Wednesday, February 4, 2009

We tried to find some words to aid in the decay

Well, my break was a lot longer than I expected. I was very sure I wasn't going to come back, if I'm to tell you the truth. But I'm here now (and I'm still wondering why) and I'm ready to start sprinkling positive crafty love back over the blogosphere (isn't blogosphere the coolest word?).

As I'm struggling to get my head together these days, here's a brief list of goings-on.

* Last week I bought some craft books from Book Depository. And then in Sydney on the weekend I bought a lot more craft (and non-craft) books. And oh boy. I already have A LOT of craft books. My addiction to pretty craft books is an illness.


Craft books

(This is only part of it)


Sometimes I think it would be easier if I could keep to one craft. Like quilting. So not only is my fabric/yarn/thread/dressmaking patterns stash enormous, but my book collection is too.

So I've issued a challenge to myself. I want to make one thing from a different book each fortnight.

* After listening to a Craft Sanity podcast with Daniel Vosovic, I am now addicted to Project Runway. I watch it on YouTube any chance I get. If you sew clothes or are interested in fashion design and you haven't already discovered this show, you really must take a look.

* My house is currently half painted, the laundry has a waterfall appear everytime it rains heavily, but I am still a house-proud woman who loves to read about how others have designed, decorated and furnished their homes. So when Patricia and I were in the Kinokuniya interior design section on the weekend, looking for inspiration for her apartment, we came across an Apartment Therapy book. I love Apartment Therapy, even though they write 65,000 posts a day, (and I'm still very cross with them for using one of my photos without asking me permission or giving correct attribution), but this book is fantastic. I think it is going to become very well thumbed and I can see years of inspiration coming out of it. And *pssst* it was under $40.

This is part of my owl collection

* Let's hear it for Pip from Meet Me At Mike's! A couple of years ago I read about her stitching nights at her store in Melbourne, and I was so jealous that I didn't live close enough to go. And then last year Pip changed the format to Brown Owls, with an emphasis on the crafty and the nice. I signed up as a Faraway member, but the lack of job and income conspired against me visiting Melbourne for a meeting. But I loved reading about all their activities in Melbourne friends' blogs and it almost felt like I was there too.

Well blow me down if Pip didn't change the format again, with less formal Melbourne meets, and new interstate meets! I signed up again for another year immediately, and now there are a few of us here in Canberra and we are meeting very soon for some crafty action! I am so excited, even at my age, to have the opportunity to learn new things from other people, and most importantly to make new friends. Gosh, I sound like I'm 5 years old, don't I? But excited! I am! Hooray for Pip!

*(oh, and Pip has a book out soon, don't you know?)

* The vegetable garden is going great, I'm getting tired of salads, I'm making strawberry icecream every week with my own strawberries and I'm up to swimming 32 laps at the pool. I need to swim 32 laps - I'm eating way too much icecream.

15 comments:

  1. Not only did they steal your photo, but they captioned it with the egregious "brooch's" instead of "brooches." OH MY GOD. I'm quickly reaching the point where I think screamingly incorrect apostrophe use merits an appearance before the firing squad.

    (I haven't had my coffee yet. Can you tell?)

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  2. I love the idea of a project from the book a fortnight as well as all your postitive energy into the blogosphere.

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  3. They sure did "borrow" your photo without acknowledging you. How rude. I hope you said something to them.

    Anyway, I'm glad you're back from your blogging break. You'd better keep blogging!

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  4. I'm so glad you decided to come back...yippee!
    I just checked out Apartment Therapy. I don't understand why they would bother stealing your photo and saying that you're a Canberra based Etsy Seller but then not bother to actually link or acknowledge properly... rude!
    PS. I'm addicted to PR too!

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  5. Project Runway is tops isn't it! Makes my foxtel subscription entirely worth it!

    And I'm with you on the craft books - I can't help myself!

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  6. I am so happy that you have decided to return to blogging. I have missed reading your posts. It sounds like a fun meet up your going to go to. I have a craft book addiction too, and have so many books that most of them are like brand new and havent been used yet. I still love them all though and when I get bored I take one out and look at all the projects I would love to make from them one day.

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  7. hooray! nice to have you back in the blogosphere QM! =)
    I am such a craft book hoarded too!
    I am so looking forward to Brown Owls as well - craftiness and niceness, new crafty skills and new friends!
    What more could you want!
    xo

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  8. Glad to see you 'back' QM ;-)
    and you're not the only one who feels like a 5 year old - I'm uber excited about brown owls. I'm desperately hoping some stencilled shirts/singlets will be in the mix somewhere....

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  9. Welcome back! You were missed.

    I suppose this is flogging a dead horse a bit but I don't see that as simply stealing a photo - it's somehow nastier because they referred to you as a 'Canberra based Etsy seller' - it's like a backhanded plug without a link - like they don't want to send you any business but just spread your idea around.

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  10. Great to see you blogging again Michelle - I have definitely missed your wit and creative inspiration. I don't have cable telly so have to watch Project Runway via YouTube - it is very addictive!

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  11. Glad you're back. I've missed you.

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  12. 32 laps! Now please check my arithmetic but I figure that if each lap is 50 metres (standard olympic pool measurement) that equals 1600 metres. There are 175 metres in a ball of pattonyle sock yarn. 1600 divided by 175 equals 9.142 (lets say 9). You can get a pair of socks to a ball of pattonyle if the legs aren't too long. Mick that means that you can swim 9 pairs of socks!!! That's so impressive.

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  13. Hi Michelle,
    That was so sweet of you to recognize me at the Blythe tea party.
    But then my Owlie gave me away!
    I really like the pic of your owls and Blythe...adorable bonnet!
    I had a little lookie at Apartment Therapy and right down under the doily tree is a little link to your etsy page. I guess they felt guilty.
    See you at Stitches and Craft.
    xLiz

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  14. YOu are clever (and your crafting books look a lot like my knitting books - only yours are neater...)

    I am houseproud - but that doesn't mean I do housework! I love the idea of making something from a book each fortnight - I am going back to Georgie's idea of cooking for a week from a single cookbook - because my cookbook library is worst than the knitting one - I am still not sure why I have a cookbook which has recipes for whalemeat and reindeer balls in it. Sigh.
    And my security word is `equalitt'
    (to go with fratenitt and libertt I suppose)

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