Right, who stole it?

Give it back to me!

Did YOU steal it?

Someone stole it!! I don't have it here - and I've searched everywhere for it. It must have been stolen.

What's missing you ask?


MY MO-JO!

I can't seem to sew.
I can't seem to quilt.
I can't even gather up the motivation to start cutting up fabric.
I can't seem to embroider.
I can't seem to do anything...

WHERE is my Mo-jo???

I'm hoping it reappears soon.

I'm also hoping my fabric order arrives this week. I have 7.5 weeks to piece, quilt and bind 2 baby quilts. Mo-jo or not... I'll have to do that!

You may have noticed that the blog is a little different again. I hated the last one. I am still trying to find the perfect one. Apart from the big ugly red UNDEFINED on the top of each post - this one will do.

If anyone finds my Mo-Jo... please return to me ASAP.

Digi-scrapping for this week

One of my goals for this year is to digi-scrap at least once a week. :)



So here are today's efforts.

Checking in....

I have been busy but unfortunately not alot of creative stuff. I've been preparing for Mum's 50th birthday party that my brothers and I are throwing for her. DH and I are also putting in a swimming pool ourselves, which is taking up alot of time and evenings where I normally would be creating. :)

I have done some stuff....
I'm making my niece a quilted appliqued pillow for her birthday. So on Monday I attatched the fusible web and cut out the applique shapes and then stuck them on the pillow case. It looks quite cute! I've put it away for now, and hope to get started on my other SIL's birthday present today. As soon as the last of the fabric I ordered arrives, I need to get into gear and get two baby quilts made. I have 8 weeks until I am due to leave to deliver these quilts in person!! :) I'll have to be very productive!!

So that's where I am at. And no I haven't dropped off the end of the planet. Still here.. just busy.

...Miss Shirley, we govern by rules and regulations!

*sigh* I love Anne of Green Gables....

AHEM! Anyway... focus Skipper!

I saw this idea on The Pleated Poppy and I wanted to make one for my own home to hang on the wall - reminding us of what we stand for, what we believe and the kind of people we want to be.
Since I suck at paper scrapping and anything like that, I digi-scrapped mine. I'll print this up and stick it on a painted canvas.



What do you think?

This woman.

... is my Mum.



She turns 50 in a few weeks... yes Mum, I told all of my bloggy friends and followers that you are going to be FIFTY! The big 5-0. The half century mark.

My brothers and I are organising a rip snorter of a birthday party for her and I made up the invitations. This is one of the photos' from her "photo shoot" that I took to go on her personalised invitations.

I have a horrible addiction...

Horrible addiction. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.

No not drugs.
Not grog.

Yes. Creative blogs.
And my poison of choice is home decorating blogs.

Since DH and I made the decision to do a bit of home decorating very soon, I've been looking at home decorating blogs. I'm getting so inspired, I have been jotting down notes of all the things I want to do. Repurposing old furniture - now my furniture is getting the critical eye and I can see it start to tremble as I say - "I'm totally going to change you!!!"
For the last 5 days I've been reading and reading and getting more and more excited and inspired about what is possible. What I can acheive on such a low budget!! Op-shops... look out. Skipper's on her way!!!

So keep your eyes peeled, because coming soon will be Creative Expressions in my home decorating.

Finally! A new bag for me!

After having this fabric for nearly half a year and having the intention of making myself a new bag... I finally did it!!

This is similar to my SIL's 12 Pocket Tote, but I've made mine considerably smaller, and it's perfect! It's a good size and has 12 smallish pockets to stash lipsticks, puffers, my phone, and other smallish things - instead of them rattling around in my bag like they usually do.

So since this has been a "to-do" for sometime, I have decided to make this project my OPM for January!
So congratulate me! I've started and finished something that I have been meaning to do for AGES! And I made something for ME. This is rather unusual. Since I am usually making things for everyone else!

Mop's quilt progress...

As on my quilting project list for this year, I am hoping to finish Mop's quilt. So for the last week or so I've been working on some of the embroidery that is on her quilt.

Here is a finished square:



I have a few more squares to do, then I need to start appliquing on hearts and flowers. I'm hoping to have the actual quilt top finished and ready to start quilting by April. I'm going on an extended holiday and I'll be spending alot of time in the car. I usually sit and do nothing... but this time I might be able to get some quilting done! Most of this quilt will be done by hand - even hand piecing!

Another spend....

Today some of the fabric I ordered for the 2 baby quilts and Milly's quilt arrived today. I ordered the rest of it today and hopefully that will be it for fabric for a while. From now on it should be stash only.

For the last few nights I've been working on embroidering Mop's quilt - that has been a WIP for about 10 months. :) I'm hoping to finish that this year and have it under the Christmas tree this year. :)

I need to decide on a project to finish for OPM, since I got the "You're in" email yesterday. Will be doing that over the next few days - then begin working on it! :)

12 Pocket Tote Bag

 

This is part two of my SIL's birthday present. As I said before she is a face painter - and I thought this bag would make it easier to tote all her gear with her from gig to gig. It has 12 pockets and it's quite roomy.

I used this tutorial: 12 Pocket Tote Bag

I like this bag. I am very tempted to make one for myself. :) I did however break two machine needles while sewing this baby up. The fabric gets very thick at times.

Giveaway - Vintage Fat Quarters

**Photo from RikRak**

RikRak are having a giveaway in honor of their first Blogiversary:

20 gorgeous vintage fat quarters. They look so bright and cheery. So head over there to enter to win!

I am already envisioning what I will make if I win... :)

Art Journal

My Sister in law has just started up a face painting business... and she is AMAZING at it! I made her an art journal that she can doodle in and practice patterns and swirls and draw her ideas in.

I embroidered on the front a phrase I read once "Let your pencil daydream" - I thought it would be perfect for her.







This was based on this tutorial: Journal Cover Tutorial

First finished projects of the decade!!

First project is part of a birthday present for my nephew: a cape for SUPER DAVE!





(Excuse the models snotty nose - he has rotten hayfever and it just keeps coming!!!)

The nephew is significantly shorter and smaller than my boy so he will fit the cape alot better than EJ does.

Second project is a reconstruction job.

I got given this skirt.



To me it just wasn't... wearable in public. It wasn't flattering, it was wrinkly and shaped all wrong. I never wore it. It hung in my wardrobe for 12 months. Any unworn stuff of 12 months gets the ditch. But since discovering clothing reconstruction - I decided to chuck it in the "Make something else with it" pile. Today I pulled it out. Looked at the fabric.... it looked like nightwear!! So I decided to try and make Mop a nightee with it.



Mop loves it!! I had troubles getting the neckline right - and I ended up having to recut the neckline and then that meant I lost a bit of the tops of the straps - so Mop's armpits are a tad snug. I can fix all that later... she wouldn't let me have it back... she decided that she would wear it to bed... I couldn't even trim the cotton off it!! I'll have to sneak it back tomorrow and do that!

Starting with a clean slate... so to speak.

For my birthday, as part of my present, Mum gave me three medium sized storage tubs to put my crafty bits in. Today I decided that as part of Penny Pinching in 2010, I was going to need to know exactly what I have, and what I can use, and what projects I had stashed away that I had forgotten about.

So I sorted out my craft room. Rearranged it, tidied it, decluttered, tossed out crappy bits of fabric that I held on to for Justin.. (Just in case) I did a cull of things that I am not sure why I had them in the first place. I now have all my fabric neatly folded and in my craft cuboard. All my crafty bits are now in boxes and on my shelves.

I'm pleased with today's efforts. I may not have created much - except a workable and organised work-space, but I am happy with it.


PS: Isn't it rather ironic that every single area of my house is neat and orderly.... except my craft room... which seems to be chaotic at the best of times!!


Now... I reckon I'll be making myself a little quilted sign for my door... just need to think of a name for this zone. :)

More layouts...

While I was on holidays I got a few pages done.
Don't be too impressed - these are quickpages.

3 pages for Milly Moo

It was a bargain!!!

- I found Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric that they had marked down quite significantly! I ordered up big, since I shall be making a few of these quilts this year! I still have the panels and a few more yards of other fabric to go with it to buy, but I got such a great deal!

8.5 yards of VHC fabric for $51.28. Not bad! Not bad at all. I cleaned them up of their stock :)

I am waiting for a shipment to arrive in the other shop that I intend to buy the panels and other fabric from - and then I'll buy and hopefully that will be all the fabric I NEED to buy this year.

I need to have 1 VHC and another baby quilt made by late March. So I better get my skates on. I'm in the processing of designing a pattern for VHC quilt. I don't like the ones that Andover Fabrics offer.


With my gift certificate I bought a jelly roll and a dessert roll. My very first ones EVER. Here they are:


As I was spending my gift voucher in The Quilt Shoppe

I'm now on the hunt for a lovely pattern (preferably free). Any suggestions?