more christmas decorations...


This little guy is hand beaded and embroidered. A slow and time consuming technique, but a relaxing one.

the bird motif seems to be a very popular one, and one that I normally avoid. But it seemed appropriate for christmas.

I decided to steer away from felt for this one. Ideally I'd like to be using more vintage fabrics, but my stash is a little depleted. So vintage silk wings (one of my favouritest fabrics courtesy of mel) teamed here with striped cotton that was originally intented to become 3/4 pants for miss bella. Not finished yet, but I mainly wanted to test out the hand applique stitch that I recently saw demonstated on a daytime quilting show (very sad, I know..but these nanna's have a lot of skills to teach!)

I have a bunch of ideas fliting around in my head, so hopefully there will be loads more to come.

one big softie

here's my latest creation, his name is Moxy-Maou.

I think softies are so cute, so I couldn't help making one. feeling a bit creative this week. I'm making christmas tree decorations again, same as last year. They look really amazing when hung on a tree.

These little gems are all hand beaded and embroidered. I'm wondering if I should consider an etsy shop? but it's probably a bit late for this yuletide season...

I also dragged the sewing machine out of hibernation...I need to make my daughters flower-girl dress, for which I drafted the pattern months ago, managed to cut out the toille and never took it any further. Well today I sewed up the toille (test run made from calico) and fitted it so now I can make any alterations and proceed to make the actual dress. Fun times. :-)

Don't forget to comment me below on the PIF post if you want a free handmade gift...

Pay it forward

I'd never heard of this before, what a fantastic concept.

Here's the deal: The first three people who leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me. In return you have to pay it forward by sending a gift to three people on your blog. Leave your email address so I can grab your postal address later on.

To find out more about Paying it Forward, click here.

snowflakes!

click on the little snowflake icon over to the left...it's so much fun and totally addictive!

inspirations part one

If you asked me who my inspirations in the art world are I'd be hard-pressed to find a definitive answer. There are loads of artists whose work I admire and sometimes even draw inspiration from, particularly if they might have worked with the same medium or in a similar style to myself. But when it comes to words, ask me who my literary heroes are and I will gush forth a plethora of names.
Inspiration can come from so many sources, some entirely unexpected. Not all of my inspirations are writers, though most are. And often the inspiration I draw has to do with aspects other than their writing.
Numero Uno has to be Tim Freedman, songwriter and singer of The Whitlams. I am seriously in love with this man's mind. Songwriting is not something I aspire to at all, but they way he strings words together to paint a visual image is incredible.
Markus Zusack; I love that he is Australian, I love his style. It seems that every sentence is riddled with cliche (number one writing no-no), but it works. His writing is vivid and sensual and intoxicating. I could drown in his words...
John Parkes; John was my uni lecturer and encouraged me to write and write even though he was my art lecturer. He taught me that writing isn't something I do, it's who I am. Thanks John :-)
Jodi Piccoult; I came across Jodi as I was working my way through the A&R top 100 books list. I'm new to Jodi's writing as I tend to avoid mainstream fiction these days, but after reading 'My sisters keeper' I was struck at how seamlessly she paints a portrait of peoples ordinary lives and makes them seem so real.
Angela Meyer; a fellow blogger and young Australian writer. I can't even remember how I tripped into her blog (LiteraryMinded), but I love her dedication to her craft. At just 23(?) she has been published in many journals and mags and is working on two novels. If that isn't inspiring, I don't know what is! Good luck Angela.

stay tuned for more....

post secret

it's not the first time I've stumbled upon this site, but it still intrigues me, so I thought I'd share.
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

post secret is a community art project where people send in secrets written on a handmade postcard. Some secrets are funny, some are sad, some are downright crazy. All of them could be the basis for a story! What fantastic insight...

divine candy

Inspiration comes in many shapes and bright colours... many many years ago I was training to be a fashion designer, and even though it's a career path I've long since given up on, you can never really take the designer out of the girl! I don't get inspired to sew very often, I find it frustrating and time consuming and I am a terrible perfectionist striving for a level of perfection that I am simply not patient enough to achieve.
That said, I was seduced today by the array of vintage prints available in spotlight so much that i couldn't resist buying some.
You see, I've been suckered into being the costume designer for a film a friend of mine is producing, and I'm required to construct a 50's style wedding dress as cheaply as possible. We have pretty much decided on the design, so today I was looking at patterns for some inspiration for the actual construction and some idea on how much fabric i will need (as I'm making the pattern myself, I won't know these kinds of details).
Anyway, I discovered the 'Vintage Vogue' pattern collection which are basically recycled 40s and 50s patterns. Oh my god, they are fantastic! So Stepford Wives!
So I've actually altered my design to incorporate a few extra little features that I found in these patterns to give it a little more authenticity, and now I have to do up the sketches and pattern flats for the film guys to check over.
While I was browsing around, I noticed that there are alot of very 50s style prints in store, and they are so delecious, I simply could not resist. I got carried away on the thought of designing an entire summer collection, just for myself, based on 50s prints and styles.
How could anyone resist fabrics that look like lollipops?!

shifting down a gear

Today marks the start of a new chapter in my life.
After being the sole breadwinner for the past few years, my partner and I have now switched roles again with him re-entering the work force and me becoming a full time mum again.
It struck me today how easily I've sliped back into this role, like sliding back into step with an old friend...
The first time around, when my daughter was born nearly 6 years ago, I struggled with all sorts of identity issues surrounding the shift into parenthood which i then tranlslated into artworks during my last term at uni.
Since I've been working, I have put off doing all the things I really want to do in terms of writing and art, perhaps because I was lazy and it was a convenient excuse...either way, now I'm hoping to open up these avenues again and get creative.
I've been rolling an idea around for about a year now for a novel I want to write, so hopefully now I will find the inspiration to get it started.
Also, last week I was offered a new job working from home as a copywriter. I wasn't looking to continue working at this point, but this may be a blessing in disguise. I get to keep my hand in the jar (so to speak) while still being at home with my kids.
Bring it on!