Getting Cosy with a Crocodile Stitch

One of my winter projects that is coming along is my new lap blanket.  It still has a little while until it's going to keep my feet warm though.

I'm still a bit of a beginner crocheter, so luckily, once you've got the hang of it, this one is really easy, though please don't ask to look at the edges of the blanket - they are super wonky!  I hate changing colours in crochet so just used a yarn that changed colour through the ball.

As it's a double thickness, I find this blanket uses up a lot of wool, but at the same time it has such a lovely weight and warmth to it.

The youtube tutorial I used to learn is here.

Do you have any seasonal crafty projects going on?

My Creative Space - Studio Snapshots

In the studio lately....

Some teeny tiny origami pieces have arrived, ready to be made into stud earrings...

I've been working with some jeweller's wax...

Working on adding some new designs to my range influenced by my new garden surrounds... and the weather of late...

I still find magic in that moment that the resin pours into the silver and hits the fabric, it's like a light has been turned on inside the bezel....

The puppy, who still loves to chew on everything, isn't allowed inside the studio yet, but that doesn't stop from her hoping....

Playing with lots of silver....

I'm loving having a dedicated resin desk, it's so clean and clear in contrast to the messy silver desk...

And ever so slowly my studio garden is beginning to grow.  I'm hoping it will be lovely and lush by next summer.

What's been happening around your place lately?  Any snapshots?  Drop over to here to share or check out other creative spaces this week.

A Kiss-The-Postman Kind of Day

... or at least kiss-my-dear-husband-who-carried-the-heavy-boxes-into-my studio kind of day.

I'm getting itchy feet, missing my yearly fabric shopping trip in Japan, having put the money into building the new studio instead.  So I was delighted when an order of 42 gorgeous girl's kimonos arrived today.  

Going through the box I was imagining the little girls who had worn the kimonos before, how excited the girls must have been, how pretty they must have felt.  My mind then starts racing with ideas to honour the fabrics in their next incarnation.

Here's a peek at a few of my favourites....

Some will become jewellery pieces, some will go into the quilt I'm working on and some into a new idea I'm playing with.  But no matter where it goes, each little piece will be treasured for the amazing history that it has had.

Learning How to Make an Animated Image

I've just been playing with making an animated image for a web ad.  To be honest, it seemed like it was going to be a bit daunting at first, but a quick google search for tutorials and I was on my way.  

I used this tutorial and this one.

It was fun to make, I can see me playing with a few more of these in the future.

Making This House a Home :: Kokeshi Display

Since we've moved to our new home, so much energy has gone into the yard and the studio that it now feels so good to start making little corners inside really feel like home.

Recently my Kokeshi collection was unpacked and hung, using ikea cutlery trays as shadow boxes.  I will put some pretty Japanese papers in the boxes sometime soon, like I did in this display, but for now it's great to see my little dolls again.  The gorgeous quilt was made by my mum, thanks mum!  

Please excuse the unhemmed curtains in the background, that's one of the next jobs to get done.  

Coming Out Of Hiding

Being the introvert that I am, I can at times go into hiding, enjoying some peace from the outside world, both on and offline.  The last couple of months have been about just that and now at the end of it I'm refreshed, ready to embrace the world around me, feeling healthier, inspired and enthused about work.

During the time I've had lots of lovely family time, enjoying our new surroundings...

The little one has taken a real interest in photography, initially using a toy camera but is now excited to have her own, hand-me-down, digital camera.  She had made a structure the other day and before playing with it, got out her camera to document it. 

We've also had a new member join our family.  She was a little nervous on her first day in her new home, but has since taken over the place and is growing so quickly.

I've been taking a few lovely long afternoon walks up my street and just have to pinch myself each time that I get to live here.  Each time I come home I also ask myself the question why I'm not doing that walk daily, so here's to forming a new habit.

It's a real joy to own a garden for the first time.  The man has been getting into the vege garden and planting lots of fruit trees.  I prefer playing with flowers and have been making a lot of trips to the local nurseries.

The new studio continues to be unpacked and set up, but I've started playing with ideas for a new range of formed silver.  This year I hope to add a lot more shape, dimension and colour to my silver work so stay tuned for that...

And then as evenings fall, personal craft projects have been coming out.  The stack of yoyos for my quilt continues to grow...

but as the weather has started to cool down, I felt the urge to pull out some wool and hook again, learning a crocodile stitch for the first time.

Work life is now about to get very busy again with BrisStyle's Destash and Dash market this Friday , wholesale orders to fill, interstate markets booked in for next month and a trade fair not too far to follow, but I hope to keep some of these quiet, cosy moments into my life on a regular basis.

My Creative Space - The New Space

Oh where, oh where has this blogger been...

It's been a few months since I've posted, and so much has changed since then.  At the end of last year, we finally moved to our little old house in the rural township of Glass House Mountains. We're loving it; the peace, the space, the friendly neighbours, the garden and the joy of knowing that it's ours to do what we want with it.

It's also meant that I've been able to build a new studio.  A little place in the garden that is all mine.  I feel like I should give it a glamourous name like "the studio" but most of the time it's "the shed".  As I sit and work, I look out onto Mt Ngugun.

While we had a builder construct the shed, The Man and I, with a bit of help from my dad, laid the flooring, put up the walls, did the plastering and painting ourselves.

For my birthday, The Man built me a big, long, jeweller's bench.  What I wanted most from this space is lots of different work stations so that I wouldn't have to pack up one task to begin another.  Across the room I have another long bench for resin work, a third desk for processing and packing orders.  A fourth, long table in the centre will be for my computer, fabric cutting and the occasional sewing.  I can imagine a lot of the sketching will be done on the little studio deck.

I still have lots of unpacking and setting up to do, but for me, a place never feels quite right until the books are out and a few little treasures are out.