Today, my mission, should I choose to accept it (or, should The Boy find it in him to watch both kiddos for a bit after work..), is to make one or more of these old jumpers;
…into pairs of these…
…for this guy.
More creative spaces with the lovely Kirsty.
I still love Regretsy, they find some weird @#$% on Etsy & the posts & subsequent comments are often more funny than the misguided crafts they are…. “critiquing”.
I thought I’d compile a little list of things that I’ve come across recently that should have been on Regretsy with some witty remarks, but instead are just here. With me.
Feel free to be sardonic in the comments, just like the real thing (Also just like the real thing, the pics link to the shop, so… well, what are you waiting for…?)
Soleless shoes! Who knew we each had several pairs of these lying about in the form or twine, old string & for the particularly ironic… shoelaces? If you have none of the above, you probably can’t afford shoes WITH soles, these are bound to be in your budget for a mere $5 plus post.
I was going to post this just because I was well freaked out by the head; the title of this piece is “Aretha Fishing From my Going Fishing & Throwing them back in Collection” & I was thinking “I’d bloody well throw that back in too love!”. Then I saw in the description that it is meant to be ‘utterly ridiculous’. In the most wonderful way. Of course.
From the description; “This is the greatest thing!I made this out of our sugar container when it was empty I wiped it clean,then I cut the top off and added a cute golden pipe cleaner for a handle!!”
I really don’t think there is anything I can add except to express my deep disappointment that she doesn’t ship outside America.
The mailman has been!
Thank you Kate! (Punky said, as soon as she saw it “Kate made that too!” & wanted to try it on… who am I to say no?)xo
This is Punk with her oppy find from yesterday on the way home from the play centre.
She’s wearing a very special new outfit & looking super cute, but I feel like I’ve stolen a pretty girl from here.
(On a sidenote, This Week… is working! It is! We’re doing stuff, Punk & me, we’re having fun too! Not too late to write down your intentions for the week & then, well, DO THEM! You may be surprised!)
Good afternoon ladies & gentlebeans & welcome to the Punky Awards!
There has been a little unrest lately in some quarters of the blogging world, about authenticity, sponsorship, honesty, motives, ethics… while eavesdropping on some of this it occurred to me that I don’t have any inkling of any of those sorts of “issues” when visiting my favourite blogs, & maybe that’s why they’re my favourites? If I don’t like what I think someone is doing on their blog I just don’t go back – it’s their blog, not mine & they can do whatever they like with it, but if they are obviously out for fame or whatever meagre fortune a blogger might be able to squeeze from promotions, ads & free trials, then their place is not somewhere I want to be. My favourite blogs are comfy cosy places, made so by their genuine owners who are part of a vibrant community online.
Ironically, I don’t know where my little blog sits in that community; I don’t post purely crafty stuff, I rarely bake, I don’t just blog about kids or being a mum, I just do my own eclectic thing over here & if someone likes it they are welcome to stay, but if they don’t, well, tough titties as they say in the classics (…which genre those classics belong in I shall leave to your imagination…).
Anywho, without any further ado (What IS ‘ado’?!) I would like to present the very first Punky awards to some of my favourite bloggy peeps, peeps you probably visit too, just because they’re ace & I like them & want them to know it. I want them to know that THEY make blogging fun for me & so many others & I appreciate them sharing little bits of themselves with me, you, us. Because I wanted this to be a sneaky surprise I have blatantly stolen pictures of them from their blogs without asking. It’s not at all good form to do this you know, very bad blogging etiquette indeed, so no telling, okay?
The first Golden Punk goes to…. *insert drumroll here* Cam of Curly Pops fame. Cam is amazing, truly.
She draws, designs fabric, makes brooches, sews, provides tutorials, provides encouragement, links freely & without obligation & is, I think, just a pillar of the crafty community. Her only downside is a dirty little Milo habit.
Next up is Kate of Foxs Lane.
I am in awe of Kate, quite honestly, & what she manages to fit into her hours, her days, her weeks. She has three gorgeous girls & a devoted farmer boy come husband, she has an organic farm, an online store, a knitting/crocheting/sewing addiction & somehow seventy hours in every day. I am always amazed when I pop over & she’s finished another project, or twelve, solves some parenting crisis or other & more than likely ploughed a field….
This Golden Punk is for someone so truly beautiful it shines through her blog, her emails, her comments… it shines so bright you have to squint a bit to see clearly, but then you do, you can see & you can read & you can FEEL that this woman gives a damn, she might be the most genuine person I am yet to come across in blog land, she is certainly the best baker.
I’m talking about you Cathie!
A couple more, if you are sitting comfortably? If I had a budget of millions (okay, just ‘a budget’) this is where I would undoubtedly have to insert some sort of Beyoncé interlude, but thankfully, I don’t & we can just move on….
Jess. A Golden Punk with teddy bear ears on for Jess.
A heart of gold, a houseful of bears & someone you can tell anything to (& I have!). She doesn’t realise at all how special she is you know, & that’s a crying shame. She doubts herself too much, but that makes for some of the most amazing little bears & animals you’ll ever see. She’s not happy until they are perfect; perfect in their unique little wonky way.
Another special one, an embroidered Golden Punk for Cath of Chunky Chooky, I like Cath’s piece of blog land because she pulls no punches.
She’s brutally honest when she needs to be & doesn’t take any crap from anyone. She’s an ethical crafter & a talented one.
And last (for now, there are SO MANY MORE…) but not least is Nic from Yardage Design.
Everything Nic makes is beautiful. Seriously. I have had the pleasure of winning, buying & being gifted work from Yardage Design & everything has been so gorgeous. It took me a very long time to use one of her tea towels for the first time as I thought it was too nice to use! I’m glad I started though because it makes me smile when I’m in the kitchen, it’s fun & bright just like Nic herself & her blog is just great too. Lovely pictures of lovely things – what’s not to like?
…and that folks, is it for the very first instalment of the Punky Awards. I hope you had fun, don’t get too messy at the after party, okay?
Really I am. i get all teary when I think about how beautiful this wee boy is & how much I adore him. He is such a joyful little being; The Punk was a pretty grumpy bebe earlier on, but this guy has been so sweet from the get go. And of course, he just keeps getting better…
Luff you my little big man. xo
Already it’s working! Yesterday, instead of telling myself that it’s too hard to organise both kiddos to do the rounds of the oppies, I just did it. And I am so glad I did!
We didn’t leave a single oppy empty handed & I am so happy – the few times I’ve been into oppies lately I haven’t found much at all, I thought perhaps my thrifting luck had finally run it’s course, but maybe I just didn’t have the right attitude…
Yesterday’s haul;
…I have been looking for a big basket for The Boy to collect his produce in for ages, this one will be perfect! Stuffed inside it;
A cute wee sewing box with the very same pineapple crochet hook I have etched into my memory from a traumatic “lesson”…
A little plate I’ll send Mum for Mother’s Day; 1982 would have been her first.
And an adorable vintage sleeping bag for Le Punk.
There was also a vase, & two brand new pairs of shoes THAT FIT. I only got one pair, came home & lamented the fact, remembered “no more procrastinating!” & rushed back down to get the second pair.
I also saw some preserved bread & snapped a pic for Jodie as her mum used to be a master varnished bread craftswoman (do pop over to Jodie’s & donate $5 to the tsunami appeal; you’ll be in the running to win an adorable softie made by the woman herself; I’m going to!)…
Last but not least when I was photographing my goodies Miss Punk wanted a photo of her finds too…
Hullo Oppy Mojo! Don’t leave me so long next time.
First of all, for those of you that don’t talk about blogs with other people & limit your blog related conversations to the written word, do you know, and be honest now, that meme is actually pronounced to rhyme with ‘cream’? Do you, in your head, pronounce, it like that? I don’t. I KNOW it’s supposed to sound like cream, or dream, or team, but I still think of it as ‘me me’.
Already, I digress.
I miss my meme. Do you remember it? My second-hand (and hence perfect for me) meme from Pip? ‘My Place and Yours’?
I gave it away. I felt overwhelmed. I felt obliged. I felt pressured. And now I miss it. I can’t have it back… ‘cause, well, I gave it away. So maybe I want another one.
Or do I?
Do I?
Do you? Are you meme-ed out?
Two of my favourites, without a doubt, are Kirsty’s ‘My Creative Space’ & Sophie’s ‘Flea Market Finds’. I love that anyone can join in, and I love visiting everyone who is playing along because I am interested in creative goings on & thrifted goodness…
…but I miss peeps coming HERE to play. I miss playing along every week (sometimes I’ve nothing creative to share, or no exciting oppy finds to display…), & thanking all you lovely peeps for playing along…
Maybe you’re the same? Maybe sometimes you’d like to join in but you just haven’t got anything?
I’ve been thinking about what would be a good choice for a new meme & although I came up with a few options, I am going to be selfish & go with the one that I actually need the most right now & it is to do with best intentions & accountability.
Tomorrow, Monday, the start of a new week where almost anything can happen, I am going to post about what I want to do this week, or will do, or something I want to think more deliberately about.
You might want to join in? You could post about something you’ve been putting off, an event you’re looking forward to or something that has to be done this week whether you like it or not. It could be one thing, big or small, or a virtual ‘to do list’.
You could post about a project so close to being finished you can taste it, or even about your desire to smile more & yell less, you know me kids, anything goes really. We can encourage each other to do those things we’d rather not & get excited about impending triumphs, that sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Of course if you don’t want to play along, that’s okay too, I just appreciate that you’re here for me to tell these things to!
Do you know what was the number one song on your twenty-first birthday? Mine was, to my dismay, Complicated by Avril Lavigne (The Boy’s was Shakira!).
On the day I was born it was Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield.
The number one on my eighteenth birthday was much better than those, and something I would have actually listened to at the time; Last Kiss by Pearl Jam.
To find the relevant hits for your memorable birthdays, or whenever, go here, be sure to come back & tell me if you’ve got some funny ones!
Since everyone seems to think my drawings lend themselves to being coloured in, I thought I’d give you all an early Easter pressie!
Go here to download & colour to your heart’s desire.
Late night drawing. Again. I have been drawing heaps lately & enjoying it immensely. I am thinking about offering up some completed illustrations on etsy or madeit… but knowing me, thinking about it may very well be as far as I ever get, although it would be nice to have some pocket money.
Last night I was home alone, bored & ready to draw so I asked on Twitter (I gave it another whirl & it seems third time is a charm) for some inspiration, Cam & Brianna were happy to oblige with the suggestions “A chook!” & “Gingerbread men & ladies” respectively.
Well the chicken is straight forward enough…
But the first time I read Brianna’s suggestion I saw “Gingerbread MAN & ladies”…
More creative spaces with Kirsty.
A couple of mornings ago I was doing a spot of drawing over my cup of tea & after finally, FINALLY “getting” Rapunzel – I’d tried & failed several times – I was wanting to get something else done, a quick brainstorm & the beautiful mermaid pendants I had seen via Mumma Rocks came to mind;
My version;
Such a beautiful pendant; I hope I’ve done it justice!
(…or more ways to “spend” your time…)
Online inspiration boards for everything & anything you can imagine; craft tutes, recipes, home inspiration, toys, art…
…and
Find things you never knew existed, that you wanted or that you have been waiting your whole life to find, thanks to your friends with fabulously good taste.
Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to an opshop find, you just have to have it for some reason, even if it’s not clear why.
Like the shoes I found this week for $4.
On the face of it, they’re a great find; Unique & funky looking, good condition, cheap.
If only they weren’t almost a half size too small.
And green – I’ve never owned green shoes in my life & am pretty sure, should the occasion arise where I would be able to wear these (i.e., sitting somewhere quietly & not walking anywhere…), I wouldn’t have a thing to wear them with.
Yet, I still had to have them…
(…some undoubtedly more reasonable finds here.)
…some time with my big Punk. Punky has been so awesome since Suspence arrived – helpful, sweet & not at all jealous, but she has had to put up with a lot less attention, fewer trips to the park, a baby crying… not much of a deal, eh? It has become a very rare occasion that sees Punky & I alone, so when The Boy suggested taking her out for a treat I was so excited.
After our morning tea (the pink pig was a fail; she would not be persuaded to have a cupcake, because the pig was PINK, but I knew she wouldn’t like it…), we got back in the car & I said “What would you like to do now? We can go anywhere you like?” & you know what she said, this daughter of mine?
“Opshop!”
I’m also grateful for the amazing bond that my big girl & my big boy have; The Boy took her to the zoo & I was invited yet discouraged to come along – It was really a Punk & Dad day thing, so I left them to it. They saw Hippos, Zebras, Giraffes, & with some Daddy-input, Punk recounted “Bloody chickens! And a big stinky Rhinoceros poo!”
More ‘gratefuls’ here.
