Tracey is Awesome!

I just got back from visiting my friend Tracey and I just had to share these photos with you. Tracey made me a lovely bracelet which she gave me today. It is chain maille (I think there was a specific name for the pattern, but of course I cannot remember it!) and it has some cool beads/charms attached to it. I absolutely love it!

Tracey is one of the nicest and most giving people I have ever met, and I am going to miss her when I leave Bathurst next week (yes, next week, time is going too fast!!!!). We met when I signed up for some classes at the local bead store, where Tracey takes classes. She is so creative and I am pretty sure I have stolen many cool jewellery ideas from her. She is also very talented in other crafty pursuits (including crochet, I am so jealous) and I can only wish I was as innovative as her.

Anyway, I plan to catch up with Tracey once more before I leave, but I am pretty sure that will not be the last we see of eachother. I will continue to bug you Tracey, and I will force you to come down to Sydney to come to the craft show with me :)

Thanks for my wonderful bracelet Tracey!!!!!

Chrissy gifts

I didn't want to post these before Xmas, just in case the receivers saw the blog, but here are the very few things I managed to make in time for Xmas gifts. I was pretty slack this year. Not intentionally, but with the job and the move and all that stuff, I just plain ran out of time to put much thought or effort into making presents for people. What I did manage to make though was....


This necklace for the work secretary....








This rosary for my Dad. I think he was surprised I made it....

And this pendant necklace for the lovely Brona, one of the PhD students at work. This year was her first Aussie Xmas.

2010 shall be interesting with my move. Thinking of starting a Brown Owls chapter with Amelie and Atticus. Any other takers? Would love to meet some new crafty people. The chapter will be around Sydney, the Shire/St George region most likely.

Tonight's project

Tonight was a bit of a lesson in pain. Weaving a lot of wire around a tiny knitting needle is not good for the thumbs. Lucky I don't really have to use them much to type!

Unfortunately I didn't get any action shots whilst in class (too busy concentrating on how to make the wire S shaped sections of the necklace). Of course, being the slow poke that I am, I didn't finish my project in class, so I bought the pieces home to finish it off. I think I will let the photos speak for themselves...

And the final product!

The question now is. Do I keep it for me?! Or do I give it away? My greedy inner voice is telling me to keep it. I think I will ponder that one a little longer...

Woven earrings... yay!

I was so excited about tonight's jewellery project I had to blog as soon as I was done. I was a bit slow in class, so I had to bring the rest home to finish them off.

Basically tonight I made wire earrings, wrapped with DMC thread. Below is a little attempt at an action shot of the floss weaving part....

This is with the three floss colours wound on....threads to be trimmed and cap to be made and put over the top to cover the messy bits......

I put a bit of glue between the messy bits and the caps, just to secure them a little. This photo is the drying stage

Me testing the final product out on my ears. Yes these ones are for me, but I have more versions I want to do up, when I get time....

And here they are! I love them, I am totally wearing them to work tomorrow!


Can't wait to get some more done :)

Time to go pack for work and trip home tomorrow.

And on a final note.....

GO THE BULLDOGS!!!!! (I am sure I just jinxed them! Haha)

Craftin' Crazy

I am still alive and kicking! Work has been hectic (as usual) and whilst I have managed to keep up relatively well on the craft front, I haven't really had a chance to blog. By the time I get home I am pretty beat, so I have been putting off blogging for a week or two. So time to catch up on things. I have been productive with my stitcheries and my jewellery. First, to finally reveal the present I made for my friend Lori, an awesome chick who works, studies and has her little kidlets (with another on the way). She is amazing, and so I thought I would send her a little something to show her she is appreciated. Knowing she is a butterfly fan, here are the results.....

The earrings and...

The necklace.

As I mentioned the stitcheries are done....

And I even fit in some time for a workshop with Christine Book. Mum and I went along and it was a good day (despite my massive headache!). Below is the result of my hard work (much more fun than proper work).

Mum did the same pattern. We are going to turn them into softies and I guess use them as decorations at Christmas time.

And I have finally moved onto my next project. I showed the Cinderberry Stitches pattern in my last blog. Well, I have actually started on it, with much thanks to Michelle and her wonderful ability to help me choose colours. I have decided to do the patchwork bits in the same fabric as my table runner, so all I had to do was find the threads.

I also manage to master french knots!!!!!!!!!!!! No more cheating (well, until I forget how to do them again)

And onto the ladybeetles....

Oh, on a random note, Grug is coming to town!!!! SO excited. I am currently trying to negotiate stealing someone's child so I have an excuse to go and see him and get my photo with the great man himself!

Back to crafty things now.
Last night in beading I made this creation....

I think every time I look at it the colours look different. I wore it tonight to the movies, where I also got up to a little mischief....

Pin cushion

I managed to work some more on my pincushion at patchwork class the other night. All the wool felt bits are done now, I just need to put it together.

I also decided on my next project. I decided to do the Creature Comforts block from Cinderberry Stitches. I ordered it on Sunday hoping it might arrive before patchwork on Tuesday (but it didn't, hence the pincushion work). I decided that I am going to make the squares around the stitchery using left over fabric from my table runner. The insipiration hit me while I was in bed on Saturday night, cause of the similarities between my fabrics and the original pattern. Anyway, my pattern arrived today (good birthday present) so I can start it next class, if not earlier.

Tonight was jewellery class and I made two pieces (well, 3 technically). I am going to give away what I made as presents. One item is for a lady at work, for her bday next week....and the others are really cool, but I can't show them, as they are for a special person who may potentially read this blog and I don't want the secret to be revealed just yet ;)

And to finish tonight's blog, here is a very lovely present I got tonight for my birthday from the wonderful and extremely talented Beadywitch...

I have already put my needles in it (they were previously located in my lounge, potentially a dangerous option). How yummy does it look?!

Oh, and one final one, Amelie and Atticus gave me some awesome stitchery patterns (including one of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland) for my b'day too so will post some piccies once I get round to stitching them up....

'Til next time................

Still alive

Okay, okay, yes I have been slack. I have been partaking in some craftiness, but I have been too busy to take photos and write an update. I also hate taking pics of my work at night, cause the lights here are hopeless, but I never seem to get any free time during the day so night pics will have to do!

So since my last update I have been up to a fair bit. Patchwork classes resumed, and I bit the bullet and with some help from my wonderful teacher (I am saying this without prompting, of course she doesn't read this blog... :P) I managed to get a handle on hand quilting.

I did a bit of quilting on the ends and round the flowers, but decided last night I needed to put a bit more in by putting crosses over every second square.

Hopefully I can finish it before Tuesday's class so I can start on a new project!

As well as the quilting I have also been doing my usual Thursday jewellery classes. The last couple of weeks we have been working with chain mail designs. Last week I made a bracelet and some earrings.

Tonight we did some continuation of the chain mail type stuff. In all of these pieces we had to make all the jump rings (the round wire sections) by wrapping the wire around knitting needles. The bracelet I made tonight is a real fave. Made all the rings, then linked them, then threaded some beads through the middle. Could be a good present idea for Xmas

So all in all despite being hectically busy at work, I have managed to get a few projects done :) With any luck work will calm down a bit and I will finish my other half finished projects, including my pin cushion (I have been a bit slack!)

And one final picture to end the blog. This is the cool design the barrista put on the coffee when Mum, Dad and I went to dinner in Bathurst. How cool is it?!?!

Jewellery Done!

As promised, some photos of the final product! I made this necklace for a friend of mine, Cat, to give to a friend of hers (confused yet?!). I think it turned out okay.

I would still like to find a way to make the pendant not as mosty looking, and clearer. I think I need to find some sort of resin to do that, I will keep working on it....

A few weeks ago now I also made up this little necklace for a friend of mine who had her birthday last week. I hope she liked it, I can never tell if people do or they are just being nice!

These features were made by wrapping wire around a knitting needle, then wrapping wire around the circle that made, then beating the wire flat. I ended up using the same technique on the necklace I made for the secretary at work

I didn't take any photos, but I attempt to crochet on the weekend with Amelie and Atticus. One problem which we didn't perceive earlier was that both she and I are lefties and my mum, the tutor for the day, is not! Regardless I think we managed to get the hang of the basic stitches. Next time round we are going to step it up a bit and attempt grannie squares!!!! Let's hope we can get that working AND have photo evidence for it.

Books!

I am a book nerd from waaaaaaay back. When I was in primary school I don't ever recall not having a book in hand. In fact, I spent most of my lunch times in the playground reading books and looking for 4 leaf clovers. Once I got into high school I tried out reading some fantasy books and non-fiction. Sadly, the last few years reading for pleasure fell a bit by the wayside. When you spend 24/7 living, thinking and breathing a PhD thesis, it is hard to find the time or energy to read books (well, non academic books). I did manage a few, but it hasn't been until this year that I have really gotten back into the swing of reading....and I am LOVING it!

I have a guilty secret to admit though. My latest pleasure has been reading the Twilight series.

It is oh so wrong, but also so addictive. The books themselves are not that well written, but there is just something about the story that sucks me in! I think I must be getting soft in my old age. Mainstream isn't really my thing usually, and I did resist the urge, but I relented at the insistence of my best friend. So I blame her hehehe. I am almost finished the whole series now. I am over half way through the final book and I just really want to know what happens! I forsee another late night under the covers tonight. In fact, I might head to bed soon and see how much I can get though! Then I can get onto the next books on the pile- Marley and Me (book club selection, I am not really looking forward to it!), White Tiger (loaned by Elaine), The Host (another Stephenie Meyer book, also a loan), The Painted Man (loaned by Andrew), Lovely Bones (yep, another loan), and I think there is something else there on the pile too which I have forgotten. Many many more late nights ahead!

I have always wanted a book room, or a library in my house (when I own one that is).

The idea of having a room filled floor to ceiling with books just fills me with glee! Of course a nice little bay window and a comfy seat is also a must. Even better would be if this room was in a circular room, kinda like a turret in a castle....

Ahhhh maybe one day I will get there. Sometimes I wonder if the images in my mind and the reality of my life will ever match!

Oh, I also finished that necklace I was making tonight. I haven't taken any photos yet, I will do that tomorrow and post them.....

BUT!

I found a major problem! When I put it all together I realised the lady at the shop gave me one bead which was the wrong colour!!!!! And to fix it would mean going back and getting a new one and also having to read-thread the whole necklace! I am not sure what to do. It is semi obvious....they are two different shades of blue. So I might send a picture to my friend tomorrow and ask her what she thinks. The perfectionist in me is telling me to remake the necklace...but I also need to post it ASAP.......arghhhhhhh

Anyway, reading time.............