How lovely is unexpected mail?! I had a rotten day at work today and came home with another migraine. But it is amazing how one little package can turn things around so quickly!

With all the recent busyness I had forgotten that I’d ordered a couple of fat quarters from Spoonflower a few weeks ago. I was stoked when I saw the package sitting on the kitchen bench this afternoon. I ripped it open and I kid you not – the migraine quickly disappeared :-)

I took the risk of ordering a few yards of these designs last week when the Aussie Dollar was a little stronger than it is now (without waiting for the fat quarters to arrive first) and I did breathe a sigh of relief when I opened the package. I’m so happy with the way they have all turned out. Plus the base cloth is so much better (texture and weight-wise) than the cloth they had originally used.

I’m also so glad that Kirsty recently posted up a very clever method on folding a fat-quarter as I think that will come in handy for folding up some of the fabric for the show – the video is fantastic! And Kirsty also pointed me to Hoppo Bumpo’s Seam-Along (what a brilliant idea) – I’m thinking the French Seams will be a good option for some non-softies I am hoping to sew up.

One thing I am bummed out about is the fact that I missed out on joining Brown Owls this year! I’ve had it on my list of things to do since late last year and completely overlooked it. So exciting that Brown Owls are popping up all over Australia! And the first Melbourne meet-up is coming up soon too! Oh well, at least I can still listen to the Brown Owls radio station :-) Go on and join up – I’ve already found some new favourites to listen to!

I’ve got two lists going at the moment: one called “Need To Make” where items are crossed off quite regularly; and the other is called “Would Like to Make at Some Convenient Time in the Near Future“. Obviously the latter list hardly gets anything crossed of it and instead grows a little bit everyday :-)

But I’m happy that I’ve been able to find a little time in the last week to make some progress on that latter list. The first mini-project was to make a simple apron from my “Folksy Teaparty” fabric printed via Spoonflower (please excuse the marks on the mirror – who knew how hard it would be to photograph yourself wearing an apron!):

And the second mini-project involved cushions using my “Woodland Girl” (teamed with a polka dot print from Amy Butler’s Lotus collection) and “Faux Crocheted Circles” prints (also via Spoonflower):

And now on the couch:

The Cushions were backed with a chocolate linen and snap closures. These were done in no time at all and very satisfying – great projects for the kind of hot weather we are currently experiencing in Melbourne!

And a few quick links:

>> If you like Yoshitomo Nara, you will like pics of his latest exhibition at Blum & Poe

>> My latest fave artist – Carrie Chau.  I am disappointed that I didn’t get to see her show, “Indigo Child” in Hong Kong late last year, which was happening at the same time I was there! Here are photos of her show.

My desk is a serious mess (and it’s now started spreading itself out on to the floor), so it’s not worth showing since I can hardly find anything there myself! Also, the weather’s been super nice lately so we’ve been spending time outdoors (which means less time indoors cleaning up said mess :-)). Instead of messy desk pics, here are a few of the girls enjoying the sunshine:

And one of my recent favourite pictures drawn by Ava which celebrates the outdoors, complete with “rainbow grass” :-)

And speaking of favourites, here are a few more on the internet that have me swooning:
>> Elsa Mora’s new blog on paper-cutting
>> Sketches by Amy Sol for her upcoming solo show
>> Children’s book illustrations by Paul Rand featured by Chronicle Books
>> ALL the Box Prints by Dolan Geiman, but especially “Field Guide Tennessee”
>> Week of Australian Fabric Design on Mikes
>> Tryst Jewelry found via Paisely St Claire
>> Handmade cloth book using fabric printed via Spoonflower

I’ve started getting up at 5:45am most mornings to fit more into my day but the body is still trying to adjust so I’m off to get another cup of coffee – hope to be back soon with more softies!

Thanks to Bug and Pop* for this week’s “This Is” theme – “This is what I want to be when I grow up“.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I want to be Beci Orpin when I grow up :-)

{Beci Orpin. Image credit: Outre Gallery}

Well, of course, not actually be her or be exactly like her but I think more to be engaged creatively and make stuff on a full-time basis, in a number of different mediums; and to fully develop my own style and have that translate across the different mediums; and to do it well. Like she does. I think that’s what I meant :-) And then there’s my little secret wish – no so secret anymore – which is to quit my job and study Textile Design. But that is still many years away I think.

It’s kind of funny that this is the theme this week because I just started reading “The Divided Heart” by Rachel Power (as recommended by Claire and a few other creative Mums) and so far I am nodding in agreement at the end of every page. Sometimes I cringe because it has spoken so clearly and so honestly about feelings I would have never admitted to anyone – those feelings that arise during moments of excruciating frustration, juggling motherhood and the desire to be freely engaged in a creative process (and feeling like a complete failure at both). And it’s got me thinking about what I really want to work towards – “what I want to be when I grow up” – which is something like what I’ve written up there. But I’m still figuring it out and still thinking about what little thing I can do everyday during those spare minutes to bring it into fruition.

So before I start heading off on a tangent, I highly recommend the book for all creative Mums and Mums-to-be. Lots – LOTS – of food for thought and so many amazing insights- and I’m only up to the 3rd chapter!

Okey dokey, so back to making stuff :-) Babushka Soft Doll #2 was completed a few days ago – made from vintage Japanese kimono scraps and wool felt:

I spent last Friday out and about with the girls, including a trip to Hudson so that they could see the show (they loved it :-)). A few things we collected from the day: cutie-pie brooches from Lark (from Dymocks in the city), a key chain from Heidi’s Yummy Breakfast collaboration with kidrobot, and Yoshimoto Nara postcard (both from Hudson), and the cutest little owl in my favourite kind of green that Nikki brought back from Japan (thanks Nikki!).

* By the way, check out Bug and Pop’s new shop of super cute kids clothes!

Last week, during my lunch break, I was able to pop into Outre Gallery (on Elizabeth St in the city) and see Beci Orpin’s “outside, over There” exhibit in person. I have always admired Beci – she’s multi-talented and does it all: textile design, fashion, illustration, softies, collage, paper-cuts, sculpture. In fact it’s accurate to say that I want to be her when I grow up (‘though I’m pretty sure we’re about the same age!).

(Image credit: Gemma Jones)

As expected, her work was stunning and I particularly loved the paper-cuts, gocco prints, giclee prints and kokeshi dolls. You can see all of Beci’s work from this exhibition on Outre’s website here.

I also had a chance to wander around the remainder of Outre (I could have spent at least another hour there I think!) and came across the work of Mark Ryden. I instantly fell in love with his “The Tree Show” collection – whimsical settings, strangely cute characters, colourful but dark, with a touch of humour. A sample of his work (image credit: Mark Ryden website):

Outre also has a great range of art books you most likely will not find in your average book-shop.

I couldn’t leave without one piece of artwork and so a small reproduction of Yoshitomo Nara’s “Missing in Action” painting came home with me. Here it sits on my desk with a postcard from Beci’s exhibition, giving me a boost of inspiration as I begin on the next batch of softies.

The reason I chose this particular painting by Nara is that the girl looks exactly like Aurora (the haircut, the big eyes, and even the red dress!) when she’s in one of her defiant and stubborn moods – which has been happening a lot lately, given that she has entered the “Terrible Twos” stage :-) But I just searched this particular painting on the internet to find out more about it and discovered that the original by Nara was sold for US$1.08 million at Christie’s back in 2006! Ummmmmm . . . wow!

A heartfelt thank you to all who have commented and sent lovely words of encouragement on my little show – your response has been truly overwhelming and I am so grateful and humbled by it. Thank you especially to Pip, Cintia, Claire, Jaime, Emma and Katie (hope I didn’t miss anyone!) for posting up such kind words about the show.

I’m going on a little internet/blog break to catch up on some non-crafty stuff – hope to be back online late next week.

Woodland Girls are still in progress:

“This Is” this week is free-form so I thought I’d share my latest fun distraction. Thanks to the inspiration provided by Mel and Kate (and the discussion here also via Kate), I found myself distracted with thoughts of soap-making this past week. I really like the idea of making our own soap for the simple reasons of 1) knowing exactly what goes into them (and therefore knowing what exactly goes onto our skin, 2) having soap with the fragrance I actually like, and 3) saving money.

I followed the very simple tutorial here (link found via Mel) for re-batching soap (thereby bypassing caustic soda – stuff which freaks me out.) I used half the ingredients on my first attempt, mixed it with some shea butter and a combination of Sweet Orange, May Chang and Spearmint essential oils. It produced 4 smallish bars of soap with a very refreshing fruity, tropical smell – sweeeet! This batch was for me :-)

I then made a full batch using the ingredients mixed with a bit of coconut and lavender oils for the girls. This produced 8 bars of soap. The girls love how they smell (light and sweet) and are very happy to see their names on them (simply carved on each one with a toothpick!).

The soaps are now curing and we’re looking forward to using them next weekend – I’ll let you know how they soap up :-) It only took me 1/2 an hour to make up the 12 bars and I’m already planning to make another batch – perhaps with some vanilla bean and ground cinnamon :-)

In regards to cost, I don’t think I saved any money on this batch (set-up costs) but I think the next few batches will certainly be cheaper, working out at between 40c-90c per bar of soap. I bought the oils from the Perfect Potion store in the city (they also have an archive of free recipes on their website) and I am also finding this website useful for supplies and recipes. I’ll be using the essentials oils I’ve accumulated to make other cleaning/personal care products. So it looks like this whole thing is not going to be just a distraction after all . . . :-)

And before I get started on some Woodland Boys, I just wanted to share with you this gorgeous card by Rob Ryan (based on his amazing and whimsical paper-cuts), found in Dymocks. It says “You were in my head but now you are in my heart. Please stay there forever.”

And also this quilt I found in a patchwork magazine that I have added to my “To-Make” list. My version will be smaller (for Aurora’s bed) and will have much larger triangles (as cutting out all those tiny triangles will drive me up the wall), but I’m hoping it will look just as good.

Okay, hopefully back soon some completed Woodland folk :-)

P.S. If you’d like a chance to win Peg Bear Rhyme, join in Funky Finds monthly giveaway here!

House-hunting has gone into full swing over here, so I’ve been spending most of my internet time searching for homes and booking inspections as we’ve got just over 6 weeks to move out. Apologies if I owe you an email – hope to get to it this week!

I’m trying to work on all outstanding orders before I start packing up my craft room, so a few custom Peg Bears (and one custom Peg Bunny!) were completed and posted off:

And on my desk, I’ve finally got some new thank-you cards done to go with the orders. I’ve been printing these cards out on glossy photo paper using my printer but I think I will need to go back to getting them done professionally as it will certainly turn out cheaper (my printer uses unbelievable amounts of ink):

There are more Peg Bears to be made so they’ll be taking over my blog for the next couple of weeks (and hopefully you aren’t sick of seeing Peg Bears by the end of it all!).

Here are some things I also enjoyed this past week:
> Young Me/Now Me found via Paisley St Claire
> Gorgeous cupcakes that make me want to drop everything and get baking, thanks to Danielle
> All of Elsita’s work just rocks, but this is so delightful
> So much talent and incredible work to marvel at over here
> Couldn’t agree more with how Manda views her fabric collection :-)
> Love, love, love the sneak peek into the gorgeous fabric lines by various designers at the International Quilt Market over in the USA, thanks to Pink Chalk Studio

Be back soon :-)

Vintage wooden-spooled thread:

Early last week my Aunty, who lives in the U.S., contacted me to let me know that she had sent a few of my Grandma’s old sewing supplies to me. What a wonderful surprise! I was super excited.

It finally arrived yesterday and oh my goodness, I seriously almost fainted. The box was huge! For some reason I was expecting a smallish box given the cost of shipping things overseas from the U.S. When I opened it up, this is what greeted me:

I slowly unpacked the box and found -

A container of new and old elastics:

A whole bag of vintage buttons – my Grandma had patiently made most of them in to button necklaces, organised by colour. This was her ‘system’ for storing her button collection:

A heap ‘o’ decorative scissors:

A container of vintage ribbons:

And when I opened this container I actually let out a “Holy Cow!” followed by a squeal. If my daughter had not been fast asleep in the next room, I would have yelled out “Her collection of lace trims??!!”

After all the containers were removed, I beheld the bottom of the box which was covered with spools of thread. I pulled out some vintage wooden-spooled thread (above). I am sure that this collection will pretty much last me a life time :-) There were also embroidery hoops, an assortment of needles and this gadget I haven’t yet worked out what to do with yet.

How strange that a box of old sewing supplies can make a grown woman all teary :-) I cannot describe how excited I am to have my Grandma’s old supplies in my possession. She was the first to introduce me to the wonderful world of fabric and sewing, and she and her life continue to be an inspiration to me daily. And if my Aunty is reading this, thanks so much Aunty!!! You have made my entire year :-)

I think I may spend a bit more time exploring the stash before I head to the sewing machine. Oh, and I have been recently hooked on reading this (because I simply love fabric), this (great finds!) and this (am so inspired by the photography! Hope to be back at the end of the week :-)

P.S. Thank you to those who voted for my Babushka doll in the 2nd Annual Softie awards. I missed out in The Cutest Face Category but please go have a look at the wonderful winners!

P.P. S. Thank you for the Peg Bear love! I won’t be stocking more Peg Bears in my shop until after October, but there will be a small number of new Peg Bears in 3 lovely shops by the end of the month – will provide details closer to completion.

Thank you for all the Doddi Bear-love :-)

Softie-making over here has come to an abrupt stop as I have run out of labels! So much for being organised this year :-) Apparently my current order will arrive within the next 38 days. I’m going to start searching for somewhere else that can deliver faster . . .

Anyway, thought I’d share what I’ve been SWOONING over lately:

>> Latest batch of flickr faves:

Credits:
1. Lily and Nickers, 2. Racoon in Daylight, 3. 25 faces, 4. Owl, 5. Gather, 6. Untitled, 7. Dreamscape (Homage to Paul), 8. audrey, 9. Visit the Chan Nursery, 10. fancy, 11. cat, 12. Gota & Gorin Odjur Monster Love=Creature, 13. Thrifted – linen tea towel with robins, 14. cookie jars 2, 15. feeling the change, 16. Twilight Awakening – Painting

>> Loving the artwork of:

1. Meomi
2. Majeak Ann
3. Seaspray Blue
4. Happy Doodle Land

>> Thoroughly enjoying and inspired by the work of Rex Ray found in this book:

It’s been on my Amazon wishlist and I was stoked when I saw it on the shelf at my local Dymocks! One of my goals this year is to get back into creating some mixed media collage. I’ve been flicking through the pages of this book daily and have it open on a different page everyday as it sits by my desk. I love the composition and sense of fluidity but what really gets me are the colours and textures. It’s so difficult to pick my favourite but this one comes pretty close: “Stereoaspicilia”

On my sidebar, you may have noticed a new link to The Needle.org. If you love softies/plush, then this new blog is for you! It is described as “a collaborative website where creators of quality plush can share their work. We straddle that line between art and craft, leaping back and forth willy nilly as it suits us“, and I’m really excited to be a member.

And finally more close to home (and to my heart!), my most recent favourite drawing from Ava, which she has called “My Family . . . and a Duck” :-)

I can’t believe she will be turning 4 in two weeks time! She’s requested a little party in our backyard with a few friends so we’re busily scrambling around trying to make it happen.

First, let me say sincere thanks for all the comments received on my last post about Sian’s new clothes. Not sure what I was thinking when I was writing that up (blame the flu meds I’m taking at the moment), but so glad that you enjoyed reading it :-) I wanted to take a break from writing my usual “This is so-and-so and she is made from yada-yada.”

But since some of you did ask – Sian is made from Terry Fleece which has the texture of Terry Cloth but is so soft and stretchy like fleece. I love it! And yes, she is larger than the normal Shmerpi I make. She’s roughly 48cm (19 inches) tall. Here’s an idea of the difference in size – Sugar is the smaller Shmerpi and is the normal size:

By the way, Sugar the Shmerpi (the purple one above) is now available if anyone would like to adopt her! (As the original customer who requested her no longer wants her). For details, go here.

And yay!!! My doll quilt from the Doll Quilt Swap II has finally arrived:

Isn’t it just gorgeous!! It is made by the multi-talented Jennifer (Mama Urchin) and she has used fabrics from Joel Dewberry’s Chestnut Hill line (better photo here). I love the colours, the mix of patterns, and the wonderful details like the buttons and the french knots. It’s just perfect and now hangs in my little studio (you can even see it as the backdrop for the photo with the Shmerpi creatures above). Thanks so much Jennifer – I really love it!

Another lovely surprise this past week is that the delightful Ellia nominated me for a Rockin’ Girl Blogger award. The word “rockin‘” has certainly never been associated with me so thank you Ellia! :-)

Apparently the rules are:

-place the badge on your blog
-give credit to Roberta (She started the rockin’ blogger awards)
-check out the latest list she has on her site
-pick 5 rockin’ girls of your choice and tag em’

Okay, that last bit was REALLY hard as there are 100+ blog feeds in my Bloglines :-) Narrowing down to just 5 took me a long while, but here they are:

1) Abby Jane from While She Naps: Abby and I have share a few things in common – besides making softies, we both like to make collages too, and we both have 2 daughters (almost the same ages). So I have certainly enjoyed reading her blog over the last 18 months (ever since I started mine) and to see her work develop from softie-making to soft sculptures. And recently she has combined her soft-sculptures WITH collage! Brilliant! I am always inspired when I see her work and I always go to her blog during those rare moments when I feel like I just don’t want to make another soft toy :-)

2) Dawn from Look What I Can Do: I have long admired Dawn’s creations. I just love the way she can transform fabric into endearing creatures. And she has a great eye for fabric. In fact, she has a great eye for colour and form and photography too! And her blog shines with her love for her daughter. And she links to so many great things everytime she posts. And . . . well, I could on and on. Yeah, I think she rocks :-)

3) Kristy from Vintage Pleasure: Kristy was one of the first people who encouraged me when I started out and was one of the first people to buy one of my creations. Her encouragement has been invaluable. I love her blog for many reasons – there’s so much honesty and sincerity when she writes. Her love of all things vintage is infectious! She has a love of life. And I love reading about her daughters and all their creative endeavours. Plus, Kristy’s creations are just gorgeous!

4) Tiel from Tsk Tsk: I just love Tiel’s creativity. Her artwork is so inspiring to me and always brings a smile to my face. Tiel’s mixed media pieces are amazing. Her love of babushka dolls has grown from 2D into 3D, resulting in wonderful babushka softies. If you love birds and babushka dolls, you will love her unique art – check it out here.

5) Pip from Meet Me At Mikes: If you have met Pip in person then I really don’t need to explain :-) Pip is one-of-a-kind. A genuinely kind and generous person with an infectious smile, and a genuine love for vintage and handmade (just check out her shop!). I love popping into her blog as I never know what I’ll find but I’m sure it will be inspiring, cheery, and bright! Just go over there right now and you’ll see exactly what I mean!

So there we are. Please do pop over to their blogs and say hi :-) Meanwhile, I need to get back to some orders – particularly these ones that are patiently waiting for me on my craft table: