New Years Eve's Eve - Happy Friday

It's the second last day of the New Year but I'll save the 2011 wrap up for this weekend...

Christmas this year was a momentous event as, for the first time, my new in-laws came over for the annual Wong Christmas Bonanza. Uncle B and Bree were also in attendance, and G-Bomb has reclaimed his seat at the Wong dining table, making this year the biggest Christmas feast we've ever had at the Hills household.

Christmas wasn't always such a big affair but over the last few years, JW and I have endeavored to turn it into a momentous and memorable occasion. The big beautiful 2-ft tall tree dripping with decorations, Christmas lights flashing out the front yard, fairy lights twinkling down the spiralling staircase and of course the big feast - a dining table heavy leadened with a big smoked ham, cheesy potato bake, smoked salmon, fresh prawns, oysters (this year, drizzled with Tetsuya vinaigrette), and salads galore. My in-laws also added a turkey and delicious Malaysian Cendol to the banquet this year. Deee-lish!

Then there were the presents! Everyone who comes over for Christmas gets a present. Not a random Dollar store present, but a considered, well thought out present, purchased especially for that individual. Example, MP got a Nerf sniper rifle - the perfect gift for him as, if he didn't work at a bank, he would most definitely have become combat sniper. I got a Sylvanian Families rabbit family and an ice cream cart - perfect complements to my Watermill Bakery, and the perfect gift for me as MP would have killed me if I bought any more kids toys this year.

Speaking of which, MP's cousins who are visiting from Hong Kong, come over last night for dinner with their kids, 9 year old Kaiden and 7 year old Jen Hui, and their four year old niece Anya. The kids found our toy stash before we had even the chance to offer the adults a drink. But last night confirmed what we had already known... our home is a kid's dream house. Both Kaiden and his dad spend the night driving recklessly on MP's PS3. The girls spend the night ogling over my Squinkies and then playing shop with my little Sylvanian Family characters, as my new rabbit family quickly became patrons of the Watermill Bakery and the ice cream cart.

It was a great night and it reaffirmed something to me, a thought which left me smiling.

Although I have adult responsibilities, I've still built a home and a life, that is true to me. I still have a childlike wonder and I haven't forgotten my childhood dreams.

That realisation has given me the perfect finish to the year, and I am feeling very grateful.

2011 Christmas Eve brekky

Brekky at Chatty Westfield before a battle at the Chase...

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Monday Ramblings

Christmas is only six days away. The tree us up, presents are wrapped, and the menu for the big feast has been finalised... bring on Santa Clause!

A crazy weekend just flew by filled with delicious food, gorgeous friends and my wonderful family. We hosted a dinner party on Friday night for my dear friend Trace, who flew back from Singapore for the Christmas holidays. She and Pete brought back the new edition to their family, baby Mimi, who is only two months old! You can already tell that this little half dutch/half Phillo baby is going to be one heck of a heart breaker.

A trip to visit Katty in Wyoming followed by a battle at the shopping centre to buy pressies for MP's eight nieces and nephews, left MP and I frazzled and dazed on Saturday. But we persevered, driving out to Baulkham Hills that night for friends' birthday celebrations. Then Sunday was another full day - lunch at Nina and Carls's (DIY Vietnamese rice paper rolls complete with authentic pork jerky skewers) followed by a trip out to Canley Vale for soupy beef pho. Then a visit to mum and dad's in West Penno before finally making our way home... Lest to day, It was a full on weekend.

This year has flown by in a blur and, quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Only now, as the year end nears, have I had the chance to reflect on how big this year has been... setting up our home, loss of a loved one, getting married and big opportunities at work... it's been a year of momentous events.

I am looking forward to some quiet time over Christmas/New Years to just sit back, relax and be, me. Pick up my camera again, twist and cross the bobbins of my half finished lace work, reform the crochet blister on my right hand, and head back out to the bindery. Looking forward to indulging in my frivolous pursuits. But all that will have to wait until after Christmas as there is no slowing down in the next six days! Preparations for our big family feast has already begun - honey glazed ham, oozy potato bake, refreshing prawn and mango salad... and much, much more. This year will be the first year where the in laws will be joining us, and with them comes delicious Malaysian desserts. Coconut cendol and Malaysian jellies. Yum!

Ferran Adria's Roast Chook

We bought Ferran Adria's "Family Meal" cook book a few weeks back and MP has been pouring over it. The book is fantastic. Delicious simple recipes which the El'Bulli staff cook and eat, every night before the restaurant opens. The staff at El'Bulli are Ferran's family, and these are recipes for his "Family Meals".

The wonderful thing about this book is the abundance of pictures it contains. Ingredients and methods are spelled out with photographs (The book is approximately 90% pictures), and surprisingly, the recipes are simple to follow with minimum complexity.

MP tried Ferran's roast chook last night. He also made Ferran's chickpea and spinach entree, and home made potato chips. I contributed with the salad.

 

 

The chicken was cooked to perfection, the chick peas were a meal in itself, and the home made potato chips left me licking the salt off my fingers.

Can't wait to taste what MP decides to try next.

A little bit of an epiphany

So I slept on my "hmph" and an idea came to me in the morning. I might ("might" being the operative word here) have an idea on what I want to do. With my money, with my job, with my time... basically with my life.

For those of you who have followed my corporate craftie journey to date, you would have probably seen a common theme. One, I only realised late last night when it came to me in a dream - stuffed crochet piggies, art and crafts, children's markets, sparkly Cinderella shoes... I am a ten year old girl trapped in a grown up body! (Yes, it was a weird dream). I am a big, fat kid.

It explains so much - my internal angst, my mental conflict, my lack of confidence at work (for I feel like a kid playing dress ups, clomping around in high heals, trying not to be caught out). The fact that I get along with kids better than my peers. It's like the penny finally dropped and it all suddenly makes sense!

So maybe I need to stop fighting. Stop pretending to be a know-it-all grown up. Just be me. But for my own mental sanity, I need to bridge the divide somehow. Right now being a grown up has had me depressed and unhappy, but acting like a ten year old kid is definitely not an option.

I'm thinking, maybe a career in the children's industry? A toy designer? (Oh, I'd love that!) Go back to uni to study children's psychology? (Hmm, will definitely help with raising my future kids.)  Be a preschool teacher? (Interestingly, that would be realising a psychic prediction from an old turtle shell reader my parent's visited when I was a kid... maybe you really can't fight destiny? No, that'll be depressing... this train of thought deserves a post of it's own. Mental note to self to explore this topic later.)

I do have a radical idea that I'm going to explore which I will reveal in due time.

But for now, this little epiphany is enough to give me a moment of peace.

Life and onions

Christmas is only five weeks away. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown. Earlier this week, I took a walk up to Pitt Street Mall to do a spot of window shopping. The plan being to prepare a mental shopping list so I don't do the usual two days before Christmas, shopping freak out. I was also hoping to find something to add to my own list for Santa. A new dress? A leather handbag? A new pair of shoes?

Wondering from store to store, department to department, I ended the shopping trip annoyed and confused.

This year's Summer selection of dresses were exactly what I needed to revamp my work wardrobe. The Miu Miu boho bag matched my Miu Miu wallet perfectly. A pair of mandarin loafers would have carried my feet in comfort and style all Summer... But I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. Or to really even want them. I felt the fabric of the dresses and held the bags up in the mirror, but it all felt empty. Now bear in mind, I am definitely no preacher of anti-consumerism (my apartment is a testament to that). I simply didn't want to spend my money on any of the things that a girl my age, would want to buy.

Needless to say, that lead to a pretty depressing train of mental realisations which can be summed up by the fact that I continue to do a job which I'm not passionate about, all for the money, yet none of the objects which I am meant to desire was sparking any desire within me.

So after my pathetic excuse of shopping for myself, I decided to venture to the toys department to look for a present for my little cousins... and I entered NIRVANA.

Lego boardgames! Squinkies! Zhu zhu pets! My heart was racing when I discovered the Sylvanian Family toy sets in Myer. I.e. Little animal families which were very beloved by my sister and I when we were kids.

I was an eight year girl again... an eight year old girl with a credit card! My time in Myer's toy department was bliss and I had a great time oggling at all the colourful packaging, mentally deciding which "styles" and "models" I would buy. (Gawd I wish I was talking about cars as oppose to Squinkies.)

But once again, I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. (What's wrong with me!) This time, grown up Jac kicked in. "What are you going to do with a lego robot? Where are you going to put a Sylvanian Families Doll house? Batteries are not included with this toy, do you really want to fork out an extra $10 for batteries?"

Yep, Reality struck and I left empty handed.

Being a kid sucks because you don't have the money to buy the toys you want... but being an adult also sucks because you're so practical with all your decision making!

As I walked away from the Myer Toy department, I thought about onions. We go through all the layers, all the processes and routines which make up a life time. From physically going to the store to mentally deliberating about what we're going to buy. But in the end the realization hits that you need none of those things, that "stuff" doesn't matter, and you are left with nothing. Just like an onion.

But what's left me annoyed is that if I know this fact and I've witnessed it first hand, why then, am I poo poo'ing my time away, doing things I don't love? I keep telling myself that I need to do my stinking corporate job for the money, but that's codswallop. I'd still earn money doing something I love. Just less... Well, a lot less but that's beside the point. If I know that more money is not going to buy me fulfillment, then what the heck am I doing?

Hmph.

Two and a half weeks in...

I blinked.

And here we are. Two and a half weeks since we said 'I do'. As we had already been together for so long, I didn't think anything would change... But surprinsgly, everything has changed.

From calling his mum "mum" to booking reservations at Jonahs "for my husband's birthday". The big shift has come in the realisation that we're our own little family unit now.

Just him and me.

Honeymoon bliss

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Just married.

Such a great day.

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Sneak peak

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2 weeks to go

It's officially freak out time! Sitting at the dentist waiting for MP as he's getting his teeth cleaned. Then we're spending the day running around getting glass vases, returning pillows (long story), buying underwear, a new belt, cufflinks...

... But it's all coming together! Thank cows for the long weekend which will be spent binding the wedding book and finishing (yes, the aim is to FINISH) the crystal shoes. I brought the finished shoe to my dress fitting thin week, and my ex-Alex Perry wedding dressmaker who has apparently "seen it all when it comes to weddings", literally gasped. Left me grinning from ear to ear.

Anyhoot, I've decided to take the whole week before the wedding off which means only three more days of work left! It's going to be a MANIC three days but It's 72 hours. After which i'm parking work thoughts at the door and succumbing to my inner bride.

4 weeks to go

Only four more weeks till the wedding! Things are slowly coming together. Last week we picked up our wedding bands, confirmed our vintage Jag, finalised our wedding service booklets and went through all our RSVPs. The overly ambitious shoe project is also coming together (slowly). Half a shoe has been strassed and I have to say, it's looking pretty fabulous.

Still so much to do. Need to buy vases, make the wedding book, teeth cleaning... Aiyayay.

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A momentous event

Tomorrow is a big day. A new pinnacle moment in my career. I am going to be bold and put an idea out there which defies years of convention. The dominoes are all in place... I've just got to knock down the first tile.

I stumbled upon the following quote tonight which is very befitting of the occasion -

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchang ing a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone for ever; in its place is some thing that you have left behind…let it be some thing good." -Author Unknown.

Wish me luck.

Final score...

We were home... Bummer.

It was such a nail biting game! The Emperors played really well and they were truly robbed of victory... the Bears played so dirty!

But I was SO proud of MP. He really got in there and ruffed things up. There's also something about him in his hockey gear. The shoulder pads doubles his size, his skates adds 9 inches to his 6" frame, and he suffers from the opposite of Helmet Head... such a cutie. *cheeky grin*

To celebrate his silver medal, we feasted like Kings at Al'aseels. Yum!

Freezing for love

It's been a while between posts but right now, although it's a beaming Sydney afternoon, I'm sitting here bundled up in a polar fleece hoodie, woolly scarf and beanie, typing away as I await the start of the Sydney Ice Hockey Senior Threes Grand Finals between the Norwest Emperors and the Blacktown Bears.

The things we do for love...

MP joined the Emperors three years ago. He was the shy lanky Asian dude amongst a barrage of big, beefy Westies... Now he's captain of the Senior Threes and the team are like his second family. Please let them win!

This game aside, it's been a great weekend. We did a last minute sign up to a pre-marriage course (All: "Say WHAAT..?") which we thought would be a bit of a joke and just something to appease my mother, but it ended up being quite enlightening! I actually walked away with some newfound insight into MP's views on issues which we may or may not encounter. For example, did you know that one in six couples experience infertility in Australia? What would happen if one of us was infertile? Would I feel the same about having a baby through a surrogate which only had one set of our DNA as the other person was deemed infertile?

Riveting Stuff...

Ooh.. Game's starting. Will continue post later.

Special chicken pho... Yum!

Lunch today.


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"We have to bring back the fun"

That was a comment from a good friend of mine who like me, is feeling a little bruised and battered by the hustle and bustle of life these days. Things have just stopped being fun. Life is blitzing by at a rapid pace and we're not doing the things we enjoy doing. What's worst, we're doing things that we dread. We all have responsibilities. I get that. Bills need to be paid and food needs to be put on the table. But surely, we can achieve those things without the drudgery that has become the working life. Waking up and DREADING the day ahead? That's not how life should be...

 

MP keeps telling me that it's just a state of mind and when I'm actually going through it, it's not so bad. That's partly true. I've also been told that I need to grow a thicker skin. That's true too. But right now, my skin is paper thin and there are some events I am experiencing which are just bad. Period.

 

Well... The buck stops here.  Bring back the FUN. Starting with lunch. Yes it's only 11:24am but I'm ravenous so I'm going to eat NOW. And no more crappy work cafeteria food. I'm busting out. Going to get me some Vietnamese Pho. Yum.

 

*sigh* Ok. I feel better.

The best laksa in Sydney

Sambal's laksa... Yum!


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I am about to embark on a crazy journey.

And It all started with these shoes.

A classic pair of Christian Louboutin pumps, strassed with Swarovski crystals to give it a veil of sparkly glamor and finesse. The perfect bridal shoe.

Only a few things stand in the way of my twinkle toes and these fabulous puppies. Well, three thousand two hundred and ninety five George Washingtons, to be precise. But where there's a will, there's a way. And after three hours with my pal Google, I have devised a plan. A crazy, ambitious plan, but a plan all the same. It's a plan that has been put into action thanks to my friends Kate Spade and Ebay.

Kate delivered yesterday. (Light Aqua Licorice Pumps. Stylish AND comfortable - love your work Kate.) Now I'm just waiting for my Ebay friends to come through. Fingers crossed.

On other wedding notes, we got our wedding bands sorted this week and the suits are ready to go. Everything is (clunkily) coming together!

Crochet Blanket Progress Report

A few weeks back I splurged on some wool. Not just any wool. I splurged on Morris and Son's brand of Paddington wool which is made up of 80% bamboo and 20% Merino.

Bamboo wool is wonderful. Soft as marshmellow, eco-friendly, hypo-allergenic and anti-bacterial which is perfect for baby projects. (...Put down the phone mum. I'm crocheting this for Frank.)

64 granny squares and one giant blister later, this is where I'm at...

... and I've run out of wool to join all the squares together! (This is what you get when you try to skimp.)

So back to Morris and Sons next week as I hope to get this finished by next Sunday. After that, Merv has forbid me from starting a new project till after the wedding. I know, "forbid" is a pretty strong word and no one can really forbid anyone from doing anything. But he makes a good point. There's eight weeks till the big day and I have no wedding bands, no honeymoon booked, no makeup/hair artist... but I will have a beautiful baby blanket ready for baby BJ's arrival. Yep, I've got my priorities sorted.

Pendulum

My thoughts usually swing around like a pendulum. Back and forth, oscillating about the equilibrium that is home, family and MP.

It was something my darling sister said the other day that made me realize that my pendulum might be a little stuck...

"All you do is talk about work!"

Is it true? Have I made my work my life.

There are 168 hours each week and I spend 45 hours physically at work. But the amount of thinking time I actually dedicate to work Is probably around the 15 hour a day mark... That's a little OTT. What I need is something else to dedicate my thoughts to. You'd think an impending wedding would do the trick but no. My brain needs something more.

So I have an idea. A fun idea. A fun BUSINESS idea. (Hey, the acorn can't stray too far from the tree.) At this stage, it's a one hit execution which will either flourish or burn. But that doesn't really matter. The process is what excites me. The path will be filled with so many landmines but I HAVE TO make it happen. And I have given myself a deadline. Easter 2012. Tomorrow I will take one week's leave during Easter which is equivalent of me signing on the bottom line. Don't even know whether I have enough leave...

But screw it. Just going to do it.

I woke up this morning and I was 1 year older.

Birthdays are such odd days. You go to bed one age and wake up another. Such an odd transformation. One nights' sleep and them Boom! I'm a whole year older.

I've been reminiscing about the year just past. All the triumphs and pitfalls and everything in between. In terms of highlights, the past year has been the year MP and I moved into our own place, the year we set up our own home. It's the year we became mortgage owners, the year I met Anthony Robbins (and did the Fire Walk!) and the year I moved into management.

The pitfalls have been few. The only one which has left a scar was the sudden death of my auntie. But her death has served a reminder to treasure the good times and give the ones I love an extra tight hug, every time.

But highlights and lowlights aside, it's the "in-betweens" that make up life. The day to day, habitual acts that are often deemed boring and monotonous. Life on a plotted graph would look like a sine curve and the "in-betweens" is just that - everything in between the crests and troughs.

Looking back, my sine curve over the last year looks different to other years. It's like the whole graph shifted up a notch on the y-axis.

I gained independence. I gained financial freedom. My relationship with MP has moved onto a whole new playing field. My relationship with my parents has morphed into one of mutual respect. My little sister is all grown up.

I learnt to marinate authentic Chinese pork ribs. I am more cautious about energy consumption. I learned to sew. I learned to bind books. I crocheted a couch throw.

I met Matthew, the homeless guy outside work and I buy him a coffee every time I see him. I learnt that not all people are motivated by pleasure and opportunities, as some are motivated by pain and the fear of loss. (That was a big lesson for me.)

I say "yes" more. I remind myself to thank God every day.

I wake up smiling.

The past year has been a great year. I feel like I woke up this year. I became more conscious of life. I've become more present.

This shift out of auto-pilot has changed everything and I can honestly say that it's been the best year of my life...

(...but I say that every birthday.)

Happy Birthday me.

Crappy Day... AWESOME dinner

It was a crappy work day. So MP and I decided to spontaneously celebrate the end of the week with a play date at Gastro Park...

Starting with a Puttanesca wafer and a glass of French Pinot Gris




Roast Morton Bay Bug Tail, warm spanner crab, coconut, kaffir lime and coriander...



The truffle special, with slow cooked egg...



The Crispy scaled Snapper, smoked potato puree, calamari crackling and squid ink sauce



The Saddle of lamb, textures of cauliflower and mushrooms



Nitro pavlova...



And to top of it off, An amazing chocolate dessert comprised of a chocolate mandarin sphere which you crack open with your spoon, oozing melted chocolate, caramel and honeycomb. With miniature macaroons and honeycomb clusters on the sides, this dish was the winner of the night...

A great night at Gastro Park.

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A fabulous party for a fabulous girl

Fabulous table settings...

Fabulous dinner...

Fabulous dessert...

Fabulous company...

A Fabulous night.

Delicious New project

I'm a little behind the eight ball with mobile apps... Just found out that I have blogpress on my iPhone!

So here's to the start of more Instagram piccies!

It was pay week this week (yippee!) and I decided to reward myself with a trip to the uber delicious (but rather exy) Morris & Sons Tapestry Crafts shop on Sydney's Clarence Street. There has been a beautiful crochet blanket on display there which I had been eyeing for aaaggeeeesss but haven't been able to afford making, as the beauty of the blanket lies in the beautifully soft Morris & Son's own branded bamboo & Merino "Paddington" wool, which is $11.50 a ball.

This week I succumbed...





I only bought half the wool required to make the blanket (which already wiped my whole week's budget... Eek!), but after just one evening crocheting the soft tinselly wool into granny squares, I was in crafting bliss.

(Blanket progress reports to come.)

Monday Ramblings

So the outcome of yesterday's reframing exercise?

It worked maybe 90% of the night which was a good result. I still thought about the incident. But I knew the instant I started thinking about it so I consciously stopped... Maybe a few more trials before I give my final verdict.

The start of another working week today. I had all these grand plans for this evening's affair including a last minute date night plan to go catch a movie. But alas, the cold weather and Masterchef got the better of us and we ended up eating dinner on the couch in front of the tele.

But guess what I did after?

Yes dear reader, the lace is back! Progress report shortly.

Book 1 - Ready to go!

I finished the first book! I was hoping to get all three done today but I only had 2 hours at the bindery and I had to redo one book twice because I kept botching up the alignment. Luckily, I was able to get all three books glued together but I only had time to block press one. Here it is!

I will be back at the bindery in a fortnight so will be finishing the remaining 2 then. (Sorry JW! Had to get Soph's done first as her farewell is next week.) There are still seven up for grabs so let me know if you want one.
(Gentle reminder peoples... they're FREE!)

Ok, now I need to get something off my chest. Like a lot of people, my mind indulges in a lot of negative self talk. Over the past two days, I have been replaying a situation that happened at work, over and over again, and it's been really getting me down. I've been beating myself up about how crappily I handled the situation, what I could have said or done instead, and what can I do to make things better? This situation has been dominating my head space and it's left me dreading the week before me... I am literally letting the past destroy my present and my future,

...

Ok, as a last resort, as nothing I have done this weekend (as great and fun as the activities have been) has been able to distract me from dwelling on this negative experience, I just tried a NLP reframing exercise. I.e, changing the context and content of a past experience in my mind. (Exercise courtesy of Tony Robbins.)

... And it's worked. The video isn't dominating my headspace anymore.

A miracle? Hmm... Ok, maybe not. The cynic within me is wondering how long this will last.

Let me blog again in a few hours and i'll let you know how it goes.

Just another magical Sunday...

I love Sundays. It's the magical day where anything can happen and the opportunities seem boundless.

It's the one day where my body clock adjusts to sleeping in. The day where the forgotten laundry gets done, where tea gets time to seep and where breakfasts is a more relaxed affair. Already, the washing has been done and hung, dried dishes have been packed away, breakfast is right next to me and in 20mins, I'm off to the bindery. 3 books gone... 7 to go! The offer is still on the table dear reader. (Please refer to my previous post if you are a new reader... And thanks for stumbling across my blog!)

It's also been exactly 8 days since I had my eyes lasered and I can SEE! I am officially goggle free!

Have a great Sunday!

Dear Reader... this is my gift to you.

Two posts ago, I mentioned my book project. Ten hand bound red books which will be individually customized to their owners. Their name block pressed in gold on the front.

I had planned to sell them on Etsy. As a test to see whether anyone would buy my wares. But as I was sewing the books this afternoon, I came to a realization... I don't want to sell them. I don't need to. (well, not at this point anyways.)

What I mean is that I already have a job that pays the bills. True, I've been trying to escape from the corporate world but until I do, I want to make things to give, not to sell.

So this is my gift to you dear reader. Leave me a message or email me or sms me (for those of you who have my number) and I will post you a customized book. I am going to make 10 books to give away. As I can only go to the bindery every fortnight, it may take me a while to finish them. But I promise that it will get to you wherever you are in the world. And no, you will not have to pay for postage.

For those of you who receive my gift, all I ask is that you go out and give to a stranger today. Give or help someone who can't give back. Hopefully, like me, you'll realize that the rewards of giving are much better than trading.

In a heartbeat... That's how quickly life can change

I had a death in the family last weekend. It was sudden and unexpected. In a heartbeat, everything changed. Life ground to a halt.

The last week has been a blur of funeral planning, consoling and cooking for the family. I hand bound a memorial book for the funeral which was a good distraction. But it's in those moments when I'm alone, in the shower or just before falling asleep, where the shocking reality of what's happened sinks in.

She's gone. And the world has lost a beautiful, kind soul.

We will love you always Auntie Sue. You will never be forgotten.

I'm back

It's taken me a full week.

A week of pondering, reading, writing, listening and reevaluating - myself, my priorities, my life.

And now I'm back! :)

I realized a lot this week. I was reminded of the things which are truly important to me. I reevaluated my goals and reset some of them as I realized the costs of some of my ambitions. I outlined (very specifically) my definition of success and surprisingly, I came to the realisation that I have already achieved parts of it!

I found my centre again this week.

I do have Anthony Robbins Unlimited Power audio tapes to thank for all of the above. I know there are a lot of critics out there who disagree with the work of Tony Robbins and the way he makes his money. I don't really have an opinion about any of that. The guy just inspires and motivates me to do more with my life and to me, that's a great thing.

So where am I at now?

I've set some pretty specific goals for the year ahead. One of them being to trial selling my wares online. I've decided to start with my customised handbound books. Prestine white pages hand stitched into sections, hand bound with scarlet red book fabric. Your name block printed in gold, emblazoned on the front. Amazing.

I'm going back to the bindery this Sunday and my aim is to create ten of these A5 books and put them up for sale. If you would like to order one in advance, please leave me a comment. I don't even know what kind of price I want to be charging for these puppies but make me an offer and we'll have a good old barter.

In other news, I finished the baby blue blanket! It's warm, soft and cuddly... Perfect for baby Rhys.

With the lace making journey, however, I have officially taken three steps back. There's just so much on my plate right now, lace making has not been a priority. I guess that's the good and bad thing about learning things at your own pace - there's no deadlines. Oh well, I will provide progress update posts as they happen.

Have a great Tuesday!

Time for some self reflection...

I've been a grouch.

A poop sack.

The Grinch.

A bratty kid.

A nagging possum.

A whiney siren.

An ungrateful basket of misery guts...

I have been the complete opposite of me.

How did I become a road raging lunatic? Someone who flips the bird at an unwarranted wink. A psycho who stews over other the actions of strangers. An unforgiving cynic who sees the glass half empty. A person who has lost all perspective...

What's happened to... me?

I blame life in the corporate world, but it is as it is. Work is how it always has been. My interpretation of it is what has changed. And I've let my mind get out of control.

Time to reclaim me. Bring back the girl in the blog description.

Lucky. Happy. Grateful.

End of the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend

So it's Monday night. The long weekend just BLITZED by and sadly, I didn't get my lace edging done AND I didn't finish my baby blanket.

I did however, blow a heap of money at the sales...

Darn you Fleur Wood with your awesomely fabulous clothing! Darn you Cue for having 50% off!

Yesterday, after my productive trip to the bindery where I prepped three books up to the book fabric mounting stage, I took a trip to town to return a pair of shoes for MP.  What was meant to be a quick trip to DJs ended up being a 3 hour shopping trip, and I walked away with a new dress and two jumpers... two items of which I ended up returning today! (Darn impulse purchases!)

Then today, the vicious bargain hunter within me lurched from hibernation as I trekked to two shopping centres hunting down sales. Today's loot culminated in a jacket I've wanted for the past two months (but it has been too expensive to buy), a new skirt which was not on sale (It was just too fabulous to put down!), two tops which would probably be inappropriate for the awfully chilly weather currently looming over Sydney, and a Gant jumper for MP.

Yep, the damage was bad. 

But all in all, it was an eventful weekend. I am disappointed that I didn't get a start on the lace edging but next weekend will be my big lace weekend. No buts. I've got to get back into it before I forget all my crosses and twists (lace lingo). I just can't believe how quickly the weekend went by. No doubts, the working week will blitz by and before you know it, it'll be Saturday again.

Already counting down sleeps and this weekend isn't even over yet...

Day 1 - Queens Birthday Long Weekend

It's the Queen's Birthday long weekend! Day 1 has already been extremely productive as I've written up a a long list of things I want to get done over the next three days (half of which are neglected chores). So the day so far has been filled with cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, BUTI was able to get two books stitched up in preparation for the bindery tomorrow. (JW, your book is coming!) Other then that, there's a list of crafty projects I've put on the list which I want to get started (finished?) over the next few days.

Earlier this week, I took a trip into town on my lunch break to brave the mid year sales. Unfortunately, the queues were tremendous and the ladies were pushy, and there wasn't anything on sale that I was willing to go into combat for. So instead, I walked around town and a street flyer ended up in my hands promoting Morris and Son's wool sale ("Up to 80% off!"). I thought I'd go have a look... and ended up walking away with two bags of these!

There went half my weekly budget!

With so many of my friends pregnant/bearing newborns, I justified the purchase by thinking that I'd have a 50% chance of using this beautiful blue Cleckheaton wool. I'm also having dinner next week with a darling friend of mine who gave birth to an adorable little boy only a few months ago. Hence the beginning of a baby blanket project to be completed by COB Queen's Birthday.

On top of that, I also want to get at least ONE lace edging out by the end of the weekend. It'll be a mean feat if I'm able to get all of the above achieved by bed time Monday, but I'm spurring myself on with Tony's mantra -
DEFY the odds... Set a NEW standard... STEP UP!!!"

Reflections

Reflecting back on the weekend... I feel great! I'm starting to believe that maybe I can make a living in the creative world. I recognise that courses like the one I've just attended, provides a sheltered safe haven, where you are in a creative head space, and the opportunities for your creations appear endless. I acknowledge that reality is very different and if I was forced to produce creativity on demand, to have to earn enough to put food on the table, my feelings towards my crafty passions may be very different.

Still, the weekend left me thinking about what life would be like if I devoted all my time to doing what I love. It wouldn't be about money, but I do need enough to get by. How much money would I require? What would I do with all my time?

Just a preliminary fantasy schedule of how I envision my week -

Monday - TBC
Tuesday - Lace Making at Ruths ($20 for 2 hours)
Wednesday - Day at the Bindery (Cost of materials - $10/day)
Thursday - TBC
Friday - TBC
Saturday - TBC
Sunday - TBC

I do want to do some volunteer work but obviously, a part time job of some kind needs to fill in the TBCs. But what kind of job?

Just out of curiosity, I've just had a quick search through Seek.

Jobs Location: Sydney.
Key word search: "Part time".
Search Results: A 3 Day admin assistant role at Random House? A 2 day Comms Officer role for the Government?

... Not bad!

It's such a big decision and I'd have to consult MP about it... but it's fun dreaming.

Beginner's Book Binding Course

I just spend the last two days at the NSW Bindery in Rozelle, learning how to hand bind books... and it was fan-freaking-tastic! The class was taught by a very hip book restorer, John R. Tucker (who was a cool, Gant wearing retiree with a gold hoop in his left ear... too bad he refused to be photographed). The class had seven students (including myself) and it was a busy and focused two days. I was the last to leave today... but I walked out with four, fabulous, finished products in tow! I also met some wonderful people, two of which I've exchanged contact numbers with as we plan to go back to the bindery together. Here's some Photos of the book binding journey -

The first book we made using Japanese book binding techniques. 

Prepared Sections ready to be threaded

Sections threaded, End Pages added, Mull and Spine board adhered

Book Fabric cut and ready for pasting onto the cover

 Cover Board glued onto book fabric

Edges folded over

Book is pressed and drying under brick weights

Block Letter Pressed... the beautiful finished product

Picture of all three projects made over the two days

(The fourth project is current drying in my dining room so cannot be photographed)

So that was my weekend! (JW, if you are reading this and are admiring my beautiful red book, don't worry, your own personalised book is my next project)

Hope everyone had a great weekend.