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Pink, green and yellow in between

Every since Audrey moved from cot to bed, I've been thinking almost obsessively about making a quilt for her. I always seem to get sidelined like this when there are other more pressing things that need to be attended to. I'm still busy with work, monkeys and cats. And then there is the rather pressing deadline of tomorrow for a project I have been working on for a book with some other crafters, which I am so excited & honoured to be involved with. So it goes without saying, that as the arch-procrastinator I am, I would choose to spend a quiet half hour this morning trying out some colour ideas for the quilt instead of tackling the things that might decrease my blood pressure!

I'm thinking pinks, greens and a little bit of yellow. Originally the idea was to try my hand at a coin quilt, similar to this one that Hilary made a while back. I love how modern and fresh it is, and the long straight lines make it look like something I might be able to attempt with my novice piecing and quilting skills (though I am sure it is the kind of thing that looks deceptively straightforward). But then, thinking about it some more, I got a bit carried away and started thinking of all the wonderful images of modern log cabin style quilts that I've seen hither (love the monkeys!) and tither (from Machine Made Patchworks no.1). There are some tips for log cabin construction here, and some more inspirational log cabin images here. So now that is the plan. Feel free to talk me out of this, I know it's probably way beyond me... but a challenge is good for the soul... right?

Been painting

I can barely believe it's been a week since I last posted. Matt had a few days off work over the past week - his first holidays in a year - and we've been pottering around doing chores about the house, going to the zoo and catching up with friends. I thought I'd have so much time to blog, but the days have been so full that time just got away from me. Apologies if you're waiting for an email from me, I am getting there!

One of the more exciting developments over our break was Audrey's move into a big-kid's bed. We have been hanging out, squeezing our poor tall-for-her-age girl into her cot while we waited for Ikea to open it's Adelaide store. Last Thursday Ikea finally opened (cue the choir of heavenly angels). Of course, the purchase of such a significant item triggered a room overhaul which saw Matt up a ladder much of yesterday painting Audrey's walls from soft baby-blue to pink. We had planned white walls with a big splash of crimson behind her bed, but somehow ended up here. This is only the first coat, and I think we need to add some extra white for the next coat to calm it down a little. Audrey isn't a very girly girl, so I'm hoping the splashes of red make it a little less 'princess'. At least until I get my act together and make that quilt for her with some cooler colours to temper the pink. Had better shuffle that one higher up the list.

Post-Easter bunnies

A beautiful Easter was had here, despite there being the full gamut of temperature extremes. Friday and Monday saw rain and thick fogs (!), and eating too much chocolate indoors with family & friends. Saturday and Sunday were brilliantly sunny - we had a BBQ and outdoor Easter egg hunt, and even got to wander around with short sleeves at the Botanic Gardens for my yearly pilgrimage to the Dahlia garden. (I drag whoever is willing there every year at this time, the dahlias are in full bloom right now and it is a stunning display. I put some of my photos on Flickr, but they just don't do it justice). It was a great break, now I just need to catch up with my Bloglines and email!

There was also time for some making. I finished up these four little ladies, who will go up in my shop later this evening. I'm loving making these bunnies, not least because they allow me to putter through my beloved Aunt Grace scraps. I've also discovered that Ebay is a bit of a goldmine for '30s reproductions.... probably to my detriment, but there you go.

(Added: All sold except for Primrose. Thanks so much! :D Finally got around to putting their photos on Flickr, too).

Cutting it

A few weeks ago while I was getting my hair cut, Matt and Audrey went for a walk around the nearby shops and picked me up these lovely Easter themed biscuit cutters. Chickens and bunnies all in pastel shades, so sweet. They know me well. I've been meaning to dig out my biscuit cutters to add to Nicole's Flickr group for ages, and these have finally made me get my act together. I must admit, though, I was surprised at how many of these I actually had when I fished them out of our ubiquitous 'utensil' drawer (it's like a tardis in there).

When I was telling Mum about the Easter cutters, she fished around in the recesses of her own kitchen and gave me these. Elephant and hippo shaped biscuits - brilliant!

I also rediscovered these alphabet cutters. I bought them during a nesting frenzy a few months before Audrey was born. But I've only used them once because it's a real bugger to get the dough out of those teensy alphabet nooks and crannies! More of my biscuit cutters here.

This week Audrey and I made use of the Easter cutters (please go easy on us & keep in mind these were decorated with the assistance of a very enthusiastic toddler!) Happy Easter everyone!

Party of six

I have been really enjoying posts written by Alica and Lisa here, here and here about selling handmade goods. Such interesting, useful and honest information (thankyou!) Much of it has really helped to solidify a number of the questions I seem to have buzzing around in my head these days. Although I've always enjoyed making things, the selling of them is a relatively new exercise for me. My work background is in graphic design and I studied that and history for many more years than I would care to recount. So not much selling/buying/retail experience there. Anyway, I do enjoy making things for shops and it is always a thrill to get my toys 'out there'. These six were made for Mahar Dry Goods. Robert, the lovely owner has been very patient with me during the long time it has taken me to put this many together. They will be available from his beautiful site (featuring the amazing illustration of Jen Corace) soon.

And because I like to have a record of these things here, introducing the party of six:

Pia.

Winsome.

Ginger and Leonard (I think they fancy each other).

Baxter. With a pompom.

And Rolf. Thankyou for listening!

A mouse in the house

On Sunday we went to visit little Maeve, the newborn baby girl of some good friends. Saturday night I knew that I could procrastinate no longer about making her a gift. I'd had this planned for a while, and all the fabric selected, so all I needed to do was jump right in and do it. I modified my bunny pattern a bit, redrawing the body, head shape and ears, intending to make a fat little kitten. Somewhere around 10pm panic set in when I realised my fat cat looked more like a bear of some sort. Cursing the (far too ample) glass of wine I'd had earlier, I forged ahead. Then I mucked up the arms and had to make some more changes to her body... and suddenly around about 11pm, a mouse appeared. A skinny kind of mouse at that, too. Thankfully, a happy accident. With a fair bit of swearing tossed in along the way - it's a good thing toy mice don't talk.

In praise of the blogosphere

It's been said before many times, and by people far more eloquent than myself, that this whole crafty blog thing is a blessing. The opportunity to connect with likeminded people in this online crafty community is nothing short of wonderful.

Indeed, if it wasn't for blogging then this beautiful pillow made by the talented and generous Lisa would not be now gracing our living room. Lisa and I decided to trade a monkey for one of her incredible log cabin pillows a while back. It's even more beautiful first hand, if you can imagine that, and has been a very popular addition to the household. Matt says it reminds him of Rosie's Walk, which is high praise indeed - it's one of our favorite books around here at the moment.

Not only that, but Lisa was kind enough to pop some fabric in the box, too. Some incredible prints, a couple of which I couldn't resist using already, and a red folksy print of the likes I've only ever seen online. Really, really perfect. Really. Thanks again Lisa! Otto is on his way.

In the same vein, if it wasn't for blogging, Carly and I may not have spent last Tuesday evening chatting away over delicious chocolate cake and chai at Cocolat (that's right - a cafe that pretty much serves only chocolate! Brilliant). It was such a great night. Usually we get together with our girls in tow. Bless them, but it was so, so nice to actually complete a sentence and talk crafty stuff without having to refill a sippy cup/clean something up, etc.

And if it wasn't for blogging I might not have spent a pleasant hour in front of the tv the other night revisiting my childhood passion of making pom-poms. Thanks Cassie for the fantastic tutorial. These pom-poms are so sweet, small, and easy to make. So much so, there are a few be-pommed toys waiting in the wings.