Crafty Mermaid

  Crafty magazines - not a normal treat but as I got a voucher for my birthday last year, I splashed out before Christmas.  It gave me a head start on my Christmas cards (but I still failed miserably in sending them out!).

This blanket had everything going for it. Great, bright colours, and a dottie angel inspiration. But the joins between colours just didn't look right to me...   So I frogged four weeks worth of crochet.  Ouch!

The fabric is still sailing its way to my kiwi address :)

I found this great Etsy card shop  called Fold here (via Planet Fur ) and just had  to share!  I limited myself to just three - go on over there to see more fabulousness! card by Fold here giraffe by  Fold here Love the use of the dots on the cardstock Monkey from  Fold here

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/

Its that the cutest postcard?  I originally bought it in London for my brother and had addressed it in September last year but eventually ended up handing it to him at Christmas!  Oophs! The same shopping trip in London also netted me some Japanese washi tape.  While I can't even begin to comprehend what its like to live through an event such as the massive 9.0 earthquake in Japan, I am sending thoughts in that direction.  I hope the country gets back on its feet soon and that the nucleur fallout doesn't make things much worse.

Gotta love Marks and Spencers and their cupcakes!  I couldn't resist posting some photographs I took of my birthday cakes (about 5 months too late!).  Yum! The top photo has a hint at my current (still working on it!) crochet project and all displayed on top of some Cath Kidson oilcloth from the Kildare outlet centre.  That oilcloth was really handy! My rented apartment had a poorly painted dining table that was beginning to flake.  I was worried I wouldn't get my deposit back so Cath to the rescue and I was able to cover the table and wipe off any spills! The second photo was taken in my parent's house which meant I had to share the cakes (I'd have exploded from cake overload at the time so definitely a good thing!).

My softies arrived in Oz and were posted on Monkeemoomoo's blog . Hope they bring snuggly cheer to their new owners.

When I was back in Ireland for my stint last year, I managed to fit in a pottery class with my old teacher. And on the shelves of the studio was this amazing piece.  If my luggage would have allowed it, I'd have offered serious moolah - love, love, love it.

More purchases from London - it really was a treasure trove!  A beaded ring from the V&A, a stamp and embellishments from a lovely shop near my hotel and some liberty fabric I have great intensions to turn into some of a quilt at some stage. The lovely shop were very lovely indeed.  They were very good about my credit card not working! I originally thought it was cancelled because I was using my NZ card in London and it was only after my minor meltdown that I realised the expiry date had come and gone! Eeek!  Thankfully BM brought my updated card with him when he visited later in the month. Credit cards make travel so much easier until they don't!

More bits and bobs from my London trip. Ribbon, matching tread, an embroidery loop (liberty), handmade buttons,  and a plastic spoon (from the V&A).  The spoon didn't photograph as well as I would like.  I plan on using it with my teaset in work for meetings and it looks far less disposable!

I shot this video of one of my cats today.  Not quite sure what he was doing but it looks like my love of fabric has rubbed off! :) I could easily narrate his thoughts.  'So fabric, hmmm....  What fabric will I choose today, what about this stuff, oh no, not quite right, what about this shelf, maybe not...

Another photo of my haul from my London trip last year.  I can't wait to use these in the new house.  I think they're destined for a locker in my craft room but I love them so much I'll have to have a hunt around the new house for somewhere else instead.  They're currently sailing their way to NZ from Ireland.  Just as well - I don't need to move more stuff! And in case my photography is rubbish - they're maps!

I find that good glue and double sided tape is vital!  So a few toolbox purchases on my trip to London (in September!!!!  Eeekk I really need to go through my photographs more often).

I was in Kaikoura last week for work when Christchurch was hit by a massive and destructive earthquake.  Unfortunately, unlike the original earthquake and the Boxing Day aftershock, this aftershock caused chaos and a major loss of life - a death toll they're still counting.   Kaikoura is a two and a half hour drive from Christchurch and BM's parents and close friends of mine live there.  BM's parents were outside of the affected area.  And fortunately my friends were uninjured apart from cuts and bruises but their houses were wrecked.  I've also found out that some of the workplaces have been red stickered (due for demolition). I feel a silly and writing about crafty stuff when something so unimaginable is happening in the same country.  Hopefully some of what I make over the next while will be of some use.  I've been sewing and crocheting for the Queensland Flooding effort from Sarah London's crochet a rainbow appeal and Monkeemoomoo's dolly drive .  A