Nanna Napping

One of the best things about being a Nanna at such a young age is that I can legitimately Nanna Nap. One of my biggest problems is that I have no concept of "napping". The only way I sleep is to fall into a state of complete unconscious-ness. 

I woke at 6.30 am today after about 3 hours sleep. I only got  three hours sleep  because I supplemented my sleep from the night before with a nanna nap yesterday between 4 and 7 pm. Let's just say we had dinner really late last night.

So since I was awake bright and early today I decided to get a jump start on my day. I planned to be really tasky. And it went really well - I stuck to the plan.  I read blogs , responded to email, got two loads of washing in,(Mr. P isnt allowed to do the washing)  had a shower, tidied the house and hit the road,all before 9 am. 

First stop was Spotlight to get some interfacing for a project I had to put on hold yesterday because I ran out. Yesterday, I ended up having the Nanna nap instead of getting in my car to go buy the interfacing and by the time I woke up the shops were shut.

Today I not only got the interfacing , but Spotlight were having a crazy bargain sale so I stocked up on stash fabrics. Most of these were only 4 bucks a metre so I bought a load of half metres. 

(Whispering so Mr. P cant hear. I've been doing a lot of "stocking up" this week. I'm ashamed to say out loud how much fabric I've bought which means it must be a LOT)  I figure I totally blew that 100 yard vow so I may as well finish the year in style.  I just have to figure out how to hide the parcels when they start arriving.

Yesterday I hit the op shops on a mission to find the ugliest handbags in the universe. I'm sure you'll agree that I succeeded.

Have you seen the price of handles in the craft shops? $14.95 a pair. Are they joking?  I got all four of these for 12 bucks. Can you see where I'm going with this? Basically I was using those ugly handbags for their handles. Yes- those handbags had to die so that I could create frugally.

Today the interfacing and I got jiggy..... 

With my new iron because my old one was total crap and I've pretty much hated it since the day we got it. It probably doesn't help that the old iron has been dropped multiple times and has probably worked the equivalent of 60 hours a week for the last 21 months.  It's like a Chinese sweat shop for irons here.

And I knocked up (drum roll please) an actual handbag. That I actually like. 

Then, flushed with my own brilliance I decided to take a 10 minute break and read a book on my Ipad because it was 2 pm and I'd already achieved so much. 

I may have gotten a little too big for my britches. I took another unplanned nanna nap and woke at 7pm. (Does 5 hours even count as a nap?) And yes we had dinner at the fashionable hour of 9.15pm again tonight.

You may well ask why Mr. P isnt allowed to do the washing. I'll let his picture tell the story. Two identical new bras. Worn the same amount of times. Washed once each. Guess which one Mr. P washed? Idiot. And it isn't the first time. All my white bras are this particular shade of grotty grey. 

Favourite Things Friday

Welcome to Friday but only just! I'm fashionably late to my own blog party this week.  I've been hanging out for Friday since about 6 am Monday morning so I'm really glad it's arrived. How sad is that? And to my boss, who sometimes reads my blog, I honestly love my job ,  but thank you for approving my summer holidays because I'm all over the idea of sitting on my bum doing nothing for 7 weeks. Seriously. And that's my segue way into Favourite Things Friday this week. Pretty lame huh?

There are always swaps going on in Blogland.  Many of you participate , and  some of you are even brave enough to host and coordinate them!  I've never joined up to do a swap before for a few reasons which Im about to enumerate here.

1) I like to march to the beat of my own drum and do my own thing. I'm not really a group person . (Have we forgotten who got put in the naughty corner at the Kellie Wulfsohn workshop?)

2) I always worry that whatever I send my swap partner will be a disappointment to  them. My stuff isn't perfect and what I like isn't always what other people like. Conversely I cant work on something that I dont love.  If I sent something that some one hated I'd be mortified. I imagine that email would do the rounds of everyone on the entire internet proclaiming  me to be the worst swap partner ever. Yeah Im desperately insecure -and have an over inflated sense of my own importance. Dont be surprised. It's not like I hide it.

3) Some people turn swapping into an Olympic sport. They have been in training for years to get the Gold Swap Buddy medal and will stop at nothing to attain their goal. So when the swap rules are for a specific crafty item and a little present those people go overboard and include 15 yards of fabric, 8 pounds of chocolate hand made by a tribe from the Amazon that hasn't been discovered yet , a hand made quilt that took them 4 months to finish,  and new Mercedes Benz.  I'm not one bit interested in having "Best Swapper EVER " put on my gravestone when I die. I'm also not overly competitive. 

Anyway ...Kat announced she was doing a secret scrappy swap a month or so ago. She had rules that limited what you could send because she wanted it to be a low stress fun swap.  I thought about it and decided with some trepidation to dip my toe into the swapping pool. I figured I love scraps, even I can make something little as a gift and I live in the land of Haigh's so the local gift was easy. 

So I sent this to Cindy, who was the easiest going swap partner in the whole swap and is one of the nicest people I know. I had a lot of  fun putting this package together for her. And I honestly didn't stress out at all!

And yes- I sent her Haigh's. You can see Cindy's photo of the package here 

Tammi drew me as her partner and I received this parcel early this week. It was full of special little touches that thrilled me. Is that the cutest way to wrap a gift ever?

Scrappy Goodness and a gorgeous little vintage sheet purse!

Oh Yeah- Chocolate!

Thank you Kat, Cindy and Tammi for making this such a terrific experience. I may have conquered my swap anxiety particularly if I get partners and swap Mamma's like you next time!

The 15 minute Challenge with Kate

Holidays and a lack of crafting generally have meant I've been absent from Kate's challenge for a couple of weeks. I could have linked up but you would have been  reading a post titled "15 minute challenge with Kate" that was completely blank.  

I haven't been feeling the quilty love lately, however this Friday has been set aside as "Major Quilting Day" so I can make some progress on all of the projects sitting here poking their tongues out at me and whispering "There's no way you're going to finish us by the end of the year". Bastards- I hate it when craft taunts me.

Two quilts made their way to the professional quilter this week so I'm counting that as progress simply because I had to touch them to put them in the car. That's how desperate things are. But while quilts haven't been on the agenda, a number of other little  projects have been completed. Sometimes I have the attention span of a gold fish so fast and easy is good. 

4 paper pieced hexagon flowers - done!

I made myself a new case for my sunglasses using the cut up an old tape measure method for the closure at the top. Thanks Annie for the heads up on this- it's brilliant and I didn't poke my own eyeball out with sharp tape measure pieces in the process. Always a bonus.

The love of my life (my Ipad) got a cover.

I made making travel tissue holders. Thanks Erin. They are easy.

I got around to changing the cruddy old quilting blocks that I had in these frames to things that reflect my current loves. 

And I downloaded and printed every cute thank you card and Christmas gift tag available for free on the internet. Thank you various designers and creative people for making these available to people like me that cant design their own cute cards.


I think my period of  craftitis absentitis had officially ended. 

I wanted to send a shout out to the glorious Char at Cloth Stitched  who sent me a squishy parcel last week containing these beautiful goodies-just because she is amazing and while I had 8 million metres of the blue fabric in that design I didn't have a skerrick of pink. I really do have amazing blog friends. Thankyou!

To see more amazing people and marvel at their creative work pop on over to Kate's to oooh and ahhh.

Favourite Things Friday

I went back  to work on Monday hence the absence of posting from moi.  One of the problems with having a job is that they expect you to turn up and actually do things so you can get paid. And work stuff aside it's been a challenging week and I've spent a fair amount of time ruminating on life, current events and planning and implementing some significant changes in my personal/home life. 

And now it's Friday and that means it's time for me to pony up about my favourite thing for this week. Due to the aforementioned crappy week , I felt like the teacher announced "Pop Quiz " and I was totally unprepared. Initial panic set in when  I wasn't sure I could even dredge up a Favourite for this week. (I really need to have a back up post for weeks like this....)

Thank Goodness for that flash of inspiration on Thursday at lunchtime. Do you ever have brilliant inspirational ideas and act on them immediately? I had one of those yesterday  and ten hours later it was a done deal. That was my favourite thing this week. Quick change that worked out exactly the way I planned it in my head and instantly made me feel better. I think I may have  caught Spring Fever (albeit two months late ) because all of a sudden I'm interested in feathering my little nest again. 

So yesterday after work I was a woman on a mission to make this room look as different as possible because it was looking kinda daggy and tired which is exactly how I've been feeling this week too.  

First stop -Every.Single.Store. at the Plaza in search of the perfect quilt cover , which I finally found at Myer. On sale, which meant it was still expensive but I didn't have to re-mortgage the house.  

Add in some new cushions, new pillows, new pillowcases and lamp shades. I actually slept in this bed last night instead of my usual trick of crashing out on the lounge. ( I just realised how grotty my curtains look so maybe I'll replace them too!) 

Stay tuned for more transformations because I'm on a roll people. There's no stopping me now. The lounge will be getting makeover this weekend too. I need more colour in my life. 

If you'd like to share something that's coloured up your life this week and given you a flash of happy feel free to link up and tell us all about it.

Making Pyjamas in My Pyjamas

Somewhat ironically, given the name of my blog, I have the worlds largest collection of daggy pyjamas. I know I'm about to burst your bubble because you think I swan around here in satin peignoirs with those fluffy toed high heel slippers quilting my little heart out but honestly my pyjama collection consists primarily of washed out flannalette pants that no longer have functioning waist elastic. I want you to imagine me hoisting my pants up every three steps to avoid flashing my plumbers crack (mmmmmmm attractive)and throw in a mental image of a few ratty old t-shirts that are no longer fit for human eyeballs, because that pretty much sums up my sleeping wardrobe. In case you're not gifted enough to creatively visualise this hot mess, here is a picture because I want everyone to know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Disclaimer: Don't send me your therapy bills . If you actually conjured up a mental image or looked at my picture you're on your own. It's not my fault you did what I told you to do.

While I was staying with Little Miss Sunshine two things happened that relate directly to this post. Firstly, I saw some pretty cool kids pyjamas at the markets and then I saw Little Miss Sunshine wearing pretty pj's every night. I took one pair of pyjamas for my entire stay because I only have one set that are fit for public viewing. Last time I nipped outside in my jammies to drop the bin at the end of the driveway the garbo's gave me 5 dollars because I looked like a homeless person.

Side note: Basically I'm mingy. I refuse to pay 40 bucks for something Im going to wear to bed because it has Elmo/Flowers/Snoring Sheep (insert other pyjama related themes here ) on it. For 40 bucks I can buy 1/16th of a pair of cheap Ferragamo's and feed my shoe addiction. 

This led me to thinking about the last pyjamas I made from crusty old sheets. And while I thought I was pretty crap hot when I made them almost 2 years ago, they aren't doing me much good sitting in the bottom of the drawer not being worn because they're hideously fugly.

So with a plan in my brain and trepidation in my heart I set forth to make myself some pretty pyjamas which meant I had to go to Spotlight and get some fabric. And I had to buy 12 metres because it was on sale and Spotlight may never have a sale again. 


After I'd washed that fabric, and made myself a pattern from an old set of pyjamas (yes I made a basic pattern ) I made this set of pyjamas so I can look like a totally hot babe while I'm asleep with my mouth open drooling on my pillow. 

And then I did a long leg version.

Third time was a charm ! 

Does anyone else hear angels singing? I made ruffles and didn't sew my finger to the hem once. Another challenge mastered.(Kat, dont even start about zippers-let me bask in my ruffly glory for a little bit longer)

Spring Break!

Let me just say that what happens on holidays stays on holidays so there will be no tattling in this post ( I bet 20 people just clicked out of this post without reading any further) Little Miss Sunshine and I are sedate mature ladies and we behaved accordingly for my entire stay. Despite what she may tell you over on her blog, it's all lies and I did not lead her astray one little bit. There was one slightly drunken night (and the tables were too high to dance on ) and not a whiff of potential arrest until I was leaving. More about that later. 

I packed so much crap going over I was only 200 grams under the weight limit at the airport. Thank goodness they didn't check my carry on because I took the biggest handbag I owned and stuffed so much in it that it weighed approximately 43 kilos. Then to add insult to injury I got picked for bomb and drug testing going through the scanners. Apparently I look suss or like a drug courier. 

I was met at the airport by Marg holding a box of Krispy Kremes instead of a name card saying "Mrs. Pyjamas" because I live in a dimension where KK doesn't exist. As far as I'm concerned donuts are the perfect welcoming gift and the week just got more sugar fuelled from there. Chips, Chocolate , Booze, Cheese, Oreos and prosciutto for protein. I think we covered all the main food groups.  I didn't actually poop for three days at one point which gives some credence to the idea  that vegetables are probably necessary for good bowel health. 

I was completely inspired by the Quilt show in Brisbane and these were a few of my favourites. There were lots of Ooh's and Ahhh's from me while people around me talked about the technical brilliance and colour placement of the blocks and tone and shade and other things I know nothing of because I just look at it and either like it or I don't. In fact I pretty much left my brain at home and was content to utter non words to describe how I was feeling. 

I popped in to see Natalie Bird who created the 'Tis the Season stitcheries and to have a look at Michelle's fabulous patterns which were being sold on Natalie's stand. Yes- I name dropped that Michelle is a friend of mine. I love to ride on my blog buddies coat tails since I have no actual talent of my own.

We massacred some frog cakes that I brought with me (that got slightly smooshed during transit ) That chocolate one looks like he's screaming doesn't he? I think he knew his time on this earth was limited. If you've never had a frog cake- sucked in because they rock. It's probably one of the few good things about living in Adelaide. 

Little Miss Sunshine seriously is the hostess with the mostest. I had a fabulous time and everything was done to make sure I enjoyed myself to the max.  I finally got to see her house (utterly gorgeous and exactly how I want my house to look if it ever grows up) and with a view like this to stare at every time I went outside who wouldn't have thought they were in Paradise? 

I was a bit slack on the taking pictures thing while I was away and only got two pictures of Little Miss Sunshine  . In one she is flipping me the bird (which I intend to use for blackmail purposes at some point ) and in the other she is fuzzy. It's all a bit spooky because when I looked at her that night she WAS all fuzzy. But I cant recall a lot about that night so perhaps we should move on. 

The biggest thrill of the trip was driving with Young Miss Sunshine who has perfected the art of driving round roundabouts at 100 kilometres per hour on two wheels. She has a career in the wings as a stunt driver if her other career doesn't pan out.  It was a bit like being on the Matterhorn after drinking a bottle of Vodka. I'm just grateful to have survived. 

Kirsten this one is for you . I saw yellow watermelons!

I retail therapied my credit card to the max . I highly recommend having a secret credit card so when you spend money with wild abandon you don't give your husband an apoplexy. It works for me . At one local quilt shop, I was recognised as Quilting in My Pyjamas before I even had a chance to open my mouth .That's because I'm a rock star and I'm recognised everywhere. 

And now for the fabric spoils. By the way, I've given up on only buying 100 yards of fabric for this year since this pushed me over the 200 yard mark for 2011. I have no willpower.

 (I'm blaming you for this latest Japanese obsession Kate!)

As an aside , outside of Spotlight, I have never seen so much fabric in one place in my life as I did at Maison Sunshine. You know that saying "She who dies with the most fabric wins" . Don't even bother trying to compete . Little Miss Sunshine has already won. This is a small part of her obsession collection. I have already called dibs on her fabric stash when she dies. The friend who has been charged with packing it up in a semi to send it to me has told me that will take so long I may as well come up for the funeral and stay to start sewing my way through it all. 

We did the markets and I forgot to take any pictures. We ate brunch twice and I forgot to take any pictures. We went out for dinner and I took this picture and then promptly forgot to take any more pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face with half a cow's worth of steak and the best potato and onion galette I have ever tasted. 

Minor crafting did occur while I was away. A stack of hexies got cut and glued with significant help from Young Miss Sunshine who also flipped me the bird when I tried to take a photo of her doing such an awesome job. I'm starting to think that flipping the bird thing may be genetic. 

The sum total of my craftiness while I was away amounted to this. (and two half finished sunglasses cases that I cant find in the wreck that is my house at present)

I shopped. Oh how I shopped! I bought clothes, I bought bags , I bought fabric and I bought thongs (the foot kind not the other kind ) and some where along the way I realised that if I was at my weight limit coming up it was likely I was going to be well over going home especially when I factored in getting this on as hand luggage on my way home. Through wonderful unexpected circumstances I am now the proud owner of a Go! Baby Fabric cutter. (Was I doing the Happy Dance or what!) So I posted 10 pounds of other stuff home via Australia Post. The added bonus was that it was a way to circumvent Mr. P seeing all my new goodies when he picked me up at the airport. It looked like I only bought three things during my entire trip (coffee, rocky road, a present for Mr. P ) because I picked the rest of it up from the post office while he was at work the day after I arrived home. 

Unfortunately security at the airport had never seen a Go ! Cutter and when it went through the scanners, bells went off and people came running and I got rugby tackled to the ground by three burly guys and then got hand cuffed while they searched my handbag for other illegal weapons. I'm not saying my picture has been circulated round every airport in Australia as a drug mule but twice in one trip is a bit of a coincidence don't you think?  It was lovely to finish off my trip with a strip search and twenty questions about whether I intended to attack the flight crew with a fabric cutter during the flight. Perhaps they thought I was going to cut them into hexagons? 

PS. Don't you believe a word Little Miss Sunshine says about Bitchy Poo . She's utterly delightful!