My new favourite skirt!

Yay, a photo!  Apparently our hard drive full to overflowing, hence the camera /computer communication issue.  No new photos  going on til we buy an external hard drive. Anyone recommend one for a Mac laptop???

Any way, this is my new favourite skirt, I finally made the Mondrian skirt from the 1st Sew Hip magazine I bought ages ago.  I have bought every issue since, and made something from each one I think. The latest has a pattern for a really cute little felt babushka doll, hanging out to try making one!

The skirt was soooo easy - all done on the overlocker (yep, I have conquered my fears!) all bar the 2 button holes.  It is supposed to have a band with really long tails so you can wrap it around and tie it at the side, but I don't like big- tie --up -bow waistbands, so I just made a waistband with some extra fabric, and it does up with 2 BIG black buttons.  It is all stretch fabric bits, mostly from Rathdowne remnats, and the black/grey print bit is from Spotlight. I'm thinking of making another in brown/ orange colours maybe.

Have a look at Ric Rac's latest post - Jodie has totally mastered screen printing and printed up the most BRILLIANT, FANTASTIC Dr Who pillow cases for her daughter's birthday! (David Tennant on one, Matt Smith on the other). Absolutely AWESOME, that girl is just TOO BLOODY TALENTED!!!

Next Monday

Next Monday - craft group, FINALLY I hear you say!!!I know, I know ... but things have been busy with the Trivia night organization - I still kind of need to be there for the final meeting next Monday too, so I willh ave to work out how to be in 2 places at once - which is tricky enouh at the best of times, but I don't have the car either because of swimming, so will have to think about the logistics of it all!!!
So- 7:30-9pm at the PO, all being well.

Friday, 12.

What a week, just don't know where the time goes sometimes. Tonight is the first time for over a week  I have sat down and caught up on some craft blog reading (best thing to do when the footy is on tele). 

I have just spent the last 2 days at the most amazing PD (professional development) "masterclass" run by the new VDEI - Victorian Deaf Education Institute. There were about 30 people there, a mix of Early Intervention workers, teachers of the deaf, speech pathologists, social workers, and even an audiologist and psychologist  or 2. The first day was about working with parents, different adult learning styles and the problems that result when there is a miss-match of styles, connecting with parents etc.; and today was about "theory of mind" which is fascinating - we know how other people think, can predict how they will react when we say or do something, can understand that others hold different view to us, because we have a "theory of mind". Children need to learn/be taught this (especially deaf and hard of hearing children, because they miss hear, don't overhear things, can be very black and white about the world), and it all starts through imaginative/pretend play. When we talk out loud about how we are feeling (pleased, stressed, worried, frustrated, annoyed etc.) around our children, they can learn these 'emotive' words and concepts, and learn that we all have different thoughts and emotions.

Anyway, I could go on... but it was just AMAZING stuff - you could overhear people at morning tea and lunch, saying how fantastic it was, and concensus was that this was the BEST PD EVER any of us have ever been too!  Of course, we all want to go back to our respective jobs and COMPLETELY change the way we approach and do everything!

AND I got to catch up with an old work colleague from Bendigo I hadn't seen in, oh many many years, and another wonderful colleague from Bendigo (we are the only independant EIPA's left in the state), and we nipped into the Vic Market next door for a super quick shopping trip at lunch time today!

It is science week next week and there are a whole host of fun family activities at the Vic Market starting on Sunday - last year my H's research colleagues ran "the science of chocolate" and the kids got to make and taste some yummy chocolates! I don't think they are there again this year, but I'm sure there will be other cool stuff to do.  We might pop down there, not quite sure what the weekend plans are as yet. Hopefully sew another skirt, and bag maybe...

Tuesday...

Just a quick word or 2. Had a great day out at the craft show last week. I was very strong and resisted the urge to splurge on lots of gorgeous things, only bought 3 fat quarters (2 owl prints - inc a nice green version I haven't seen before, and a lovely asian dragon print, destined to make into a bag for my dragon loving friend Cheryl). And a couple of cheap strings of beads to make into a black/grey necklace and bracelet.
What else... some little bits and bobs of beads, charms etc. for the boys to make up (except I had to go to Spotlight on Monday and buy jump rings, so we haven't made them yet), and 2 little silver elephant charms for a work colleage who loves elephants. I finally bought myself a nice big - A1 sized- cutting mat. Fits perfectly on the kitchen table, much easier for sutting out fabric and trying out the rotary cutter. Some $1 kids craft paint to try out with my kids at work sometime. Craft paper from The Craft Spot of course... Saw some really nice bags I want to try and make - a brown one with leather handles hand sewn on ($20 for the set of handles) - so I went to the op shop after work on Friday and bought some $2 handles from old travel bags etc. to try out sometime. I still remember how to do saddle stitching from yr 7&8 leather craft at high school - and still use the leather working tool I had to buy for class too, incredible simple yet useful tool!

Tuesday

HIya, sorry things have been a abit slow on the blogging front, still having camera issues but I am going to play around with the camera again tonight; I have borrowed my camera from work to see if it will work.
Have actually been doing some sewing, one skirt and 3 bags so far. And one skirt made and completely unpicked too, but htat is another story.
Speaking of stories, have you seen this?...http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/noni-hazlehurst-reads-expletiveridden-childrens-book-20110713-1hd2s.html

I so want to give a copy of this book to anyone who is pregnant or just had a baby, but only someone I know really well incase they take offence! But for those of us with kids who have survived those mad, sleep deprived early years - the book is brilliant! Just soooo not suitable for children!

Are you coming to the CWPS Trivia Night? I have been busy with meetings on Monday nights which is why craft group has taken a back seat, sorry! But there is one more meeting next Monday, which I think I will skip out on and finally get to craft group. I really looking forward to the craft show this Thursday, so I think I will be well and truly craftily enthused to catch up with everyone at craft group next Monday!

Hmmm....

well I said I would get there tonight, but the JediKid has gone to his grandparents for a sleepover, and they will be bringing him back today and staying for dinner, so I guess I will be staying home too!  

Anyway, is is just in my house, or do other people ever have  conversations like this:

Me in the kitchen: can you come here mate? (to the JediKid  playing in the lounge room)

JK: Awrrr

M: just need your help for a second please

JK: but Mum, there's a marsupial dragon, and he's about to fall into a 50 foot.....ohhh, whatever

(and indignantly come in to the kitchen)

So is this - 

a) quite a normal conversation between parent and 10yr old

b) what the???

c) are you concerned that your 10 yr old uses imperial and not metric measurement when discussing the size of an imaginary hole?

Just wondering......

OOPS - forgot to add in some crafty dates/info : check this out for some interesting craft action coming up in Brunswick-

http://www.stateofdesign.com.au/Public-Events/activities/MakeUp

The Melbourne Open House weekend is coming up soon, I'm sure you have seen it promoted on lots of trams; we had an amazing time in the city with the kids last year-

http://melbourneopenhouse.org/

And of course the Quilt and Craft fair is coming up soon-

http://www.craftfair.com.au/

AND Brunswick North West PS are having a Winter Market on the SAME weekend too!

http://www.brunswicknwps.vic.edu.au/images/warm%20yourself%20at%20the%20west%20brunswick%20winter%20magic%20market.pdf

School holidays so far...

No photos again sorry, our camera has had a hissy fit and decided it is not on speaking terms with out computer anymore.  And my emails are having major conniptions too.

First weekend of the hols we had a fantastic weekend away at Daylesford with some wonderful friends for our annual July  "family weeekend".  5 adults and 6 kids, we went to the farmers' market (wow, the size and colour of the veges for sale!), then onto the craft market, back for lunch and then a walk around the lake, and of course a visit to the amazing Book Barn 2nd hand book shop.

 Sunday the weather turned, so with another family to come and join us for the day, we packed up and headed to Castlemaine to catch the steam train to Maldon for the Food and wine festival. AMAZING dumplings and dim sims for lunch (although of the fantastic variety, there was only one without mushrooms (yuk!), but the one I did eat was so good, I went back for 2 more!

Back on the train - a much faster althoug slightly smellier diesel one this time, then we bib farewell to out fellow travellers and headed up to Bendigo to visit my family.