My Creative Space...

Well, other than the Great Bedroom Drawer Makeover, I've also been working on some new fabric designs this week....

These ones will be flying (pun intended) their way to my place very soon!

I couldn't resist adding some retro style floral prints as they're my absolute favourites.

The aeroplane fabric was based on this little travel map that I blogged in December.

I thought the aeroplanes would work perfectly with the cloud fabric (which was based on my rainbow design).

I can't wait for them to arrive so I can add them to the rest of my collection!

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My Creative Space

I've been masquerading as a quilter this week, sitting on the couch each night, hand stitching this lovely gingham binding.

I've never handstitched a binding before, and I really didn't think I'd enjoy it. I'm usually the queen of quick and easy sewing (which definitely means sewing by machine - not by hand). But, I really surprised myself because it was enjoyable and satisfying to see every little stitch in the process.

After seeing all of Michelle's beautiful Autumn Leaf photos on Instagram, I thought it was high time that I changed my header from Summer to Autumn. I'm only about 6 weeks late...

Maybe I'd better get started on Winter now?

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My Creative Space - FilmLife

A little while back (before the transplant), I was comissioned to design / create some items for the FilmLife Project.

The brief was fantastic - I had free reign to design whatever I liked, as long as it included the official FilmLife Logo.

The printed fabric panels for the iPad sleeves arrived while I was in hospital, and then I found out that I wasn't allowed to sew when I got home..... aaaggghhh!

Luckily Bec stayed over last weekend and came to the rescue but sewing them up for me.

The FilmLife Blogging competition is still open until March 25th. It's simple - just write a blog post that inspires and sparks conversation about organ and tissue donation. You could win $250 just by entering!

My creative space

More with the hexies...

I knew I had an appointment thismorning where there would be a bit of waiting, so lastnight I very dutifully made up a nice little batch of hexies to take with me.

Unfortunately I forgot to factor in that the appointment was with the Eye Specialist. So in the first waiting room, I was squeezed in shoulder to shoulder with no room to get out my little hexie kit.

Half an hour of waiting went by (past my scheduled appointment time I might add - and three people who arrived after me had already been called)! Finally, I was called in to do the testing and have those horrible pupil dilating drops put in.

On to the second waiting room.
Get out my hexie kit and decide on placement of each hexie.
Happy with co-ordination of hexies.

Problem.
Cannot see well enough to thread the bloody needle. Aaaagggghhhh!


So I sat there, and sat there, and played with my phone and stared into space for another hour and a half.

Oh my goodness, I think it sucked the life force out of me. I'm so O.V.E.R sitting in waiting rooms.

So, two and a quarter hours later, having missed a work meeting that I was supposed to attend at 11.30, and $120 poorer, my eyes are still fine even after more than 15 years of taking a medication that can damage them.

After that nightmare, I did what every good crafter does, I went shopping for fabric, cappucino and lemon tart.... and everything was alright in the world again.

Phew!

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My Creative Space

Today it's all about the cleaning up.

I dropped off this latest batch of shopping bags, as well as some new Sunnies/Specs pouches, and vintage fabric bunting to Gleaners Inc yesterday.

My house now looks like a tornado has flown through.

Better get back to it.

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My Creative Space

It's been a little bit Random Acts of Crafting around here lately...

There's been a bit of production lining of Shop stock
 

Some custom designed Santa Sacks...

...and a custom design WIP Satchel Bag

Still lots to do!

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My Creative Space

Top Left - Fabric Stack

Top Right - Sewn Right Sides Together

Bottom Left - Trimmed and Pinked

Bottom Right - Turned Out

 I set myself a mission yesterday. I had a wholesale order for thirty bibs that I wanted to get finished by the end of the day.

I knew it was possible. I've sewn so many bibs over the last few months, that I've worked out a really spiffy production line system that works for me (but probably wouldn't work for anyone else).

I was instagramming each step in the production line (#30bibs). It's a great motivation when you're working alone at home!

My poor air conditioner gone to pieces...

Unfortunately I didn't factor in all the interruptions... a visit from the Occupational Therapist to inspect the kitchen renovation, along with the Air-Con Repair man in the morning and then again in the afternoon.

I also zipped around to my sisters for a Roast Pork dinner (utterly irresistible and totally worth it).

I came home again and pressed them nice and flat...

....and topstitched

But at 9.30PM, I admitted defeat. There's still labelling and snapping left to go today.

Oh, and the Air-Con man called to let me know how much the parts will be... so I'm having a free postage sale in the shop.

Enter the code AIRCON at checkout for free postage Australia wide (sorry international peeps). Offer ends next Monday (10th Dec).

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My creative space

There's not much going on around here today except for yet more hospital visits. I'm up at Ridonkulous O'Clock to battle peak hour, so that I can have a horrible test done. Yah!

Anyhow, to brighten things up I will show and tell the instagram photos of the latest little prototype that I whipped up earlier in the week.

I'm hoping these will be a hit for the young, and the young at heart!

There's more fabric arriving tomorrow, so with any luck these will be available in the shop from Monday.

 I must say that I'm enjoying designing packaging just as much as I love making stuff!

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My creative space.. and super exciting news

I finished off the last lot of goodies for the Pop-Up Shop yesterday.

I decided to take some of my new designs, as well as re-working and re-colouring some of my old hand-drawn designs to create Mini Art Prints. They've been printed onto 100% cotton archival quality card stock.

I'm totally in love with the brightness and richness of the print.

But in even more exciting news....

I received an email on the weekend to tell me that I'd won a place in Module 1 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. Out of 114 entries, they picked little old me!

I cannot put into words how totally and completely over the moon I am about this! We're only two days into it so far (as Aus is a day ahead of most of the world), and already I'm completely inspired.

Although I can't share any course content (of course of course), I can share my designs on the blog along the way, so I can't wait to see what happens next.

So I must give a huge thankyou to Rachael and Beth for the wonderful opportunity.


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My Creative Space - The Yardage Design Studio

Artwork by Geek Amour

I had a little bit of a creative adventure last week that I've been bursting to share. I just had to wait for a sneaky little surprise package to reach it's destination before I could spill the beans!

My cousin Iona and I headed to the Yardage Design Studio at Abbotsford Convent to partake in some fun screen printing.

Here's Nic preparing t-shirts for my nephews.

I've never had the chance to screen print before, and I'm quite sure that I asked about a billion questions (sorry Nic), but I learned sooooo much! 

Nic and Iona printing onto a t-shirt

..... and here's the finished result. Brilliant!

In perfect timing, the Abbotsford Convent is having an Open Day this Sunday, so you can go and visit the Yardage Design Studio too.

Nic will have her entire range available for purchase on the day - all the details are here.

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My Creative Space

It's better late than never today.

There was a mad rush to get an apron made for my cousin to use tomorrow (as we're off to have some secret squirrel fun).

She's just a young whippersnapper from the 80's..... and this was the one and only 1986 teatowel from the stash.

I teamed it with some glorious vintage fabric from Lynsey that came all the way from the UK. Quite fitting considering she's just moved here from chilly Scotland.

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My Creative Space - A New Cushion (or what happens at craft camp)

.....Doesn't always stay at craft camp.

When you put a group of crafty bloggers in a room together, much hilarity ensues, and lots of silly ideas come to fruition.
 
Case in point.

Because everything is better when you put something on it. Don't blame me if you have Beyonce on the brain all day.

Oh and by the way, green chevrons are really really hard to photograph while maintaining colour accuracy!

The cushion cover and craft panel are both available in the shop, and I'll be taking them along to the Pop-Up Shop on Saturday too!

.... and from the same craft camp - the Geek Amour Hipsters Paradise Card. Brilliant!

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My Creative Space

I'm very slowly getting lots of pretty things ready for the Polly Pratt Open Studio and Pop Up Shop which is happening on Saturday 27th October.

Apparently my little visitors are 'helping'

In serendipitous timing, my new postcards arrived yesterday...

....and they just happen to be the perfect packaging backdrop for these.

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My Creative Space

Todays creative space

More snapping... this time on toddler sized bibs. A bit longer, a bit wider, for more dribbles.

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My Creative Space - Let's Get Maybelle to Ellen

It's my creative space with a bit of a difference today.... you see, this time, around about a year ago, as I was undergoing transplant testing, Bianca's beautiful little girl, Maybelle, was also undergoing medical testing, and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.


She's only a year into what is predicted to be at least a three year battle, and for the last year it's meant being constantly in and out of hospital, lots of chemo treatment, no hair, and lots of sickness.

But through all of this, she always has a smile on her face.

As she hasn't been able to do much of anything at all, the highlight of her day has been watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show on tv. Of all the things she would love to be able to do, number one on the list is to get to LA to see a taping of Ellen.

About a week ago, a little plan was hatched, and it was decided that we must make this dream happen.... and LET'S GET MAYBELLE TO THE ELLEN SHOW was launched.

Now this is where the creative bit begins....

To get the word out on social media, we needed a logo, and I jumped at the chance to put my new design skills to work.

From there, I created four designs to have printed onto Tote Bags, and Maybs chose her favourite (above).

We've opened up a Get Maybelle To Ellen shop and the Tote Bags have been ordered and are on their way. You can even pre-order them now! 100% of the profits go directly to the fundraising efforts.

We're trying to garner the attention of The Ellen Show, so if you're on Facebook, it would be brilliant if you can pop on over and LIKE the Let's Get Maybelle To Ellen page, and share it with your friends.

This is just the beginning of the fundraising effort, so stay tuned!

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My creative space

It's been Bibpalooza this week...

I've been cutting and sewing and pinking and turning out and pressing and topstitching and branding and labelling and tagging and.... (that's a lot of work sheesh)!

I finally finished the fifty bibs..... well almost.

There's just that little matter of a pesky fifty sets of snaps that need to be added. For those of you playing along on Instagram (my username is @curlypops), you might have seen the hashtag #fiftybibs a lot so far this week. Sorry about that.

That's mostly all that's been happening in my creative space...phew!

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My Creative Space

I seriously didn't think there'd be any creating at my place this week.

I'm doing some contracting work which means early starts, long (for me) days, and major exhaustion (stupid dodgy lungs). 

Thank goodness my sister came and cleaned up my hovel house yesterday and left me a yummy serving of Sweet & Sour Pork in the fridge to heat up for dinner.... because the lure of a new batch of my fabric designs was all too much.

I dragged myself off that couch and plonked my bum down at the sewing machine, and very soon, I'll be able to show what I'm up to. It's worth the wait. I promise!

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