Obviously....

So, obviously I made a bag.

I made it for me and even though I forgot the magnetic claspy thingo I am pretty happy with it. Whenever I try something like this I lament my lack of drawing skills. But really who's to know I wasn't going for the whole naive childlike quality on purpose???

and yes, I made the bag when I should have been making Christmas gifts, or planning for Christmas, or making lists or sending emails, or doing housework or organising end of year school crap or taking my very sick computer to triage, but it was either make a bag or have my head explode.......so I chose the bag.

but you know in the cold hard light of day I have to admit that the exploding head may have made a more interesting photo.

December squint

What do you mean they don't look like Christmas presents yet ?

Maybe it would help if you squinted?

I have to :

Introduce my new boyfriend

(spunky robot courtesy of pinksnowflakes)

Say thanks for all your support of THAW in the last post - man you guys blow me away !

Tell you that Vic of Punky and me - is the winner of Rocket and he will be heading off to live with her really soon.

Share with you Miss Ric-Rac was suitably embarrassed about it all .....so I have yet to show her this .........

and tell you that the disco bot pattern is finally done and listed.

Can I also just whisper quietly that I am stuffed ! My brain has turned to blancmange and I wish I could sleep for a week. My kids are fully doing my head in and I am snappy and snippy and in need of a good slap myself.

Christmas is looming like some turgid bubbling quicksand and the Grinch is ringing and asking me for anti-festivity tips.......

School is like some crazed asylum where they are definitely not handing out enough feel-good pills and the calendar is filling up way too quickly.

I am off to a 50th birthday party tonight and I just want you to know that should the four horsemen of the Apocalypse interrupt my sleep-in tomorrow I shall get out of bed (sans foundation garments) and I shall grab the nearest weapon (quite possible an outdoor chair) and I shall quietly and calmly beat them to death.

(but I am not a monster, I would spare the horses)

Pssst can you spare a few bucks? (You were warned)

I am maintaining some decorum as I start this post but please read right to the very end!

A little while ago, through one of the crafty avenues that seem to appear every now and again, I joined a loose group of local crafters. In that group I met Kim and then her husband Rohan.

Kim and Ro produce the most amazing zine here in Ballarat - full of local goodness, fashion, craft and all sorts of stuff. Kim and Ro have real day jobs and mothering jobs of course (like most of us) and two sweet baby girls and a vegie patch and a dog and a Kombi to keep them busy .....

BUT they are passionate about their zine and they work their collective butts off to get it out four times a year. ( and they do not batter an eyelid when you arrive at their house for chat in your P.J's and dressing gown - they just offer you a drink and pat of their dog like it happens everyday )

(all photos coutesy of Rohan)

This issue of THAW is full of lots of people you might know.....Kate and Brendon from Fox's lane and daylesford organics, The doily talking about her new roller derby passion, the gorgeous Beck of dandelion, Howl (winners of TripleJ Unearthed high), and yes there is an interview in there with me banging on (as usual) about craft and community and working in my Pyjamas.

So, I am going to flat out ask you guys to go and buy a copy from Kim and Ro's big cartel site.

Or locally from L'espresso, Upholstery gallery, Coco Pink, Art Gallery,Stride and more....)

Buy it because Kim and Ro work hard to keep this zine humming along (and sometimes giving up seems much easier)

Buy it to support handmade

Buy it to read about me if you want , or Beck, or Kate, or Steph or the Darling Howl boys.

Buy it because this support thing is actually one of the things we bloggers do really well

Buy it because it is priced ridiculously low. - $3 yep, only $3

Buy it because if you buy it and then email me and attach a receipt or some such proof along with your snail mail address, I'll be popping a free pattern in the post to the first twenty of you !

So, you are all fabulous and I know you want to support others , not just get free stuff so although all the patterns are now gone, if you buy or subscribe, send me a copy of the receipt you will go in the draw to win a softie....he is very soft and grey. His name is Rocket and he is just waiting for a new home. You have until I leave for craft tomorrow night to enter.

BUT

and my voice has taken on that slightly higher pitched - little bit hysterical tone

Buy it because this is my daughter ! yep. Everybody look !!! That's right .

If I could insert flashing lights and sirens here you can bet I would.

This is Miss Ric-Rac, my post VCE, 18, slightly sulky, singer, empty loo-paper roll ignorer, taunter of brother, eater of Milo, lover of HOWL, hopeless at craft, Bestie of Jazz, wearer of vintage, COVER GIRL ...daughter.

and yes I may have promised NOT to embarrass her about this .......but she's 18, how many more chances am I going to get?

This is where you need to go to get fresh with my daughter

(eeeeeewwwwwwwww)

Market mayhem

Daylesford turned on a spectacular day on Saturday for the market. I am sorry it has taken me this long to blog about it BUT someone who has finished VCE and been home sick seems to have eaten all my Internet (and trust me I have a lot of Internet) so I am back to caveman Internet until tomorrow.

(MR Burly - husband of Julie sporting a very flash three tiered pink ensemble)

Julies idea with the Suffolk Puffs or yo-yo's was great - I met so many bloggers on Saturday that my brain was a bit of a whirl. Please leave me a comment and tell me who you were again so I can come and visit you. (waving wildly at Ms Sprouts and the pirate) and she BAKED ! That's right she baked yo-yo's and let Annie and I give them away to bloggers....

Annie was in charge for the day and I could not ask for a better assistant (or friend). She is so willing to help and give up her weekend to stand behind my stall and flog my wares (and she does a far better job of it than I do I can tell you).

It is so hard to explain just how much fun Saturday was - I was on a crafty high all weekend. I met THE BEST people and caught up with awesome inspiring crafters and shared plans and exciting news and made commitments to friends and crafters to do less hibernating and more socialising.

(Kirst's music boxes - she is my biggest blogcrush ever )

I can't really do a major festival of links - mostly because I know I am going to forget someone - and really there were so many bloggy visitors it was almost hysterical at times. But also because it will take me about another ten hours on caveman Internet.

(One of these curlypops delights made its way home with me)

If you would like to see just some of the fantastic bloggy visitors that made their way to the market, head off to the delightful Superpops blog ....

and if you want to meet the other stallholders then here is a list for you. I did this from memory and I am sure I have forgotten some people, and a few stallholders are not on the net so I apologise in advance

Curlypops

Kootoyou

Pink snowflakes

VillaHunter

The clunes strangler

ceci bean

lillipilli

bob boutique

Dandelion

Bluebell

Pictures eat people

Mandamade

There was one other stallholder there who I would like to tell you about tomorrow.......and I am going to blatantly try and sell you all something as well. I might coerce, I may threaten or I may just beg......

(Consider yourself warned!)

The not-so-very-secret-at-all-bloggers-who-wear-yo-yo's- society.

Okay so maybe thats not a very catchy title, but Miss Julie had a great idea.

Julie is coming to the Daylesford Makers Market tomorrow and meeting up with some friends, so much like a blind date where people promise to wear a certain flower in their buttonhole, Julie will be wearing a pink yo-yo !

I think this is a great idea !

Just think of all the blogmeets, craft shows etc that we all go to and blog about, only to have people comment and say "oh no I was there at that time too, I wish we could have caught up".

So here is the plan , if you are coming to the Daylesford Makers Market tomorow why not wear a yo-yo and let people know you are a blogger. Of course if you want a more anonymous feel to the day thats cool too. Actually I will have a free selvedge key-ring for all the yo-yo wearing bloggers who come and say Hi ! (until I run out)

I am excited by this idea Miss Julie, why not adopt it as the Universal Crafty Blogger version of the secret handshake.... Go forth and yo-yo !

( and if anyone can think of a better name that the-not-so-very-secret-at-all-bloggers-who-wear-yo-yo's-society pop over and let Julie know)

Bah Humbug !!!

Now that my smalls are actually quite big (like 18 and 14), I have to say a lot of the "magic" of Christmas is gone.

I find myself concentrating more and more on all the effort it requires and I must admit to being a bit Bah-Humbug about it all at the moment. (mind you that could be because every bloody shop in town has been spruiking Christmas since September).

But yesterday I found, bought and printed this from everybodies favourite Aunty and now I am determined to buy some presents just so I can wrap them.....

(once again its all about the packaging for me)