Some Felt Baking.

Cookies!!! I think these ones look like peanut butter & chocolate chunk.... mmmmmmmmmm..... peanut butter & chocolate.......

Finally I have made a start on the felt food for Punky's birthday kitchen, it was fun making these, but then I started on a "slice" of bread... it took FOREVER! Probably because I was supposed to sew the edges with embroidery thread & I only have black & red so decided against it. Will have to go get some to make the food production a little swifter.

I haven't been using any of the pretty patterns out of the Japanese pattern books I got... I should have known I wouldn't, but they're pretty to look at all the same. I'm just winging it, as usual, but I don't think that's a bad thing.
Oh - another reason I'm glad I got the books - one taught me, in pictures alone, how finally to do blanket stitch! Since all the arts & crafts I know are entirely self taught, I really had no idea how to do it - even the basic sewing books I have either assume you know how to do it or explain it in such a way as to confuse the heck out of me, so I have just stayed away from anything absolutely demanding blanket stitch, until now....!

Yay for well photographed Japanese pattern books I say!

(PS, Le Punk has already tried to eat them.... I guess that's a good sign...?!)

MEOW!

My Putty-Tats (aka Geelong Football Club...) won the AFL Grand Final yesterday, meow!!

In their honour I have rounded up some cute etsy pretties in the team colours....

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade punkyandme.etsy.com

Spot The Punk.

Can you spot the Little Punk amongst this motley bunch?!

I discovered later that not only did she have so many toys up there with her, she'd actually managed to wedge several under the bed sheet.... I do believe I have shared this sentiment before; odd child!

I take it back.

Okay, I'm not going to go so far as delete my last post but I am going to take back the part about being the messiest person.... I mean, it's still true, I don't know anyone messier than me, but I know that there ARE messier people. I mean, there must be.

AND, I have been TRYING.

I really, really have.

I've found the key to keeping things *mostly* under control is STORAGE! So that means the more opshoped cupboards & the like I can get my hands on the better, more storage = less clutter which = less mess.

This little gem has only taken 28 years to come to me.

Some proof of my attempts;

Le Punk Residence;

Itty Bitty lounge;

What happens when I TRY to put my fabric away;

Okay... so I still have far to go... I just noticed the dust on the bench in this picture. Don't look!

My *coughs* "other" Creative Space....

As much as I have enjoyed reading about how neat & tidy everybody thinks my new craft area is (and I have... it is very nice..!), I am afraid I cannot live a lie.

I am the messiest person I have ever met. I wish I had met one of those hoarder people they show on bad current affairs telly, just so that that wouldn't be the case, but I haven't & I am.

My lovely new craft cabinet is so very neat & purty because I've not actually done any down & dirty crafting there yet - just really used it as a bench for the few days it has been in existence.

I am already having doubts about my ability to happily pull out my machines if and when I want to sew, and then.... put them back. I hope that I will feel somewhat obliged to keep the space tidy since it is in the lounge room, mostly because Le Punk would get up to mischief aplenty if I left it all "undone", but the reality remains to be seen.

My Mother has photos of my bedroom from various stages in my childhood - in most it is hard to even see the bed, if not impossible.

Which brings me to my "other" Creative Space I boasted so happily about yesterday.

That space meant to inspire my artistic sensibilities & creative vision.

*coughs*

I have MANY excuses as to why it looks like that, but I doubt any of them would really fly.... I mean, I can only really blame Punky for the stuff she can reach, can't I?

Basically I pilfered all the nice crafty stuff & placed it ever so prettily into my new cabinet - laying this area to waste.

I'm going to clean it up.

Again.

Really I am.

My Creative Space....

AKA My still new & shiny, smells like varnish in a good way, pretty, pretty, pretty crafty cabinet creative space...!

I am joining in with kootoyoo's "My Creative Space"! First of all I have to say that a) I can't believe I actually remembered to do this on the right day (or at all), and b) I actually have something going on in my 'Creative Space' to document in the first place!

So I guess the first thing to note about the week that was is the whole "new" creative space - as I mentioned earlier, this was intended as an occasional craft area but I just can't leave it alone. Yesterday I moved my machines in here & everything, so I've effectively made two completely separate areas, this one for crafting & my old one for painting. It is probably for the best - I kept using fabric to wipe my dirty paintbrushes on for a start....

The other thing going on in my nifty new space is a rare Work In Progress. I don't have many WIPs - I either finish what I start in a feverish can't eat ('cept for chocolate... have to keep the energy levels up), can't clean up (woohoo!) sort of way, or give up completely, but this I have started and it is a rather big, prominent piece of furniture that I'm not even half way through so I am committed whether I like it or not.

I don't know whether I want to reveal the exact details (that is a lie, of course I know... I don't want to), as I like the whole "reveal" of a before & after shot without the dodgey in between stuff, but you can draw your own conclusions from my Creative Space this week and whatever else I have already mentioned... you sneaky Sherlock Holmes types....

Dust Free Day!

Thankfully we have been spared the eery red haze of the dust storm that has engulfed Sydney & Brisvegas today - although I have been captivated by the images, I can imagine the discomfort that would come with having to actually, well, breath, in such an atmosphere.

The other day Le Punk got a balance bike - it is super cute & she loves it, she did have a little trike thing from last Christmas that was meant to be pushed along & then converted into a trike to ride alone, but alas, converted the thing stands still as a statue no matter how vigorous the Little Punk's legs whirl on the peddles, so, a balance bike seemed like a great solution for my bike loving little one.

Today was mostly windy & rainy, but we did get a teensy bit of outside time in.