my creative space

My creative space this week has a finished starfish (mostly I followed this pattern)


and a half done hermit crab!



(sorry the pic of the crab shell isn't great - because of the colours and textures in the shell it hasn't photographed well). I sort of followed medium seashell 4 from  this pattern. Well, I followed it a bit, and then decided that I needed the shell to be bigger, so I went off on my own a bit too...

The issue for me is now whether or not the mobile will be finished before the baby is! I'm having a bit of trouble with making the crab itself now that the shell is pretty much done. Probably I should work on following patterns a bit more before I try to make it up myself - but I just couldn't find a (free) pattern that I was happy with.

I've left the sea horse until last, as I am thinking that will be hardest one to make up as it has much less regular shapes. Still, I do have a pattern to base that one on, so hopefully it will go quickly.

How about you? Are you pressed for time in your creative space today?

wordless wednesday...

my creative space

My creative space has been mobile this week: this is me making the starfish for my mobile whilst waiting for hospital appointments. (at least they were only an hour late today - it did give me time to get all the points done and begin the sewing together).

And in other creative news - I finished the clown fish! Woohoo...

So now I've got a seahorse and a hermit crab to go (once I finish the starfish). And maybe a seagull and some seaweed... My big question at the moment though is - what colour to do the seahorse? The hermit crab will have a creamy/brown shell and a red crabby body, the clown fish colour is mostly accurate, the starfish is a mix of purple and blue, the jelly fish is grey with white tentacles... The seahorse? brown and cream (somewhat accurate)? or brightly coloured (given there are already some neutral-y colours in the others)? I just don't know...

Where has your creative space been this week?

what i've been up to...

Its a bit baby-central 'round these parts. I'm currently on maternity leave and one would think that would leave me nicely swanning around with lots of time up my sleeve for creating and blogging. But alas - it is not so! Instead I've actually been surprisingly busy (and I am counting the mandatory afternoon nap as 'busy'). Still there has been some creating 'round these parts.

Mostly I've been working on my crocheted mobile:

the clown fish is almost finished. It is kinda a bit from this pattern, but I wanted it a little bigger, so I've adapted a little along the way.And I also couldn't work out the fins from the pattern (the fault is with me, I'm sure, not the pattern itself), so I based the fins on this pic:


What do you think? Is it looking like the photo it's based on?

And to those who guessed: I am attempting to make a sleeping bag! It is nearly there too, just another couple of rows, I think and it'll be done.

How 'bout you - have you been up to creating things lately?

Wordless Wednesday

crafting disappointment

Today I tackled a pretty simple job - making a draught stopper for our hallway door. A lovely project for a cold and wet winter afternoon. So having completed it, I should be full of that warm creative glow - right?

hmm... 

Realistically, I've got that feeling of crafting disappointment. See, I should have measured the door (and the gap under it) much more carefully. I should have thought a bit more about adding in seam allowance. I should have measured my fabric more carefully and then stopped and added in another piece fabric when I thought I needed to (rather than taking the I'm-sure-it'll-be-fine road). I should have taken a bit more time for this quick project, and then I would have ended up with a draught stopper that will actually stop the draughts.

Instead I've got a not-quite-draught stopper, that doesn't quite cover the whole width of the doorway and it doesn't quite cover the whole of the gap under the door. On the plus side, it does look pretty while it is not-quite-doing-it's-job...

When I went to post about this not-quite-draught stopper, I confess, I was tempted to tell you all how great it is and how happy I am with it. But realistically, I am not always happy with the stuff I make. Things don't always turn out right, or like what I had planned in my head. At times that has to do with my skill level, at times to do with my tendency to just have-a-go and at times to do with my pride (and my stubborn assurance that I am sure I am doing it right, rather than stopping and re-thinking things through).

How about you? Do you have a tendency to assume you've got it right rather than stopping to check? And do you try to blog a positive spin, rather than admitting your disappointment in a project?

my creative space with a suprise and an opps...

So again I am so thankful to everyone who helped me out and suggested ideas for my mobile! I have settled on making a fish, a seahorse, a hermit crab and a star fish to go with my jellyfish. With some seaweed hanging down and a seagull sitting right at the top. Now I only have to get going on the next one - I think I'll do the fish...

And that is where the opps comes in - with all these great ideas I had another look through my wool selection and decided I could make do with what I had, except that I needed some orange for the clown fish and some green for the seaweed. A trip to spotlight later and opps...

Oh well - about half of it was on sale, and as I am really getting into amigurumi, I'm sure I'll find more projects for this lot.

And whilst I have been figuring that out, I've started another surprise project for the baby - can you guess what it is...

What's going on in your creative spaces today?

can you call this nesting?

I made a cake.

A lemony-almond-yoghurt cake.


It's about my fourth cake in the last four weeks. Not counting the two lots of slices, four lots of puddings...

Does baking count as nesting???

unexpected op shop delights

I just had one of those moments while op-shopping today. One of those is-that-what-I-think-it-is?! moments. An unexpected op-shop delight.

See, I was op-shopping while on holiday in January about 100km from home. And I stumbled across the cutest fitted cot sheet.

I loved it and seeing we didn't have any cot sheets at all, felt completed justified in my purchase.

Fast forward to today and op-shopping unsuccessfully for a couple of things a few kms from home, as I am heading to the door I wander past this

it's the flat sheet - same print, same size! I couldn't quite believe it! And so, even though it was $4 (a bit expensive I thought for a cot sheet), I couldn't leave it behind. How delightful - I now have the set!

And it got me thinking about the slightly amazingly/slightly crazy experience that op-shopping can be. The best example that I know of actually happened to my mum and Nan when my Nan was in her 70s. They were op shopping close to my Nan's home and while looking through the doilies, came across a doily that my Nan had actually made as a teenager! She recognised her own work straight away, including the mistakes she had made and how she thought the reverse wasn't neat enough! Needless to say they bought it, and it now sits pride of place on my mum's sideboard...


How 'bout you? What's your best unexpected op-shop delight?

Linking in today with flea market finds over at her library adventures.