moopy & me

Sew nutty!

I feel like I have been hiding away from the real world for years! but it has only been a couple of weeks and all I was really up to was sewing my toosh off for Claire's & my exhibition at the TinCat Cafe (opening THURSDAY night NOT Friday!! sorry to those who I told it was friday, I hope you can still make it). I feel like I am at least a month behind in all my other work.... I feel like I am getting 'fed up' vibes from those of you waiting for emails & parcels... all I can say is THANK YOU all for your patience I truely appreciate it and I will definately get to you very very soon. Do you believe me?

Well as quickly as I got the house in to some kind of order... yep you guessed it, it is back to the pig sty it was.... and Chris did't feel so good about an exam so is sitting it again on Friday, so that means the stress levels around here are creeping up to dangerous levels... School is out for the summer next week so I have a million loose ends to tie up at the ArtRoom ... art to send home (organise)... enrolments to sort out.... my shop is bare so maybe some sewing??? oh and then there is that little thing about getting my all three of my wisdom teeth out this time next week... The last time I went under a general I woke up thinking the nurses were handing around a tin of chocolates (that have not been production for at least 10 years so in other words I was imagining things) and wouldn't give me any!! I wonder what that says about my psychi.... I think I even told the nurse who was caring for me that I loved her.... Yes I am one of those happy drunks.

Ok enough whining .... here are some pics of what I have been up to of late

I will take close ups of Claire's paintings so that you can all have a giggle.... she is so funny.

Please don't email to ask if these are for sale, thank you. They are part of a bricks and mortar cafe/gallery exhibition here in Adelaide.. not cyberspace.... if there happens to be some left overs I will definately let my mailing list know.

Up a tree

When thinking about my last Koala made for the Morphe II exhibition and some of the comments people left..... I thought ...yes, why be embarrassed by making one of our native animals (we tend to shy away from making anything too Aussie) and then I thought .... here in Australia we are always looking at snowy white Christmas images and decorating with snow flakes etc.. when infact it is usually 35 degrees C .... Every year I have a personal battle with myself to use Aussie Christmas ideas for decorations and end up giving in at the last minute to the blessed paper snowflakes....

Well I think I have found that new decoration, my Christmas Koala. The koalas (or rather 'Walas' as Moopy would say, like a true Aussie dropping the 'K') are even making regular visits to the gum trees in my parents garden (they live a couple of minutes from the Belair National Park). I am going to try and make a few more of these Christmas Koalas for that big bare tree in my shop. I will let you know if it ever happens..

I have just finished a customer order (I don't do orders and now I know why!!) I must have had a momantary lapse... I find customer orders really difficult to finish?... and this one was particularly hard because the fabric that was given to me (to be exclusively used.. the grandma's, who had passed) was all polyester/nylon and all very neutral in colour.... I wasn't going to share these picks because of the whole nylon thing...but I think the learning curve is worth sharing.

Now that, that is done ..I am going to spend the next 2 days cleaning our pig sty house..our house gets like this when Chris is madly studying because he is so wonderful and usually does much more than his share of housework, but he has his final assignment due for his degree so it's all up to me ....I have no idea how I will cope when he goes back to full time work away from the house??? I am being shoooed off the computer as I type...ok bye then.. sorry for any missing emails/communication... I literally have not been near the computer for days.. see you when our house is back to 'normal'.

WIPping it up

A prototype of Claire's (she does have a blog!) knitter ilustration..... a bit lumpy and not circular enough.... that ALWAYS happens to me.... I cut out the perfect circle and by the time I get my wonky style sewing to it, it's an oval shape. I am relieved that my hair idea has worked though...

Exhibition will be opening on Friday December 8 at the Tincat Cafe

Claire & me

Illustration by Claire Thompson-Richards

You know that shop update I was hoping to do really soon.... well unfortunately y'all will have to wait just a little bit longer because I have been ever so sweetly asked by Claire to join her in an exhibition at one of my fave cafe's. How adorable and hillarious are her illustrations!

I remember the day I met Claire .... there was a girl pacing the pavement outside my shop  with a big canvas under her arm...  and after the third time she wondered past I asked if I could help ... and she said she was waiting for someone to give the artwork to.... so I of course asked if I could take a peek at her work... HOW CUTE! perfect...right up my ally... AND she just happened to mention that she was getting cards printed of her work... so I promptly ordered some in.

Very soon after that or was it just before.... I met Barb and had started helping out with her magazine ...to which I discovered Claire was illustrating for. Anyhoo, that was almost a year ago now ... long story short, I am super excited by the idea I have, to make softies from her illustrations... and thankfully Barb has offered to help out with a little knitting of tiny jumpers (or organising of the knitting... How much spare time does an editor and publisher have? it's not a trick question). Claire has an adorable dog character too, who I will be turning all plushy...can't wait! will show you some more of Claire's artwork once I get permission... unfortunately she doesn't have much online...Claire you need a blog!! or rather we need you to have a blog... So if you are in Adelaide in December pop into Tincat Cafe for a delish bite to eat and then remember to come upstairs to see Claires artwork on canvas and my toys to match.

And as if things can't get any more exciting.... we are off to Queensland for a long overdue holiday in the new year... I am so very much looking forward to the almost two week break ... I would have liked to make our Queensland holiday a Brisbane. stop. then Cairns. holiday but it was way out of our budget (so so sorry Button) but we will get 4 whole hours in Brisbane for serious tongue wagging on our way through.

As a little side note ... I have just discovered that you can be notified by email when someone comments on your blog.... (duh!I know it has only taken me two years to figure that out) which means I will hopefully be able to say hi a bit more when you comment.... I am not the best when it comes to mailing out parcels/letters/emails/comments..... in a perfect world I would have special fairy type person at my house actually seeing through my list of things to do and the answering mail & phone.. There are definate ups and downs to being a list maker.... the up being, you know what you need to do.... the down being, you know exactly what you have not done!

Ok. the Morphe II toy shop will be closed in a couple of hours and the next ten toys will be up for voting then also.... I am really happy I found the polling widget, it has made things so much easier for me and is working really well... thanks for voting.... so far we have two toys that have been shortlisted....

here is a little bit of birthday joy... Moopy & I truely thank you for all your birthday wishes.

running out to her cubby to check her mailbox first thing 7am

Oh my, can you get any more excited over a dolly you have been begging for, for months on end.

Plush O Rama 'O Rama!

Looky what the posty brought me today! Yah! how exciting... a soft toy making book.. with Moopy bunny and Loud pants Pup inside.... not to mention heaps of other awesome softy makers...even some Morphe II participants... I had no idea.

It's our own Aussie/German Beck!

and Lizette and .....

Blobby Farmer Maria.. cool!

Grab yourself a copy here

Well that was fun, franticly flipping through the pages to find my toys...and then to discover all the other cool toys I can make. I think we should make a Plush O Rama Flickr group ... or are you guys already way ahead of me.....

And sorry about that shop update mailing list drama last post... I have no idea why the mailing list button hijacked my comments box?? I am still trying to figure out how to add the mailing list box to my side bar... do any of you know of a widget for mailing lists?? I would be ever so grateful. Cheers, got it! check out my new mailing list box in the side bar up there >>>>^^^^

Ok I have some serious 3rd birthday party preperations to make and all with a snotty nose.. Lily has been very nice to us this year and only passed on this one snotty nose, as opposed to last year when we had one every other week. I think because we have all been sickly germ free all year, this cold has really hit me for six... (aussie slang sorry... head too stuffy to explain).

Hopefully the new list of ten toys for the Peoples Choice will be up tonight... polling for the first ten finishes today.... see to your right>>>>>

Good Ideas

It's not fabric... it's not even a photo of fabric (or a scan)...

It is a photo of a colour copy of fabric... and what about all the fun things you can do with this relatively inexpensive printing process ($2 a copy)?

Well I am making collaged invitations out of it and wrapping a certain little girls pressy with it..

But you could do adorable collaged illustrations, keep a record of your stash with out cutting it!! and buy some of this for Christmas wrap... oh the possibilities..... you could even simply pop it up on your inspirations board.

I randomly placed these fabrics (some of Lily's faves) in the machine and hey presto...

I cut out little girl bodies to make these 3rd birthday invites! So much fun... especially since I get the effect of the fabric without using it up. Now I am going to ring mum up to see if I can borrow (steal) her copy of the Woman's Weekly Cake book... if you live here in Aus then you know exactly what I am on about (I will take photos when I get it)... it's time for Lily to be introduced to the funnest (is that a word?) part of birthday preparation, choosing the CAKE!

Dress ups again

Lily's love for playing dress ups has inspired my Morphe II design. Polly dressed up like a bunny, with her bunny toy and blanky of course. I have a "Dress Up Polly" kitten, puppy, monkey, robot & fairy in mind ......but with all my time taken up with this...

and finishing off this...

plus so much more... so maybe a "Dress Up Polly" bunny will have to do... hang in there everyone, many more pics to come!

Can't chat now

I have so many things to do right now I don't know where to start... I owe people emails & mail left right and centre... sorry. Unfortunately when this happens I tend to freeze up and do none of the things on my URGENT list ... and instead I cut up fabric ... play ... read inspirational mags... and wait for the prioritising to happen... Do I package up all my artclass kids work for the end of term, take down my shop fit out ready for Morphe II, make my own toys for the exhibition, go out and promote the exhibition, mail out enrolment forms to new artclass kids or just sew up those pieces of fabric I cut out the other day? But not to worry, I always get it done AND on time.. sort of.

Did I ever mention that to my horror, Lily looooves PINK! not that there is anything wrong with pink but EVERYTHING pink ...come on!! She has picked out most of the above fabrics for that quilt I am supposed to be making... I hope to some how sneek a few other colours in there.

By the way congratulations to Belinda who was not only the first person to answer the questions from last week but also get them all correct! I will have to make the next friendly competition a bit tougher I think.

Blossom

Blossom is almost three and has developed this very curious condition that we like to call 'selective hearing'.... I am sure you have heard of it too. I know someone else who has also just developed the very same condition. Blossom is an Australian native, koala who can think of nothing better to do than climb up the highest of gum trees .... this seems to make her condition all the worse.

After making her I thought that she looked a little like she could be a Stevo tribute. I first learned of Steve Irwin when I was over in the US and like many Australians I was outraged! How could they let him over there convincing the Americans that this is what we are like? but of course it wasn't about us .... and I didn't learn that for another 2 years until after I got back. I had no idea he was a conservationist & zoo keeper and a damn good one at that... I quickly changed my mind after seeing a candid interview on Enough Rope, in 2003... and secretly thought he was a real top bloke .. even a bit of a cutey... if only we were all a bit more like Stevo....

ok. onto some more crafting

Striking a pose in a dress made from a pattern I found here... I love this website!

And now for a little friendly competition

Be the first person to guess correctly who made these 3 toys ....

Please put your answers in the comments box and I will check back on Sunday night to see if anyone has all three correct. All the tips you need are over at the Morphe II Blog.

The first very clever person to get them all correct will win a panel of Sprout Design sample fabric (valued at $55 AUD) and most likely a bunch of other cool stuff.... what ever I can stuff in the bag!

Don't you just loooove the chocolate spot fabric too!

Good Luck! Oh and sorry to those participating in the exhibition ... you can't play ... unfair advantage....

Priorities

Thank you for the 'go ahead and print' on the postcard... I sent it off last night (well this morning...) I faffed around with all the info on the back.... I was trying to include all the countries/states of the participants... I had to look up what KY, IN, AR & VI were and where is Balgowlah? Oh that's where they are! The opening night for the show will be October 6 at 6:30pm for those of you thinking of popping in.

Chris has been studying like I have never seen him study before..... he is on the home stretch now to finishing his Med.Science degree.....only a few months.. he was well on the way to finishing it years ago but like all young carefree guys he decided surfing was a better option. Then Lily came along ..... and well, that degree seemed like a good thing to finish... I admire him so much for being able to get through it all with a demanding child and a just as demanding wife. We love you Chris xoxoox. What this all means however is that soon Chris will be on the hunt for a full time job (as opposed to that full on one he has now being Dad, student and lifeguard/pool op. at our local pool) and I will be spending most of my days with Lily all on my own..... I am really looking forward to it .... Lily is almost three now so we have a ball together.... making/baking/visiting/playing.... but some of the work I am doing now will have to go, I can't possibly stretch myself that far any longer. Our home will have to be super organised to cope with Dad not being around so much......

In the spirit of getting your priorities right .... here is a cushion I made ala Lisa while waiting for Chris to get off the computer.... my work was on the computer so I had no option but to get crafting to pass the time.

Lily grabbed it and put it on her 'new to us' thrifted reading chair....

Lily and I went to the markets on Tuesday to see if Little Tokyo had some new fun things... I took in a japanese craft book to show the owner what I meant when I asked for craft books.... sadly they had no craft books and don't look like getting any soon (where else can you get them in Adelaide?). but they did have this adorable apple or cherry fabric.

Ok off to work with me, my shop is suppose to open at 11am and I am sitting here my jarmies at 10am ... priorities?