and so it begins

I'm a little embarrassed to show this, but in the spirit of honesty, I will anyway.

This is how a new quilt starts over here. I have an idea of colours that I want to work with or a little brief and then I rummage through the stash (no pictures of that will EVER be shown, just so you know) and pull out the ones I think might work. And then I just throw them together on the floor, adding new ones, removing others, moving them around, seeing how it looks.

Once I'm happy with it, I start ironing and cutting and putting it all together.
A little disorganised, a little dishevelled, a little fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. A little like my life generally. But I like to think it all works out in the end.
xx

(see some umbrella prints trimmings in there?!)

sunshine

Normally, hubby gets up with our early riser in the mornings and gives me a bit of extra sleeping time, bless him. But he was away this weekend and so yesterday morning I was up early, after a not great night, and it was dark and cold and a bit rainy and well, rather gloomy.

And then, two things happened to brighten up the day.

This...

And... the very lovely Claire gave me a sunshine award!
I have to answer these questions (I must admit, it feels slightly silly):

Favourite colour?
traditionally a turquoisey blue, but at the moment I have a thing for pinks and mustards.

Favourite animal?
Since having our Leo, I have a bit of a soft spot for lions.

Favourite non-alcoholic drink?
A good latte. My favourite comedian, Daniel Kitson once very amusingly talked about how he used to hate people that ordered lattes and then he started drinking coffee and realised that that's how he liked it. I feel like that too.

Facebook or twitter?
facebook.

Favourite number?
I have a weird thing for the number 3. I have to set my alarm clock to a time that's a multiple of 3. and other superstitious things like that.

Favourite day of the week?
Saturday (morning markets and that feeling of potential)

My passions?
My baby boy, home life, quilts, music, the family, the rights of women and children.

Getting or giving presents?
Who doesn't love getting presents? But I do really love organising a good present giving (planning, making, wrapping, giving, watching the face, getting the kisses etc) when I have the time (ie. not in December and January when there are ten million birthdays).

Favourite pattern?
Currently liking a good herringbone.

Favourite flower?
Australian natives and ranunculus (hubby, you reading this??)

Thanks again Claire, you're really super.

And so the deal is, it must be passed on to five people.
So, some sunshine to:

Liz
Claire
Leslie
Amy
Jaclyn

This week...

     credit: Taryn Lane

... I got some exciting deliveries in the mail
... We had our first trip to the zoo
... I relished in the cooler mornings
... I spent a fair amount of time in the kitchen. Which was a good thing!
... A new post went up on the Creative Women's Circle website
... And hubby and I celebrated two years of marriage at this delightful restaurant

Now I know you're all dying to know, but before you go emailing me about where to get the sexy slippers above, they were a gift from my mother and I'm sure Kmart or Target or the local chemist or wherever she got them from doesn't sell them anymore. I know. But you'll be ok. 

quilt in action

Well just to lighten things up a bit after that last post, here's a photo that was sent to me of a friend's newborn toastily snuggled up with one of my quilts.

That really just melts my heart. Welcome to the world, little Amelie! xx

musings

I've always had a bit of a turbulent relationship with the internet. But we've hit a particularly rocky patch at the moment. And it's not just because of its time zapping properties (though there is that).

Truth be told, the main issue at the moment is that a lot of my time spent on the internet actually serves to make me feel bad about myself. I find myself comparing my life with people that I don't actually know and who are only showing a tiny percentage of what their life is actually like. I'm sure I'm not the only person to do this, and I guess its only natural, but we fill in the gaps to create a fantasy of a life that doesn't really exist. And yet, I keep comparing myself with it. I end up wishing and 'what-if'ing and coveting and all those things that serve to make me feel like my life and the things and people in it are not quite up to scratch.

And that really annoys me. Because I actually really like my life.

What's even more annoying about all this, is that I am currently spending more time thinking again about other women in countries that don't have the sort of life I am able to lead here. And I hate that at the same time as writing about women living in poverty, I am 'pinning' pictures of beautiful loungerooms that I wish I had, and envying the life of some gorgeous mother who surfs every morning and feeds her beautiful children only home grown food and has a photographer husband who cooks her restaurant quality meals every night and bla bla bla (I'm just making that up, but you get what I'm saying).

I'm not criticising people for only showing the better and edited parts of their lives on the internet. That's normal and just the way it is. And there are lots of blogs I follow that reveal the troubles and the problems and the mess that is life.

I just am finding it hard to learn how to benefit from all the amazing things the internet and this online community has to offer, while maintaining my values and priorities and not letting it make me feel like me and my life should be something better than what we are. And I'm not quite sure how this little space here can be an uplifting and affirming part of all of that.

I guess me writing this and sharing it here is the start of trying to address it and perhaps some breakthroughs will come along the way... we'll see.

rooftop art space and 'The Seam'

If you're in Melbourne, there's only a few days left to go and see my sister's exhibition at the Rooftop Art Space. Yes, some shameless nepotistic plugging going on. But even if she wasn't my sister, I would recommend a visit... The art. The views. The cinema. The burgers. The total cool-ness of it all.
Ah Melbourne, how I love thee.

Local fabrics

I love that I can buy locally made and designed fabrics which are thoughtfully and ethically created. Such a treat, and I thought I'd give a little shout out..
My last quilt featured two Melbourne businesses and their beautiful prints:

Leslie Keating aka Maze and Vale

Ink & Spindle

Both quite famous now you know.

I'm now about to go to Umbrella Prints and buy up some of their latest offerings including some trimmings so that I can enter their next competition. Judged this year by the very cool Joel Henriques (I blogged a while back about his new book!). No pressure.

So spoiled by all this local goodness...