More Callies

The Kookaburra and the Giraffe:



And here's the whole Calli Family so far (remember the Kelly Family, back in the 70s/80s?)



I'll probably make some more and take them to market on Sunday...

I'm looking forward to the markets but will also be glad when they are over and I will be able to do other things again! Life is a bit busy at the moment, with the markets coming up and my PhD Confirmation next week... Here's the invitation:



Thankfully we have two days off on Wednesday and Thursday next week - looking forward to going to our new caravan and hanging up my new curtains!

Curtain!

My latest sewing project: curtains for our new caravan!



I bought six metres of this coated blockout fabric and have now finished the curtains for five of the eight windows. It's the first time in my life I have made curtains!



I also made another Cuddly Calli; the Dinosaur. Working on the Kookaburra!



And I finished another decoupage project. Using a Chinese newspaper from Hong Kong I covered the inside and outside of a plain box. I love how it turned out. Thinking of making a gymnastics box for my oldest, a bicycle box for hubby, a train box for my youngest etc...



I'm itching to start a new quilt but it will have to wait until after the Kerbside Lane Markets next week...

Dolphin Cuddly Calli

Meet my Dolphin Calligram Cuddly toy! (Calli-Cuddle? Trying to think of a good name...) I made it from the Spoonflower swatch (8 inch square) that you have to order before you can put a fabric design up for sale. I have lots of them and suddenly thought this was a good way to use them! (yes, I still have to finish the Calligram Quilt for Robbie, also made with these swatches...)



I'm sure I will make some more of these Callies!



I'm also working on some new decoupage projects - a few photo frames to start with, for Blue Jacaranda at the Kerbside Lane Markets on August 14th. I really enjoy this technique; I brought some Chinese newspapers from Hong Kong with this in mind.

So... still no quilting here. I guess I will take it up again after the market. I'm thinking about a design for the Beneath the Southern Sky exhibition. It will probably include some screen printing..!

Still busy

I am still busy making things for Sunday August 14th, when Blue Jacaranda will be at the Kerbside Lane Markets. Chalk cloth placemats, pencil rolls, chalk cloth tags...
It's fun to do but the itch to start a new quilt is getting stronger too! I think the next one will be a diving quilt, using one of the screen prints I showed here.



Another project that is coming up is to make new curtains, pillow cases and cushion covers for our recently acquired caravan!

Busy

While at home with a sick 6-year-old and a healthy 4-year-old I managed to get a lot done today. I finally finished the ice skating quilt, hanging sleeve and all. I'm not showing you the full quilt yet but here is a sneak peek (ignore the pink spot at the bottom; something to do with the light). I also finally sewed sleeves onto a few other quilts -- not my favourite part of the quilt making process!

I realised today that the first anniversary of Blue Jacaranda, my online shop, was last week on July 15th :-). It's been a good year, with 66 items sold - not bad for an enterprise that was just started for fun! And I'm now taking it to a new level: on Sunday, August 14th Blue Jacaranda will be at the Kerbside Lane Markets in Brisbane! So I have been very busy creating new stock:



(much, much more to come!)
I haven't been to this market yet, but it sounds like a fun place - here is a review of one of the earlier markets. The best thing for me is that it starts at 1 pm so no need to build my stall (ehm, it will just be our camping table for now) at 5 am!

So please come along all you Brisbane people and say hi on August 14th! (still a few weeks to go, I know - and I will need them - but don't worry, I will remind you !)



PS My 6-year-old is much better now, thanks. Just hoping that his brothers won't get sick...

SAQA Benefit Auction 2011

Dianne Mularz - Allium#1

In less than 2 months, on September 12th, SAQA's Benefit Auction 2011 will kick off - a great opportunity to obtain a great little piece of art. Go over to the website to see all 309 artworks. The one pictured above is my absolute favourite and the two below come in a close second and third!


Diane Doran - Blue Bird 2

Peg Keeney - Aspens

This is my donation - Balance 3.

Hong Kong

Yesterday I came back from a short trip (4 days) to Hong Kong. I was at a TB conference which was very interesting and took up most of my time, but I had a few opportunities to do some sightseeing. Of course I took my camera; here are a few of my favourite photos.

Taken on the ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon:



Statue in Kowloon:



Taken on a sampan in Aberdeen Harbour:



A building in the street next to my hotel, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island:



And a close-up:



Hong Kong is called the most vertical city in the world and it's not hard to see why:





Spotted during a sightseeing tour in Hong Kong Island:




Me taking photos ;-):



A stall at Stanley Street Market, selling not the usual standard stuff but quirky handmade things:



I bought this creature; it suits my new bag very well! The gorgeous silk shawl was also bought at this market. I think turquoise is my favourite colour at the moment.



Hong Kong is a vibrant, inspiring city, but it's also very crowded and polluted. And of course it is summer there now, so it was very hot and humid. I had a great time but was happy to be back in clean, green Brisbane on a sunny winter's day!

I hope to finish the ice skating quilt this week, and am also planning a Hong Kong quilt for the Australian and New Zealand art quilters journal quilt project!



More Hong Kong photos can be found on my photo blog, which I have resurrected. It will no longer be a 'a photo a day' blog, but will feature series of photos whenever I have the opportunity to go somewhere and try to make some good photos. Do go and have a look!

I'm going to Hong Kong and I'm taking a... phone case

My phone desperately needed its own case, so I made a simple one using one of the Thea & Sami scraps from the scrap pack I bought at their Studio and Shop Opening a while ago.



Now it can safely travel with me to Hong Kong. I fly tonight at 11.05 pm - am a little nervous, obviously don't travel enough! I will be back on Tuesday and hope to show you lots of pics then!

School holidays

It's the 2-week winter holidays here. We have just come back from a short camping holiday, again at Wooyung Beach where we were last month as well. We like the place so much that we have bought an on-site caravan there!



I have been quite creative in the last week, but mainly in helping with these children's projects!
I did manage to finish quilting the new ice skating quilt and now only have to do the facing finish. I hope to get that done before Thursday night, when I fly to Hong Kong for a 4-day trip to a medical conference. Am looking forward to that!



I am not continuing my photo blog, but will post the occasional photo on this blog. Here is a Grevillea that I photographed at the campsite. Love these funky flowers!