Getting inspired to start sewing again.

An artsy-fartsy kind of mood.

I've had a creative urge again lately. I've been clearing out alot of the clutter and I think it has made me look at things differently. Like the pile of picture frames waiting for collages. Instead of faffing around with glue and paper, I decided to do some digital pictures instead. Using photos I've taken and shapes I created for various other projects, I played around until I was happy with the final product.
Here's the first that was printed and is now up on the wall-
I also framed a photo that I took on a recent trip to Hobart.

Another digital print is framed and hung, but I don't have a photo of it yet. I'm also working on another one. As I am a very frustrated painter (I can't produce what I see in my head!) I really like the digital option, as it allows me to manipulate the image so that I can play with it until I'm happy with it. I can also remove elements if they're not working. I have a long way to go before I'm as good as many digital artists out there as I only know the basics of my program and am doing alot of learning through doing. But that's half the fun.

Winter-bring it on!

It's been a cold Autumn so far. I haven't been out enjoying the changing leaves as much as usual this year as it's been too wet. We've got the fire going already and the girls have had there yearly dose of colds, tag teaming each other with no sign of this cold letting go. I've had to postpone donating blood on more than one occasion because of this dreaded lurgy.
But despite the cold and the colds, we've tried to get out and about when it's not raining. This weekend, after a week of being cooped up at home, I told the girls to dress warmly, throw in all of their snow gear and jump in the car. A day trip to the snow was just what I needed. We've had some great early snowfalls and as the season doesn't officially open for another month, it doesn't cost anything to get on the mountain and I figured it would be reasonably quiet. I threw the snow chains in the boot as I've never actually driven on snow before, despite going to the snow many times. We drove up to Marysville where we stopped and had some lunch, after the girls had played at the newly built playground in Gallipoli Park. The town is slowly coming together, although I can understand if the residents are feeling frustration. Just as we sat down to eat at the very quiet Fragas Cafe, a busload of daytrippers arrived and promptly filled the place. It's good to see that the region is still getting busloads of visitors. About 1.00pm, we left for Lake Mountain. The drive up was a lot quicker than I remembered. The landscape looked very different after the Black Saturday bushfires.
We came upon the snow before we knew it. I was a bit nervous about driving on the icy conditions but the car has a Winter mode so I engaged that and took my time. It got to one lane at some point and it was a bit nerve wracking to pull over to the side, not knowing how deep the snow was and whether or not I'd get stuck. There were a few cars in the carpark when we got to the top and many had just parked where they stopped. We got out, got our gear on and went off exploring. As the facilities are still beinbg rebuilt, the public toilets weren't open. Thankfully, a staff member from the resort allowed us to use the staff amenities. Poor Ruby didn't savour the thought of going behind a a tree in the snow!
We wandered through the fresh powder snow, over a metre deep in some places. We took a few photos, walked down to the Toboggan Run and then back to the car before heading home via Warburton.
When we got home, the open fire was roaring thanks to The bloke who'd been home trying to get the concrete retaining wall built. (That's another post entirely.)
We can't wait for the ski season to open on June 12th. This year, the girls will learn how to ski and I'm looking forward to getting on the snow after many years!

Kick starting the blog again.

I'm waiting for my bread dough to rise. Whilst browsing lot's of fabulous other blogs, I realised that I really should keep this one going. Not because anyone reads it, but because it's good to actually write something of my own rather than just reading everyone else's blogs.

I've been doing a little bit of sewing lately, and none of it is for the shop. I'm making cushion covers for a friends mother and I recently made some quick little owls for my girls. I'll post pics of the cushions when they're done, but in the meantime, here's the owlies.
I'm also trying to use up some fabric in my studio. I have teetering piles of fabric all over the place and it's not a very good work environment. I spend more time moving stuff around than actually sewing. I had some wool samples lying around so a couple of weeks ago I had a play around with them. I made a small brooch cushion for myself, a buttoned cushion(which Ruby has claimed) and a larger buttoned cushion which still needs to be stuffed. Not sure what I'm going to do with the large cushion. I might put it in the shop if my other daughter doesn't claim it.

To Do lists

I have a large to do list at home. It is actually a notebook and contains things like "pay camp fees, fix button on shorts, choose shower for en suite"etc. I keep it handy for the bloke to find in case he has a spare moment and is at a loss what to do ( a rare occurrence). I've crossed a few long standing ones off the list lately, which is a good feeling. But I've also been thinking about my personal to do list. Things that don't have to do with the house or the kids or the bloke. If I publish it here, maybe alot will get crossed off it this year.

1. Return phone calls the day that people ring, or no later than the following day.
2. Bake more, buy less.
3. Plant nursery purchases the day that I buy them, not a week later.
4. Don't plant vegetables that I or the family don't like.
5. Ride down the shops instead of taking the car.
6. Make stuff to cut through the fabric stash.
7. Stop buying fabric.
8. Put a shopping cart on the website.
9. Update the website.
10. Send regular newsletter to website subscribers.
11. Try to wear every item in my wardrobe at least once this year.
12. Stop telling my kids to clean up their rooms before I turn out the lights at night. Just kiss them and tell them I love them.
13. Have regular visits to the hairdresser. (By regular I mean less than every 3-6 months.)
14. Have regular visits to the massage therapist.
15. Resist the urge to buy something on the spur of the moment.
16. Clear the pile of not hung photos and artworks.
17. Keep my drawing desk tidy.
18. Eat a proper lunch.
19. Read more books, less blogs.
20. Get passionate about something again.

I will try to keep this list updated and may add to it in the future.

Summer

Clockwise from top - 1. Girls enjoying the daybed 2. Re-arranging the DVD shelves 3. Spillway at Lake Eppalock 4. Rye Carnival 5. Floodwaters at Lake Eppalock 6. Takiing part in the Sketchbook Project.

Hello 2011

The New Year is here. Hooray. I look forward to what 2011 brings.

It's been a creative end and start to the year as I make a late start on my sketchbook for Arthouse Co-Op's Sketchbook Project. I've had the book sitting on may desk for ages but was waiting for the creative spark to appear. It arrived about 2 days before Christmas. I won't get it finished but I will post it off by the due date anyway. As my chosen topic was "Great hopes and massive failures" it seems fitting that it will remain unfinished. I've really enjoyed working on it as it's making me more aware of my strengths and limitations. I'm accepting that there is a lot I can't get onto paper as I see it in my head, but I am also surprising myself on occasion by what I can do.
More pics as I upload them.