Up All Night

A sunny Sunday

2010-07-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

(Image soon to come)

After a huge overhaul of my sewing room, I'm back in business.

Moving my sewing table under these beautiful windows did wonders for my inspiration; suddenly all that blue sky was calling me to decorate!

So I finished off a present for my new niece (soon to be arriving!); I don't want to spoil the surprise so there's only this sneak peek for now:

The whole house is demanding attention; a sort of quick winter cleaning program! Hopefully I can share a few cute things I make over the next couple of days.

(P.S. If you have not read the Elm Creek Quilt books yet, grab one for your electronic device/from your library and give them a go. Easy, addictive and fun!)

Bowtie extrodinare!

2010-06-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd swish around a photo of my latest project...bowties!

The one up there is the final size we decided on (note the pins), but here is the other I considered:

(too clowny)

I followed the pattern from Prudent Baby: here. I found it really simple and easy to follow - my only lamentation that the size (6 1/4" by 5 1/4") is huge. Hers are for little boys so I assumed I'd do the big one for my Boy, and it would be fine. I ended up with about 3" on either side too big!

Not a major deal though, just a bit frustrating. Can be chopped up for quilting though :)

Tools of the trade.

2010-05-31T02:38:00.000-07:00

After reading this post, I realised how unloved my scissors are. How about you guys?

I think I'll treat myself...maybe one of these?

Wedding Bliss...

2010-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

There is just too much wedding porn out there these days. Isn't it all so beautiful?

a list.

2010-05-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

- Simplicity ruffle top. I really want to try this. Looks cute, and the name implies...well, simplicity.

- A PDF magazine, quilting, fabric, all in one easy format.

- Homemade Deodorant - I desperately want to try. I hate the idea of rubbing aluminium into my pores.

- I want this, so don't be surprised if I start posting with a ton of the recipes. "Mullein Oil, Shampoo and Detangler, Facial Oil, Eye Compress, Herbal Toner, Vapor Rub, Facial Cleanser, Bugs Don't Like Me Balm, Favorite Tea, Hair Spray, Lip Balm, Baby Bottom Spray, Plantain Poultice for Stings, Magic Tooth Cleaning Solution, Deodorant, and Elderflower Cough Syrup."

Wedding Decorations

2010-05-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

From Etsy:

Serendipity Child - Vintage Sheet Music Hearts

My Silly Bear - Sweet recycled heart confetti

Little Orange Kitchen - Upcycled confetti!

Cut the Cake Designs - Guest Book & box :)

Friday Funday

2010-05-14T03:09:00.000-07:00

(Bliss by Camille at Simplify! Love.)

Getting caught up far, far away

2010-05-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Double gauze. Fairy tales. Meadow, plum and aqua.

Is any one else in heaven? You can skip over to Heather Ross' blog to see some that didn't make it in, and some more beautiful beautiful fabric from this new line (Far, Far Away Chapter 2).

If you love Heather Ross (or gnomes), she's also releasing some of her older fabrics on Spoonflower here. I hope we see some of her other (discontinued) stuff on there, including Mendocino, my favourite.

DIY Bags

2010-05-11T02:24:00.001-07:00

Wow, has everyone seen this blog?

DIY Bag Lover.

It's awesome!

Also, a little wallet tutorial.

Spoonflower

2010-05-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

Have you guys discovered Spoonflower yet? If not, go there, now!

You can upload your own photos/designs and get them printed on fabric, or you can browse through other creative people's designs! It's awesome! You can also choose between linen, 100% cotton and a handful of other fabric weights for your pattern! I love that. It's a little pricey but for that extra oomph it's totally worth it.

Friday Funday

2010-05-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

(There are no words. But I'll try to keep this feature going!)

Friday Clean out...and some link love.

2010-05-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Friday is my day off. I have no work, no uni, so I can (theoretically) sit at home and just chill out. Of course, that never happens, right? And if it did, I'd probably be bored out of my brain. In our house, all the cleaning gets left for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which I think is a really silly idea. I'd rather get it out of the way and have a great weekend without worrying about having to mop the bathroom, sweep the kitchen or do 16 loads of laundry.

I recently bought a microfibre towel, after reading all about them all over the web...and I'm not so impressed. I was told you'd "never" want to go back to paper towel - and I don't - but it's not god's gift to cleaning, certainly. It still leaves "fluff".

Now for that link love:

Small Notebook (and a post called "Simplifying your Stuff") - she's speaking my language. Why do I have a toaster when I eat toast once a month, and could probably grill it just as easily?

Our wok is dying (slowly), and I think we'll buy a skillet instead. Something nice and heavy.

Elsie Marley, who I discovered through Etsy finds, and who is amazing (this is a link to children's clothes patterns, but she has great archives).

What is your best tip for keeping the house tidy/liveable? What cleaning product do you recommend?

Saturday Inspiration

2010-04-24T01:18:00.001-07:00

- Make Your Own Baby Nappy Patterns

- Soup!

- Spring Cleaning/Winter Cleaning

- Home made Yoghurt

Colours!

2010-04-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about this Big Fat Wedding Quilt (BFWQ) last night and I'd really like to plan it a bit better than the others I've done.

So I thought about colours. And thought. And thought.

And decided there were a few I could cross off the list.

pink. red. black. purple. white.

and then there were a few that had to stay:

yellow (my favourite). green (his favourite).

and the others I didn't really mind...

grey. ivory. orange. blue.

What do you think is the best way to pick fabrics? How many do you recommend? How much do you buy of it?

Stuff I Wish I Had Been Doing Instead of Procrastinating...

2010-03-23T02:37:00.001-07:00

1) String Block Tutorial

2) Cathedral Window tutorial

3) Raw Edge Circle tutorial

A hiatus

2010-03-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, apologies for the lack of posting around here! I promise it was an unrealised self-imposed hiatus...life just gets so busy sometimes!

Yesterday was one of those "hey, let's do something today" days. We buzzed around the Brisbane area, visiting markets, hardware stores, plant shops, pet stores and got home around two. Filled with the excitement of...well, a Saturday, we immediately jumped in the garden and started hoeing the ground up to make it usable. Well, I say 'we'...I planted all the pots.

After mulch, fertiliser and a bit of fish water, we're ready for day two. Hopefully the winter this year won't be so cold, otherwise our babies will be gone before we know it (and the $100 they cost!).

Anyone doing any exciting work around the house/garden? If you just wish you were, check out the Pioneer Woman's "Home and Garden" section (I should get paid for this...).

Reading...

2010-02-19T18:44:00.001-08:00

Spent the first half of the day pleasing other people -- marquees to erect (never managed it), coffee to buy (no time to make it), scones to make (didn't enjoy my first few bites), cleaning to do (make the house look presentable).

Now I'm spending the second half on me -- I've just finished "The Quilter's Kitchen" by Jennifer Chiaverini, and I'm about to start "Committed" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both girly kind of novels, both enjoyable, both dealing with things I enjoy -- before my day gets busy again.

I often wonder how women do it. Any women, all women. Mothers, the motherless, women working 3 jobs, women unemployed. It seems in any position, all women are amazing creatures, doing what they (and their families) need to to survive.

And so many of them blog about it, so many of them share their stories to millions of other people around the world. If you're looking for a way to waste your afternoon, try All and Sundry, who I adore, or Dooce, who makes me giggle.

No stress, no agenda, no worries. Just me, a good book, and a bowl of pesto.

(Please note: if this was my lunch, I would buy myself a TV show. However, this is from Country Living).

Interview...

2010-02-19T18:30:00.001-08:00

Yay! If you're wanting to know a little more about me this week I was featured on La Tempete's blog! Check it out over there :)

Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am not really a Valentine's Day person. I suppose it has something to do my cynicism and the "overpriced" world we live in; the authenticity of such a holiday.

And yet, something in my post-modern soul tugs at my heartstrings, urges me to buy expensive gifts, spend oodles of money and write cards (which will just be thrown out) to those I love.

So this is me proclaiming that tomorrow? Tomorrow will be a beautiful, good day. It will be me letting the Boy sleep in, making him pancakes (his favourite breakfast item) and not pressuring too much to clean up the house. Because in the end, how clean your house is isn't what you'll remember. I may even clean it all today, even the jobs I hate, as a pre-emptive strike at V-day.

How about you? What is on your agenda on Valentine's day? Clue me in.

Some loose change.

2010-02-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

After reading this blog post here, I felt really inspired to do something. Not just sit around and say I would do something.

The problem is, however, that we are already quite environmental friendly. I try to buy the larger size boxes and recycle as much as possible (in fact, our recycling bin is full whereas our regular bin is only half full!), we have short showers, we don't have air con or fans or heating, we don't have the lights on during the day or even at night in all the rooms. We try to support local and independent businesses. We don't have a dryer, or run our washing machine on the hot cycles. I always turn it down to a "short" cycle, and run a full load. Our fish tanks are all on timers to have the lights and extra what-nots turn off at 9pm, and back on at 8am.

There are a few things, however, once I got past the obvious choices. We do use too much paper towel, and we go through tissues like nobody's business. Our toilet and shower could be more environmental friendly, I could run less water for the dishes, I eat too much take-away and spend too much time driving places.

I'm not trying to say I'll do all of this straight away; not even all at once. But if we can get rid of the paper towel and tissue we should be halfway there; if we can shake the take-away habit or drive just one day less, we'll be good. Of course, there are times when I need to drive places, when you have too much stuff to carry to feasibly walk. But I am only 10 minutes, if that, from the nearest library/shops, the Boy works literally 10 minutes walk from here and my sister is only 5 minutes away.

What're you going to do?

Oh my.

2010-02-08T21:19:00.001-08:00

I think this mail sorter is a great idea!

I am still plugging away, still trying to finish my first block. Hopeful these next few week will see me into the craft thing big time :)

Gone, Like Frank Sinatra

2010-01-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have been gone. For a while. I blame all the wonderful blogs I have been into and full time work. How do these other people do it?! If you're wondering what I've been reading, get a little bit of The Pioneer Woman, The Blogess and Bakerella into you.

Seriously.

You won't regret it.

I have been craving stability in my life, so I cleaned out the pantry, and the fridge. Whoops, that meant I had to go shopping. Damn.

Hopefully this afternoon I will be making something yummy from Bakerella, and/or Pioneer Woman. I just can't decide! Too much good stuff :)

In the meantime, I should post this photo for you:

I mean, seriously, YUM. Those are Bakerella's "Snickerdoodle Cupcake/Cookies"!

Window shopping...internet style.

2010-01-15T19:02:00.001-08:00

So, on a hot day when all you want to do is dunk yourself in a fish tank, I decide to stay home. Why? Possibly the impending doom of the storm cloud lingering over my roof. Possibly the fact that there is study/sewing/cleaning up to do. Possibly that I don't want to move because then I will have to do something.

I thought I would do something productive with my time and update here. But! I haven't done anything remotely crafty in the past couple days. So? A little tiny bit of window shopping...

I want this. I don't have anything to do with flannel or amy butler, but I want it. To sit on my shelf and purr at. I can't justify it at all, except to say maybe I'll need it in the winter? And maybe it won't be on the shelves then?

2010-01-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

So...about that new year...

2009-12-27T23:29:00.000-08:00

I feel like I kind of let you guys down with that last post so here's a sneak peak, an invite into my brain right now, with the new flat.

From L to R: The fabric is from the Cloud 9 "Beyond the Sea" collection; chair & sofa are Ikea; laundry is from Chez Larsson; card file organiser is from lovelydesign; recycling boxes + kitchen are from Design Sponge.

Stay up with me :)

2009-12-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

How was your Christmas? Mine was beautiful. Christmas lunch with the family, then a 3 hour drive to the middle of nowhere, then a gorgeous 2 days in the bush, with nothing to do but drink wine and eat dips. Gosh, you had to be there to believe it :)

Now? We have to pack up in anticipation for a new place. And a new year. Gosh, it's gone so fast.

Hopefully next year I will be brimming with posts and, well, less mess...

Fabric lines I want!

2009-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Just doing a bit of window shopping to pass the time...

All from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane line.

From Patty Young's "Flora and Fauna"

From Cloud 9's "My Happy Garden".

Where have I been?

2009-12-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

There are a million different excuses I could give but in the end, nothing sticks. I have been too hot to craft recently, and life keeps getting in the way. Hopefully I will pick up a bit of speed coming into Christmas.

I am interested in doing this.
all you have to do is just post a picture of something the color of that specific day on your flickr photostream or your blog and then link back to this blog so that people can see a list of other people who are also doing the color week. every day that i put a picture up i will post the list of names linked with their photostream or blog. and i will make a link list on the side of my blog also.
:monday: yellow
:tuesday: green
:wednesday: pink
:thursday: blue
:friday:brown
:saturday: orange
:sunday: red
:monday: black or white

Giveaway!

2009-11-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

A stitch in time...

2009-11-24T20:54:00.001-08:00

enjoying the summer breeze and lazy afternoons :)

Here I Go Again...

2009-11-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Not much happening in my little part of the world. Distracted by my engagement, crafting has fallen to the wayside! Gosh, I suck at this. The closest I came this week to crafting has been chopping a big hanky into 4 smaller ones. Wow, do I get a medal for that?

I've sworn to myself that once the obvious jobs get done (washing/washing up/vacuuming/tidying) I will be on that machine like a hurricane!

Photos will come when I have something to photograph :)

My oh my!

2009-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

All of my baby plants are growing so well! It must be the odd weather we are having, because everything is either flowering or bursting with fruit! The tomatoes are looking good; the pumpkin has flowers; the cucumbers have flowers; the eggplant is huge!

bones...

2009-11-12T23:05:00.001-08:00

Dear all,

I have been kidnapped by Bones; I haven't done anything without watching it in the background. But rest assured, I have been sewing as well! Well more like washing, ironing, cutting and tracing, but soon there will be sewing!

Photos to come :)

Joy in the New Year?

2009-11-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

There's a post over here at Tallgrass Prairie Studio, discussing a UFO finishing project! Just what I need! I have 2 UFOs, pieced and ready to go.

I have plenty of pieces being pieced (sounds funny), so I may include those depending on how I go with ideas.

a) Ohio star block table runner for my Sister-thing
b) yellow top; needs to be machine quilted. This would be also really good practice for my quilting skills!

Meg x

Spending the day with my washing machine...

2009-11-07T17:32:00.001-08:00

Today's a ritual cleaning day in our house. Sundays are filled with washing powder, plastic gloves, pegs and newspapers. I love the feeling of stumbling out of bed, letting the Boy sleep for an extra half hour and just spending a few minutes by myself. I get to check on my plants and my birds, and I get to just revel in the joy of a Sunday morning.

This afternoon will be spent tidying, vaccuming, cooking, taste-testing, watering and perhaps some study for the four exams I have this week. But for now? I'm listening to the Buble (Michael Buble) and enjoying the lovely spring breeze floating through the veranda doors.

Just haven't met you yet...

2009-11-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Thinking about books I wish I could own...just the two for now.

"The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond (Amazon link here).

I love her website - I'd love to do some canning; I'd love to live in the country; I'd love to be as pretty as her! She makes a zillion things I want to, and so easily.

If I had a girl, or if I knew a baby girl (whose parents weren't adverse to handsewn clothing), I'd totally buy this book in a flash. It's got beautiful photos and the sweetest patterns. I love little girl clothes so much, they are the sweetest thing around! *sigh* This one I have no real need for so I'll just keep lusting after it.

Can you hear those sleigh bells jingling?

2009-11-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd point anyone looking in the direction of Make Life Sweet, where they're showcasing some sweet, easy to do Christmas decorations! Sometimes it's the simplist things that make the house look more festive.

Me? I'm considering lots of things homemade this Christmas...advent calendars, cushions, wreaths, garlands, penny pockets...it's all on hold though, until after the 17th.

One for the archives...

2009-11-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this delicious looking and drool worthy recipe on (you guessed it) The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and am probably trying it tonight. Most of my pasta dishes have been feeling bland lately.

But this lemon pasta look delicious! Just need to pop down to the shop and get some Parmesan cheese and lemons! Yuummm.

Block party, wooo!

2009-11-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love new tutorials?

Who doesn't love seeing other people's ideas?

Who doesn't love a quilting bee?!

Well, there are all of these things over here! Together! Imagine!

I am so excited right now, I love the challenge and excitement involved!

Also, if you're looking for other awesome tutorials...check out A Sometimes Crafter's Quilt Along. She has amazing pictures and explanations (which I'm sure is the same as the lovely ladies at Block Party!).

Nanoblopo (National blog posting month).

2009-11-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

Attempting this because hey, November isn't crazy enough already!

I'm going to try to post everyday -- recipes, patterns, tutorials, random blatherings, who knows?

To start with I have a bagel recipe I found through my favourite recipe website: the pioneer woman cooks. I'll probably have a few more from here as the month goes on ;)

So here's the recipe: bagels!. It looks fairly involved but good to try at least once. Plus I love a good bagel.

(Image from Smitten Kitchen)

Saturday Sewing...

2009-10-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to wipe out a few of the easy projects I've been meaning to do for ages.

The first off the list is this camera strap, which the Boy saw and needed. We chose this fabric:

And it worked out so easily and so nicely. Now our camera is fully customised and I no longer feel like a dweeby tourist!

Am off to see if I can get another project crossed off the list :) Will be back with an update if I do!

EDIT: I was surfing the internet and found these (make your own gift bows from magazine paper) and gave them a go. So sweet! And very very easy. I just grabbed a piece of paper and within 5 minutes had one all done. They add a bit of interest and I think are the perfect recycling effort :) We have a glue gun so it was super easy.

Handmade holidays.

2009-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Handmade Holidays III is starting today/tomorrow at Sew, Mama, Sew!

I am so excited for all the projects I will (obviously) be doing in my holidays. Although my UFO list is huge. Gosh, I fail at life.

Maybe I'll get the boy on 2 1/2" squares today. Or working on my AMG block. It's so hard being me!

I'm working on the first block in the LH corner right now, but I should have finished at least six of them! Will keep you updated.

New haircut!

2009-10-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry this week has been so quiet -- lots of university work not a lot of sewing :(

I saw a very sweet sewing calendar today - tempted to buy one for my sewing desk (potentially room??).

Got a haircut and a fringe so I feel like I finally fit in the blog world!

Nursery newborns...

2009-10-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Went to the nursery this afternoon, and went a tiny bit overboard. We bought passionfruit, mandarins, sweet potato, coriander, more basil, strawberries, eggplant, pumpkin, cucumber, carrots oregano and new lettuce! Our garden is beautiful now!

I have to draw up a plan, let me know if you have any tips (I know my lemon tree loves the sunshine)...I want it to be easy to walk around and stll see everything -- not that it's huge or anything, I just am used to the few pots on the side of the balcony).

Next up -- fruit salad trees! What a lovely idea.

(This is my mandarin tree - so excited!)

Guess-who-went-to-the-quilt-fair!

2009-10-24T00:39:00.001-07:00

If you guessed me, you'd be right! I made it there and back and picked up a few goodies! Seeing as I was with the Boy, I couldn't really peruse the notions but it was still so-much-fun.

These fabrics were all *really* cheap and I don't know why I didn't get more. The fruits are all for some of these ziploc bags which I'm going to get around to making, I'm very excited.

Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!

2009-10-21T23:53:00.000-07:00

This is my garden. Seeing as we live on the 2nd floor of an apartment block, we don't have a lot of room to spare for my little plants. I have: a lemon tree (dwarf), lettuces (3x), tomatoes (2x), basil, rosemary, broccoli, zucchini and celery. [Sorry the photos are so dark -- they seemed quite a bit lighter this morning!]

But they still grow quite well (this is my buddy basil). This is the oldest plant I have and, as you can see, is getting quite woody. Will need to be replaced soon.

This is the ever pretty celery. Got it at a green market for quite the good price.

This is the tomato plant my sister gave me (one of two). They seem to be doing ok with the height difference, but we'll see :)

Lettuce plant! So handy and so big! Again, from a green market. It was convieniently planted with three types of lettuce, so it's like a mixed salad straight from the garden.

This is the beginnings of a beautiful friendship (my broccoli plant). I always stress that seeds won't grow so I overplant just about everything and then am always quite sheepish when they are so close together.

Christmas swap: completed!

2009-10-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to make this bag from here; it didn't work out quite the way the tutorial did, but I was still quite impressed! My corners aren't quite right, and my seams aren't flawless, but you know, it's a learning curve. Overall I was very happy with myself.

(Close up of fabric - kokka)

A List...

2009-10-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's what's currently occupying my time...

1) Getting ready to send off my package for this swap:

2) enjoying some of the new fabrics I bought last week!

3) Frantically stitching my Aunt Millie's Garden blocks:

Barely a spare second around here :)

Linkage

2009-10-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

Just a note to say you can find me over at my tumblr:

http://liamandmeg.tumblr.com

I promise to post more soon!

Heather Ross...

2009-10-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one crushing over Heather Ross' Far far away and her mermaids/octopi line? I really want some but the stores here are out...

Looks like I'm off to trawl ebay!

Success!

2009-09-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

I have just finished 2 projects! Granted, only teeny-weeny ones but hey!

I made:
- a ponytail tie
- a tiny box

Hopefully I will have pictures tomorrow and some other projects to update you on!

Needing that push...

2009-09-28T02:28:00.000-07:00

I am trying to encourage myself to finish some of my WIPs so I figured this blog may be the way to do it!

I have a few tiny projects (which won't come together for some reason), and some huge ones which need me to get in and do them!

I'm going to the Craft Fair in October, but will be updating before then? Who knows...

Will keep this updated when something happens. :) Hopefully that will be soon.

Meg