Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I've just found out about this awesome site called Pinterest which is a virtual pinboard, and it is rocking my socks off!
You know, well if you're anything like me you will, when you are trawling the net, and keep seeing amazing and inspiring pictures of things you like, or want to make, or want to own, and don't want to forget them, well pinterest lets you copy these pics onto your very own pinboards, you can categorise them (organising images of stuff I like into slots, that can be looked at all together, ummm blissful!) you can have all sorts of different boards, like stuff to make, stuff to cook, stuff to inspire, it is just the best thing I could possibly imagine.
You have to apply for a pinboard, but it only took a few days for me to get approved, and now I am most addicted and pinning things left right and centre.
I've added a little button which you will see to the right, so you can have a look, and follow my pins, and if you like the idea of virtual pinning, I encourage you to get your own!
Much Love
..xx
You know, well if you're anything like me you will, when you are trawling the net, and keep seeing amazing and inspiring pictures of things you like, or want to make, or want to own, and don't want to forget them, well pinterest lets you copy these pics onto your very own pinboards, you can categorise them (organising images of stuff I like into slots, that can be looked at all together, ummm blissful!) you can have all sorts of different boards, like stuff to make, stuff to cook, stuff to inspire, it is just the best thing I could possibly imagine.
You have to apply for a pinboard, but it only took a few days for me to get approved, and now I am most addicted and pinning things left right and centre.
I've added a little button which you will see to the right, so you can have a look, and follow my pins, and if you like the idea of virtual pinning, I encourage you to get your own!
Much Love
..xx
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A bagstravaganza
After the joy of the bag giving, and in conjunction with the insane rain that's not in Spain, but infact my own front door, I was inspired, firstly to stay indoors and not get wet, and secondly to do some bag construction of my own.
I am definitely thinking that at least one of these bags has to be gifted back to the gifter to then make her the giftee, don't you agree?
Be aware that the bags I just spoke of are still in the construction process, and also be aware that you could not get two more dissimilar bag designs, well perhaps you could, I'm not a source of knowledge on bag differentiation, but I think they are quite different from each other.
This first bag features a collection of Granny Squares in shades of yellow, orange, red and purple. The pieces that made this up were all oddments and remnants of some other project, but just happened (in my opinion) to go together in a lovely friendly sort of way. In the photo above, you can see this piece is being stitched onto calico, it is now waiting for a lining (I am thinking patchwork purples) and a handle.
I love this design so much, for a few different reasons, firstly the fact that I get to use all the little bits of wool that otherwise get culled when I have a brutal throwing out mindframe. I hate to throw anything, even if it is just a tiny little scrap, and now I have a good excuse not to discard these lovely little woolen capers.
Here is a close up of the granny squares, although, with the overcast conditions of the day and the washing making a feeble attempt at drying on the window, the light and vibrancy are not true to form, so imagine something far more vivid and wow-inducing....
The second bag is another story all together, I don't quite know what kind of a ramble my imagination went on when in creation mode for this little thing! But it is somewhat of a circusy, gardeny pastel coloured extravaganza ( mmmmm, just the kind of style that everyone is yearning for!)
I always have it in the back of my mind when I create that there must be someone with the same tastes as me, although a friend once did comment on my outfit that (and I quote) I looked like "an illustration from a childrens book drawn by someone in prison" so perhaps not!
Oh well, it is the process of creating and piecing together and stitching and watching something develop that I enjoy just as much as the finished item itself, so here in all its glory is the second bag....
As you might realise, this one is still in the stages of construction too, and I might add, it is taking me an eon to stitch all those little bits and pieces on!
Yesterday, I also made a box for the Christmas decorations to go in, as the old ripped plastic bag from my work that they had formerly been housed in didn't really have quite the seasonal appeal I was after.
You may be thinking that this is rather late in the year to be pulling down the festive decor, and I do quite agree, but you see, my boss informed me that it was good luck to keep the tree up for 10 days after Christmas, and my mind had a malfunction and completely forgetting the date of Christmas, calculated this to be the 10th !? So perhaps we will have extra good luck this year?
Anyhow, the box for the Christmas decorations is not having its portrait taken for the blog my friends, as it is not the sort of crafting adventure that should be praised! Well, perhaps if you are on a mission to graduate Kindergarten it could be, but certainly not beyond that!
It is very, very ugly, but I have to say, I am not the slightest bit concerned, for if you weren't already aware, Christmas comes but once a year, so I have plenty of time to get a new working model.
Much love to all you beautiful people
Em ..xx
I am definitely thinking that at least one of these bags has to be gifted back to the gifter to then make her the giftee, don't you agree?
Be aware that the bags I just spoke of are still in the construction process, and also be aware that you could not get two more dissimilar bag designs, well perhaps you could, I'm not a source of knowledge on bag differentiation, but I think they are quite different from each other.
I love this design so much, for a few different reasons, firstly the fact that I get to use all the little bits of wool that otherwise get culled when I have a brutal throwing out mindframe. I hate to throw anything, even if it is just a tiny little scrap, and now I have a good excuse not to discard these lovely little woolen capers.
Here is a close up of the granny squares, although, with the overcast conditions of the day and the washing making a feeble attempt at drying on the window, the light and vibrancy are not true to form, so imagine something far more vivid and wow-inducing....
The second bag is another story all together, I don't quite know what kind of a ramble my imagination went on when in creation mode for this little thing! But it is somewhat of a circusy, gardeny pastel coloured extravaganza ( mmmmm, just the kind of style that everyone is yearning for!)
I always have it in the back of my mind when I create that there must be someone with the same tastes as me, although a friend once did comment on my outfit that (and I quote) I looked like "an illustration from a childrens book drawn by someone in prison" so perhaps not!
Oh well, it is the process of creating and piecing together and stitching and watching something develop that I enjoy just as much as the finished item itself, so here in all its glory is the second bag....
As you might realise, this one is still in the stages of construction too, and I might add, it is taking me an eon to stitch all those little bits and pieces on!
Yesterday, I also made a box for the Christmas decorations to go in, as the old ripped plastic bag from my work that they had formerly been housed in didn't really have quite the seasonal appeal I was after.
You may be thinking that this is rather late in the year to be pulling down the festive decor, and I do quite agree, but you see, my boss informed me that it was good luck to keep the tree up for 10 days after Christmas, and my mind had a malfunction and completely forgetting the date of Christmas, calculated this to be the 10th !? So perhaps we will have extra good luck this year?
Anyhow, the box for the Christmas decorations is not having its portrait taken for the blog my friends, as it is not the sort of crafting adventure that should be praised! Well, perhaps if you are on a mission to graduate Kindergarten it could be, but certainly not beyond that!
It is very, very ugly, but I have to say, I am not the slightest bit concerned, for if you weren't already aware, Christmas comes but once a year, so I have plenty of time to get a new working model.
Much love to all you beautiful people
Em ..xx
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A gift from a brand new friend ..xx
There is a lady who comes into my work often, Isabella is her name. She has always been friendly, and we always have a little chat. Most often we discuss my admiration and lust for something she is wearing, or toting, or accessorising with. She really truly has the most enviable collection of things I've ever seen!
Anyway, one day recently she came in wearing this amazing turquoise necklace, and I rambled on in my usual fashion about how brilliant this piece of jewellery was, to which she replied, 'Oh yes, my friend brought it back from Egypt for me.' Oh right, of course, I thought.
I then replied to her, "I need friends like yours!" and in a very tongue in cheek manner, followed this up with
"In fact, I just need friends!" and then I laughed.
You see, I've been living in this beachside community for three and a bit years now, and can say with complete honesty that I have not made a single friend here.
I've been given various opportunities to do so, people scrawl down their numbers, dole out their Facebook details, invite me places, and so on, all (through my own doing) to no avail.
Since I moved here, I have found great joy in the solitude of my own company. I've realised that I am in fact what could reasonably be termed as a 'loner' which is such a sorry sounding word, but I must state, that there is nothing sorry about it at all.
Spending so much time alone after moving from a life with an overflowing social calender took a little adjusting. At first, I found it quiet, and a little daunting to be entirely responsible for entertaining myself, but the awareness of the freedom I had soon became apparent, and I started to paint, to listen to music, to make little bits and pieces by hand.
Since then, it has snowballed, and now I have immersed myself to the armpits in crafting endeavours, and am at a state now where I am all consumed (in joyus and delightful ways) by handmade pursuits. So when these offers of social interaction arrive, I have somewhat of an internal struggle.
Is this event going to be good enough, or this person entertaining enough to come up to par with the crochet I have waiting on the hook at home? Am I going to find idle chit-chat more entertaining than the sound of my sewing machine whispering softly along? So far, the answer has been No.
I am yet to take a single person up on the offer they've put forward for social engagements, and quite satisfied with the fact that it will take a rather amazingly entertaining, witty, and socially marvelous creature to draw me out of my craft hole and interact with them.
As you can understand, I didn't really have the time, or consider it entirely appropriate to lay these facts out before dear Isabella, due firstly to time constraints in the customer, salesperson relationship, and secondly to the fact that she could quite possibly think I was a rambling nutcase.
So, without these details at hand, she got slightly distressed about my barren social landscape, 'Oh No!' She said. I quickly tried to explain that it was not something to be overly concerned about, and I was quite content in my little world of craft, which seemed to be an acceptable response, for nothing further was mentioned on the subject.
A few days later, Isabella came in once again to purchase some thing or other, what I do not quite recall, but that is of great insignificance to the story. Once again, she wowed me with her collection of glorious items, this time toting a... well a tote.
A handcrafted tote, which I gazed at longingly and cooed something admiring about.
Anyway, purchases were made, small talk exchanged, etcetera, you know how it goes, and I thought no more of it until....
Yesterday, I arrived at work, and there sitting on the counter was a little paper bag with my name on it. Something for me? Hmmmm... what could that possibly be? I thought? 'Where did this come from?' I asked my workmate, she didn't have a clue, so I was left to peek inside, and see what it might be.....
And there, inside, low and behold, was a bag, just like the one I had recently been admiring!
And inside was this...
Later that day, Isabella came in to see me, I was of course, overflowing with thanks and warm words, what a simply delightful thing she did.
The bag was, she informed me, entirely handcrafted with vintage fabrics, and purchased from a lovely seller at the Bangalow Markets. (Swoon!) Which explains the little card.
A handcrafted treasure of my very own, made by a local artisan, and not only that, gifted to me, by a lovely kind thoughtful lady. My dreams had all come true!
She then proceeded to inform me that the markets are on in a couple of weeks, and that she will come and pick me up because I will be going with her. To which I replied, Oh fantastic, that sounds great!
And there you have it! I've found my first friend. Enticed by handcrafted goods, how could I possibly resist?Surely someone who is so thoughtful and generous cannot possibly be outdone by some wool and a stick! That's right, most certainly not!
I can't wait for our market adventure, and the treasures I might just find, and the friendship I might just build.
Much love ..xx
P.S. If you want to find out more about the maker of this glorious bag, you can find her work here
Anyway, one day recently she came in wearing this amazing turquoise necklace, and I rambled on in my usual fashion about how brilliant this piece of jewellery was, to which she replied, 'Oh yes, my friend brought it back from Egypt for me.' Oh right, of course, I thought.
I then replied to her, "I need friends like yours!" and in a very tongue in cheek manner, followed this up with
"In fact, I just need friends!" and then I laughed.
You see, I've been living in this beachside community for three and a bit years now, and can say with complete honesty that I have not made a single friend here.
I've been given various opportunities to do so, people scrawl down their numbers, dole out their Facebook details, invite me places, and so on, all (through my own doing) to no avail.
Since I moved here, I have found great joy in the solitude of my own company. I've realised that I am in fact what could reasonably be termed as a 'loner' which is such a sorry sounding word, but I must state, that there is nothing sorry about it at all.
Spending so much time alone after moving from a life with an overflowing social calender took a little adjusting. At first, I found it quiet, and a little daunting to be entirely responsible for entertaining myself, but the awareness of the freedom I had soon became apparent, and I started to paint, to listen to music, to make little bits and pieces by hand.
Since then, it has snowballed, and now I have immersed myself to the armpits in crafting endeavours, and am at a state now where I am all consumed (in joyus and delightful ways) by handmade pursuits. So when these offers of social interaction arrive, I have somewhat of an internal struggle.
Is this event going to be good enough, or this person entertaining enough to come up to par with the crochet I have waiting on the hook at home? Am I going to find idle chit-chat more entertaining than the sound of my sewing machine whispering softly along? So far, the answer has been No.
I am yet to take a single person up on the offer they've put forward for social engagements, and quite satisfied with the fact that it will take a rather amazingly entertaining, witty, and socially marvelous creature to draw me out of my craft hole and interact with them.
As you can understand, I didn't really have the time, or consider it entirely appropriate to lay these facts out before dear Isabella, due firstly to time constraints in the customer, salesperson relationship, and secondly to the fact that she could quite possibly think I was a rambling nutcase.
So, without these details at hand, she got slightly distressed about my barren social landscape, 'Oh No!' She said. I quickly tried to explain that it was not something to be overly concerned about, and I was quite content in my little world of craft, which seemed to be an acceptable response, for nothing further was mentioned on the subject.
A few days later, Isabella came in once again to purchase some thing or other, what I do not quite recall, but that is of great insignificance to the story. Once again, she wowed me with her collection of glorious items, this time toting a... well a tote.
A handcrafted tote, which I gazed at longingly and cooed something admiring about.
Anyway, purchases were made, small talk exchanged, etcetera, you know how it goes, and I thought no more of it until....
Yesterday, I arrived at work, and there sitting on the counter was a little paper bag with my name on it. Something for me? Hmmmm... what could that possibly be? I thought? 'Where did this come from?' I asked my workmate, she didn't have a clue, so I was left to peek inside, and see what it might be.....
And there, inside, low and behold, was a bag, just like the one I had recently been admiring!
 |
| Complete with a darling little fabric covered brooch |
And inside was this...
Later that day, Isabella came in to see me, I was of course, overflowing with thanks and warm words, what a simply delightful thing she did.
The bag was, she informed me, entirely handcrafted with vintage fabrics, and purchased from a lovely seller at the Bangalow Markets. (Swoon!) Which explains the little card.
A handcrafted treasure of my very own, made by a local artisan, and not only that, gifted to me, by a lovely kind thoughtful lady. My dreams had all come true!
She then proceeded to inform me that the markets are on in a couple of weeks, and that she will come and pick me up because I will be going with her. To which I replied, Oh fantastic, that sounds great!
And there you have it! I've found my first friend. Enticed by handcrafted goods, how could I possibly resist?Surely someone who is so thoughtful and generous cannot possibly be outdone by some wool and a stick! That's right, most certainly not!
I can't wait for our market adventure, and the treasures I might just find, and the friendship I might just build.
Much love ..xx
P.S. If you want to find out more about the maker of this glorious bag, you can find her work here
The year of the....
I made only one resolution this year, and I have to say, I am quite chuffed at the ingenuity I had when I came up with this one resolution!
What is it? You may be asking yourself with great anticipation?
I, my dear friends have decided that 2011 is going to be the year of the letter. I am going to sit down and actually write to those I love, those whom I care about, and those I want to share my life with.
I've purchased an address book, quite a beautiful little treasure in itself, I've sent out the call to fill it with the specs. of those forementioned people, and I am ready to go!
I have already spent time daydreaming of all the wonderfully creative tidbits and trinkets with which I intend to fill the parcels accompanying these letters I write, and I must say, a decent bit of time daydreaming about the tidbits and trinkets I may even receive in return...
I am perhaps the worlds most disasterous communicator. I have shirked the responsibility of a mobile phone, (am I the only person on the planet who doesn't have one!?) And have a widespread reputation of vanishing off the communication radar for Months and Months on end, only to rear my head somewhere along the line with a few stories to tell and a disregard for the irritation and (occasional) worry that I may have caused people.
My dear darling Mother was once a button press away from contacting the local authorities in order to determine my whereabouts, while I, blissfully non-communicado was quite happily going about my daily business, and had the sudden thought ' gee it's February, and the last time I spoke to Mum was on Christmas day... ' true story.
So, tis my resolution that in 2011, I will become the best, and most loved communicator of them all, for not only will I communicate, but I will fill peoples otherwise bill-laden mailboxes with wonderful, colourful trinket and tidbit filled goodness! Oh joy!
So, come along for the journey of the year of the letter, lets see where it takes us
..xx
What is it? You may be asking yourself with great anticipation?
I, my dear friends have decided that 2011 is going to be the year of the letter. I am going to sit down and actually write to those I love, those whom I care about, and those I want to share my life with.
I've purchased an address book, quite a beautiful little treasure in itself, I've sent out the call to fill it with the specs. of those forementioned people, and I am ready to go!
 |
| My pretty little address book |
I have already spent time daydreaming of all the wonderfully creative tidbits and trinkets with which I intend to fill the parcels accompanying these letters I write, and I must say, a decent bit of time daydreaming about the tidbits and trinkets I may even receive in return...
I am perhaps the worlds most disasterous communicator. I have shirked the responsibility of a mobile phone, (am I the only person on the planet who doesn't have one!?) And have a widespread reputation of vanishing off the communication radar for Months and Months on end, only to rear my head somewhere along the line with a few stories to tell and a disregard for the irritation and (occasional) worry that I may have caused people.
My dear darling Mother was once a button press away from contacting the local authorities in order to determine my whereabouts, while I, blissfully non-communicado was quite happily going about my daily business, and had the sudden thought ' gee it's February, and the last time I spoke to Mum was on Christmas day... ' true story.
So, tis my resolution that in 2011, I will become the best, and most loved communicator of them all, for not only will I communicate, but I will fill peoples otherwise bill-laden mailboxes with wonderful, colourful trinket and tidbit filled goodness! Oh joy!
So, come along for the journey of the year of the letter, lets see where it takes us
..xx
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