Op Shopping and Spotlight

Well, took a little trip out to my local Spotlight. And by local I mean it's about a 15km round trip ;)

The trip itself probably would have gone a lot better if I had bothered to check exactly what the opening time of the store was....it's 9.00am for those of you who are interested. So I got there at 8.25am. *sigh*.

Anyhoo, got all the supplies I wanted (as well as a few little extras!!). Photos on the way!!

Then I hit the op shops. Jeepers! At the Sammies got a great duvet cover in a nice thin blue and white stripe which will be great for quilts or softies or dolls clothes or something!! Also picked up two great blue glazed pots (I'll find a use for them too!) and a pair of $1 jeans that are destined to become an apron. More on this later...

At the second op shop - Vinnies - it was a much smaller store, but got two great embroidered doilies ($1 each) two tweed coats to make owls from this website (www.moonstitches.typepad.com - check out the 'tutowrial') for a total of $7 and a pair of what are possible the most hideous pants ever to see the light of day. But the fabric will be great for the owls. Just not so great for pants... I thought the lady on the counter was going to refuse to sell me the clothing after I revealed my plans for it!!

So, have got a fair bit done today. Made a cute little icecream pincushion, inspired by some instructions I downloaded from a website (sorry - can't recall which one, but the instructions are by Michelle Verbeeck. Although, I didn't really read the instructions properly, so ended up "modifying' the icecream, and quite frankly - I think I prefer mine!! Too cute.

Then I set out to make a denim apron a la www.mybyrdhouse.blogspot.com. So, the instructions are very easy to follow and I was pottering along...but I think I underestimated either my own hip/thigh size OR the size of the jeans that I would need to make an adults sized apron. My apron was too small!!! But all is not lost. It was my eldest niece's birthday last week and as a part of her gift, I sent her a Fairy Cookbook. What better followup present than *ta-da* an apron!!

So, saved from the ignominy of wearing a too small apron, I finished whipping up the apron. It turned out GREAT!!! Might be a trifle long for her, but she is tall for 8!! Was so inspired by my creative skills that I then decided I would make her younger sister an apron as well - it is her birthday in a few weeks - so I winged it mostly, by adding a bib made out of the back of the jeans where the pocket is in order to make a bib with a pocket without having to do an actual pocket! I rock!! It turned out soooooo cute. So now all I have to do is make some matching yo-yo's with my templates, sew these on with some buttons to both aprons and awaaaaay they go. Favourite (and only) aunty status is assured.

Photos of all my endeavours of today will be forthcoming shortly - as soon as I can work out the techno issues ;)

Of course, very little in the way of housework got achieved today. But, no matter. There are plenty of other days left in the week....

Well, wish me luck - tomorrow is the City to Surf here in Perth and this year I (crazily) put down to run. Twelve kilometres. I was clearly under the influence at the time. I have packed all my gear, got my clothes and shoes and socks ready. My iPod is charged and ready to go. I have made my list and checked it twice and I should be ready to go. Now all I have to hope for is a) that it is not raining tomorrow; and b) I can manage to run most of the course. Go Kylie!!

P.S...

Oh, a little post script to my inaugural post.

A HUUUUUUGE thankyou to Pip from www.meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com for her nifty and v. helpful tips about setting up a blog on Blogspot. Ch-ch-check it out if you too are thinking of embarking upon a blog of your own.

Pip - you rock. Quite a bit :)

...so. Hi ;)

I've been doing the whole 'lurking' thing for a teensy while now, and have been toying with the idea of creating my own little piece of blog-space.

Soooo, I took a couple of deep breaths - but not too many as one does not want to hyperventilate, does one? - and jumped right in with both feet ;) whheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I guess the blog will be a word-torial journey through my crafting successes - but also the trials and tribulations which seem to beset the best of us!

A bit about me...

Name: Kylie...as if you haven't already guessed that from the blog name ;)
Age: *coughs* Impertinent young pup. One never asks a lady her age! All I will say is this: I am as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.
Where am I: Right now? On the couch. Under a quilt. Oh, you mean my 'location'. Perth, Western Australia.
My current crafty undertakings: Weeeeell, how long have ya got? Lets see....knitting. Cross stitch. Occasional dabbling in other embroidery. Scrapbooking. Folk Art. Card Making. Jewellery. Beading. Quilting.
What 'new' crafts do I want to experience: Oh. My. Word. Well, tomorrow I am off on a trip to Spotlight to pick up some fabric and notions for some softies that I am planning to make. For the first time ever. So that will be fun. Will probably also hit the op shops to see what treasures I can unearth. I also want to dabble in collage, screen printing (on fabric and paper and stuff!!) more embroidery such as hardanger and those cute transfer thingummies, apron making (have also got a simple one of these lined up for the weekend), bag making, and so, so, so much more stuff!!
In my spare time (HA!) what other things do I like to do: Gardening. Reading. Jigsaw puzzles (great, now I sound like someones great-aunt Ermintrude). Cooking. *blushes* cheesy and implausible romance novels. Triathlons (yep. That last one fit right in there...)
How many UFO's do I currently have: Umm. Let's see. Twelve-eleventy. Yup. Precisely.

So, over the course of the weekend I will potentially have some hilarious craft out-takes for you to see. Hopefully the softies turn out good as I am searching for a suitably cool and cute gift for one of my nieces who is turning 5. If all goes well, she will be the inaugural lucky recipient of One Of Auntie Kylie's Creations (note extensive capitalisation. Like God. Or The Queen). Others will then follow (it's sooo easy when they're that age!)

In any case, to keep you going until then, please find following the last quilt that I actually finished (as averse to all the half done ones hanging in my craft room) for my Darling Dad's birthday. Last year...

Circles on squares with a little very tight machine zig-gagging to secure
The top - half sewn together...
Aah, the Quilt-Pro. My baby. Oh, yes...and the quilt top mostly made up :)

The final product. No square background colour repeats in any rows. No circle colour repeats in any row (Pedantic? Moi?). Cream inner border. Green outer border quilted with a 'feather' design using my chalk-puffy thing which I <3.>Last words were that he loves it. Has it on his armchair. Score another one for Kylie, Favourite (and only) Daughter...