Owl, oh, oh

A way back I got a really cool stone owl in the Antique Market. I took some pictures and wondered if anyone could come up with a name for it (you can see the post from back in October if you are interested). I did not have any comments, so the poor owl has still no name. It has given me inspiration for playing around with lino cuts and watercolours. 

I also made some prints, coloured them with watercolours and named them, but the original is still unnamed!  I would very much appreciate your suggestions. (If there is anybody out there reading this blog at all.........)

I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike

Brrrrrr.

It is soooo cold these days!  I was a little bit reluctant to cycle into town yesterday since I thought it would be more pleasant to walk, but Richard convinced me. And he was right! It was quicker (of course), and one gets warm with the exercise. I must start using the bicycle again...I am hoping it will also help me lose the weight I have been putting on over Christmas!

Here is a drawing I made a couple of years ago of a bicycle. I haven drawn for aaaages! Maybe another thing to take on again in 2009?

Knitting

Hallo there! 

I am showing off the mittens I knitted recently. I have never been too fond of knitting (but have been of knitted things), the only reason being that I have always been really bad at it and had no patience. But I decided to give it another go (5th maybe?) and finally got round to produce something I like and that I enjoyed making. Don't you just love the colour? 

I like Apples

I finally made the decision of buying an Apple computer, something that I have been thinking for ages! I am at very early stages, finding it a bit tricky to get the most out of it. That is why I bought a book of MacBook for Dummies. I think that some reading, online tutorials and practice will help me become the Mac wizard I hope to be in a few months time!

This book looks very boring from the outside, so I decided to use some of the paper wrap I bought on our October trip to KL. 

I made the finish touch by plastifying it. Much nicer, huh?

Update

Hallo Everybody! It has been ages since I have posted anything and that is only because I have been too busy reading, shopping and catching up with friends. I haven't been very crafty lately although I have started knitting and much to my surprise I am enjoying it a lot.
Today I am at home with a very sore throat, trying to keep warm and spending much of my time catching up with my RSS feeds.


And just to add a bit of colour to this post here is a photo of a train we took in Switzerland this summer. The hills are alive......

Two books I enjoy

My very generous Mother in law gave me not one, not two, not three, but four! books out of my wish list for my birthday back in September (yes, I am a Virgo girl). I like all of them in different ways, and these are my two favourites. I am not going to start writting about my views on them because I have never been good at that sort of thing. I am just sharing that I am happy to have these two lovelies with me. Thanks so much Gigi.

Rubber stamps book

I love going to charity shops. You just don't know what it is that you are going to come across that has your name written all over it. I often tell myself not to go into them because I am bound to find something (= spend money), but then the other little voice says: but there might be just a jewel waiting for you and you would waste the opportunity if you don't go in, and this might just give you that bit of inspiration you need, and it might be really helpful or unusual or unique or special, and, and, and,....and I can't help myself from going in to make sure I am not letting my little treasure escape from me. I many times go empty handed, but this time I found this book.
This is a sneak peak for you


I was excited when I turned the page to find this because he is combining two
of my favourite things: stamps and calligraphy.


I love this book. And I am so glad I listen to that little voice...

Lunch bag

I made this lunch bag in just an hour! I didn't intent to do it so quickly. It just happened and it surprised me. It is just big enough, so I will have to make another one for when I want to put bigger tupperwares inside. Well, did anyone ever hear me complain about having too many bags?

First embroidery attempt

Before I went off to sunny and hot KL I said I was going to try out embroidery. Well, here it is! I did this over the weekend and enjoyed the process of drawing it and then sewing it.

He looks much taller in this photo!

I mixed two different colour greens for the grass

Stamps and Prints

I have been making some stamps and experimented with printing on fabric


The fish one was very easy to make. I think it has turned out really cute


I was feeling very inspired and decided to take things a little bit further....and tried my first lino cut. It is a simple design that I used with the same type of ink that I used for the rubber. I need to try it out with suitable ink and on different types of paper to find out how to obtain the best result. It is all good fun and I can see myself getting into this quite a lot!


I wish my brain was made to think of complex and beautiful designs...Maybe one day, with practice? In the meantime I will have to stick to simple ones or copy others that I like. This is a lot of fun. I recommend you try it if you haven't yet!

Patchwork blanket

I made this patchwork blanket before I went to KL following the instructions of a family friend. Thanks Frances!

It is a very nice feeling to wrap up in the evenings with it while watching telly.

I do make sure I am not close to it while I am drinking tea or hot chocolate. I am paranoid I am going to spill it all over it!


In case you wonder, the measurements are 115 cm x 80 cm

Rubber stamps

I was really excited when I saw these in a shop in Chinatown in KL. I couldn't resist it and bought them.

I have done a few little tests to figure out the right amount of pressure that I need to put when using them.


This is an up close photo. I like to look at things really closely.

Thermal shock

I am back! And so tired....! We arrived to Heathrow airport at 5.30 in the morning and tried to get back home, only to find that the M4 was closed and all the other roads were full of traffic. We had to end up stopping in Henley for a coffee while we waited for the roads to clear up a bit. Henley is a beautiful town and I would like to see it properly one day. We did walk around a little bit, but remember we were wearing summer clothes and it was freezing cold!
Two days ago I was feeling dizzy because of the heat while walking in Chinatown in KL

We changed from 30 degrees Celsius to 1! Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and one could appreciate very clearly all the autumn colours. The landscape looked beautiful with the snow.

So back to hot teas, soups, water bottles, cozy blankets, wooly sweaters, hats, scarfs, gloves, food made in the oven,...

Hello from KL

Hallo there!
I am having a wonderful time in KL, enjoying being outdoors exploring the city and feeling the warmth and sunshine.
Here are a few photos of scenes that have caught my eye. KL is a very different city to those that I am used to, and I am finding myself very comfortable here. Although I am happy with these photos, I have been disappointed with others. I do realise that much of the quality of a photograph is down to the person deciding on the composition and pressing the button, but I am now convinced that I need a new camera to help me obtain the best results. Can't wait to get my new toy! Any suggestions on how to take good photos or suitable cameras are very much welcome...


This street is Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. I came here to check out the textile shops on this street one day that Richard was working. I didn't find anything to my taste, but it was nice to walk up and down this very colourful street.


It is very hot and humid in KL, but all buildings have air conditioning units to keep everyone cool. I sometimes have to go out for a bit of warmth!

Red

I love this colour red that you can find in autumn. I came across this ivy while going for a walk at the weekend.

Embroidery abroad

I got this little booklet on embroidery in the Antique Market a few weeks ago. It has the basic stitches and I want to practice them, and some cross stitch as well. I have seen some wonderful stuff in the Flickr Embroidery Pool that have inspired me to give it a go. I am going to take all of this with me for the next week but I cannot promise any result.....and that is because I will be in Kuala Lumpur! and might get all distracted. I did however thought that this would be light and easy to take with me and that I would probably find some spare time here and there to start stitching. I am full of good intentions as you can see... I also hope to be able to take wonderful pictures while I am away and post them so you can enjoy a bit of KL with me.
See you soon!

Egg cosies

Aren't they lovely? My Mum made them for us and I think they are fantastic. The white fabric with blue dots is the same fabric that she used for making a dress for me when I was two. It is so sweet! These look fairly easy to make, so it might be an idea for you to keep in mind for Christmas presents (Whoops! I said the "C" word!).

Autumn

Hallo Everybody! I have been a little bit quiet lately only because I was away a few days in Madrid celebrating my brother's 40th birthday. Now I am back at home and trying to catch up with my projects. I am currently working on something that I will post very soon. It has been my biggest project so far (in size and time) and hope to finish it tonight. I am not quite sure if I like long projects...I quite like making things fairly quickly but I must admit that the effort put into long crafty ideas is satisfying too.
I was in a silly mood today: tired, irritable and annoyed in a childish way that I haven't got enough time to do all I would like to do. I would like to have so much more time for my sewing, photographs and blogging. I am sure you crafty bloggers understand! I sometimes imagine those who as well as everything else have children and I say to myself: how on earth do they do it? And that is coming from someone who sometime would like to venture into breeding! Anyway, I thought that a walk and a treat such as a Pain au chocolat would make me feel better so I went out in this lovely sunny autumn day and took the picture you can see above. I love autumn colours. They are my favourite.

She owl or he owl

And yet another purchase from the Antique Market...It is painted stone. There were two other fantastic owls in the stand of the same style but my purse was already saying Ouch! when I bought this one. I might have to get them if they are still there next week though...

It looks quite different depending on the lighting and the angle. I can't make up my mind if it is male or female. What do you think? Any suggestions for a name?

Antique Market

I love going to the Antique Market. Never know what it is that I am going to find and what I am going to spend my money on. These curtains have a bit of a story. A month ago or so I saw them and wondered if I should buy them. I carried on walking thinking about it and then saw a girl looking at them who finally bought them leaving me with a sour feeling, realising that maybe I should have just followed my first instinct of buying them. But today I went again and found this extra pair! I knew they had to be mine... I though I could use them to cover the sofa we have at home, but the fabric is just wrong for it. So it will have to wait in the cupboard. I know that suddenly one day I will have that A-ha! moment when I will know what to do with them, so I am quite happy I have them although they haven't got an immediate use. And the hanger is just sweet...

Nice little pouch

I have always had an obsession with purses and bags (I bet I am not the only one!). I made this little purse to substitute and old one that I have and I really love the way the colours come together. I think the buttons add a lot to it. Otherwise it might be a bit dull. The plain fabric comes from second hand trousers I got in a charity shop, the flowery fabric came in a scrap bag, and the buttons I bought in the Antique Market. Another reason why I like it is because each time I use it I am reminded of my lovely hobby.

Printing by hand

This is my latest purchase! I put my name down for a Fabric Printing course that was meant to start this week, but at the end of last week I was told it was cancelled. I was so disappointed! I had been looking forward to it for a whole month! They told me so late it was impossible to put my name down for any other course (grrrrrrr). So I decided I would learn on my own (ha! I will not accept defeat!) and got a book that would help me along the way. So far I have been playing around making simple rubber stamps to get myself familiar with the cutting tools, the ink and so on. Here is an example of what I have done:



Yes, very simple, but I hope to get good at it and make more complex drawings. As usual I have loads of ideas of things to do with stamping, and one of them is to make this year's Christmas cards. We shall see what the result of this is!

Kidlet bag

I made a little bag to hang from the handle of one of the drawers on my bedside table to try to make the surface a little bit less crowded (= messy). I got the idea from JC Handmade where she has a tutorial on how to make a Kidlet Wall Pocket.

Funky Victorian

One of the "delights" of living on rented accommodation is that one has to put up with furniture that does not quite fit, or is not of your taste. We have a Victorian nursing chair that is very comfortable, but the fabric is dull and is (surprise, surprise!) a little bit worn out. So I decided to make it more to our taste and have been doing a little bit of upholstery. I guess it is not proper upholstery, but it does the trick for me! I didn't take a picture of how the chair looked before because it was something that I started as an experiment that turned out to come out well. Ye-hey!

This is the original fabric, used in all of the chair.

Much nicer now! This is fabric from yesterday's trip to Ikea

The lovely blue fabric adds some colour to the room, which is always a good thing

I quite like the idea that the cushion is reversible
I will now enjoy sitting on this chair!

Thank you Carina!

Carina's Craftblog has been a source of inspiration for me since my interest in crafting as a hobby started. She has been kind enough to give me advice, from suggestions on how to take photos to encouragement on sewing zippers and starting this blog.
Her interview of me is now available in her blog, so check it out if you would like to get to know the crafty side of me!
Thanks Carina for having been so nice and open to me, a total stranger. I really appreciate it.
Happy Wedding and Happy life with T!

Jeans Pouch

What to do with an old pair of jeans and a scrap of pretty fabric? This nice and easy project allowed me to carry on practicing inserting zippers. Have no idea what I will do with it now though!

Doing something about the inside adds to the whole

Robot Pouch

There is so much to learn!

I followed the tutorial from Paper and String to make sure I had a good result with the zipper. I have problems sending you directly to the tutorial, but this link will take you to the blog.

A good finish makes all the difference!