you may have noticed....

.....that little flashing green icon on the right sidebar. Well, check out the link, because we'll be there.

This is sure to be the best Stitches & Craft show ever, funked up and updated by the talented and oh-so friendly (and hard-working) team at Living Creatively. And by saying funked and updated, I actually mean keeping it down-to-earth and handcrafted and designed and local-Australian talent. All showcased in beautiful crafty inspiring surroundings.
We'll be part of the new (and totally fantastic + supportive) Incubator which showcases the best of Australian emerging and established independent crafters and designers.There are going to be so many super-talented bloggy crafters there. I can't wait to meet them during the show. There will even be a special section for us to do our blogging, and keep you in the loop about the fun we are having. (When I told Sam that, he rolled his eyes and said 'weirdos' - non-bloggers just don't get it, do they!).
But, before the fun is that hard work. I'm going to try and pop in here and show you all the fantastic things we will be making.
If you'd like to see any more inspiration check the flick pages of Indie Crafters, Living Creatively and Stitches & Craft Show.
PS - Anna, this is the big news I talked about last week; I'm not sure if you had something different in mind...

stone cold tea

This is a cold cup of tea. Lots of those happen in my day, my week, my life. I'm sure you have the same things. You pour yourself a cup of tea, thinking that you'll have possibly two minutes to sit and drink it, to possibly look at your new magazine or do a snippet of blogsurfing. You wait until the tea is not too hot, because you don't want to waste your two minutes burning your tongue. It's good, you taste it. Not too hot. Then... something happens.

Someone needs you in the toilet to help them, and they cannot wait for two minutes they need you right now. Or two little somebodies have a bicker and one somebody hits another somebody, and one of them screams and cries and the other denies doing anything at all. Or you need to get someone something to eat, something sweet, no not fruit, something sweet - and you know that you only fed them lunch about 12 minutes ago.And then, by the time you actually remember that you poured yourself a cup of tea.. well, you discover it sitting on the windowsill abandoned, stone cold.
A drink of tea or coffee is not just the taste or the quenching of a thirst, it's so much more. It's the possibility of a moment of peace and quiet, or flicking longingly through a style magazine, or curling up lingeringly with a good book, or simply sitting soaking up the sun.
It's the promise of two minutes peace.

giveaway :: magazine

I bet you've been waiting and waiting for this giveaway.

My sister told me yesterday that she's been checking and waiting for me to update my blog, and that it's been over a week since I last wrote here! I know, I know. Life just got in the way.
So, without further rambling (I'm pretty good at that, aren't I), here is the little giveaway I have.
Two different prizes for two different people. And they're all about magazines and zines.First up:
The launch issue of Peppermint Magazine - Fresh, Green, Fashion. This is a locally Brisbane produced magazine all about eco fashion, and ethics in the fashion and homewares industries. This is a funky and fun read. Lots of fantastic snippets about Australian (and International) designers and crafters, linking you up to some great new loves for fashion, accessories and homewares. With a well written, easy to read and compelling article about the story of the cotton industry. And the fashion shoot is really sweet - a 'real woman' modelling some beautiful and quirky outfits. Issue #2 is in the works as I write (well, around the life of a toddler!!). Go and become a Peppermint Fan on facebook, to find out the latest info (though I'll let you know here as well). And, of course, printed on 100% recycled paper. What more could you want in a magazine?Two little zines that I bought off this great New Zealand site (similar to Etsy, but exchange rate so much nicer for us Aussies!) - Felt. It's called World Sweet World - how could you resist reading something with that title. Issue #2 and #3 in this little giveaway pack. These are full colour zines printed on paper from sustainably managed forests, using vegetable based inks. They are jam packed full of quirky NZ (and expat) designers, fun recycling projects (how to make a hoodie out of t-shirts, a hand bag out of some vinyl records), excellent reads about craftism and activism, even a story about eco-friendly coffins!
Second pack:
Includes the Peppermint Magazine along with the premier issue of Mix Tape Zine, which is now well into it's second year of production. This is a fun little Australian zine about craft and recycling and making and... well, you guessed it.... the environment. The cover alone is fun and so representative of what the zine is all about.
As you see, my magazines all have a few things in common.The zines I'm giving away as I am trying to declutter and really this is the best way of recycling. The two Peppermint Magazines are straight from the editor, and I wanted two of my lovely lovely readers to get to see this beautifully edited, refreshing magazine.

So, to enter all you need to do is leave a comment, telling me about your favourite magazine(s). I'll leave it open for maybe a week or so, to give you all a chance to enter.

And on the subject of magazines. I wanted to show you my newest one. - Stitch Magazine. The most I have ever ever ever paid for a tiny little magazine (due to the exchange rate and the postage rates this thing cost me $25AU!!!). But I have pored over each page many many times, and enjoyed it all so much. It includes patterns for three skirts - at least one of which I am hoping (hoping hoping) to make sometime this week. (I saw this one here, and it gave me more urge to make it). As well as directions to make many other crafty projects.
I'd seen this magazine all over blogland, and am so glad that I ignored the price as I have been really enjoying this. I hope they do another issue - this one is called "special issue", implying a one-off?
Lastly I want to thank all of you for your sweet, kind and generous words over the past week (about my friendship post). It means so much to me that you take the time to comment and give me love and friendship and strength. While I wish that I could reply to each comment, time is running away from me too quickly. I do always try and visit your blogs - and then I find wonderful inspiration and colours and life.

Thank you. Take care. xx

::

My head is stuffed up with too many emotional thoughts at the moment. I cannot quite get things into perspective. Hopefully a night of sleeping on it will put things back into a better peace. Or maybe I'll have to let go, and accept that some things are lost.
All is okay, don't worry. Just some more of those friendship things I've been feeling of late, come to a bit of head. Have to get over the hump of talking things out and see if we can still be friends. I hope so, but am not sure.

Other things are filling my head, squeezing things out of my eyes and ears. Giving me crazy headaches and hot heads. Ari tells me that I should just tell the headache to, well in his words "shoot itself away". He's quite into shooting things at the moment, only in words. He really doesn't have much idea what he's saying, but it gets reaction from us all!

This is Ari's daily to-do list. "clean house; play; visit grandma; robot machine music; aoolqaom ooimorinim ooaaiom" .
I wish I could take Lori's advice and increase my personal white space . Just not happening at the moment. This week particularly has been so busy with different things. Working more hours than usual (two days for me and two days for Sam), and a new small business course two days a week for me.
We did have a wonderful morning meeting some new friends at a lovely park. So so so good to meet someone and be able to chat and have so much in common, and your children get on well. A sweet little boy, with such lovely manners, who takes in so much around him and talks to us all. Ahhhh, I can see many many fun moments spent with this mama and little one. And also many mama only outings for us grown ups. Sounds fun, hey!

Talking about Mama only outings. I have been getting out a bit more without the kids dragging off me. Apart form working where I finish at 8pm, and then bus home to (hopefully) in bed kids, I went out for dinner with some friends last weekend. Just me and them. Glorious. I can't wait to do it again.

So, a few other things are: I have joined this little swap, on a newly discovered blog. Go and have a look, sure to be fun. Even though I have so much work to be doing over the next 2-3 months, this is something that I want to be part of. It's a kid focused swap - and I know my two little ones will love to receive something for themselves. They are always complaining that they don't get anything. And believe me, the junk mail catalogues aren't good enough for discerning Ari. Though Mishi is quite happy with them.

I am still trying to compose my New Year's thoughts/resolutions. Starting to think it won't quite happen, so not stressing too much. A few little things I'm wanting are to do some more writing. I found this the other day, while I was cleaning up some old papers. Written in my diary while I as on my backpacking trip on my own. So, I'll let you know when I add more writings to my other blog :: lines on a page.
I really like Jade's idea of authenticity. And Anna's word of change. Apart from stop-procrastination, I also would like to try and be more conscious, more in the moment. Not always planning and thinking the next thing. very hard for me, and this year especially when I know that I want to achieve so much professionally with Red Seed Studio, and personally especially working towards a new house.
What are your new year thoughts and resolutions and words??

I have some exciting news, but I'll leave that for a post all of it's own. It's the reason I have so much work ahead of me in the next many months.
Also, I have a giveaway planned, maybe this weekend or next week sometime. So check back.
Good night friends. Take care.

feed us

I've got some new little friends in my sidebar link. Please feed them. All you need to do is click with your cursor, and they'll come over for some food. Aren't they friendly. And the easiest fish I'll ever have, no bowl cleaning!

(edited to add) :: Thank you all for keeping my fishies well fed. For those of you interested in getting your own pets, this is where you can get them. You can choose your own colours and all!

suburban afternoon

This afternoon, while I was sitting at my sewing table. In the quiet of a kid-free house. Sewing some little pencil cases for some long overdue parcels that needed to be posted off.

Listening to the sounds of the street around me. The soft dull murmur of a city street, a suburban city street.
Our next door neighbours' visitor. A regular visitor who has the most everyday stories, told at loudest volume, with emphatic punchlines. Stories I think I should tape, so that if I ever wrote one of those everyday life novels, I would have some 'real life' fodder. After he leaves, the next door house is quiet. It seems still, as if our neighbours have to regain their energy from such an over-the-top exuberant guest.
At building site down the street, I hear a man call out "want to bring another wheel barrow". Such a mundane aspect of the work they are doing near the train tracks.
Only a moment after that a mother "right now", in the total irritated tone of talking to a disobedient child, yet in the hushed tones of being out in the street. And having the feeling that everyone is watching you reprimand your child. (Come on, you all know that feeling!).
I continue on, unpicking and then resewing. Changing thread colour, and zipper foot back to regular machine foot. Purse after purse after purse. With the still silence - a dull hum of distant traffic and life - of the street and the city.
And then everyone home again, and the noise back in my house. Shattering through the thickness of the silence I've been settled into. Back to regular life.

Plus more images of my inspiration board above my sewing table. This desk is in the front (entrance) room of our house, and I'm really enjoying having these snippets for myself, yet still having to be conscience that it's what people see when they walk in (hmmm... possibly a bit nicer than the regular mess we have from front to back of the whole house!).

view from my sewing table :: inspiration

hello

hello new year, when did you get here.....

I've slipped into this new year a little too quickly, haven't we all? It's been a tumble-bumble these past few weeks and days, of doing nothing and everything.
I just wanted to check in and say hi to you all. It seems an age since last I was here. (Though I've been all over blog-land and enjoying everyone's last year wrap-ups, and new year beginnings).
Things are good here, and so many ventures planned for this year. A busy, yet exciting year. I'll tell you more soon. For now, a few photos of our past few days/weeks.Our little tree, on Christmas day. We redecorated it - the simple handmade angels instead of the bright lights. (I'm still sad that we neglected last year's tree....).Jumping on Christmas Day. Ari's new outfit is: pants I sewed from some fun Japanese mushroom fabric, and this oh-so-sweet t-shirt. Ash was wearing lovely new linen trousers and a little singlet (I think Sylve got them from Seed - which sometimes has some beautifully Australian-made pieces).
The glorious last sunlight of 2008. We went and sat up on the hill, with a picnic and waited (and waited and waited) for the 8.30pm fireworks. After which we put the kids to bed, and then fell asleep on the couch before the mid-night fireworks could be heard popping outside.
An exciting, entertaining and (could it be) educational time at the Sciencentre. I really enjoyed watching the boys - Ash especially - putting the coloured blocks into repeating patterns, and discovering what shapes could make up other shapes. And doing that broken-colour dance! As well as the giant table so that adults can experience what it's like being a little kid at the big table!
Then later we adults were treated to a fashion parade and a rock concert.