In all good stores.....

Tired?

feeling rushed?

Is the hectic pace of modern life getting you down?

What you need is a Craft Clock TM.

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When everyone around is flagging at 11pm - you can keep on rockin' through until 13 or 14 O'Clock and still get plenty of beauty sleep.

The Craft Clock is stylish yet functional and comes in a range of modern colours to suit any decor.

The perfect gift, Craft Clock tells people that you really care.

With Craft Clock you need never rush again! Those swap deadlines will be a piece of cake.

Get one today and stretch those crafting hours into crafting bliss.

(Just quietly cracking myself up over here)

A day at the Office....

When I was a kid, I wished I was a zoo-keeper.

Yesterday I went on an excursion with work and a part of me wondered (ever so briefly) if I had another career change in me at this grand old age.

I don't !

Funnily enough today when we went through the photos, I had about 120 of animals and one flower. Someone else seemed to have hundreds of flowers with the occasionally animal leg in the way !

The Bastard Quilt

With some gentle prodding from blogland I was determined to get The Bastard Quilt finished while I was at sewjourn.

The potted history goes something like this....

Once upon a time I decided to make a quilt. I decided that I would just "wing" the pattern, because I knew kind of what I wanted it to look like in my mind. I figured that, since it was to be my first quilt I would not be keen to pay to have it quilted, so I decided to make three quilt as you go sections and then join them.

I blame Mr Google and Mr You tube for making it all look so easy - it is their fault.

Over time , the quilt got a few airings on the blog but I gradually fell out of love with it. The first mention seems to be January 08 but I think I started it before then.

So, even though I still love the idea of this quilt and I adore the green and white idea, whenever I look at it, all I see is all the bits I fudged. I see where the batting moved away inside when I joined the sections. I see the dodgy machine quilting, I see the crookedness and the fact that even though the sections worked well perhaps it doesn't work so well as a whole.

And yes I know it is my first ever quilt that I have done all by myself , and that I started it quite a while ago and my sewing has (hopefully) improved since then, I know all the things I would say to someone else who doesn't love something they made.

but I have never been good at listening to my own advice - the jury is still out.

What goes on the craft weekend....

In the great tradition of "what goes on the craft weekend stays on the craft weekend" please understand that full disclosure of the previous weekends escapades may not be possible.

I can tell you that Sewjourn is the PERFECT place to have a craft retreat. Being a crafter herself Jan has everything covered. The house is gorgeous, heaps of room, everything you could need or want is there and the studio is amazing. Once you are in the studio, there is no trekking back to the house for tea or coffee or even the loo - the studio has everything you need to keep you crafting the hours away.

I can also tell you that Lara, Nikki, Rachel,Emma, Annie, Kathryn and soon-to-have-a-blog Megan were the perfect mix of people to spend a weekend with. When I say we spent a lot of time laughing - I mean hang on to your bladder, cross your legs shrieking laughter !

Lots of beautiful things were made, and everyone swapped and shared and learnt from each other. Nikki inspired us all to let go a bit and she shared so generously all her knowledge, time and whisky.

The rumours from the neighbours that loud out-of-tune singing and yodelling could be heard coming from the studio at 2am were greatly exaggerated, whilst the reported sighting of the rare and endangered flannel-clad ABBA dancers is merely the stuff of local legend.

It wasn't all fun and laughter, we did out bit for the planet while we were there, by emptying quite a number of glass bottles so they could be recycled and Lara almost single-handedly fought off the global economic crisis for the town of Lancefield when she found a clothing shop with a sale rack and then an op-shop !

Jan came in for a visit on Sunday (and not because the neighbours had called her in fear) and she yo-yo'd away the day with us ,visited the local quilt show, made us coffee and was just perfectly gorgeous.

Staying at Sewjourn was the BEST fun I have had in a very long time. Jan has created a wonderful place for crafters and it was such a warm and welcoming spot, it felt like we staying at her home (which I guess in a way we were.) If you can find a spare weekend on their calendar, get some friends and get a booking. I can't guarantee flannel clad middle-aged dancing women - but I can guarantee you'll love it.

So by the end of the weekend, this is what was left of us

The Sewjourn Seven.

hmmmm ........ good name for a movie girls?

with barely a backward glance....

I am going to sewjourn TODAY!!!!

I am leaving behind five performances of Grease with the associated drop-offs, washing of costumes, and very very late pick-ups.

I am leaving behind rehearsals for two other shows (shared between the kids)

I am leaving behind gala night with an estimated 2am pick-up of daughter

I am leaving behind:

"What's for dinner?"

"I'm hungry"

"have you got a minute"

"Where is my (insert anything from basketball to brain here)?"

"how come He/She gets to ...whatever"?

"Why do I have to do all the work"?

I am leaving behind the real life crap for the weekend and it was all I could do this morning, not to actually push them all out the door to school and work and dance gleefully up the hallway in my dressing gown to a stirring rendition of Freedom.

(OK, maybe I did actually do that)

So even though I know all the crap will still be here when I get back

I'm going to belt out one more chorus, chuck on my shoes and get the hell out of dodge .........

Parsley and Beet

This is Parsley and her brother Beet, two busy elephants who are not quite big and not quite small.

Parsley and Beet were playing in the garden. They built a great big pile of leaves

and Parsley tried to bury Beet.

But Beet jumped up and the leaves went everywhere!

"Did I scare you?" asked Beet

Parsley and Beet went for a walk and stopped at the little bridge.

Parsley went to the other side and Beet called out "Parsley........ Can you hear me? "

But Parsley had wandered off to jump in puddles.

Oops ! Parsley jumped a little bit too hard.

"Don't worry" said Beet.

Parsley and Beet decided it was time to go home.

That was enough adventure for two busy elephants who are not quite big and not quite small

Pachyderm evolution

(almost there)

The secret to success

The secret to the successful dyeing of fabric

lies in ones ability to carefully read and follow all instructions

(including the one about rubber gloves)

Can I say shit-o-meter in the title?

A week that's pretty high on the shit-o-meter does have unexpected benefits.

The quilt I took on camp is hand quilted and I have one more side to go with the binding. Unless my friend is in labour right now - the chances are that this will finished before the baby even gets here (I think that is a first for me with baby presents - I am always late).

So when things do turn to shit - as they tend to do occasionally, I recommend some hand-sewing.

because we all know that keeping your hands busy means you can't actually kill anyone.

and that has to be a good thing...

Brattish behaviour - YUDU

So I survived camp (obviously) and the brattish behaviour of the title had nothing to do with it - In fact the kids were angels.

I am the one exhibiting brattish behaviour. I feel like stomping my feet, pouting and generally behaving badly. A tantrum is brewing.

You see I think I want one of these

This is the YUDU screenprinting machine by provo craft. I have watched the demo, seen the ads and trawled the Internet catching snippets of info from forums and blogs. I have searched and searched for any Australian suppliers. I have emailed provo craft and been told it will get to Australia, but no mention of who will be stocking it or where I can see it in action.

I found out for myself it will on display at a craft show in Brisbane (The other side of the country) in June.....

June????? (insert foot stomp here)

But I want it now!!!!! and yes I know that I could get one off Ebay (that $122 US postage is bit of a killer though) and I really want to see one in action..... (insert wild flailing of arms).

I want to talk in an annoying whiney voice but no-one is home and the cats don't care!

But I already have an idea or two or three that I want to try out and I just can't stop thinking about it and wasting time on the Internet finding out more about it and generally just being an impatient brat !

arrrgggghghhghghhghgg !