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Showing posts from July, 2013

more carding updates

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Square cards

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Cupcakes

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A few months ago (oophs) I went to a cupcake decorating workshop at Cupcake Sweeties .  Great fun and you get to eat your creations!  The workshop had an amazing assortment of possible toppings - see that shaker tower? Yum! I was so surprized about the overlap with modelling clay.  Some of these molds are fantastic!  Fern, anyone? And the idea of combining them to get a 3D shape, great stuff!  Pity they're so expensive...  

patchwork quilting

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For Christmas last year, my brother sent me a stunning Jelly Roll (strips of fabrics precut and coordinated).  I adore the different patterns and the colours are to die for!  I decided to turn it into a strip quilt.  While its not the first quilt I started  I hope its going to be the first one I finish!   I got some soft white cotton and cut out strips so that I can have a randomised strip pattern.  But I had a bit of a problem with the joining of the strips together as the weight of the sewn strips caused one side to stretch and I ended up with this unfortunate curve.  After a lot of unpicking (once I realised I would indeed have to redo) and resewing - its a far more settled affair - I still need to cut wider strips in white to place around the sides and top.  I'm hoping to make it a Queen sided blanket and already have the batting for the middle.  Still not sure on the backing though and think I'll just go with a single colour.    

Pioneer Town, Joshua Tree Park and Palm Springs

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I was lucky enough to get out of LA on this trip.  I went out into the desert and visited pioneertown. Such a completely different environment to both NZ and Ireland. Pioneer town was created as a film set but was kept running as a tourist destination. The post office is the most photographed post office in the US - much cuteness. I also managed to make it to the Joshua Tree National Park.  Amazing location. The Joshua Trees were so strange and it seems that I was lucky enough to be there when some of trees and other plants were flowering.         You can also see the San Andrea's Fault from the park.  The haze is a combination of smog and heat!       I stayed with a colleague who's cat has some interesting drinking habits. I also went on an interesting side trip to Palm Springs.  It really doesn't fit with the rest of the surrounding landscape - far too green.  But I loved the MidCentury Modern style.   There was a tonne of anti