Happily ever after?

When The List first launched its dictatorial take-over, I was quite happy.

Things were getting done, progress was made.

Then The List said I had to go back to work...I checked and doubled checked with other reliable sources, but The List was right - it was back to work this week.

The List didn't seem to care that I was back at work and it still demanded my full attentions. Nor did The List seem to take into consideration the fact that it was 46 degrees in my sewing room by the time I got home from work !!!!

So the list and I sat down and had one of those heart to heart conversations , you know the where-do-you-see-this-relationship going type conversation. I had to admit the list was a little shocked when I openly admitted he was only an interim list, here to get me through until he wasn't needed anymore.

But I also told him he was the best list I had ever had. He liked that. Then I told him he was by far the biggest list I had ever had (he really liked that) and that I couldn't possible cope without him.

but then again, I say that sort of crap to all my lists.........

When your head explodes.

So the other day my head exploded.

KERBOOM !!!

It just exploded.

It was surprisingly less painful than one would expect.

One regaining my composure and innate sense of bonhomie, I made a list - oh and what a list it is. A finer list you have never seen, it is the king of all lists.

Other smaller, tidyer lists bow down before my supreme list and quake in their little listy boots at the length and breadth of my all-encompassing list.

My list is omnipotent.

Today the List said to Gocco, so Gocco I did.

All hail The List

faffing and flailing

Remember when I mentioned the hypothetical market?

Well it's not so hypothetical anymore.

I'll be hanging out at the Stitches and Craft show in Melbourne in about 47 days time.....

The Pandora's box of insecurities currently residing in my brain would scare anyone - You guys all know what they are, the usual thing we feel as crafters, wondering if people in the "real world' will like our stuff? Is it good enough - all the usual self-doubt stuff.

But you know what ? I have organised time off the real job, I have signed up, I am busy busy busy writing patterns , gocco-ing , and sewing .

I am holding-hands (mentally) with someone who has done this before and I am going to spend five whole days hanging out in a crazy kind of craftopia.

The show is going to be HUGE with the Australian Premier of Handmade Nation , exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and heaps of retailers.

I'll be hanging out in the incubator with a whole bunch of crafty bloggers and I am alternating between that kind of tight - chested squealy excitement and abject terror.

(Just for the moment I think the latter is winning)

Subtlety is not my strong point

Wecome ladies and gentlemen to the first ever Blog karaoke night. If you would like to freshen up your drinks and take a seat we will get started. Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for the unique vocal stylings of Jodie.

*Mad applause* by the drunks in the back corner

"Thank you, tonight I'd like to do a little number that's very dear to my heart. Its been covered by a lot of people but I think there's something in it for everyone.

FEVER

Never know how much I love them

never know how much I care

When I start a brand new project
I get a fever that’s so hard to bare

They give me fever
When I cut them

Fever when I sew them right
Fever
When I’m sewing
selvedge by Janome light

I sew in the day time

I sew in the night

I light up when I see that edge
and you know I’m gonna treat it right

They give me fever
When I cut them

Fever when I sew them right
Fever
When I’m sewing
selvedge by Janome light

Every fabrics got some selvedge
That is something you all know
Selvedge isn’t just a scrap piece
Selvege baby’s all the go.

Jodie and her selvedge edges
have a very mad affair

When somebody tries to toss them
She says honey oh don't you dare

They give me fever
When I cut them

Fever when I sew them right
Fever
When I’m sewing
selvedge by Janome light

Now you listened to my story

Here's the point that I have made

I’ve run completely out of selvedge

I’m begging baby, I’ve no shame.

Thank you , thank you , you are too kind.....umm...excuse me...security...could you get those two old soaks under control up the back there....Oh sorry its Locket and Moogs, no , no they're fine.....Just a little emotional.

Ages 3 and up!

Hello, My name is Esther and I am sisters to Hazel. Do you know Hazel?

This is me waiting at the gate for my friends Violet and Ruby. Violet and Ruby are coming to play here for ever and ever and be sisters to me and Hazel as well so we will be all like four twins who are sisters.

Did you know I am a very good cooker and I do cooking nearly every single day. Mostly I like to cook cakes and biscuits and things what I can put icing on.

Jodie knowed I like cooking so she buyed me my very own mixer and it is the best mixer ever in the whole wide world.

And with my mixer I got all sorts of stuff and cakes and a little knifer and even a cake what comes apart and goes together again. So when Violet and Ruby get to my house we can have tea parties all together.
I did some cookering for Jodie on the weekend and I made some biscuits what are mostly healthy cause they have fruit and then a bit not healthy cause they have chocolate. I think mostly that I like the chocolate part but Jodie says it is rude just to lick off the good bits of biscuits and you have eat the not-good bits too. I think maybe I don't agree to that bit.

(OK so that is my pathetic attempt to disguise the fact that I went and bought this most wonderful toy just so I could use it to take cute dolly photos. I bought it from

My Wooden Toys

.Seriously, this is one cute toy! It has heaps of bits and pieces and the quality is fantastic. I am not normally into advertising stuff on ye olde blog, but I just knew that someone would ask me so I got in first - Pop over and have a look and while you're there check out the breakfast set and the pirate ship............. and it's OK because it says it is for ages over 3 and I am waaaaaay over 3)

EDITED TO ADD:

Guess what ?

(and before you ask I have nothing to do with this company at all I am just a happy customer)

My Wooden Toys have just emailed me to say that until the end of the month they are going to offer 10% discount on your purchases. All you have to do is type ric-rac in the comments box at checkout. They will deduct 10% when processed for a credit card or refund the 10% if you use paypal.

How cool is that? ...Stay tuned, next week I might mention Mercedez Benz

Ever had one of those days

Where you just can't begin to explain what happened??

I'm sure you guys don't really want to hear about Trash standing in the salad, or (later in the evening) Gillian falling off the couch and me dancing in Annie's kitchen with Lucy Locket tucked in my back pocket do you???

Of course yesterday we had the Trash and Treasure blog meet here in Ballarat and like anyone who has ever had a blog meet knows - it is just so much fun to hang out with people who get it !

And boy do they get it.......

Gillian
Bernadette

JO
Rachel

Kathryn

Annie

Emma

Janette

Lara

Holly
Trash

Jan
Nikki

Kellie

Sonya

would have to be the most interesting, funny and slightly loopy group of women I have spent a day with in a very long time. We shopped a little and talked a LOT !

If you want to see all the photos you'll have to visit all the other blogs because I was, of course far far too busy preparing things and being a hostess and dropping salad on the ground to actually take many ...... (talking non-stop and eating cake mostly)

It was a lovely day and we were all surprised to see Lucy Locket arrive. (She got a little untidy later in the evening....We told her not to mix her drinks )

and as for Trash........she is EXACTLY who you would expect if you read her blog.......only 100% more fabulously so !!!!

I keep trying to explain how much fun I had and how awesome each person is and I fear I am starting to sound a little Oprah-ish but as I drove home late last night from Annies place , with Lucy Lockett tucked in her seat belt in the seat next to me, after we had been blogmeeting for about 12 hours straight, I looked over at Lucy and she was still smiling that great big Lucy grin..........

and so was I !

Lost for words.....

I made a wee quilt

and I think its O.K.

I tried hand quilting for the first time.

and I used pearle cotton , 'cause everyone raves about it.

I practised my wonky french knots......

BUT

My little girl has nothing to say...........any suggestions???

You know what ? I don't think having nothing to say will be a problem on Saturday.

Great people are coming and I know Ballarat is kinda in the middle of nowhere, but some delightful Melbourne bloggers are coming along by train and by car and Silly Gilly (maybe that name means something ) is actually driving over from Adelaide and planning to stop at every op-shop she passes.......

Come on , jump on the train, get in the car - it'll be fun and I am even going to cook a cake !!!

( I am using a flourless cake recipe for those of you who may be concerned).

Trash and Treasure blogmeet

As lots of you would know, Australia is currently hosting a visit by Trashaloucan.

Normally residing in the UK, Trash is originally from Ballarat.

Of course this is too good an opportunity to miss and we local bloggers have been in negotiations to be included on the itinerary of her Great Trip Home for some time.

So without further ado you are all cordially invited to the

Trash and Treasure Blogmeet

When : Saturday January 10th

Where: Ballarat Patchwork at 11 am followed by the Eureka Park There should be a map if you follow that link.

Please come ! If you don't know Trash, that's OK - heaps of bloggers will be there and we all promise to be on our best behaviour and play nicely and give everyone a turn on the swings.

Here's the plan, we all meet at Ballarat Patchwork at 11 am -ish where the delightful Miss Scrapbag has, I believe organised door prizes. After a bit of a looky and a bit of a shoppy we can all head off to the Eureka Park.

This park has tables, BBQ's, a playground, a little lake often housing a duck or two, some canons, toilets: all the stuff required by a local park and this park is just a hop skip and jump from my house in case of those....oops we have no can-opener type moments.

The park is also next to the local pool in case you want bring your bikini along and have a quick post lunch dip. ( I won't actually be joining in that part myself but thought I'd mention it anyway).

The park is also home to the Eureka Centre (Historical interest) so you could always tell people you are going to Ballarat to visit the home of the Eureka Stockade, if saying you are going to meet a bunch of people that you "met on the Internet" , is going to raise eyebrows.

What to bring : Just bring along a bit of a picnic , maybe a rug to sit on. NO hassle, no stress, no competition for the worlds best exotic picnic triple layered flan.

OK ?

Email if you have any questions or if you want my number to sort stuff out or just to let me know that you wouldn't miss it for the world!

This is not heirloom sewing

I have been on a bit of a promise to make up a PVC wallet.

Figuring that I had EITTTS on the run by now, I thought I'd give it a go.

Hey presto !

Then I got to wondering how it would look if I used a photo, so I printed Seamus out on some ink jet printer fabric.

Then I decided to make that I will actually use.......so here it is. School report circa Yr 10 (age about 16).

That last comment states "Jodie shows little interest in computing + spends far too much time being a nuisance"

In my defence I'd like to state that I did computing twice a week for a whole year and that man never once mentioned blogging !!!

This is not a food blog

The crafting has been sporadic here at Chez Ric-Rac............that's not to say I haven't been spending lots of time in my sewing room, it seems that I have been having an extended run of EITTTS (Everything I touch turns to SH*T).

So, unlike yesterday when I persisted in banging my head against a selvedge brick wall and had five attempts at something that still ended up in the bin..........today I decided to do something simple, easy and finishable. At the end of the day I will be able to say "I made some button brooches today , and they worked and they are pretty cute."

Which is just as well, because when you use the wrong flour in your Apricot bloody shortcake, it comes out more like Apricot kitchensponge.

(Ummm Annie, I will still be over for afternoon tea and yes I will still bring along something yummy....... Maybe more of a shop-bought kind of yummy though.)