Because life is just too busy, the house is too messy, the kids are too needy and I am forsaking computer time this week to get back on schedule. Gah!
So some pretty pictures for you: quilts and sewing — applique, squares, triangles, pretty fabrics …
Swapsie:? During all this clean up – I have ended up with a bunch of bundles of fabrics I am getting rid of — yes a clear out! Let me know if you can use some scrap fabrics – quilting fat quarters, corduroy for kids pants, and other assorted bits and things – if you live near me and can pick up and a do a swapsie — even better! email me.
I have been very inspired this week by all the wonderful guest posts in our creativity series: Some amazing stories have been shared and good solid advice given – Monitizing your craft blog :: Two pink lines :: Value of creativity :: Creating for children :: Listen and watch.
Books – gah – have been reading some stuff – there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of time for reading – but I am part of a book club which meets monthly and I did manage to read this months book The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk
which I found to be strange and alluring and frustrating. But more importantly I did just finish reading the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
which I loved (there are more books coming) and now am watching the TV show (called Game of Thrones) – which is amazing too.
On a more crafty note – a couple of colour filled knitting books have entered my life: Knitting with The Color Guys — Kaffe Fassett 
and Knit Noro: Accessories — Vogue knitting
(both published by sixth and spring 2012). Both of these books are lovely and hard cover and big to hold and full of inspiring colour knitted colour combinations – big and small projects, I recommend if you have a chance to flick through them over a cup of tea – do!
[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australians can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)
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My life in this very moment is just all about quilts, quilting, fabric, stitches, threads, rotary cutter, sweeping the mess, scrap bags of fabric piling up, making space for more quilts…
In between I am trying to keep the sanity by staying real. Real life keeps butting its head into my sewing realm. Kids. Dinner. Dishes. Responsibilities. Friends. Health. … so to stay real I have to stop procrastinating, need to use my time wisely. Need to be organised. Have to stay on track. Stay focussed. …
How to stay on track … Keep lists. Use the blackboard planner. Not in fact plan too much. Be realistic. Delegate. What do you do to stay on track?
Some organisation tips:: from Elsie :: Organising the family paperwork.
Check in on our creativity series:
We also hosted: Maya on her blog tour for her new book Reinvention.
Interesting links:
Happy mother’s day this weekend to all the mothers out there. [I share mother's day this year with my husband's birthday -- so ... kiddos you better buck up! :)]
This week I am reading some traditional quilting books from That Patchwork Place:
Foundation-Pieced Quilts
(Dec 2011) :: Civil War Legacies
(March 2012) :: Pretty Patchwork Quilts
(March 2012) and Kaleidoscope Paper Piecing
(Jan 1012). All of these quilt books are full of traditional designs and techniques that have taught me a thing or two. That Patchwork Place always has such excellence in their quilt books. The instructions, diagrams, templates and images are straightforward. Don’t get these books for the pretty styled pictures or the conversational dialogue – you won’t find it. However do get these books for a good foundation in technique and some lovely traditional style quilt designs that will challenge your skills.
[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australians can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)
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This week I guest posted over at Ansie’s place while she is travelling around Australia. The theme of my guest blog are the colours of Australia so click over to see some colour palettes from images from my last camping trip with family. The colours of the desert, the sunsets, the earth and the flowers. The image below is a flakey painted door next to some rich red bricks — I love to make these colour palettes simply using photoshop but I also like to use online palette making tools such as Kuler. It’s fun and free – give it a go!
NEWS
- This week Anne has kicked off her five part quilting series and I am thrilled to be part of it – follow along!
- The printed bolt has started off their fabric designer comp with a bang — looks like its going to be a really fun series.
- Handmade olympics is on again – I am judging the eco section this year – looking forward to it!
- Pinterest has changed their terms and conditions and I am once again happy to be using. Highlights of the update include: ”Our original Terms stated that by posting content to Pinterest you grant Pinterest the right for to sell your content. Selling content was never our intention and we removed this from our updated Terms.” Huffington post has a good article about the changes.
- Watch this video - best {and funniest} fashion video ever!
AT WHIPUP THIS WEEK
READ
- 500 Felt Objects
is another amazing collection of work in the Lark Crafts 500 series, featuring challenging and energising work from a whole lot of amazing artists and designers who work with felt. - Mark Pearson is a professor of journalism at Bond University, his book Blogging and Tweeting without Getting Sued (Allen and Unwin 2012) guides us through the pitfalls of social media and explains how you can get your message across without landing yourself in legal trouble.
- Country Cottage Quilting
by Lynette Anderson (David & Charles February 2012) has everything you love about country crafts — the embroidered details, the felted textures, the soft colours, the beautiful applique. Nothing twee or gloomy about these designs, just lovely traditional country crafting at its best.
[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australians can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)
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I have sort of been head down between the sewing machine and the sewing table and the sketch book and the design software working on a new project this week. So I have been sadly neglecting some of my favourite things, my social networks both real and virtual are taking a beating as I ignore everyone and work work work.
These bundles of fabrics are just a little bit of the wonderfulness that I have been playing with. Colours, textures, patterns mmm…
It’s not all work around here though! I have read some books too! and obsessing over a new iphone game (oh the procrastination!), and I have baking – uhm I mean burning a few batches of what promised to be delicious chocolate chip oat cookies and I burnt a vanilla cake and I burnt the gravy for Sunday night roast. So I am sort of now officially banned from the kitchen, to be on the safe side the kids opted for banana smoothies for breakfast instead of french toast. I think my concentration levels for homemaking are low. So I made a weekly menu and did the shopping — all so I don’t have to think too much. I have included lots of easy to make dinners (I did burn the top of the shepherds pie last night though), but the spinach and feta rolls turned out pretty good and are great lunch box fillers too. Do you find that cooking dinner every day can get to be a bit of a chore? Somedays I just want everyone to make themselves a sandwich for dinner.
More good links
I am reading
Storing Home Grown Fruit and Veg
by Caroline Scott (Foulsham August 2011). Is a cosy little practical book chock full of useful advice. I particularly think that the sections on each type of veg and fruit that goes through the different varieties and what they best for, how to cook them and when to grow them — it’s a very handy little book.
Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers
. This book is compiled by Susanne woods and published by Stash books (2011). This is a super book with 99 quilt blocks each contributed by favourite quilt designers. Each block as a double page spread, with a lovely big photo of the block and page on how to make it. Many of the blocks you may have seen before and a bug bear I have with many quilt block books is that the blocks are not shown in a repeat – I think there was room to that in this book. However it was refreshing to see many traditional blocks given a new twist.
So Pretty! Crochet: Inspiration and Instructions for 24 Stylish Projects
Amy Palanjian has put together this book and it comes out soon with Chronicle Books May 2012. Full of lovely contributor projects this book of crochet ranges from delicate crochet jewellery to chunky rag rugs and things like granny squares, covered coat hangers and arm warmers in between. I was disappointed at the lack of crochet instruction for beginners — just some links to online tutorials. On the plus side, if you can already crochet and know how to follow a simple crochet pattern then you’ll like this book, it is beautifully laid full of stylish and trendy projects.
[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australians can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)
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We were out and about on a little family jaunt this past weekend. We went to the big smoke – the city – to see the lights, and hear the sounds and visit some cool places and climb some stairs, and see a show and eat some good food and watch some clever buskers. We stayed in a pub and walked everywhere, we happened upon some street artists doing their thing and we saw some fireworks too. It was a good weekend, yes there was some moaning tired moody children (and adults), but overall I think we bonded!
On a craftier note — this week at Whipup: A round up of granny flower squares :: A book and guest post — Knits for Nerds :: More knitting projects for nerds.
If you are a family sort of person with kiddos and the like – you might like to subscribe to my Action Pack Newsletter – filled with kids craft, family cooking and other good things: the latest newsletter is here!
And more cool stuff:
I am reading:
- Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts
By Cathy Gaubert and published by Lark Crafts (November 2011). I am a huge fan of Cathys work, her sweet and quirky little critters and embroideries are really very cute. This book has 24 mini-quilt designs which are all special and could be worked up to larger quilts if you wanted as well. From dolly quilts to wall quilts all the designs are achievable and interesting enough for both beginners and more advanced quilters with a great mix of techniques to get your sewing and creative skills flourishing. - Mom, Inc.: The Essential Guide to Running a Successful Business Close to Home
by Meg Mateo Ilasco and Cat Seto and coming soon (Chronicle Books April 2012). This is a nifty little handbook especially for folks just like me – mother running a running a home and running a business from home. How to juggle it all and stay sane and get organised in the process. It can get crazy trying to do it all! - This useful ‘Learning to See’ series of tiny books by Peter Jenny (published by Princeton Architectural Press coming soon April 2012) include The Artist’s Eye
, Drawing Techniques
and Figure Drawing
. These handy take-along sized books are perfect for all ages interested in wanting to improve their drawing skills. These books are a series of prompts and exercises to help you to slow down and observe your surroundings, each exercise includes the time and materials you will need (most are under an hour and you’ll need not much more than a pencil, eraser, paper and sometimes ink) and with a few examples of what to do. Very clever and very useful. We’ll be including these in our evening family time.
[Thanks to publishers and distributors for sending me books to review, I don't get paid to post reviews but I am an amazon affiliate] (Australians can purchase craft books online through can do books or booktopia or else browse booko for the best prices.)
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