Download dilemma

Somehow we have managed to use 80% of our total downloads for the month in the first 7 days. I suspect it may have something to do with music and TV programme downloads on I-tunes and face book new year party invites to my house and hasty retractions and other plans made. (Thank you to Bantam boys friend!!!) I suspect that playing online poker and a weird fish rearing game may also be at the bottom of it.
So If I should suddenly go completely quiet it is because I am not able to use my computer any more. We have 20 gigabytes then if we go over the company don't slow us down they just charge outrageous excess fees and then once we reach $300 excess then they slow us down.
So I have slowed us all down...making it necessary use only!
This is necessary right! I have to wish everyone a happy new year, and see how everyone in blog land is going!

Christmas crafting.

Having had my main christmas event and having no money at present (The ex is not paying any maintenance at the moment, but will in late january) I am spending time hanging about making stuff. I will have to do some very last minute present shopping for my chicks when I get paid again on thursday- not looking forward to that one bit, the shopping on christmas eve part not the present buying part!
Oh no! I'll also have to do food shopping for christmas dinner too (Just a simple re-run of last week, me kids, Tim, Mum and Ron- but I will need to get some food to make dinner with!) but the supermarket/food shops will be hellish!
But right now I'm enjoying flicking through magazines and doing a bit of crochet for no particular reason other than just the fun of it.

My friend 'A' saw these lovely potholders by Annepaalandet on Ravelry. There was no pattern for it so we both spent time trying to figure out just how she created the triangular pattern. I think I came pretty close in the end.

Then 'A' distracted me with this particularly pretty potholder (which I had saved the pattern for 6months ago and forgotten completely about.)

The next little distraction came in the form of this little birdie from Attic24. There is a pattern but I didn't actually follow it. I made up my own wing shape and crocheted the beak directly onto the circle after it had been sewn together.
Not exactly sure what I'll do with it now...put it on the christmas tree?

I'm completely stuck for a title...

Now I feel like I'm on holidays! I plan to sit on my couch, crocheting and reading a magazine or two today. Last night my sister and her family, my mum and step dad came over for our Christmas dinner. (My sister lives in Northam and doesn't like to drive here on christmas day. Then my kids have to fit in seeing their dad and his family so we decided to have christmas early. At my place! Which has been looking like a bomb had gone off in it up until yesterday afternoon (Don't look in my bedroom, and be careful if you open the linen cupboard!!!!!) I had to move classrooms on friday too so I'm over dealing with mess! so the bedroom and cupboard will just have to wait.

I should have taken a photo when the table was set, not post party with sauce spots! I used a simple stencil that I cut from card and some ordinary acrylic paint with a fabric medium additive to print this tablecloth, 4 meters long to cover the two tables to accommodate everyone . We'll see if the additive works, because it really will need to be washed before I use it again on Christmas day.

But for now I intend to spend my time crocheting or relaxing on my hammock which now has a net to stop those pesky flies, bugs and a very occasional bird calling card from interrupting my slumber! $14 at Ikea well spent I think.

The view from my hammock.
It is so hot here right now. The lawn has suddenly gone brown and alot of my plants have been singed out the front. Tim managed to buy me an enormous shade sail cheaply to protect my garden from the radiant heat from the paving out the front. I might be able to sit out her this summer to do my crochet, now that we have some shade. And with a little TLC over the holidays it might be a nice place to sit.

thingamijigs

A few weeks ago I took the kids on an excursion to the fremanle Literature Center. We met Narelle Oliver who has written several books for children. Many have an environmental theme. But there was also one called The Very Blue Thingamijig that the children really enjoyed.
They were intrigued to see that she had one made up as a toy from felt.

So I had them come up with their own strange thigamijigs. They drew them, wrote about them and then made their very own thingamijig.

It was a great pleasure to see these year three children (8&9 year olds) chuffed at their creations. Totally surprised that they had these toys hiding inside them!

Yummmm... A going away cake for a colleague.
Vanilla and blueberry cake with coconut icing.
Just the basic vanilla cake recipe from my vanilla and rose water cake with a tub of blueberries and a handful of slivered almonds mixed through. Then topped with pure icing sugar and water mixed to a pouring consistency and sprinkled with coconut and almonds. Then one more punnet of blueberries to fill up the hole in the center.

A little after dinner crochet. Trying to figure out a particular stitch used in a pot mitt seen here on ravelry.

A new job and a question.

I went into a local boutique/indie craft type shop not too far from where I live. It is called Red Feathers and a Hula Hoop. They sell hand crafted stuff by local artists alongside vintage crochet rugs and bric-a-brac and recycled, refashioned items. They also run workshops for both adults and children.

I showed them my necklaces and a couple of HANDbags. They loved them and have taken the lot on consignment. One of the ladies said "these are lovely but it is you that I really want, to teach workshops. You are just the type of person we need."

So now I have a new job. Well she has booked me in for a definite spot in the October holidays but is keen to have me take some Saturday workshops before then. She was very persuasive and before I knew it I had said yes. Mind you I quite like working with small groups, plus they would be kids that actually want to be there. I'm going to think on it a bit before I commit to more teaching work, plus I didn't even think to ask how much they pay. Maybe it would be good to get some extra cash before my Thailand trip.

So now I need to make up some more little name tags with my little red hen picture on them (Like the one in my side bar.)

But the problem is I don't know if I should go just 'Red Hen' at the bottom of the picture or have 'dette's designs' (someone said I should have my name on them so people get to know it.) I did one that had both 'dette's designs' small at the top then the picture then 'Red Hen' in larger font at the bottom.

What do you think I should put? dette's designs and let the picture say 'little red hen'
Just Red Hen or both????

Playing with fire and reinventing the wheel...(post two today!)

I found a couple of yo-yo's or suffolk puffs in my sewing basket. I made a couple of tiny little green ones and sewed them together added beads and sewed them onto some chord.

playing with fire...

I'm using a technique I saw somewhere - but god knows where on one of my report avoiding blog/craft site rambles, that involves melting the edges of synthetic fabrics using a candle flame. It's quite exciting really because until you get the hang of how the flame affects the different types of fabrics they can burst into flames at any minute!

But those bits that survive make quite pretty flowers. They are quite quick to put together and therefore a good one to do for this market coming up suddenly where I don't have a lot of time to put things together.

As necklaces.

I've decided to do these and some crocheted toys to top up what I have left over from previous ventures. As I don't want to spend much money for this event as it is the first time the school has had stalls at the christmas carols and it may not attract a large crowd- then again it could be good (fingers crossed) Plus I think it is a good thing for the kids at school to see me there selling my craft work - a good example of the Arts in Society outcome!!!

PS: an afternoon's work. (I had the circles pre cut, that was an evening in front of the T.V)

Crochet creations/celebrations.

Reports done! Made these two little girls last night for my stall at the 'christmas carol comunity event' at my school. I stayed up a bit too late finishing off the mermaid.
Reports are done (just have to hold my breath and hope there aren't too many edits to be fixed.) but I'm not on holiday yet so I will have to refrain from working into the wee small hours, 1:30 is a little late on a school night. Luckily I have a late start this morning. I have to go to Jacksons in my DOTT time before my first class and they aren't open yet.