Happy New Years! :)

So 2008 is just about over (5 hours to go here in NZ!), and I'm hoping 2009 is better not just for me but for all you sew-funky blog readers too! :)

I haven't done a whole lot of crafting over the past few weeks. I kinda crafted myself out in the lead up to Christmas. All that should change in a week or so, when Mr Sew-Funky goes back to work and if not then, when the girls go on holiday to their grandparents house a week later! I am looking forward to a little bit of quiet, but I know I'll miss them heaps.

Anyway, I'm off to make some seriously yummy dessert and I leave you with my most favourite song of the moment. I was gonna post this for Fav Thing Friday - but it's just too good and in my head so here we have rescue by seabird.



Lyrics to Rescue :
I'm pushing up daisies, I wish they were roses
I feel like I'm drowning but nobody knows it
I'm pushing up daisies, I wish they were roses
I feel like I'm dying, just want you to notice

somehow the grave has captured me
show me the man (woman) I used to be
just when I feel my breath is running out

the earth moves and you find me, alive but unworthy
broken and empty, but you don't care
cuz you are my rapture, you are my saviour
when all my hope is gone, I reach for you
you are my rescue
you are my rescue

I'm swimming to safety, but even with my best
if I don't see that rope soon, this might be my last breath

somehow the grave has captured me
show me the man (woman) I used to be
just when I feel my breath is running out

the earth moves and you find me, alive but unworthy
broken and empty, but you don't care
because you are my rapture, you are my saviour
when all my hope is gone, I reach for you
you are my rescue

don't let me drown
can you hear me
cuz I am
"drawlin out" (not sure)
I'm underground
won't you pull me out

the earth moves and you find me, alive but unworthy
broken and empty, but you don't care
because you are my rapture, you are my saviour
when all my hope is gone, I reach for you
you are my rescue
you are my rescue
yeah, you are my REScue
yeah! you are MY resCUE

I'm pushing up daisies, I wish they were roses
I feel like I'm dying, just want you to notice...

italics are my own - I just wanted to remind myself that this was a song for everyone, both man and woman! :)

Books I've been readin'...

There's nothing like cosying up with a good book, and Christmas is the best time for it. Hubby is home to help with the kidlets and you can get some serious "nap-time" or "nana naps" as my good friend Jodz likes to call them. :)

I've managed to get through 3 already and am onto my 4th!

I've pretty much enjoyed them all... Except for the book I'm currently reading, and don't flame me for this one, Twilight. I read New Moon and thoroughly enjoyed it - it grabbed me at the beginning and I couldn't put it down! I've watched the movie of Twilight, and enjoyed that too. But, the book is tedious. I'm struggling to read the badly written prose. Still, I am guessing, since it was Stephenie Meyer's first book, she could only have improved, especially since New Moon was so good! It hasn't put me off reading the other two books in the series because I really want to know what's going to happen to this multi-layered love story.

The first three books:

The Day After Tomorrow Allan Folsom
Touted as a blockbuster, this assured debut thriller delivers in full--and then some. A young American doctor haunted by his father's murder stumbles into a chilling international conspiracy and crosses paths with, among others, a weary L.A. cop investigating a series of surgically precise decapitations, a naive physical therapist and a hypercompetent German assassin. Dr. Paul Osborn, visiting Paris, recognizes the man whom he witnessed stab his father on a Boston street in 1966. Determined to learn the reason for his father's unsolved death and take revenge, Osborn hatches a plan that unexpectedly leads to the gruesome execution of a hired PI and to other killings. Clearly some serious powers are involved. Soon Osborn, aided by Vera Monneray, a Paris medical student, is hiding out from Paris police, Interpol and the L.A. cop who has been summoned to Paris. Meanwhile, Joanna Marsh accompanies Elton Lybarger, a Swiss national whom she has helped recover from a stroke in a posh New Mexico sanatorium, back to Zurich, where he is greeted rapturously by high-ranking German business leaders. As an extensive Nazi resurgence plot emerges, Folsom adds extra flashes--Joanna in a drug-induced sex marathon, a massive train wreck, Vera's other affair with a very important French leader--to heighten the suspense on these rapidly turning pages. A huge explosion in secret chambers under the streets of Berlin sends Osborn on a final chase through Europe and up into the Alps, where the high-tech hopes of an earlier generation are finally exposed.

Monster Island: A Zombie Novel David Wellignton
In Wellington's energetic horror debut, the first of a promised trilogy, Manhattan has become Monster Island after a plague has turned all its denizens into shambling, rotting animated corpses, except for a couple who have kept their intelligence and also acquired psychic powers. When an expedition from Africa arrives, composed of teenage girl-soldiers and a former U.N. weapons inspector, the zombie masters mobilize their forces to kill or eat the living humans. Page by page, the story is inventive and exciting as Wellington exploits his familiarity with New York's nooks and crannies as settings for flesh-chomping battles and narrow escapes. As a whole, though, the book satisfies less since the author selectively forgets anything about the situation or the characters that would inhibit further gross-out episodes. Still, the novel offers some provocative thoughts about the purpose of life and death underlaid with some ultra-dark humor.

Valley of the Dolls Jacqueline Susann
Sex and drugs and shlock and more--Jacqueline Susann's addictively entertaining trash classic about three showbiz girls clawing their way to the top and hitting bottom in New York City has it all. Though it's inspired by Susann's experience as a mid-century Broadway starlet who came heartbreakingly close to making it, but did not, and despite its reputation as THE roman á clef of the go-go 1960s, the novel turned out to be weirdly predictive of 1990s post-punk, post-feminist, post "riot grrrl" culture. Jackie Susann may not be a writer for the ages, but--alas!--she's still a writer for our times.

Favourite things Friday...

This has to be my most favourite time of the year. I just LOVE Christmas and the promise of having a better new year next year! :) Everything feels so fresh and the ability to reinvent yourself (& your life) in the coming year almost takes my breath away. Nothing feels so terrible, the sun is SHINING boy have we had the best weather the last couple of days! and I just feel good. My family is around me, my stomach is full and I've even been able to spoil myself in the Boxing Day sales by buying 2 new pairs of shoes!!! my life is complete - hehehe!

Although 2008 has been fairly awful for me won't go into all the gory details I am happy to say my life feels complete. I have a wonderful husband go Mr Sew-Funky! and three very gorgeous young daughters who are growing into three beautiful young women. :) What could be better than that? Well, I guess there are other good things... Some newly fledged friendships - Lianne, Cathy, Carol-Ann and some really good old ones too! :) So whilst this year has been difficult it has also been a really good one too! I discovered a real love for craft this year, bought a new sewing machine, knitted A LOT of dishcloths and made a lot of friendships through blogging Paisley Jade & CurlyPops have to be my number one fav's! My girls all got fantastic end of year reports from school and I'm so pleased that they are beginning to love learning and are really beginning to enjoy their education!

It's why I really feel satisfied right now - long may it last... hmmmmm!

To cut this post into just one favourite thing is hard, but what I've chosen did encompass a couple of my favourite things into one... baking, friendship, Christmas traditions to name a few...

My first ever gingerbread house...

I hope making these will become a new tradition in my house. It was so much fun putting it all together, thanks for suggesting it (and helping me with it) Lianne! :)

Now we just need to eat it!!!! YUM YUM!

D.

merry christmas from New Zealand!

photo borrowed from auckland daily photo...

Sorry it's been so quiet around here, just enjoying the gorgeous summer weather and having family around! :)

Our chickens are being very productive, and I haven't had to buy any eggs for a month or so now! Even with all the extra baking that Christmas brings!!!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas, and that you've been able to take time to relax and enjoy the day!

Love D.

Favourite things Friday...

flowers

Flowers have to be on my list of favourite things, and I received these ones from my wonderful in-laws for my birthday last week! It's always a nice surprise to receive flowers, especially lillies which are my most favourite flower!!! :)

Have a neat Friday!

Jodz has joined me on this friday adventure through our favourite things and you are most welcome to join in too!

You can join in on the fun of show-and-tell by emailing me at sewfunky@orcon.net.nz and I'll add your name to my sidebar!

I noticed, over the weekend, that Paisley Jade's joined in on favourite thing friday... go take a look!

handmade christmas pressies | teachers gifts...

the last two teacher gifts...


For Hope & Bree's teachers, who are the best they've ever had! (Well, this is the second year that Hope's had Mrs McMillan, but she's the best!) And of course I was the real best teacher they ever had, notice the humility here!

Please excuse the quality of the photograph, Mr SewFunky was nowhere to be found when I need the picture taken! (actually he was at work already!)

yum

tea from T2 (birthday pressie from my little sis!); pohutukawa cookie from Carol-Ann; teacup from a long ago retreat weekend

BLISS (or is it the calm before the storm?)

handmade christmas pressies | teachers gifts...

This is the last week of school for 2008, and so as I have in previous years, I've made gifts for the teachers!


This year I made daypacks (bags) from the simple sewing book written by Lotta Jansdotter, just love her name by the way... I could say it all day! :) I am currently up to making bag number eleven or twelve. They are super easy and look super awesome!

All the pictured bags above were for teachers and aides involved in Aimee's class at school. I really felt that it was important to not only bless her teacher, because the aide's have to deal with a lot in her class!

I have now made these bags out of many different types of fabric (upholstery, cord, cotton, pillowcases). They've all turned out well! So if you want to make an awesome bag, my suggestion is to either buy Lotta's book or if you're like me and are strapped for cash, borrow one from your local library! :)

Handmade Ornament Swap; received ornaments

This is the last wee ornament to arrive... Thanks Nikki!

knitting in Colours; Dishcloth calendar

You may remember me being chosen to have one of my cloths (see above) in a calendar for 2009. Well, I just received the commission (US$160) for the pattern. Woohoo! :) It's my first real creative sale, and its all very exciting.

Now, what to do with the money??

Favourite things Friday...

This week I want to show you guys my new favourite item...

A three tiered cake stand that I got for my birthday from Jodz! :D

Only a good friend would know exactly what I want for my birthday without asking!!!

You can join in on the fun of show-and-tell by emailing me at sewfunky@orcon.net.nz and I'll add your name to my sidebar!

Jodz has joined me on this friday adventure through our favourite things, you can join in too!

finally...

some eggs!

We have been waiting what feels like forever, for our chickens to lay some eggs. Aimee was out checking on the chickens after dinner when she spied THREE EGGS in their bedding area! We are all very excited about having our own home-produced FRESH eggs!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!!

This year our tree is going for the total handmade look! I just love all the big dodecahedron baubles I've made (and am still making) for the tree! As you can see I've also put the handmade decorations from the swap twenty cent mixture organised in pride of place! It's looking good, and somehow seems simpler than the usual silver/orange baubles and angels I usually have all over the tree. It seems to be matching my mood wonderfully! I'm all for the simple life lately! :)

Christmas | pj shorties

awaiting elastic...

have you done any of these?

I found this on bubba & chicken's blog, and thought I'd join in for fun! Some of them would be impossible for me to do, esp. since I live in NZ and not in Australia, but I'll mark those in green... :) I got 54 out of 100. :)

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption.
12. Visited Melbourne. (I want to - would love to meet curlypops and go to meet me at mikes!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains. (I’d say climbed Uluru, but the Aboriginal custodians would prefer you didn’t.)
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Visited the Brett Whitely studio in Surry Hills, Sydney.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been packpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Been in a fun run.
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket.
32. Sailed, kayaked or canoed our beautiful waterways.
33. Seen the Daintree. (I have no idea what one of these are!)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bushwalking.
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of Q1, on the Gold Coast.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie. (well let me clarify that - not exactly a movie, but I was an extra on shortland street once, and my daughter has been an extra in a couple of movies)
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone jet boating.
66. Visited Port Arthur.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone. (just recently, I broke my right wrist - OWWWW!)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car. The newest I bought was 4 years old!
83. Been to Hermannsburg.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

funny birthday...

I'm sick :(, we missed my daughter's appointment because of bad weather/traffic, did I say I was sick? Oh yeah, I did. How horrible to feel sick on your birthday!

Still I have had a good time hanging out with my 12 year old (she had the day off school, because of missed appointment...) - she's a whole heap of fun! We tidied the lounge and got the tree out of storage (well she did anyway!). I've decided that tonight will be tree decorating night, I'm so ready to get out of birthday mode and into Christmas mode!

The little angel that Helen made me is already on the tree! She's a little lonely because no one else has joined her yet. She'll have to wait until tonight...

Hope you're all having a good 9th of December!

Will post pictures of my awesome pressies when I'm feeling better...

D.

Captain Underpants rocks!

At least that's what my 10 year old daughter thinks! On the weekend she had much fun figuring out what our new names were according to the book; Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, if you've never heard of him before, yes it is a little bit of "toilet" humour. But when you've got a child who struggles to find something they want to read, it makes for a great encouragement!!!

The following is an excerpt from the book, "Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants" by Dave Pilkey. The evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names......

Mine is; Goober Apple Nose

Mr Sew-Funky is; Zippy Apple Nose

Miss Sew-Funky #1 is; Doofus Apple Nose

Miss Sew-Funky #2 is; Pinky Apple Nose

Miss Sew-Funky #3 is; Chim-Chim Apple Nose

Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = poopsie

b = lumpy

c = buttercup

d = gadget

e = crusty

f = greasy

g = fluffy

h = cheeseball

I = chim-chim

j = stinky

k = flunky

l = bootie

m = pinky

n = zippy

o = goober

p = doofus

q = slimy

r = loopy

s = snotty

t = tootie

u = dorkey

v = squeezit

w = oprah

x = skipper

y = dinky

z = zsa-zsa

Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

a = apple

b = toilet

c = giggle

d = burger

e = girdle

f = barf

g = lizard

h = waffle

I = cootie

j = monkey

k = potty

l = liver

m = banana

n = rhino

o = bubble

p = hamster

q = toad

r = gizzard

s = pizza

t = gerbil

u = chicken

v = pickle

w = chuckle

x = tofu

y = gorilla

z = stinker

Use the fourth letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = head

b = mouth

c = face

d = nose

e = tush

f = breath

g = pants

h = shorts

I = lips

j = h0nker

k = butt

l = brain

m = tushie

n = biscuits

o = hiney

p = chunks

q = toes

r = buns

s = fanny

t = sniffer

u = sprinkles

v = kisser

w = squirt

x = humperdinck

y = brains

z = juice

What's your name?? ;)

Christmas on the brain...

and it's driving me crazy! But, at least today, I have a welcome distraction because I'm looking after my good friend's 2 year old! I so miss when my girls were her age. They're so inquisitive, and such chatterboxes!!! :D

I doubt if I'll get any crafting done during the day, but since tonight is craft group night (yay!) I will get something made today! I am looking forward to having a cuppa with the girls! :)

I have seen a couple of movies over the past week or so (nearly all previews). I saw Twilight and boy that was fantastic. If you get the chance, go see it!!! I read the second book in the series (new moon) and absolutely LOVED it! Then I sat through High School Musical 3 - eeeek! It would've been fine if I was 12, but since I'm nearly 36 it was pretty much barf material. And then yesterday our family got to see Madagascar 2 and I fell asleep in the movie! So that's telling you something!!! Still, my 10 year old daughter just LOVED it, and we all went out of the movie theatre singing "I like to move it, move it!"... :)

I guess that's about all that's happening in my world - I do turn 36 tomorrow though - triple eeek! I really don't feel that old, except for when I remember I have a 12 year old daughter!!!

Have fun!

D.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

That's right today, the 6th of December, is St. Nick's Day or "Saint Knickerless" day as we like to call it in our house... ;) Just a pun, of course!!!!

Anyway, for the past 3 or so years we've celebrated this day by eating chocolate coins in honour of the man for whom so much praise is given on Christmas Day. As Christians we decided early on, that we didn't want our children to get too mixed up about the real reason for the day, and so have chosen to celebrate "Santa Claus" on December 6th. It's great fun, we read a story about the man who the day is named after, eat chocolate and begin in earnest our Christmas countdown. :)

Today, we also got to have fun at Christmas Town, an event that our church hold's yearly for local children (and their parents...). Our church building is taken over by a cardboard township and lots of fun activities are found inside! Our family has been in charge of decorating the entrance way, and we all had fun last night hanging silver baubles from the ceiling and practising our wallpapering skills by hanging silver wrapping paper on the walls. It looked a little crazy mirrorish, but the kid's really seemed to enjoy it - which of course, is the whole point to it all! :D

So, especially as I'm enjoying the puns tonight -

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Favourite things Friday...

crunchie bars...

They have to be my current favourite chocolate bar! Eating them is like a ceremony. I like to slowly eat the chocolate off the hokey pokey, and then devour the yummy dissolving in the mouth insides (hokey pokey). All I can say is yum, and I can't wait to have another one! :)

My mouth is watering, just thinking about them...

What's your favourite chocolate bar?

tutorial | Dodecahedron Christmas Ornament

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about some really neat ornaments I had been making, see below pic...Well, I've finally gotten around to taking some photo's so that you too can make one (or two...) for your tree! Excuse the quality of some of the photographs, I think I need to get some lessons from Mr. Sew-Funky over the Christmas break!

I discovered that this particular shape is actually called a dodecahedron (a bit of a mouthful to say - but good all the same!).

What you need...
Scraps of fabric
12 pentagon templates (you can get some here, just cut them out of plain paper)
thread (2 different colours - one to match the fabric, one obviously different to the fabric)
soft toy stuffing
ribbon

1. Cut out 12 templates.

2. Pin the templates to the wrong side of your chosen fabric.

3. Cut around the template leaving a 1cm seam allowance all the way around.

4. Begin tacking the fabric to the template using the different coloured thread, folding the seam allowance over the template. Do this to all 12 pentagon shapes.

5. Sew the pentagon shapes together, around two of the pentagons making two flowers. Use the matching thread.

6. Sew the two flowers together.

7. Sew up all the seams, except one.

8. Remove the templates, by undoing the tacking.
9. Turn the fabric the right way around.

10. Fill with stuffing.

11. Cut some ribbon (I think I used around 5cm). Sew up the last remaining seam, sewing in the ribbon inside the seam at the end.
12. Tah Dah!!!

Let me know if you make one... :D

Handmade Ornament Swap; owlaments & stockings winging their way home...

Yay, the little owlaments and stockings I made for the handmade swap are finally on their way to their homes. I say yay, because now I can concentrate on Christmas pressies for family and friends! :D

the wee owlaments & stockings...

the envelopes I made from an old cookbook
I had lying around (inspired by miss smith!)

It was so much fun doing this swap, thanks go out Louise from twenty cent mixture, cos' she did so well organising it all! :)

Handmade Ornament Swap; received ornaments

Wow! I feel so blessed to be a part of this swap!!

Take a look at what I've received so far, my tree is gonna look GOOD this year!

the thoroughly gorgeous robot from miss smith,
he couldn't wait to get out and visit!

I just love the envelope he came in...

then there's the angel from Helen -
she can't wait to climb to the top of my Christmas tree!

and last but not least (because she put in some of my favourite chocolate and BUTTONS!) the wonderful ornament from Jessicah! You know the way to my heart...

The Depressed Alphabet

I agree with blackat of anything goes, this depressed alphabet designed by Minky Stapleton is hilarious! :) You can buy the prints on her website...

I liked these letters the best... (in no particular order)

Y is for your most embarrassing moment

H is for hanging in there T is for tragedy F is for fitting roomsA is for apathyU is for unluckyP is for puny (LOL!!!)

Mini Christmas Stockings...

So, I made some really neat christmas decorations for the swap using my most wonderful sewing machine, when I had a duh moment. They weren't exactly "handmade", which was a requirement of the swap. Aaargh! So I went back to the drawing board and wrote a knitting pattern for these wee christmas stockings. I love how they turned out, and these as well as the other sewn ornaments will be winging their way to my swap partners... I'll post a pic of the little "owlaments" as soon as I get confirmation that they've been recieved. :)

An early christmas present for you, my wonderful blog readers;

Mini Christmas Stockings

Cast on 20 stitches onto four 3mm double pointed needles (7,7,6) using worsted weight cotton yarn. I used Anchor Magicline which is a self striping yarn, hence the randomness of colour on the little stockings... :) I like random!

Row 1: K
Row 2: P

Knit 16 rows.

Shape heel;
Row 1: K12, turn
Row 2: P4, turn
Row 3: K6, turn
Row 4: P8, turn
Row 5: K10, turn
Row 6: P12, turn
Row 7: K14, turn
Row 8: P16, turn
Row 9: K to end of round.

K 7 more rows and then shape the toe;
Row 1: (K2 tog) to end of round (10 stitches)
Row 2: (K2 tog) to end of round (5 stitches)

Break off the yarn and thread through the 5 stitches you have remaining. Weave in the ends of yarn to finish.

Enjoy!