thats Zoes quilt almost done up the top left (hopefully to be completed by the end of next week). I just love my little hat box down there on the floor. Its full of all sorts of fabric scrappy lovliness. There is also some other gorgeous fabric (up there on the desk) for a gift for someone special ....but more about that much later.

And finally no girls room is complete (unfortunately) without the exercise zone.

Ive been doing alot of running lately (as part of this caper) and have really been getting sore knees. So time to drag the cross trainer out of the garage and get some serious k's in. Of course Im bored out of my brain on it, so I motivate myself (with the little tv up there) with back episodes of Oprah, Biggest Loser and any other trashy stuff I can get my hands on.

Gee its nice to be back. I'll catch up on my "This is" later in the week

Have a good one folks :)

Dropping out for a bit....

Our computer has finally given up the ghost (hence the lack of posting) and is going in for major surgery tommorow.


(Photo courtesy of nixtechnica)

Hopefully we wont be out of action for too long - how would one survive without all that lovely craftiness and friendship out there?
I'll look forward to catching up on all your blogs, when we're back in action.
Ciao for now
xx

This is...

Last weeks theme was "this is what I (we) created"....



Zoe (above) & Meg (below)



Both my girls were eager to make their entrances into the world. Zoe was born at 27 weeks and Meg at 25 weeks gestation.

All my other creations pale in significance.



Happy Easter Everyone.
xx

Look what arrived for me in the mail.....

I was very excited to receive my PIF gift from Cam yesterday.

One gorgeous reversible apron and matching head band.
Cam asked in her little note whether I liked pink? I think my pj's say it all!

Thanks Cam - I love it!

This is.... & PIF winners

Better late than never, heres this weeks this is...




...outside my front door. Obviously in need of a rake and some mulch.
Darling Hubby made the kids a cubby house over the summer hols (complete with leadlight windows). And finally heres the door in question.




Check out Angela's blog to see what's out the front of everyone elses front door.

In other news the winners of my Pay it forward comp are;
Lucy
Kitty's Kaboodle
The third commentor was already involved in a PIF swap so declined the offer.
So that means there is... STILL 1 SPOT UP 4 GRABS. Be the fourth person to comment on the PIF post and its yours. Ive also decided to slip something in the post for Curlypops (just cause).
I'll be in contact shortly to get your postal details.

Have a great week.

NB: The lucky last winner of the PIF competition is Jeanne.
Congratulations!!!

Pay it forward...

Thanks to the lovely Cam from CurlyPops, I have won a Pay It Forward gift. It will arrive as as suprise in my letterbox sometime in the next 365 days. So now my challenge is to pay it forward to three more lovely bloggers.

The rules are:

The first three people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me, sometime within the next 365 days. Who knows when it will turn up, or what it will be, but rest assured, it will arrive. All you have to do is promise to make the same declaration on your blog, and send out gifts to three of your lovely readers.

Easy Peasy.

Winners will be announced next Tuesday 11th March.

Ciao for now