khhast

neglected

2009-10-17T21:31:00.005+13:00

My blog's been rather neglected this year, I've felt so busy with uni and motherhood. It's been a hard year and it's crazy that it's nearly over - exams in a week and a half. I've struggled this year, struggled to find time to relax, time to do hobbies I enjoy, time to try and remember who I am and who I'm trying to become. Some days I just carry on because that's all I know how to do. Miss S has been a wonderful blessing and joy in my life, an amazing bright spot in a world which sometimes seems too dark.

ways to celebrate a 1st birthday

2009-09-08T15:56:00.002+12:00

Miss S is one today, and my what a day! It has been filled with all sorts of things. Here's just some of them:
-go to a lecture at uni
-eat curry
-spend about 1hr on buses or waiting for them
-talk on the phone while expressing milk
-wash and polish a car both inside and out (with help from the darling husband)
-turn a carseat around
-cut my hair in a new and spunky style
-get Miss S and myself covered in hair clippings
-enjoy some sunshine while reading a book
-plant a flower (not a real one, a bright yellow and pink spinning one)
-blow up balloons
-open presents for someone else
and hug a one-year-old!

embroidered art

2009-07-06T22:14:00.003+12:00

I decided to post my recent art after all. Somewhat hesitantly, but then, why not? As a disclaimer, I'm not suicidal, but I have been in the past, and have self-harmed in the past. I've found that getting these types of thoughts out as art helps them stay out of my head (which can only be a good thing). If these sort of images disturb you or prompt you to think in negative ways, please don't look, this is theraputic art for me and I don't want it to affect anyone negatively. So I've put a cute pic in to give you a bit of distancing.

These pictures were all done in soft coloured pencil on the thermal backing of an old curtain, and then embroidered with polyester thread.

contemplating death

suicide

self-harm

Any thoughts?

cruisin' and crawlin'

2009-07-04T20:03:00.004+12:00

I haven't been doing much lately, enjoying my holiday, and keeping Miss S out of trouble now that she's crawling and cruising around the house.

I've been doing a bit of drawing to keep myself entertained, though of rather emotive and heavy topics (suicide/self-harm), I won't post more than a detail here, showing of some of the embroidered detail work, but if you're interested, look me up as khhast on flickr.com

One week of holidays left, then I'm back into the study. I hope to keep a bit more creativity in my life this semester, but managing pain levels tends to be more important most of the time.

yesterday

2009-06-11T16:36:00.003+12:00

I had a pretty good day yesterday, despite having my second of four exams. While wandering around uni wasting time before my exam I saw two baby swans, a beautiful soft and fluffy grey, happily waddling around with their parents.
After my exam was over and I was walking back to my car, a beautiful tui (native NZ bird) sang to me from the top of an almost naked tree.
On the drive home I saw a van painted with the following slogan that made me laugh aloud:

"I followed the road less travelled
now where the hell am I?"

Then we went to the in-laws for dinner and they fed us yummy apple and berry strudel for desert.
It was a good day.

hope you're having a good one!

raining leaves

2009-04-29T15:40:00.004+12:00

It's this time of year when all the beautifully coloured autumn leaves start collecting in the street gutters. Which is beautiful and wonderful, and really quite lovely, except for one thing: at some point it rains for a few days straight (it's doing it right now!) and all the lovely leaves start blocking drains and causing big puddles. They were fun for biking through on the way home from school as a kid, but they can cause some problems.

I am thankful for the rain though, my garden was in need of a good watering. My lavendar bushes are growing fantastically well, unfortunately so are the weeds, as I haven't had much of a chance to get rid of any with lots of assignments to do instead.

Right now, Miss S is out for a walk with her dad, enjoying the rain, while I'm puddling around at home in a quick break from assignment writing.

a rainbow of trackpants

2009-04-16T20:13:00.005+12:00

I've been enjoying my holiday break so far, I've been getting a bit of study done, working on some assignments with some classmates, but between that I've been trying to relax a bit and chill out.

I've started making a few pairs of track-pants for Miss S, and it's been great to get some sewing done and just enjoy myself. One pair is complete and another half done, though I'll need some more elastic to finish the third pair. I'm just using the simplest of patterns based on another pair of pants we have for her to grow into, only two pieces of fabric with a fold over for the elastic at waist and ankles. They look like they'll be super cozy for winter, and of course super cute!

photos go on holiday

2009-04-09T16:31:00.002+12:00

I'm so glad I'm finally on holiday, I'm in real need of a break, though I have plenty of assignments and readings to get done over my break.

I've been really enjoying taking photos lately, exploring my camera a bit, and I've finally worked out how to do the cool depth of field photos that are all over the place. Here's one of my sewing machine...

and one of Miss S's latest toy.

I took this third photo on our duck feeding trip last week of the sunshine sparkling in the paddling pool.

I've finally got a bit of sewing done, maybe more on that later. Enjoy your Easter weekend.

feeding laughing ducks

2009-04-05T14:27:00.004+12:00

We had the most fun I've had in so very long last Tuesday with a bunch of old friends getting together and laughing all evening - I highly recommend it. Though my cheeks were sore for the next couple of days from all the laughing and smiling.

On Friday it was an absolutely gorgeously sunny day and we seemed to be making a collection of stale bread and crusts so we went to feed the ducks. It was a fun adventure with Miss S fascinated by the ducks crowding around demanding food.

After we'd run out of bread we wandered over to the paddling pool...

...where we dipped Miss S's feet in, before heading back to the car and home.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon as a family - sunshine and fun all round.

relaxing madness

2009-03-30T17:23:00.003+13:00

I have had a crazy last couple of weeks with two assignments to get done and two tests to study for, but thankfully it's all over and I can relax a little. Unfortunately I'm quite sore from too much writing and stressing so can't really chill out by sewing, which is disappointing as I have far too many ideas floating around in my head wanting to get out, plus umpteen dozen works in progress. However to distract me from this sad state of affairs my bestest friend from high school is coming to town tomorrow and we're having a big random potluck dinner at my place to celebrate. This is her first visit home from London in two and a half years and it really has been far far too long. So tonight it'll be early to bed so I can rush around after uni tomorrow picking up pieces of house to make room for visitors. We're so excited!

sheep at 5am

2009-03-26T05:30:00.003+13:00

I'm up pre-dawn today, Miss S keeps deciding that she's wide awake in the middle of the night and insists on not staying in bed, so we're up enjoying 5am. To amuse myself I've been catching up on some blog reading, it's been getting a bit behind with some assignments coming due and tests to study for, but 5am is no time to be doing anything productive. I found this incredible video over at Inhabitat and it amazed me so I thought I'd share.

Enjoy your day... hopefully I'll be going back to bed for a while before I truly start mine.

wordless wednesday

2009-03-26T05:20:00.001+13:00

washing day

wordless wednesday

2009-03-18T14:43:00.001+13:00

sewing lavender

2009-03-16T20:20:00.005+13:00

I got some sewing done last weekend, it was great. I started on a project inspired by Tonya's alphabet piecing, looking towards Christmas presents. These two are part of a "sun, sand, and sea" series for some family.

Over the weekend I did some good gardening, weeding lots, planting a lavender bush into the garden, and trimming the lavender bushes we already have. The lavender clipping are now drying out in my studio, filling the room with wonderful smells.

The last couple of days I've been working hard on my studies - reading and writing - but I keep being distracted by clothing ideas that float in on the lavender smells in my studio/study.

wordless wednesday

2009-03-11T13:50:00.004+13:00

Does anyone even know who started this?

highchair antics

2009-03-07T13:37:00.003+13:00

Miss S has been eating solids for a couple of weeks now, and absolutely loving it! About a week ago my mum brought us their old highchair which they bought second-hand some twenty-eight or so years ago for my older brother. It's since been lent to another family for their three kids and now is finding a warm welcome in our house.

So Miss S can now join us at the table for meals which is great fun for all of us. At the moment I'm baking some yummy bread which we're going to bake nice and crispy so she can suck and chew away on them.

Meanwhile, I'm off to do some sewing! Yay!!

What are your plans for the weekend?

uncreative creativity

2009-03-04T16:49:00.005+13:00

I'm missing being creative. I've been filling my brain with my uni studies for less than two weeks and I'm feeling deprived of creative time. Not that I'd probably do much sewing, my wrists have been too sore with all the notetaking, but I've been feeling a bit paintily, and wishing I had some paints so I could explore it a bit. -not that I have much time free at the mo.

In my blogland explorations I've come across some fantastically inspiring artists, including:

Lisa Lectura

Nancy

Shariyah Garner

Outi Harma

I have, however, spent a bit of time cleaning carrot/potato-mush out of my baby daughter's nose ...not something you do everyday, but one of the joys of starting with solids.

Photo Challenge - Humanity

2009-02-28T10:02:00.005+13:00

Over at Dr Cason's blog, she has regular photo challenges, February's theme is "humanity". I took these pics of Miss S and her grandparents.

I really enjoyed the contrast of the small-newness of Miss S, and the more tanned and weathered grandparents.

Pics are clickable for bigger versions.

I look forward to seeing what March's theme is over with Dr Cason.

brain food

2009-02-26T19:29:00.003+13:00

Not much happening around these parts, as I've been busy filling my brain with random info about itself and how it can study itself (or others like it).

University has begun with a vengence, and all my lecturers seem to want me to read two massive chapters of textbooks each, so much brain is being overloaded. But I'm still enjoying noticing the little things:

Like speckled eggs.

What interesting things have you come across lately?

one last fling...

2009-02-22T19:14:00.004+13:00

with the sewing machine, as I'm back to university tomorrow morning (not that it'll stop me, just slow me down), leaving Miss S home with her darling dad. I'm sure they'll have lots of fun. But the last week I've been rushing around a bit trying to get things done, which at times got a bit stressful. So to cheer myself up a bit (the study looks rather heavy going by looking at my textboooks) I made myself a new top:

I'm sure it looks better on me than my mannequin.

A close-up of the pleated neckline detail.
Sorry they're a bit fuzzy, I was having trouble cos we were in the hallway for its good light (random, I know).

I based it on a gathered neckline t-shirt with raglan sleeves I got for Christmas. I decided to not have a seam between the front and the sleeves, and just to continue the pleats right around to the raglan seams at the back. So it has kimono-style sleeves at the front, but raglan-style at the back. I haven't hemmed any of the edges, just coverseamed them a cm or so from the edge. The neckline I basted the pleats and then coverseamed over them.

I'm really pleased how it turned out, only a few minor problems (like the fabric doesn't breathe very well, so not good for the hot sweaty days we're currently getting). It's the first item of clothing I've made in a while so I'm a little out of practice.

have books... will study

2009-02-20T09:38:00.004+13:00

It is a miserable wet and gloomy day here, and, after dropping the darling husband off at work, I took Miss S adventuring out in it to Uni to get my books and study notes for the semester, both of us arrived home rather damp. So to brighten our days, here's a few pics I've taken recently on a much sunnier day:

Some of the trees in our street think it's autumn.
(apologies for the hideous smudge, I took this photo through my car's windscreen - it obviously needs a good clean!)

The cross on local Our Lady of Lourdes catholic school and church.

What do you do to brighten gloomy days? -Especially all you Northern Hemispherians hanging out for spring.

snails (the mail variety)

2009-02-19T10:28:00.004+13:00

I know I only posted yesterday evening, but I've just received a wonderful bit of snail mail from the lovely Nancy over at all pulped out. She also participated in OWOH, and sent out cards to I think the first 150 comments on her OWOH giveaway post.

Not only did she send me this beautiful card all the way from Canada, she also sent me a wonderful piece of her mixed media artwork which is now gracing my fridge with its beauty.

Thanks Nancy!

finishing and starting

2009-02-18T21:03:00.007+13:00

I'm counting down to this date:

University starts back in only 5 days and my list of things to get done over the summer break seems to be nearly as long now as it was back in November. Eek! Today, however, I did manage to finish one thing on my list: Nappies! I have finally finished sewing nappy pockets and can get back to some more creative sewing, almost. The nappies have had all 360 corners of velcro trimmed (4 corners x 5 pieces of velcro x 18 nappies = 360 corners, and no I didn't really need to know how many there was) and then had a wash so they're now all ready to use. Don't the colours look fantastic?!

I've started on another sewing item on my list, new curtains for our bedroom. We were given some nice full-length curtains which I've chopped the bottoms off so they can be normal length window curtains and curtains for the small window above our bed. So far I've hemmed the large ones, the small ones are still a work in progress.

I found some baby snails (they were tiny! only finger-width in length) while yanking out some very very long grass in our front yard, and had to stop and run find the camera. Most of the grass is still there, I didn't want the baby snails to lose their home. They were so amazingly wonderful. And their shells were translucent in the morning sunshine.

In other news, Miss S is starting on solids tomorrow! She hasn't put any weight on since I went lactose-free to help her reflux 2.5months ago, so we're getting started on solids to see if it'll help. Going lactose-free cut out a huge amount of fat from my diet, which may have been good for me, but not so good for a growing baby. The plunket nurse (free medical service for under5s) will visit again in a fortnight to see how she's going. It will be fun! The darling husband and I are very much looking forward to Miss S's reactions to food.

What are you excited about getting crossed off your list these days?
Or just getting started on that's exciting and inspiring you?

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:43:00.006+13:00

My sweet wee Miss S is celebrating with me, with her socks!

They're a bit hard to see, so here's a closer look:

Hearts! How sweet! On tiny wee baby socks! So very adorable.
(It was so hard to get this photo, she just wouldn't stop moving for me!)

To help get you in the mood, here's some lyrics from one of my favourite songs at the mo:

Until the world has stopped revolving
Until the birds have left the trees
Until the winds have stopped from blowing
You'll be loved by me.

Until the rain has stopped from falling
Until the fish don't swim the sea
Until the stars have stopped from shining
You'll be loved by me.

Sorry but I have absolutely no idea what it is or who it's by as it's just a random one on the darling husband's computer.

So happy Valentines Day everyone!

What are you doing to celebrate?

One World - One Heart winner!

2009-02-12T11:30:00.000+13:00

Today is February the 12th, the day (as it happens around the world) that winners of OWOH giveaways are announced. Thanks to everyone who visited and entered, I received an amazing 220 comments on my giveaway post, as well as many other lovely comments on other posts from people who I am sure were visiting via OWOH.

So, without further ado, the random number generator over at random.org has declared:

Marilyn to be the winner of my bag.

Marilyn, an email is on its way to you, hope to hear from you soon.

If you didn't manage to visit blogs involved in OWOH, the blogroll will stay up for a few months, so pop on over here and take a look, there's many many wonderful crafters and bloggers there.

state of chaos

2009-02-11T20:04:00.004+13:00

I was gonna do some sewing today, you know, get those nappies finished before uni restarts in a fortnight, maybe even get creative, but instead my sewing room looks like this:

I can't even get in, let alone do anything!

My dad brought up a bed for Miss S, as well as a rather large bookcase. This provoked a mass rearranging of most of the house. The darling husband and I have swapped sides of the bedroom (confusing for sleepily stumbling into bed) and the living room has been totally changed, all because of the addition of one bookcase. The furniture's now mostly in place, but I have much book organising to do, so who knows when I'll get some sewing done. I might have to make some time for it cos I really want to get those nappies (among other things) finished before uni starts, but I'm running out of time. Eek!

In other news, Miss S's first tooth is coming through!

magnetic family

2009-02-09T19:28:00.005+13:00

It was a long weekend here, so we went away for a bit of a family gathering at my parents' place, introducing Miss S to one of her aunts and some of her great-grandparents. It was a fun weekend.

My parents collect fridge magnets, and I love this one:

What did you do over the weekend?

The Painted Man

2009-02-04T13:17:00.004+13:00

A little while ago I mentioned that I had just started reading "The Painted Man" by Peter V. Brett. I finished it about a week ago, it really was fabulous!

I don't usually rave about books, but this one was really really good. It's not yet released in the US, but will be out in March as "The Warded Man". It's also being/been published in a few other languages around the world, more info about that on Peter V. Brett's website. It's a fantasy book in which three young people challenge the fears of their elders. Determined not to accept those fears as their own, they challenge the way their society is built and look towards saving humanity from the darkness. A good description can be found on wikipedia here, without giving away any of the story. If you like fantasy books, I really encourage you to find a copy.

Since I've finally been able to put that book down (it really was that good) I've taken a break from sewing nappy pockets and have been making more cards, more on them another day.

cardmaking

2009-02-01T15:24:00.004+13:00

I did some card making yesterday, it's not something I've ever done much of, but this year I want to try to be a bit more creative with my gifting (having no money to spare on these things helps, but I also just want to be able to give people something made especially for them if I'm going to give anything). So when I was told that my sister had handed in her PhD thesis and gently reminded that my cousin was turning 21 this week (thanks Mum!) I decided that I just had to make some cards. So here's what I came up with, all made with things I already had... gotta use up some of that stash!

Some flowers for my cousin.

And some fireworks for my sister.

Photos are clickable for bigger versions so you can see detail.

Cards are made from ribbon, sequins, beads, button, fabric glitter paint, embroidery thread, and gold thread stitched on heavy denim, then sewn onto card with a really long stitch.

I also made envelopes for them out of scented floral drawer-liners, because they weren't standard-sized, and if I'm going handmade, why not go all the way? But I forgot to photograph them and they're already in the mail.

So after a whole lot of creativity, I'm feeling a bit better, though very much looking forward to starting study for the year in 3 weeks.

What different things have you tried doing lately?

battered

2009-01-30T07:00:00.003+13:00

I'm feeling a bit like this at the moment:

A bit battered and worn out. Not really sure why. Maybe not enough me time? I've been hiding away sewing to try and feel better, and though it means the nappies are getting closer to being finished, I'm not really feeling better, I'm just getting sore as well. The darling husband has told me to get out of the house today, go visit the library or something, so I will, we'll see what happens.

hold the lawnmower

2009-01-29T09:05:00.005+13:00

The lawn doesn't get mown very often round here. And that's a good thing. It means I get to enjoy all the random flowers and leaves growing in amongst it, and the exciting varieties of height and leaf shape throughout it. At the moment we have lots of these:

They remind me of when I was a child and I would pick them and blow, blow, blow! till all the seeds were spread to the wind. How many puffs would it take this time?

I was, however, meant to be getting the washing in, but the wonder of our backyard made me run and get the camera instead. And when I turned around to take the washing inside I spotted this:

Cute wee sparrows on the roof!

What wonders do you find in your garden?

morning play

2009-01-28T07:06:00.007+13:00

I was going to share the beautiful sunrise with you this morning, but I was busy feeding Miss S, and by the time we had finished all the wonderful colours had faded.

But I do have something to share. A few days ago I managed to snap a few pictures of the patchwork/quilted playmat I made for Miss S while I was pregnant. Her name is underneath her. Photos are clickable for bigger versions.

I made it from fabric in my stash, the dark blue is a spare poly-cotton sheet, and colours are all scraps, some of which I had been saving for years for "something special". In between the two layers is an old woollen blanket I purchased at an op-shop ages ago that I no longer needed as a blanket.

The quilted side was done on my industrial straight-sewer as free-quilting. I love both sides very much, though one took an awful lot longer than the other - weeks as opposed to a few hours!

The original plan was to have all of the picture pieces matching at the joining of the squares, but that very quickly went out the window (I hadn't measured seam allowance either while cutting or sewing) and I actually really like the not-quite-matching look, I think it's more home-made looking than if it was all perfect, and I wanted this to be something Miss S could treasure for years to come as something that was made especially for her.

Stripes

2009-01-27T17:27:00.004+13:00

Today's been a cool and rainy day, perfect for wearing my new stripey socks!

It's been nice to enjoy some cooler weather after a number of really really hot days. I've been really enjoying having a relaxing few days, chilling out a bit as I let my wrists rest, so not much sewing being done. I'm just spending time enjoying being slowed down before I have to start study again - I'm back into it in a month.

Sparrows in nappies

2009-01-24T14:02:00.004+13:00

The nappy sewing has begun:

And so far they're progessing faster than I thought they would, though I keep being distracted by things like the gorgeously cute creatures Lori over at The Morninglori Vine makes, and other wonderful blogs that are taking part in One World - One Heart ...there's now over 460 blogs participating! And they make it so very hard to stay sewing nappy pockets, I keep wanting to go off and try things.

When I need a break from the sewing (and blog exploring!) I've been slowly organising my studio. The other day I found this:

It's a beautiful clip-on earring. Just the one. But I love it, I'm trying to find somewhere in my studio to put it on display. Maybe some good inspiration for the border of Miss S's quilt? We'll see.

Meanwhile, these chirpy wee sparrows are enjoying the sunshine (and the bread crusts) and hopping along our picket fence.

A picket fence? Yes! We have a picket fence! How cliche! Though it is green, so it could be more so. I love it, crazy as it seems.

plastic bags

2009-01-21T16:31:00.003+13:00

I didn't think I'd be posting quite this often, but I had to share.

I was sewing earlier today, to some wonderful sounds in the next room.

With Miss S getting closer and closer to crawling, and therefore exploring things we'd rather she didn't, like this:

I decided it was about time I made this brilliantly coloured bag tidy/dispenser:

It was so easy to make, just a tube with a bit of elastic at the bottom and a loop to hang with at the top, then stuff with plastic bags and all done!

I was thinking as I was sewing it that I should be making a tutorial as I did it, same with the bags a few days ago, maybe next time.

The second best thing about it is that I made it out of fabric I had in my stash. (the best thing is that it'll protect Miss S from the plastic bag monsters). Like Hazel of Hazeljoy discussed here I'm trying to not buy any new fabric this year. My stash is rather huge, and I need to get rid of some of it so there's room for storage in my studio so Miss S doesn't have to share her bedroom with boxes of her parents' junk. I'm not going quite as extreme as Hazel is, I'll buy fabric for a particular item if I really really need to, but I'll try to use stash fabric and notions first.

As soon as I popped out to show the darling husband the wonderful thing I'd made he asked why I wasn't sewing desperately needed clothes for him. Sorry darling, this was more fun. Unless you want something made out of scraps of brightly checked fabric?

What treasures do you have hidden away waiting to be used in a project that never manages to happen?

Oh, and the sounds in the other room? Miss S and her dad giggling and having some fun – best sounds in the world!

Have a joyful day!

2009-01-21T07:30:00.002+13:00

Good morning!

I woke up early this morning, nothing woke me, I was just awake, and it was lovely to get up into the cool early morning, such a peaceful way to slip into the day.

And what do I find? An absolutely amazing response to my One World - One Heart post! I have received so many lovely and encouraging replies, not just to that post entering my draw, but to other posts as well, by wonderful people stopping by to visit and have a look around.

To find out more, head down to my OWOH post. There's a link there to the main website for it where Lisa has a list of all the blogs taking part. I spent hours yesterday evening browsing through some wonderful blogs and entering some exciting giveaways.

Whoops! Miss S is awake. Gotta run!

the twins

2009-01-20T20:10:00.002+13:00

Here you are... I've finished them both, so have a few pics to share.

I've also just found out about a wonderful event called One World - One Heart, run by a lovely lady called Lisa. She's run this event two years previously and it's all happening again this year. I've decided to join in, and to do so I'm giving away one of my bags, more info in the next post.

Hold your breath, it's coming right up!

One World - One Heart

2009-01-20T17:09:00.010+13:00

I'm participating in One World - One Heart. So if you've never been here before, welcome! It's nice to meet you. I haven't been blogging long, but if you like what you see, please come back and visit.

As Lisa, the host of this marvelous event, states:
"The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. ... This is more than wanting to win something.......that is only the means.......in the end it's about finding kindred spirits."

I'm giving away this fabulous bag:

It measures 29cm (11.5 inchs) wide, 27 cm (10.5 inchs) high, 16.5cm (6.5 inchs) deep. Click the pic for a larger view. It's the same on the other side, just without the hearts.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post, making sure I have some way to contact you. Easy, right? It is open to anyone and everyone, whether you have a blog or not. It's open until Feb 11th, and then I'll draw a winner on the 12th and contact them directly as well as posting the winner's name on this blog.

To see more blogs participating in this event, or to find out more about the event itself, click on the OWOH button above. It's not too late if you want to join in too. All the info you need is on the website you get to via the button above.

Happy browsing all the fabulous blogs!

Edited to say: Comments are now closed, and a winner has been announced >here<. Thanks for popping by!

sewing books

2009-01-20T12:35:00.006+13:00

I haven't blogged in the last few days, but for good reason - I've been sewing! Here's a sneak peek:

I'll show more when I've finished it's twin :) Doing a bit of sewing has gotten me all enthused about sewing Miss S's nappy pockets, so maybe that'll be the next project. I've been overdoing it a bit though, my wrists are a bit sore, but it's hard to stop sometimes, and I've been loving being creative again after a bit of a dry spell.

I've also finished a book that was starting to drag a bit, and started a new one which I'm loving so far: The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett. Published as The Warded Man in the US, being released in March there. It's fairly recently published and it's his first published book. It's the first in The Demon Trilogy. I was hoping it was a standalone, but no luck, I'll have to wait on the next two being published and my library getting them. So far it's very enjoyable and intriguing. So by the time I've finished reading it, it's quite thick and chucky, the book that got ordered as a birthday present will have arrived and I can read that :)

What's on your reading pile at the moment?

butterflies in the rain

2009-01-18T07:10:00.004+13:00

I woke up to the rain this morning (not Miss S), it was a very gentle way to start the day. Miss S started making noises soon after, so up I got into the peaceful early morning, leaving the darling husband (sensibly) fast asleep.

I had kind of meant this to be a crafty blog, showing some works in progress and then proudly showing off the finished articles, but so far all I've shown you is a pile of fabric which I still haven't started sewing. Ah well, I promise I'll show you things as they happen, but you might just have to be patient, I'll try to keep you entertained in the meantime.

I've been sewing since I was 10, mostly clothes, but for years I've had a hankering to do some quilting, it just seems to take forever to make a quilt, so I've never really tried. However I made a patchwork quilted playmat for Miss S while I was pregnant, and now I've started thinking of some designs for a quilt for her 1st birthday that she can use on her big bed. I learnt the basics of quilting at fashion design school, but have never actually done any proper quilting. I have nearly 8 months, but really have no idea how long it might take me. Part of the idea is to use up some of my fabric stash, including some scrappy bits I've been "saving for something special". So last night I was playing with some design ideas. So here's what I've come up with so far, thinking of maybe a border of small flowers around the edges. A brightly coloured butterfly on a pale (maybe cream) background.

See my inspiration? It's a beautiful brooch my mum-in-law gave me for my birthday.

I'd love to hear any thoughts on the design or tips for the quilting.

Have a good day!

a birthday picnic

2009-01-17T12:13:00.004+13:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday, and I thought it would be nice to share a few moments from my day. We had a picnic lunch in the Esplanade (a botanic gardens-y place), it was a lovely day for it.

Here's a few snapshots:

The little one decided to try to eat my sandals.

I spotted a little duck feather by our picnic blanket. Miss S was fascinated by the ducks, curiously watching them while we ate our lunch.

A discarded toy while Miss S played with her dad.

A lost balloon in the duck pond, evoking some somber thoughts.

After our picnic lunch we went for a wander round the park and through some of the native bush there, then headed into town to get an ice cream, well I actually had a sorbet cone as I'm lactose-free at the mo for Miss S's reflux, but they were delicious. After our ice creams we headed home for a nap (for Miss S) and a rest (for darling hubby and I) before a yummy home cooked meal of chicken nuggets and mashed potato with some fresh veges. It was a wonderful day, and with one of my favourite books on order, just what I could wish for.

A self-portrait to finish the day off.

25

2009-01-16T08:08:00.003+13:00

Today's my 25th birthday. I'm quite happy, 25 is a nice number (very round in the mathematical world), and I'm in a pretty good place in my life. So to celebrate, I thought I'd try and think of 25 things that make me happy.

1. The darling munchkin, a 4month old bundle of joy and smiles.
2. The darling husband, who stayed awake through a 4am feed this morning, just to keep me company.
3. Sewing, I go a little crazy if I don't get this creative outlet.
4. Reading good books.
5. Owning good books, much better than trying to find a book at the library that I really feel like reading, only to find someone else has it out and it won't be back for a month.
6. Living close(ish) to my parents. They're only a couple of hours away, so are easy for us to visit or for them to visit us, which they do frequently.
7. Sunshine. Need I explain this one?
8. Spring bulbs. I love the way I don't need to do anything for them and they bloom with bright colours.
9. Taking photos. I may not be very good at it, but I love being able to capture moments. Anyway, I have a digital camera, so I just take lots and lots and hope that one turns out ok.
10. Colour. It's just amazing.
11. My sewing room. I have my own space where I can make mess and have time out and get the creative juices going.
12. Painkillers. Because sometimes you just need them. And yes, they come right after creativeness for a reason, cos sometimes I just do too much.
13. Real mail. Sometimes it's nice to get your messages in a concrete form.
14. The internet. So great for keeping in touch with friends and family, especially those on the other side of the world.
15. Our house. It's the first place since I left home 7years ago tht actually feels like home. It makes it great to come home to, especially since I'm such a home-body.
16. Puzzles, whether jigsaws, number puzzles, other practical problem-solving. I find them fun.
17. The number 17. It means anniversaries!
18. Music. I love the way there's something for every mood, and how it can be the focus or just in the background.
19. Family. Though they're spread round the country and the world, it's great when groups of us get together.
20. Dressing up warm and cosy in the wintertime, it was more fun in Dunedin where there's snow and ice and clear frosty days.
21. Shopping with gift vouchers. Much more fun than shopping with your own money when you're on a tight budget.
22. Still and quiet mornings. A great peaceful start to the day.
23. Learning.
24. Support from community, family and friends. It can help you get through the toughest stuff, and it's great to share the good things.
25. Feeling a really connected closeness with God, it gives such peace, and it's a feeling I wish I had more often.

So that's my list. What makes you happy?

some glittery goodness

2009-01-15T16:27:00.005+13:00

I found some of my glittery fabric paint yesterday, and painted some stars on the overalls I made for the munchkin for Christmas. I think they add a nice touch, don't you agree?

(and no the legs aren't really different lengths, it's just my bad photography, hoping to improve that this year. ...Maybe some ironing might help?)

Meanwhile, I've just finished cutting out this gorgeous pile of fabric.

It's now all ready to be sewn into nappy pockets, quick, before she grows out of the size she's got. These'll be med-large sized, but I'm not sure how fast she'll grow out of her newborn-small ones she's currently in. I think it's better to make them sooner rather than later. On with the sewing! Tomorrow ...maybe.

sunrise

2009-01-11T20:44:00.005+13:00

I was thinking of writing a post at the crack of dawn this morning, but I went back to sleep after the munchkin had her early morning feed and didn't wake up till we were running out of time to get to church on time.

Sometimes I love the early morning. It's so peaceful and quiet at the beginning of the day; serene. I remember waking before the sunrise with contractions on the day the little Miss S was born and taking photos of the beautiful colours in the sky, dawning a beautiful new day to welcome a beautiful new life into the world.

So I was almost disappointed to miss out on the early morning today, not that I didn't appreciate the sleep, and only almost disappointed. I think I get enough early mornings at the moment, and will no doubt get more when I'm back studying.

Enjoy your early mornings, even if you're not a morning person.

~Kathy.

looking to the year ahead

2009-01-10T10:18:00.004+13:00

I've been thinking of starting a blog for so long, and never seemed to get around to it, nothing of significant note seemed to happen, or when it did I didn't have the time to even think about blogging. So here we go, we'll try this and see what happens. The beginning of a new year is a great time to start these things.

This year will be an interesting one: I return to study fulltime in Feb and my daughter was born last September, so she brings plenty of surprises and excitement. I'm also trying to take more photos, not just of the darling daughter - that's easy, but of little things I notice, interesting things that happen, and just general stuff I'm doing. In the midst of all this I'm trying to sew, little bits at a time so I don't get too sore. But that combined with trying to find the time means anything takes forever to get made.

There's reasons we gave our daughter Hope as a middle name. Ah well, on with the new year!