Morning all....just a quick one today.  Once upon a very long time ago, in a crocheting world far, far away, I started a ripple blanket for the first born. I am pleased to tell you that it was delivered at Christmas time, and here it is living in its new home...just between you, me and the gatepost, I quite like it!

I missed the whole rippling thing, so I started on a cushion. And here it is, still incomplete, but resting nicely in my new/old indian parat from Lived In Coogee. Vanessa was brilliant. I saw on Facebook that she had some new parats in stock but they weren't in the online store, so she took some photos of what she had, emailed me and hey presto a few days later it was here! So happy with it.

To see a multitude of creative types, head this way...and I'll see you next week. Thanks heaps for this one. I might do some more crochet...or perhaps I'll just read a book  J

You may recall that I was lucky enough to go to New York earlier in the year where I met up with my friend Mary from Canada. It was a side trip following a work visit to Washington.  I took lots of photos, but this one, taken from the top of the Empire State Building is one of my favourites, and I finally got around to having it enlarged and framed. Here it is just propped up in front of the meat safe...

Now I just have to work out where to hang the darn thing, because it's probably going to mean a major rearrangement of what's already in the living room. In fact I'm sure of it! One of the jobs that will keep me occupied and out of mischief once I get to the Christmas break :)

Here are the real creatives...over here. Pop on over if you get a chance.

I'm having a lot of fun making this for the first born...

It keeps my knees warm at night while I'm hooking and watching countless reality tv shows:) 

...and this is proof positive that the sun doesn't always shine in Sydney!

Off to Townsville this afternoon...bloody long way to go for a meeting :)

Creative spaces this-a-way.
all images a tranquil townhouse

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, I thought that I could make the first born a granny square blanket...exhibit A:

I told you she was putting on the pressure for me to actually finish it here. I know how this mothering gig works; I do as I'm told, most of the time, and so I started to put the squares together...there were lots of them...no granny square skimpiness in the tranquil townhouse. Exhibit B:
But alas, my skills, such as they are, did not stretch to putting the squares together in a way that pleased the eye, or quite possibly any other part of one's anatomy...exhibit C. Plain ugly. Puckered. Nasty.

So, what does any slightly competitive, I'm not going to let anything beat me kind of person do? They give up, that's what they do...and start another one. Exhibit D:

Early days but I'm much happier with this one. The firstborn however will quite likely have to wait until next winter to wrap up in this ripply goodness. Blanket recipe found over at Lucy's. Should have gone there in the first place. Clearly. 
Creative spaces over here...
all photos by me; sorry for the slightly disturbing one.

Thank you very much for all your lovely comments on my last post. I've still got that lovely Bali calm...even my children are saying I've gone all zen!

I mentioned that one of the fabulous things I did when I wasn't writing last week was go to a cooking class at the Casa Luna Cooking School in Ubud...famous apparently...now I know why.

Like the whole writing experience, the cooking didn't let us down either.

We were whisked off to a place that was less a school, more an oasis in the hustle and bustle of downtown Ubud...

 a balinese mortar and pestle weighs between 16-20 kilos and is made of volcanic rock

The school is run by the legendary Janet de Neefe, author of Fragrant Rice (I now have a signed copy!) and owner of several wonderful Bali eating places. I may or may not have sampled a few desserts at Indus just up the road from the hotel :)

We helped make the spice pastes. The lovely staff took over when needed otherwise it would have been two hours in the making, not the 20 minutes it was!

We cooked Chicken Curry, wok fried eggplant, tofu fritters, bean and coconut salad (that was impossible to stop eating), spicy anchovy and coconut sambal, and sago pudding.

 our fantastic and very funny cooking teacher Udeh (not sure if that's how you spell it)

I haven't asked for permission to publish any of the recipes sorry, but I'll surely be trying some of them out this weekend.

I’ll let you know how I go. 

In the meantime, you have a top weekend. You deserve it :)

all images: a tranquil townhouse

I'm heading off to Bali tomorrow. It's around 30 years since I've been there. Horrifying thought. The 30 years thing, not the actual going to Bali. Some of you were probably in nappies, or at pre-school or still wearing knee highs (does anyone still do that) the last time I went; with my long permed hair and new husband in tow :)

This time I'm heading off alone (it's not sad, don't worry) to attend a workshop run by the Sydney Writers' Centre. Aren't they clever going to the tropics so that when you're sweating about what you're writing you can brush it off as the effects of humidity!

I booked this ages ago when I was searching for a focus other than the paid work. If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that I'll have a go at most things. It could be called a short attention span; I prefer to call it a fascination with learning :)

But writing is one of those things that is a constant in my life. I do a lot of writing for work. I love that part of it. Discussing problems with my clients, working out what we're trying to achieve and then producing it. The solution always involves words. If I'm really lucky I get to design some graphics too. But not all the time. Rarely in fact. And while I try not to use too much formal language, sometimes it has to be so. Which I suppose requires its own creativity. That's me with my Pollyanna hat on.

Writing creatively is what I'm looking to do sometime down the track. This blog is a small part of that. I feel like I'm embarking on something. I'm not sure of its shape or form, but it's exciting. And the worse thing that can happen by heading off to Bali? I'll meet some nice people, have a crack at something different, revisit a beautiful place, have a cocktail or three....:)

I probably won't blog while I'm away but I have scheduled two posts about two very lovely young women I know so you don't miss me too much. So you all take care and I'll catch up with you when I get back. And wish me luck getting everything finished at work today before I can down tools with a clear conscience...that could be a challenge :)
 

Thanks to the inspiration provided in this book...

and the birth of a baby called Ruby Grace (isn't that a beautiful name)...I am attempting...with this fabric...

the making of a cot quilt...ta da!

I'm so happy with the top layer. The dodgy photos not so much :) The striped fabric will be the backing and I'll have a selection of the quilt top fabrics as the binding. That's the plan anyway...we'll see how it all works out once I get back from my travels.
Lots of creative spaces...probably involving finished projects, over this-a-way.

I feel this is somewhat of a fraudulent 'my creative space' this week as it involves nothing more than a bit of glue...but sorry, it's all I've got!
When I was helping my friend Susan move out of her rented townhouse so that she could go and babysit another friend's home while they were having the annual five month stint at their other place in the south of France...phew, did you get all that? Good. How jealous are you? Me? I'm an unattractive shade of green...

Anyway, while the chandelier fairy and I were helping clean and pack (and to be completely fair, a lot of it had already been done), I accidentally broke one of Susan's teacups...

She was very good about it (and quite right since I'd just cleaned the bathroom for her!)...I know you're reading Susan, and I know you know I'm joking :)

So I took it home and fixed it (but not brilliantly as you can see!) and I'm using it to hold the garlic...ok, so not hugely creative, especially seeing I stole the whole 'garlic in a teacup' idea from the first born's house, but...

...at least it's useful again. Gotta love that. From dim-witted clumsiness to garlic holder. Even a chilli repository from time to time. And cheap...really cheap. Friendship still intact as well :)
For a much more interesting post, you can read about my friend Susan's sea change and see her house by the coast here...and then go and see a whole lot of creative spaces here. There'll be more than glue involved I'm sure!
all photos by me

When Janis says jump, I of course say, 'not a prob Janis...how high?'
Remember this mess...you can read about it here.

The very lovely and exceedingly clever (not the least because she had the good sense to marry an Aussie) Janis, said that I should frame it.

So I did. It has even more 'mess' now, although I do believe it's slightly crooked. Oh well. Never mind.

It's now in my reclaimed studio inspiring me (a little) and reminding me that anything can be made into 'art' (*snort*) and that I really need to get cracking again on that Cert IV after two weekends away.

The studio is slowly (very slowly) turning into what it's meant to be. I'll keep you posted...as they say in the classics :)
Head over here for much creativity.

I went on a little trip last week. A flying visit to Bangalow and Shannon Fricke's Little Cottage...for her Styling workshop.

It was a terrific day, for several reasons:
I got to spend time with my dear bloggy friend Kerri with an 'i'. We didn't stop talking from the time she picked me up from the airport on Thursday lunchtime until she dropped me back on Friday afternoon. Except maybe when we were being model students...demonstration by Kerri below...
I got to meet some really lovely women, all of us with a shared interest in the stuff we bloggers love. And three who are doing the Certificate IV in Design that I'm doing as well. That was fortuitous, especially seeing they're all way ahead of where I'm at and I now have their email addresses :)

I learnt some really good stuff about concepts...and I feel that I can apply this process to a whole lot of things (my spring concept: 'a carefree life' is shown below)

I confirmed that I love styling and will continue to do it with gay abandon around my own house and at anyone else's who'll let me in the front door! Here's the little scene I created to demonstrate my springtime 'carefree life' concept...

... and most importantly...
I recognised that styling will NOT be my next career move. But I did come a great deal closer to working out what that might be...words and pictures in some combination...exciting :)

And apart from anything else the day offered (and there was lots), if that didn't make it a worthwhile investment, I don't know what on earth would.
By the way, that Shannon Fricke is one impressive woman. And super nice as well. Complete bonus :)
all photos taken by me