Stuff

Life is full of stuff.

Good stuff.

Great Stuff.

Crappy stuff.

Amazing stuff.

Wonderful & breathtakingly beautiful stuff.

Heartbreaking stuff.

Really hard ugly stuff.

To my special few (you know who you are), thanks for helping with my stuff. You are amazing and deeply appreciated. xx

Thanks everyone for popping in and checking out Ohjoh during the year.

Have a lovely 2011!!

May your stuff be of the good variety

Jenny

Still Getting Festive

A production line on the table with big kids creating and a 4yr old sprinkling glitter.

Hand made christmas cards (yes Mum didn't get it together to buy some) for the school kiddies!

Our floor will shine with blue sparkles for months

(which may be saying too much about my housekeeping skills ...)

Hope there are sparkly creations at your place too.

Jenny

For the teachers...

A trip to Amitie today and the thankyou presents for teachers are all done!

Foodie goodies wrapped in tea-towels for kinder all wrapped and waiting (so I don't eat the Turkish Delight!) and for the two most wonderful primary teachers in the world (if only we could have them again next year.....) a little linen tote bag to ferry around their teacher stuff.

Now onto the next project ......

Getting Festive....

3 kids + 1 hole punch + a couple of pairs of scissors + coloured paper + a piece of string

equals

Lots of mess (or if you're a kid, lots of confetti that is still following me around the house)

and

a really pretty snowflake garland (which is not that relevant to a Christmas in Australia as it is currently hovering around 30 degrees C - and my kids have never even seen snow!) but all are happy!

Circle Work

Many years ago "circle work" involved my 2 brothers, 1 V8 Kingswood, 1 paddock and lots of dust. Not as much dust these days ...

Tea-towels for Sunday's market.

Pop down to Mulgrave Makers Market and Farmers Market on Sunday (8am - 1pm) and say hello!

Cheers

Jenny

One market done ...

Mulgrave Makers Market - done!

A lovely day. Well done to Sue and Fi for organising it so well.

Not looking at the sewing machine for another day or two .... then starting it all over again for the next one on Nov 28th.

If you're in Melb come on down - it will be big!

PS How do some of you girls keep on top of the whole blog thing (note it's Wednesday, the market was Sunday and I'm just updating now)? I'm hard pressed to get a weekly (well, sometimes fortnightly) post done. Is there a secret ? Are your children fed? (joking of course!!)

My Creative Space...

I wish it was like this...

but it is a crazy mess getting aprons and skirts finished for Sunday's market.

If you're in Melbourne on Sunday head to the Mulgrave Makers Market from 8am until 1pm. They also have their weekly Farmers Market on at the same time so you can get some fabulous fruit & veg and heaps of other yummy goodies. (I'm hoping the sausage people and Benny's berries will be there - Yum)
Make sure you say hello!
Hopefully I'll have some stuff finished to put on the rack.....
Check out lots more creative types at Kirsty's

My new friend - the red quilt

It's a new friendship.
We're still at the polite, get to know you stage and probably both wondering if we're going to "click".

We haven't seen each other very often as other things "come up" and our get togethers have been getting postponed. Maybe we can make some time this weekend .....

I do love her chooks!

New Bed ... sort of ...

Aahh our bed. It's served us well over the many years that we've dragged it around Melbourne. It's had kids sleep, hide, jump and puke in it. It's been broken and repaired.

It's nearly time to move on.

I found THE replacement in a magazine of ridiculously expensive furniture (why was I looking at that ???). Unfortunately it was "only" a couple of thousand dollars out of our budget.

So, one trip to Spotlight and some discounted funishing fabric later, we have a compromise!

It looks like a new bed! (Unfortunately it doesn't feel like a new bed but hopefully it can hang together for a bit longer ...) No before photo - sorry, I'm not that organised - just imagine a late 90's baltic pine type thingy with an orange tinge. I think this is a better look.

Cheers

Jenny

PS I'm still loving that coushion from Louise. How beautiful is it!

Another baby, another throw...

Welcome to the world Jett. The postie will be bringing this to you soon!

(It's becoming a predictable "welcome to the world" present as this is number 4, but I do like them.)

Actually made something for me - well, for the table which is close isn't it ?? Embroidery design is from the fabulous Prints Charming book.

I give it a week before it's drawn on, glittered on, pasted to something or covered in a foreign sticky foodlike substance.

Yay for spring!

Cheers

Jenny

When your little bloke asks for an ipod ....

Probably not what he expected ..... but as close as he's going to get for a while.

Holiday activity bags all finished waiting for the journey.

Bring on the sunshine and the warmth !!!!

Now what's next on the pre-holiday list .....

See you all soon - hopefully relaxed, warm and smiling!

Cheers

Jenny

my creative space.....

We're soon to be heading north in search of some sun (YAY!!! - those also in Melb will understand my excitement), so I'm filling bags with goodies for each of the kiddies to occupy them on the journey.

First, I need the bags.

I pulled out one of Nikki's patterns that I bought a couple of years ago and never got around to using it. Love it!! So easy, such great tips and a really good result - Thanks Nikki!

One down, 2 to go.

Check out lots of other creative spaces at Kirsty's.

Cheers

Jenny

Tick!

I have a list (I'm big on lists) and these skirts have been on my list for far too long.

So today, between the coughing,sniffling, sneezing and spluttering (it's mucus central here! .... hmm maybe too much information ????) I finished them off and delivered them. I hope they fit!
They're offically ticked off the list. If I wasn't feeling so crappy I would be feeling pretty good about that.

Hope you're all well and if not, may you be within arm's reach of a big box of soft tissues.

Jenny

Quilt number 1 DONE!

I've stitched the last stitch and handed it over to my little man. He loves it - phew! I'm a little sad to see it go.
It's been fun.
Quilt 1 and I have been a couch couple since February. We've laughed, cried and stayed up late. We've grown close.

We've bonded. I think I miss you, Quilt 1.

Amitie had a sale on Friday and I met Quilt 2.

I was searching for something green and came home with this.

I hope we'll be friends.

Will keep you posted.

Cheers

Jenny

When you want summer ....

All you have to do is pop on the sunnies,

get mum to whip up a new summer frock,

head outside,

hope for a little sunshine to peep through the grey winter clouds

and BINGO it's summer! (and the 4 yr old is happy)

The great quilt update - Almost there!!!

What a fabulous morning.
I spent the morning with the talented Andi (of Patchandi) who helped with the binding on THE quilt (yep, basically I had no idea and mentioned that I was making it up as I went along and she wisely put a stop to that!)

I have never seen so many beautiful quilts in one place as there is at Andi's house. One very talented chick! And for those that follow Andi - the kitchen is nicer than the pics!

And she's a screaming fast sewer (hence the really blurry photo below .... or it may have just been my appalling photographic skills????). I was faffing about (and talking too much) as the clock was ticking and my youngest was about to be stranded at Occasional Care when Andi got the show on the road and had that sewing machine smoking! And now it's all attached, waiting to be hand sewn and then it will be done. I can hardly believe it!?!?!?

Thanks Andi - you're a star, a treasure and a very clever custard! Hope you like your little apron thank you.

Handmade vs Barbie .....

My smallest Miss (Miss 3) turned 4 on the weekend (aah how time flies ...). Now that I've finished the enormous pile of aprons, I managed to squeeze out some handmade goodies for her birthday.

I have to admit that I think I have issues with instructions .... reading one thing and for no apparent reason doing something completely different - is that a "Poh moment" ?

The book cover pattern I found at Kirsty's. It's straight forward & fabulous, but I still managed to botch it up at step 2 - cutting it out - so had to tweek it a tad and swear a little.

I managed to cut out the Teapot from Jodie's (RicRac) lovely pattern but, again, managed to read one thing and have my head and hands do another, so had to tweek that a little too and swear a little more. Despite finishing it at 1.30am (hence no teacups!) it is still holding up after a couple of days of tea making.

Miss 2 insisted that a(nother!) Barbie also be included in the birthday mix. After some introductions to the rest of the plastic, physically challenged (how can boobs that size stand on feet that small? and who really has a waist like that ?) Barbie clan it was nice to note that the handmade goodies have been given equal billing.

Time for another "pretend" cuppa (all the joy without the bloating sensation that is consecutive cups of tea) ...

They're Done!!!!!

At last they are finished.

The big order for 50 aprons is all sewn up and ready to be delivered on Monday (yes, it's a school holiday adventure) to the wonderful Kate at Cobbloaf Cafe in Camperdown, VIC.

If you're down that way pop in for coffee & cake (and check out the staff in their new aprons and their new shop reno).

Now that they are done, I ....

• have a new appreciation for how big the number 50 really is (I really underestimated this!)
• now know that making, by hand, 50 of the same thing is mind numbing
• still have an amazing ability to procrastinate - hence the mad panic at the end
• know that my 3 year old is excellent at "helping" with pins
• have forgotten what the park looks like
• have let my 3 year old watch too many dvd's over the last couple of weeks so that I could finish the little monsters
• need to find the laundry .... it's in there somewhere
• have a very patient and wonderful family that have tripped over the sewing machine, ironing board and metres of drying fabric that have taken over our kitchen/living area - thanks guys, I love you!
• have discovered the world of joy that is a rotary cutter. How did I not know about these ?
• am grateful to Kate for ordering them!
• am happy to have my life back and the sweat shop closed.

Being a very good business woman (insert tongue in cheek here...) I could invest my earnings back into my little business .......... or I could buy a real, grown-up mixmaster that I've been saving for - for years! (and let the struggling 15yr old, hand held kenwood retire with dignity).

Decisions, decisions .... mixmaster in cherry red or pistachio green ? .....

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and great school holidays!

Jenny

A few little presents

Inspired by Andi's handmade gifts here at PatchAndi, these ones were made by me for a lovely mummy and her little helper.

Happy Birthday Girls!