Daisy, Daisy........

Finally, the puter decided that it would accept the usb stick and I was able to download all my photo's as you probably all could tell by the previous post.

Here they are Vicky - 100+ daisies, I'm awaiting your next choice of flower.  Make it a hard one.

Jess and her first embroidery lesson

It is a joke amongst my friends that I am the BAAAAD BAAAAAAD BAAAAAAAAAD Grandma, well I think that today I have totally redeemed myself.  After months of Jess inching her way into the craftroom I relented and said today was the day I would teach her to embroider. Got McCains pizza squares and bought cup cakes on the way round there to pick her up.  We played the usual games of Trouble and for once Grandma slaughtered her.  All the time she's eyeing up the embroidery threads next to my chair. Unbeknowns to her I had already got the threads, material, needles and scissors all ready.  "Grandma I really really would like to learn to sew" "Yes, darling grandaughter, shall we begin"      I got her to draw out a simple flower shape and to write her name on a piece of homespun, she chose her threads and I did two stitches for her and away she went. She is a NATURAL, the way she held her material, she never got a knot in the threads once, she never pulled the threads too tight and the way she held the material and needle was like she's been doing it since birth.  She even managed to hold a conversation and watch tele while stitching - she's definately her grandmothers granddaughter.    She had a little break and we put lunch on and since we couldn't go on our picnic because of the rain we set it up in the living room, once lunch was over and cupcakes eaten - they were strawberry, vanilla and chocolate frosted and I told her to chose the two she wanted - she chose strawberry and chocolate but sneaked a small bite out of the vanilla one just to see what it tasted like we set to to more crafting.                                                              

After we cleared up from lunch we set to more stitching, then she needed a break and we got the beads out and she made some bracelets while we watched Peter Pan, Jess was amazed that Wendy kissed Peter Pan and refused to take her eyes off the screen even while she was threading beads, definately got my genes.

I went down to lie on the bed for a bit and read the paper and she joined me with her stitching, she just laid back propped up on all the cushions and stitched away. I just cannot believe for her first time how easily it came to her, she's 7.  I taught handicraft up at the school a few years back and the 10 and eleven year olds were hopeless, knots, pulled work, I was forever rethreading needles and pulling back work.

So I suppose I'd better get her a little sewing box made up. All we did was running stitch and a french knot but she seems well and truly hooked. 

Thinking it was safe to relax a little I made myself a coffee, she was still all fired up for crafting and she got out the blank jigsaw puzzles and I drew out one for her to colour in, but she lost interest in that and left me to the colouring in, but then she came back and did one for herself.

She made two more bracelets and I decided that was enough, we'd excelled ourselves and we hadn't even done half the normal things we usually do. It was a very good day and I know which one of us will be going to bed early tonight.  I've just done a quiick tidy up and removed three cups of coffee that I never got to drink.

Gremlins

I was going to put up the photo of the daisies but for some reason I can't get my photo's off the little usb stick, it was working fine yesterday, thats all I need. Puter keeps telling me New Hardware Found, ready to use and then nothing.  Vicky, I did over 100 daisies so what flower is next in the challenge

I was going to have my grandaughter over today but the weathers is miserable, glad I worked in the garden yesterday.  I'll give them a ring and see if she still wants to come. I found 4 packets of beads in the op-shop before christmas shaped like small shells so I had planned on making bracelets with her. We normally go on a picnic down by the creek - tablecloths, napkins and the whole works, then a trip to the library, maybe bake some cupcakes, do some drawing and colouring in. I usually dedicate the whole day to her, no housework or shopping, its our special time together.

Scuse the double chin and the daft hat - I just look a dork in a hat, hats and me just don't go. Unfortunately they are a necessity in this climate.This is my gorgeous girl and I on our last picnic.

Well she still wants to come over despite the rain so better go get some indoorsy stuff organised. Might be the time to teach her to embroider.

Hugs

Janjan

Inspiration hits - KAPOW

Okay, its either feast or famine with me. Last night I sat down to crochet my one little daisy, one little daisy looked lonesome so I did a few more, drew out a heart shape and proceeded to fill in the heart shape with lots of daisies.  This morning I made a start crocheting some motifs form the library book I got yesterday. Ooops, its a good job I'm fairly clued up on crochet as the book has plenty of mistakes - now I have ideas for things swimming round my head.  Then this morning a friend dropped in with a book for me from our mutual in/outlaw - Beading Design with Semi-Precious Stones by Kim Gover.  Since I have heaps and heaps of semi-precious stones and have a great supplier to get more I was inspired to get out my beading boxes.
So many things to do and not enough hours. So in the morning while the light is good I will embroider, its cooler then, in the afternoon when the sun gets round to the front of the house I will bead. I can embroider anywhere but tI need my desk to bead properly. In the evenings when it gets cooler again I can crochet.
Somewhere in all of that activity I will fit the shopping and housework.  The doctor while pleased I have a hobby to occupy my mind says all that sitting doing the craft is bad, so for every 20 mins inactivity I will rush around like mad doing housework for 20 mins or gardening even. 

So the plan is..........................

1)  To work on new designs with the goal of getting a design accepted by Embroidery & CrossStitch magazine.  Research what is currently popular (this would mean buying craft magazines and cruising round the web, what a lovely excuse)

2)  To finish of the designs already started with the goal of submitting them to HandMade and Creating Country Threads magazines.

3)  Creating the patterns for the amigurmi dolls I made up as I went along. 

4)  Looking into making kits for basic embroidery designs.  I have the patterns already written up for the simple designs I have had in the magazines before.  Need to price fabric, threads etc.

I think that is enough or now.

Now to get back to normal life.  The low pressure system is out in the Coral Sea and is expected to develop into a cyclone. This will affect our area. So I have to get prepared just in case its a bad one.  Make sure torches are working, make sure we have candles and matches accessible, make sure first aid kit is up to date, make sure plenty of food, check there are no things around the garden that could become missiles. Clean out the window wells, move pot plants to a protected place.  Move electrical stuff off the floor in the sheds, get out the tarps, find the battery operated radio and check its working.  Check the holiday home next door. 
The damm thing could hover around out in the gulf for days before it intensifys and it might just fizzle out but we have to take these precautions. 

So better get to it,


Jan

PS: Did 30 mins in the garden, ended up weeding rather than moving stuff.  That can be the next job, after 30 mins of embroidery.

Brewing for a storm

The storm clouds are gathering, there the threat of a  cyclone out in the gulf, hopefully it won't affect us other than winds and more rain, but if it crosses land and goes out to the coral sea there is a chance it could develop into a cyclone and head back which would affect us.   These things are so unpredictable who knows what they will do.

Got taken in early to see the doc., ecg okay, blood pressure okay, blood sugars okay.  Thyroid not causing concern so I don't have to see her again till December. Sounds good to me, I'm happy with that. Went to the library and got some gardening books for embroidery ideas, also found a boof with 250 crochet motifs in - wonder if I can do every single one before the book goes back. What a task that would be.

Here are the girls ready to go party.
Looks like I have missed the christmas in JUly deadline but who cares, they are finished, the
pattern is written up and I can start of something else.

Getting my mojo back

Okay I have a few hours to kill before my hospital appointment and thanks to Vicky at Anglesey Allsorts I'm going to be rummaging around for something to embroider - one daisy, well Vicky I know I won't be able to stop at one and I am very good at daisies.  What sort do you want - I'm fond of the sailor boy daisy or maybe just a sweet little ordinary daisy.  You do know what you have started or it was it your intention all along.

Yesterday I did something I have not done for a long time - I started and finished a project in one day, I made a sister for the christmas in july angel. Well I had to check the pattern and thought since yesterday was a miserable drizzly day I would stay in and get stuck into it.  So santa's little helper was born.  I can't say I got great joy out of it but I disciplined myself to it and determined at least to get to sewing on limbs stage.
I amazed myself by sticking to it and put the last finishing touches on at 11 p.m. last night.  In fact despite the fact I had finished I was still rummaging around for a christmas button way after midnight.  oooooooooohhhh - I don't really want to go in that craft room this morning, I just remembered the mess I mad in there.

I'm typing away and all I really want to do is make a start on the daisies..........Shasta's, I love Shasta Daisy, I'm going to walk away from the puter and get the gardening books out or maybe marguerittes (sp ?).  I've been published in two of the best craft mags in Oz but what I really really really want is to get a design in Embroidery and CrossStitch. But I'm going to start small.......... a little little daisy and I'm going to go now..........Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

embroidering daisies

sunday

My inspirations taken a very long rest Vicky, I think it forgot to take the map on how to get back.

I feel its stirrings, but its buried deep.   I went garage saling yesterday, after posting in y other blog and pulled myself together and got out of the house. I went to the market but failed to be inspired to buy anything, not even seedlings for the veggie garden. I nipped to the store while I was there and bought essentials to get us through the next few days till payday, I noticed a sign for a garage sale  at the checkout so I nipped in there on the way home, Nothing much - there was a cute little pottery cow jug, all pink and blue and it was only a dollar but it was badly chipped so it stayed where it was.  I did buy a wheat heat bag though, just what I had been looking for. Perfect for sticking in the freezer for those dread power surges.

We sat on the verandah of my friends new place and just gazed at the view,  so matter what direction you look in this is all you see, blue skies and green hills, the only sound  the cows in the paddocks below and the occassional symphony when the wind blows through the pipe on the sheds.  Its high on a hill, up a winding farm track, they wanted out of town and its certainly out of town.  The only downfall being  that the area has one of the highest rainfalls in Q'land and its shrouded in mist come the wet season, its not called the Misty Mountains for nothing.

Jean Greenhowe dolls

These little cuties were made 29 years ago from a Jean Greenhowe pattern (? sp.). Would I have the patience now to make a dozen of the same thing. I wonder if any of the little girls they were made for as mascots still have them.  Its a scanned old poleroid so thats why the quality is bad. I know the uniforms are dated now but they don't look much different from dolls on Etsy do they.  Just wish I could have back some of that patience I must have had way back in 1981.

Friday 15th Jan

Ooops, need another coffee, not quite a wake yet.  After a busy day yesterday cleaning  the holiday home next door for my neighbour I feel great. Its a very strange feeling. A few aches and pains but thats to be expected after cleaning walls and scrubbings bathrooms. But I feel fine otherwise, no breathlessness, no chest pains. I sat down after I finished to read for a while and suddenly realised I was feeling okay, I analysed the feeling as I always do which is a habit I need to get out of.   Could be a one off or it could be that I am not so focused on my damm health.  I never used to be, but then I wasn't affected by anything, didn't even know I was a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off.  All you ladies approaching 50 watch your health, heart disease and diabetes symptoms can mimic menapause - hot sweats, leg aches, itching skin, headaches, fatigue  etc. Being women we tend to ignore these things and carry on regardless. I was 49, recently widowed and just getting back into the workforce after years of caring for kids and my hubby. I'd had symptoms for years but ignored them. I nearly died,   Get regular cholestrol, blood pressure and sugar tests. If your health centre do free well women clinics get yourself along there. Okay, lecture over for today.

I had the house to myself last night, didn't watch tele again, played a bit on the computer and  then sat down and finished the doll I was making.  Sorry about the bad quality of the photo, it was late and the light was bad and then the batteries died on the camera.  She's  for a christmas in July submission - based on my little grandaughter Stacey who is a very individual miss, very independant and has her own sense of style. 
We have christmas in JUly here in the middle of our winter, not that our winters here in the Tropicl Far North of Queensland get very cold but down south it does (they even get snow)

Just another little corner of my craft room. I was looking for a certain button and completely forgot about this little spice cupboard I use for my small buttons. I tend to overlook it when I'm looking for a button, its mainly for display.  I bought it at a garage sale, probably only paid a dollar.  Definately one of my best finds.  The old buttons on the card were in a very nice foreign biscuit tin I also picked up at a garage sale, it was full of old sewing bits and pieces and I think I only paid a dollar for that as well.  I really miss finding bargains like that.  The darning mushroom and the wooden cotton reels were also in the tin.   I really do need to find that passion again, I need to feel that rush of adrenalin when I'm on the hunt. I just seem to be going through the motions, just living each day as it comes, it just needs something a bit more. 
I didn't even look in the paper to see what garage sales were on this weekend. 



Don.t like the sounds of that, sirens have gone rushing through town,  more sirens now.  There is a very windy mountain road down to the coast about 10 klms out of town , I hope nobody has gone off it.  I always do a quick check of where all my kids and friends should be right now.  Our fire engine hasn't gone out yet,  just the police and the ambulance from the next town.


Better go get dressed, nah, better go make another coffee, have breakfast and then get dressed. Going out today to look at a house my friend is going to rent, its near the tea plantation so might call in there for morning tea.  Its got great country views so hopefully my camera batteries will be charged up enough to take some piccys.