NIKKI-SHELL

A hot and crazy week

The girls and I have not left the house in three days!!  (well i did go to yoga on Wednesday night).  We've had 40+ temps every day, not the kind of weather to take three little girls out in.  So we've been going stir crazy in the house in just our undies with the curtains closed (of course!), there have been cold (but short) showers, little girls sitting in cool baths and we've been eating endless amounts of ice lollies.  The air con has been running more than ever and we had a power cut for a few hours on Wednesday afternoon.  Everyone is complaining about the heat (understandably), Crafty Minxes had to be cancelled last night due to a power failure, something truly awful happened on the Westgate Bridge yesterday and my grandad died yesterday morning after being ill for quite some time.  Phew what a week and it's not even over yet!

There was something to make me smile this week in the form of some mail. 

An envelope of buttons from the lovely Lyndal. Thanks Lyndal :)
Here are a few more buttons i've been meaning to show, i picked them up at my local op shop, 50c for the lot...bargain!

I also received a nice little package from Megan at Smiths Edge.

My scissors have never been so sharp!!  She even sent two smaller sharpeners for me to share with two of my favourite girls .  Thanks Megan :)

I feel like so much has happened this week yet i also feel like i've accomplished nothing, i've had so much work to do but it has mostly gone undone, i've not had the energy and entertaining little girls in this weather has taken priority.  I'm hoping to actually get out of the house with them tomorrow, i've heard it's going to be much cooler, around 35.  Cool? Ha!

Oh and while you're here why not go check out the new Mixtape Zine site, it's all new and fancy you know, that designer of ours is one clever guy!

mixtapezine Issue 8 LIMITED EDITION

BUY HERE

PRE ORDER NOW!!!
Release date:11th March 2009
This will be our first professionally printed issue, FULL COLOUR, 48pp (100% recycled)
We will do ONE print run (1500) and once we have sold out that is it.
We will continue to be able to print Issue 1 through to 7 from home.
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Front cover artwork by madeleine stamer

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issue 8 features articles such as:

Roller Derby
Cupcake Revolution
Collections: Lunchboxes
Business Profile: Isy @Incub8r
Blyth Dolls
Improv Crafting
Crafty Lady: Erin Harris

Crafty Minx Melbourne Peeps!

Crafty Minx - fortnightly stitch together - 7.30-10.30pm
Beginning Thursday January 29
@ amitie upstairs

Come and hang out and work on UFO's. This will be an ongoing meet up and a chance to get to know fellow peeps. You don't need to come every fortnight, just let us know the week prior. There is enough room to sit 12 minxes comfortably. You don't need to have a blog either! Just a desire to create and to mingle with like minded souls!

email : feedback.mixtapezine@gmail.com for more details! We wanna meet you, don't be shy ;)

Bring your stitching,knitting, embroidery...... and a small plate of food to share. FEE $5

Could Australia be a Handmade Nation?

Faith Levine will be heading to Australia to show her documentary at the Stitches & Craft show!!  I'm super excited, i could wet my pants!!!!

You can watch the longer trailer here!!  The show is worth visiting for this alone never mind all the other fabulously cool stuff that's happening.

YAY!!  I'm off to change my knickers!! (tmi?)

Potty girl

10 months old.  Never too early to learn :)

Waldorf dolls

I had intended to make a doll for each of my girls for Christmas.  I spent the nights leading up to Christmas Day up till the early hours sewing like a mad woman to try and get them finished in time.
I made a baggy doll for Heidi which was relatively easy.

I also made one for little Ezra who we spent Christmas Day with,

he has apparantly taken quite a liking to it.  Baby goes to bed with him, in the car and was even seen in place of the beloved blankie!  Now that makes those late nights worth it!  (isn't he a cutie!?)

Then, i started working on bigger, limbed dolls for Mia and Esme.  I managed to make the heads, do you know how much wool goes into one of those things?  I think a whole bloody sheep!!  Then i started with the hair on Mia's doll, it went well but i think i need to sew it down at the back of the head too, what do you think?

I cut out the limbs and stuffed them and that's where i stalled.  I tried to sew the head on and just couldn't do it right, there was a lot of !$*#%(@ muttered i can tell you!  I was too tired to think straight and decided rather than forge ahead and mess it up i'd leave them and finish them properly.

So the big girls didn't get their dolls for Christmas, not that they noticed!  They've been sat in a bag on my work desk ever since begging to be finished.  Is there some special way of being able to attach the head to the body without throwing a tantrum and the doll across the room?  If there is i'd LOVE to hear it :)  I want to get them finished and off my list of things to do, but mostly i want to gift them to my girls.

Sew Hip

I wrote an article for issue 2 of Sew Hip all about refashioning.  For issue 3 i wrote a simple tutorial for refashioning an old woollen coat.

Refashioning doesn't have to be difficult, basic sewers can do it too.  Why not have a go yourself? :)

And she scores!

I've not been op shopping for clothes for aaaaages.  The girls and I visited a few local op shops this week and scored some great finds and even better is that we spent very little.

I love how they look blowing in the gusty Melbourne wind after a quick handwash cycle in the machine.  Lazy? Me?  Nooooo, I prefer to call myself efficient :)

26 crafty projects and things to make

The long awaited Meet Me at Mikes book is now available for pre-sale here. 
 
Oh yeah and i have a little project in there too :)

Wicked Wednesday!

I have been truly spoilt this past week.  Last night i went to see Wicked with this amazing chick.  WOW!  It was big!  It was green! (always a good thing :))  It was loud!  I loved the costumes and i will never watch The Wizard of Oz in the same way again.
I wore my new shoes which are of course green, perfect for visiting the Emerald City!
See more participants here and make sure you wish Fi a happy birthday!