wip creative spaces

 so my creative space ...

my creative head space is brimming with ideas so much that i feel at times it is spilling over

my physical actual creative space is over taking our home

my art educator creative space has been reflective this week

my sewing & making for dollars creative space fits in whenever it can

my dreaming up 'possibilities' thinking creative head space has been working overtime lately

my dream studio creative space is constructed so far of black lines on A3 paper 

but there have been steps made ... which creative space should i refer to?

here are two works in progress

the above "rainbow i spy" which has been almost finished for a while

had its binding machine sewn on .... just need to do the hand slip stitching

have a goal to make that happen this weekend

the other is a gorgeous pink & green single bed log cabin ....ish quilt 

made by a great friend of mine .... Sam

in fact this is her first ever patchwork experience

it was pieced & sandwiched a long time ago 

... way way back one night, we had a chat .... i didn't really know her then

i told her i thought she needed to have some kind of hobby outside of what was work

think my words were more like "get a life" .... spoken with diplomacy of course!

she asked me what i did .... was when i was just getting back into sewing more often

the next week, she told me she'd bought a machine & that i had to teach her....!!

.... sounds like we were up front with each other 

but that is how we are & it works as we are great friends .... 

thank goodness she did that or we probably would have gone separate ways ... xx

& i see it as kind of my responsibility to see that this quilt is completed!

as a first effort i probably shouldn't have put Sam on such a huge unknown path

... she learned a heap but maybe i stretched her just that little too far?

she started machine quilting it but was not entirely happy with the results

then she tried perle 8 chunky stitching but it wasn't a 'happening thing' for her

so i stole it away to stitch it myself .... i've pulled it out now & then

not often enough .... but i am coming close to the finish ... yay

soon it will be done & i will wrap it with a great big bow!!!

& then she can do the binding!!!

more creative spaces going on over here today

thrifty fun times

 some truly ace thrifty finds recently

i love a bit of op shop spotting

i usually have to drag the little boy along

but in the end he has lots of fun

and has got the idea now .... that just maybe we might walk out with

some treasure for him .... if he's good!!

loving Dr Seuss .... he's never off the current book menu

can't go past a great Tups bargain ....

some happy yellow sunshine-y container goodness

rolling pins .... tactile woody ones .... yep 4 the studio  

.... (whispered in case my husband finds out ... 

i promised that i would not 'collect' any more objects for the 'studio' ..... until i actually had one!!)

oh & the pin cushion was Oscar's choice .... seriously!

then the "piste de resistance"

a "Fisher Price Play Family Airport"

my heart skipped a beat & then raced when i saw this little number

all grimy & shoved on a shelf almost out of sight!

.... Oscar spotted it at the same time 

complete bargain ... a bit damaged

but you know in a world where retro is just the ticket

.... there are 'Fun Times in Florida' ... ! yay

 loving the teal green & all the super cute images

they are in very good condition

the control tower however must have had someone crash land

but still she's apples ... love the baggage manually operated turn table!

my mum has all the contemporary FP little people & the plane to compliment

... so if you're going to fly .... be sure to check in with plenty of time ...
not sure if there is a club lounge to wait in?

certainly not a wheely suitcase in sight ..... 

gone are the days when you'd actually go to a travel agent  .... loving it!

so yeah .... funny sunny times here

"Think left and think right

and think low and think high

Oh! the thinks you can think up

if only you try!"

Dr Seuss

open doors

do you remember the movie 'sliding doors'?

i love this concept of choice ...

in the film it was all about that moment of 

either catching the train or not ...

... hence the sliding doors

one element in her life slides past the other

& massive life changes are made

you may have worked out i like referring to a visual reference

the "open door' meaning an opportunity 

for a choice to be made to take a certain path

in my life these open doors have been mostly 

... really obvious

the feeling of making that 'right' choice

the one that is the perfect 'fit' is priceless

the thing is, even when the door is open

it is still not necessarily 'the' choice to make ...

... so choose wisely my friends!

 i've had so many wonderful moments in my life

where the fit has been right & the door was open

& to be honest its felt like its too good to be true when

the open door has just 'fallen in my lap'

 then ...

there have been many times when the door has simply been 

closed shut

tightly shut & i have not understood why

so life sometime seems like a maze where i believe

our God has a guiding hand

a hand to open or close

we still choose the journey but those gentle

or at times not so gentle nudges .... 

guide us along to 'see' the open doors

 when i met my husband is was more like a smack round the ears than a gentle nudge

when my final school year results arrived it felt more like a slam in the face

when we were searching for a new-to-us-home they seemed like all closed doors

when i applied for my first teaching position everything just fell into place

when it came to conceiving a baby naturally 

.... well that has been a door shut closed with a great big bolt

when i finally decided that teaching in a school wasn't for me anymore 

... the doors opened on 'new horizons'! 

i stepped out of the boat & felt brave & it was good

when we looked for new homes closer to our church 

.... we fell in love with the first one we found & it became ours in almost a wink

craig was offered an overseas position & we even went & had a look-see 

... we would have gone but that door was closed for us 

..... with hindsight .... the 'right' move

then another 'os' opportunity ... the door was wide open

.... but we had discovered by then that we were where we wanted to be

.... & with further hindsight .... definitely the 'right' move

one door that i have been 'willing' to open since i was a teenager

has been all about owning & running my own studio/gallery

.... i'm starting to see the real possibilities 

.... feels like i've been dreaming this for so long

it has felt like i've walked past the door many times

i've wanted to turn the handle to see ...

i've just not been brave enough ... silly me

.... but now .... i think the door might just been opening just a titch!
sometime soon i am going to swing it wide open & race on through ...

all the above pics are from the weekend just gone

we were at our favourite beach

went for drive & an explore about Queenscliff

there is still a lovely historical charm to that little town

so which doors will open in my near future ...

hoping its one i've wished for ... soon

14 years

 today's anniversary is one of the great markers in my life

today 14 years ago i married my best friend

marriage is that great binding promise of a future together

of making a life as one ... 

counting back the years .... all part of

our journey ... be sure to enJOY yours
as the years seem to slip by fast ...

 i love tulips .... had 100's everywhere

still love my dress ....

might do the whole bridesmaids dress thing differently now

.... but that's how it goes

.... we were married at our Church

Ashburton Baptist ....

same place my parents were married

my dad & I entered a full, actually over flowing church ... people standing

 the sound of all those voices in song ....

wonderful memories ...
Oscar thinks i'm a princess .... awhhh 
(took me some time but i recently worked out
that when he refers to a 'princess' ... he means a bride!)

thankyou my husband xxoo

its World BAMBOO Day ....

... in case you hadn't heard ...

18th Sept has been for the last 4 years ....

 

aims ... "to elevate the status of bamboo everywhere

to be considered as a plant with amazing potential

to improve the environment 

as a positive substitute to other materials

– such as a source for textiles, bio-plastic, bio-fuel, and non-timber products"

... info from the World Bamboo Organisation

i love a bit of bamboo ...

i've been sewing with it one way or another for a few years now

it has amazing properties

its super soft

its antibacterial

it breaths

its biodegradable

super absorbent

warmer than wool

cooler than cotton

sustainable

ethical

& the bamboo i buy is grown & made in Australia

so that makes it fair trade as well

so i sewed with it today

lots of lovely soft bamboo baby wraps

& super snugly baby modern patchwork blankets

these i make in 2 sizes:

capsule .... just the right size to wrap an extra layer over baby when out & about

also fits easily into a bag to take anywhere or if the little person is deeply attached to holding on its not so huge to be dragged about ....

bassinet ..... this is just right to tuck baby in or take as that travel blanket

or use as a play mat ... lovely ....

 these are made of bamboo & cotton

you'd wash them in cold water

with a mild environmentally friendly detergent

you'd lie it fat - ish to dry

& as it is used & loved it will soften even more

 would you like to get your hands on one?

for your own needs or as a gift ....

well you can always ask as i can make these to order

but if you happen to live or might be passing through

our nation's great capital city .....

 well all these lovely pieces pictured here

have either been sold recently

or are in stock

or are about to wing their way northward

to be waiting for just the right person to fall in love with them ...

 have you been to 

Shop Handmade Canberra???

its a designer collective

you should work in a visit somehow sometime

it really is a slice of something special

well here's some news

i'm now one of those designers ....

yep ... had this under my hat for just a little bit

but am so excited to tell you about it!!

 

 so i'll just send these new pieces all off tomorrow

& by the weekend some sweet little person could be snuggled

under a whole lot of bamboo goodness 

made by hARTylittlepeaces

..... that's me .... i'm wendy

... i have some more little goodies in stock there 

which i will tell you all about soon ....

  oh & i really meant to post about this sweet little number

yep more bamboo .... hoot twa hooo!

some wise punter at our kinder trivia night silent auction

walked home with these lovely handmade items made by me 

a large bamboo modern patchwork blanket

& a couple of muslin cotton baby wraps to match

so happy to help ... & loved being part of the whole night

well done ladies .... super effort ... yay

You Sew Girl! Chunky Purse day ...

  had a simply wonderful day

arrived back home last night

to attended a planned workshop today

loved every minute

thankyou to the incredibly talented & knowledgable

Nicole Mallalieu

had the complete pleasure

in making Nicole's

Chunky Purse Design

love it ... it most certainly is chunky

it will hold a whole bunch of precious goodies

learnt lots of hints & tricks

& I might just try this 

using a pattern thing more oftern

 oh & my side by side studio work buddy was a new-to-me ... Karen 

"v nice to meet you Karen!"

here are our results lined up next to each other

Karen made the 150mm Purse ... we were very proud of these

... our fearless leader stepped us through her very clearly designed pattern

now ... on to try another design & step up the tricky factor ...

 .... did you notice its green!

i love green ....