Whirlwind and active

 

Where the magic happens

 

The flag project so near yet so far

The weekend flew by with a flurry of crafting activities. The craft room has now reached the stage where every surface is covered with bits of fabric. No matter how many plastic storage containers I get there just aren't enough for all the scraps I generate and like a born recycler, (or hoarder) I always think there will be a use for that tiny little piece. The reason for the chaos is that darn hanging flag banner that I thought would be oh such a quick project, not so as you may have gathered. There's the letter cutting, fabric cutting, letter sewing, flag cutting etc etc and of course I wanted to draw from my extensive pile of scraps so that the letters would all be different patterns. I am my own worst enemy !! Progress was made but I think that this will be a one time deal. On the plus side I did get to try out a new stitch on the sewing machine which worked like a charm. It still seems surreal to press a button and have it instantly knot, the joys of technology.

Three paintings are on the go, some nice stormy skies which is funny really when 99% of the time the sky is a lovely shade of blue but that wouldn't be enough of a challenge. Progress shots coming soon.
I also will be selling my line in a boutique in LA which means I have to actually create in bulk and so had a big jumper shrinking session. It still surprises me that I can go out and find exactly the right colour in a jumper at a thrift store for a couple of penguins just when I need it. I have a theory that the gods of re-use look favourably on my furry creations. I only wish I didn't have to go outside to do the laundry. Unlike London, it is fairly common to not have a washing machine inside, oh how I miss my bosch, so quiet so quick.... When we had that rainy spell there was no way I was going to do any shrinking. We also once had a nasty possum living on top of the laundry, so the thought of having a giganto oversized rat landing on your head whilst you wash your small's was quite a big deterrent. It did start to stack up till a possum solution was found. I can't believe those things are not considered a nuisance and therefore animal control will have nothing to do with them. But I digress...

In between creating I managed a thrift store visit and found the best drinking glasses ever, they are old wine bottles that have been cut and sanded (a great idea) so they are just the right weight (Ikea thin they are not) and not too small, best of all each one is unique. As you can tell I was very happy with my purchase I had been thinking about those recycled glass ones with the bubbles and blue rim for a while but I'm glad I didn't get them.

Hurrah, my vintage soft toy pattern book arrived derailing my progress as I have simply got to make the elephant, polar bear and donkey. Work beckons, the rain is back.

Thrift Store Find - Tennis Glass

Thrift Store Find - Tennis Glass

I have to cheat a bit, I did find this in a thriftstore but it was a while ago. I spent the weekend sailing and capsizing (not on purpose) in a 2 man catamarran which pretty much wiped me out. Add to that the extremely happy and vocal group camped next to us, who proceeded to play badminton at 6am and you can factor in sleep deprivation too. Who knew sailing was so hardcore ? Not me, bruised knees and elbows are among the injury count. All of this is my way of saying I had no time to shop.

This item is a gem, it can hold two cans worth of drink + ice and its stylish, well I think so at least. I stumbled on it at a Goodwill and despite there only being one had to have it. On the annoying front I've had to send my 6 week old camera back to Canon for repair, it just decided to have a lens error and that was that, but I'm hopeful that I will get it back soon so its back to the trusty Nikon. Enjoy.