BQL Bag Challenge - October bag

Though I started this months bag early - it only got finished today - though 12 hours short of the deadline, great bag too.

Marimekko for Avon

Those loyal readers who know me in the flesh will be very surprised that I am raving about makeup. But this is just SO neat - I can't tell if the eyeshadow has black included or it's just the packaging. I might HAVE TO get some to check it out. Avon does however have the best hair detangler (after extensive research) for those of us with littles who get tangly hair....

Wordless Wednesday

Incoming mail

How ironic - getting this card today - anyway - these 2 are Anything But Cotton - the top one being from Nean, the lower one from Myla - I rather suspect that something has come adrift from Myla's card - they both arrived naked.

I'm back!

Yeah - the block has been lifted, I've been unbanned - OK so it was blogger.com. Normal service will resume! Just need to re-load the photos, they are not how I like them.

Rain, rain go away

Rain, rain go away

Come again another day

We are on day 3 of 5 continuous days of rain forecast here - it's heavy rain, with short interludes of calm - long enough to get into a shop but get drenched when you realise you can't stay there any longer. The sky is merging with the forest, very dreich. I wanted to get out and take pictures of all the flags that are out for Republic day, but I ain't going anywhere I don't need to go - really it's horrid.

Brightening up our day

Baby was given this yummy t-shirt to brighten up the day - organic cotton from C&A - I need to get over to C&A and check it out, though have strange memories of it when I was growing up.

Spiders Web

This lovely spiders web was up at the party yesterday. It's very free crochet, with fluffy wool - looked great, especially with the spiders the littles made (sorry slightly out of focus...)

Why?

Football

The blocking order is related to an intellectual property infringement. Digitürk is a subscription based digital TV platform in Turkey which owns the right to transmit the live coverage of the Turkish football league games, there were blog entries providing information and links to known websites which transmit pirated transmission of the live football league games. According to the news Digitürk contacted blogger.com and requested the blog entries to be taken down but nothing was done by blogger.com and Digitürk had no other option than requesting the Diyarbakir court to block access to the two domains and their IP addresses. Such a blocking is allowed under the Turkish intellectual property laws.

http://privacy.cyber-rights.org.tr/

I hate football...

Sneaky ... Halloween

OK, it's not too sneaky, but I have found a way around the ban. With the help of Barb and my brother, we figured out something I remembered from setting up the blog. You can set blogger so that you can email the blog and it does it's thing and puts up the text and pictures. We'll see how it goes, my baby brother got to see my blog for the first time too. So we're sorted - I hope. I'm not sure how the formatting will work either - lets give it a go eh?

It was THE Halloween Party today, T1 had requested a 'black and pink spotty fairy dress' - I had the fabric from the last trip to Osmanbey, so that was good. We sorted out the design Friday morning before school, I spent the day thinking about the construction, and then started late Friday night. She got up early this morning and tried it on, the skirt part was separate, and needed gathering in and attaching to the bodice, something I needed a 'fitting' for. Of course she was suitably impressed that I could fix it all. Plus her 'King Cole' which is her cape - made from fleece, and with a centre panel of the pink spotty fabric. Velcro and ribbon ties (just to be on the safe side) with a strip of fur on the collar - another request. She needed it today as it was rainy and 'cool' 13 degrees.

T2 was thrilled with his Spiderman costume. I usually hate store brought costumes as they are skimpy with the sizes and poorly constructed. This one was a surprise, the constructions and attention to detail are really very good and although we needed some tape to keep up the 'boots' it was a good fit - he was suitably thrilled, though in a room with a gazillion other littles there was another exact same Spiderman - there were a couple times I got the wrong child!

Bu siteye erişim mahkeme kararıyla engellenmiştir.

T.C. Diyarbakır 1. Sulh Ceza Mahkemesi 20.10.2008 tarih ve 2008/2761 sayılı kararı gereği bu siteye erişim engellenmiştir.

Access to this web site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2008/2761 of T.R. Diyarbakır 1st Criminal Court of Peace.

What am I to do?

I chose blogger to host my ramblings as it seemed not to get 'blocked' by the authorities - this evening when I came to blog T1's new fairy costume it was blocked. This is being posted from the UK, I'll write my posts and hold them for the next few days - then decide weather to sign up for another service or wait it out. Watch this space...

If anyone posts comments - I'm not sure if they will 'come thru' so use the pitwpah@gmail.com address.

Lunch Paket

Ain't nothing goin' on...

No sewing today - Turkish class, chores and more chores. I picked up this flier a while back, aren't the wings lovely? I have a penchant for angels - this one is quite stylish - the lunch offer on the flyer is a good one too. I need to make T1 a suitable costume for Halloween - in a devation from her standard 'Pink Fairy' she has gone for a pink and black combo, big skirt and cape, apparently - mommy just needs to make it. T2 will be spiderman, and very happy about it! Now to find the time.

Wordless Wednesday

Blue Dot, No 2 & Cive

The second blue circle card finished - they've yet to find a home, perhaps I'll just wait till they are all done!

Nothing much happening, a massive power cut. Again.

Though I did get time to make the first batch of Cive of the year. This needs green tomatoes, which I pester one of the local growers to sell me - it's addictive. I made a double batch and ate it with a thick slice of 'beyaz peynir' - feta, but less creamy somehow. mmmm.

Incoming mail

Finished the ABC cards, well finished the first 4, the others (16) will go out in a 'Landscape' trade and then to the next Art2Mail group - I used Anything But Cotton - colour catchers, linen thread for the seed stitch and french knots, Polyester thread and wool yarn for the edges. They went off in the mail today. I had a pilgrimage to the PTT this lunchtime, en-route to serious grocery shopping. In our nearest 'town' there is a 'hole in the wall' stationary/art supplies store, the guy speaks excellent English, when my Turkish fails me, I do try - but he has 'everything' - really, except Black Setacolour paint..... It's one of those shops where you can not imagine any order - I would love to blog it, it's usually jam-packed with people, though next time I'll take my camera. That shop has elastic walls.

Waiting for me when I got home were these 2 cards, from Angela the cat - instantly claimed by T1, later prised from her mits.

Beth P - Autumn - Artsnthemail - these leaves I figure were 'rescued' from some artificial arrangement, then FME'd onto the ground, I do like this technique.

Cat Cards

The cards some how still look shiny - but they are going on their way tomorrow.

Old cards

A day of children squabbling, rain showers and a trip to the local mall for lunch. I managed some stitching on the ABC cards, but nothing finished to show, so.....

Here are some I did earlier - more than 2 years ago, the theme was leaves. It is all fused in the Melody Johnson method (she can do no wrong IMHO) - basically you fuse miles of wonder-under to miles of fabric, remove the backing then cut directly from the fabric. I like the method a lot, though don't use it too much. All that fusing makes me a bit nutso (OK, a bit more than normal!)
The leaves etc are fused to felt, I wanted a really solid black ground, then some FME and more wonder-under on the back. With a wavy rotary blade cut and then fused onto card - I love the way they look like postage stamps. I fiddled with the composition so that the cards would fit the leaves theme.
Making cards en-mass this way solves a lot of waste and gives you a good run at the whole piece rather than working on tiny bits, but there are design logistics so that all the cards are usable. I do prefer this way. I think.

Friday

A busy day but no sewing, not even time to take the cat card pictures - Sunday I hope..... The seasons are changing here, though it was 14 degrees when I went out this morning, misty and 'god's eyelashes' of light peeping through the trees whilst I was driving through the forest. On my way home a good 3 hours later, it was hot, 26 degrees. Summer again, the day was consumed with appointments, chores, making a massive amount of 'toddler friendly' food - I like to give her what we eat, but often that just isn't possible. She is really toddling now, her initial 4 steps on Tuesday have turned into 6 or 8 with a dive onto the floor to end the run. Very cute, cuter still is the fact that she will walk quite willingly if you don't ask her, but should you want to show off her new skill like a circus trick, she flatly refuses - wonder where that stubborn streak came from!? ha!

I do watch this tree each year, it got snapped in half a couple of years back, but is still huge - the vine grows up it and makes 'nature's fairy lights' when the leaves turn along it's branches, beautiful.

Anything but cotton

For the last 4+ years at least I've been using 'disposable' colour catchers, I use them till they look filthy dirty or yummy bright - then stash them in a shoebox, always hoping that I could use them for something. I've also been getting the RK Alliston Catalogues. So squint your eyes and look at the landscape -


First I tore the 'cloth' into strips, it kind of has a grain, but kind of doesn't and tears along it's own line of weakness, I tried to make a blurry, misty landscapey, RKA inspired card. The theme is 'anything but cotton' so I tacked the strips to some fused fabric that is used for hospital gowns, as a foundation using a glue stick - then seed stitched it in the slubby linen thread - I have 5 colours of thread though 2 blues are very similar - these cops of yarn must be nearly 20 years old.


This one I managed to stitch and finish off, using my favourite edging, a Rowan wool and 100% polyester thread in the sewing machine - quite pleased with it to say the least, misty, autumnal and atmospheric. Mmmm....
I got a real buzz earlier to see that JCP had commented on my cat cards..... whoohoo! I check her blog with a bizarre frequency that it's almost a religion, but to think she read my post is a real kick. I need to photograph the cat cards in natural light - not possible today, will try again tomorrow. There will be pilgrimage to the PTT early next week with all these cards...

Wordless Wednesday

Cat Cards

Rather than finish my BQL bag 0r any of the gazillion other bits that are lurking on the ironing board - I got a guilt trip and started one of the sets of cards I am 'slightly' late with - nothing sinister about being late, plain old forgot when they were due.

So these are Cats - surprise! 4 to send and one to keep. I used some 'new' paints and followed Judy Coates Perez's instructions - she is the veritable mistress of this technique IMHO. The paint I used was gloppy - almost like painting with peanut butter and I just wonder where my 'good' paintbrushes have all disappeared to. The paint seems to have dried, yet has some wet looking patches. I had hoped to do a little stitching on them - but I doubt the needle would pass through the fabric, it's so crunchy dense. They turned out well visually though - will finish them off soon. Very soon. I also started the ABC cards - will blog them Thursday I hope when there is more to show. Finally I have found a use for 'colour catchers' - the cards are turning out lovely. Lots of hand stitching.

Crocs

In the spring, we caused a minor sales increase here with 4 pairs of Crocs between 2 littles. They love them, I am ambivalent - they are easier to get on than sneakers. What makes them happy makes me happy. Until now.....
A couple of weekend back I was in a high-end shopping mall with T1 and T2, yellow boy got his foot caught in the escalator, T1 got off OK whilst I lifted him and released his foot from the shoe. The escalator didn't stop Mr Otis. I saw no blood on his foot, he didn't seem to be in pain, just surprised. I managed to hit the emergency stop button, a security type ambled over and handed me the mangled shoe and ambled off. T2's nail was a bit gnarled - though it could have been like that before - he thought it was great fun walking through the shopping centre with no shoes - T1 decided to join him, he kept repeating the story. Anyone spot us? yabanci with 2 shoeless kids? We were the cause of great consternation.

Slowly my relaxed attitude changed - Do escalators have an 'emergency stop feature' or would it have kept on grinding till something really got mangled?

I know where the management office so I went and asked them - also why no one asked to check out T2's foot (they do have a 'triage' room there) The guys I spoke to were sympathetic, offering to replace the shoes - yes they did - and offering us dinner in one of the restaurants - we don't like that restaurant so we didn't.

When I went to claim the cash Tolga Bey told me we were the 3rd such incident in this mall since it opened just a year ago - nearly to the day. I don't know the details of the others - but beware - folks in Crocs - folks on escalators - folks visiting crocs...

Ikea Tray

I got this tray a couple of weeks back, but it's been a devil to photograph. Though I've been busy today - nothing much to show. I have been working on the cat cards, paining them...... more to show tomorrow.

BQL Bag Challenge - October in progress

I've been trying to quilt the bag - as per Kandy's instructions, though the 'humps' where the squares join are huge - I didn't baste it as well as I should have either..... there has been lots of 'frog stitch' happening, not that I want it perfect, but I'm not having it look shoddy. It's not even half way through the month and it's a good way there. Perhaps, perhaps it'll be done early this month.... ha!

I found this in the street outside our house, I figure the repairmen who fixed the electricity cable left it behind (along with the rubble, hole and road digger debris) It looks like it's aluminum and is moderately fragile, 10cm wide..... will be thinking of how to use it.

Incoming mail

After a mail drought - I got these this week - from Jenny, for the ABC trade - this is lovely hand felted with sparkly angelina and space died thread - very tactile......


Above is Leah's August mingle - this one has been a victim of the slow mail service - 6 weeks - though that's not too unusual for the US for some reason. The card below is from Sarah, for the cats trade - which I WILL be working on this weekend, having realised I'm way behind on that one - how did that happen??

hydranger

Back in June the hydrangeas that run the length of the house were crisp clean colours - it's coming to the end of the season and they are merging into a muddiness of reddish greens. Though some stay white. There are a couple of plants that are massive - more than 1.8m - I took a flower off the bottom of one of these to get past, it's over 12 inches across (30cm) the littles had fun with it as it was 'bigger than their heads' quite true. I'll leave these on all winter, when they get scruffy I'll trim them off but wait till the early spring to do the formal pruning, my way, not the Turkish way. I'll get to see spiders' webs draped with diamonds of dew in the coming months.

Wordless Wednesday

Incoming mail - Bag WIP

It's been a busy, but quiet day with no littles home - 'housework', Turkish class, some good news and a bit of sewing. I managed to get the front and back of the bag pieced, they need to be joined together then quilted, etc...
I also got mail for the first time in 10 days, with the holiday and my postie's schedul. Packets, envelopes, cards and bills.... first card today - from Deb P for the Artsnthemail Anything But Cotton trade. I think this is 'fabric-paper' or another 'monster-mess'.