False starts, packing boxes and new beginnings.

(miniature house necklace by KarolinefelixDream)

Oops what a false start that was. Didn't quite make it past the oh-I'm-back post. Strike that, I'm going again, really truly.

SO they are not actual boxes. More the virtual kind, as I ship my more personal stuff- musings, things I like, photos, over to a new blog house. You can find me at mynameispepper. I will keep this blog for stitchy-kind of things, and over there for more pepper-y kind of things.

Thanks for sticking by me, lovely followers. We've been through so much together, I would super like to see you over at my new blog-house, if you'd like to come visit.

Pepper x

diving back in

'dive' illustration by aaple

I've been away a lot. The longest I've ever been away from my blog, ever. I had a bit of enough last year, you may have noticed. Work and mojo crises, holidays and visitors, and then my lovely computer, well if it had a belly it would have been belly-up. I have missed sharing my finds and thoughts and photos and little-rants-every-now-and-then. So without feeling guilty about being away, or over-thinking too much, or wondering "what-amI-going-to-write-about-and-will-it-be-witty-and-interesting-enough?" I am diving right back in (on my eensy laptop).

Hello.
It's nice to be back.
It's going to be a good year.

Do you like the new layout; is it a bit spiffy, or a little niffy?

the mystery of the missing mojo

(via)

I’ve been going a teensy crazy. Sitting in my cute studio, holding my man dolls which I love, and drinking tea. I ought to be tickled pink, except I'm not, really. It’s the case of the missing mojo. Again. I know I’ve talked about my mojo a lot, I whinge about it every now and then, and you really are very nice people to listen patiently. Please humour me (or go do something else. That’s ok, I don’t mind a bit, honestly.)

It’s just that my creative mojo is a finicky creature, I need to treat it gently, nurture it, and oh definitely listen to it. Or it up and goes, and I am left spending my time staring out the window/playing cards/reading a book on the couch/whinging about things to you, dear reader. Or perhaps it’s still there. Hiding in a corner with a slight petulant scowl saying NO.. in a little voice. And stamping it’s little feet. my mojo refuses to cooperate, and it becomes a struggle.

I’ve tried everything. I’ve rearranged and labeled everything in a satisfying way. I’ve bought a new lamp. I’ve brought tea and chocolate reinforcements. I even bought a little oven timer in an effort to work solidly for a block of time. I’ve thought of a gazillion reasons to want to sew; but I.don’t.want.to. I make myself and force every.stitch. Which makes me feel rubbish. After all, I have my own studio, full of materials and a nice big table and light and time; how lucky am I?

Well it turns out my mojo doesn't like being told what to do. The thought of making another doll the same as the last ones just doesn't excite.it.one.little.bit. So it's gone on strike, and I went and got a job. However, the idea of drawing my mojo for this very post made me want to stride into the studio immediately. Excitement and new ideas, this is the foodstuff of the mojo. I want to make things I have never tried, have my own exhibition of soft sculptures with pointy detailed not-suitable-for-children bits, I want to make things until I am satisfied, not until they are good enough. I want to make things for the love of it, not the money.

SO I am working hard to finish off orders, and thinking hard and carefully about my next step, and how I will coax my mojo back.

Does this happen to you?

do you have to be superhuman?

(photo by DudleyRedhead)

I feel a bit like this today, just trying to catch up on computer-y stuff. Reading, researching, updating, filing, entering, writing. Marketing, accounts, social media, blogging, research, accidental-looking-at-etsy, reading blogs, guest posting, listing items, following up. Is it all necessary? And how can you tell what is important and what is not? If it makes money? But not all value is about money. If it is focused? But you'd know too the treasures and ideas found accidentally. Do you have to be superhuman to fit it all in?



When people ask what I do, I say I make stuff, but sometimes the computer part can grow and grow into the making stuff time, and days pass where I have ticked boxes but not.made.a.thing. That can't be right.

upcoming markets! almost-ready website!

You know that thing you do when you suddenly look up and realise you haven't posted on your blog for almost a week? Yeah. Oops. How did that happen?

I've been madly preparing for my first Brisbane markets! I will be with my sister Amanda from Red Pear drinking tea and chatting with all of our lovely wares at the Riverside Markets (Eagle St, Brisbane) this Sunday 19th of June, then next Saturday 25th we will be at the ace Handmade Expo (Brisbane Rd, Ipswich). So we are stitching and emailing and breathing deeply.

Plus I am working on my very own website! It is nice, I think, and will have links to all the important bits, like this blog, and facebook and twitter and flickr and a gallery and online shops and stockists and upcoming market dates and a bit about me too. Phew! If your bookmark says 'pepperstitches.com.au' it will go there; use 'pepperstitches.blogspot.com' if you'd like to come straight here. I hoped to launch it today, but my computer keeps freaking.out. and needs a bit of a rest. I will be nice to it, I need it to be nice to me, too.

So I am busy you see, but will post again soon. With pictures and everything. Hope your week is going ace!

hello there

I haven't said hello in a while. Not properly. Hi. How are you? What's been going on? I've had lots going on. I moved house, and set up my new studio, and have spent lots of time arranging things and exploring my suburb and visiting my family who are now just-next-door it feels like. I have been planning and pondering and I have been finishing some orders and working on patterns and such, too.

What have you been doing? I missed you, I haven't had time to read blogs and chat much. I will try to do it more, now. I'm a bit nervous about making new friends. I know I will, but feels just a little like starting a new school. I have so much I want to do, I keep turning around in circles. But here I am. It felt so far away, but it came so fast, at the end.

Thanks for sticking around. It's only getting more exciting, from here.

arranging neatly by size and colour

via

via

I am breathing again, and taking one. thing. at. a. time. I spent part of yesterday folding and sorting my fabric stash. Which is very relaxing, don't you think? Just looking at the pretty colours, running your fingers over the weave, making neat piles arranged by size and colour. Plus it almost counts as work, as it miust lead to greater productivity later, right? At least less time spent searching. That isn't my stash up there. No, that belongs to a friend of Sophie's, isn't it pretty? And the lovely Verity suggested eating chocolate, and I was happy to comply.

Did you know you can also see lots of lovely fabric stashes in this flickr group, and more organized things in this one. Then I spent more time looking at things organized neatly.

Perhaps I am a little geeky, a little strange, but I do love nicely organized and pretty things. It injected some order into my currently chaotic life, and did my soul good.

oh. hi there.

Hello Rabbit by Nicole Smith

how are you?

I missed you.

Sorry I've been away.

Off the radar.

I do that sometimes,

don't I?

Sometimes I am busy. Or forgetful.

Sometimes I miss a few days and when I think about all the posts I need to do to catch up, it gets a bit much

and I go and eat a biscuit instead.

And then days turn into a week. or two.

Sometimes it feels like I have nothing to say

or what I have to say isn't interesting enough

(which is silly, I know. I am fascinating)

Sometimes I am away from my computer,

having adventures and thinking about things.

This time it was a bit of all of the above.

I have been in Brisbane. Yep.

Things have happened. Stuff too.

And I will tell you all about it soon.

But first I'm going to go have a biscuit.

(ps. I almost wrote 'cookie' then. But I am not American. They're biscuits. Do you find yourself adopting other words like that?)

time measured in tea

via

Do you ever look back on a day, a week, a month, even a year, and wonder what you’ve done? How did I fill that time? It feels like I have not gotten anything done, though I must have.

I have done stuff, but what did I do?



All I know for sure that I have drank enough tea to circumnavigate the earth.

"it's so fluffy I'm gonna die"

You may know that I have an impressive collection of animation movies. I love them. My latest addition is “despicable me". Have you seen it? Gru is awesome, his accent rocks too and the minions are adorable.

So when I saw these arigumi minons, I just about fell off my chair. Cute, no?

For the free pattern, visit WolfDreamer.

Via Radlinc Crafts

(ps. the title of this post is my favourite line in the movie, said by a little girl when she sees a giant stuffed unicorn)

routine

(Bear to do list by boygirlparty)

While I do enjoy knowing that actually I don’t have to do anything in any particular order most days out here, I tend to flounder without a general routine. I kind of drift around with no clear purpose, and spend more time than I mean to on some things, and not enough on others, and then wonder where did the time go?

So I have tackled this like I do so many things. With a list. With little tick boxes that are oh-so-satisfying (and I believe that 'nanna-nap', 'reading' and 'tea break' are perfectly acceptable entries), on the top of my clipboard of 'things to make and do'. It gives a bit of shape to the day, and I know what to expect. I don't do everything every day. But I do most things most days, and I think that's ok.

Do you have a routine? What is a part of your everyday routine?

good things are happening

Bad things are always happening. There will always be something not-so-great. But there are always good things happening too. Don't worry about the bad so much that you let the good things pass you by.

Believe in goodness, and that is what you will remember.

it's only been a week

So far I have eaten several parts of animals (and one whole one) off spits, shot at a can with an air rifle (I hit it), neglected to shower on at least one occasion, have talked about rugby, worn flannelette and ugg boots at the same time, commented repeatedly on the weather, have drunken beer and bourbon, been knocked off my feet by a pig, and dropped a sledgehammer on my foot and swore like a trooper.

.

It's only been a week and I've had a bit of bogan in me all along.

.

.

In honour of bogans here

this week/ last week

via

Last week I
- had a cold
- found some books in a lane way
- stuffed plush raindrops
- received an invitation to my high school reunion
- watched Avatar
- rearranged the studio
- cooked yummy soup
- dreamt of camping and crocodiles
- made a snow globe pincushion
- was cranky at work
- ate peanut butter ice cream



This week I am
- still coughing
- looking forward to knitting at Brown Owls
- watching Robin Hood at the movies
- have a pimple on my chin. Arrgh!
- working on new cushions
- making new blog friends
- wondering about my job
- looking forward to the forecasted rain
- hoping your week is lovely

I am a Silly Chicken & Giveaway

I am a Silly FORGETFUL Chicken. I completley and utterly forgot the Brown Owls Christmas Party. I was looking forward to it. I had suggested a location, I RSVPd, I decided what to wear, I had chosen and wrapped a secret santa present.

Then I forgot. At 7pm Sunday night I sat upright, slapped my forehead so hard my eyes bugged out, and swore very loudly.

I blame the uni essays crowding my mind. I blame a lifetime of absent-mindfulness and my current lack of diary and pause of to-do list writing. I blame the alignment of the planets, and my silly brain. Most of all I blame me, which is awful because I really was looking forward to going, and was prepared to face my shyness to do it. I really enjoy spening time with the lovely crafty and funny Brown Owls, chatting about crafty things and thread and the best way to finish a stitch. Sorry guys. My brain.

Now I have gone for a walk, eaten a bag of mixed lollies and stopped swearing everytime I think of it, I am having a giveaway for the gift that was to be the secret santa. Two books, cozy crochet and embroidery.

.

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The books are brand new and full of tips and patterns and projects and pictures, and quite-darn-nice. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post. If you like, leave a comment about the last time you totally forgot something and felt like a Silly Chicken. It may help me feel better. For an extra entry, post about the giveaway and/or being a Silly Chicken. I will draw the winner next monday.

Unless I forget.

.

Just kidding.

I think.

(edit) giveaway for international peeps too!

letters

A letter to myself
Hey you. You look nice today. Yes, even in your pajamas, sipping tea with your hair all mussed up and a slight headache. I know you’ve had a rough time lately. This year hasn’t been easy but it will get better. I know it’s hard to hear it from me, that some part of you doesn’t believe it, but I know that if you were my dear friend this is what I would tell you. You are beautiful. You are loved and you are stronger than you think.

A letter to my anxiety disorder
You’re a bit of a pain, aren’t you. Well it’s good to finally meet you, though I’ve known you for a while. Now I know who you are, I can recognise you. You have taken me away from my friends, away from life and so many exciting things in the world. You see you take a process that is really handy in response to, say, a ravenous lion; or a piano falling from a skyscraper above you; and apply to not-so-handy situations. Like getting on a bus, sitting in a restaurant or lining up at the bank. I am grateful to my body for having these responses like releasing adrenaline and making my heart beat fast so my muscles can carry me away from danger and maybe save my life. But you have to stop tricking my body into thinking that supermarkets are dangerous places. They’re really not. I don’t like being so scared and feeling like I may throw up or faint, and making excuses why I can’t do things and it’s starting to make me mad. I don't like that you've invited depression in to keep you company. So don’t get comfortable, generalized anxiety disorder. I have friends who have friends. I have backup. And your time is limited.

A letter to you
Hello. I like your shoes. Would you like some of my cookie? It’s choc chip, and I’m getting crumbs in the keyboard. I just wanted to let you know that I am a better person because of you. Thank you. You, reading this, makes me more open and able to share my thoughts and encourages a creativity that sometimes surprises me. You make me see the world in new ways. Your comments make my day. Your stories make me smile. Your empathy in bleak days and joy in happy times makes me wonder at humanity. You inspire me. Thank you.

A letter to tea

I like you very much. You are warm and comforting and oh-so-tasty. You make hangovers more bearable, sundays more lazy, you wake me up in the mornings, and give me a reason to get up and have nice little breaks that makes my work much nicer. You are an excuse to buy pretty mugs, and sit on the front step to watch the street at dusk. Keep being awesome.