moopy & me

Chairs & pears

These chairs are looking very lonely in the shop at the moment because their good friend 'the playdough table' broke his leg.... currently seeking new table... a good excuse to hit the thrift shops today.. it's funny how I call them thrift shops... a bit of blogger lingo really... here in Adelaide (Australia) they are better known as op shops (you know ..as in opportunity)

A sweet little pear painting a student did in class last week .... I am addicted to making them do fruit art... can you blame me... I bribe them with being able to eat it ...

Fiona and I went on a totally indulgent 'big girls playdate' last night....as opposed to Lily and Audrey's playdates where we barely get a word in edgewise. I can't tell you enough how much fun it was hanging out with a fellow crafty gal... we could have yabbered on till morning.... We had chocolate everything at Cocolat's new cafe on Rundle... (Lily and I discovered it during the Fringe festival... white chocolate cupcakes alround). The very friendly fantastic guys working there gave us some yummy treats to go home with... mmmm...

That table cloth up there was a special gift from my girlfriend Jasmin-no blog (but she does make funky bags, so I will have to convince her to start one so you can see them), she went to Loxton (small country towns have the BEST op shops) and brought me back a shopping bag of fabric !! pics coming soon.

Too sleepy

We have all been struck down by yet another tummy bug... I of course get it last and the worst... Nice. So I have a few pics of toys made a week prior to illness... don't worry they were well clear of Moopy germs. I recommend peppermint tea... yummy SIP tea is best.

All of these guys were handmade with vintage/retro fabrics....

Hey I was wondering .. have any of you ever seen your blog on someone elses computer and been completely shocked, if not embarassed by the colour? My blog looks shocking on my parents computer.. bright ghastly greens and hot pinks?? I need to clear something up... it most certainly does not look like that from my computer... just lovely apple greens and corally pinks...

I have recently spoilt myself completely rotten with piles of fabric from Cia's Palette ... go on! I dare you to visit without at least a fat quart of Denyse' Posies Expresso.. that's the one on top... and yes that is my cake tier AGAIN with an even better use than chocolate brownies....

now I have to make something seriously... Lily has hinted (loudly) that her new favourite colour (beside pink) is orange... so when IKEA finally arrives ... only 22 sleeps to go (just joking I am not sure how many there are) she will be getting new big girls bedroom furniture, a fresh lick of paint and I think a quilt is in order.... maybe Denyse' Drunk Love

Goodbye carousel

The Fringe festival closes tonight, for another two years... although our premier has suggested we might be having the festival every year? We made the most of the evening regardless and had two rides on the carousel... I did something I never thought I would do.... I woke Moopy up from her sleep at 8:30pm after I had made up my mind that we could not miss one last evening in the Garden of unearthly delights... I was relieved to see at least a dozen other kids Lily's age enjoying their late night icecreams and carousel rides. And I finally remembered my camera... although the flash makes the photos washed out so I appologies for the blurry yellow, non flash pics.

Sleepy bear

I found that pretty teapot at my local thrift shop this morning (a must, quick trip before I start teaching on Saturday's). The generous lady in the shop gave it to me (YES!) because she said "they were going to throw it out because it has no lid but I rescued it knowing you would find it"... how completely wonderful... there are some very special people out there who every now and again restore your faith in human kind (it makes up for the 'finger' someone gave me whilst driving in the city... they cut me off and then proceeded to give ME the finger!) any way I think it will make the perfect vase.

And that sleepy bear taking a nap is made from some pieces of fabric Barb so kindly gave to me, knowing I could use it and would be inspired by it.... also a bit of repro 30's fabric from Hetty's Patch (on Port Rd if you are in Adelaide) and the apron is from a 70's looking bed sheet... I am now going to find a recipe for cheddar biscuits... I have been reading Angelina Ballerina to Lily in the evenings and I have developed a strange hankering for cheese biccy's?? ( with a good glass of Coonawarra red.. can you even get a bad one?) and Lily is obsessed with being a ballerina ... ever since we went to the Adelaide Festival opening it had been all things ballet... oh dear.

I forgot to mention :: the sleepy bear is wearing knickers because we are all into that at our house right now ! (sorry for those who think we don't usually wear knickers... we do! we are toilet training so anything helps..right?)

Blogiversary?

My mum and stepdad have just returned from a cruise in the South Pacific to celebrate thier 20 25 (sorry Mum XOX) year anniversary.... on thier travels they saw this hilarious clothing shop called CARLY! HA! you can't find my name on one of those silly personalised mugs let alone a whole shop.. I have only ever known 3 other Carly's in my life and all others that I have met briefly were born around the same time... looks like all our parents were Carly Simon fans...

Speaking of anniversaries ... today is kind of my one year birthday for Moopy&Me... I say kind of because I actually started it in October 2004 (just a coincidence Hillary :D ) ... It was my trial session... I of course became addicted and 5 months later I got things going for real.

I discovered this wierd and wonderful world one afternoon while looking online for fellow arty business women, I was working from home after having Lily and had suddenly started making stuff for her??? then oddly these things (toys) started to sell in the Reading book store in Melbourne. I had of course stumbled across another girl at play and then found Keri Smith , Lori Joy and Claire and then through Claire I found Hillary. It's all a big blur really, I just remember being overwhelmed with joy and anger over this comminity of like minded people... in one mind I thought GREAT just what I have been looking for all my life and in another mind, I was angrily thinking WHERE have you been all my life!!!

I bought Keri's book and started having little craft nights at my house .... we made stuff, I found little projects in MSKids and then blogged the results... it was then that I opened my big mouth to a shop owner (Bek) that I wanted to teach art to kids (utilise my tertiary education.. graphic design and teaching) .... before I knew it I had Nest Studio art classes for kids running out of a real premisis.... So anyway long story short, this blog and more importantly, all the blogs around me, have really changed my life in the most amazing ways. It has given me an avenue to make my dreams come true.... Chris and I (quite bizarrely) discussed this very topic the other night and it was then I realised I hade been only doing this (blog) for just over a year... so much has happened, it feels like I have been doing this for years, like a part of my everyday life. Everyone is so encouraging, inspirational, generous, kind and patient (i must be the worst parcel sender!! I do send them in the end, I promise). Sometimes I feel a visual overload from blogland... all the wonderful things almost depress me... I just want to make everthing... but time and Lily just don't allow it. So I take a break and play with my fabric... I love Barb's tag line ... 'a good idea starts with a good yarn' how profound!!

well if you are still reading you have certainly read my longest post ever... love you all :D

Second best

My first online clothing purchase is a huge hit!! I loooove my new Amy Ruppel T-shirt, perfect fit, perfect colours and well.... the birds!! I always miss out on Amy's little art pieces when they are selling so I thought a T-shirt would be the next best thing.

Here is clue #2... and that's all I have to say about that. Except that some of you are darn good guessers.

And just a little thank you to those leaving lovely comments lately, I really appreciate them and even though I don't get a chance to get back to you all, I really enjoy clicking on your names and seeing what you are up to.... lazy me still hasn't got a comprehensive links list ...

Will work for felted bunnies

As you can see, Moopy is super excited about getting one of these bunnies today, from the YARN Magazine photo shoot she played up in.

I have some left over Jo Sharp wool from the knit Olympics.... ( I wonder if I should keep going with the doll clothes I was making since we have the Commonwealth Games starting up soon?...) that will be perfect for making one (or many) of these adorable soft felted bunnies... instructions are in the magazine ...available from all good newsagents, subscriptions from Barb (Wonderwoman the editor) and there are a few copies in Nest Studio (the actual shop in Adelaide).

Moopy and I had a tea party with the cake platter tier ....mmmm chocolate brownies from my fave cook book of kids food.

Clue #1

I have sworn to secrecy on a super duper new project..... forbidden to tell. I am not very good at keeping secrets this exciting so I am going to give little clues here and there.... You can tell me what you think is going on ... but I won't talk ... of course I can nod my head but you won't see that!

If some smarty pants out there actually figures it out (you smarty pants you) then you are in for a big treat! And thats all I want to say about that.

I am feeling rather Matheresque with my little silver platter collection, one of my latest thrift shop finds. The poor things were scattered around the place looking tarnished and feeling very sorry for themselves... when I brought them home I cleaned them up with my fave cleaning product.... bi-carb & vinegar... and bingo!a cake tower... (or what ever you call them). Moopy insists on filling it with chocolate cupcakes... much like the apron episode, I am not one to disagree.

more..

You can see one of Camilla's adorable patches in the background (sadly it and all her other goodies are headed off to Nest Studio 'the actual shop' for lucky Adelaide customers). I did however get a patch all of my very own and am, as we speek, thinking up a fun thing to sew it onto... lets hope I get that done to show you.

My bean popped up by the way....

Just before I go ... PLEASE tell me your toilet training toddler pulls off her/his nappy ALL THE TIME... and it drives you insane... especially when they have already done #2!!! Sorry Lily I didn't mean to embarrass you in public but geepers how much mess does one mum have to clean up I ask?

Spectacular

Opening night at the Adelaide Festival.... a performance from Italy, designed especially for our Torrens River... ballerinas floating in the sky above the river, piano's, people riding bikes over the river... just pure magic. And it was magic seeing Lily dance to the beautiful music and stick her leg up as high as she could just like a ballerina.... I always fall in love with Adelaide at this time of year, people grumble about slow little Adelaide (I am guilty here... just once) but it really is a fantastic place to be... So I have decided to share Her with you... I am going to take a weekly photo of places/things that are notibly from this lively city.. so that you get to know her and maybe when you come visit (or walk around town) I won't hear you grumble because you will know what I am on about !!

Oscar & Lily

These two are the best of friends, I love how in this photo they both have the same smile on their faces. Oscar (the family schnauzer) has so much patience with Lily and is very protective of her... of coarse I wouldn't take my eye off them but so far he has put up with endless pokes and prods and kept that exact same smile on his face. In my immediate group of friends and family, Chris and I are the only couple with a child, so Oscar has been Lily's only pal... I am one of those annoying friends who bugs everyone to hurry up and have kids already !!Sometimes I worry that Lily doesn't get to hang out with more close friends her own age.... and then I have a fleeting moment where I think about baby #2 (that is NOT a hint by the way!!)..... mmm? I remember a time where I would have sworn black and blue that I would never ever think about baby #2.

Ok, now onto the latest "Moopy bunny" softie I have been working on... (I started her last year for MOS' May flower moopy) she is still not 100% how I have her in my head ... but getting there... I popped these two girls in my shop and with in an hour they were sold! WOW! I was very excited but also hesitant to let them go as I had only spent a few hours with the repro 50's fabric moopy. I made the orange moopy two weeks ago but didn't like her face... but then when she sold and the customer thought she was adorable I saw her in a new light and have decided to show a pic.

Her face was meant to be rounder.... How bizaar is this internet world... how many times have you made something and then the next day or maybe week someone else is doing it! (and not because they are copying ....they couldn't possibly have known what you were doing) its so wonderful how we all seem to be connected... the reason I say this is because Lily and I were making aprons for lots of her toys a few weeks ago (and that's why she so urgently needed to make her own).. and Amy's theme this month for Tie One On is infact making softy aprons!! Yah! finally I can join in .. I think my sewing skills can manage this one!

I just got a call from Button, she is in town! Yah! Moopy and I are meeting her at the Gallery in an hour ... so all that thrifted fun I was going to show will have to wait... here is a tidbit..

That Villery & Boch platter is actually mine, my oma gave me a number of pieces when I was born... and I thought it looked nice with that fabric and vase...