The robot thief

The robot thief
Originally uploaded by redmag

....you know...I started making toys just after my first child was born....and well....he never really showed much interest in them....it's not that he didn't like soft toys....he has a blablah lion that never leaves his side even now that he's a toddler.....he just wasn't into mine....

.....until recently....I made him a robot that he got a little while ago and seems to love....he requests that it comes to bed with him....but yesterday he spotted my first mini robot ...made for the plushteam fundraiser 5 minis for $5 for the next 5 weeks check it out if you like little softies... at $5 they are cheap!....

anyway he grabbed it and wouldn't let go....it rides around in a little trailer he has.....it didnt really bother me that he showed no interest in my toys...but now that he does it's nice to think that he loves them

My second quilt - finished at last!

My second quilt - finished at last!
Originally uploaded by redmag

Here it is....the second one down......it was intended to be a blanket for my oldest child to take to day care for naptime....but it seems too lovely to send off so i might need to make something else for day care....although at the rate I make blankets he might have stopped napping by then…so off it will go.

It is blue on one side, white on the other, with red and white hand embroidery. The quilt layer (the bit in the middle not sure what it is really called) is a piece of polar fleece I had lying around.

The brave use of white was inspired by a lovely quilt I once saw on esty but forgot to bookmark (grrr!) I used a flat sheet for the white side; it came in a sheet set that we didn't use - idea nicked from here.(scroll down to find a very cool red and orange quilt) The colours and hand embroidery were inspired by this photo on flickr (found via here).

This quilting thing is quite addictive I can see why people get hooked...maybe my next one will be a full patchwork one machine quilted.....now there's a challenge!

Stitching up the NGA

Knit Wit
Originally uploaded by roctopus

...I found out about this via consumption-rebellion....

Stitching up the NGA
Knitters are invited to help create pieces that measure 10–20 cm wide and 140 cm long, which will be stitched together to create coverings for 6 large concrete poles at the front of the National Gallery of Australia. Any colour, yarn and technique is accepted—the brighter and wackier, the better!

Send your knitted pieces to the address below before the 7 July or drop them off in person to the NGA security entrance, located near the NGA car park off Bowen Drive. Include a small note stating your name, location and age (optional) because each knitted strip will have a small label stating the maker’s details.

Please send your completed knitted pieces to:
Knitta Project
Public Programs
National Gallery of Australia
GPO Box 1150
Canberra ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

For enquiries please contact knitta@nga.gov.au

This event is part of Knitta Please, a festival of events from 5 to 12 July, which celebrates the final week of the exhibition Soft sculpture.

I think this is very exciting....and my head is spinning with ideas....none of which I actually know how to execute but that is minor detail....Please leave comment if you're planning on making something I'd love to see what everyone is planning so that I can play spot the strip when it goes up in July.

From puzzle piece to handy hook

From puzzle piece to handy hook
Originally uploaded by redmag

....I find winter in Canberra drives me inside where I develop an overwhemling urge to clean and purge......its started and in up ending a box of odds and ends I came across these two puzzle pieces.... I couldnt bear to throw out after the dog managed to destroy the other two bits because they were too lovely......anyway with a bit of blutac on the back they have been transformed into handy hooks on the wall nearest the change table....they're cute and hold medium weight things like baby cardigans and face washers....one box down only an entire house and a shed to go!

This little guy arrived yesterday

This little guy arrived yesterday
Originally uploaded by redmag

...and we already love him...he's only the size of the palm of my hand and can actually be cuddled by a baby....made by the very talented Monika from monkeytonkey. She has lots of other lovely things.

New drawers

New drawers
Originally uploaded by redmag

....we picked these up from a second hand furniture place yesterday......they look great and now the baby has a place for all his stuff rather than just a box on the floor....and as my husband says...it looks like something you'd find in a real person's house....nice.....we also started building our much anticipated wood fire oven yesterday (ok I'm pretty much a spectator for this project) the base - which looks like a water tank but is actually designed to be a raised garden bed - is now in place.....construction will continue next weekend....and there is already much talk of entire days spent wood firing.....and eating

Thank you

Tired but happy
Originally uploaded by redmag

....wow yesterday's market was a wonderful joyous and tiring day....as many of you know it was my first one...and it was an incredibly supportive and fun event for me - so much more than I'd even hoped for.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who stopped by to look...those that said hello (apologies to those of you who got a quite a stunned mullet look of shock and some incohenerent mumblings when you said you read my blog) ...and those that said nice things about my toys.... you made my day a complete joy....

To those of you who bought some things I hope you love them as much as I did making them......

....you know one of the best things was seeing that lovely child-like look of wonder on faces of all ages when they saw a toy they like....I guess we all still love toys.....and as a crafty type selling things to real people face-to-face is so much nicer than selling things on the internet (having said that I had a handful of things left over which I'll put in my etsy store during the week so if you regreted not buying something on Saturday there is still time)

Two sleeps to go

Two rabbits
Originally uploaded by redmag

....although these two look like they party hard and sleeping isn't a priority for them.....

They will be at this Saturday's Handmade market along with georgeous things from over 80 talented locall artist and crafters.....

Only three sleeps to go

The Hilbert Owls
Originally uploaded by redmag

....until the Handmade Market....oh crap ....I have so much to left to do!

These three Hilbert Owls will be with me on Saturday. Check out more soft toy threesomes looking for new homes here and here.

Also for those of you who don't live in Canberra and won't be at the market on Saturday....all the toys left over at the end of the market will go into my etsy store - and if you see something you like here you an always send me an email and I can keep it for you.

On a separate note - has anyone seen the ad for the Cosie? It's bascially a polar fleece monks robe - that might or might not do up at the back (there are no rear shots on the infomericals)....a very strange product.....I prefer lap blankets myself and when the market is over I'm quite keen to try and keep up with Pip's A Granny a day activities....look at the beautiful squares people are making...

Four Marvin Minsky Robot boys

Four Marvin Minsky Robot boys
Originally uploaded by redmag

Only four sleeps to go til .....

The Handmade Market.
This Saturday (23rd May 2009)
10 am - 4 pm
Albert hall - Yarralumla.
Music on the lawns from 12noon.
FREE ENTRY & PARKING!

I'm going to be right out the front with these fellows and more so say hello as you wander past

Pile of toys

Pile of toys
Originally uploaded by redmag

.....With less than a week to go....all spare minutes in the day seem to be earmarked for Handmade Market preparations.....my loungeroom has taken on the air of a sweatshop....I think i may even be developing a case of fluff lung.....Anyway given I'm not really doing anything else I thought I'd do a plush count down this week to give you a taste of what I'll have with me on Saturday.

I'll also flag the other stalls I'm itching to spend some money in....None of the shots of 5 (i.e five sleeps til the market) worked out so instead I thought I'd show you the pile that accumulated just out of shot.

Eat your way to love and Beauty

Eat you way to love and Beauty
Originally uploaded by redmag

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago at the local op shop and with a title like "Eat your way to love and Beauty" how could I go wrong....

Written by Swami Saravati and first published in 1971 it’s a gem..

The philosophy of the book is: "Eating for love and beauty is eating for health. Smooth wrinkle free skin, lustrous hair, a sensuous shape and warm loving smile come naturally to a healthy girl or woman" - sounds good doesn’t it?

Other words of advice include.....

"Girls, to keep your marriage fresh and exciting, you must keep yourself and your husband youthful and vital".....

And in answer to the question "How does food make me more loving?" the author has this to offer....."We live in a society that is becoming more and more stressed and anxious each passing year (don't forget this was written in 1971 so we must all be a complete mess by now).....The results are everywhere: irritable parents, neurotic husbands and wives and confused children. A well nourished woman will have the strength to be a patient and understanding and loving. Your children won't turn to drugs"

Overweight people are called fatties!

I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet.

My little sometimes crafting corner

My little sometimes crafting corner
Originally uploaded by redmag

...the plush team are being featured in a magazine and the we needed to provide photos of our workspaces....sadly all i had was this work in progress shot......it wasn't until yesterday - my toddler free day - that I realised that I don't really have a work space ( i do have a table in the spare room/computer room/nappy changing room that is meant for crafting but it is really piled so high with things that it's really a storage area) ....

What I have is crafting time and the area that I'm in at that time becomes my workspace....when i can spread out without little fingers to worry about the dining table (pictured above) is my favourite spot......it's sunny and I sit in a corner with windows facing out in two directions....I can sit there watching the comings and goings of everyone in my street like the nosy neighbour that I have a tendancy to be......at other times my space is my lap while I sit on the couch watching tellie or in the car when we're driving round....everywhere is a crafting space but only for brief moments in time...

Another WIP

Tent WIP
Originally uploaded by redmag

I literally have piles and piles of half finished things around the house - its driving me and everyone else insane.....this one is a tent I started last November when it started to heat up as we headed towards summer....its now Autumn and given the sudden burst of sunny days I dusted it off and put it up....its made from two single bed sheets and only took about an hour to make (ok it doesnt yet have sides) ....but it does work and we lounged in it all morning......milk spills dont need to be cleaned up in outside rooms - yeh!!