Head down, bum up

I've been busy!!

There's been knitting .....

and sewing

These cheery babies are ready for their journey to Pip, of Meet Me At Mike's.  (Sorry, can't seem to get the link thingy to work, giving up after X amount of tries and much **#@*##!)

I'm going to miss them

.....................there's been snuggling and napping in warm places, because it feels like winter, not summer!

.............parcels have come in the post

 a generous gift of sharing from my Christmas decoration swap partner, Rhonda.  Some yummy pieces of fabric to play with.  Thankyou Rhonda, it was very generous of you.

and I treated myself to some of Arlee's eco dyed silk

http://albedoarlee.wordpress.com/

Detail on Wish Upon a Star

Close-up of Rosier Park

The photos don't do justice to the beautiful subtle colours and ghostly markings.  And they smell delicious too, like a forest floor. 

What else? 

I supported the Tweed Shire Women's Service's 16 days of Activism events, and joined the Sistas Against Violence Lantern Parade last Friday night, an event organised by local Indigenous women, and the White Shirt walk on Wednesday.  No pics from these events, as it was quite cold and wet, we just wanted to be seen and heard and get out of the rain. I've attended similar events for years, and it's disturbed me that  often they can be quite militant, which I think, is counter to the message of non-violence we're trying to get across. But both these events were peaceful, with a lovely quietness at the start, and building to an intensity and passion that felt hopeful and determined, but without the aggression I've witnessed in other years.

The 16 Days of Activism is an International campaign calling for an end to violence against women and children.  There's history and information here,  there were some gruesome and horrific crimes perpetrated against women which, sadly, were the platform for these events which are now held to raise awareness that there will be zero tolerance for violence against women.

......and on a lighter note, the Christmas tree has been put up

and there's more knitting and sewing to be done for Christmas gifts and Secret Santa presents

 The sun has just come out here after a week of rain, and I hope, wherever you are, there'll be some brightness and warmth  in your day too.



Christmas ornie swap - the great reveal

My partner has received her ornies, so I can show them now.  Did you guess the first was a wee felt bird?

These are inchies strung together, double sided, so the same pattern is on the back.

Rhonda was very pleased and delighted with her gift.

Surprises in the mail and a day out

Remember this post about the Down to Earth Community Forums Christmas ornie swap?  well my gift arrived yesterday, and I've received the loveliest decorations, and other little gifts.  Look here....

My swap partner, Rhonda from Sydney, who I also sent to, has made these little hanging ornaments from brown paper, with words of good cheer on them.  What a great idea, so homespun and natural.  They look and feel really good, and make a very satisfying sound when handled.   Rhonda also sent me a great little bag, beautifully made....I love the fabric....and a handmade soap, that smells and feels delicious.  To make it even more special, the parcel was wrapped  in brown paper and string for mailing..  I've been truly spoilt, thank you Rhonda.

Mullumbimby stock images

I had a day out and bought myself some gifts too.  I went to Mullumbimby to visit  Jo's new shop, which she shares with 9 other local artists and crafters, all selling their own locally handmade goodies.  Jo sells natural craft materials, unique hand painted wool, handyed wool felt, and little craft kits.  The shop is a treasure trove of all sorts of wonderful gifts and goodies, and shares the space with a florists, giving the whole area the lovely scent of fresh flowers.  Jo and I first 'met' in blogland, and it was great to meet her in person, she's a lovely warm welcoming presence in the shop.  She has a website 'Indigo Inspirations" where you can see and buy all her wonderful offerings.

I treated myself to this bundle of supersoft, wonderfully bright hand dyed wool felt....I see some yummy creations in my future. I was really pleased to find Jo so close by, I use a lot of wool felt and usually buy it from Melbourne, but supporting local business is something I'm passionate about, so I'm pretty happy I've found a felt dealer in my neighbourhood.

.........and a trip anywhere always means checking out the local op shops, where I found this little vase that looks like a milk churn for 50c....it's perfect for a few flowers in my kitchen...day lilies from the garden, and those fuzzy topped things are garlic scapes, now unfurled from their tight papery covering and gifted to me by a woman at the farmer's market. 

I hope your days have been filled with wonderful gifts.

Stitching

............a quilt for a friend, her boy is due any day.

.... a challenge from the textile group I go to.  We were given an organza gift bag and had to make something from it.  We were also given a project to make a frog, so I used the organza bag....I unpicked it, cut it into strips, and wove it into a piece of cloth, with a contrasting shade of organza and a piece of the ribbon as well. No pics of that bit. Lots of tiny hand stitches later and he was ready to be cut out, stitched together and embellished.  Inspiration for cloth weaving and stitching from  Jude Hill .   He's about 12cm (5inches) long, and waiting for his eyes.

and lastly, a sneak peek at some Christmas ornies I made for a swap I joined at the Down to Earth Community Forum .   My partner, Rhonda lives in Sydney.....hello Rhonda, if you visit, I hope these little glimpses don't give too much away.  They'll be posted today.

Off to make this wonderful fellow building my new chook pen a cuppa!