The Silicone Veil...

Susanne Sundfor's new album released today.  Here is the first single "White Foxes".

Beautiful amazing awesome brilliant song, but..... 

Warning: extremely creepy video.

Another little Bee Boy...

Holy Crap ! This is Amazing...

Tutorial Here

I'm sure many of you have already seen this Matsutake tutorial on how to make this holy amazement fox lamp.  But as I am slow to these things I just had to post about it anyway and say that I cannot wait to make one of my own.  And you can be assured that when it is completed I will take it everywhere with me and endow upon it a theme song of its own because that is how awesome this idea is.  Double awesome is the fact that the product used to harden the fabric for the shell of the lamp is called 'Stiffy'!!!!

And that is a little bit appealingly naughty.....

Double Lace Headband...

Today I am whipping up this gorgeous headband to wear out to dinner.

You can find the tutorial here at Elisa McLaughlin Designs, a beautiful blog with amazing DIY projects. 

I want to make everything she makes.

Go there now!

I'm still here......Don't forget about me

Image from 'I spy with my salad eyes'

Beautiful Clothes...

Check out these gorgeous Resort 2012 designs from the
Mod Cloth Blog...

Opening Ceremony- New York

Carven- Paris

Jill Stuart- New York

Erdem- London

I really wish I could travel the world collecting clothes.  I can't believe that is not my job!

Nothing much to see here....Creative Space

I would love to be one of those prolific crafts people that always have something fabulous for show and tell, something new and exciting and different, or 10 projects all happening at one time in organised chaos.

But the truth is- I am having one hell of a lazy winter.  I rarely go in my sewing room because the temperature suddenly drops 100 degrees down that end of the house. (Yes it's Iceland in my sewing room, really!) 

I have become prone to migraines, developed an addiction to watching The Tudors and my aversion to mowing and weeding my garden has resulted in a jungle appearing out my back yard that is so prolific it is just best I stay indoors from now on.

Yesterday I chose to stray from home and wandered into the city to visit Charlie Lily for designer eyebrows.

In the early nineties I plucked my brows with such a heavy compulsion that they have never been the same since and it was time I did something about them.  It was 1993 and around that time I also had my nose pierced and I recall my mother saying to my father "Oh Jimmy look what she has done to her face"..... and my father said "I like her new nose" and then my mother shrieked "not her nose her EYEBROWS! She HAD such beautiful eyebrows". It always struck me that not even a large silver ring in my nose could divert my mother's attention from what I had done there. Hence my need for the artistry of Charlie Lily's designer brows. The only problem was that I encountered a psycho on the train to the city who tried to steal my iphone. My iphone Clarence Hansel 3rd!!! Can you believe it?  My pride and joy. 

Just at the last second as he came at me from behind my intuition spiked and I was fast enough to keep my phone and my bag, thankfully. But he was so angry he attacked the girl behind me, took her phone and left her with bleeding hands. Everyone on the train was very upset after this commotion and as I sat there kissing and cradling Clarence the iphone, I realised that I needed more than just great eyebrows to make up for this level of unprovoked violence.  So I went to the Theosophical society bookshop and bought a Richard Freeman Ashtanga yoga DVD.  You see I cant go to yoga at the moment because Grandpa the babysitter has gone on vacation and as yoga is such a great outlet for stress- a DVD was the solution to all my problems.  I finally made it home to the haven of my loungeroom and proceeded along with Richard Freeman through the 70 odd asanas, mudras and bandhas (and my cat lying gracefully across my mat in all the wrong places at all the wrong times).  Everything was wonderful. Except.....

Today I cant move!

Can't even walk properly.  

Or bend. 

Forget crafting, what about just being able to sit down?

OUCH! Damn it Freeman what have you done to me?

The upside of all this is my thighs are like rocks.  My buttocks like steel.

And my new eyebrows make me look at least 5 years younger.

For some actual creative spaces go to Our Creative Space.

Winters Beginning- Creative Space...

 My friend Angelina gave me this wonderful vintage Bunny lamp for my collection of rubber toys. 

Is he not fabulous? Those Eyes!

He has nothing to do with my creative space though, I just wanted to have him in the background because he is so cute.

Today I am working on Rose, Lavender and Spice scented dolls for wardrobes and drawers.

 I made some for my last market as little extras and they were very well received.

I had one Rose left over so I put it on a hanger in my new wardrobe.  

And now my clothes smell Beautiful. I am completely loving myself to ridiculous proportions because I smell so good! My day is so much brighter now.

So today I am making more to have on hand as gifts for friends.

I bought the lovely fabric at GJ's in Brunswick specifically to make the pot pourri dolls as I had some beautiful dried roses, organic lavender and also some spice pot pourri that I needed to use up.

So simple to make, I just lined the front and back of the fabric with thick iron on pellon (fusible fleece) to provide softness, then sewed them and filled them lightly with one of the three scents.

I can't wait to put a lavender scented doll in with my woollens.  I had such a terrible time with moths in my house, but never again.

Visit the new and wonderful Our Creative Spaces for more fun things so see.

A Little Bit of Pride...

Last week I excitedly discovered Meet Me at Mikes Bookclub are reading Pride and Prejudice.  Yay!

As this endearing classic is a beloved favourite of mine, I could not help but join in.
(Any old excuse right?)

But then I devoured this novel ever so quickly that I was left twiddling my thumbs and wishing it was 10 volumes long instead of 3.  So then of course I had to go out and hire the 6 part BBC production starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. (I know you all swoon over that particular Mr Darcy.) The acting is superb and it is a true rendering of the text to the finest detail.

Then, inevitably, came the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice film which is not a true rendering at all but the two leads have good chemistry which makes it an ok diversion. 

And now, after living and breathing Jane Austen's world for a whole week , I have only the Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson 1940 film left to complete my obsession.

How fabulous does it look?

Remember when I made a Jane Eyre Doll?  Check her out here.

I think there may be a little Eliza Bennett idea forming in the coming weeks.

But until then how cool are these Etsy finds for all the Pride and Prejudice admirers out there?

Pride and Prejudice book bag by Rebound Designs

Necklace from Just Be Designs

Mr Darcy quote- 

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. 

My feelings will not be repressed"....

Early 19th Century replica Bonnet by Regency Regalia.

I think we should all wear a bonnet at least once in our life! 

The Pride and Prejudice book purse is so much my favourite, quite a clever and well executed idea.

It has been the  most satisfactory week for me, swooning all over the place and imagining I too am married to a high born gentleman and have a Pemberley Estate of my own.

Sigh...............

Grandma Wolf...

The following is based on a true story...

Once upon a time there was a toy maker who was Obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood. 

And she had a son who was so scared of Wolves that he could not sleep alone in his own bed 

for fear that they were hiding there.

One day he went to visit his Grandma with a basket of Easter eggs.

But could not go alone into any of the rooms in her big house 

because he thought the Wolf was hiding there.

Hiding out, under the bed, in every room, even the toilet.

Luckily the toy maker had made her son a Wolf Toy. 

A toy so cute that all his fears would fade away.

She crafted a Wolf dressed up as Grandma with Little Red Riding Hood hiding in the belly. 

With the addition of a floral nightgown, with lace trim.

This little boy could not be scared of a cross dressing Wolf in a Nightgown carrying a tiny doll.
Could he?  Surely not!

Alas he could....

"Oh Grandma, what big lips I have"

"And what a sly grin You have"

"And Grandma what big Hips you have"

"All the better to Hold you with."

And so the toy maker put Grandma Wolf away on a big high shelf,

and went back to the drawing board.

The moral of this story is, don't introduce your children to Wolf stories before they are old enough
or no one will ever get any sleep.

Happy Easter...

Have a wonderful and safe Easter. 

May you experience the joy of friends and family and I hope the Easter Bunny's are gracious with their bounty of deliciousness. :)

Come to Thread Den Market this Sunday...

Thread Den Market- 10am to 3pm. I hope to see you there. 

Australasian Quilters Convention...

Golden Afternoons by Ruth de Vos

The Australasia Quilters Convention starts today at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre until 17th April.

I like to go every year and check out all the latest fabrics and see the Amazing quilts on display.

Hours and hours of work have gone into these quilts and it is very inspiring indeed. 

A wonderful way to spend a cold Autumn day.

"Ahoy Me Hearty's"...

Today my father would have turned 82 if he was alive.
Bless his old soul.
This exuberant, generous and wonderfully loved father of mine (and my 6 siblings) was a sailor and
in honour of his sea-faring shenanigans, I have made a Pirate doll...

It's Ye Olde Pirate Girl

Arrrrrr Shiver Me Timbers...

When Cat Met Fish...

" They came from different worlds but they liked each others looks..."

"Fish told cat about the water..."

"and cat told fish about the woods."

"cat wasn't so sure [she] liked the ocean."

"They decided to live where the sea and the land met..."

"and rest until their next adventure."

All words written by Joan Grant from the book Cat and Fish, illustrated by Neil Curtis and winner of the Children's Book Council Picture Book of the Year award 2004.

A must read for anyone that loves unusual friendships.

Creative Space...

I have been really busy in my Creative Space this week.

I sent off this little personalised Bird Boy and have lots of other little things to complete

 Such as stuffing these girls.

Worrying about what I'm going to dress them in.

(Sometimes I spend more time 'choosing' fabric than actually sewing!

 Last night I agonised for 45 minutes over 3 types of grey???)

This guy needs a body and some ears. 

Oh and a nightgown because he is going to dress up as Grandma.

Do you think the eyes are too creepy for children? I never know.  Today my son turned down the offer of wearing his Spiderman T shirt to Daycare because he 

"might be scared of it at rest time".

I don't want to make a toy that has to be spirited out of the room at bedtime.

I'm off now to make some clothes for those girls.  I have a girl from Berlin staying with me at the moment and she calls clothes "clothers" (sounds exactly like clovers).  I love it! 

I just cant say it any other way now.

Remember Cat and Fish from last week?

I think they fell in love.

For more creative spaces vist Kirsty at Kootoyoo...

The Art of Australian Picture Books...

The day little Jim wore his Turtle suit

and made mischief at the State Library...

he joined with all the children across Melbourne for the great

Children's Book Festival of 2011,

and had the most Amazing day.

There was the beautiful big old library to explore.

(Without having to be quiet)

Live music and a special production by Drop Bear Theatre of Mem Fox's 'The Magic Hat'

With shadow puppets that were so beautiful they brought tears to my eyes.

Peter Rabbit.

A petting zoo.

And of course the free exhibition which runs until 29th May 2011 featuring the art of Australia's finest illustrators.

The little boy had such a fun day that he hopped into bed in his Turtle suit and went straight to sleep.

And he didn't need 20 books read to him as he had read so many at the festival. :)

Here are some of the books featured in the exhibition:

Stephen Michael King 'Leaf"

Gaye Chapman 'Little Blue'

Glenda Millard & Rebecca Cool 'Isabella's Garden'

Armin Greder 'The Island'

If you have not read this book to your children then you must do so immediately! And I challenge you to do it without crying.  Recommended for ages 8-11.  Sparks insightful conversation and is a great way to open up discussion about cultural differences, tolerance and refugees.

An outstanding picture book.

Visit The Art of Australian Picture Books at the State Library of Victoria website for more details.