Copper Star Creation

There is a wonderful ADVENT CHALLENGE which runs each year

over in the laughing purple goldfish group on Ravelry

click here to check it out

Each day during DECEMBER, a nominated member will post a

Christmas Decoration they have made using recycled goodies

It's truly incredible to see how creative some people can be!

I’ll be honest here…

I didn’t really have much time to allocate to the challenge this year!

Even all my brain space is currently occupied with a million other things at present…

But somewhere in the deepest, darkest corners of my mind, 

an idea started to filter in - and I just couldn’t shake it.

I wanted to create the most glorious Christmas star

using some of the copper wire I have been stripping from old electrical cables…

In my mind it was perfectly shaped from all angles, each arm was identical,

 and the centre of the star was slightly raised to form a small peak…

In reality, it’s a little quirkier than that - AND I LOVE IT

Best of all - since I already had the wire stripped - this star took about three minutes to make!!!!

(it’s taken me longer to put this post together, than it took to make the decoration)

I just formed myself a basic star shape, 

wrapped the arms a few times to bulk them up,

 then a few wraps around the centre to bind it all together…

Oh - and a tea bag string for the hanger! Of course.

We call him EINSTEIN...

Still fluffing around with my surprise project

( the one I shared last week )

but I was also under a LITTLE pressure to finish Charlie's unicorn for her

- pattern here - 

Actually, it wasn't a LITTLE pressure...

Charlie is FIVE years old - and understands nothing about moderation or patience!

So there was a huge pressure for me to complete this cuddle toy for her...

( here's the original one I made )

Is mine finished yet?

Is it finished yet? 

What about mine?

You said you'd make me one!

Where's mine?

Why isn't it finished?

MUUUUUUUUM....WILL I EVER GET ONE?????

Yes.

and here he is...

I got a little carried away with the amount of yarn in the mane,

so we call him Einstein.

A Basket Full Of Colour

One of the things I really L-O-V-E about acrylic yarns - is the INTENSITY of the colours.

You just don't get colours like these available in wool fibres. 

Maybe there's a reason for it - I have no idea... Do you know why?

( I used to think that it was just a matter of taste... and that if someone wanted to make a quality project from 100% wool, and was therefore prepared to pay wool prices... than they weren't going to want it in a garish colour like this almost fluorescent green!!!!!! )

Luckily for me, this project needed to be worked in acrylics - and I also needed bright colours...

so it's a match made in heaven!

As for the project - well - that's a secret for now... but I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

You're welcome to guess what I'm up to though...

I'm starting with a bunch of vibrant green circles - does that help at all?

Probably not!

Twinkle Toes the Unicorn.

 
Sweet Monkeys it's a long, long time since I've posted in Blog Land...

It's as if I was sucked into a vortex and completely disappeared!

A humongous, draining vortex... which depleted all my creative energy...


There was very little time or energy for crafting - let alone blogging about it!

Bit by bit, I've been setting aside time to craft again...

Because I've been feeling quite lost without it.

 
It's not only a creative outlet for me... it's a meditative process.

The rhythmic motion of making those stitches gives me a feeling of calm and focus...

And every now and then you manage to create something adorable in the process!

Like TWINKLE TOES the UNICORN.

I can't claim credit for the pattern... Alison North is the creative genius behind this one.

Free pattern available here

Getting Organised..

I used to have a craft room.

My very own craft room.

The space was all mine - and I didn't have to share it with anyone.

All my goodies were in the same room - and I knew where to find things...

MOST of the time.

Then...

Along came baby number four - and we needed the space for a nursery.

Bye-bye crafting paradise. Hello Baby!

Since then, I've been in a jumbled mess with my supplies.

But I've found a new way to store them... it's in the middle of our Family Room... which is not ideal - but it's neat, organised and most of all INSPIRING...

Now if only I had another three of these shelving units!

And my own room.

I call her Jodie...

It's been a little while since I've made a toy... those flowers and beanies have kept me very busy!

But I've been asked to make some more mermaids for sale at Just Planet Gift Shop and Cafe in Sunbury... so it's time to pull out the safety eyes and stuffing... and start creating some characters.

 I'm working from one of my own patterns: Roweena the Raggedy Rascal of the Sea.

The fully tested pattern is available in PDF format, for AU $4.50 - you can click here for more information, including the link for purchasing.

And if you'd like to see some of the mermaids made by other people using my pattern - click here.

As for this mermaid - I call her Jodie - after my real life, purple-haired friend!

Forty Flowers...

If you're at all familiar with my work, you will have noticed this about me.

I NEVER MAKE THE SAME THING THE SAME WAY TWICE.

Even if I do use the same pattern twice... the projects never look the same...

The yarn is different... or the embellishing is different... I just don't do matching.

Unless it's a pair of mitts.

And even then - I make each one different if I can possibly get away with it!

Well.

You'll be shocked by my latest adventure.

Because I have just made FORTY of the same item.

In the SAME colour.

With the SAME embellishments.

And I don't even have photos to prove it - but I did make them - I promise!

I made 40 of these organza roses - each one with an alligator clip on the back... one for each member of my choir...

It nearly drove me insane - but then again, I didn't have far to go, did I?