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.



(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.

* 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.