Shelley & Steve

Geoff is working. I am supposed to be working. But it is Saturday and I'm browsing through my favorite blogs...catching up with friends on email & enjoying the warmth of the sun coming through after the rain & the snow on distant peaks making the wind icy. I had a lovely email from my friend Shelley to which she attached a picture of herself & one of her sweetheart of a husband, Steve. The pics are so beautiful I had to post them :) They are living in London at the moment...they just spent some time in France & they leave today for a few days of exploring fjords in Norway.

I emailed the travel agency.

Some Surf

The sunset overlooking Kommetjie yesterday:

Cape Flats

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that after living in Cape Town for the last 6 or so years, I had not known that the Cape Flats is actually a MASSIVE expanse of housing & industry consisting of many areas that I have heard of before (and not a group of high rise accommodation flats in Zonnebloem area). The subject hadn't really come up (probably because I don't watch news/read papers)...I had had no reason to go there...and it hadn't occured to me to enquire further when the Cape Flats was mentioned for the first 2 reasons.

On Sunday I went with Elaine on a very unexpected journey to Philippi to visit Pete at the animation workshop he was facilitating. It was amazing to see washing on lines all over the place, people braaing on the main road and cows at a major intersection.

We also saw some amazing signage...and a place where you can have your hair cut & phone for an abortion.

The place that we went to was quite amazing...it is an ex-cement factory. Elaine and I had some fun walking around and taking some pictures of the place...and our shaddows :)

The trip was a good reminder that we do actually live in Africa - with all its quirky African 3rd world-ness.

Amy Butler Fabrics

We're 5! Take 15% off your order. This was the email from Sew Mama Sew! on the 11th of May...and the discount included sale items! :) ...I finally bought Amy Butler fabrics & 2 patterns I have been eyeing since I discovered her online...

I had a mad scramble between getting from Felting to a web client meeting at 2pm to get to the post office...and my package was waiting for me..bound with a ribbon was the oh so fabulous package I have been looking forward to!

...watch this space!

Felting Course Week 2

I had a rather delayed start to the morning...flew out of the house and arrived 5 minutes late for felting. It was fine though as I settled into creative relaxation about 2 minutes after sitting down & starting to work on the techniques for this week.

First I felted around a sort of a heart shape which went semi-well...followed by the making of felt balls. This may seem easy, but believe me: its not!

Then I felted around a drinking glass to make a small felt bowl which I am so happy how it turned out :)

How Cool Is Google?!?

I was surprised when I couldn't save the Pac Man Google logo in my favorite Google logos folder...till I clicked it... and it came alive! This is for Pac Man's 30th Anniversary as Featured by Google ...and it is actually for 2 Players!

There is an 'Insert Coin' button next to the 'Google Search' button & if you click it a second time, Mrs Pacman will appear and you have to do a mad ambidextrous thing to try and control both players at the same time without ending one of the lives prematurely! (if you don't have someone to play with you that is!) :)

Here are the direction to Play Pac Man 30th Anniversary with two players:

Hit the “Insert Coin” to start Pacman & hit the “Insert Coin” a second time to bring up Mrs. Pacman.

Keys to use:

Google Pacman Player 1 - Pacman:
-Just use the arrow keys to move Pacman around

-Google Pacman Player 2 – Mrs. Pacman:

* “w” key-up
* “a” key-left
* “s” key-down
* “d” key-right

Knit Felting Again

Did I write yet that I also have a nephew on the way? My brother Stan & wife Karen will be giving birth to a baby boy (Joshua David) some time in September....and so I have started knitting for him! I have started with some felted slippers (similar to the ones I made for Grace) which I will embroider something onto as soon as they are dry. Perhaps a train...or a doggie or a spider :)

I have no idea about what will fit babies or when these will fit him...I suppose one has to just trust the pattern! I used the Elle Marino Solids this time round. It hasn't felted quite as thickly as the ones I made for Grace (yarn spun by a local spinner) so they are a little bigger than the others...

...perhaps they will still shrink a little more with drying (?)

DIY on Design*Sponge

Again thanks to Thaya (goodness - what an inspiration your blog is!!), I went to have a look at Design*Sponge's blog-style site because of the DIY 'felt bag from scandinavian needlecraft' project... What an awesome idea! ....has my brain ticking on what is going to be possible with my new felting skills! :)

PS: If anybody feels like sending me the Scandanavian Needlecraft book for my birthday (soon), I will be thrilled!

First Day Felting

I was so excited to find out (thanks Thaya!) that Blossom in Kalk Bay does felting courses! I stared this last week Thursday on their 4 week course:

• Week 1 - basic felting technique,go home with a scarf out of one of the techniques you learn.
• Week 2 - Felt balls, beads, round a shape 3 dimensional shape/sculpture.
• Week 3 - Felt through fabric then start combining techniques to decide on a project for the next week.
• Week 4 - work on a project together for the whole morning......

All materials are supplied, tea, coffee and cake...
(Nin's delicious honey cake last week!!)

1. The first thing we did was learn the basic felting technique(s)
2. We played around with making a 'holy' fabric
3. We made a scarf

I have been feeling (overwhelmingly much) that I must make the most of every moment of my life & do as many of the things I want to do that I can. I don't want to get to a point where I wish that I had done more...

Mothers keep telling me that once the kids come, there is time for absolutely nothing that you actually want to do...and today is the only day to start doing these things: and the only time is right now.

In The Artist's Way, she says that some people say Do you know how old I will be when I finish [said dream - say studying something they've always wanted to study]? and the answer to that is - YES: the same age you will be if you do not do it.

I am unbelievably happy with the first results of fulfilling my dream of learning these felting techniques.

Flower Neck Scarf

Yay! I just finished it! :)

Felted Slippers for Grace

I knitted these slippers (for my sister's soon to be born baby girl, Grace) on our trip to George and back & felted them last week...I'm quite chuffed with how they turned out! I've actually added pink felted hearts with green buttons in the centres which I've added to both sides...I'll get a shot of her wearing them one day and post it.

...and with hearts and buttons added:

I'm busy with some blue ones for my brother & his wife's little boy who will be born in September....will post pics when I'm done!

Matching Luggage

I have been quite concerned about traveling safely with my Canon Selphy printer ( the idea is that I would like to create my photo album as we travel ) so I applied the same pattern logic as the camera pouch I made onto a much larger scale. I included a pocket on the front and one on the back to store paper, my paper cutter, double sided sticky tape etc in. I can even fit my camera charger in as well

I got Geoff to help me put strong pearl front studs on the camera case as well as the printer case to close them both...I think I will still put a bit of Velcro onto the back pocket to keep it really securely closed.

3 more sleeps till take off.
Unbelievably much to do before then.

Still Getting Started...

I started knitting a crochet blanket because the Moxy ones are a little bit beyond my budget & I've never seen one that I like the colours of [plus the actual truth of the matter is that I like to make things myself!]

I got started with some lovely Elle Homespun & some other bits and pieces I'd used for something else (I bought 3 balls (Elle Gold Chunky)of the grey for R10 each from the sale bin at The Wool Boutique in Fish Hoek...I had bought the pink, blue and green (Elle Gold Aran) to knit some baby stuff. Then T'Neal suggested I edge all the blocks in one colour. I managed to match up the colour of the centres with an Elle Traditional Aran Knit in the perfect cream!

Kalk Bay Shop

My sister in law, Colleen [aka Koeksista] is such a dynamite person!
We had a early-ish morning chat which led us in the direction of speaking about The Railway House (she works there) needing a blog...and so we got a blog up and running! About time too! This is the first day's page:

I was THRILLED to discover that the blogger domain kalkbayshop.blogspot.com was available as the shop has been under threat of a new name for a mighty mighty long time now. The Railway House will most likely be called 'Kalk Bay Life Design' in the near future...so I've registered the domain http://www.life-design.co.za/ which will (hopefully) have some lekker stuff on it very soon... it will be a 'landing page' for all of Geoff's (and probably mine too) projects.

We have Geoff's blog (in desperate need of update) running - which has his personal projects on it...and Copper Bath will also fall under the Life Design umbrella!

Watch those spaces!

Introducing Yuliya Nilssen

My very very talented friend, Yulia Nillsen asked me to design a logo for her & I am in LOVE with her knitting! ...so we did an exchange: I designed her logo & business card... & she made me a pair of slippers such as the ones pictured! They have leather soles which is great as they are non-slip (brilliant because we have cold cement floors!)

You can visit her website here and place an order for your own pair!

I also got a house stone from her *(brilliant as we were looking for something to stop our front door from bashing against the entrance mirror!)...She has painted the most exquisitly imaginitive designs on river stones (see the pic below!)