WIP Weekend Washout

Oops.

Oh well...at least the proposed Christmas Snowflake thing got some work done on it...

Luckily I proclaimed it a WIP Week also

o_O

WIP Weekend + WIP Week

Well, in my usual fashion, despite not having done much crafting for some time, my WIP's appear to have flourished. How does that happen.

So have decided to have a WIP Weekend followed by a WIP week.

My list of projects (in no particular order of finishing required, nor actual importance...)

1. The scarf I was making for my former housemate. To give to her on her birthday. In September. Then rescheduled to give to her before she flew to the US for Xmas. Three weeks ago. Now re-rescheduled to finish and post to her by 1 December...
2. Similarly, a scarf for my former housemates boyfriend. *sigh* I probably could've had this finished BEFORE they went away if I had only knuckled down. But not long to go on that one.
3. A paper snowflake mobile for Christmas. Only started this on Monday. Cutouts done. Ironed nice and flat (FYI best done without the steam function turned on...). Just dabbing some KindyGlitz on for sparkle-arkles and then have to thread together and I am done.
4. The afghan. 'Nuff said.
5. Plastic canvas fridge magnets. Long-term, semi-abandoned project fished out of a cupboard yesterday;
6. An aged baby blanket I started about 5 years ago. Oh well, other people are still procreating...
7. The Thimbleberries Quilt. Have finally galvanised myself to buy the backing fabric. I suspect I should have it completely finished in, oh, about 2 years at this rate...
8. Finalising some storage cards for my plethora of DMC embroidery threads.
9. The skirt I started back in July. Which I fear no longer fits me...
10. Some applique to tea-towels which had tiny fraying holes in, but are otherwise perfectly serviceable.
11. Oops. The baby hat for my friends 3 1/2 month old baby o_O
12. Some applique to screen prints I did at the last Brown Owls I attended..
13. I'm sure there's more...

So there you go. In the snatched moments between social engagements this weekend (you think I'm kidding. I'm totally not...), I shall endeavour to finish at least some of this list :)

Wish me luck...I think I'm gonna need it o_O

July, August, September, October AND November update.

Well - I could apologise for not being on here, but, you know what? This is my blog. I post when I can. When I feel like it. When I think I have something to say.

Life has been painful, awkward and busy. And I haven't felt like posting.

So, no apology :)

Well. Things have been happening. Not all good, but as a wise friend of mine comments, "whatever does not kill you will only make you stronger". Without going into too much detail, here's some updates!!

• Well. Bachelor # 1 proved to be a jerk. I moved onto Bachelor # 2, who seemed to have a LOT of promise. Turns out he was an emotional retard. *sigh* think I might have been the only one who got hurt out of that. Thanks again to my friends for their tolerance of my general down-in-the-mouthedness during that period!!
• Got sent to Melbourne for work. Yays!! Meant to stay a week and then fly back on Saturday. Got a last minute phone call begging me to come back the following week. Soooo, work basically paid for my weekend accommodation and meals in Melbs :)
• My friend had a beautiful bebeh girl. Ahn. So cute! Both momma AND bubby that is!
• Work moved into our spanky new building. It is full of awesome.
• Took two weeks holidays. Didn't go anywheres :( My employer has this "rule" where you must take 10 consecutive days worth of leave in a 12-month period. I had not done so, thus was 'forced' to take leave. Darn them.
• Joined some online dating sites o_O I figured after recent dating failures I could hardly do much worse!! It's been fun thus far. I highly recommend dating (casually of course - nobody is sleeping with anyone!!) a slew of men ALL AT THE SAME TIME. It stops one from obsessing why one guy isnt calling you as you have too many other dates to even have time to clean your freaking house :)
• Per the above - have actually met a couple of lovely boys :) We'll see how that pans out!
• Did very little crafting. Started a scarf for a friend. Missed the delivery date. Negotiated a second delivery date. Have still to finish it. Nothing else really of note in the craftiness area...
• Heaps of athletic pursuits! Triathlon Pink over here in sunny Perth. V pleased with my performance. Mucho improvement. All those winter training sessions in the cold have paid dividends. Great Bike Ride last weekend also an improvement on prior performance. Lookin' good in lycra...well, as good as one can look!!!
• Farewelled my BFF and her significant other who are off for a three month overseas jaunt. Not. Jealous. At. All...(miss them already!)

Hmmm. Feel sure that I have missed something...numerous friends birthdays...work...training...dating eligibile batchelors...work...training...nope :) think that's all of note.

I'll try not to leave you so neglected next time!!

More crafty shenanigans to come over the next few days.

Pinky swear.

Hallooooooooooooooooo...

::echo::

::echo::

Hey :)

I'm baaaaack!

*sigh*

Been busy.

Lost my crafting mojo slightly.

But better now!! Back on the rails. Steering steadily. Promise.

BAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!

This is my current screensaver at work.

Sums up my mood PERFECTLY!

10 on Tuesday (on Wednesday)

Have missed a few weeks of 10 on Tuesdays.

Last weeks was 10 favourite places to eat, and as I am hardly an international (wo)man of mystery, most of my places would probably have been in Perth (or at the very least just Western Australia) and therefore possibly of little or no interest to others!!

But, this week it's all about your 10 Favourite Sounds.

Hmmm....

1. The sound of your loved one sleeply peacefully next to you;
2. Baby birds chirping merrily away in their nest. And, that's a strange one for me, 'cos I DISLIKE birds intensely *shudders* I think it's their scaly little feet. Bleurgh;
3. Music! Not all music, but most music!
4. Bagpipes. I know - another odd one, but part of my family heritage is Scottish and I do love a good skirl on the pipes, even if it sometimes makes me feel like crying, but they aren't exactly a perky instrument now, are they?
5. The sound of (other peoples) children merrily at play. You know that bubbling laughter that kids have when they are just having the most fun playing chasey (or whatever it is that kiddies play these days!);
6. Pre-dawn silence. I hear a lot of this due to the ridiculously early time I am usually up in order to go to training.
7. Silence in general :D
8. Frog songs! Especially when there are lots of them gurgling away!
9. The hubbub of a heap of people who are having a great time. In a bar, or out at a restaurant. The clink of cutlery, the sound of conversation....
10. The susurrus (sp?) of trees gently blowing in the wind. Not a strong stormy wind (cos that'd just freak me out), but tall eucaplypts rustling in the breeze. Awesome!

That was harder than I thought...

Knitting Nana

Have been meaning to post about the lovely nana (making an assumption here peeps - I didn't actually confirm she was indeed a Grandmother...) I saw knitting the other day.

On the bus!!!

Bless :D

There I was, sitting down minding my own biznez on the bus, plugged into my iPod so that I don't have to interact with my fellow human beings...yes, yes, I know it's anit-social, but good lo' you should see some of the people on my bus route...

So there I was, immersed in Beyonce or Rage Against the Machine or Kylie Minogue (or similar) when the bus paused at a stop to collect a vision in blue rinse! Black jumper with gold metallic embroidered rose pattern? Check. The most INCREDIBLE crystal earrings? Check (they looked a little Vegas showgirl, but hey, who really cares!!). Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes? Check and (possibly) check :D. Long strand of metallic silver beads around her neck? Checkarooney. I have almost never seen so much glitz on one person!

She looks at me - I look at her. She reaches down and grabs out a plastic carrier bag full of wool and needles and notions. And then proceeds to knit what looked like the most complicated cable stitich EVER. On a moving bus. Without stabbing herself or anyone else with her non-commuter needles. I wasl almost tempted to ask her to show me the stitch :D

Amazing! She got quite a lot of the scarf completed in the 10 or so stops before I got off, and she was still madly clickety-clacking away when I left the warm cocoon of the knitting bus!

The only gripe I had was the shocking array of wool she was knitting with...but, hey, it's a 'Global Financial Crisis' (allegedly) and needs must!

10 on Tuesday (on Wednesday)

This weeks 10 on Tuesday is right up my alley!!!

OMG!!!!

10 Favourite songs of the 80's

hehe

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bit of an 80's music tragic. I may have trouble keeping this to 10 Favourites!!

Here goes...and in no real order....

1. (I've Had) The Time of My Life - from Dirty Dancing;
2. Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer. Who didnt love all those girls in the background?
3. 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton. This could almost be my theme song at the moment...
4. Ti Amo - Laura Branigan (I hope...)
5. Take On Me - a-ha. Those boys were HOT back then and I saw a photo of them recently and OMG THEY HAVE AGED VERY WELL!!!
6. Pretty much anything by Whitney Houston released during the 80's;
7. Again pretty much anything released by Bananarama;
8. A LOT of Belinda Carlisle;
9. Two words. Bon Jovi; and
10. Lady In Red - Chris De Burgh. Love love love this song!

Hopefully those are actually all from the 80's. I sometimes have overlap as I am more a child of the early 90's and some of the music from this era sort of merges into the one time frame for me - that of finishing primary school and moving into the first years of high school. Ah, good times!

Belated June Update!!

Hello my little cherubs :D

Whew! It's been a little while hasn't it?

Anyhoodle, I've been terribly busy doing non-blog and non-craft related stuff. June was so jam packed that it literally flew by and before I noticed it was July!

So, June was a great month to....

• Meet new people. Some of them boys. Some of them jerks...actually of the three (seemingly nice) boys I met, 66.66% of them turned out to be jerks. The remaining 33.33% (recurring) are doing well so far......ssshhhh, he might be a keeper ;)
  
• Not do very much crafting at all. I have been horribly lax. My craft room has been unattended, vacant and ignored even. I did make one teensy tiny tissue paper flower...but that's about it. I started a knitted baby hat. And thats where that finished! Oh well. It's not as though I have lost my crafting mojo, it's merely on a brief hiatus and I have a feeling it will be back soon;
  
• Celebrate my dear old dads birthday. Ahn. Bless him. 63 years young and still the man I judge all others by. I love my dad (could you tell?). The bestest thing about dad is that I know no matter what I do in my life (perhaps short of committing a serious crime) he will always love me and never judge me. Jeez, I love that man!!!
  
• Finish my Bento Box quilt. Finally. Refer to post from 9 June for more deets on that long-winded project;
  
• Catch a cold. Bleurgh. Twice. And still not over this last batch. Yuck. I am quite possibly the worst sick person this side of a man-flu sufferer. I've been going through about a box of tissues every two days. I should buy shares in Kleenex damnit because I sure am keeping them in business at the moment!!!
  
• Have dinner(s) and drinks with friends. I love my friends! They listen to all my neuroses and shenanigans and over analysing of situations and then provide a voice of reason. And despite all those hard yards - they still love me! You guys are the best!!!
• Get a Facebook stalker. ummm. Awkward!
  
• Volunteer. My work gives us time off with pay to volunteer with community organisations and the like. It's a really cool programme and they promote various things through our internal internet. Things like weeding gardens at elderly peoples houses and helping with maintenance, or setting up for fund raising events for childrens charities. Cool stuff that is good for the community;
  
• Join the gym. Yep. Despite my ridiculous amount of triathlon training I have not been a member of a gym for quite some time. However, I have now joined up with my housemate and we have been going to copious amounts of classes...well, until I got sick and forced myself to rest!
  
• Farewell one of my colleagues who has gone off on maternity leave to prepare for her first bub. So cute - she is getting all out in front with baby at the moment, but still over a month to go!
  
• Farewell another colleague who left to set up her own marketing, communications and events management business. If anyone needs anything like that in Perth, get hold of Suzanne at http://www.creativeelements.net.au/ and tell her that Kylie sent you!!!

Hmmm. I think that was all. I mean aside from the ridiculous busyness that is my paying job. *sigh*. Global Financial Crisis (I love how people - including myself - capitalise the words) means I will continue to be wanted, needed and loved (or perhaps slightly loathed) in a work related manner for quite some time!!

Yay.

And in closing, there's this...well...there was going to be an incredible photo of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (ggrrrrrrrr!), but Blogger appears to be having some photo techno issues so I am afraid there's no photo. Just visualise instead :)

Stuff 'n' Updates

Am just watching "The Zoo' on television.

OMG - I am such a sucker for baby animals :)

They just had a baby langur (sp?) monkey on. Oh. My. Goodness. So very, very, very cute!!

So, what's been happening? Well, I've FINALLY finished my Bento Box Quilt (per last weeks post). I've also finished the bulk of the cross stitch on my Les Lapins project, so now just all the outlines to do (bleurgh. My least favourite bit). I've finished 95% of a skirt for work - just need to attach the lining and finish the waist and hem. My first item of clothing that I have made since Home Ec in High School...

Hmmmm......what else?

Let me see...Oh yeah! My work and Facebook stalker! I really shouldn't laugh, but there was this guy that works for the same company as me who had taken a sudden and unexplained liking to me. It's a long and complicated story, but suffice to say, through a bit of subterfuge and a few little white lies (I know, I know!!!) my friends and I believe we have staved off any potential issues. Of course, I now have an imaginary boyfriend. He's pretty hot, you know (lol). A cyclist, 6 foot 5, in great shape, works as an engineer....what!!? Well, if I'm going to have to lie about having a boyfriend to see off a potential stalker/suitor, I am totally going to make it worth my while :D

Anything else.....oh yes.

ItotallymadeoutwithanotherguybutItotallydontknowwhereitsgoinganditssupercomplicatedandohmygoodness.

::ahem::

Sometimes I wonder what I'm thinking.

But usually only after I've done something I probably shouldn't have.

Cos THATS when you should do your thinking...

I love...

...long weekends (how very Aussie of me!)...
...the smell of freshly baked cakes (lemon meringue cupcakes today, banana bread yesterday, apple custard tea cakes for Brown Owls on Saturday)...
...a surprisingly good book that I picked up on a whim at the library...
...and, the feeling of achievement when you finish a project...

YAY!!!!

That's right! I've finally finished the Bento Box Quilt that I've been working on for, ummmm.....

::scampers off to check her project diary::

::footsteps slowly coming back::

...umm, yeah. Appears I didn't write it in the project diary. Lets seeeeee. It would have to be well over 12-months.

Easily.

If not longer.

So, let's not keep the finished project from you for any further length of time.

Taaaaa-daaaaaaaaaaaaa!

It's kind of a crappy perspective, but I did have to stand on my kitchen bench in order to get up high enough to get the whole quilt in shot, so, hey, I took my life into my own hands peeps, just so you guys could see it ;)

The basic construction is small rectangles of indigo Japanese fabrics, combined with coloured Japanese fabrics. Each square was made up of 8 separate rectangles - 2 coloured and 6 indigo. The two coloured rectangles are of the same fabric and are sewn together with the indigo fabrics on the outside.

The backing fabric is a black koi carp all over design, and the borders are plain indigo fabric combined with some spare squares in the corners and the side borders (mainly because I ran short of border fabric...). I then machine quilted the outside row of 'boxes' using white cotton to mimic sashiko stitching. The top and bottom borders are quilted on a 45 degree diagonal, again using white cotton.

I have to say that there are bits of it that I'm not all that impressed with - nothing wrong with the design, just my rendition of it. As usual, my issues with the backing fabric catching were there - it's like I'm cursed!! The front piecing is alright - the main section is the best. I didn't really think out the side borders very well and was also running out of fabric, so (to me anyway) they seem a bit half-a$$ed. But, I am VERY proud of the binding. I hate making binding, mostly because its so time consuming and I usually scald my fingers on the steam iron and such.

Additionally, I generally manage to muff up my binding attachment. I think this is because I was sewing it onto the front and back of the quilt at the same time. What this caused was the back of the binding to not always attaching properly, and it makes the quilt quite hard to manipulate around, and quite frankly its just a drag. And I always end up with binding issues - like crappy corners, uneven hems and such.

This time, I sewed the binding to the front of the quilt using my machine and then hand sewed the back of the binding to the back of the quilt. Worked a freaking treat!!! A bit more time consuming for sure, but a 1000% improvement on the overall binding look. Corners are much neater and the stitches on the back are practically invisible.

So that's one less thing off my (freaking massive) list of 'Things To Do'.

Now if I can only sort out my personal backing fabric "issues" all would be well...

Screen Printy Goodness :D

As promised, screen printy goodness from yesterdays Brown Owls meet.

The apple design is mine. It is quite daunting being presented with a blank sheet of paper, and there was quite a bit of sitting and staring at the page around the table!!

The cute little helicopter belongs to Justine (who organises the Perth Upmarket, which BTW is on next Sunday, 7 June at the Perth Town Hall. Go to www.perthupmarket.com.au for deets).

And check out those two little puppers!!! Too cute, Ebony and Ashy *head tilt* ahhhhnnnn :)

Thanks heaps to the wonderful Kirsty for letting us take over her home for the afternoon (and threaten to steal the puppers away!!!).

Much fun was had by all.

I may be heading off to obtain screen printing supplies...

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Day 31 of 31 (definitely NOT 365!!!) Whew! Kind of glad that those 31-days are over. Not that it was particularly onerous or anything, but sometimes I felt like I was grasping for something to write...But, the exercise WAS good for getting me used to regularly blogging, no matter what the content :). So, whilst I doubt that I will be blogging every day, I will certainly be doing it much more regularly than I was prior to the month.

Brown Owls - hoot! hoot!

Crafty Brown Owl goodness went on today.

!!!!!!!!!!!!SCREEEEEEEEENNNNNNNN-PRINTINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!

*ahem*

So. Much. Fun. Haven't done screen-printing since art in High School (which I took to a TEE level thankyouverymuchandlearntallaboutimpressionistsandthedadamovementblahblahblah).

My last attempts at screen printing seem to have been a tea-towel with a rather terrible rendering of a plant of some description in a delightful primary red and navy blue. My mum still has (and uses) this terrible attack on the fine art of screenprinting. I also seem to recall doing tee-shirts in Applied Art. Sopme trite copy of a surf shirt design slithers through my memory.

Todays efforts? OMG!!!! So much cooler.

Pictures are ready to be uploaded. More on this tomorrow. Promise :D

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Day 30 of 31 (or a not-very-likely 365) Bought a snuggly new jacket yesterday. Wore it today. Mistake. Still too hot. Sweaty. Yech. But I looked cool :)

..I've got Friday on my miiiiinnnndddddd.....

Yay!

Foundation Day Long Weekend here in WA.

Three consecutive days of craftability.

Brown Owls meet tomorrow (ooooh, screenprinting...) and other big plans afoot to actually FINISH the Bento Box Quilt...course, I have said that to myself the last three weekends...

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Day 29 0f 31 (or 365...or not) Meh. Friday's suck ar$e. Longest. Week. Eveeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr.

My Creative Space

How cute is this little set of drawers that my Mum bought me for my birthday last year!

She reckons its supposed to be a spice drawer, but I use it in my craft room to hold all sorts of sewing pins, safety pins and small buttons.

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Day 28 of 31 (or 365) Is a Cup Noodle considered a balanced meal, do you think? Perhaps if I also have a banana?

Cookies

I can HIGHLY recommend the Double Chocolate and Chilli cookies from this cookbook.

Sans chilli.

Delicious, chocolatey goodness. And easy to make :D

My cookie-filled, fattened up co-workers agree...hehe...
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Day 27 of 31 (or 365) Very, very, very cold in the outdoor pool at training this morning. I suggested to my coach that we hop out of the pool and go indoors to watch the men's waterpolo team train (um, PHWOAR!!!!!), but she said no. Heart of stone, I tells ya :)

Crafting

*gulp*

I swear that there HAS been craft content here at the WKDN household.

Honest.

I'm just finishing something up and taking progress photos and when it's finished I PROMISE all will be revealed (ooh...that made it sound a tad more exciting than it really is...)

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Day 26 of 31 (or 365) Wow. I've got a lot of 'stuff' in my freezer. And by 'stuff' I mean food. And by 'food' I mean indistinguishable frozen lumps of what might be actual food...hmmmmm

Breaking up is hard to do

Tony The Physio broke up with me today.

That is - he doesn't want to see me again...not until next time I injure myself!!

Which means, I am officially cleared to go back to run training.

Yaaaaayyyyyy!!!

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Day 25 of 31 (or 365) - Baked goods went down a treat at work. At least if I can't be thinner, i can actively fatten up my co-workers so I at least look thinner :D

More baking :D

Ooooh yeah baby...

Mmmmmhhmmmm.

Melting moments sandwiched with rhubarb custard. Stewed the rhubarb and made the custard MYSELF!!!

Double choc cookis.

::Drool::

So gooooooood.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. Lemon curd made by my own fair hand.

Apple and Custard Teacakes.

::phew::

It's been a baking extravaganza here today, peeps. I really, really needed that!

Quite frankly, I am pooped (and my belly is full of 'broken' baked goods. Quality control. Yep)
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Day 24 of 31 (or 365) Did my funrun this morning. No rain (which was a good thing). 5 degrees (which was a bad thing). Brrrrrr. Had to break out my cycling armwarmers to wear so my arms didn't freeze!! Luckily, my hip didn't play up and I managed to finish in a reasonably respectable time of about an hour for 10km. :D I'm not even sore at the moment, but I'll bet that Tony The Physio will find the sore spot tomorrow...

Winter is here

(note...photo above is not of Perth, but of lovely hometown of Albany...feels like a comparable temperature today and the wind is still strong!!!)

Brrrrr!

Well, the strong winds and driving rain appear to have moderated somewhat. Still windy and still rainy, but not as much as it has been (and certainly - I am sure - nowhere near as bad as in Qld and NSW). Mind you, we did commiserate with the loss of a local Perth landmark in the form of the old pylon at Cottesloe Beach. *sigh*

But BOY! Is it cold today or what!! Or perhaps this city living business, with its airconditioning and climate controlled whatnot has softened me up. I am after all from Albany down on the Sth Coast of WA, where it's pretty much cold all year round, but more so in winter. Took an ex-boyfriend down there in February for a friends wedding (which is still summer peeps) and all he could do was b!tch about how cold it was...

I don't know if I've got soft or not - I've never been particularly fond of cold weather per se, but could always live through it with appropriate heating - but my house is like a freaking barn. It is a reasonably large house, and there is really only one door that can close off any part of it (not a particularly energy efficient abode much to my chagrin). My lounge / kitchen / dining is MASSIVE - probably about the same size as the average 2 bed 1 bath apartment - and luckily can be closed off from the rest of the cavernous house.

But...I am without heating of any description at the moment. (The gas heater belonged to my ex, and obvy he took that with him when he left).

I had thought that maybe I could tough it out for the time being, given that I am looking for a place of my own to buy and didn't want to pay out good money on something that I would have to a) cart around with me, b) might not suit where I move to and c) I am pretty cheap regarding paying good money for electricity and gas when I don't have to.

Sadly, I am not sure I am going to be able to hold out!!! My hands are so cold right now that I am actually having trouble typing!!!

Usually, I shut the interior door and then open the vertical blinds and let the sun stream in through the massive floor to ceiling glass windows (or as I like to call them in winter, The Freezer Panes because obvy they also let the heat escape) and the glass sliding door.
This has the lovely effect of warming the air and raising the ambient temperature without wrecking my wallet or the environment, but also warms the floor tiles to the point where my room-mate actually asked me if we had underfloor heating! (HA! As if!).

Sadly today, there is very little in the way of sun peeping through the clouds, which is rendering it somewhat chillier than I envisaged. I am currently snuggled up on the couch with a quilt and laptop on my lap (the heat generated from the laptop is quite cosy...) wearing socks and three tops.

Would adding a beanie to the mix be taking it too far or should I just buy a heater....
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Day 23 of 31 (or 365) - doing a 10km 'Fun Run' tomorrow. Have always thought of that term as a bit of an oxymoron and given that rain is forecast tomorrow morning I don't think it's going to be too much fun...oh well. For a good cause in Appealathon at least.

Did I mention...

...the cooking?

I love to cook. LOVE.

Baking. Stewing. Casseroling. My own bread, buns and cinnamon scrolls. Biscuits. Soup. Ice cream without using a machine. Brownies. Friands. I have a special madeleine tin. And a Kugelhopf pan. The list goes on :D And, I am very good at it. Past co-workers speak longingly of The Baking. The threat of Not Baking ensures I get my way plenty of the time. I've had marriage proposals. Usually from the already married. And women. But there you go.

Today, I discovered the Smitten Kitchen website.

::swoons::

Oh lordy.

I already had a hankering for some baking to be done this weekend, but now I can barely contain myself. So much so that I decided at lunchtime today that I simply had to have homemade pizza for dinner tonight....Did I mention I live by myself??

Anyways, here is my pizza dough recipe. I mix mine up in a breadmaker cos it's easier but you can easily mix and knead it yourself.

Kylie's Pizza Dough
7g dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups plain flour
olive oil
cornmeal / polenta

A) Mix the first 4 ingredients into a small bowl. Cover with clingwrap and place somewhere warm for 10 minutes. It's ready to go when its foamy.

B) put the yeast starter into the breadmaker pan and then put the flour on top (or per your machines instructions. Mine does it this way. If you are not using a breadmaker, put the flour in a bowl first, make a well and then pour in the starter. )

C) Select pasta dough programme and press start...or, knead by hand. If kneading by hand, you will need to let the dough rise until it's almost doubled in size. Do this in a bowl covered tightly with clingwrap. If using a breadmaker, your machine will (should) take care of this.

Once the dough has risen, you can either make one thick crust pizza or two thin crust pizzas. If making two thin crusts, split the dough into two. The dough can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen. Defrost in the fridge.

Roll required amount of dough out on a floured surface until it is about the size of the pizza tray you will use. Brush tray with olive oil and sprinkle sparingly with polenta (do NOT go overboard here...I did tonight and it makes for a weirdly crunchy texture, and it's kinda hard to brush off without losing the toppings...just a word to the wise is all). Move the dough circle (or whatever other shape you are going for) onto the tray in whichever way works for you. Half draping it over my rolling pin works for me.

Place your chosen toppings on and awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy you go :D

My pizza had (mostly stuff I found lurking in the fridge...it's grocery day tomorrow) tomato paste from a heap of ketchup sachets I had skulking in the pantry; turkey slices; fat free bacon (ha! Take that freezer! I will empty you); tomato slices; red capsicum slices; artichoke hearts; anchovies; black olives; pesto; and cheese.

Bake in a 210 degree pre-heated oven(non-fanforced if possible. If using fanforced as I have to do (the fan on my stupid oven cannot be turned off), drop the temp back about 20 degrees) for about 20 minutes, taking care that the crust does not burn.

Slice and serve. Yummers ;)

(sorry there are no photos...I got a bit carried away with the culinary creating and eventual eating)
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Day 22 of 31 (or 365) One problem with cooking ones own pizza. It smells soooooo good, that one does not wait until it is cool enough to eat, and therefore burns the roof of ones mouth. To the point where the skin peels off. Yech. But the pizza was totally worth it. Ate nearly the whole thing...

Marie Claire Idees

OMG.

Yum!!

Just picked up the Spring (I think...) issue of Marie Claire idees, and although my French skills are extreeeeeemely sketchy (I do remember that printemps means spring...I think....) it is just FABULOUS.

::swoon::

Love, love, love.

It has the cutest little knitted vegetables, such as cauliflower, turnips, carrots and trussed tomatoes. I MUST KNIT THESE. I dont need them, but I want them :D

I may be spending a lot of time on Babelfish translating the instructions!!
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Day 21 of 31 (or 365) - finally we have rain here in Perth. And what rain!!! Just missed getting drenched at lunchtime and then spent about 10 minutes watching the rain sheeting off the building opposite. It was practically coming down sideways!! At least my garden wont need water this week.

Why....

...do men - no matter what their age - have to be such jerks.

Sheesh.

Honestly.

Sometimes I wonder, I really do.

You'd think that I'd learn.

::shakes head::

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Day 20 of 31 (or 365). Jerks.

Run Through The Jungle & 10 on Tuesdays

(yes...that is me. I am running and not walking...)

Yay!!

Almost got the all clear from Tony the Physio! Despite the bruising I received from his tender ministrations on Friday (which still hurts BTW), I am cleared to go for a 'gentle' run today (which I didn't actually do...) and another 'gentle' run on Thursday. I have to miss training again on Friday, but I do have a 10km Fun Run on Sunday.



Yay again!!



::blinks::

*mutters* I can't believe I am actually so very excited about being able to run again...I may have been kidnapped by pod people... :D



As for 10 on Tuesdays - today the email had two topics...10 Favourite Cities or 10 Celebrities you are most over.



Hmmm.



I think I'll do a mix - 5 of each.

5 Favourite Cities
1 - Perth. The city I currently live in. Great weather. Small city. Easy to get around. All good.
2 - Melbourne. The capital of the state of my birth. Cold. But fabulous.
3 - Singapore. I think, technically, a city state? The city of my father and grandfathers birth.
4 - Kuala Lumpur. Love.
5 - Wellington, NZ. Resembles how I assume parts of England look.

5 Celebrities I am most over
1 - Lindsey Lohan. Enough. Already.
2 - Jordan / Peter Andre. Pfft. Whatever.
3 - Any NRL players and/or their $ex groupies. Yech.
4 - Oprah. Never really warmed to the woman. Dont know why.
5 - Any celebrity who b!tches about being hounded by paparazzi when you know damn well they probably tipped them off about where they would be. You cannot have the fame and fortune and yet still expect your every trip to the 7-Eleven to be paparazzi free. That said I don't agree with hounding people all the time and in their own homes etc. But really. If the paps left them alone...then they'd b!tch about that too!!!


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Day 19 of 31 (or 365) Am I the only history nerd who enjoys watching Time Team on ABC?

My Creative Space

Well...my grandly title 'Craft Room' in any case! Realistically, my actual creative space is more often than not the couch in front of the TV.

I am pretty lucky to live in a large-ish town house with 4 bedrooms, one of which is downstairs and therefore more like an office. But with a built in robe!! Yay!

I hate to think what I'm going to do if I move to a smaller place...yipes!!!
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Day 18 of 31 (or 365) - Meh. First day back at work after a weeks holidays. Bah humbug.

C&QS Schwag

Yum! Delicious purchases from the C&QS on Friday : )


The whole haul - some trims; vintage kimono scraps; buttons; flower trims and Moda fabric

Loving these vintage kimono scraps from Perth-based Sanshi Fabrics. No idea what I'm going to do with them, but they were far to beautiful to pass up.

MMMmmmmmmm. Moda Fabric squares. This is the third lot of Moda squares that I have bought and subsequently done nothing with except pet them occasionally...This pack has lovely spring colours, florals, polka dots, stripes and a cute sewing themed print.

A selection of laces and trims from a trim 'mystery' pack I picked up from one of the stall holders.

And....last - but certainly NOT least!!!

Four camel shaped buttons.

Why the four camel shaped buttons you may very well ask. Well. It's my mother you see. She likes camels. She's ridden camels. She (therefore) collects...camels.

::sigh::

Camels are a very difficult, um, motif to locate, so when I see anything remotely camel related, I tend to snap it up. Don't know what to do with these, but next gift-giving occasion is Christmas, so I guess I have plenty of time to think about it!!

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Day 17 of 31 (or 365) - Well, WA has voted 'NO' to daylight savings. Not quite the 'resounding NO' that the papers are trumpeting - something like 45% of the WA popluation voted 'Yes', but it was simply not to be. Oh well...*shrugs* life goes on as it did before the trial period!

The Great WA Daylighgt Savings Debate...

...should end - either way - today, once the results of the polled votes in the referendum are tallied. I have to say, for those of you not in WA, the debate between Yes and No (and internally between Yes and Yes and No and No) have been quite, um, strident. There's been all sorts of allegations and claims and research quoted etc, etc. I for one will be glad when the furore dies down, whichever way the vote goes :)

(you may recognise the photo above as my blogheader...it's the only photo of the sunset in Perth that I have...sorry bout the repetition)

I've popped out this morning and placed my vote, which was for Yes. (ducks and prepares to be stoned / hung drawn and quartered by the 'No' camp...just joking peeps!!)

Realistically for me and my lifestyle, DLS or no DLS has very little impact.

Each day of the year my alarm goes off at 4am. Depending on the activities of my day I either snooze with the crackly radio on until its time to get up and shower and change for work and leave the house to catch the 6.41am bus to be at work by 7.00am.

If I have training in the mornings (which is most weekdays) I get my weary butt out of bed and either head to the pool (have to leave the house by 6.00am for a 6.30am start) or to running (various start times, the earliest of which is 6.00am which means I leave home at 5.30am to get to the track on time).

If it's a standard workday, I work 7.00am through until 4.00pm, if I've had training before work I usually leave at 5.00 or 5.30. I work for a large Bank, which has it's head office in Melbourne. Sometimes the time difference is a pain in the butt, but the reason I start so early is to try to kind of match my hours to theirs. I do this for no other reason than it suits me. I started doing it about three jobs ago as I dealt A LOT with the east back then, but not so much now, and it just made life easier with internal approval cut-off times etc etc. Also, it works better for me for public transport and I am lucky in that it works for those around me also.

So, I'm generally home by 4.30pm. When there is/was no DLS this means that I have my own kind of 'natural' DLS. Sure, I leave the house to go to work when it's dark, but I get that time back at the end of the day as I am still able to pop into the shops or go for a run or cycle or do whatever else I want to do in the sunlight.

Why vote 'Yes' then, you might ask?

Well, it's generally always some level of dark for me when I leave the house, which means I train in the pool in the dark, and I run on the track in the dark, and I run on the road in the dark (wearing reflective gear head to toe) and I cycle to work in the dark (again with the reflective gear...I sooooo do not want to be hit by a bus!) or I wait at the bus stop in the dark. DLS doesn't really address this for me due to my personal choice in starting work earlier than the norm.

But, the bit I enjoy most is the afternoons and evenings. Sure it's hotter - not because there's any extra hours in the day but because we have artifically moved the time - but it's not actually hotter for any longer. The daylight available at the end of the day means that I can get in some (more) training if I want and it is still light enough to relax outside afterwards, or go out with friends etc. Plus - you know what - in summer (which is when DLS operates) it's ALWAYS FREAKING HOT in Perth!!! Some weeks this summer the temperature didn't seem to drop below 'stinking-hot-OMG-why-is-my-aircon-so-crap' for weeks on end. I mean, it's May now and we haven't had rain for 22-days (or something) and the temperature is in the high 20's. It's hot I tells ya!!

I also agree that Perth has it's own 'natural' DLS if you like, due to the meridien or whatever that thingy is that passes closely to Perth. This pretty much means that because the fine state of WA is so large, there are already different timezones evident, but which we don't observe. But seriously...one timezone per state is enough methinks!!

So, whilst I appreciate that DLS is not for everyone, and goodness knows other *cough* athletes (I use that term quite loosely in reference to myself BTW) prefer no DLS, and it probably is harder on the kiddies to get to bed when it's still lighter outside (and all the other reasons that people have, which I completely respect), the end result for me is that it works for me; I prefer the lifestyle it offers me and I prefer being able to make my own semi-informed decision on that basis without people getting all huffy about me having an opinion that differs from theirs ;)

So, in any case (and to borrow a phrase from one of my favourite websites, cuteoverload.com) peeps of WA: Vote, Vote, Vote like a Baby Stoat (whichever way you decide!!).

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Day 16 of 31 (or 365) - aaaaahhhh, cool glass of Pepsi Max, Billy Joel on the stereo and beautiful warm sunny weather. Bliss :)

Craft & Quilt Show Perth 2009

Well, am back from the Craft & Quilt Show (let's call it CQS as I am having real dramas typing the word 'quilt' today). Lots of fund. Lots of money spent and am now a bit footsore!!!

The mosaic above shows some of the FABULOUS quilts I saw. Unbelieveable the amount of time and effort expended. The central square in the mosaic shows one of a number of quilts completed around a Royal Flying Doctor Services theme (sorry - I forget if they were for a competition or for fund raising...). What's awesome about this quilt, is that the 'plume' of dust coming from the plane is actually padded, which gives it an amazing 3-D look...not immediately obvious from my slightly substandard photo!

All of the quilts were amazing, but I particularly liked the quiltlet in the first two squares which was of two meerkats. The meerkats themselves were MACHINE STITCHED!!! So cute and cool. (I didn't really cut the head of the tallest meerkat off...that's just how the mosaic has done it...).

I didn't get a photo of the Best in Show Quilt - too many people standing in front of it so I couldn't get a clear shot!! But trust me when I say it was AWESOME. I'm not sure but I think it may have been hand quilted. It was huge. Wow.

My other favourite is the following quilt:

Over 10,000 teeny, tiny little hexagons. Hand pieced.

::blinks::

Jeepers.

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Day 15 of 31 (or 365) - *sigh* another physio visit. Fessed up to the fun run...and I dodn't get in trouble. Altho I do have bruising on my leg from the treatment, so maybe THAT'S my punishment, hehe...And Physio Tony says I can go for a run this weekend! Yay!!

May Update

Yes - I know it's only halfway thru the month, but a few things have been happening around my place, so rather than do interminable small posts, I thought one larger one would be better.

I also notice that I have skewed slightly away from the craft content in the last week or so. *shrugs* Hope nobody minds ;)

The house-hunting is going well, especially since the Budget announcement that I don't have only 6 weeks within which to sign a sale contract. Thanks K-Rudd. Finally, something for meeeeeeeeeeee in the budget! Unfortunately, I am one of those people who tends to miss out on the 'good' budget stuff. I don't earn a six figure income, but I do earn enough so that I hit the highest tax bracket for part of my wage. This means that I don't receive the whole $900 stimulus package as I earn a trifle too much. I don't have children so I don't receive family benefits (hope that's the right terminology!) or baby bonuses or anything children related. I'm not on a pension (thank goodness!) or a family or a student etc etc, so the First Home Owners Grant is one of the only things that directly benefits me. Oh, I realise there are roads and other infrastructure projects which benefit me, but it's different when you can get hold of something tangible ;)

Also, I am far less freaked out than I was last week in regards to actually getting a home loan. After calming myself the hell down and cogitating over it, it's much much less daunting now!!

Am off to the Craft and Quilt Show here in Perth tomorrow. Squeezing my visit in between my early morning cycling training (should be running but I am still out of commission slightly on that front) and a physio visit (see previous bracketed comment...I think my physio is paying off a boat $72 at a time!!). Should be fun, but must try not to spend too much money, both due to trying to maximise savings vis a vis new house purchase and also because I have quite enough craft stuff thankyou very much :)

Tomorrow night marks my official entry into the 'singles scene'. I've been single for nearly 6-months now, which is the longest time in my life since I was about 16. I've been on a few dates with a guy that turned out to be a bit of a chump (no matter!) and met one other lovely guy who is sweet but unsuitable (but lovely!!). So, I'm going to a Singles Party. Gulp. Gents up to the age of 39, which probably means that I will be one of the oldest ladies there...oh dear!! Will let you know how THAT pans out!!

Completed the Mothers Day Classic here on Mothers Day. This event raises funds for Breast Cancer Research by the staging of running and walking events across Australia. Here in Perth there were something like 2,500 entrants this year. Despite my physio's advice, I did complete the 7km run, in an OK (for me) time of 44m22s. NOt too bad for someone who is injured and couldn't train for the two weeks preceding. My hip didn't hurt too much, but I'm sure the physio will have something to say when I 'fess up tomorrow...

Have been on holidays from paying work this week, which has been lovely. Have been doing very little for the last two days which has been rather nice, as I haven't had a break from work where I had nothing to do for nearly 18-months. In fact, if I didn't have important appointments to attend to next week then I'd probably ring my boss up and tell him I wasn't coming in next week as well ;)

Promise that craft content will be resumed shortly!!
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Day 14 of 31 (or 365) - nearly halfway through my 31-day blogging challenge. Hope no one else is bored! I'm actually rather enjoying it at this point.

10 on Tuesdays (whoops...on Wednesday)

OOps.

I appear to have completely forgotten this weeks 10 on Tuesday.

I blame being on holidays and thus away from my work email, to which the reminder is delivered ;)

Anyhoo - here goes.

10 Favourite Places to Shop

1. Cue (for work clothes);
2. Woven ( a little boutique in my local shopping centre);
3. Emporio (for shoes for work AND play);
4. Borders (mmmmm, books and magazines);
5. Saba (a newly discovered favourite...providing they replace the faulty blouse I bought);
6. Diva (great for cheap, on trend accessories);
7. The Fruit & Veg markets in Victoria Park (Best. Fruit. And. Veg. Ever);
8. Amazon.com (I get my running shoes from here every year. Despite $60AUD postage, they are still $80 AUD cheaper...);
9. eBay (selected fabric stores...); and
10. Assorted Op Shops.

There are more. Many, many more ;)

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Day 12 of 31 (or 365). Yum. Skittles. Am now in sugar coma...

I'm baaaaacccck :)

In more ways than one!

Back in Perth (thank goodness...) and back online as my mobile Broadband now works. Yay!!

Wow. Whilst I do love Albany as I grew up there, I have been living in Perth now for nearly 5-years. What I didn't realise is what a 'city girl' I've actually become!!

I haven't been back down to Albany since ANZAC Day last year, so over 12-months has passed. The town itself has changed very little - oh, there's a Spotlight store and one of the shopping 'malls' (I use that term quite loosely) has expanded so there's now a Target Country and a Dome Coffee Shop and a Gloria Jeans. Other than that, it's as though time has almost stood still.

And it's sooooooooooooooooooo quiet. I wandered down the main street on Monday morning about 10am. I don't even think 20 cars passed me. Certainly 20 people did not!!! I had high heels on with jeans and a long-line jacket and felt COMPLETELY over dressed. Even the cafes were closed! Where on earth do cafes close on a Monday?? Not to mention the whole cant-get-mobile-broadband thing. Pfft.

It was a very weird feeling indeed. Not nostalgia...more like depression. It's as though I've changed vastly in the last 5-years, but in my hometown time (and the people) have stood still. And I have to say - nothing against the residents of Albany at all, because goodness knows my parents are still there - but it was a really, really odd feeling, to the point where I simply could not wait to get out of there.

Which makes me wonder a little whether it was always like that but I never noticed until I went away...

What's that saying...something about you can never go home again??? Not because home is different - but because YOU are.
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Day 12 of 31 (or 365) - Dang. 800km round trip = nearly $90 in petrol + angst from the parentals (well, mostly my mother...) + freaky return to hometown that depressed me + terrible speeding drivers who are not content with doing 110km/h (which is the speed LIMIT people. Key word: Limit). Whew. Glad to be back home in the city ;)

Technologies.

Pah.

Despite claiming that I will not be stymied by technology it appears that I have been.

I am apparently unable to access my mobile Broadband from sunny, downtown Albany.

Pfft.

So this is your lot for the day, as I am having to use my Dad's Internets and don't want to blow out his usage levels ;)
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Day 11 of 31 (or 365) - Dang and blast. Mobile Broadband? Great invention. But not mobile in some areas...

Happy Mothers Day!!!

A very happy Mothers Day to all those lovely Mum's out there! Hope you have all been roundly spoilt and received gifts that you actually want...

I am not a mum myself, but I do have my very own Mum, and in honour of Mothers Day, my parents 38th Wedding anniversary having been on Friday just gone and the fact that I haven't visited my parents in just over 12-months (*blushes*) I am off on a road trip down south to my lovely home town :) Lovely. But very cold.

So, I am packing up the car and my stuff and heading off on a 800km round trip back down to coastal Albany for a couple of days. Where I will see my folks and might catch up with a few friends and drop into my old workplace to see a few former (but still current) colleagues. B

ut only a couple of days for the visit as a) whilst I love my parents, I can only cope with them for a limited time and b) there's not too many other people down in Albs that I WANT to see and c) I have heaps of stuff to sort out up here in gold, old Perth. Not to mention the Craft and Quilt Show to attend.

Priorities people ;)

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Day 10 of 31 (or 365) - Hmm, is it cheating on the 31 Day Challenge if I pre-schedule posts? I mean its not like I cant get Interwebbal service in Albany (there's only one set of traffic lights, mind. But about 200 roundabouts...) or that I'm going to be so busy that I can't squeeze in a blog post...

Finished!!!!

Yay!! I finished the waistcoat that I was whipping up for a friend.

And - you know what? It turned out much better than I originally thought! Not only did I have to construct an item of clothing that I've never even attempted before, I also had to resize the pattern to fit the intended wearer. It all totally worked!!

Wow! I'm slightly stunned, I mean the fabric was one of those silky slippery types so I was sure I would come unstuck there, or that it would be too large, or the lining would be odd, or something would go horribly wrong...but nothing did!!

Ha! Making my OWN clothing should be a cinch after this, hehe....
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Day 9 of 31 (or 365) He, he, he...life is very funny. When you interact with someone else, the things that you think are important or 'major' often aren't, and we spend so much time worrying about what others are thinking about things and then it turns out that those things are a non-issue, and you spent time worrying about what was essentially, nothing ;)

High Finance.

*gulp*

I just got pre-approved this afternoon for my first ever home loan.

And quite frankly, the thought of all that responsibility is making me feel a little ill : /

I realise that it's unusual for someone of my *ahem* advancing age (and not mention profession) to never have owned their own home, but life events have previously conspired against me to prevent actual home ownership! The good aspect to this is that I am (still) eligibile for the First Home Owners Grant.

So today I bucked up, did some sums, pushed a few buttons and am now the proud owner of a Pre-Approval Certificate.

*gulp*

Now, I do actually work in a Bank, but it has been a number of years since I did any home lending, and ohmygosh, it's really difficult to NOT know. You know what I mean? Like, I know a LOT about business banking and financial statements and cashflow forecasts and ratios and business lending products and stuff...but HOME LENDING??? Not so much. Now I know how the darn customers feel ;)

Egad.

I gotta tell ya, it's all got me slightly freaked out, and I think it's cos I'm going into this all by myself. There will be nobody else to shoulder the burden. Just me. Just little ole me paying all the mortgage payments and bills and costs. And whilst I am pretty sure that I can pull it off (cos trust me I would NOT be doing this if I couldnt...I've seen it end badly too many times for too many people) it is kinda daunting when you know that you've finally grown up and the buck stops with you. I mean, if things got really tough my folks would help as much as they could, but I don't want to be in that position.

So, wish me luck in the actual formal application process and the finding somewhere to buy bit of it also! After all, there is a 30 June deadline. Ha! Nothing like leaving these things to the last minute to add to the nervous feeling in the pit of one's stomach ; )

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Day 8 of 31 (or 365) - listening to some jazz n stuff on the iPod stereo to try and calm my fiscal related nerves. Not sure if it's succeeding...

What hurts worse....

...injuring yourself? Or the treatment to fix it?

I may have mentioned that I've (quite handily, really) developed Greater Troncholo-something-or-other Bursitis in my hip.

*sigh*

Apparently it's some sort of inflammation of the bursa caused by overuse of the joint or my ligaments rubbing against the bursa. Or something. "What's a bursa", I hear you say? Apparently some sort of 'fluid filled sac'. Yech.

*sigh*

It appears that I did this to myself at the beginning of April when I did a 'Double Header' weekend consisting of a Triathlon on Saturday and then a 10km Fun Run on the Saturday. I will admit that whilst it sounded good in the planning stage the execution was more difficult than originally envisioned.

At least, that weekend was the first time I recall the excruciatingly burning pain in my knee that radiated up and down the outside of my leg, coming home to roost as a dull ache in my hip that caused me to limp badly for a few days...I'm pretty sure I would have noticed this if it had happened before.

So, now I'm banned from running (according to my physio, the lovely Tony). Banned. Well, on my second visit he didn't specifically say I was 'banned', just to 'try not to run'.

He, he, he...

Of course, there is always the promise of cortisone injections in my hip if I don't do what he says...

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Day 7 of 31 (or 365) *sigh* I actually miss the running...and I SERIOUSLY never thought I would say that.

10 on Tuesdays

This weeks 10 on Tuesdays is 10 Awesome Bands.

***WARNING****WARNING***WARNING***

*coughs*

Just a wee warning - I have, ummmm, eclectic taste in music. Please don't judge me ;)

1. The Beatles;
2. My Chemical Romance;
3. Electric Light Orchestra;
4. Eskimo Joe;
5. ABBA (helloooooooo!!!);
6. The Presidents of The United States of America;
7. The Bee Gees;
8. The Travelling Wilburys;
9. AC/DC; and
10. The Eagles

*sniffs* There you go. I don't even care if some of them are 'technically' groups and not bands. Those are my choices and I stand by them. ;)

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Day 6 of 31 (or 365) - Swimming training this morning. What I want to know is this...6.30 am training session. Burly blokes in the warm cosy environs of the HEATED INDOOR POOL. Womens Tri Training? Outdoor pool. Not even the slightly sheltered one, the one riiiiiiiiiiiiiight out the back where it's windy. It was 10 degrees this morning people. TEN STINKING DEGREES!!! Pfft. Who do I have to bribe to get a gig in the indoor pool. Seriously.

This....

...is what happens when friends know you can sew...

My roomie (and good friend) Bec is going to a Ball on Saturday with her fella (hey CS!!! *waves*). And he needs a waistcoat. This - this folks - is where I come in : )

Hmmm, how am I going to do this???

I figured that I don't have a mens waistcoat pattern (not to mention CS is a reasonably talltalltall fellow, so standard patterns are prolly not gonna fit), so my BRILLIANT idea is to get hold of one of his business shirts (or similar) and see if I can't draft a vague, waistcoaty shaped pattern...

Whaddaya think???

Did I mention its THIS SATURDAY!!!!!

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Day 5 of 31 (or 365) - mmmmmmm, F&N Grape Soda. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm. Sugary, aghnnghghgnnnnghgngh (that would be the noise Homer Simpson makes when he drools peeps)

Wip Week Wrapup

Oh dear.
WIP Week wasn't wildly winning...
No matter tho' - I did manage to make a teensy-leetle bit of headway into the great unfinished projects hole. And at least now I know I only have 7 bits of unfinished craft business ; )

So, because there are ONLY 7 of them, I had a bit of a sit down and a sift through the detritus that is my craft room (good lord! It's like an historic excavation in there at times. What future generations will make of the different strata of debris, I simply do not know!!!).

And, after I crawled out from under the piles and piles of stuff and dusted myself off slightly (darn those cobwebby bits...), I managed to compile what I am going to call My Project Wishlist (or MPW...I love acronyms...hey! I work in a bank, it's all acronyms all the time...).

My Project Wishlist (in a sort of order, which will be subject to change and or addition without notice by the blog owner)

1. Thimbleberries Block of the Month. A previously covered off WIP. SImply MUST finish this and get it off the back of the craft room door;
2. Bento Box Quilt. Another previously mentioned WIP. This is just getting ridiculous;
3. Hardanger Napkins - hmmm, perhaps these should be # 1 due to impending Mothers Day gift issues...
4. Scarf - for a friend (yes, yes, OK it's ANOTHER WIP...I know, I know...);
5. Knitted Afghan WIP. Only about, oh, 40 blocks to go...
6. Les Lapins Cross Stitch. I suspect this is a bit of a long-term WIP. Although I do enjoy cross stitch and other embroidery, it is a somewhat laborious endeavour;
7. Baby Blanket. Dammit. The child this was intended for has nearly started school. I've moved house THREE TIMES since I started it. IT MUST BE FINISHED;
8. I'm going to make my first ever piece of clothing. A skirt for work. I have the pattern. I have the fabric. I have the lining. I have the other requirements, including an ability to use a sewing machine;
9. I want to knit myself a pair of socks. I picked up some lovely self-patterning teal coloured sock yearn on the weekend;
10. I got a GREAT Japanese craft book with felt cakes and whatnot in it. I sooooooo badly want to make some of this;
11. Numerous baby items. One of my good friends is currently preggers and I have soooo many projects I want to do for her and bub. I think I'll just call them all # 11. A Clochette baby hat; fabric bibs; knitted booties; etc
12. Fun Fur Kitschmas trees from Monster Yarn's blog. I have a ludicrous amount of novelty yarns, so this will be an excellent way to use these up (actually, this could probably go further down the list...);
13. Make some toys for the Toy Society;
14. Mending. Yes, that's right. Mending. I've recently lost a few kilos, which has resulted in almost none of my clothes being able to fit me properly. This has resulted in a great amount of expenditure both on new ensembles and also on tailoring those clothes I cant manage to sort myself. I hope you all appreciate the sacrifice I am making for the retail purchases led economic recovery.
15. A rag rug. Saw a great pattern on Moda Bakeshop. Want.
16. Lollychops Wendy Bird Pattern. I made one of these for a friend and it was fabulous. Therefore, I want more for me;
17. ABC booklets for my littlest niece. I think I saw these on Craftypod the other day. 8-page booklets with a letter on the front for the kiddies to fill with pictures cut out from magazines, where the item in the picture starts with the letter on the front of the book. Geniusly (I don't think that's a real word BTW) way of learning ABC's;
18. Key chain lanyard. I've got a swathe of access and security cards I need for work, and at the moment they are on a daggy black ropey lanyardy thing (which I dislike intensely);
19. Use some of my Sublime Stitching patterns. Not sure what for, but inspiration surely MUST strike : )
20. Bookmark pyramids. Fabric pyramids, filled with rice (or similar) to keep cookbooks (or similar) open;
21. A bag for my swimming gear. Partifularly my training fins. Carrying them around in the clear plastic bag I bought them in is just, icky....
22. Drawing. I used to do a lot of drawing in primary and high school and I'd like to get back into that;
23. Geisha quilt panel. I bought this such a long time ago because I loved it. And you know what? It's sat in the bottom of my fabric basket since then. Time to shake a leg;
24. Fabric covered bulletin boards. Too cool.
25. Hmmmm, surely there's more....watch this space

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Day 4 of 31 (or 365) - I'm now seeing granny squares everywhere people!! The fashion parade that everyone has mentioned in the last week; The oppy; and last night on the news when someone was visiting a hospital somewhere. I vote Granny Squares for Prime Minister...

Granny Along

(Visit Pip @ Meet Me At Mikes for some instructions about crocheting granny squares)

I don't think I was ever taught to crochet - I learnt to knit both from my mum but also at Brownies when I was a wee girl (just the basics obvy). My mum was a reasonably good knitter, and I can recall have all number of knitted ensembles for myself and for my Barbie Dolls too. Everything tricky that I know knitting wise I have picked up from patterns or books or natural attrition.

My Dad's Dad also was a knitter. He spent some time incarcerated in Changi Prison as a POW during WWII, and apparently learned to knit there. He liked to knit his own socks - but he was also quite an accomplished crocheter.

This blanket is one that he crocheted for me after I was born, and considering that Grandpa has not been with us for 22-years, it is something that I treasure deeply. Unfortunately, blankie has previously met with a small 'incident' (as can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the above photo) when my Mum & Dad's dog took a bit of a liking to it one day. Very distressing, but no one that I trust has been able to fix it, partly because the yarn is over 30 years old and we don't really know what it's made off...(please also excuse my feet peeping out of the end...)

It's quite unbelievable - to me anyway! - how tight the crocheting (crochetry??) is in the squares.

Anyway, despite this proud history...below are my own efforts at granny squares..

In ascending order of completion...

Uh-huh...

Did I mention self-taught from instructions found on the internets??? Only been crocheting for a week???

Could be PLENTY worse I reckon

(except I didn't take any photos of the really really baaaaadddd ones that I pulled apart...)

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Day 3 of 31 (or 365) - I bought some fabric yesterday to attempt to make my first ever item of clothing...a skirt for work...it has a lining...this may have been too ambitious...

WIP Week - Update II

Hmmm - WIP Week is appearing to be a teensy bit of a washout...

Not a lot to report on updated situations vis a vis WIP's, only a little more work on the set of hardanger embroidered napkins.

I made the critical mistake of trying to work on these last night after spending several hours surfing the net...sadly the eye strain made it almost impossible, so I had to call a halt to proceedings and move onto my afghan project as I was having actual trouble focussing my eyes!!

I probably should have included a 50 cent piece for scale - or something - but the fabric is an incredibly small weave. The heart motif is only about an inch tall.

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Day 2 0f 31 (or 365) - Brown Owls here in Perth today, where we 'Granny-ed Along'. Fun was had by all (I hope!) with varying degrees of perfection : ) More on that later...

31 Days of Blogging

In an effort to not neglect my blog, I've decided (and in the spirit of those who blog 365 days) to attempt to blog everyday during May.


Starting today (umm, obvy!). Whilst the topics may not always be scintillating, I think it will get me into a good frame of mind for regular updates to become habits. After all, I seem to recall that it takes two weeks of doing something for it to become a habit!!


I guess we'll see how I go. Perhaps if I can stick it out for the entire month, I'll try another full month maybe all the way up to 365 days in a row!


Wish me luck : )

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Day 1 of 31 (or 365) - Gee this is easy really, isn't it...in bad news, went to the physio yesterday and it seems I have Greater Tronchi-something bursitis....Well, that would explain the searing, burning pain in my hip when I run : ( The bad (or good) news is no running for me for the foreseeable future 'cos if it doesn't heal properly then its cortisone injections in the hip for me...Quick! Someone just order me a zimmer frame and get it over with : )

WIP Week - Update 1

Hmm, not too much progress on the WIP's. Have been a) slack and b) out for work function last night (and considering I did not get home until 11.45pm, there was NOT a lot of crafting done...).

Some more inches on the scarf (Project # 3).

Aaaaaannnnddd, that's about it really...

But I did ring and speak to my Mum. So I think I deserve props for that ; )

10 on Tuesday (on Wednesday)

Well, I've 'subscribed' to 10 on Tuesday from www.yanowhatimean.com/tuesday.

Altho a day late, here are my 10 Words People Would Use to Describe Me (or at least the 10 words I think they would use to describe me!!)

1. Creative;
2. Laughter;
3. Friend;
4. Cooking;
5. Kind;
6. Trustworthy;
7. Reliable;
8. Organised;
9. Neat;
10. Triathlons!!!

Hmm, I hope that's what people think of me and not that I'm some loud-annoying-neatfreak-pedantic-whiny-a$$ed-little-b!tch who doesn't know when the hell to shut up. That - obviously - would be bad...

WIP Weekend (and more...)

Well, it's been a long weekend over here in WA, as we had a Public Holiday on Monday for ANZAC Day. Not sure why as I don't believe any of the other states had one *shrugs* but, not matter! Public Holidays - the Great Australian Institution.

So, I put the long weekend to good use to clear out a few WIP's. *sigh*

I really should finish one project before I start another from a completely different craft...


I managed to finish the mini quiltlet I was making from fabrics I received from the Amitie Textiles Blog VIP mailout. I absolutely loved the fabrics they sent me. They were so pretty and spring-like. I supplemented with a few fabrics from the stash and whipped this little fella up. Apologies for the lumpiness - it needs a good pressing to make it behave.

Is it just me, or do these little easter egg decorations look like multi-coloured sperm swimming along my kitchen table???

I also finished up a little felt owl applique that I cut out months ago. Once I finished sewing the pieces together I was a bit stuck as to what to actually do with it...pop it on a hand made bag? Make it into a brooch? I pondered and pondered until I was cleaning the side of my fridge, and there were all these 'free' magnets that you get in the mail or from the mechanics etc. I don't use them because they're unattractive and I have cute magnets that I would much rather look at. Suddenly, I had a lightbulb moment and with the held of a little PVA glue, et voila! An owl magnet :) Yay!!

So, in the spirit of the WIP Weekend that I have just enjoyed, I thought I would put in a BIG EFFORT and have a WIP WEEK, where I work on nothing but WIP's. That should clear some of them out, and leave room for the list of new projects that I am already compiling...

To start off the WIP WEEK, here is a list (in no particular order) of all the projects I currently have outstanding:

Project 1 - A Thimbleberries BOM quilt. I've had most of the top completed for some time. I just have to add the second border. And buy the backing fabric. And quilt it;

Project 2 - Bento Box Quilt. Again, I've had the top pieced for some time and partly quilted. I have had to unpick some of the quilting as I have this terrible quilting disability where I fail to keep the backing fabric taut enough and it gets all caught up and folded over and unfortunate. So, I finished the quilting of the main pieced section on the weekend, and now I just have to decide how to quilt the borders and add in some hand quilting and then I'm done;

Project 3 - As previously mentioned, I'm knitting a scarf for a friend. As a rule a scarf should be as long as the recipient is tall (apparently). Bec is about 6ft. Perhaps I should've started with a shorter friend...I'm about a foot and a half along at the moment;

Project 4 - My knitted afghan. This has been going on for approximately 12-months thus far. Basically, I got hold of a book that has 200 knitted blocks in it and I thought it would be a brilliant idea to knit up an afghan rug. I've finished all the single coloured blocks in the book and am now about a third of the way through the multi-coloured blocks. It takes me about an hour to two hours to make each block, but I can only make one per night due to the RSI I have in my right wrist;

Project 5 - Les Lapins cross stitch. Ummm, started this about 10 years ago on printed sail cloth (actually could be longer than 10 years...maybe 15???) Never really liked the idea of stitching onto fabrics that aren't Aida or Hardanger cloth, so it got folded up and put in the back of the cupboard whilst I went onto other stitching projects. Dragged it out just recently (read : was having a cleanout and found it hidden in the back of the drawer) and decided I would jsut get a bit of Aida cloth in the right count and whip it up;

Project 6 - Hardanger embroidery napkins. Started these last year for my (now) ex-boyfriends mother. Suffice to say as that relationship has ended I am no longer sending her gifts...Have done two napkins and might try and finish the others in time for me to send these off to my own mum for Mothers Day...;

Project 7 - A baby blanket I started about 5 years ago for a pregnant friend. Needless to say, her baby is now 4-ish and no longer in need of a blanket, but I am over half way through and can't really frog it back, so think I will finish the blanket and then give it to charity or the childrens hospital, or something.

Mad Photo Skillzzzzz :)

Heh.

Or something like that.

After the ANZAC Day Dawn Service was over, and I had walked the 4 kilmoetres back to where I parked my car (*sigh*), I was a bit peckish and so I thought I would head down into South Perth (which is kind of on my way home) and see if I could rustle up some breakfast.

It was a beautiful morning; I happened to have my camera in the pocket of my jacket (for those that are into these things its a teensy digi, a Canon IXUS 801S); the light was just perfect; et voila!! Some lovely pics of the Perth skyline.

It might be a small city, but it is scenic :)

It's lovely being right on the river, although I do agree with some that we need to enliven the river front space. Perhaps not to the extent of Melbourne (although it is lovely along the Yarra), but a bit more than the acres and acres and acres of grassed areas that are there at the moment. There is a riverside bike/foot path that encircles the foreshore (and continues on at both ends all the way to I don't even know where!) which is good to walk / run / cycle along and being so close to the CBD is convenient to my work. It means I can walk to work, or go for a run before work, or go out at lunch for a run, or after work for - you guessed it - a run!!!


The big win in Perth though is Kings Park. It's some ridiculous number of hectares of park and bushland located just on the western side of the CBD, and overlooks the city itself. They stage concerts and all sorts of good stuff up there. It has running and walking trails. There's the State War Memorial and other such things. There are avenues of memorial trees, botanic garden type stuff, parks and water features. Playgrounds and barbecues. But truly, the best part about it is the foresight that the people who originally established the city had when they decided to set aside this land for the people of Perth. Good work guys!!!

Down on the foreshore, we do have the (*cough*) Bell Tower...and the Perth Wheel thingy...and The Convention Centre...and, um, stuff...but, we could probably have some other better uses of this area. The current Lord Mayor has some big plans so I guess we'll see how that pans out!!!

Hope you enjoy the photos. I never did get the delicious breakfast I envisioned as APPARENTLY everyone else had the same idea, and the cafes were packed.... : ( Had to make do with a takeaway coffee and one of the most terrible danishes I've ever had the misfortune to eat. Bah!

But this cute little guy and his friend somewhat made up for that!!