giveaway winner!

The winner of the vintage weaving loom is... Lisette from TV and Book Addict!

Email me your postal address, and I will get this baby to you asap!

Speed Creating

Day 10: Mirror rorriM

Day 13: Bath Fountain


Day 15: Football Smoothie Maker



Day 2: Pop up Train Tray Surprise
(Some of my favourite projects so far)

I came across Dominic Wilcox by chance, he's undertaken a Speed Creating Challenge; he will make a new object, installation or creative intervention every day while going about his daily life.
At home, in the studio, on the train or wherever my day takes me, I will attempt to make something that interests me creatively and then quickly document it via photographs, drawings or video. Each day I will receive a small budget of £10 for materials.

And he explains a bit more;

I believe that this self-imposed project with it’s constraints on time and money will force me to take an instinctive and experimental approach. The fear of failure and the usual time spent thinking through the potential pitfalls of a project will not be an option and I will need to react swiftly to my thoughts, observations and experimental outcomes discovered along the way. I am not focused solely on the final objects or images but on the creative journey I take. Complete failures are expected and embraced.

I particularly like his last sentence there. Complete failures are expected and embraced.
I think it's easy to freak out about failures, but by forcing yourself to be creative no-matter-what and embracing mistakes, you can create all kinds of things you wouldn't have otherwise attempted.

You can see Dominic's other projects and ongoing works at his blog, and also photos of his work in an exhibition as part of the Anti-Design Festival's Mistakes and Manifestos events.

flea market finds - giveaway!

I’ve decided not to sell vintage-y things in my etsy store, as I was getting way too distracted and forgetting to sew! So here is a giveaway instead! You can make oh-so-many lovely things with this working loom, and it comes with instructions for projects too. Like; egg cosies, serviette case, coathanger cover, mittens, belt, bag, scarf, cushion, oven cloth, tea cosy, tea-pot holder, doll’s skirt. Party bag and baby bonnet.

Spear’s Weaving Loom; box contains weaving loom, 2 shuttles, heddle, instructions on box and a booklet with 12 projects.

.

To enter simply leave a comment, and reblog or tweet for extra entries (please leave a comment to let me know if you do the last two!). The winners will be drawn next Sunday 26th September.

.

.

Yay!

Gretel & Lucy, custom chickens

I just made these custom chickens and popped them in my etsy shop for pickup. I was a bit stumped for a while, figuring how to go about making chickens, but I think I did okay in the end! They have little details to match the descriptions too, like the brown chest ruffles on Gretel and the white patch on Lucy.

This is the real Gretel and Lucy (cute names, huh!) I have made a pattern now, so will keep custom chickens as a made to order item in my etsy shop. It might be good for friends or little ones who have pet chickens. I like chickens.

.

.

.

.

This was my chicken, Henny Penny, who mysteriously fell off the back of a truck near my work. I took her home and fed her up until she was fat and sleek. I like watching chickens, it's very calming. I had a duck too.

.

.

To go with the plush chickens I might make eggs- does anyone know a simple egg pattern?

my week in pictures

I am holding a pineapple. Don't look at the pineapple, look at the pretty yellow dress the Boy bought me for-no-reason-at-all. Isn't he lovely. It's lovely too.

I wore it to a picnic in the botanic gardens, and drank white wine in the sun with friends.

Leaving notes with shoes.

Oh! Remember when my house was broken into and they stole my stuff, including Sue? The good folk at Dubbo police found her and have returned her to me. So now I have Sue, and Sue II. Two identical cameras. I think I will keep one for spares, in case (when) I lose this one.

First mango of the season. Delicious.

The studio bathrooms needed some magic, so Andy the magical bathroom gnome moved in, and brought toilet paper, soap and towels.

.

.

This week I've been struggling again with slooow internet connections, so blogging has been sidelined a wee bit. Annoying that one of my favourite things is the first to go when I get busy. So I'm posting retrospectivelly again. It makes me feel a bit naughty, like the blog-police might bust in and ask me questions under a bright lamp.

.

.

Hope your week was ace too!

Dress-up Bears

These bears are influenced by Rudolf Steiner, and have intentionally simplistic features to encourage creativity and imagination. They’re made from woollen blankets (brown or pink), so are not only extra soft but have a lovely loved look already, and come with a choice of three dress-ups! There’s a cape, a pirate patch, a crown or a tutu.

They remind me of my first bear, whose name was Teddy (I know, imaginative, huh?) and who I would refuse to go to sleep without, and search the house for (he was usually behind the couch). I used to dress him up, him and my dolls and occasionally a very obliging cat. My school had a fair with a ‘best-dressed teddy bear’ competition every year, and although I came very close, I never-quite-won. (I suspect someone had their nana help, I mean some were very intricate, and we were 10. Am I bitter?) Anyway, the cool thing about making kids toys is how fun they are, and I have played with these little guys already (call it ‘product testing’), and they are as fun as they look.

.

.

In my shop soon!

blog love- start something new

Laura at start something new writes with an honesty about important inner-self stuff in a sweet, refreshing way. Like sparkly ginger ale.

Her posts often make me tilt my head sideways and stare into the distance a little bit, and think. Or hold my shoulders back, and stride off into the world. The quotes she uses do too.

Laura is doing a creative writing course, which shows in the quality of her writing, and she is optimistic too, so even in a down-a-bit bit she still manages to be sunny and quite funny, and her posts about romance.. *sigh*... well. Plus she has an ace to-do list on the side bar there. There're all things I'd quite like to do, too.

Do go visit. Pour a cup of tea (or coffee, is coffee is your cup of tea) and go for a wander over there.

Go Laura. You rock my blog world.

why yes, a giant giraffe please.

So I made a giant giraffe, I did, see him there. He is from one big woollen blanket, and is quite big, really. I'm not sure what I will do with him now. Put him in my shop perhaps, and share the giant giraffe love. For now he stands in the corner of the studio, looking cheeky.

What would you do with a giant giraffe, if he came to your place?

mixed tape goodness at Poppytalk

Pepper Stitches has a table at the lovely Poppytalk Handmade virtual market, all this month. Poppytalk has themes each month (ooh I DO love a good theme) and this month it's all about mixed tapes. Mmm. Mixed tapes. These are my mixed tape mini-cushions, with titles like 'i like you' and 'hits of the 80s'; they're in the market and also in my etsy shop.

Do go have a look at Poppytalk; that is, if you feel the need for feasting your pretty eyes on lovely things. Maybe just pop your credit card in the freezer first though, for your own good.

(I have internet connected today! Yay! I have missed you! Prepare yourselves for a barrage of posts as I catch up!)

my (two weeks) in pictures

no internet= guilt free (ish) cafe visits. I mean I have to check emails, right? This is a baked egg quesadilla. For breakfast. With pear chutney. Yum.

Matching pajamas. Yes, I know it's cheesy. But lovely too.

It was the Boys birthday, I blew up 100 balloons with a fact in each one. All factual, some more.. personal.. than others.

Watched the Tigers play with the Boys family. Wore a fan scarf and jumped up and down a bit. Go Tigers.

Uurgh I don't want to see another one of these for some time. K? Thnx.

Spanish Omelette with chorizo and avocado salsa. Just a regular breakfast, really. (Oh and I wasn't actually reading 'Business Day', it fell out of the paper while I was looking for my horoscope, or the comics or something. I prefer my information irrational. Doesn't it make me look a bit of a toff though?)

(Please excuse the Boy's gesture there. How rude.)

This protest march appeared out of nowhere and chanted down the street, delaying me and my taxi a good ten minutes. I didn't mind, at the risk of turning political here I do think gay people should be allowed to get married. You found someone you can love/annoy for the rest of your life, go for it.

Ooh and I won this lovely book from this lovely gal!

Is it cheeky to post retrospectively? I'm not sure. This blog is like my journal though, and I like reading through old posts and seeing what I got up to, so I reckon it's okay every now and then, when time has slipped by and I didn't have the chance. Yep.

.

.

Hope your two weeks have been lovely too!

EEEK! I made it happen!

.

.

.

.

This is my studio! I know! Exciting huh!

This is why I disappeared for a while, between finding a studio, considering it, wishing it, hoping it, doing it, packing, moving, unpacking, sorting, labelling and breathing, I haven't had the time, inclination or a reliable internet connection to keep you updated. Mind you that's probably a good thing. Moving is hard, and you probably didn't want to live through it vicariously anyway.
.
I'm all set up now, and it's so quietly creative and industrious it makes me just go into my own little world and not come out for hours. Also in the warehouse space are artists, painters and glass sculpturers (is that a word?). It is quiet and inspiring, and without tv/ laundry/ cats etc. there are no distractions at all. Lovely.
.
I've always wanted a studio. So I got one. I'm a grown-up, so I can. I can do whatever I like, I just have to make it happen. Sometimes it's nice to remember that, and act accordingly. I hope you do too.

(ps. Still no internet connected, so bear with me and posts will be flowing soon!)

Tweet tweet

via

A while ago, I had a go at twitter. I must say, I was a little perplexed, and after a few half-hearted attempts, I gave up. I think I was trying to be witty and challenging in every single tweet, acerbic about the machinations of popular culture, deep and meaningful or at least blindingly funny. No one is that clever, or if they are they’re certainly not me. After reading some of my favorite tweeters for a while, I am ready for round two, with new and improved scaled down expectations of my own brilliance. If you’d like to follow me as I blunder around for a while in twitter-land and find my feet writing succinct updates about my day to day existence, thoughts, happenings and the activities of my cat, please feel free!

I am also looking for new tweeters to follow, if you email me pepperstitches@yahoo.com I will follow you and learn about the minutia of your daily life! Exciting! (do not mean that in a sarcastic way at all, I am genuinely a bit thrilled!)

my week in pictures

Singing moose.


Over a cup of tea in my favourite bookstore (text below picture reads: Pepper let himself go as the grey abyss loomed below)

.

.
Thank you man in flouro, for cutting branches away from the electricity lines outside my house. Safer and more sunlight for moi. Awesome.
.

.

My shelf in the fridge. Seriously. So I went to a friends place for dinenr and ended up having a 12 course degustation at a local resteraunt. Amazing. A hedonistic party in my mouth; and like any good party, I could barely walk home and felt a little sick the next day.

.

.

My local markets now have pony rides. I want to ride the pony. Really, can I ride the pony?

.

.

If I was that Dad and saw this, I'd be chuffed. Totally chuffed.

.

.

Hope your week was awesome!

a peanut piggy pair

To celebrate her first bloggy birthday, Stitchy Britt is giving away these adorable peanut-shaped squishy pigs. All handmade, including that little scarf and crocheted basket. Adorable. Pop over there and oink her- post a comment or visit her facebook page, and help celebrate her blog birthday! Yay!

.

Be quick, entries close Saturday night! (Her blog is swell too- less peanut-shaped, but just swell.)

my creative space- Penny!

Results are in from the name poll to name my new sewing machine, 56% voted for the name Penny, so Penny she is! (Alice came second at 35%, and Jane last). Thanks everyone who voted!

.

Other things I've been doing in my creative space
- sorting fabric by colour and size into lovely new plastic tubs and stacking them up high

- freaking out when the now-named Penny flashed and blew smoke (she's better now. phew)

- madly calling repair centres

- staring out the window instead of sewing. watching dog walkers and cranky birds.

- being unsure of what to do first. watching movies instead

- writing lists. crossing out lists. merging lists and then rewriting lists neater

- spending time shopping instead of sewing. finding old patterns and materials and possibilities

- spilling tea on everything and swearing

- cutting out sweaters for cushions

- planning a giant giraffe. Giant. Giraffe. you heard me.

- feeling a little bad for not sewing much. going to the pub instead

.

VERY productive, as you can tell.. (*cough*) But now that Penny is named, we can chat and sew all week long. Uh-huh.

.

more creative spaces here

Hide and Seek Market

My stall last weekend at the Hide and Seek market, and the market mascot that I made! My mum and a friend were there to help out, and we have never seen quite-so-many pregnant women in one place. I suppose if you’re starting to get clucky, making baby and kids toys and being surrounded by babies and pregnant women may not help. Hrrmm. I think I need to visit my niece and get my fix vicariously.

I bought a beautiful ring, and a doll (see more here), and a dozen cupcakes with flavours like Caramello, black forest, lemon curd and almond and berry. Yummo. (I'm eating one in the photo there.. That's what that bemused look is.)

You can see more about the markets here.