Painting and a sign

Now, call me unnecessarily sensitive, but when I showed the sister of this person the painting (of the sister)... first thing she did was laugh! Now, while I was resizing the painting for my blog, I looked at it and thought "Oh No! The head is way too big for the body!... maybe I was too bogged down in the details I didn't realise how disproportionate it is?" I still like it, but I don't want to insult the person I've painted... although, she DID say... I want it of me, and I want it "chunky".

Sandwich baord I completed today. Looks good.

Less is More

I grew up hearing stories of how my Dad grew up in the depression and how my grandparents were so poor they made clothes out of flour sacks and papered the walls with newspaper. But I can't help but thinking in some ways they had it better. I mean... what did they have?

- A spotlessly clean house
-Freshly baked bikkies or scones each day
- Beautifull handcrafted cushions and furnishings
- Freshly laundered washing each day
- A made bed each night to get into
- A meal on the table each night including a pudding
and the satisfaction of a good days work well done each day

And now me, in relative luxury... what do I have?
Well, thanks to my internet habbit and the plethora of information I get each day I have...

-waisted vast ammounts of money on things I may never end up making, due to a head full of projects that change every week/day, which, if I ever get around to making a fraction of them will be badly made due to the rush to get onto the next badly made project.
And because of this I have...
- A messy house
- a miriad of chores that never seem complete
- going to bed in track pants coz I forgot to get the washing dry
- wearily making my bed last thing at night, because I never had time due to things which seemed more important at the time.

Now. I've decided to do something about this ridiculous way of living and put some good old fashioned principles back into my life.

ONE
I don't know if I've mentioned it, but over the last few weeks I've been taking a big hacksaw to all the rubbish in my life. I've got a rough principle I'm trying to live by
"Do one third of the activities I was doing, and do them 2 thirds better"

TWO
I'm also on a money fast. I give myself $20 a week of "Frivolity money". Can you believe it, but I'm actually waiting till this Wednesday till I can buy 3 pieces of art paper and a packet of marigold seeds. Then it'll be another 2 weeks before I can buy 4 metres of pyjama material for Catherine

THREE
And principle no.3 is "Make do with what you have"... and in conjunction with my frivolity allowance will be a piece of cake considering all the wool and material I have stockpiled.

Sometimes we do struggle...

Here's another song I wrote. We practice it in our little church band. Don't know if we'll ever end up performing it though. Maybe not "worshipful" enough. Well, I did write it right after a harrowing 7 years. I'm alot more optimistic now.

SONG LYRICS

IT'S AN EASY CHOICE - (Tune: Little fishies on a dishy)

Vs 1.
Sometimes we do struggle,
sometimes we do fall
Sometimes we do wonder “What's behind it all?”
We’re all learning lessons,
sometimes it seems tough
But our bible tells us God has grace enough

Chorus

Listening to his spirit,
following his ways
Helps us through the trouble,
gets us through the days
Walking in his footsteps,
following his voice
A comfort when we need it,
it’s an easy choice

Vs. 2

Learning lessons is the hardest part of life
Wishing we could skip the sorrow, grief and strife.
Looking downwards we see madness everywhere
Looking upwards drives away all the despair

Chorus

Vs. 3
Sometimes we go the long way,
always looking back
But we should know that there’s a far more simpler track
Forget what is behind you,
always moving on
Make Jesus the foundation you build your life on.

Chorus

FREE BOOTLEG PANTS PATTERN - 4-5 year old.

Here is a free pattern for a pair of pants for around a 4-5 year old. These were made for my 4 year old, but she's big for her age. I'm learning as I go, so this is a very basic pattern, with no notches, and only one size. The squares are also skewif! but they stick together ok. (The pattern is in squares, you cut them out and sellotape them together).

The pattern is on the Scribd website here

Well, here's a few pics for today. My garden is co ming along... it's all just seedlings at the moment so still looks bare with a few random cabbages and some daises that self-seed now.

And that one of me? thats me in my hidey-hole... in the Datsun with the cover on! and no-one knows where I am heehee. Nah. I give myself some time out every day. It's ok to rest.. that's something I learnt lately and really took it to heart!

I've met Jesus ...

I've Met Jesus And He's nothing like You - Song Lyrics by a band named Hot Leg.

Worked hard at school
Did all the right things
Got a job
Got a car
Got a girl
Went and got the girl a ring
Go to your church
And sing your happy hymns
And you thank your little Jesus that you're just like him

Chorus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
And he's nothing like you
Nothing like you...(Nothing like you)
I know you think you're right
But you've got it wrong
And your finding your way to a fight

Oh but you love that psalm
You're a biggot
You're a fool with a fundamental flaw
Jesus doesn't love you just to keep it on the laws

Chorus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
And he's nothing like you
Nothing like you...
Fun is fornication
Everything's a sin
Oh if Jesus was a bouncerHe'd never let you in
You're a judge
You're a jury
You get drunk on your own fury
If I thrill you it will kill you
But you'll never get to heaven 'cos you'll die of shock again

Ow!
Chorus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
I've met Jesus
And he's nothing like you
There's no resemblence whatsoever

Interesting lyrics for a secular song, aye? Unfortunately for this guy, if he really has met Jesus, then God's gonna be calling him into the church he so despises! I wish I could tell he "Be not decieved. God is not mocked"...Christians ARE a poor reflection of God, but God's bigger than our mistakes and history will all come together for His ultimate purposes in the end.

How To make a pdf sewing pattern!

This assumes you have already drafted you pattern and want to convert it to a PDF format for others to use.

1. First I traced around my pattern, all pieces close together with no markings





2. Next I measured an A4, made it smaller (for printing), and divided up my drawing into even rectangles. (The size of my rectangles were 200 x 180 mm... they could have been bigger)

3. Next I wrote the markings within the rectangles, and put numbers at the corners to match them up again when printed out by somebody else. I also numbered each rectangle individually as well. (Ie. each page was number 1-9. Each matching corner also had another number marked 1,2, 3 or 4)

4. Then I cut these up into rectangles

5. Then I scanned each rectangle.

6. I could have left it there. Each file would have had to be converted from a jpg, to a pdf, and then merged into one file (Google these terms!) but I went and used my drawing software to trace around my hand drawn scans. (My drawing software is Illustrator. I think you can use CAD too)... then converted to pdf and merged into one file.

Here is what I ended up with.

How To make a pdf sewing pattern

The tutorial rampage continues. I have put together a how to of how I created a sewing pattern in pdf format. I am a enthusiast, not a proffessional.. but here's how I did it.

This is for if you have already drafted a pattern. I learnt the basics of drafting patterns from an on-line course run by Don Mccun. They are only around $20US dollars each... you'd pay thousands in New Zealand to learn the same thing at a poly tech. The link is here

Hippo How-to PART TWO

Here is how to make my hippo. (/ bear/could also be a dinosaur)... someone (:P) has said he looks like George off Rainbow.. so hence I have named this one 'George'. Pattern is here. Part one is here

PART TWO.
5. After sewing both sides to middle strip, sew the two side pieces part way together, turn inside out and stuff. Then sew completely together.

6. Voila! (Walla?) I seemed to have sewed him up unevenly, but decided this added to his charm!

7. Sew on arms and legs. When embroidering the face, I like to stick in a few pins to get an idea of what will look best. I also like my hippo to sit up by itself, so I stick a few pins into the legs to make sure he will sit before I sew them on.

This is a very rough guide, and assumes you know how to hand stitch.

Hippo How-to PART ONE

Here's how to make my little hippo. Here is the pattern.

1. Place pattern pieces on scrap material

2. Pieces all cut up

3. Sew darts on the face and bottom... make sure they are done for either side of the body, left and right.

4. Place middle section at point of head, and start to stitch together along the side of the "side" piece.

Side piece all stitched on

PART TWO coming

Shakespear matters!

Well, I'm on a tutorial rampage, trying to add as many tutorials to my blog as possible. I've just decided that life is all about what you give away, not keep. Well see how long this lasts though. I have a tendency to be fickle.
My pastor said something so cool in church last night. Amoungst other things.. "Shakespear matters!" (and don't spend you life doing things for money alone)
anyway, I've spent the day reading a book I gave up on.. Crime and Punishment. It's one of the classics. I love to read - but reading is one of those babies I threw out with the bath water. I thought you had to give everything up for God, good or bad... so I stopped reading! But maybe imagination is one of those things that "make us human" .
I love to read! and now I can.
( I have to add... if I was anyone in history, I'd be that guy who sat on the pole and emasculated himself... I'm that kind of person (wierdo) when it comes to my faith... it's interesting to find that the things I struggle with have long since been played out by others in history, ages past...)

FREE PATTERN, for a 2 year olds dress

This is a picture of the finished dress. I made a proper pattern for it and everything... a pdf in pieces you can print out and tape together. The pattern can be found here.
PLEASE NOTE: I have made this (pictured) but I have not tested it on an actual 2 year old!!.
If you would like to test this out for me I would love to see pictures. You can message me through my etsy site here :)

FREE Hippo or Bear pattern

I can't decide if this is a bear or a hippo. I have placed the eyes to look like a bear... but if I'd moved the eyes to the sides it definitely would have been a hippo.

Anyway... here's the pattern.

hat

Crafty stuff

I have a camera! Here's some of the stuff I've made over the last 2 weeks. I am putting together a little pdf for the little bear slash hippo or whatever it is. The dresses I drafted myself. The little pile of clothes isa gift for a 2 year old and hasn't been tested on a little body, so I hope they fit!

Catherine Art

My batteries for my camera come tonight... I've made quite a bit in the last few days... in the mean time, here is a piece of art done by my daughter using my Adobe Illustrator. Its a dragon. She's four :)

Money-fast

I've been on a money-fast the last week or so, and I'm really enjoying it. Funny how sometimes having "less" can bring "more". I talk alot about scrimping and saving, but somehow never truely live up to it. Well, after having a look at a budget of a friend of mine, I sat down and did a similar one myself. I have one already, but this time I included every little thing I need/want and splurge on and it turns out after saving up for a flat (which is also less than I thought) I have $30 left at the end of the week to save up for 1. My Van stuff 2. My Datsun 3. A pair of glasses 4. A new overlocker 5. A holiday 6. Art supplies 7. The dentist 8. Clothes.
That's $30 each week total.
So it looks like I won't be painting my Datsun until next Christmas. But that's ok - at least now I'm staring reality right in the face, and it's ok! And a holiday? Why not $12 a night at the Piha camping ground? That would still be cool-as! Maybe my art will pay for itself (if I sell any) and I really have my heart set on a new overlocker so most of my money will probably go towards that.
And to prove I'm living up to my word - I havn't gone out and bought new batteries for my camera, I'm waiting till Teresa brings my last pair over, so, no photo sorry!

A glimpse into the unknown

I remember the first time I ever found a verse in the bible that I didn't know was in there. I was 20 and my Dad had just passed away and I thought the responsibility of the whole world was on my shoulders.

The verse was "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 11.28)

I was like "Wow! I didnt know God did that. Cool!" and I would symbollically "throw" my burdens up in the air.

It's funny to me now, coz growing up in Sunday School, hearing about Zacceus climbing up the tree for the fourth year in a row, I thought there must be nothing more to know! I thought I knew everything!.... but there's so much more to know. I still fall into that "humdrum" trap sometimes... but really it's a big universe... and reading the bible can be so rewarding.. a glimpse into the unknown...an eternity worth of knoweledge all crammed into one book!

dream...

Well, since I have no camera I thought I'd upload a pic I was just looking at. Look at this house! Beautiful old villa for removal... this would be my dream house. I'm saving now for something one day in the future. I don't think Ill end up with something like this though. I'll be happy with a little flat all to myself with a room for my sewing machine and a little garden. I can dream though! (I can pray too....)

Renounce the hurts

Ok. Excuse the poor diagram... I just did it quickly now before I go off and enjoy the last few hours by myself before Catherine comes home again.

I had a talk with Pastor Mike the other day, because I know I have issues with anger that I don't know how to get rid of. (even after 2 anger management sessions and 3 months with a physcologist). This is part of what I learnt from him.

1. What ever you yeild to, you become a slave to.

2. It's no use praying over the anger... you need to go to the root cause of the anger... so start trying to receive God's love... you will find yourself being pulled back by the devil (see diagram)... and once you have identified the cause.. (maybe an event or something somebody has said to you in the past) you need to verbally (yes... out loud) renounce that event, and then verbally receive God's love and forgiveness.

He said that there are event's in our lives that may be negative.. and we carry these around with us and Satan can use these things to stop us receiving God's love. God is always loving towards us but these things in our past can cloud out (diagram) God's acceptance of us.

Hope that helps someone out there. Apparently it's a continual process of renouncing things, and recieving God's love.

HOLIDAY

...of sorts. I have 3 whole days to myself as Catherine is kindly being looked after by a friend. I have made a dress and 6 hankies for Catherine, and a dress for a two year old at church. Also a celtic cross stitch key ring for Teresa (as a "thankyou for my break") and hopefully another dress and maybe some hats for the 2 year old tommorrow. Sadly I can't take photo's because the last of my rechargeable batteries have been "misplaced"... don't make me go there coz my anger management will go straight out the window. Speaking of which. I went to my evening church Pastor to get help with my afore mentioned issue... and I learnt a couple of useful things. If I get time I will do a little illustration of some of the things I learnt from Pastor Mike... it was quite helpful.